Wrath of the Lich King

Blizzard Support announced that the v2.4.2 patch has been released. Players simply need to log in to get it:

World of Warcraft patch version 2.4.2 has been released. Players can simply log into the World of Warcraft game client to obtain the latest patch. A complete list of patch changes can be found on our patch notes page: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/patchnotes.html If you are experiencing any issues with downloading or installing the latest patch, please visit our Patch Issues section for helpful troubleshooting information. We also have our patches available from various Mirror Sites which can be found here. After patching the game, some security software may no longer recognize the game client and prevent connecting to the servers. Players may need to update security software to grant online access to the World of Warcraft (WoW.exe) and World of Warcraft Launcher (Launcher.exe) executables. If you have difficulties reconfiguring your security software you should contact the software manufacturer for assistance.

Log in and grab it.

The official lorebook for Wrath of the Lich King has been updated. This time readers find out about The Nexus:

The blue Dragon Aspect, Malygos, was charged ages ago by the titans as the guardian of magic. More than ten millennia ago, he watched in horror as Deathwing all but wiped out the blue flight. Maddened by grief, Malygos withdrew to his lair and paid little heed to the rest of the world, emerging only when it finally seemed possible to avenge Deathwing's terrible crime.

Only in recent times did Malygos fully return to his senses. Upon reviving, he quickly assessed the state of magical affairs in Azeroth and reached the grim conclusion that magic was running amok throughout the world. He blamed this dangerous development on the mortal races and their reckless pursuit of magical power.

There's more to read, screens to view and even a short movie. Check it out.

Blizzard has revealed the details for this year's Blizzcon where fans of all Blizzard products gather:

Blizzard Entertainment® gaming convention returns to Anaheim Convention Center 10-11 October

MARLOW, UK - 12th May, 2008 - Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans for its third BlizzCon™ gaming convention, to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on 10 and 11 October. BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment®'s Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises. In response to the demand to accommodate more attendees, this year's event has expanded from two convention halls to three.

Check out the rest after the jump.

As game worlds become more and more advanced, they also grow larger and larger. The by-product of this improvement is the long distances that must be traveled between locations. For some reason, with this increase in world size, there is not a corresponding improvement in traveling systems. Indeed, there seems to be almost a perverse joy in sending players on quests that involve running back and forth between two distant points with no other objective but carrying a bickering message between a pair of NPCs.

As part of today's media blitz regarding Wrath of the Lich King, IGN has posted up a pair of developer interviews. The first is with lead producer J. Allen Brack who spends some time speculating about WoW's future:

IGN: Is that something we'll ever see in future expansion packs, a full graphical overhaul?

J. Allen Brack: We talk about that for every expansion. We talked about it for Burning Crusade, we talked about it for this expansion and we've got new engine technologies that we do to make things better in terms of going back and redoing things. That's a pretty significant undertaking. And then other games have tried to do that and it's often with mixed results. Some people really like that idea, a lot of people continue to play with the old graphics. Invariably there's this huge jump technologically in terms of how you're going to go forward supporting new technology, new art assets, and still maintain the support for the old stuff, so it's a tricky challenge.

Click below for the second interview snip. WARNING: SPOILER ALERT IN THE 2ND INTERVIEW!!!

According to a tersely worded article, Chinese WoW gold farmers were arrested:

Chengdu's Shuangliu county has arrested two virtual item and currency traders, surnamed Li and Zhang, focused on tapping out The9's (Nasdaq: NCTY) licensed MMORPG World of Warcraft (WoW), reports Chengdu Evening News. Police arrested the pair after Li reported Zhang for unfair revenue distribution. Going into business last August, the gold miners accumulated more than 20 employees with 20 computers to generate RMB 1.6 million in seven months of dealing.

It remains to be seen if this was done at the behest of Blizzard but it's a positive step in the right direction.

Eurogamer has posted a article about their visit to Blizzard and a chance at Wrath of the Lich King. It's all summed up like this:

If Burning Crusade was a wild explosion of ideas, then Lich King is shaping up to be a smoothly orchestrated crescendo of them. It brings to mind the elegance, coherence and sense of direction of the Blood Elf starting areas - perhaps the jewel in Burning Crusade's crown - only achieved across an entire continent.

"Northrend's been kind of a coming home," lead designer Jeff Kaplan told us. Despite the fact that Blizzard has been working on WOW non-stop for some eight years now, he maintains that his team is currently "in love with it". As surprising as that it is, we don't doubt it for a second. In every aspect of Wrath of the Lich King, it shows.

The article is a lengthy one and worth reading. It's also accompanied by several screenshots. Enjoy!

A new screenshot gallery for the Isle of Quel'Danas has been created. This area was added in the recent Fury of the Sunwell patch.

We're constantly on the lookout for eye-catching World of Warcraft screenshots. If you'd like to contribute, you can check our current collection topics and submit your screenshots via our Screenshot Submission page.

You can view the 40 or so screens here.

Phase 3 of the 2008 Arena Tournament has begun. According to the official site, teams are now "locked down" and no more registrations for this phase are being accepted:

Registration for the 2008 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament's first qualification round is now closed and Phase 3 of the tournament has begun. Participants have been battling it out on the tournament realms for the past two weeks while fine-tuning their team composition and strategies. Phase 3 of the tournament includes a lockdown of the teams that will be jockeying for position to compete in the regional finals. To track the progress of your team and the competition as a whole, please visit the World of Warcraft Armory. For more information on the tournament, please visit our Arena Tournament information page. Good luck to all competitors!

Any bets? Let us know who you think will capture the gold in this round.

Jim Moreno tackles the difficult task of roleplaying a merchant in this edition of RoleCraft: "Even roleplayers are known to struggle with this cookie cutter gameplay, and with keeping their characters from looking and acting just like every other character in game. What to do? One sure way to avoid the pitfalls of routine is to realize that there are many other classes in game besides adventurer. It's time to become a professional roleplayer!"