Another year is ending in the rich world of Azeroth. Countless battles have been fought, and numerous accolades achieved. It is time to laud victories and give remembrance to the fallen. In celebration of the old year's passing and anticipation of the new, skilled brewers and talented pyrotechnicians have brought their finest creations to the bustling cities; join the party underway and ring in the new year with your fellow adventurers!

• On World of War.net The Pig wrote an article titled The Cry of The Paladin.
• WoW IGN Vault present this Mage PvP video from the EU server Ravencrest.
• About speculation. We have posted this information on the European Forum. Please read it.
• Nightelves on parade! Funny videos FTW!

Have a great weekend!

Links on this news post may expire over time and some are created by other companies/individuals that are neither affiliated with nor supported by Blizzard Entertainment.

We have just updated our World of Warcraft Wallpapers section with a new wallpaper featuring The Barrens. We have also updated our Blizzard Fan Art Section with three new pieces of artwork.

Warcraft Weekly, Merry Christmas!

To get rid of some clutter, we consolidated the migration stickies into one big one.

N.A.M.E. your character. Acronyms were never this much fun!

After Gamon, now it's Hoggers turn: Check out Hogger's day out.

Winter Veil 2005 - the mp3. Want some music with that? Have a look.

* Links on this news post may expire over time.

In the quiet, early hours of the 25th of December, the industrious goblins of Smokywood Pastures are already awake. As a much-deserved reward for the noble adventurers throughout Azeroth, these generous harbingers of the holidays deposit gifts underneath the decorated trees in Orgrimmar and Ironforge. Keep a keen eye out for these presents, as they're there for the taking! On behalf of Greatfather Winter and Smokywood Pastures, we all wish you a most merry Feast of Winter Veil!

We have just added several new pages that will make for some enjoyable reading over the holiday season. Firstly, we have added a page, A Day in the Life of a Game Master. If you've ever been curious about what it's like to be in a Game Master's sandals, take a look at this page to find out. Secondly, we have posted the Warcraft history section, along with links to more information about Warcraft lore.

Good reading!

Spam getting you down? You're not the only one: GU Comics must have had similar experiences.

Dark Elves, not always quite what you expect... They.. no, no fun in spoiling the surprise; check out The Noob.

WoW Stratics would like to know: What is your favourite Christmas fun part?

Check out WoW Vault for 'Snowballs to Deal with Gold Farmers'.

WoW Warcry is asking 'What do you think of Arathi Basin?'

The Buffy Awards have spoken: WoW is the most appropriate acronym ever :)

Have a Very Flintlocke Christmas.

Have a great weekend!

Links on this news post may expire over time and some are created by other companies/individuals that are neither affiliated with nor supported by Blizzard Entertainment.

We have just updated our World of Warcraft Wallpapers section with a new wallpaper for Christmas.

Christmas is just around the corner and we at Blizzard Europe would like to wish each and every one of you a merry Christmas. As part of our seasons' wishes to you, we'd like to invite you to participate in our Christmas decoration contest. All you have to do is make a traditional Christmas decoration with a Blizzard theme, take a photo of it with a digital camera, and send the picture in to us via our Contest submission page. The best six decorations will receive free game-time. If you are interested in participating in this contest, please read the terms.

Happy Holidays from Blizzard Europe!

The powerful Defilers and the mighty League of Arathor are fighting for control over the resources found in the Arathi Basin. Do you have what it takes to claim these resources for the good of your faction? Check out this new Arathi Basin movie, then log in to World of Warcraft and go participate in this epic struggle!

Anvilbeard has posted episode 21 of his Warcraft Weekly

Schwick has updated his Q&A on upcoming patches and the expansion

We've shared some thoughts on migration in January

Warkha made an overview of last night's developer chat for everyone

One specific response from the developer chat we felt needed some extra highlighting is Tigole's word on the Nefarian encounter

And on the matter of uncertainties surrounding tough encounters, note that pulling and kiting Broodlord Lashlayer in Vaelastrasz's room is a no-no

The summary of the Priest class concerns has been posted

60 and beyond has been a hot topic lately, and we've shared thoughts and plans on the matter

* Links on this news post may expire over time.

We are pleased to announce the first world-wide World of Warcraft Movie Contest! This contest, sponsored by Xfire, is open to World of Warcraft subscribers both in the U.S. and Europe. Players may submit movies set in Azeroth in one of three main categories: Dance, Comedy, and Drama. A total of 39 prizes worth over $12,000 will be awarded to the best submissions! If you're interested in participating in this contest, click here.

Players can now listen to their favorite in-game music from the Warcraft series with just a few mouse clicks. The Warcraft MP3 player features many unforgettable tracks from the games, including: Arcane Echos, Orc 3, and Blackrock and Roll! Click below to check it out.*



*You must allow pop up windows in order to use the player

To continue to alleviate the queues on some of the most populated realms we move on to the ninth phase of migration. This phase starts Monday, December 19th and will last until and including Friday, December 23rd. Note, however, that we reserve the right to close down or redirect any migration at any time based on the population of the involved realms. Please keep an eye on this thread for updates about the ninth migration phase.

To not increase the load on the database during peak playing hours the migration will be open only between 03:00 and 15:00 CET (GMT/UTC +1) each day. We might choose to not allow migration on Wednesdays, due to the additional load when a huge amount of players login after the maintenance.

The following migration between English realms is part of this phase:

Warsong	–>	Emeriss
Skullcrusher	–>	Emeriss
Crushridge	–>	Mazrigos
Shattered Hand	–>	Mazrigos
Burning Legion	–>	Drak'thul (new realm)
Ravencrest	–>	Drak'thul (new realm)

Snowballs are zipping through the air; mischevious-looking little people in red and green are running all over creation; Greatfather Winter stands by a decoration-laden tree offering gifts to all. What does this mean? That the Feast of Winter Veil is here!

Take a moment to check out our new page about the Feast of Winter Veil and see what the season has in store for you!

Happy Winter Veil!

Should you want to migrate your character(s) any time soon, then please make sure you read this.

Send in your 1.9 Test Server screenshots over at World of War.net.

Players are adding new Interface Customisations every day over at UI.WorldofWar.net. Check it out and see if there's anything to your liking.

Azzor has announced a movie contest with 25 prizes to be won!

Great-father Winter looking a bit perturbed? GU comics explains why..

BlizzPlanet has published an interview with Luke Johnson, author and developer of Warcraft RPG books.

My! You're a tall one! Blanc managed to find Ironforge.

Have a great weekend!

Links on this news post may expire over time and some are created by other companies/individuals that are neither affiliated with nor supported by Blizzard Entertainment.

We have just updated our World of Warcraft Wallpapers section with a new wallpaper featuring Tirisfal Glade. We have also updated our Blizzard Fan Art Section with three new pieces of artwork.

Starting with the Warcraft Weekly. Episode 20!

Greetings to our oldest (as far as we know) WoW player: Forzatoro

Thinking of moving? find the schedule for Character migration until Christmas here. And specifically, phase 8, here.

Do you gank someone doing an escort quest? It's being discussed here, join in..

Greetings traveller. You come seeking knowledge do you not? Xarantaur's Lore Q&A can be found here.

To close off, here are some Open Role-Playing stories:

• Realm of Dragons
• Stonetalon Mountains
• Christmas in Moonglade
• Rise of the Gurubashi

*Links on this news post may expire over time.

Due to player testing on the Public Test Realms, some small adjustments have been made for the future paladin talents. Check the last changes in our Paladin Talent Calculator preview.

Amongst the corruption of Felwood, one tribe of furbolgs has escaped the taint which has ravaged their homeland: the Timbermaw furbolgs. Those adventurers, who seek out Timbermaw Hold and prove themselves to be friends of this shamanistic tribe, can learn from them the ways of crafting powerful armor and the secrets of their healing talismans.

Take a peek at the new Timbermaw Hold faction changes coming in our next content update "The Gates of Ahn'Qiraj" and see which rewards dedicated adventurers can gain by helping the furbolgs of Timbermaw Hold.

To continue to alleviate the queues on some of the most populated realms we move on to the eighth phase of migration. This phase starts Monday, December 12th and will last until and including Friday, December 16th. Note, however, that we reserve the right to close down or redirect any migration at any time based on the population of the involved realms. Please keep an eye on this thread for updates about the eighth migration phase.

To not increase the load on the database during peak playing hours the migration will be open only between 03:00 and 15:00 CET (GMT/UTC +1) each day. We might choose to not allow migration on Wednesdays, due to the additional load when a huge amount of players login after the maintenance.

The following migration between English realms is part of this phase:

Deathwing	–>	Talnivarr (new realm)
Stormscale	–>	Talnivarr (new realm)
Bladefist	–>	Emeriss (new realm)
Kor'gall	–>	Emeriss (new realm)

Something Awful has published a very interesting article on The Art of Warcraft: "A Year in Review"
And they didn't stop there. You may also find out How to Properly Enjoy World of Warcraft

Panda Hideout has a new poll. This week's question is: Do you usually gank players? Hot contenders, so far, are "Sometimes" with 48% and "No" with 34%.

World of War.net has added a lot of useful info on professions, be it blacksmithing or skinning, here's your stuff. And they have added a new Macro's section, which you will find here.

The Chalice of Silvermoon, "hot new segment of WoW Radio," now have their own site. Go here to find some very interestind tidbits and downloads.

Have a great weekend!

*Links on this news post may expire over time and some are created by other companies/individuals that are neither affiliated with nor supported by Blizzard Entertainment.

We have just updated our World of Warcraft Wallpapers section with a new wallpaper featuring Thousand Needles. We have also updated our Blizzard Fan Art Section with six new pieces of artwork.

We have just added a new payment option for customers living in the Netherlands and Austria: direct debit payments. To use this option, you must be a resident of one of these countries with a bank account originating from there. If you meet that criteria, simply log into Account Management and change your payment option to direct debit if you would like to use this method of payment. Please note that you can only select this option after setting up your account; it cannot be chosen when creating your account. If you have any questions about this new payment method, please contact our Billing Department for more information.

Purchase a World of Warcraft as a gift and get 20€* back! As part of getting into the holiday spirit, we have launched this special offer to World of Warcraft subscribers. In order to participate in this offer, simply read the email sent to the address associated with your World of Warcraft account and follow the instructions given therein. If you did not receive the email, please check to be certain that your email address is listed correctly in the Account Management section and that the email was not marked as spam and placed in your Junk email folder.

This offer applies to World of Warcraft subscribers living in one of the eligible countries, who had an account active on November 23, 2005. The eligible countries are: Germany, France, The United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, Italy, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Portugal, The Czech Republic, and Ireland. For more information you can contact our customer support team using this webform.
* Denmark: 150 DKK, Norway: 155 NOK, Switzerland: 30 CHF, Poland: 80 PLN, Hungary: 5000 HUF, The Czech Republic: 590 CZK, Bulgaria: 40 BGN, United Kingdom: 13 GBP, Sweden: 190 SEK.

Starting with the Warcraft Weekly. Episode Nineteen!

We have permanently banned more than 2,500 accounts during the last several weeks. Read more here.

Phase seven of Character Migration lets people migrate to two new Realms: Trollbane and Mazrigos.

Add-ons for every day rogue life

Honor, XP & Reputation, Hits and Crits... what colours at what level? Find out here

Ever get ganked? You know you’ve been ganked when...

*Links on this news post may expire over time.

Tomorrow's regularly scheduled maintenance will begin at approximately 3:00 AM Paris time in order to apply a minor patch. This patch adds content for the upcoming holiday festivities in Azeroth! You can review all of the changes contained in patch 1.8.4 here.

Please note: this patch is not The Gates of Ahn'Qiraj, the content patch currently running on the public test realms. To read more on The Gates of Ahn'Qiraj, view the 1.9 patch notes located here.

All realms are expected to be back up at 11:00 AM Paris time. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter.

To learn more about our patching methods, please read the information contained on our Patch FAQ.

We have just posted a sneak peak of the Paladin Talent changes that will be featured alongside many other improvements in our next major content patch, The Gates of Ahn'Qiraj. So, take a moment to check out our special Paladin Talent Calculator to see what changes you might want to plan for your Paladin. Additionally, all Paladins will have their talents reset when the patch is released.

To continue to alleviate the queues on some of the most populated realms we move on to the seventh phase of migration. This phase starts Monday December 5th and will last until and including Friday December 9th. Note, however, that we reserve the right to close down or redirect any migration at any time based on the population of the involved realms. Please keep an eye on this thread for updates about the seventh migration phase.

To not increase the load on the database during peak playing hours the migration will be open only between 03:00 and 15:00 CET (GMT/UTC +1) each day. We might choose to not allow migration on Wednesdays, due to the additional load when a huge amount of players login after the maintenance.

The following migration between English realms is part of this phase:

Bloodscalp	–>	Trollbane (new realm)
Burning Blade	–>	Trollbane (new realm)
Daggerspine	–>	Mazrigos (new realm)
Stormreaver	–>	Mazrigos (new realm)

As part of our continuing commitment to keep World of Warcraft free from abuse, we have permanently banned more than 2500 accounts during the last several weeks which were involved in the use of cheats and/or hacks using third-party software or were otherwise violating our Terms of Use. We will continue to take an aggressive stance to ensure that the gaming environment remains an enjoyable place for our customers by actively pursuing those who would seek to violate the principle of fair-play, as well as breach our Terms of Use and policies in this way.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter. Should you have reason to believe that you have evidence of or information regarding the use of cheats or hacks, please feel free to send us an email at WoWAccountReviewEU@blizzard.com for us to investigate or submit a GM ticket in-game.

Interview with Vaneras! Wowi.dk interviewed Vaneras and you can find it here (it's in English!).

One of our players decided to take poor Gamon out of Orgrimmar and show him some of the world. Enjoy Gamon’s grand day out.

Some other interesting tidbits on Wowi.dk:

• Do the Danes play Horde or Alliance? Go here and find out.
• They have started a Christmas contest and winners will be picked on the 24th of December.

Questicles?! Ya rly, they exist, or at least Woody over at GU Comics says they do.

Leaked 1.9 Patch Notes on Penny Arcade. You'll find them here.

World of War.net has some goodies on their site:

• Heroes of WoW - Chapter 15
• Several new guides, among them guides for Druids and Warlocks.

Have a great weekend!

Links on this news post may expire over time and some are created by other companies/individuals that are neither affiliated with nor supported by Blizzard Entertainment.

As we were wrapping up Wednesday's maintenance tasks we detected an issue with part of our infrastructure and the network, which affected 20 English-speaking Realms and caused an unexpected delay to the maintenance process. After some troubleshooting we resolved the infrastructure issue, while simultaneously working with our provider to identify and solve the network issues. We were finally able to locate and replace the faulty hardware, restoring all the Realms to full functionality and allowing everyone to login again.

One full day of compensation will be added to each active account which had a playable character on the affected realms.

The English-speaking Realms concerned are:

• Balnazzar
• Bloodfeather
• Darksorrow
• Defias Brotherhood
• Frostwhisper
• Genjuros
• Haumarush
• Hellscream
• Kor’gall
• Laughing Skull
• Lightning’s Blade
• Magtheridon
• Neptulon
• Nordrassil
• Ragnaros
• Sylvanas
• The Maelstrom
• The Venture Co.
• Twisting Nether
• Vashj

We'll be adding this extra day to players’ accounts within the next week.

We would like to offer our sincere apology for this unexpected interruption to play time.

We are happy to announce the winners of this year's Hallow's End Contests! The winners of the Hallow's End Screenshot contest are: Naranana on Illidan, Brong on Skullcrusher, Karesh on The Venture Co., Kortvokst on Dragonmaw, and Thezón on Gorgonnash. The winners of the Hallow's End Recipe contest for the English language are: Thrartok on Argent Dawn, Moth on Sylvanas, and Dyth on The Maelstrom. You can view the winning screenshots and recipes for all languages on our special Hallow's End Contest Winners page. Congratulations to all of our winners and thanks to everyone who participated!

BradyGames has published a helpful new resource for World of Warcraft fans: the World of Warcraft Atlas. This book includes detailed maps of all of the regions in World of Warcraft, information about the NPCs found throughout the world, and helpful close-up maps of every town in Azeroth. Additionally, the World of Warcraft Atlas is available in French, German, and English. So, check your local game store or book store to find out where you can get this useful new book!

As always, the latest Warcraft Weekly can be found here.

Thundgot posted the Upcoming Armor Changes.

And more information on the latest character migration.

One of our faithful forum Tr... posters has left us. Wormsborough will be missed.

What do YOU do when you get ganked? Share your thoughts here.

On a similar note, share with everyone, your favourite gank stories. You may do so here.

Well well, an old thread just got bumped, check out 'You know you play WoW too much when...'

Share your Guild's accomplishments in the new 'EU Raiding Guild Progress Thread - II.'

Trying out the Public Test Realm? Share your suspected issues here.

*Links on this news post may expire over time.

Since World of Warcraft has been released, a lot of major content and many improvements have been added for the players' enjoyment. From Battlegrounds to the Dressing Room; Blackwing Lair to the Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza; from Zul’Gurub to the Darkmoon Faire, there have been many additions to the World of Warcraft. If you think you might have missed some of these new features, check out our new Implemented features page!

• The Alliance Herald has released a new issue, number 7 this time. Be sure to check it out.
• WoW Azzor.com has added a Hunter guide.
• You can also find some new guides for the Alchemist and the Warlock on the guides page of WorldofWar.net.
• There's also a new map of Dire Maul in their cartography section, while the UI section has a new feature; you can now add notes for yourself on each mod. Also ever-growing, of course, is their World of Warcraft database.
• While over at WorldofWar.net, make sure to check out their poll about turning our game franchises into movies. Another interesting poll this week can be found over at WoW Vault, asking which class has the best looking tier 2 armor.

Have a great weekend!

Links on this news post may expire over time and some are created by other companies/individuals that are neither affiliated with nor supported by Blizzard Entertainment.

Update: November 28 We have included migration from Emerald Dream to Kul Tiras in this phase. We apologize for the short notice and hope players on Emerald Dream will appreciate this chance to migrate.

To continue to alleviate the queues on some of the most populated realms we move on to the sixth phase of migration. This phase starts Monday November 28th and will last until and including Friday December 2nd. Note, however, that we reserve the right to close down or redirect any migration at any time based on the population of the involved realms. Please keep an eye on this thread for updates about the sixth migration phase.

To not increase the load on the database during peak playing hours the migration will be open only between 03:00 and 15:00 CET (GMT/UTC +1) each day.

The following migration between English realms is part of this phase:

Dragonmaw	–>	Executus
Dunemaul	–>	Executus
Silvermoon	–>	Kul Tiras (new realm)

Public test realms are now live! Players can now transfer characters over to the test realms and try out all the changes and additions coming in the next content patch, The Gates of Ahn'Qiraj. The highlights of this patch include new 20- and 40- player raid dungeons, linked Auction Houses in major cities, improved Battleground queues, Paladin class improvements, and a host of other exciting features. Click here to view the 1.9 test realm patch notes to learn more!

Players can participate in the test realms by creating a character or by copying pre-made characters to the test realms. Those who have previously copied their characters to the test realms will need to do so again, as all previous characters have been removed from the previous test realms. To copy your character, visit our Test Realm Character Copy page (French version, German version). During the first week of testing, only players who created their accounts before November 8 will be able to login to the public test realms. Also, players will not be able to log in to the public test realms if they have changed their password since November 8. All players will be able to access the test realms after next week's maintenance.

Please be aware that the test realms are there to allow us to test major content patches before the patch goes public. Therefore, some changes may be introduced to the public test realms before a patch goes live, and some changes may be introduced to the patch after the test realms have closed. To read more about the test realms, please review the Test Realm FAQ. We truly appreciate our players taking the time to help us test the latest changes to the game; thank you all!

Fantasy Flight Games has posted a detailed preview of World of Warcraft: The Board Game. This preview answers a number of questions that World of Warcraft players and board-game aficionados alike might have about the game. The boardgame will be available in Europe soon, so check out the new preview here. (The French and German translations of the World of Warcraft: The Board Game are planned for 2006).

We are proud to unveil our new Parental Control system for World of Warcraft which we have just added to the Account Management section. With the Parental Control system, you can determine when your World of Warcraft account is accessible. This system can be used to ensure that your children only play during pre-determined hours, such as after their homework is done or only on weekends. For more information on how to access and use these controls, check our Parental Controls support page or our Parental Controls FAQ.

Extra, extra, another Weekly! Warcraft Weekly - Episode 17!

A Guide to Mage Gear just got stickied in the Mage Forum, here.

So, who is this Anvilbeard? Find out - or discuss - here.

For your reading pleasure, here are some of the latest Open RP Stories:

• Peace Talks
• Christmas in Moonglade
• The Frozen Sea
• Afterlife in Moonglade

And, to close this week's Forum Watch: if you're looking for a RP partner, 'The WoW RP personals' is the post for you.

* Links on this news post may expire over time.

Since the beginning of recorded history, Azeroth has seen the most terrible conflicts imaginable. The War of the Ancients and the Sundering of the World. The coming of the Tides of Darkness. The return of the Burning Legion, the Scourge of Lordaeron and the rise of the Lich King. Yet all this time, deep beneath the shifting sands of Silithus, an unspeakable horror has been lying in wait, ever patient, ever enduring. Evil is stirring where mortals were never meant to tread...

To learn more about the fate awaiting the inhabitants of Azeroth, take a moment to peruse the history of the War of the Shifting Sands. Additionally, you may want to take a moment to check out the Qiraji on our new Ahn'Qiraj desktop.

New on World of War.Net:

• A new section with many guides. Currently featuring the End-Game Priest Guide.
• Herb list update
• Cartography section has been updated with new maps and links to quests, plants, minerals and treasure

Go to Gamer.nl and take the opportunity to get the Benelux Exclusive look at Ahn’Qiraj.

WoWi.dk is hosting a Screenshot contest.

Books! Books! Books! Minabelle's Library brings you many literary works from Azeroth.

We have two new fansites! Go take a look at these two new sites, dedicated to WoW:

• WoW Blizzard-Rus.ru: http://wow.blizzard-rus.ru/
• WoW Azzor.com: http://wow.azzor.com/

Warcraft-World.dk has updated their Homepage design.

And in closing, here are some interesting Polls:

• http://www.warcraft-world.dk/news.php: Would you buy the expansion – Front page, right side(Danish)
• http://www.wownorge.net/: Do you think the expansion will live up to your expectations – Front page, right side(Norwegian)
• http://www.worldofwar.se/: What do you think will be the new race for the alliance in the expansion – Front page, right side(Swedish)
• http://www.warcraft.nu/: What would you prefer to see added to the game in the expansion – Front page, right side(Swedish)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Links on this news post may expire over time and some are created by other companies/individuals that are neither affiliated with nor supported by Blizzard Entertainment.

We have just updated our World of Warcraft Wallpapers section with a new wallpaper featuring the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj. We have also updated our Blizzard Fan Art Section with three new pieces of artwork.

The World of Warcraft Launcher serves as a portal to the game and the latest game-related news, as well as a tool that provides greater security for our players. Once you complete the client patch update, you can begin using the World of Warcraft Launcher immediately. To learn more about this utility, please visit the World of Warcraft Launcher page and check out the Launcher FAQ. For more information about the warnings that the Launcher provides about Trojans and hacks, check this section.

If you happen to be Horde and want to gain some Battleground experience, then you must have a look at this very extensive Alterac Valley Beginners Guide for the Horde. I'd almost say, "don't leave the Inn without it."

Another week, another Weekly! Anvilbeard's Warcraft Weekly, Episode 16 already, whoosh, time does fly.

We recently posted some must-read information on:

• Terms of Use violations
• The latest scam
• The new Realm: Executus
• We don't endorse Executable AddOns

What AddOn is that? Find out and post your info.

If your AddOn isn't working, check here to find some Troubleshooting tips.

Viper stepped up and, in no time, created this excellent 'little' AddOn for re-directing system messages.

Pirates! aka "A Sea Battleground." "What's this?" you may ask. Take a look at a very detailed suggestion, here.

* Links on this news post may expire over time.

We have updated the In Development section with a brief glimpse into some of the features planned for the next patch.

• Ahn'Qiraj
• Linked Auction Houses in every major city
• Multiple Battlegrounds Queues
• Paladin Talent Updates
• New armor sets

Check this section often as we will be updating it with more information about the up-coming patch!

To continue to alleviate the queues on some of the most populated realms we move on to the fifth phase of migration. This phase started today Monday November 14th and will last until and including Friday November 18th. Note, however, that we reserve the right to close down or redirect any migration at any time based on the population of the involved realms. Please keep an eye on this thread for updates about the fifth migration phase.

To not increase the load on the database during peak playing hours the migration will be open only between 03:00 and 15:00 CET (GMT/UTC +1) each day.

The following migration between English realms is part of this phase:

Kor'gall	–>	Executus
Zenedar	–>	Executus

Please note that Executus is a new realm opened specifically for migration. It’s not recommended for new players to start out on this realm.

World of War.Net has provided a new Transport Guide, check it out.

How much time do you spend in the Battle Grounds? Panda Hideout wants to know. Just go here and look on the right.

Why are the Undead so thin? We don't know, but Woody thought it's funny :) Now all new: Stick Figures!

Night Elves overrun Azeroth! And we thought they didn't like snow... But they look good doing it.

Ending on a sad note, World of Warcraft ESP let us know this week that they wish to leave our Fansite program. We're sorry to see them go and wish them luck in the future.

Have a great weekend!

Links on this news post may expire over time and some are created by other companies/individuals that are neither affiliated with nor supported by Blizzard Entertainment.

We have just updated our World of Warcraft Wallpapers section with a new wallpaper featuring the Tauren Racial Shield.

We have just added more information to our Factions section. So, if you're wondering just what is so special about:

• The Argent Dawn
• The Thorium Brotherhood
• The Darkmoon Faire

or are just curious about the various Battlegrounds factions, then you should take a moment to check out our new pages. We will be adding more factions so keep an eye on this section.

Want to win a whole month of free game-play? Then check your inbox to see if you have received our Recruit a Friend email! This offer provides you the opportunity not only to add to your faction's numbers; it gives you the chance to get a free month of World of Warcraft. If you are curious about this offer or have not received the email, take a moment to read our Recruit a Friend FAQ.

Don't miss out on your chance to win 30 free days just by convincing a friend to join you in the World of Warcraft!

The fourth phase of migration has been reopened after being suspended a while ago. This phase reopened Tuesday November 8th and will last until and including Friday November 11th. Note, however, that we reserve the right to close down or redirect any migration at any time based on the population of the involved realms. Please keep an eye on this thread for updates about this.

To not increase the load on the database during peak playing hours the migration will be open only between 03:00 and 15:00 CEST (GMT/UTC +2) each day.

The following migration between English realms is part of this phase:

Al’Akir	–>	Balnazzar
Shattered Hand	–>	Genjuros

Additionally, phase 5 of the migration (starting November 14th) is covered in this thread.

The World of Warcraft community continues to grow. To accommodate for all the new players joining we have opened a new data center and the first realms at this data center have been brought online. Each of these realms are "fresh" realms, meaning they will not be opened for migration but let everybody get a fresh start. See you on Azeroth!

The following realms have been opened:

English Realms

• Khadgar (Normal)
• Bronzebeard (Normal)
• Chromaggus (PvP)
• Dentarg (PvP)
• Moonglade (RP)

German Realms

• Ysera (Normal)
• Anetheron (PvP)
• Die Todeskrallen (RP PvP)

French Realms

• La Croisade écarlate (RP PvP)

Anvilbeards famous Warcraft Weekly has landed, now in the 15th Edition

The Mage Class Concerns that were gathered from the players have been summarised and forwarded to the developers.

Do not despair if you could not read the Danish version of the 'Arathi Basin Tactics for dummies' guide that was posted in last weeks community news. The English version of that guide can be found here.

What add-ons are good to use when you are a Role-Player? Find out in The Roleplayers Must Have AddOns List.

One of our players has made a great list containing the most frequently asked questions - including answers - regarding The Burning Crusade.

Have you ever thought about making a World of Warcraft movie of your own, but you have never really been sure about how to do it? The answer is here in this step by step guide on making a WoW movie.

If you are unsure what to do, to be able to afford a mount when you reach level 40, then have a look here to find some great tips for achieving this goal.

In the Hunters Class Forum you can find a great Hunter Epic Quest Walkthrough, which among other things includes Maps and FAQs.

* Links on this news post may expire over time.

How far would YOU go for a Little White Kitten? Woody over at GU Comics went this far.

World of War.Net is recruiting once again. They are on the lookout for Forum Moderators and a Newsletter Editor.

Ramone shares his 'How I began WoW' Story on Panda Hideout, don't miss it.

BlizzCon aftermath! Warcraft Radio is also looking for new talent. Go here to find out more.

If you're Scandinavian, you might want to check out Warcraft-World.dk. They have an article about Arathi Basin strategies for Dummies.

And last but certainly not least, have a great weekend!

Links on this news post may expire over time and some are created by other companies/individuals that are neither affiliated with nor supported by Blizzard Entertainment.

We have just updated our World of Warcraft Wallpapers section with a new wallpaper featuring the Human Racial Shield.

No week goes by without the Warcraft Weekly. This week Anvilbeard treats us to a Special Edition.

The Burning Crusade is revealed! Join the discussions on WoW's upcoming expansion.

If this is your first time playing, you must know that up to level 40 the race is on to get a mount for those long travels. Go here to find out what to do if you want a mount at level 40!

To close off this week, check out some different Role-Playing adventures by our very own players:

• Life in Outland
• The Hidden Cave
• The Search

* Links on this news post may expire over time.

With the advent of Halloween today, we would like to remind everyone that our Hallow’s End Contests will draw to a close tomorrow night, November 1st.

If you have not submitted your screenshot or recipe yet, now might be the time to do so.
Good luck!

Thanks to the fact that most attendees got registration out of the way on the first day of BlizzCon, many of them were able to head right onto the show floor when we kicked off this morning at 10:00 AM (PDT). Also, because this second day of BlizzCon fell on a Saturday, the crowd was even bigger today than it was the day before. Whereas yesterday some attendees may have spent some time getting the lay of the land, today many of them headed straight to the areas they were eager to spend some time at.

One of the big highlights for many attendees today was the opportunity to check out some of the Q&A panels that they might have missed the day before. In these sessions, players listened as the developers discussed different aspects of our games, including the history and philosophy behind Blizzard's art design and cinematics, as well as specifics on StarCraft: Ghost's new multiplayer elements and World of Warcraft's classes, items, quests, battlegrounds, raids, and more. After each presentation, there was an opportunity for panel attendees to ask questions.

In the Art Design panel, members of World of Warcraft's creative development team and StarCraft: Ghost artists presented concept and 3D art to the panel attendees, taking time to explain how the pieces were created and fine-tuned to fit the themes of the Warcraft and StarCraft universes. The World of Warcraft Character Class panel was especially packed, as many of the visitors to BlizzCon have been extremely passionate about the issues related to the classes they play in the game. Blizzard developers Tom Chilton and Rob Pardo explained how each class came to be, describing the natural progression from Warcraft III to World of Warcraft. In their forty-five minute presentation, the two also expounded on the intended purpose of each class and the future of the classes as planned for future patches and for the Burning Crusade expansion set.

Beyond the panel discussions, many BlizzCon attendees hung out to watch the final rounds of the StarCraft and Warcraft III tournaments. At the time of this report, many are also eagerly awaiting the final showdown between the StarCraft Battle.net winners and the StarCraft Pro-Gamers. For more information on how the tournaments progressed up to the final matches, be sure to check out the coverage at the various tournament sites that had representatives here at the show.

The jousting booth also drew a steady crowd, offering players a chance to challenge their friends to a little real-life PvP action. With foam lances in hand, the jousters did their best to not lose their balance while trying to knock each other off of a three-foot-wide square platform. Near the Blackrock Spire rock-climbing wall, a handful of onlookers gathered to watch a few games of doubles Ping-Pong, played on one of the three Ping-Pong tables brought in for BlizzCon (factoid: a fast-paced match of Ping-Pong is a favorite stress-reliever at Blizzard's Irvine headquarters).

The sponsors' area was also crowded, with hundreds of attendees stopping in throughout the show to check out the NVIDIA, Intel, Games for Windows, Upper Deck, and other booths and to pick up a rubber bouncing ball with a blue light inside of it, which proved to be a pretty popular souvenir. Nearby, caricature and tatoo artists also kept busy, as attendees had their portraits drawn or got temporary tattoos to prove their allegiance to their favorite World of Warcraft race. Those not participating in these events were taking a chance to rest up for tonight's concert presentation, which was set to start at 6:00 PM. The concert will be featuring Level 60 Elite Tauren Chieftain in their first appearance outside of Kalimdor, as well as comedian Christian Finnegan, and none other than the world famous rock band, The Offspring!

This morning, thousands of excited gamers waited in lines stretching around the Anaheim Convention Center, eager to see the future of World of Warcraft and StarCraft: Ghost at BlizzCon. Many of them wore hand-made costumes, and the atmosphere was keyed up as they anticipated the opening of the convention center doors.

Blizzard president Mike Morhaime kicked off the show with a welcoming speech about Blizzard’s history and growth as a game studio over the years. He also touched on a few of the features in StarCraft: Ghost that attendees would be able to see for the first time at BlizzCon—namely the addition of Zerg as a playable multiplayer race and the fact that multiplayer games can now feature up to 16 players. The welcoming speech was followed by lead producer Shane Dabiri’s official announcement of the World of Warcraft expansion. As part of Shane’s announcement, BlizzCon attendees watched a trailer showcasing the new playable Blood Elf race that will make its appearance in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade.

People came from near and far to view the expansion, to see the latest version of StarCraft: Ghost, and to meet the other gamers attending the show. Many were also speaking about the BlizzCon Invitational tournaments, and the seats in front of the stage where the Warcraft III and StarCraft tournament games were taking place were often packed. Pro-gamers from all over the world have traveled to BlizzCon to participate in the Invitational. The winner will take home a very special (and very heavy) trophy.

Other popular events at BlizzCon have been the Battle.net tournaments and the art gallery, where a steady stream of attendees have been checking out artwork from Blizzard’s art department as well as fan art created by other gamers. Attendees are also enjoying the Battlegrounds Tournaments, both watching and participating in them. Many have also attempted to climb to the top of Blackrock Spire—the aptly named rock-climbing wall at BlizzCon. As of the time of this report, many people are enjoying the Q&A panels that they’re attending or just hanging out on the show floor, saving up their strength for tonight’s cocktail-and-contest mixer with the development team.

Last, but certainly not least, is the realm meetings. Many players have gathered to meet with those they’ve fought alongside (or against) in World of Warcraft, creating a communal feel that pervades all of BlizzCon. We’ll follow up with our continued report on the festivities tomorrow.

Several years have passed since the Burning Legion’s defeat at Mount Hyjal and the races of Azeroth have continued to rebuild their once shattered lives. With renewed strength, the heroes of the Horde and Alliance have begun to explore new lands and broken through the Dark Portal to investigate the realms beyond the known world. Will these heroes find friends or foes? What dangers and rewards lie in wait beyond the Dark Portal? And what will they do when they discover that the demons they thought vanquished have returned to renew their terrible Burning Crusade?

The first details about the expansion to World of Warcraft are now available on our official site! Check out some amazing concept art and screenshots and learn more about one of the expansion’s two new playable races, the arcane Blood Elves.

BlizzCon, the convention celebrating all Blizzard games, has officially begun! Gamers from around the globe are joining us in California today to take part in developer panels, battle with their fellow players, and indulge in the variety of entertainment available. Make sure to check back to this page often during the week-end, as we will continue to post updates from the show.

You can also watch video or audio coverage of all important events at the show on the sites below:
For video coverage: http://www.ggl.com/mediaplayer
For audio coverage: http://listen.radioitg.com/listen1.pls (WINAMP) |