More Wrath info from Leipzig
by Dan O'Halloran 
Aug 24th 2007 at 10:45PM
It seems that WoW Lead Designer Jeff Kaplan has a new bit of expansion information for every journalist he talks to at this week's European Game Conference in Leipzig, Germany. This batch of news comes from Curse gaming, who has sent a couple of journalists over to get the scoop.
- We already know about the L70 instance called Utgarde Keep in the Howling Fjord zone. Now we learn that there will be a second wing of the instance for L80 players called Utgarde Pinnacle. Both dungeons will have Normal and Heroic modes. Yay for key grinding! Anybody?
- The new Inscription profession will do more than increases effectiveness of spells and abilities. Devs are playing with the concept of using Inscription to improve other elements like range, duration, etc.
- The "increased leveling curve" of levels 20-60 is going to be accomplished two ways: reduction of the amount of experience required per level and increasing the amount of experience a quest grants by 30%.
- To address Hunter concerns, Blizzard is considering a Woodworking profession as well as a Mortal Strike kind of ability that reduces healing effectiveness on the target in PvP. These are just ideas they are currently considering and have not been confirmed as going live.
As for the pre-60 leveling increase, I've been toying with leveling an enhancement shaman, but have been weary about the grind. This may be the incentive to get me to accomplish that goal. Is this enough for you? Will you level an alt before the expansion?
Filed under: PvP, Leveling, Interviews, Wrath of the Lich King, Inscription
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Barzaar Aug 24th 2007 11:06PM
Woodworking sounds like a cool idea to me. Making your own bow and arrows would be extremely handy... But on the other hand, what other classes would be able to benefit from it? Also... they need to finish giving pet abilities... like spiders for instance.
Grendalsh Aug 24th 2007 11:10PM
nerfing old Azeroth may be great for all the alts, but what about the newcomers, or folks still taking their time working through the old content? being 'rushed' to Outlands is lame.
zerokku Aug 24th 2007 11:13PM
Casters could use woodcrafting too, since staves are generally made from wood
Rich Aug 24th 2007 11:14PM
The woodworker can create staves, which aren't crafted by anyone at this time (I think). There would be some nice caster love with that profession.
Karl Aug 24th 2007 11:25PM
And most shields were mostly wood with a layer of metal attached to the front. Being able to get crafted shields would be nice!
RogueJedi86 Aug 24th 2007 11:54PM
Only one problem with lowering the xp required per level. It'll make the 60-61 xp jump that much more dramatic. As is, it's a HUGE jump up into xp to go from 60 to 61, especially after the comparatively low xp to get from 59 to 60. It gets dramatically steeper once you're in the Burning Crusade 61-70 progression. If they lower the xp requirements of lower levels, they'll have to lower it all the way to the top, so that it's even easier to level in Outland.
Andrew Aug 25th 2007 12:05AM
@6
Except the amount of XP you get per mob in Outlands is DOUBLE what is in Azeroth (for same level mobs.. 58 - 59 - 60.. etc).
And the amount of XP per quest is way up there as well.
Benor Aug 25th 2007 12:07AM
Woodworking could also be used to make bows. As far as I know, you can't do that with any professions yet...
Siva Aug 25th 2007 12:12AM
damnit blizzard, why announce such awesome content two weeks before I join the navy?!
Seraya Aug 25th 2007 12:16AM
Oh man I've been wanting a Woodworking profession ever since I figured out no one can make bows or arrows. Staves and shields on that profession's craft list would be pretty awesome too, so that almost everyone can find something useful from it.
RogueJedi86 Aug 25th 2007 12:17AM
@#7/Andrew
Even so, most first-timers through won't realize just how easy it is to level in Outland. Say with the new lowered xp per level system, 60-61 may have double or even triple the xp required for 59-60, and that'll be very intimidating for a first-timer. You don't get a doubled or tripled rate for any other level jump.
CVJ Aug 25th 2007 12:28AM
@11 They are increasing XP rate also so that new players won't be left too far behind the game curve and are complaining about how empty the game is.
RogueJedi86 Aug 25th 2007 1:56AM
But they're also lowering the xp required to level it looks like. But they have to keep a balance. Then again, I expect this to be on PTR fine-tested for at least a month or 2, whenever they put it out. Gonna have to fine-tune every quest in the game between 1 and 58, and not skip some of the more obscure quests.
kunukia Aug 25th 2007 2:12AM
The link to the "full article" does not work properly.
Zghuk Aug 25th 2007 2:17AM
It's LEIPZIG!!!!
Zghuk Aug 25th 2007 2:20AM
"The new Inscription profession will do more than increases effectiveness of spells and abilities. Devs are playing with the concept of using Inscription to improve other elements like range, duration, etc."
yeah, another must-have-profession for all chars!
" * To address Hunter concerns, Blizzard is considering a Woodworking profession "
Sounds like engineering with bows => dead profession
"as well as a Mortal Strike kind of ability that reduces healing effectiveness on the target in PvP."
this sounds cool.
Birthmark Aug 25th 2007 2:29AM
I've been hoping for faster leveling for a while. This still isn't enough to get me to roll an alt personally.
Making it take "only" 8 months to get to lvl 80 instead of a year isn't tempting enough for me.
I just wish they made leveling fun and not the same stupid quest with a new name over and over again. If we could level through PvP at a similar rate to doing it through PvE? I'd be all over that in a heart beat.
Birthmark Aug 25th 2007 3:00AM
They need to increase the amount of exp you get from quests even more imo. Like 200% more. There should be no reason to want to grind mobs over questing.
Archaic Aug 25th 2007 2:41AM
Woodworking = Ornaments and furniture for possible Guild/Player housing? They have said for a long time that these were potentially on the cards, afterall..
Urthona Aug 25th 2007 3:28AM
Furniture? No.
Woodworking should be full of consumables. Anytime you harvest wood, you should have a chance to generate "Kindling" - a consumable that buffs fire spells 1%
In addition to shields, staves, arrows, wands, shields, maces, bows, crossbows, sticky sap, rafts... Woodworking could make all sorts of toys, trinkets, scrolls, and idols/totems/librams for hybrids.
Sit and think. Woodworking could make a lot of fun magical things.