New pre-WotLK zone announced: Sunwell Plateau
by Dan O'Halloran 
Aug 24th 2007 at 4:45PM
ActionTrip cornered WoW Lead Designer Jeff Kaplan and Art Director Chris Robinson today at the Leipzig Game Convention in Germany (E3 for Europe.) And boy, did they get a lot out of those two about Blizzard's plans for the future. Here are the highlights:
- The art for the expansion will look more like classic Warcraft (gothic fantasy), and less like Outlands art (high fantasy)
- Sunwell Plateau will be coming in a patch before the WotLK launch. It will include both a 25-main raid and a 5-main instance with both normal and heroic mode.
- WotLK will have "just as much" 5-man instances as TBC and more 10-main instances due to the popularity of Karazhan
- A new PvP area called Lake Wintergrass will combine world PvP (non-instanced) with the new siege weapons and destructible buildings. The faction that controls this zone may receive an effect that not only applies to the zone, but to the whole continent
- When asked about class balance, they said they had no plans for any major changes to classes
- The Death Knight unlocking quest will start at level 55-60
Full interview can be read here.
Via WorldOfWar.Net
EDIT: In regards to #14's comment: Stratholme is the new CoT instance according to this interview with Lead Designer Jeff Kaplan aka "Tigole." It is a 5-man, Level 80 instance. You will travel to the past before Arthas was corrupted and help him rid the city of demons and burn it down. As far as we can tell, the Sunwell Plateau will only be accessible by traveling there physically.
That same article also mentioned that future Hero Classes could be Demon Hunter, Archmage or Blademaster.
He also talked about the Death Knight rune system. What runes the Death Knight carves into his blade will determine what role he plays in the group (i.e tank, dps, a mix of the two, etc.)
In this separate interview, Kaplan revealed another new WotLK instance, Nexus, located in the Borean Tundra zone. It will be split into several wings, one of them for a 25-man raid that must defeat Malygyos, the blue dragon.
Filed under: Patches, News items, PvP, Expansions, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10pound Aug 24th 2007 4:50PM
Sweet!
Drain Aug 24th 2007 4:55PM
Let the Alliance fucking walk. I'm sick of all this sympathy because they have to cut through our back yard for a change.
signalflow Aug 24th 2007 5:03PM
Being new to this whole fantasy genre, can someone please explain the difference between "gothic" and "high" fantasy?
My art history classes aren't much help in this case.
larsiezwei Aug 24th 2007 5:05PM
@2. agreed.
Baluki Aug 24th 2007 5:07PM
Cool. I was curious about the omission of the Sunwell in BC. I'm guessing that it'll be kinda like Dire Maul, except with Belf ruins instead of Nelf, and Undead instead of Ogres/Plants/Demons.
And it's VERY cool that it won't just be more Raider-only content. I wonder if we'll have to grind rep for yet another faction to get access to the Heroic mode.
While they say that there won't be any major changes to the existing classes, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of little ones. Right now, we've got a 9-way game of Paper-Rock-Scissors going, and adding yet another option is sure to throw some things off-balance a bit.
And let's not forget that there will be many new spells and 2 more tiers of talents (presumably) to consider as well.
dekulink Aug 24th 2007 5:20PM
Lake Wintergrass? I thought it was Lake WinterGASP?
Kadaan Aug 24th 2007 5:51PM
@2, I've raided pre-BC as Horde and post-BC as Alliance, and I think you have it backwards.
Horde territory instances: RFC, WC, RFK, RFD, SM.
Alliance territory instances: Stockades, Deadmines.
Sure, you can pull the "But Blackrock Mountain is just a flight away from IF!" Same for Caverns of Time now, Orgrimmar->Gadget is much faster than IF->Wetlands->Theramore->Gadget. Now they're throwing both Zul'Aman and this new instance in Horde territory? Give Alliance a break and make HORDE walk for a change :P.
Geoodfe Aug 24th 2007 5:29PM
@2. I think you are forgetting that for almost every instance where the horde and alliance flight paths are not in the same place, the horde have much shorter runs to those instances.
rowg Aug 24th 2007 5:35PM
@2: Name some worthwhile instances that are in Alliance friendly zones then, since you are so mistreated. You know, something like Scarlet Monestary, Zul'Amon, RFK, RFD, WC that we can camp on and gank Alliance from blue and never be in danger (though I love doing that to gnomes). If you are going to try to use Gnomeregan as a counterpoint, you'll have to pardon me while I laugh hysterically.
Coherent Aug 24th 2007 5:34PM
A five-main instance?!?! Where's the alt love? I think it's totally unreasonable that Blizzard should only give the good instances to your mains rather than any old character you should want to play! HOW DARE THEY tell me which character I should play by making either a 25-main instance or a 5-main instance! This goes too far, blizzard, it goes too far!
p.s. yes, I do have an IQ of over 50... I thought it was too funny to ignore though :)
Mainstay Aug 24th 2007 5:57PM
@9 Horde has a fast way to get to Gnomer from Booty Bay. The complaint is that Alliance had such easy access to Blackrock Mountain back in the day and they had go to Org/UC > Grom'gol > Thorium Point while we just went from Ironforge > Thorium Point.
Really the Alliance only has Deadmines (which is way better then WC). While Horde has easy access to Scarlet Monestary, Razorfen Downs, Razorfen Kraul and Wailing Caverns. Sorry Horde, but I've played both sides extensively, neither side really has the right to complain about travel times.
nexus Aug 24th 2007 6:19PM
*sarkasm on* Yeah just move the Sunwell from Eversong Woods to Khaz Modan it fit with the snowy landscape...*sarkasm off* Why are you guys arguing? The sunwell is/was in/near Silvermoon and thats it...
Fletch Aug 24th 2007 6:28PM
Having two raids in the Blood Elf newbie zone is a really, really bad idea. Every quest giver and vendor in those zones is going to be dead 24/7.
Tabris Aug 24th 2007 6:50PM
@12 thank you for saying what I was thinking while reading the posts. Though I agree this implies that Alliance should get some love in this respect, I am happy to see the Sunwell getting some time to shine even if it's after the fact. And it is in Horde territory now for those of you that forgot.
Leggend Aug 24th 2007 6:49PM
I'd like to point out the Sunwell Instance is a Caverns of Time instance. You will not have to run to Silvermoon to go there.
Ozain Aug 24th 2007 6:51PM
Well i'm happy to hear the WotLK will have a more gothic approach, I always think WoW would look better under that kind of art, all the outlands was a bit to... well alien. Parts could even come under sci-fi O.o
Kyle Aug 24th 2007 6:54PM
I think #14 just totally destroyed any and all arguements. Fucking right!
Durane Aug 24th 2007 7:24PM
#14 how do you know that? Are you a Blizz employee? There wasn't any information released that supports that. If it was, they would have said so. No, it looks like its definitely going to be in Eversong. And as far as the walk for the Alliance goes, they certainly haven't done anything to change the 2-3 zone trek we make to get to SM, or any of the other instances we don't have quick access to. If Blizzard wants to put an instance somewhere and not give one side easy access to it, then they will (Just wait till the Horde tries to get into SW Vault).
Chleo Aug 24th 2007 8:09PM
Sigh... in my opinion players shouldn't be able to kill an Aspect :(
RJ Aug 24th 2007 8:33PM
I agree, the aspects are simply too powerful. Plus Deathwing hasn't been killed by his siblings because they don't know what will happen when he dies.