Isle of Conquest details released

You can read the complete details over on the official forums or check 'em out after the break. There are some key things that everyone should be aware of:
- IoC will be a 40-man battleground. Yes, you read that right. This is the first 40-man content released since Naxx 1.0. That is going to make some old school players very, very happy. I know I'm already giddy with excitement.
- There will be significant use of siege and vehicle combat. This includes going on The Airship Hanger and using parachutes to drop teams onto the enemy keep from above.
- You will need to kill a general held up in the enemy keep, much like Alterac Valley.
- Reinforcements will be used. Capture resources to boost your strength.
The complete statement on the new Isle of Conquest after the break!
An island somewhere off the shores of Northrend. A rock, hardly worth a second look. But as insignificant as it may seem, this is no ordinary place. A sound of thunder as waves crash endlessly against rocky cliffs; a sound of fury as swords clash on the blood-stained fields of this island on the edge of forever.
Welcome to the Isle of Conquest.
The ongoing struggle between Horde and Alliance has turned many once peaceful (and some not-so peaceful) places into theaters of constant war. The Isle of Conquest is the latest such place, set to be the location of a battle of epic proportions over the island's precious resources.
An Alliance and a Horde general are fighting for dominance, overseeing the action from the safety of their keeps. Whichever side manages to eliminate the enemy general first will triumph on the island; failure to protect your leader will bring shame, dishonor, and defeat. There is no peace accord here, and it's an all-out war between the factions.
Once More into the breach...
Isle of Conquest, a new battleground scheduled to make its debut in the upcoming content patch, Call of the Crusade, will pitch teams of up to 40 players against each other in a massive battle over this small island off Northrend's northern coast. To win, your team will need to make use of the island's unique strategic locations including an oil derrick, a siege workshop, and a fully equipped airship hangar. You will deploy devastating siege weaponry on the field; Light have mercy on anyone caught between you and your ultimate target, the general holed up in the enemy keep.
There are five points of interest on the Isle of Conquest for the factions to battle over. Each one offers its own benefits and strategic value. Which one will you claim for your side, and will it be enough to ensure victory?
Capture Locations
Consider your options before storming out of your keep to confront the enemy head-on. Spread throughout the Isle of Conquest are several capturable locations (as seen on the map), each granting a unique strategic advantage to your team.
The Oil Derrick: Located on the northwestern end of the island, this smudge in the Frozen Sea produces enough black gold to run a thousand siege engines. Taking this resource garners precious reinforcements and a continuous flow of honor to the side that controls it.
The Cobalt Mine: This snow-covered assembly, located on the southeastern end of the island, hides untapped supplies that must be harvested. Taking this resource grants reinforcements and a continuous flow of honor to the side that controls it.
The Docks: The western shore's docks will further expand your selection of siege weapons with the devastating new Glaive Thrower and the Catapult. Unleash the destruction of the Glaive Thrower upon the walls of the keep, or launch your invading party over the walls to assault the keep from within.
The Airship Hangar: This sturdy steel structure stands on the peak of Mt. Conquest overlooking the eastern side of the island, allowing players to board the airship docked there. This devastating weapon of war is capable of raining death upon the heads of your enemies and destroying enemy defenses. Once onboard the airship, players will find it comes equipped with parachutes enabling a strike team to drop into the enemy keep from above.
The Siege Workshop: Situated right between the Alliance base and the Horde base, this siege workshop occupies a strategic hot spot. Seizing it grants the controlling party the ability to utilize an arsenal of siege vehicles perfectly suited to reducing the enemy keep's walls to dust and ashes.
Graveyards: There are five graveyards in the Isle of Conquest that are attached to different points of interest on the map: the Horde base, the Alliance base, an oil spill island in the center of the map (attached to the siege workshop), the northeast corner (attached to the airship hangar), and the southwest corner (attached to the docks).
Main Objectives
The Keeps: The Horde and Alliance keeps sit at opposite ends of the island. These citadels host four easily accessible defensive cannons set on the ramparts, capable of unleashing hot fury onto oncoming attackers. Additional explosives sit safely stowed in the base of the keep along the back wall. At least, they're safe as long as they don't fall into enemy hands. If they do, though, they can be employed to bring the stone walls down from within.
The General: Holed up behind the keeps' massive walls, the generals command their forces from a position of relative safety. Should the keep fall and the general be slain, the Isle of Conquest will fall to the victor.
Reinforcements: Isle of Conquest uses a reinforcements system similar to that of Alterac Valley. The clock is ticking and every individual counts. If too many of your comrades fall to the enemy the battle will end in defeat. Killing enemy players will reduce their reinforcements by one for each kill, Once your faction's reinforcements reach their limit, so too does your bid for control of the island and the wealth of resources you've fought so hard over.
An island somewhere off the shores of Northrend. A rock, hardly worth a second look. A test of strength. A chance to prove your might, to crush your enemies, to make a difference, a chance for endless glory and conquest.
Will you seize it?
Patch 3.2 will bring about a new 5, 10, and 25 man instance to WoW, and usher in a new 40-man battleground called the Isle of Conquest. WoW.com will have you covered every step of the way, from extensive PTR coverage through the official live release. Check out WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.2 for all the latest!Filed under: Patches, News items, PvP, Battlegrounds






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Netherscourge Jun 12th 2009 2:37PM
40-man BG?
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Netherscourge Jun 12th 2009 2:50PM
Now, the only questions is:
Will there be reputation rewards like AV? (aka Mounts, USEFUL Epic Weapons, Trinkets, etc...)
You know, a REASON to keep going back to the IoC more then a couple time just to check it out?
Because as great as AV was back in the day, if there weren't' good, solid items to get from AV rep, I probably would have never stayed there that long...
Zep Jun 12th 2009 5:25PM
Seems that many of the objectives grant "A Continuous Flow of Honor".
Depending on how fast the honor flows, long games might actually be worth it. imo WSG needs this implemented.
Ignatius Jun 14th 2009 10:52AM
My question is, if they're going to grand "a continuous flow of honor," are they going to increase the honor cap?
I've sat at the cap for days (still waiting to hit a higher point in arena ratings), just because I have nothing to spend it on. Going to BGs or killing people in the world has no reward whatsoever besides marks/feel-good-points. 150k honor cap, maybe? :P
Most of the Furious gear costs right under the honor cap anyway, which is ridiculous.
ReyesOfHope Jun 16th 2009 9:04AM
You can spend honor on uncut gems such as scarlet rubies. Each one costs 10k honor. I sat at 75,000 for months before I realized this. Scarlet rubies sell for about 70g on my server. For Alliance, the NPC Vendor is located in Stormwind with the other PvP vendors.
Josin Jun 12th 2009 2:38PM
This sounds completely AWESOME.
JollyDaWalrus Jun 12th 2009 2:40PM
Awesome!
Arrow Jun 13th 2009 8:20AM
INB4 QQ
Taladan Jun 13th 2009 8:56AM
Too late ;)
Burix Jun 12th 2009 2:44PM
So it's AB + AV + WSG. WHERE ARE MY FLAGS?
Nick Jun 12th 2009 5:18PM
it's AV + AB + WG, not WSG
Magresda Jun 12th 2009 2:44PM
Wow... I'm actually excited for this.
Vladeon Jun 12th 2009 2:45PM
This seems very similar to Alterac Valley, which by the way, is my favorite battleground to just pvp in. I can't wait to fly the planes behind enemy lines and drop players onto the Keep. Or, conversely, man the turret, defending my keep from incoming drop ships. If Blizzard wanted to reduce the lag in WG, then they should've released this earlier. I have a feeling that after this drops, there's only going to be 40 people willing to hit up WG.
Marc Sadowski Jun 12th 2009 3:02PM
That sounded really cool, too. Especially as a paladin. Just jump and bubble close to the ground. Brings new meaning to the term "Halo Drop."
Kraf Jun 12th 2009 7:19PM
OMG I AM SO LVLING MY PALLY TO HALO DROP!!!!!!!!!
Retropally Jun 12th 2009 2:46PM
Sounds fantastic...cant wait to parachute into enemies :D
All they need now is the Pyro, Engineer and Sniper modes and i'm fixed for life :P
jellyphish Jun 12th 2009 2:58PM
TFC much?! LoL
Virtualgigi Jun 12th 2009 4:13PM
Haha yeah...TF2 is a nice game too...anyways...
YES! I WILL SIEZE IT!!!...Looks like its gonna be an awesome BG.
kaosun12 Jun 13th 2009 1:29AM
Someone start a sound mod with the TF2 announcer voice!
ChiperSoft Jun 12th 2009 2:47PM
This is going to be the coolest BG yet. My only complaint is that 40 players isn't enough for something to large and epic...