Blizzard releases official Gnomeregan and Echo Isles Cataclysm information

by Adam Holisky Mar 17th 2010 at 1:53PM

Blizzard has released a series of background information pages on the Gnomeregan and Echo Isles campaigns to be happening with the coming Cataclysm expansion. We've known for a while that this pre-cursor world event will be happening, and it's nice to see some official information come out about it.

For those looking for the datamined material, check out the following heavy spoilers:

Of course, it's important to remember that these transcripts were taken from the PTR and could easily be changed in upcoming patches. Nothing is set in stone until it happens.

The full Blizzard announcement is as follows:

Nethaera -- An Assault on Two Fronts

High Tinker Mekkatorque, betrayed by Mekgineer Thermaplugg and forced to flee the irradiated city of Gnomeregan with the few of his fellow gnomes who managed to survive, is preparing to reclaim his once glorious city. Meanwhile, in distant Durotar, Vol'jin of the Darkspear trolls is determined to exact revenge upon the witch doctor Zalazane for dividing the Darkspears and seizing the land bestowed to them by Thrall: the Echo Isles. Read more about the ongoing struggles of the gnomes and the trolls... and their plans to seek redemption.

Gnomes: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/underdev/3p9/gnomeregan.xml
Trolls: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/underdev/3p9/echoisles.xml

source

Regarding "Patch 3.9": The URLs above point to these events happening in patch 3.9. It is possible there will be a patch 3.9, however it is also possible the "9" simply stands for "the very last patch before 4.0" (patch 4.0 is the Cataclysm content patch). No one outside of Blizzard knows the right answer, and don't read too much into URLs.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it. Nothing will be the same. In WoW.com's Guide to Cataclysm you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion. From Goblins and Worgens to Mastery and Guild changes, it's all there for your cataclysmic enjoyment.

Tags: breaking, cataclysm-event, cataclysm-game, cataclysm-guide, cataclysm-news, echo-isles, expanion, expansion-three, gnomeregan, next-xpac, patch-3.9, third-expansion, world-of-warcraft-cataclysm, wow-4.0, wow-4.0.2, wow-cataclysm, wow-expansion, wow-guide, wow-third-expansion

Filed under: News items, Cataclysm

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

Sennin Mar 17th 2010 2:02PM

YAY!

sooper Mar 20th 2010 3:22PM

I knew something fishy was going on when I fought Zalazane. Right after I chopped off his head... he reappeared. I was low on mana so I had to retreat. Over time, I paid him a visit regularly to kill him as retribution for making my life hell but he always came back. This time will be different. It's time to settle this personal vendetta once and for all!

First... I'll have to reactivate my account. Just for this.

then I'll probably try out a goblin
then a worgen
then level the both to 85 and up their professions
and explore the world
and kill few baddies
then... a year and a half later I could finally quit the game again

(I used to have a wee bit of a problem controlling my play time. I think I'm ready.)

omedon666 Mar 17th 2010 2:03PM

Wait, what?

It's part of the expansion?

That's... Interesting.

Aaron Mar 17th 2010 2:44PM

Have you been sleeping? LOL

Cataca Mar 17th 2010 3:02PM

1. Yes, where have you been for the past month?
2. Yes and no it's sorta part of the expansion.

These events will be patched in before the expansion comes out. (even before patch 4.0 that will add in most of the expansion data that we'll need before we install cataclysm)

It will be part of the pre-cataclysm event leading up to it's release.

Remember the zombie invasion for Wrath? There will be something happening before Cataclysm too and this may be the beginning/part of it.

kabshiel Mar 17th 2010 3:07PM

This event will occur in patch 3.9 or whatever, before the expansion is released. It's very likely that in the patch after that, 4.0, that gnomes and trolls will have access to their own 1-5 starter areas.

omedon666 Mar 17th 2010 3:15PM

Lol

Oh I've known about this, I can't wait to see it. Maybe it's just semantic miscommunication on my part, but I interpret "with the expansion" as later than 4.0, I actually hoped this would go in 3.3.5ish, but 3.9ish makes more sense.

I just don't consider the expansion "here" enough to be "with" until I can make my Nelf Mage or ding 81, but that's just me :)

mord405 Mar 17th 2010 2:05PM

So...we will get to fight Thermaplugg gain?...Was Gnomeregan merely a...nvm

Tomatketchup Mar 17th 2010 3:19PM

Gnomeregan was merely a setback!
*looks around*
Oh, wait...

...

FUUUUUUUUUUU-

Daedalus Mar 17th 2010 3:30PM

Actually, according to the Blizzard page:

A band of heroes took up the mission and returned with a tale of victory, but after analyzing the claim, Mekkatorque realized that the mechanized overlord defeated in the depths of the city was likely nothing more than a cleverly engineered facsimile of Thermaplugg.

So, not a setback, we were just tricked. They say something similar about the trolls; turns out that all those low level hordies bringing back Zalazane's head were duped by his magic, and came back with fakes that eventually reverted back to being coconuts. (Or the severed heads of his slaves...)

Kind of neat retcons, I guess; explains why those areas were never really reconquered, while at the same time not writing our past exploits out of the story.

Wrabbit Mar 17th 2010 3:48PM

Yeah, same thing with Zalazane and the trolls. His severed head turned out to be painted rocks and voodoo magic. The explanations are kind of neat if you go along with it. I think Blizz did a good job in that sense.

Artificial Mar 17th 2010 5:16PM

"They say something similar about the trolls; turns out that all those low level hordies bringing back Zalazane's head were duped by his magic, and came back with fakes that eventually reverted back to being coconuts."

Where'd you get the coconuts?

Marolas Mar 17th 2010 5:26PM

I found them.

Balmazer Mar 17th 2010 5:44PM

was likely nothing more than a cleverly engineered facsimile of Thermaplugg.

facsimile - "2 : a system of transmitting and reproducing graphic matter (as printing or still pictures) by means of signals sent over telephone lines" ~Merriam-Webster

So we killed Thermplugg's fax machine!

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