Remember The Burning Crusade's launch? Surprise, that's exactly a year ago. One of the most epic launches in gaming history, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade is still one of the most epic video game releases in the history of forever. Check out the full article for more TBC reminiscing.

 

First off, we're letting the players know that World of Warcraft's Harvest Festival has recently kicked in. This event, lasting from September 24 to 27, will have players honoring their particular faction's fallen heroes: Uther Lightbringer, for the Alliance, and Grom Hellscream, for the Horde. Players interested in taking part in this event's corresponding quest journey either of these fallen heroes' tombs, where they will leave a tribute.

Completing this quest rewards players with four pieces of Harvest Bread - a consumable that heals your character's HP bar by 2% per second for 25 seconds. Pretty handy for your next dungeon dive. Come this year, however, it doesn't look like all of Azeroth's resident races will be able to partake of this festival. As platonic over at livejournal  explained, it seems that the Alliance's Draeneis are unable to complete the quest line, and hence couldn't enjoy its rewards.

The player ticketed GM Darondyn regarding the problem. The GM explained that since the Harvest festival quest was an "Old World" quest, it probably had issues working with WoW's new races. What this basically means is that aside from the Draenei being unable to pay tribute to Uther, the Horde's Blood Elves will be unable to do the same for Grom. This issue's already been forwarded to Blizzard, and should hopefully be addressed soon.

Of course, you can still partake of the other goodies the festival has to offer, such as the buffets being set up over at Orgrimmar (Horde) and Ironforge (Alliance). Aside from being able to toast a mug to your ancestor's spirit in the said areas, you can also pick the up the Harvest Boar, Harvest Fish, and Harvest Fruit, unique (20) items. These consumable have the same 2% heal effect the bread carries. Mages can also drink up the Harvest Nectar,which gives you a 2% mana regeneration per second for 30 seconds. On an off-topic note, this festival coincides with the upcoming patch 2.2.2. Eat, drink, and be merry - there is much to look forward to come you next maintenance!

 

World of Warcraft has been more than just leisure for some, after Blizzard Entertainment's massively multiplayer (and successful) online RPG launched just a few years ago. Some gameplay styles of classic RPG-goers never grow old, and if you're one of those who loves to create an elaborate avatar collection, the news of a new hero class probably tripped an alarm inside your head.

But don't worry, you're not alone. Plenty of other folk have been wondering if the new hero class will need one of your precious (and possibly occupied) character slots. Waxxy community manager Nethaera graced the forum thread of curious Solvair of Hyjal and had this to say about the issue:

The new hero class will take a character slot. We have no plans to add more character slots. So, much like with the addition of Draenei and Blood Elves, my suggestion would be strategic deletion if you want to add the new Death Knight to your repertoire.

Blizzard did not wish that players' most prized characters be "given up" just to play a new hero class, but it appears this approach might change that view altogether. What if all your characters were equally prized; which one will you choose? Ponderous decision, indeed.

There's an intriguing post over on the World of Warcraft forums that basically asks why certain races can't be certain classes. In the case of the thread we're talking about, Spidget of Proudmoore is wondering why there aren't any human hunters when similarly non-nature attuned races like the Blood Elves have a hunter class for themselves.

Drysc gives the straightforward non-lore answer about diversity, saying that "the reasoning is because we ideally want there to be choices and variety of races. And not just throwing every class on every race." Of course, while that does give a wonderful reason as to why we don't have human hunters, there's no lore to support it.

That is, until Junka of Windrunner noted one important reason why there probably aren't any human hunters anymore, lore-wise: Nathanos Blightcaller. For those who haven't heard of him, Nathanos Marris was the first, and possibly last, human ranger. He was gifted in the art of hunting, but died at the hands of Ramstein the Gorger and eventually became a member of the Forsaken. He now fights alongside the Horde, recruiting Horde players to help out in ridding the Plaguelands of both the Scourge and the Alliance.

Do you think there are important (or funny) lore reasons for why certain races don't have certain classes? Let us know in the comments below.

Everyone knows Azeroth. Whether you are a World of Warcraft player or a fan of the RTS, this fictional land created by Blizzard has become so popular that any gamer would probably know of it.

It is not known where the word Azeroth came from. A lot of references point to the Christian reference to Astaroth, who is a duke of hell or the demon from Syrian lore which was called Azeroth. Other sources say that it came from C.J. Cherryh "Fires of Azaroth" book, while others conjecture that it came from the Bible itself which refers to places of similar sounding names such as Hazeroth. Regardless of its etymological background, this word has come to mean the lands of Warcraft.

The entire Azeroth can be split into four main locations: Northrend, Kalimdor, and the Eastern Kingdoms. Aside from these, a major feature that scars the territory is the Maelstrom which was caused by the Elves in the days of yore, but that is a story for another time. Each major location is a fountain of knowledge for those who would care to delve into these things. We know that it would be impossible to chronicle all the events in one account alone, this is just to give most players an overview of each land.

Each of these lands played an important role in the history of Azeroth in general. There are far more things that can be said about each location, but those are stories for another time. Perhaps it would be best to end this here, but be sure to keep checking back for more history on the lands of Azeroth here on QJ.

The full article awaits after the jump!

We know how you guys hate off topic posts but some guys at the QJ offices found this topic *cough*... interesting. The World of Warcraft Forums are clamoring for answers to various questions of importance, though this one from poster Docholphus caught our eyes along with so many others. His question?

Why do Draenei have such big butts?

Yup, you read it right. We're sure a lot of toilet humor has come into the minds of some but it made us a bit curious. Aside from being from outer space and all, we really haven't thought about why their behinds are gigantinourmous. A lot of players tried to answer the question -

• Pibroch (cosplaying as Tseric perhaps): Because we enjoy massive posteriors and we find it difficult to prevaricate.
• Dynamiterave (a female Draenei):  Bipedal + hooves = less surface area with which to support your upper body. Thus, you need stronger butt muscles to stand and move properly. That and I work out on a StairMaster for 2 hours each day. *flex*

Now Blizzard poster Drysc, who happens to have an Draenei NPC at Exodar named after him, had this to say, " As you can see walking around the Exodar the Draenei almost always prefer to sit on the ground. They've simply adapted to this type of reclination and have developed adequate padding to cope."

Well, Olafbloodaxe had other interesting questions.

• Why do female Draenei have bent backs?
• Why are Orc males 5 times the size of Orc females?
• Why do Dwarf Woman have such huge hips?
• Why do Dwarves have larger and more muscle-Bound arms than their legs?
• Why are the tentacles on Male Draenei considered "Facial (hair)?"
• Why are Blood elves constantly leaning to the side from the waist?
• Why can't Undead find clothes that cover their arms?
• Why aren't armour and weapons much more expensive and use more resources for Tauren in reference to Gnomes?
• Why are Troll males constantly slouching, but not the females?
• Why can't Undead find a good comb?
• Why can't undead wear a shirt over them to conceal their Spine?
• Why are none of the Gnome classes rely on Engineering?
• Why can't LW BM ENGIES and tailors repair their armour (with the exception of Engies Repair bots)?

Stay tuned for the answers - or perhaps you'd like to supply them yourself.

 

You've taken everything I've ever cared for, Arthas. Vengeance is all I have left.

We all know what the Lord of the Blood Elves was talking about when he said that line (*cough* Jaina Proudmoore *cough*) in the World of Warcraft. Anyway, we'll be seeing what vengeance Kael'thas Sunstrider will unleash on whoever challenges him. Nihilum was finally able to get to him but unfortunately wiped out on what we assume to be their first try at the encounter. The good thing is, we got a preview of the big boss fight.

There wasn't any info on the Nihilum site regarding the fight but we can speculate about the screenshots, right? It looks like they somehow managed to get loot off one of Kael'thas' four advisors: a legendary axe. There's some argument as to whether it's for hunters, paladins, or warriors, and also whether it can be taken out of the encounter.

Anyway, feast your eyes on the screens since Kael'thas' loot might be the next we'll be seeing from Nihilum. Will they get another world first? Stay tuned for more World of Warcraft news.

   

More screens after the jump.

If you traverse all the way into the chambers of Queen Sylvanas Windrunner and listen to her story, you would have been introduced to a melodramatic rendering of a song for the Blood Elves. That song is called the "Lament of the Highborne," which people concluded "Highborne" referred to the High Elves - or Blood Elves as they were most known for.

We all know the history of the High Elves' addiction to power and magic, and why it severed the relations of the entire Elven race. But according to lead composer and audio director Russel Brower, the song isn't as it seems.

Many people have been quick to determine that the song is dedicated to the Blood Elves, but in an interview with Music 4 Games, he revealed that it really isn't so.

He corrects the issue of "Highborne," which really means that the song dates back over 10 millennia ago, at about the same time the Blood Elves were actually still the Night Elves. "It was a lament to fallen Night Elves, and a tribute to those whose bravery remained steadfast against overwhelming odds," he corrected.

Apparently, the song itself hasn't changed at all in melody, but the words were changed some 3 millennia ago (2,800 years) to reflect just how many lives were lost in that epic struggle against the Trolls. Soon enough, at the coming of Arthas and his Undead lackeys during the Third War, the song was used again to illustrate the defense of Quel'Thalas and its unfortunate demise.

So you're probably asking yourselves, "Why is she singing that old tune again?" Well, it's simple: she's singing to the Blood Elves as an apology for her failure to defend them. Her failure to defend Quel'Thelas and her people caused her guilt and pain, far more suffering than she probably received in the hands of Arthas.

In an effort for repentance or redemption, she also makes known her efforts to help the Blood Elves, even as a dark Queen of the Undead.

So, bluntly put, the song isn't for the Blood Elves, it's for all of the Elves originally. When faced with insurmountable odds, the song is then dedicated to all those who remain steadfast and stand their ground. At least now we're all a bit smarter about it now.

Are you one of the few World of Warcraft players that haven't journeyed through post-Burning Crusade Azeroth yet? Well, don't worry because Blizzard's got your back. The people behind the insanely popular MMORPG World of Warcraft are giving old and new WoW players alike a chance to try out a free trial of the Burning Crusade expansion.

During the ten-day free trial period, players can explore the Outland or try their hand at the new jewelcrafting profession found in Burning Crusade. Of course, players can also try out the Draenei and Blood Elves, the two new races that are introduced in Burning Crusade. Ever wanted to see what all the hubbub is about BE Paladins? Now's your chance.

You can get the free trial download by clicking on the "read" link below. Please note that you need to have the full version of World of Warcraft installed on your computer in order to install the Burning Crusade trial.

 

Outside of the new locations that World of Warcraft's upcoming patch 2.1.0 will carry, another item players can look forward to will be more game hotfixes. Such is the topic of a recent announcement by Blizzard's spokesman Tigole, which details some of the upcoming fixes planned for Serpentshrine and Tempest Keep:

Because 2.1.0 is not yet on the PTR's (we're hoping by tomorrow or early next week), we're going to hotfix the base creature respawn in Serpentshrine and TK Raid to be 2 hours. We're also going to fix the bug that's causing the creatures to respawn after the boss for the corresponding section has been killed.

These aren't all of the changes that we have for 2.1.0, just two of the ones that we will be able to hotfix. There are more changes coming in 2.1.0 that include creature tuning, better loot etc...

Some examples:

Lots of the creatures have fewer hitpoints
Lots of the creatures are no longer immune to CC (The female naga in SSC can be poly'd, Skeletal Ushers in KZ can be shackled)
Lots of bug fixes

As a backgrounder, Serpentshrine is the final part of the Coilfang Reservoir instance, and is also the residence of game boss Lady Vashj. Tempest Keep, on the other hand, is located in Netherstorm, Outland, and is the residence of Kael'thas Sunstrider, lord of the Blood Elves. Both areas have also received recent fixes for their trash mobs. Getting back to the matter of the hotfixes, Tigole is further reminding everybody that these hotfixes have not yet been implemented - just wait for announcements when they do kick in.