Among World of Warcraft's collection of villains and notorious NPCs, not too many garner as much speculation as Neltharion the Earth-Warder, aka Deathwing the Destroyer.

Following the destruction of the Dragon Soul, this corrupted Dragon Aspect simply disappeared, leaving the WoW community guessing at where he may be - some suggest that he's already been captured by Alexstrasza, and is currently imprisoned at Grim Batol, while others assume he's already dead.

As said earlier, points like these are simply speculation, although a recent conversation between Overlord Mor'ghor of the Dragonmaw clan and a Lady Sinestra (a blood elf) may provide hints of Deathwing's current status - see screenshot to the right.

The screenie was apparently taken from one of the public test realms (PTR)s. And while this revelation may just provide more questions than answers, it hints that Deathwing is still alive, and most probably not Alexstrasza's captive. As a last note, gamers who may want to try their luck with this game event are advised to go by Nimloth's post at the Curse-Gaming site:

When the patch goes live, go to the Dragonmaw base camp on Netherwing Ledge (make sure you've done the questline that turns you into a fel orc whenever you're near the Ledge, btw, otherwise you'll probably just be attacked) and stay near Mor'ghor (he's in the main building with an Eredar with him). A "Blood elf" comes up, talks, and then when she leaves, transforms into a black dragon.

That's all for this topic, at least until we pick up more information in the near future..

In a short while, people will be rejoicing at the launch of World of Warcraft's Burning Crusade expansion. And while we have been covering this very fresh pack before, this will serve as a last hurrah to get you guys fired up. For the veterans and old guard, consider this your check list in case you forgot something in your "must-have" list. For the neophytes, fledglings and pups (read: noobz), consider this your one-stop guide to what to prepare for when the invasion begins.

The story begins with the Burning Legion, and of Sargeras the Destroyer who leads its infernal ranks. Once a defender of the worlds created by the mythical Titans - Azeroth itself one of their constructs - Sargeras eventually found himself consumed by doubt about his kin's benevolence. Sargeras saw the titan's idealism as delusion, and set out to destroy the order they created. Hence begins the Burning Crusade, and a rallying for all former enemies on Azeroth to lay aside their differences for survival.

With the basic premise set for the expansion, we now talk about the two new races joining the conflict - the magic-addicted Blood Elves, and the exiled Draenei.

Blood Elves
Of high elf ancestry, their named holds special meaning for those who survived the slaughter of their kin and the destruction of Quel'Thalas during the Second Burning Legion Invasion (Warcraft III). Their alliance with the horde is one of necessity, as they seek ways to journey to the Outland to reunite with Illidian the Betrayer.

Being strongly addicted to magic, their racial traits include the ability to silence other magic users, as well as an increased resistance to magic directed at them. It goes without saying they provide a formidable boost to any aspiring warlocks and mages out there looking for more variety compared to just using the Undead. And as mentioned previously, they are the only Horde race allowed the use of the Paladin class - traces of the once-prestige place they held as Azeroth's "Sun-Blessed".

The full article awaits after the jump!

A "new" race is about to burst onto the scene on the World of Azeroth - well, maybe not so "new"...
 
The Eredar are described as "one of the oldest known races in the universe." They are the Commanders...the strategy makers...(the "decision-makers?"...) of the dreaded Burning Legion. Their skills in magic and the Dark Arts Arcane are known and feared throughout the worlds of the Great Dark Beyond.

Among the more infamous members of the Eredar race are a couple of characters that would make loathsome creatures like Beelzebub and Dick Cheney look positively urbane. Archimonde (known to his friends as "Archie") and Kil'jaeden (aka "Killer J") take pride and pleasure in cunning, sadistic acts of cruelty, and are now at the head of a hell-spawned legion of demons bent on total annihilation...

But don't take my word for it. Look at the guy - is this someone you would want to meet in a dark alley? Well, at least they fight their own wars.