Hail fellow Hyborians! Funcom has rolled out yet another patch for their MMORPG, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. The developers of the game have thrown in a number of fixes and improvements which players should know about. Check out the full patch notes in the full article

Hardcore MMORPG gamers in Blizzard's World of Warcraft have been working diligently to level their favorite characters in anticipation of the upcoming expansion Wrath of the Lich King.

Seeing as this new expansion will feature a lot of new content, as well as the chance for characters to break the level 70 barrier, we don't blame anyone for all their excitement.

With that said, we proudly deliver to you a couple more screenshots of the cold and desolate areas of Northrend and the lands surrounding it. While a lot of the scenery still looks dark and gloomy, it gives the lands of Northrend a rather appropriate feel considering it is infested by the undead hordes of the Scourge.

However, don't take our word for it - why not take a look at the screenshots we have from the game and soak in this amazing MMORPG experience.

     

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!

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.

I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes
(unless you're Undead, which means you can't feel a doggone thing)
Love is all around me, and so the feeling grows...

More craziness abounds. Blizzard announces to the community that something smells rotten in Denmark Azeroth this season, and stink, thy name is LOVE. The phenom, which happens in major cities in World of Warcraft, is literally called Love is in the Air.

Love is in the Air, hanging around major cities from February 11-15, features a scavenger hunt quest involving the use of perfumes, gifts, and a goblin by the name of Kwee Q. Peddlefeet that you could kiss. The Via Link contains the deets, but we'll mention two important things to remember about Love is in the Air:

• Use Perfumes to attract the boytoys and Cologne to draw in the ladies REMEMBER TO USE THE RIGHT LOVE STINK PEOPLE!!!
• Why would you want to kiss a goblin? Unique Buff, baby, but we don't think it's an aphrodisiac.

(In other news: The Scourge shall be screening the Mandy Moore/Shane West weeper A Walk to Remember on Valentine's Day to see which of the Undead still have a heart. Those found shedding tears at the end of the movie shall be killed, again and again if necessary, until the desired result is achieved. Long Live Arthas! Of course, we're only kidding on this one.)

More scenes from An Instance to Remember after the jump.

Joined contest after contest and still not in the Closed Beta? Do what the undead do, and just keep at it. Here's another contest for you to join. This time it's from the folks at IGN.

No complicated rules or essays to write, all you have to do is fill out a form that they've got at their site and you get a slot in their lottery. They'll be be drawing 10 names every few days and they'll keep it going for at least two weeks. They say that you'll have 90 chances to win this round.

There are a few requirements though:

• Must possess a valid retail World of Warcraft account and in good standing as of October 8, 2006.
• The Email address submitted must match with the one used with your World of Warcraft Account.

That's that. Oh and we've put the URL for their contest in the read link below. You guys know what to do. Enjoy!