Battle above ground and below. View larger. Wield magic against all comers. View larger. Face down monsters of every kind. View larger. The Story T-Energy has been flowing through Ancaria since time immemorial. This mysterious power forms the beginning of all life, is the source of all magic and the origin of all thought. For eons the angelic Seraphim watched over the T-Energy and therefore over the fate of the entire world. But eventually tiring of their burden, they passed their knowledge on to the High Elves. T-Energy helped the realm of the High Elves to experience an unimaginable boost of prosperity, making it the reigning culture in Ancaria. But a force as powerful as T-Energy carries great dangers. Not taught how to deal with this, no sooner did the Elves take control, then a heated dispute erupted among them as to how and to what purpose the T-Energy was to be used. Dispute morphed into irresolvable conflict, then rift and eventually to a civil war among the High Elves, where all participants were losers. Their realm collapsed and with it the entire power structure of Anacaria. In the turmoil all the peoples of Anacaria coveted the right, either openly or in secret, to wield the power of T-Energy and in the end, unmanaged, the T-Energy raged out of control warping creature and lands alike. Can anyone regain control over the T-Energy. And if so, will he/she strive to prevent the world from lapsing into final chaos, or deepen it? Gameplay Gameplay in Sacred 2: Fallen Angel in divided into two campaign paths: Light and Dark. As the game begins players choose and customize their character and choose the path they will follow. This choice determines the ultimate goal and intentions of their character, and as the game progresses through literally hundreds of quests and side quests, the paths of different characters intersect at different junctions. Choose one way and you may be tasked to defend a town and its people, while another path could result in you attacking the same town. The choice is yours and the fate of the world and your well-being are at stake. Key Game Features: A massive, seamless and dynamic world delivering hundreds of hours of freeform exploration. Two deep campaigns: play as the “Light” or “Shadow” side, complete with distinct skills, rewards and story-elements tailored to the chosen path. Six exceptional, playable characters, each with a distinct look, capabilities and in-game motivation. Modifiable combat arts: change, upgrade and link together your alter ego’s combat skills to match your playing style. Fight effectively from the back of a number of mounts under your control; equip and upgrade your character’s unlockable special mount. Deities offer unique combat disciplines and unlock additional quests. Seamless transition between single- and multiplayer gaming modes via LAN and the Internet. Captivating online modes of play challenge gamers in cooperative, PvP and PvE play. Extraordinary, cutting-edge graphics and Dolby 5. 1 channel surround sound utilize the latest technologies for a truly immersive experience. Character Classes In Sacred 2: Fallen Angel players assume the role of one of six characters-five of which are new to the franchise-and delve into a thrilling story full of side quests and secrets that you will have to unravel. Breathtaking combat arts and sophisticated spells are waiting to be learned. A multitude of weapons and items will be available, and you will choose which of your character's attributes you will enhance with these items in order to create a unique and distinct hero. SeraphimOften referred to as 'Fallen Angels,' these mystical and angelic creatures are the oldest inhabitants of Ancaria. Fast, elegant and acrobatic warriors from a technological future they fight with light to medium weapons and, if required, with massive technological support. Players can assume the role of a Seraphim and protect the world from chaos. Shadow Warrior Shadow Warriors were originally humans trained as elite soldiers in service to the High Elves. Upon their death their souls were stolen by an Elven general, bound to lifeless bodies and imbued with T-Energy. Now free, they travel between this world and the next as undead beings with only the desire to return to the peace of the golden halls of Elysium. High ElfThe best student at the ancient academy of magic in Thylysium, the High Elf character lives and breathes magic. Her hunger for adventure and her insatiable desire to increase her personal knowledge and the influence of her once-powerful house are the driving forces as she sets off into an Ancaria boiling over with turmoil. Dryad Masters of the hunt and akin to the Elves, The Dryad are in tune with nature and are equipped with the strength of the forests. The most powerful and the strongest among them are knowledgeable of the dark art of voodoo and were chosen in order to save their peoples from extinction. All are expert with the bow, traps, poisons and lore of the forest. InquisitorThe Inquisitors are the High Priests of the High Elves. Arrogant and deadly, they are only committed to themselves and their ultimate goal of assume control over the T-Energy. Proficient in close combat and able to gain increasing power as damage is taken, their manipulative spells make them powerful fighters from the shadows. Temple GuardianSince the beginning of time the purpose of Temple Guardians were to maintain and protect the Great Machine, so that it could keep the world in balance. Neither fully flesh or mechanical, they are half human and half machine. Propelled by T-Energy and devoted to protecting it, they are part of the Great Machine and so able to use the T-Energy for their purposes. A Wide Variety of Mounts Across Ancaria you will find many horse dealers. They offer all kinds of animals, from the simple nag up to a real war horse. You can equip a war horse with bridle, saddle and even special armor. These special items can be found in the game just like player items, ranging in quality from regular to rare and even unique items. In addition, every character also has a unique mount created specifically for their character class. This mount not only fits the personality of the character, but also complements the various aspects of the character's playing style perfectly. All character classes can fight from a mounted position using a variety of tactics that the player chooses depending on the terrain and battle conditions. Sacred 2: Fallen Angel Collector's Edition Includes: Sacred 2: Fallen Angel Game Additional DVD containing the "Elite Texture Pack," a set of ultra-high resolution textures for users of high-end computers The unlockable in-game Carrier Imp, a special "pet" that transports the player's treasure and additional inventory to its owner whenever summoned. (unlock code provided) A four-song music sampler from Nuclear Blast records, whose artist, Blind Guardian, is showcased in the game's soundtrack, and an exclusive audio interview with the band and the game's developer, discussing their collaboration to feature the band in-game. A printed map of the world of Ancaria that doubles as poster and electronic version of the Sacred 2 "Art and Vision" booklet System Requirements: Minimum Specifications: Recommended Specifications: OS: Windows XP, XP64, Vista, Vista64 Microsoft Windows XP (32 / 64 Bit) with Service Pack 3 / Vista 32 / 64 Bit) with Service Pack 1 Processor: 2. 4 GHz processor Dual Core 2. 0 GHz processor RAM: 1GB 2 GB RAM Video Card: Graphics card 256 MB, from nVidia® GeForce 6800 or ATI® Radeon Graphics card 512 MB, ab nVidia GeForce 8800 GTS oder ATI Radeon HD 3870 Sound Card: DirectX compatible sound card Sound Blaster X-Fi(DirectX 9. 0d [for XP] or DirectX 10. 0 [for Vista] compatible), with surround speakers or headphones DVD-ROM: Quad-speed (4x) DVD-ROM drive Hard Drive Space: 25GB of Free Space Direct X: 9. 0d (included with game) Other: DSL modem or network card for multiplayer games.

The game lets you adopt any two trade skills, regardless of character race or class, and combine those skills in useful ways. If you choose skinning and leatherworking, for example, you can fashion bags from the carcasses of monsters you defeat, which will allow you to carry even more inventory items. Expanded Commerce You can sell the items you make, find, and loot through a variety of outlets. Like any role-playing game, WoW has merchants who will buy your cast-off items for fixed prices, but you can also sell to other players at your own price through in-game chat or by leaving it with one of the auction houses located across the map. This virtual free market is a game within the game, like Monopoly somehow inserted into the middle of Chess. Heck, you can even send items C. O. D. to other players via the game's mail system. The game's Quest Log keeps track of up to 20 quests at a time. In other online role-playing games, starting players have to invest dozens of hours whacking at small prey and doing other odd jobs one at a time to gradually "level up" to more interesting challenges. WoW lets players accept a variety of quests-up to 20 at a time without penalty for abandoning any of them before they're complete. The makers boast 2,000 existing quests with more being added, many of them noncombat in nature. Where some games only grant experience through battle, WoW grants experience for exploring and fulfilling quests too. A Level Playing Field There's also a built-in handicap for casual players where your character enters a rest state when you log off from the game. The longer you're logged off (up to a week), the bigger the experience bonus you'll get when you return to battle. An enemy tagging feature-the player who lands the first attack on an enemy claims the loot for himself or his party-prevents onlookers from swooping in and pilfering items from a monster that you brought down. That resolves a common complaint of other titles. Icons and pop-ups help put complex controls easily within reach. Most games severely penalize players when they die in-game, usually by shaving experience points, funds, or both. In WoW, death just relocates your ghost to the nearest graveyard, and the only penalty is the time it takes you to get back to resurrect your character's corpse. All of this makes for a very complicated game, but the well-designed interface puts all the game's elements into icons either visible framing the action or within a simple keystroke. The enemy's artificial intelligence is quite strong too: Monsters will join nearby fights to aid their comrades, switch targets strategically midbattle, and ambush players. The map system fills in details on places you've visited, so you always know where you are and where you've been. Overall, World of Warcraft is a game that's easy to learn, challenging to master, beautiful to watch, and tons of fun to play. -Porter B. Hall For the first time, players can experience the lands of WarCraft's Azeroth from a new, in-depth perspective. As heroes, they explore familiar battlefields, discover new lands, and take on epic quests and challenges in Blizzard's massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Blizzard has taken care to make the game accessible and fun both for hard-core 60-hour-a-week players and for more casual adventurers.

com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg. png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 10px; width: 250px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; } Explore Ether and its 20 new zones, including the overland zone of Innothule. View larger. New Worlds and Nostalgic Places to Explore At the heart of The Shadow Odyssey is a new realm called the Ether, with 20 new zones including a new overland zone, Innothule. Players will enjoy the added pieces of nostalgia with familiar dungeon themes from EverQuest such as Najena, Mistmoore, and The Sebilisian Empire. There are also five new Heritage Quests, and more than 18 goal-based dungeons such as Befallen and Ruins of Guk. The story unfolds along with the hundreds of new quests and dozens of new creatures. As you fight, you learn a little more about this new world and the challenges that must be overcome in it. New Mounts, New Deities Players will now be able to ride new mounts such as a bear and a unicorn. Two new deities have also been introduced into Norrath: Rodcet Nife and Anashti Sul. Players can also now ride airships to travel between distant lands. A New Group of Erudites Offer New Loot Along with the new realm and new enemies are new equipment, weapons, armor, and other loot. Players can get them by bartering the void shards earned during your encounters with a mysterious group of Erudites who have powerful new armor and equipment. Legends of Norrath Online Card Trading Game Included Legends of Norrath, a strategic online trading card game, is included in The Shadow Odyssey expansion. The card game tells the story thousands of years before the events in The Shadow Odyssey, giving players a chance to learn the realm's history. Players can gain new loot cards for EverQuest II, including rare items, new mounts, cloaks, consumables, and baubles. All-In-One Compilation Pack Includes Previous Releases The Shadow Odyssey is an All-In-One expansion pack that includes all previous expansion and adventure packs for EverQuest II. This means that you'll have access to the entire EverQuest II world and have a chance to catch up on any adventures you might have missed.

Experience the glory of Realm vs. Realm! Declare your allegiance and join hundreds of thousands of mighty heroes on the battlefields of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning to experience the epic nature of war. Enter a grim fantasy world where the armies of Order (Dwarfs, High Elves, and Empire) and Destruction (Greenskins, Dark Elves, and Chaos) collide to determine the fate of nations. Invade enemy lands, besiege imposing fortresses, and sack sprawling capital cities for the glory of your Realm. Wield devastating magic and deadly weapons, battle monstrous creatures, and join your brothers-in-arms in epic Public Quests. Climb the Bastion Stair, carry your Guild Banner into battle, and unlock the secrets of the Tome of Knowledge as you travel the world. Sharpen your blade and prepare to unleash your inner mutation-the Age of Reckoning has begun and WAR IS EVERYWHERE! Key Features Realm vs. Realm (RvR) gameplay means you will never fight alone, but as part of an army of allied players sworn to defend your homeland and conquer enemy Realms. Your every action-every quest completed, every battle fought-contributes to the war effort and can turn the tide of battle, bringing victory to your Realm! Experience the camaraderie of fighting side-by-side with allied players against otherwise insurmountable odds in groundbreaking Public Quests. These cooperative PvE encounters unfold across multiple stages and allow solo players to experience the glory of RvR. Embark on the endless quest to complete the Tome of Knowledge and unlock Warhammer lore, detailed monster information, new abilities and rewards, and major story plotlines. The Tome is also the story of your life in the game, tracking your achievements to share and compare with others. Explore massive Living Cities that become more or less prosperous based on a Realm’s overall performance in the ongoing war. Navigate a maze of twisting streets, visit the local tavern, explore a dark under-city, and meet colorful personalities in a city full of adventure. Advanced guild features give unprecedented control to leaders and members, and make guilds an integral part of the war efforts. Guilds can create unique heraldry, capture and claim keeps, and earn Guild Tactics as they grow in power along with their members. Pick your favorite character. View larger image Battle to the end against rivals. View larger image Wander through vivid environments. View larger image The Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning servers will go live on September 18th, 2008.

com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg. png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 10px; width: 250px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; } Explore Ether and its 20 new zones, including the overland zone of Innothule. View larger. Special Pewter Bear Figurine Included in Box A special pewter dire bear figurine is an included bonus with this set. The bear is a new addition to the game, either a pet or mount depending what level you are, and gains experience and levels with you. This collectible pewter replica will look great on your desk as a reminder of your digital friend. New Worlds and Nostalgic Places to Explore At the heart of The Shadow Odyssey is a new realm called the Ether, with 20 new zones including a new overland zone, Innothule. Players will enjoy the added pieces of nostalgia with familiar dungeon themes from EverQuest such as Najena, Mistmoore, and The Sebilisian Empire. There are also five new Heritage Quests, and more than 18 goal-based dungeons such as Befallen and Ruins of Guk. The story unfolds along with the hundreds of new quests and dozens of new creatures. As you fight, you learn a little more about this new world and the challenges that must be overcome in it. New Mounts, New Deities Players will now be able to ride new mounts such as a bear and a unicorn. Two new deities have also been introduced into Norrath: Rodcet Nife and Anashti Sul. Players can also now ride airships to travel between distant lands. A New Group of Erudites Offer New Loot Along with the new realm and new enemies are new equipment, weapons, armor, and other loot. Players can get them by bartering the void shards earned during your encounters with a mysterious group of Erudites who have powerful new armor and equipment. Legends of Norrath Online Card Trading Game Included Legends of Norrath, a strategic online trading card game, is included in The Shadow Odyssey expansion. The card game tells the story thousands of years before the events in The Shadow Odyssey, giving players a chance to learn the realm's history. Players can gain new loot cards for EverQuest II, including rare items, new mounts, cloaks, consumables, and baubles. All-In-One Compilation Pack Includes Previous Releases The Shadow Odyssey is an All-In-One expansion pack that includes all previous expansion and adventure packs for EverQuest II. This means that you'll have access to the entire EverQuest II world and have a chance to catch up on any adventures you might have missed.

net service. If you'd rather play over a local area network, StarCraft will generously "spawn" up to seven copies so your friends can join in. In keeping with StarCraft's groundbreaking design, Brood War presents you with three sides of a galactic conflict. Scheming humans, insidious Zerg, and proud Protoss collide again, with stunning new cinematics setting the stage. Old friends and foes and ominous new arrivals give the story a breakneck pace, while a handful of additions to each race's arsenal makes for tense battles. Brood War also features stellar new environments and ambient art, as well as more than 100 additional multiplayer maps. Some missions require a bit of finesse, breaking the resource-gathering routine while making good use of the new units. Humans now have Valkyrie missile frigates as well as medics who automatically try to heal your grunts. New for the Zerg air force is the acid-spewing Devourer; the new Lurker unit provides heavy-duty (under)ground support. Along with the Corsair fighter, the Protoss reenter the fray with Dark Templar, which can merge to form the devastating Dark Archon. Unfortunately, units old and new still suffer from weak artificial intelligence in path finding. Real-time strategy games don't get any more epic or any more satisfying. -Jack Gardiner This package includes both Starcraft and Starcraft: Brood Wars plus Prima Publishing's Official Strategy Guides, which offer you strategies, statistics, and details about new worlds to give you the upper hand in gaining control over the galaxy's resources.

View larger. Exotic new armor sets, faces and hair styles offer even more unique character options to players. View larger. Hundreds of new monsters await in 50 new quest areas. View larger. Cantha's Warring Factions The expansion pack adds whole new ways to experience the game: alliances and factions. In Tyria, players banded together in small guilds and warred against each other, but Cantha is a land of much more complicated politics. Guilds can join together in alliances, align themselves with one of Cantha's two warring factions, and battle other alliances to gain and hold territory. The epic Faction Battles can change the face of Cantha in real time, shifting borders and changing the control of entire cities and towns as battles are won and lost. The Battle Isles play host to most of the new Player vs. Player content, providing alliances a huge battlefield to supplement the Tyrian arenas. Player versus Player combat reaches a new dimension with massive Alliance Battles. View larger. Alliances will also have access to two new kinds of missions, Alliance Missions and Elite Missions. Alliance Missions feature multiple teams battling for control over resources and strategic locations, earning faction points for their alliance. The best and most powerful alliances can venture on Elite Missions, which are designed to be the ultimate challenge for even the most experienced teams. New Player Options Solo players have not been neglected either, and those who choose to remain separate from alliance and faction politics still have a lot to enjoy in the expansion. Two new professions are available to the denizens of Cantha: the deadly Assassin and dark Ritualist. Assassins wield daggers with fatal precision and can teleport to strike down enemies up close, while Ritualists summon the spirits of the dead to control the battlefield. New faces, hair styles and armor sets give the two new professions their own distinct look, evoking the exotic feel of Cantha. To allow players to experience the new professions without deleting their old characters, four extra character slots will be added to players who have previously existing Guild Wars accounts. The Assassin emerges from the shadows as a playable profession in Factions. View larger. While the level limit has not yet been raised from 20, players who still love the six professions from the core game have not been forgotten. Dozens of new skills are available for the older professions as well. Players have more options than ever before, and the new story missions and quest areas will test their ability to adapt to new styles and situations. Hundreds of all-new weapons, items and pets offer characters a huge amount of customization, and a new mission type will put each player's skill to the test. Challenge missions are cooperative missions with scoring objectives, and NCsoft will post the highest scores and display the rankings in-game, adding a new competitive element to the game that doesn't require direct combat. NCsoft has taken care to cater to their entire player base with Guild Wars Factions. Team players have new options that range from Braveheart-style mass PvP battles to the online RPG version of organized sporting events. Solo players and lone wolves have plenty of character customization to play with as well as the continuation of the Guild Wars story. Even those who only own Guild Wars Factions or Guild Wars can expand their game experience by sampling the content with players who own the other game, making Factions an expansion in the true sense: it broadens the horizons without being essential to enjoying the complete game.

vgoverview { height: 125px; background: #9DC4D8 url(http://images. amazon. com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg. png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 10px; width: 250px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; } The tuskarr, a walrus-like race of nomadic fisherman, inhabit the icy Borean Tundra. View larger. Half-giant warriors, the vrykul, once inhabited the land. View larger. You'll enjoy exploring Northrend and all its environments and dungeons. View larger. Explore Northrend and battle the Lich King with World of Warcraft's first hero class character - The Death Knight. View larger. One of many new environments, Dragonblight is an arctic wasteland surrounded by dense forests. View larger. Many strange and terrifying creatures inhabit this frozen continent. View larger. Enter the Death Knight This expansion adds a host of content to the already massive existing game world. Players will achieve soaring levels of power, explore Northrend (the vast icy continent of the Lich King), and battle high-level heroes to determine the ultimate fate of Azeroth. As you face the dangers of the frigid, harsh north, prepare to master the dark necromantic powers of the Death Night - World of Warcraft's first Hero class. No longer servants of the Lich King, the Death Knights begin their new calling as experienced, formidable adversaries. Each is heavily armed, armored, and in possession of a deadly arsenal of forbidden magic. If you have a World of Warcraft account with a character of at least level 55, you will be able to create a new level-55 Death Knight of any race (if on a PvP realm, the Death Knight must be the same faction as your existing character). And upon entering the new world, your Death Knight will begin to quest to level 80, gaining potent new abilities and talents along the way. This expansion allows for only one Death Knight per realm, per account. New Environments in Northrend Await Journey through the remote, diverse lands of Northrend and explore Dragonblight, Grizzly Hills, Borean Tundra, and Howling Fjord. Named for bones of perished dragons and majestic shrines to the fallen creatures, Dragonblight is an arctic wasteland surrounded by dense forests. Not everything is frozen in Northrend. The lush mountains of Grizzly Hills are the ancestral home to the furbolgs, who have grown accustomed to relative peace. Although their tranquility is being challenged by trappers, goblins, and ice trolls, Grizzly Hills remains a vast and dangerous wilderness. The southwestern tip of Northrend is home to the sprawling Borean Tundra. The Horde has established a dominant presence in this icy portion of the continent and has formed a bond with the tuskarr, a walrus-like race of nomadic fisherman. Magical energy is afoot in the region, and it has caused increased tension. High above the Great Sea at the southeastern tip of Northrend lies the Howling Fjord. Ancient mythology holds that a race of half-giant warriors, the vrykul, once inhabited the land, founding a prosperous civilization. They mysteriously vanished, leaving deserted villages and abandoned temples. In present times, the Alliance and the Horde have come to Howling Fjord to confront the Lich King. Strangely, this has prompted the return of the vrykul, who are attacking the Alliance and Horde settlements. Howling Fjord presents a difficult challenge on two fronts: withstanding the vrykul's onslaught and battling the evil Lich King. A Multitude of Monsters Strange and terrifying creatures inhabit the frozen continent of Northrend, such as Nerubian Viziniers, Plague Eruptors, Shoveltusks and Flesh Giants, to name just a few. Half-spider, half-humanoid, the viziniers utilize sorcery and high intelligence to emerge as the rulers of Nerubians' underground kingdom. The Plague Eruptors are walking corpses created by the Lich King's evil experiments to spread horror and chaos across the living world. Massive curved antlers make it easy to identify the Shoveltusks. These grumpy beasts are very dangerous, territorial, and best left alone. The Flesh Giants are nothing short of nightmarish abominations. Cobbled together from the pieces of giant body parts, the Flesh Giants employ tremendous strength to carry out the Lich King's wishes. The World of Warcraft: Wrath of King Lich expansion pack allows you to engage in epic siege warfare. The pack presents the first Hero class and allows you to transform your Death Knight's look with character customization that even include hairstyles and dances. You'll enjoy exploring the Northrend and all its environments and dungeons, filled with some of the deadliest creatures - and greatest treasures - on all of Azeroth. System Requirements Minimum Recommended Operating System PC: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista (with latest Service Packs) Mac: Mac OS X 10. 4. 11 or newer CPU PC: Intel Pentium 4 1. 3 GHz or AMD Athlong XP 1500+ Mac: PowerPC G5 1. 6 GHz or Intel Core Duo processor PC: Dual-core processor, such as Intel Pentium D or AmD Athlong 64 X2 Mac: Intel 1. 8 GHz processor or better Graphics Hardware PC: 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transfor and Lighting with 32 MB VRAM, such as an ATI Radeon 7200 or NVIDIA GeForce2 class card or better Mac: 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting with 64 MB VRAM, such as ATI Radeon 9600 or NVIDIA GeForce Ti 4600 class card or better PC: 3D Graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capabilities with 128 MB VRAM, such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT class card or better Mac: 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 128 MB VRAM, such as ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA 7600 class card or better. Memory PC: 512 MB Mac: 1 GB PC: 1 GB Mac: 2 GB Hard Drive Space 15 GB of free space All Platform Requirements Keyboard and mouse, required for controls. Other input devices not supported. Active broadband Internet connection required to play.

Wings of the Goddess takes you to Vana'diel's rewritten history, where you'll participate in three intense campaigns. In the Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansion pack, become a Blue Mage, Corsair or Puppetmaster, and explore 40 new areas.

View larger. Warcraft's newest continent: Outland. View larger. Once a beautiful land, Outland has been ravaged by war. View larger. Outland is a vital strategic location. View larger. The expansion pack features an increase in the level cap to 70. There are two new playable races, including the magical Blood Elves that you can read more about below. The other race has not yet been released by Blizzard. There will be new starting zones in Quel'Thalas and beyond. Another eye-opening addition is the entirely new, unexplored continent of Outland that is reachable through the Dark Portal. Plus, you'll find many new high-level dungeons to explore in Azeroth, Outland, and elsewhere that will substantially boost gameplay. There are new flying mounts in Outland; tons of new and dangerous monsters (including epic world bosses); hundreds of new quests and items; and even a new profession: Jewelcrafting. Of course this isn't the end of the list - this is just a glimpse of what Blizzard has planned for their unreleased expansion pack. The New Story, the Rumors, and More Several years have passed since the Burning Legion's defeat at Mount Hyjal and the races of Azeroth have continued to rebuild their once shattered lives. With renewed strength, the heroes of the Horde and Alliance have begun to explore new lands, and have broken through the Dark Portal to investigate the realms beyond the known world. In this expansion pack, The Burning Crusade refers to the Burning Legion's ongoing efforts to destroy life on Azeroth. To date, the Burning Legion's exploits have been documented in Warcraft III and in the War of the Ancients novel trilogy. As part of the expansion pack, players will now be able to travel through the Dark Portal to confront the Legion on otherworldly battlefields. Although only one race has been revealed, Blizzard has announced plans to unveil details about possible additional races at a later date. On the other hand, many details have been released about the new continent, Outland. Players last visited Outland in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, alongside Illidan as he conquered the Pit Lord Magtheridon's domain. Players will also gain access to Quel'Thalas, the region to the northeast of the Forsaken lands, where the Blood Elves reside. Blizzard says that this expansion pack holds even more new areas that are ripe for player exploration - additional details will be revealed in the months ahead. Blizzard also has plans to add new dungeons and battlegrounds with the expansion, though the exact number has not yet been determined. One upcoming dungeon that has players excited is Karazhan, which is located within Medivh's tower. Because Medivh has played such a central role in Warcraft lore, Blizzard is convinced that longtime players will be especially interested in seeing what Karazhan contains. As for battlegrounds, Blizzard has released very little information. However, they have announced plans to make some of the battles from the past accessible through the Caverns of Time. Blood Elves: The New Race Thousands of years ago, the exiled Highborne landed on the shores of Lordaeron and founded the enchanted kingdom of Quel'Thas. These high elves, as they called themselves, created a fountain of vast, magical energies within the heart of their land - the Sunwell. Over time, they grew dependant on the Sunwell's unstable energies, regardless of the bitter lessons they'd learned in ages past. During the Third War, the villainous Prince Arthas invaded Quel'Thalas and reduced the once-mighty realm to rubble and ashes. His undead army decimated nearly all of the high elven population. In addition, he used the Sunwell's energies to resurrect a powerful undead Lich, Kel'thuzad, thereby fouling the Sunwell's mystical waters. The few elven survivors, realizing that they had been cut off from the source of their arcane power, grew increasingly volatile and desperate. In the midst of the elves' darkest hour came Kael'thas Sunstrider, the last of Quel'Thalas' royal bloodline. Kael, as he was commonly known, knew that the remnant of his people would not long survive without the nourishing magic that once empowered them. Renaming his people "blood elves" in honor of their fallen countrymen, Kael taught the survivors how to tap into ambient mystical energies - even demonic energies - in order to sate their terrible thirst for magic. In search of a new destiny for his people, Kael'thas ventured to the remote world of Outland where he encountered the fallen night elf, Illidan. Under Illidan's watchful eye, Kael and his blood elves regained much of their former power. Unfortunately, the blood elves practice of embracing demonic energies caused their former comrades in the Alliance to shun them. Thus, the remaining blood elves on Azeroth look desperately to the Horde to help them reach Outland where they can reunite with Kael'thas and achieve the golden destiny he has promised them. Outland: The New Continent Once the beautiful homeworld of the orcs, all that remains of Draenor is the scattered wastes of Outland. Following the Second War, the Alliance invaded Draenor by crossing through the Dark Portal. To their horror, they discovered that Ner'zhul - the dark warlord of Horde - had constructed a series of new gateways that could lead the beaten Horde to newer, unspoiled worlds. As the Alliance forces closed in around him, Ner'zhul opened his gateways as a means of escape. However, his plan backfired and the gateway's clashing energies resulted in a massive catastrophic explosion that ultimately ripped the world of Draenor to pieces. Nearly thirteen years later - towards the end of the Third War - the fallen night elf, Illidan, discovered that huge chunks of Draenor still existed, floating upon the astral winds of the Twisting Nether. After his defeat at the hands of the evil Prince Arthas, Illidan fled to the remnants of Draenor and dubbed them "Outland. " He quickly seized control of the chaotic region and sealed the last of Ner'zhul's gateways. Though he is the undisputed ruler of the ravaged land, Illidan lives in fear that he will be discovered by his powerful enemies - most notably Arthas, the new Lich King, and the remaining Lords of the Burning Legion. For now, Outland is home to a number of scattered draenei tribes, primitive orcs, and powerful, arcane creatures of the Nether itself. Agents of the Burning Legion have also targeted the region as a vital strategic location in their unending Burning Crusade to scour all life from the universe. What else can expected? Blizzard has tantalized Warcraft players with the brief glimpse into The Burning Crusade's storyline. Will these heroes find friends or foes? What dangers and rewards lie in wait beyond the Dark Portal? And what will they do when they discover that the demons they thought were vanquished have returned to renew their terrible Burning Crusade? These and other questions will remain unanswered until the gameplay can be explored by role-playing Warcrafters.