Burning Crusade: Setting your gaming passion ablaze

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!

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-know” 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”.

Draenei
This outsider race traces its origins to the eredar race of the planet Argus – the same race Sargeras uses for his Burning Legion. This uncorrupted faction fled from their home world and landed on the planet of Draenor, also the home world of the Orcs. The Draenei were forced to flee their home once again, however, before finally crash-landing on Azeroth.

Here, they sided with the Alliance, with a pledge to help in battling against the Burning Legion’s impeding arrival. The Draenei race are blessed by the powers of the Naaru, a sentient being of energy attuned to the Holy Light of creation. Given this, the Draenei race have high resistance against shadow magic, and are capable of extremely potent healing spells. The Draenei will be the only Alliance race capable of using the Shaman class – perhaps a symbol of their attunement to the otherworldly Naaru.

And speaking of new appearances, gamers who have been following the Warcraft’s story arc may want to do some extra exploring – Sylvanas Windrunner and Maiev Shadowsong were spotted in the Beta phase, and may make an appearance in thew expansion. Then there’s the new enemies like Highlord Kruul and the Fel Reavers, which are better experienced than explained.

The rest of the classes:
New races and in-game personalities aside, TBC will introduce changes to existing classes. First up are the new skills, which give some already-dangerous classes getting even deadlier upgrades (Mages, anyone?). For the players after more game customizations, TBC introduces the jewel crafting skill. This allows for some serious tinkering with the game’s once-harmless trinkets, thus turning them into some potentially godly stat boosters. Next are the new flying mounts, which should help with the treacherous trek most of us are planning for the new Outland region, which will be coming up later.

And of course, we have the new PvP Arenas.
This provides gamers with a potential treasure trove of goodies, with each win guaranteeing players one extra step in a getting their coveted 70 gear. Just be careful of population-related server crashes – which Blizzard has thankfully set up measures against.

Lastly, we have the new areas, of which our focus is the Outland area. We have already discussed this in recent reports, but for the people wondering where the Outland region comes from, we provide a brief intro.
Outland was formerly Draenor, home world to the Orcs and Draenei races. The Outland we see after crossing the Dark Portal is not a planet per se, but the larger fragments of a shattered world. Outland serves as a staging ground for both the Burning Legion and the forces of Azeroth, so expect intense its maps – most require a level 60 minimum for players to survive.

There is far more to expect when TBC arrives, fellow adventurers. We leave you the joy of discovering the rest of the new features when you log in. Just be sure your game has the necessary patches to get it running.