The productivity of a few thousand people just took a nose dive. Forget about asking them to take out the trash, get the kids to bed, or maybe *gasp* go outside and enjoy summer. The Wrath of the Lich King Beta has gone live, and a niche of hardcore fans are now exploring the new continent of Northrend. While they aren’t the first Blizzard has let loose on the snowy plains of Arthas’s domain, they will be the hot bed of testing to see what works, what is broken, and what needs improved before the expansion hits the store shelves.
Opting into the Beta was done through Blizzard’s website a few days before the random process of sending out invites began. As of this writing, you can still sign up for the Beta, but don’t be surprised if the quota is quickly filled.
Joining in a Beta with a game like World of Warcraft is always a double edged sword. Unlike other games, like Halo 3 or Battlefield Bad Company, the real draw of World of Warcraft is experiencing all the new locations, monsters, and challenges for the first time. A CTF match on Valhalla resonates reasonably the same during the first time, or the hundredth, but no one will argue stepping through the Dark Portal is the same after doing it more than once. It is the price you pay for wanting to see content early.
And what content Wrath of the Lich King is going to offer. The level cap has been predictably kicked up another ten levels. A new hero class, the Deathknight, is being introduced and is promising the fill the role of the anti-caster tank. Finally, new profession known as Inscription will let devoted craftsmen create scrolls which can enhance the various abilities each class has. Oh yeah, and then there is this whole new continent known as Northrend which looks to trump Outland in both design and variability.
So drink it up devoted WoW enthusiasts, the Wrath of the Lich King Beta is in full swing which, if nothing else, shows up that Blizzard is far enough along in their development cycle to make the Holiday 2008, Winter 2009 window seem much more plausible.
[Via Blizzard]
