Tag: blizzard

Geekscape Mobile: Blizzard’s ‘Hearthstone’ Is Now Available For iPhone And Android Phones

by Derek Kraneveldt

Blizzard’s mobile money-printing machine, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft has been available for iPad users for over a year at this point (and Android tablets since December). Today, after a long wait and a few delays, Blizzard finally added the iPhone and Android phones to its list of supported devices.

I’ve been skeptical of Blizzard’s plans to shrink the title and its glorious artwork down for smartphones, but the free-to-play collectable card game’s new iteration features a complete redesign that looks just as intuitive as its tablet and desktop counterparts. Current players, of course, need not worry about lost progress, as simply logging in to your Battle.net account will sync each and every card, record, and piece of gold into the iPhone version as well.

To further entice players to download the game on another device, Blizzard notes that playing through an entire match on the mobile edition will earn gamers a free classic card pack. I don’t know about you, but I’m sold.

I’ve put more hours into Hearthstone than I have into any other iOS title that I’ve played, and I have to say that the fact that an iPhone version now exists terrifies me. Hearthstone remains one of the most addicting games that I’ve experienced, and it’s hard to imagine having it on the device that’s always with me. If you haven’t yet experienced its power, be warned: the free-to-play moniker is misleading, as Hearthstone may cost you more of your time than you ever thought possible.

In any case, take a look at the Hearthstone mobile trailer below, and let us know if you plan to try it out!

https://youtu.be/bwO80QZU00A

Geekscape Mobile: Blizzard’s ‘Hearthstone’ Is Now Available For Android!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: I’ve been dabbling in Blizzard’s Hearthstone for nearly a year now, and while my addiction to the game seems to come in waves (unlike my addiction for Nintendo’s damn Amiibo figures), my love for the game never wavers.

The game is insanely well designed and balanced, and definitely at home on a tablet’s screen (in fact, probably better than on a PC). It even features cross-platform multiplayer, so you’re really not missing anything by playing it on a tablet. The game is totally free to play (and not pay to win), but it can be really, really hard not to hasten your progress by paying for some new packs (which can be as addicting as hell to open).

The game is now available for Android tablets, so you non-computering, non-Apple folk can finally wet your whistles. All you need is an Android tablet with a 6 inch screen or larger, 1Gb of RAM, and Android 4.0 or later.

Already playing? Let us know what you think of the game below, and if not, you can grab it from the Amazon Appstore for Android and Google Play.

http://youtu.be/o84Y_cSjVyE

BlizzCon 2014: Heroes of the Storm Announces Closed Beta

by S.J. Borger
Heroes of the Storm: BlizzCon 2014 Line Up
Heroes of the Storm: BlizzCon 2014 Line Up

Continuing its storm of announcements at BlizzCon 2014, Blizzard announced the Closed Beta for Heroes of the Storm will be begin on January 13th, 2015.

Players can opt into the Beta through their Battle.net account on the Beta Profile Settings page. Players can also win access to Heroes via the Bring Your Friends to the Brawl Facebook app.

Heroes of the Storm is a free-to-play brawler staring fan favorites characters from across the Blizzard universes. Players can customize their heroes and engage in 5 v 5 battles across a variety of battlegrounds–each one requiring a different strategy.

New characters announced at BlizzCon this year include Thrall, Jaina, the Lost Vikings, and Sylvanas; as well as two new battlegrounds, The Sky Temple and the Spider Queen.

The Lost Vikings, one of four new heroes announced at BlizzCon 2014.
The Lost Vikings, one of four new heroes announced at BlizzCon 2014.

Blizzard plans on introducing new heroes every four to six weeks, and promises a lot of consistent new content every few months once the game goes live.

Check out the intro video below to see the new heroes in action, and let us know in the comments which hero you’re most excited to play!

 

BlizzCon 2014: StarCraft II “Legacy of the Void” Official Trailer

by S.J. Borger

http://youtu.be/u-PLBTXpyKI

What do you think? Can’t wait? Can’t be bothered? Let us know in the comments!

Blizzcon 2014: Geekscape First Look at Starcraft II “Legacy of the Void”

by S.J. Borger

SUper excited about the new expansion to Starcraft II? Can’t wait to see what it will look like? Well, look no further, because we have pics straight from BlizzCon 2014, from maps to new units to character art. Why are we still talking and not showing? We don’t know!!

Character Art

Vorazun
Vorazun
Rohana
Rohana
Raynor
Raynor
Kerrigan
Kerrigan
Karax
Karax
Artanis
Artanis
Zeratul
Zeratul

Concept Art

 

SCII Legacy of the Void: Concept Art
SCII Legacy of the Void: Concept Art
SCII Legacy of the Void Art. Courtesy of Blizzard.
SCII Legacy of the Void Art. Courtesy of Blizzard.
SCII Legacy of the Void: Dark Templar Shakuras
SCII Legacy of the Void: Dark Templar Shakuras

Screenshots

 

StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Shakuras Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Shakuras
Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Shakuras Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Shakuras
Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Shakuras Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Shakuras
Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Shakuras. Courtesy of Blizzard.
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Shakuras.
Courtesy of Blizzard.
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Shakuras Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Shakuras
Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal Missile Turret Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal Missile Turret
Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal Bridge. Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal Bridge. Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal
Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal
Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal
Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Shaskuras War Council and Rohana
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Shaskuras War Council and Rohana

What do you guys think? Super excited now? Have you checked out the trailer? Signed up for the Beta? Not impressed at all? Let us know in the comments!

BlizzCon 2014: All Your Starcraft II “Legacy of the Void” Questions Answered

by S.J. Borger

Blizzard announced “Legacy of the Void,” the highly anticipated final chapter in the Starcraft II trilogy at BlizzCon 2014, promising an ‘epic conclusion’ to Raynor, Kerrigan, Zeratul and more, as players guide the Protoss and aim to unite the three races to battle the ultimate evil that threatens all life in the universe.

We had a chance to interview Allen Dilling and Justin Thavirat, Lead Artists for “Legacy,” about Starcraft II, Kerrigan, and all things Zerg.

“We really feel like everyone’s stories will finish up in way that the players will enjoy and appreciate,” said Thavirat. “And we’re really excited about the fact that it’s stand-alone, so players can just jump in and start with ‘Legacy.’”

SCII Legacy of the Void Art. Courtesy of Blizzard.
SCII Legacy of the Void Art. Courtesy of Blizzard.

That’s right, “Legacy of the Void” will be a stand alone game—players can purchase it and play without owning, or even had played, “Wings of Liberty” or “Heart of the Swarm.”  “Legacy” will have both new strategies and units for single player play, but also two new game modes, Archon Mode, a new co-op gameplay; and Allied Commanders, an objective based co-op that allows players to take on the persona of famous commanders and play through a series of special scenarios.

“’Legacy of the Void’ will deliver the quintessential StarCraft II experience,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “The new single-player campaign will wrap up the massive story, and we’re excited to share new game modes that will open up different ways to play the game and additional units that will expand the rich strategic depth of StarCraft II multiplayer.”

StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal Bridge. Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal Bridge. Courtesy of Blizzard

“Legacy” has numerous changes that will require players to play much more offensively, including increasing the effectiveness of Marines and Medic, and lowering the amount of resources available on each mineral deposits or vespene gas geysers.

“The new maps and upgraded units really allow for more diverse strategies, and it also allows players to get a more in-depth look at the worlds people are coming from.” Said Dilling. “For example, you’ll finally get a chance to see a Protoss mother ship, where the whole race lives, which we’ve never done before.”

StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Shakuras. Courtesy of Blizzard.
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Shakuras.
Courtesy of Blizzard.

A number of Terran, Protoss and Zerg units are upgraded, and whole new units are being introduced for each of the races, most specifically to increase a player’s effectiveness in multi-player, including improved HERCs, Siege Tanks, Lurkers, Ravagers and more.

“We really wanted multiplayer, and the new Co-op Archon Mode, to be something that all players could enjoy, from the e-sports pros to someone who just picked up the game.” Thavirat said. “And with the upgraded units and new modes, I think players will really enjoy it.”

“Making sure that the social aspect of the game was there, with the automated Battle.net tournaments and the new modes, was a real priority for us.” Dilling added.

StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal Courtesy of Blizzard
StarCraft II Legacy of the Void: Korhal
Courtesy of Blizzard

“Legacy” will also offer new multiplayer maps and tilesets to allow the player to battle throughout the Koprulu Sector.

A release date has yet to be announced, but players can sign up for the official Beta at www.starcraft2.com. “Legacy” will be available on both PC and Mac simultaneously.

Let us know what you think in the comments. And follow SJ on twitter @sjbwrite to get all the latest Blizz updates.

BlizzCon 2014: ‘Overwatch’ Cinematic Trailer

by S.J. Borger

That’s right, hot of the presses and available for you to see right now, it’s the much teased, much rumored new Blizzard game, straight from BlizzCon 2014–you know what, we’ll stop talking and play the trailer.

http://youtu.be/t1Qw_0kvRLs

BlizzCon 2014: ‘Warcraft’ Cast Revealed

by S.J. Borger

Almost lost in the avalanche of announcements at BlizzCon 2014 today was the Warcraft cast. Never fear, though, we at Geekscape are here, battling exhaustion and bad internets, to bring you all the Blizzard news worth reporting.

And to not keep you in suspense any longer, here’s the casting (as we know it):

The Alliance

Travis Fimmel (Vikings) has been tapped to play Anduin Lothar. Yes, that Travis Fimmel and that Anduin Lothar. Lothar is known to most fans as the well-meaning, upright (maybe even a little uptight…) war hero and last true descendent of the Arathi bloodline.

Travis Fimmel will plau Aunduin Lothar in Blizzard/Legendary Pictures Warcraft movie.
Travis Fimmel will play Anduin Lothar in Blizzard/Legendary Pictures Warcraft movie.

King Llane Wrynn (grandfather to Prince Anduin Wrynn) is the ruler of the Kingdom of Azeroth during the First War (so that pretty much answers the when and the what of the movie, as the rest of cast confirms) and will be played by Dominic Cooper of Captain America: The First Avenger and Need for Speed.

Dominic Cooper will play King Llane Wrynn in Blizzard/Legendary Pictures Warcraft movie.
Dominic Cooper will play King Llane Wrynn in Blizzard/Legendary Pictures Warcraft movie.

Paula Patton (MI:5) joins the Alliance as Garona, a strong willed survivor torn between two loyalties.

Paula Patton will play Garona in the upcoming Warcraft movie.
Paula Patton will play Garona in the upcoming Warcraft movie.

Also joining the cast are Ben Foster (Lone Survivor)  as Medivh, the Guardian of Trisfal, corrupted and forsaken by the demonlord Sargeras, Ben Schnetzer as Khadgar, Medivh’s last apprentice and one of the great heros of the Alliance, and Ruth Negga (Agents of Shield) as Lady Taria, Queen of Stormwind and Llane’s great love & trusted advisor.

(l-r) Ben Foster, Ben Schnetzer and Ruth Negga have joined the Warcraft cast as Medivh, Khadgar and Lady Taria.
(l-r) Ben Foster, Ben Schnetzer and Ruth Negga have joined the Warcraft cast as Medivh, Khadgar and Lady Taria.

 

The Horde

The leading figures of the Orc Horde were announced as well.  Toby Kebbell (Planet of the Apes) as Durotan, Chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan (for the Horde!), with Rob Kazinsky (Pacific Rim) as Orgrim, Durotan’s right-hand man, and Clancy Brown (The Highlander) as Blackhand, the Destroyer. Rounding out the Horde announcements is Daniel Wu as Gul’Dan, the supreme Orc ruler who can’t see the dark path he is leading his people down.

Warcraft Mov cast 2
l-r Toby Kebbell, Rob Kazinsky, Clancy Brown, Daniel Wu will all appear as famous Horde leaders in the Warcraft movie.

 

While exciting news (if somewhat disappointing that only two women were named, and both as lovers/advisors…still, that’s double the number of woman roles that were announced in the first Star Wars casting announcement, so…improvement? Maybe?), there’s still a lot we don’t know about the movie…other than it comes out in 2016, and it clearly deals with the First War and the creation of the Dark Portal.

Stay tuned for more Blizzard news from BlizzCon, and let us know in the comments what you think!

 

Blizzcon 2014: World Premiere of “Overwatch”

by S.J. Borger

Blizzard, as is their want, opened up BlizzCon 2014 with a rousing, crowd-pleasing announcement: a new, team-based, pick-up-and-play, first person shooter called Overwatch.

Set in a near future earth, Overwatch follows a variety of characters (12 were available to play at Blizzcon, with vague promises of more to come), each with their own special ability, as they battle in groups of six on battlegrounds with multiple levels, allowing players to go from alley to roof to interior quickly and easily, across maps which showcase familiar but highly-stylized future locations (like a London with a hoverbus. Forget hoverboards, when are we going to get a double-decker hoverbus?).

OW110_Final

Overwatch follows disparate heroes who have found themselves without a home when the super-special-secret force known as Overwatch gets disbanded (this seems to becoming a popular backstory…see .Agents of Shield, or Watchman, or The Incredibles…well, the list goes on). Each character has strengths and weakness, which when combined into a team can ‘accomplish the incredible.’

“Overwatch is our take on a vibrant, near-future universe with amped-up characters and action-packed team-based gameplay,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “With every new Blizzard game, we look at our favorite aspects of a genre and put our own spin on things. Our goal with Overwatch is to create an awesome FPS experience that’s more accessible to a much wider audience while delivering the action and depth that shooter fans love.”

Map_KingsRow

Each character has a distinct backstory, which explains both their abilities and motivation, and defines how they interact with each other and other characters in the game.

“Overwatch has a lot of story in it…about a metric ton.” Overwatch developers said at the panel after the announcement “but ultimately the narrative aspect of Overwatch is not connected to the game play. We’re trying to experiment with Overwatch, to try to make the story happen outside of the gameplay.”

While it wasn’t exactly clear how party balance will be maintained (players will be able to choose any character to play, even if that character is already being played on the same team…which leads to the ‘what if there’s six of one character?’ question), but developers were confident that issue would be resolved to allow players great freedom of choice and party balance.

An achievement system and the price point of the game are also unknowns at this time, but that doesn’t seem to be dampening interest, as the line for the demo–which is already hours long–proves.

Stay tuned for a deep dive into the 12 characters we know about, as well as review of the gameplay here at BlizzCon.

Interested? You can sign up for Beta access and follow all Overwatch news and info at www.playoverwatch.com.

Warlords of Draenor Gets Release Date and New Trailer

by S.J. Borger

After building anticipation since last year’s BlizzCon,  Blizzard announced the release date for the newest World of Warcraft expansion, Warlords of Draenor, at a special event last Thursday.

warlords-of-draenor-1920x1200

The expansion, which takes place 35 years prior to the current game, will drop of November 13th–just a week after this year’s BlizzCon–and is currently available for pre-order here. Player’s can purchase the digital edition for $49.99 or the deluxe edition for $69.99.

While both editions include the level 90 character boost, the deluxe edition not only includes two pets (dread raven and dread hatching), but also continues Blizzard’s trend of combining multiple products in one shiny package with a Diablo III pennant and Starcraft II portraits.

2627240-collectors

Blizzard also announced the Collectors Edition (there’s been no official price point announced, but Amazon and Gamstop show it at $90). The collectors edition includes everything in the digitial deluxe edition, as well as:

Physical DVD of the expansion
Behind-the-scene DVD and Blu-ray set
Soundtrack on CD
The Art of the Warlords of Draenor, a 160-pages of concept art, finished images, and CG images
A Blackhand mouse pad

Blizzard also released the almost-five-minute long cinematic, which you can watch below.

What do you think, readers? Can’t wait? Done with Blizzard? Waiting to see? Let us know in the comments!

‘Diablo III’ Keeps Legendary Status After Birthday Celebration

by MoreLikeAndy

Usually, birthday parties involve giving a gift to the one having said birthday. The hassle of finding the right gift early enough is stressful enough without having someone else get the exact same thing. Well, Blizzard finally wrapped up the festivities for Diablo III’s 2 year celebration but not without giving out a parting gift. The Legendary item drop bonuses will remain in effect for the foreseeable future.

Like we mentioned previously, the Legendary items get a 100% boost to their drop rate. We can only assume that this bonus item drop rate will come to an end around the time Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition releases on consoles August 19, 2014. If Blizzard really wants to be even more generous, extending the bonus for stretch after console release would be more than welcomed by all.

Site: Battle.net

Celebrate The Birthday Of ‘Diablo III’ With Special Bonuses

by MoreLikeAndy

Thinking of taking a break this weekend from farming gear in Diablo III? If so, Blizzard would like to remind you that today is the birthday of your favorite action role-playing game. Even though you forgot all about El Diablo’s birthday and you didn’t even get him a funny card, he still loves you. To show it, starting today and finishing on May 22, special in-game bonuses will be active for all players in Diablo III.

First off, rift fragments will be doubled. This will be handy since rift runs are how most people farm for the legendary item drops post game. On top of the double fragments, a boost of 100% to your chance of finding those treasured legendary drops you spend countless hours a day grinding to obtain. I guess the break you might have wanted to take will be postponed for a little, huh?

Site: Battle.net

Geekscape Mobile: ‘Hearthstone: Heroes Of Warcraft’ Is Now Available For iPad Worldwide!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: I’ve been (casually) playing Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft since the free-to-play title soft-launched on the Canadian App Store a couple of weeks back, but I’m happy to say that the game is now, finally available for iPad worldwide.

The game is very well designed, and definitely at home on the iPad’s screen. It even features cross-platform multiplayer, so you’re really not missing anything by playing it on your tablet (I’d argue that it feels even better, actually). I’ve been having a blast with it, and it’s definitely a title that I’d recommend checking out (especially since, again, you can play for free).

You can download Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft for your iPad right here.

http://youtu.be/FgwS3S0Knzk

Hearthstone Leaves Beta, Brings Some Goodies Along To Celebrate

by MoreLikeAndy

It was just a couple of days ago on the official forums for Hearthstone that a community manager brought word that the beta would soon be ending for their new free-to-play collectible card game. Who knew it would be this soon? Hearthstone is officially shakes off that beta tag and with its debut, brings along a new patch with plenty of new goodies for all.

In this new patch (1.0.0.4944), the usual bug fixes are applied that alleviated cards floating off the screen or the occasional dancing cards whenever you attacked. Also in this patch, players can now connect to other regions to challenge people worldwide. Just remember that account progress as well as card collections are saved separately per region. World of Warcraft players can now receive a new mount called the Hearthsteed just for winning three matches in either Play or Arena mode. Look at the video below to see how majestic this mount is. You know you want it.

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Certain cards have more effects and pizazz when played which makes those cards much more special. Nothing like having a Ragnaros spew forth from the flames of hell onto the field. Not to be outdone, the heroes that you play as get the golden treatment. Once you hit 500 wins with a hero, the portrait with turn gold and animate just like golden version of cards do already. The catch is that those 500 wins has to come by way of Ranked matches. No stomping on the A.I. to get these I’m afraid. You’ll have to earn it the hard way, as you should.

To read more in depth about everything that has changed or been added to Hearthstone, head on over to the blog post on the official site.

Warlords of Draenor Pre-Order Now Available

by S.J. Borger

Blizzard announced yesterday that Warlords of Draenor,  its newest expansion to the behemoth MMO, World of Warcraft, can now be pre-ordered at the Blizzard website (digital versions only).

Players who pre-purchase the digital version will be able to immediately boost one character on their account to level 90–and if you want to boost more than one toon, you have the option to purchase additional level 90 upgrades (at $60/toon). Players that upgrade their pre-order to the deluxe version will unlock other in-game goodies, including a dread raven mount and dread hatchling pet.

warlords-of-draenor-1920x1200
Warlords of Draenor art.
Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.

The retail-exclusive Collectors Edition is expected to be available for pre-order soon. The Collector’s Edition will feature all of the items included in the digital deluxe, as well as a hardcover art book, a behind the scenes two-disc blu-ray/DVD set, a CD soundtrack and a mouse pad.

Warlords of Draenor is expected to launch this Fall. The expansion sends players back in time (and back to Draenor) to battle Hellscream and his Iron Horde. WoD will feature new character models for all of the races, a Garrison building feature, and a raised level cap of 100.

The standard digital edition is $49.99; the digital deluxe is $69.99 and the Collectors Edition comes in at a not-as-bad-as-expected $89.99.

Take a look at the new WoD  cinematic featuring the level 90 boost below and let us know what you think in the comments! Are you excited? What do you think?

Got free time? Not Anymore! Hearthstone Open Beta Announced

by S.J. Borger

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft–the newest addition to the Blizzard Warcraft gaming family–is a fast-paced online strategy card game that has been getting a lot of buzz over the past few months for its engaging  (some might say addictive) yet easy-to-learn gameplay.

While the closed Beta has been ongoing for some time, Blizzard just announced this week that Hearthstone is now in open Beta.

Released in the US two days ago, the open Beta was just opened in Europe today.

Hearthstone Announcement Art
Art from Blizzard Entertainment’s card strategy game, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft.
Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

The open Beta will allow anyone with a Battle.net account (and you can register for one here) to download the beta to their PC or Mac computers. Blizzard did announce at Blizzcon that Hearthstone will eventually be available on Android and i-devices, but that functioanlity is not expected until the second half of 2014.

The game is set in the Warcraft world, much to the delight of fans, but even people unfamilair with Warcraft–and/or strategy card games–should still find the game engrossing and entertaining.

Art from Blizzard Entertainment's card strategy gamem, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
Art from Blizzard Entertainment’s card strategy gamem, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft.
Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

Although the beta–and the game itself–will be free-to-play, it will include an in-game store that will allow players to purchase cards and decks as micro-transactions. Prices set during the Beta may change once the game goes live–however, any items purchased during the Beta will transfer with your account once the game has its official launch.

“Players choose one of nine epic Warcraft heroes to play as, and then take turns playing cards from their customizable decks to cast potent spells, use heroic weapons or abilities, or summon powerful characters to crush their opponent.” –Blizzard Entertainment

The beta is also fully integrated into the Battle.net account, so a player’s  real ID and Battle tag friends will be avaialble for to play or just chat to.

You can download Hearthstone here–but be warned, side effects are missing time and a disinclination to log off and be productive.

Have you played Hearthstone? What do you think? Loved it? Hated it? Tell us why in the comments!

Warlords of Draenor: Closed Beta, New Details Announced

by S.J. Borger

It’s a big year for Blizzard Entertainment–November will mark the 10th Anniversary of World of Warcraft and the 20th Anniversary of the Warcraft series. In anticipation of the upcoming  World of Warcraft expansion, “Warlords of Draenor,” Blizzard Entertainment announced this week that the expansion will soon move into closed beta testing, along with a few other choice tidbits of information.

Warlords of Draenor is the newest expansion to the World of Warcraft mmo. Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.
Warlords of Draenor is the newest expansion to the World of Warcraft mmo.
Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.

Closed Beta: While no official start date for the closed beta has been announced, Blizzard says it is “in preperations” and encourages players to opt in on their Battle.net account beta profile. Make sure your hardware specs are up-to-date!

Pre-purchase: The WoD expansion will be available for pre-purchase soon, with standard digital and Digital Deluxe options (a physical Collector’s Edition is also in the works). Pre-purchase of the digital editions gets players the exclusive pet and mount to use in-game right away.

Level Boost to 90: Now available at the time of purchase of a pre-order. That’s right, before the actual expansion release. Players who pre-order the digital version of WoD will be able to immediately boost one character on their account to level 90. In regards to the change, Blizzard said: “based on feedback, many of you [players] would like a chance to get acquainted with a new class before heading out into the expansion.”

Blizzard is also in the process of evaluating ways to allow players to boost multiple characters to 90, including alts played on other realms/factions; plans to test a feature that allows players to purchase a character upgrade directly are in the works.

WoD was announced at last year’s Blizzcon, to a wild reaction from the crowd. The expansion will take players back to the Outlands of Draenor–way back, to the time of the Iron Horde.

You can see the entire announcement here. Watch the trailer below, and let us know in the comments what you think about WoD, Blizzards announcements and that level 90 character boost!

BlizzCon 2013: An Update On The ‘Warcraft’ Movie

by S.J. Borger

While the Warcraft movie panel here at Blizzcon was short on details, director Duncan Jones was able to slip a few key facts: it’s an origin story, and two of the characters are named Lothar and Durotan.

Those of you familiar with Warcraft lore know this take us back at least a generation. Those of who saying ‘who?’; Durotan was an Orc Chieftain during the opening of the Dark Portal, and the First and Second Wars. He is also the father of Thrall.

Lothar was the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces during the Second War.

Both died horrible, martyr’d deaths and influenced the leaders of the current Azeroth and were responsible for much of the way of the World of Warcraft map looked prior to the Cataclysm.

If the movie goes back to the very beginning of the Orc/Human conflict, it will chronicle the same sequence of events players in World of Warcraft will have traveled back and changed. So that’s not confusing at all.

Jones also showed some concept art that was truly phenomenal and confirmed the Christmas, 2015 release date.

Filming begins next year in conjunction with Legendary Pictures.

While we don’t have any art to show you for the movie, here’s the Warlords of Draenor expansion cinematic to whet your appetite.

 

‘Hearthstone’ Announces Open Beta

by S.J. Borger

Hearthstone, Blizzard Entertainment’s foray into online trading card game play, announced this weekend that they hope to have open beta for PCs and Macs by next month.

Hearthstone Gameplay
Hearthstone Gameplay

Hearthstone takes place in the Warcraft universe and will be free to play on PC, Mac, iPads, iPhone and Android platforms (mobile devices will have a later release date). For more information and to sign up for more information on the open beta, visit the Hearthstone website.

 

Heroes of the Storm Announces Beta

by S.J. Borger

Blizzard’s announced that their yet-to-be-released MOBA, Heroes of the Storm, will be in closed Beta testing in early 2014, and that sign ups for the Beta are now open on their website.

In case you’re not sure if Heroes of the Storm is something you’d like to play, below is the trailer.

Trust us, you want to play it.

BlizzCon 2013: Hearthstone Fireside Chat

by S.J. Borger

Blizzard Entertainment’s newest offering, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is a strategy card game played on a PC or Mac (and eventually an iPad, iPhone and Android) based in the Warcraft universe. The game features fast (10 to 15 minutes) matches of skill and luck and its beta has been the hot ticket to have for the past few months.

Hearthstone Announcement Art

Players can play as a Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, and Warrior (each class is its own deck), and Hearthstone allows players to play against the computer (helpful when learning the rules of the game) and against other players in a three different modes:

Play Mode: duel other players to level up heroes and complete quests. Matches are made through Battle.net and Blizzard swears they will make sure opponents are matched in skill and decks.

The Arena: A skills test mode centered more along deck-building knowledge. Players assemble a new deck from random cards and meet other participants for loot and rewards.

Practice Mode: Learn to play and test out new deck against an AI opponent.

Mage vs Warrior
A mage versus a warrior deck in Blizzard Entertainment’s Hearthstone.

Heathstone has questing for gold rewards, which allows players to buy more card packs or enter the Arena; cards can be disenchanted for materials to build other cards needed to complete a deck. Also, players will be able to contact people on their friend’s list to compare decks or play a friendly duel.

Hearthstone is designed for all levels of experience and developers promise that the game will teach players everything they need to know as they play.

Hearthstone is free-to-play, though upgrades to card decks cost in-game gold which can be purchased via Battle.net. Blizzard is hoping to release it this year (Christmas, anyone?) for PC and Macs, with a iPad, iPhone and Android app available in the future (with cross-platform compatibility).

Newest ‘World Of Warcraft’ Expansion Announced! Check Out The ‘Warlords Of Draenor’ Trailer!

by Shane O'Hare

Straight out of BlizzCon we got our first big announcement of the convention. World of Warcraft is getting ANOTHER expansion pack. This time we go back to Draenor the home of the Orcs, with a bunch of nice new features to boot! Take a look at the trailer below!

This new edition if rife with new features. The most noticeable one is that all the original races will be getting updated and upgraded character models. New animations and high def textures are just the beginning. The level cap has been pushed up to 100, with the ability to start new characters at 90 so you can fast track to the top.

The biggest gameplay mechanic that has been added is the Garrisons. Players will be able to build and upgrade a home base of sorts. Setting up trade routes, building up the economy and defenses are some of the things you get to do with your own private fort. Think Warcraft III kind of stuff.

No release date yet, but if you’re an intrepid WoW fan you will be on top of this release!

Countdown to BlizzCon

by S.J. Borger

BlizzCon, the annual celebration of all things Blizzard Entertainment (namely the behemoth Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo franchises, if you just stumbled onto this article out of the blue, ‘cuz hey, the internet can be crazy like that) starts up tomorrow, November 8th, at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Speculation has swirled around this BlizzCon, what with Blizzard announcing that the Warcraft movie (produced along with Legendary pictures); repackaging their upcoming MOBA, Blizzard All-Stars, as Heroes of the Storm (and releasing some pretty nifty artwork); the Hearthstone game moving into the final stages of its beta, Diablo III heading towards consoles (along with the much anticipated new expansion, “Reaper of Souls,” coming out in 2014); the fact that they just trademarked the name “Warlords of Draenor” (maybe the new MMO they’ve been teasing us with for years?); and the publication just yesterday of a third quarter loss (though not as severe as expected), including the news that the MMO giant, World of Warcraft, lost 100,000 users,  resulting in Activision lowering its fourth quarter outlook.

Heroes of the Storm artwork.
Heroes of the Storm artwork.

So what does all this mean for the fans who are trekking out to sunny Anaheim for the next two days? Well, hopefully at lot of answers, some awesome unveiling of new content and properties, and maybe a Warcraft trailer?

BlizzCon starts of at 11 a.m. on Friday with the Opening Ceremony on all four stages after which the four areas split into two stages of panels, WCS Global Finals and the WoW Arena Global Invitational. If past BlizzCons are any indication, the main floor will be packed with gaming stations, vendors and, of course, cosplay; there is also an artists’ stage, a voice actor stage and a faction feud area.

Saturday continues with WCS and WoW Arena semis and finals, more panels, and of course the closing ceremony concert (with Blink 182!).

 

Just Blizzard peeps.
Just Blizzard peeps.

Friday Highlights:

11 a.m.: Opening Ceremony

12:30 p.m.: World of Warcraft: What’s Next

1:15 p.m.: Starcraft II Update

2:15 p.m.: Hearthstone: Fireside Chat

3:30 p.m.: Diablo III: Reaper of Souls

4:45 p.m.: Heroes of the Storm Overview

6:00 p.m.: Contests on all stage of various kinds

 

Diablo III, Reaper of Souls
Diablo III, Reaper of Souls

Saturday Highlights:

11:15 a.m.: Diablo III: Gameplay Systems + Crusader

12:30 p.m.: Heroes of the Storm Deep Dive

1:00 p.m.: Warcraft Movie Presentation

2:30 p.m.: World of Warcraft Q+A About Almost Everything

3:15 p.m.: Diablo III Open Q+A

4:30 p.m.: Epic Cosplay and You

6:30 p.m.: Closing Ceremony

 

Blizzard will be live streaming the entire event to those who purchased virtual tickets (still available here); the opening ceremony and tournaments are free to anyone at www.blizzcon.com; there is also an app that you can download to ‘experience the second screen.’

We’ll be live-tweeting all weekend, so follow @geekscapedotnet and @sjbwrite for all the breaking news over the weekend!

Tell us what you’re most excited about in the comments!

‘Warcraft’ Movie Begins Casting Discussions

by S.J. Borger

Legendary Pictures/Atlas Entertainment has begun casting for the much-anticipated movie Warcraft.

Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell

According to Deadline, a source from the production said that Colin Farrell has been offered a lead role–with a 50/50 chance he’ll take the deal.

Reports also state that Paula Patton (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) is negotiating for a lead role as well.

Paul Dano (Prisoners), Travis Fimmel (Vikings), Anson Mount (Hell on Wheels) and Anton Yelchin (Star Trek)  are also on the short list.

The Warcraft movie was first announced at BlizzCon in 2007 but lost momentum. The project was rekindled this year, with Duncan Jones at the helm to direct and production set to start in January 2014.

Very little is known about what kind of story the movie is going to tell. The title of the movie, Warcraft, has led some to speculate that the movie will take place prior to the events in the MMO, World of Warcraft.

The expectation is that more information will be revealed at BlizzCon this November.

What’s New In ‘World Of Warcraft’ Patch 5.4, Siege of Orgrimmar?

by S.J. Borger

We’re just a week away from the launch of the newest patch to World of Warcraft, 5.4, which goes live on September 10th.

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In it, Hellscream finally breaks from the Horde of Thrall; the remaining Horde must join forces with the Alliance and embark on a Civil War which looks to change the face of Pandaria.

In the official trailer, Hellscream poisons the wells and drains the Vale of its water–taunting his enemies to come to his fortress; and threatens anyone who would rise against his ‘new horde.’ Orgrimmar, of course, is the new raid, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the new and updated content in this patch.

A complete, in-depth look at all the changes can be found here, but here are some of the things we’re most excited about:

1. Flexible Raid Difficulty: with this feature, 15 or 22 or 13 man raids are possibly. The difficulty of the encounters and player’s spell range will adjust depending upon the number of people in the raid; the loot will be somewhere between LFR and normal. Players will be able to invite Battle Tag and Real ID friends.

2. Proving Grounds: A one on one instance where a player can test their skills/spells/gear against mobs designed at five different difficulty levels. Finally a way to figure out new rotations without having to apologize the the 24 people in LFR.

3. Noodle Vendor: A player with maxed out cooking will get a quest, which once completed, allows them to set up a noodle cart and sell powerful soups to their faction.

4. New Area: Timeless Isle; New world bosses, new gear, new rewards. Also, this intriguing sentence: “The Isle is filled with secrets and mysteries, many of which dynamically become available to explorers. Keep an eye on your minimap!”

5. Significant Class Changes: Blizzard took a hard look at the classes and made some significant changes, especially to hunters and paladins.

6. Linked realms: Low population realms will now be permentantly linked, allowing players to interact with each other as if they were on the same realm.

We’ll be online bright and early next Tuesday  and get you some on-the-ground coverage of what the changes feel like. Let us know if you’re looking forward to the Siege of Orgrimmar!

Check Out The Newest Trailer For ‘Starcraft II: Heart Of The Swarm’

by Shane O'Hare

Hot off the digital presses, is the newest trailer for the upcoming expansion for the insanely popular RTS, Starcraft II. Titled “Vengeance”, we get a peak at some new narrative for the game.

 

 

 

When the HELL is Blizzard going to just make a straight up film? I MEAN COME ON!

 

Set to be released on March 12th, players can pre-purchase the game directly from Blizzard HERE. You know I am, and I can expect to see ALL OF YOU online!

Watch The Opening Cinematic For ‘StarCraft II: Heart Of The Swarm’!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Are you looking forward to playing through the Zerg campaign of StarCraft II? Not yet? Well, if you want to keep it that way, you better not watch this video, as its absolutely phenomenal.

 

Blizzard today revealed the opening cinematic for the upcoming StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. The company of course takes their cinematics very seriously, and this latest video is no exception.

 

Check out the video below, and get excited. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm launches on March 12th, 2013.

 

 

The Queen of Blades is gone. On the hellish planet Char, Jim Raynor harnessed the power of an ancient Xel’Naga artifact in a desperate bid to stop the zerg Swarm from overrunning the Koprulu sector, and the artifact restored Sarah Kerrigan to her human form. Without their queen to guide and unify them, the Swarm has fractured into several broods scattered throughout the Koprulu sector. One of the greatest threats to the galaxy has been neutralized… or so it seems.

Sarah Kerrigan is on the loose. Even without the terrible powers of the Queen of Blades or the might of the Swarm at her command, the former Ghost remains a foe not to be taken lightly. But if the artifact really did set her free, then why is Kerrigan seeking out zerg broods scattered throughout the Koprulu sector? What happened to Jim Raynor? Is she still pursuing her quest for vengeance, or has her transformation given Kerrigan a new purpose? Who is Sarah Kerrigan?