Blizzard has announced the end date for World of Warcraft PvP Season 9… sort of.  Season 9 is scheduled to end as early as June 21, however might run longer if needed.  Once the season ends, Blizzard will determine who is eligible for the end-of-season rewards which will take about a week to figure out.

At the end of the season, Conquest Points will be converted to Honor Points, possibly exceeding the 4,000 point Honor cap.  All Season 9 items will cost Honor Points (equivalent to their previous Conquest Point cost) when the season ends, with the exception of any items with rating requirements attached. These items will no longer be available for purchase.

Season 10 of Arena and Battlegrounds will begin about one week after season 9 ends for level 85 players. Season 10 rewards will be made available for purchase with Conquest Points awarded during the new season. All Team and Personal Ratings will be wiped when Season 10 begins. Matchmaking Ratings, however, will carry over into Season 10.

For those players who might receive end of the season rewards, Blizzard has stated that players should refrain from server transfers until the rewards have been given out.  For more info, check out the official Blizzard site.

Blizzard has just released the official trailer for Rise of the Zandalari which will be part of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Patch 4.1.

There is also an interview with World of Warcraft Lead Encounter Designer Scott Mercer by Blizzard Insider posted at Blizzard that answers more questions about the upcoming patch.

The days when great troll empires stretched across ancient Kalimdor are long past. Millennia of war and internal strife have stripped these nations of their power, lands, and glory. As Azeroth recovers from the destruction of the Cataclysm, the world’s divided troll populations face a bleak future. These dark times have spurred the trolls of the Zandalar, the historically wise and scholarly tribe from which all trolls originated, to take drastic action. They have embarked on a bold crusade to save their race by uniting trolls into a single mighty empire. With the Zandalari’s aid, the fallen capitals of the Gurubashi and Amani nations — Zul’Gurub and Zul’Aman — are already rebuilding, replenishing their forces for a bloody campaign to expand their territories.

Yet Vol’jin and his Darkspear trolls are not aligned with the Zandalari. They have sworn to stand with their Horde comrades — and even work with the Alliance — should the trolls ignite a new war on Azeroth. Soon, Vol’jin might be forced to act on his promise, for if the Gurubashi and Amani are left to their own devices, the world will know the legendary strength and savagery of the ancient troll empires once again.

Blizzard Entertainment today announced the tickets for Blizzcon 2011 will go on sale in two batches, on Saturday, May 21st at 10 a.m. Pacific time and Wednesday May 25th at 7 p.m. Pacific time.  In addition, tickets for an exclusive pre-Blizzcon dinner to benefit Children’s Hospital of Orange Count will go on sale on Saturday May 28th.

Blizzcon 2011 once again returns to the Anaheim Convention Center on October 21 and 22. Gamers who are unable to make the trek can enjoy BlizzCon from the comfort of their own home by ordering a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, which offers comprehensive live coverage of the event streaming online and also on DIRECTV in the United States. Virtual tickets are priced at $39.99 USD (pricing may vary by region)

“We love being able to meet directly with our players, and since BlizzCon is one of the rare opportunities we get to do that, we always pack as much information and entertainment as we can into the show,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “This year will be no different — whether you’re with us in Anaheim or joining from home, be prepared for two days of Blizzard gaming and good times with the most passionate community in the world.”.

Tickets to the convention will be priced at $175 USD each and will be available for purchase from the official BlizzCon website (www.blizzcon.com).

Tickets to the BlizzCon Benefit Dinner, which include admission to BlizzCon, will be priced at $500 USD each, with proceeds going to Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Taking place the evening of Thursday, October 20, this exclusive event offers guests an opportunity to rub elbows and trade war stories with Blizzard game developers and other employees before the show. Approximately 200 tickets to the benefit dinner will be available for purchase beginning Saturday, May 28 at 10 a.m. Pacific time.

The Virtual Ticket grants access to comprehensive live HD coverage from the show floor on each day of the convention, including exclusive interviews, demos, and more. Virtual Ticket coverage will be available to viewers globally as a multichannel Internet stream and also via Pay-per-View on DIRECTV in the United States. DIRECTV customers who order the televised event will receive the multichannel Internet stream at no extra charge, allowing them to watch in the format of their choice. Those who order the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket will also receive this year’s BlizzCon-exclusive World of Warcraft and StarCraft II in-game items (availability may vary by region), to be revealed at a later date. Limited streaming coverage of the BlizzCon opening ceremony and certain BlizzCon tournaments will be available via the Internet for free.

The next big update to World of Warcraft, patch 4.1, has opened up to the public on test realms. Along with moving to public testing, there have also been some changes to 4.1 since the last update.

Mages received an increase to Frostbolt damage, now at 10% as well as Fingers of Frost bonus damage which has been increased to 25% from 15%.  Paladin’s Illuminated Healing has been increased to provide 1.5% effect per mastery, up from 1.25%.  For Shamans, the enchantment Fire Nova has been redesigned and replaced by a talent called Seasoned Winds. When an enemy spell cast is successfully prevented with Wind Shear, the shaman gains magical resistance, lasting 10 seconds.

Aside from class changes, the following dungeons and raids have been updated, Dire Maul North, The Mechanar, Stratholme, Uldaman, Zul’Farrak.  The PvP arena The Ring of Valor has returned to map rotation as well as some changes to the user interface, creatures and achievements.

To view all the changes to WoW Patch 4.1 click continue

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World of Warcraft is a great game. It offers an arena in which one can jump right in and enjoy an MMORPG experience as just that –  a multi-faceted game that really does offer something for all sorts of gamers. However, every dream house needs a robust foundation, and WoW provides that in a lore crafted through four games, multiple expansions, over a dozen novels and a series of comic books. Familiarizing oneself with that lore makes for a much richer gaming experience, not to mention it tells a pretty cool story.

A very rich cast of characters populates the WoW storyline. Villains like Arthas, the Lich King, Archimonde, the Eredar demon lord, and Kel’Thuzad, the founder of the Cult of the Damned are larger than life, each with a backstory as deep as any major antagonist in modern science-fiction/fantasy fiction. Lining up against these fiends are heroes like Jaina Proudmoore and Uther Lightbringer on the Alliance side, with Sylvanas or Varok Saurfang on the Horde side. These are legends of the World of Warcraft story; these are names that every player should at least be somewhat familiar with.

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Even though many of the hardcore will scoff at Hunters, throwing around disparaging terms like ‘huntard’, nearly everyone has played one. While Blizzard keeps this kind of information close to the vest, the census information on the website wowwiki.com tells us that the most-played World of Warcraft class is the Hunter. Hunters have a lot going for them, and with the radical new changes in Hunter mechanics since version 4.0 released, there’s more than one reason to whistle up a pet and make with the pew-pew.

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The introduction to every Fallout game wouldn’t be complete without the phrase, “War. War never changes.” Fallout is a great franchise, but those guys never locked and loaded in a World of Warcraft battleground. Last week we gave a quick overview of battleground dos and don’ts, along with a good look at the Warsong Gulch battleground. This week we’re going to take a hard look at the other battleground available to new gladiators in WoW Battlegrounds: Arathi Basin.

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As exciting as the player-versus-environment play offered in World of Warcraft is, there really is nothing quite like staring your enemies down across a battleground. With your allies at your side, you draw your sword, join your fellows in a rousing battle cry, and charge forth in the name of honor and victory. If the truly electric atmosphere of a player-versus-player competition wasn’t enough for you, there’s experience and honor points to be had. Battlegrounds have a lot to offer, and you don’t have to be a PvP virtuoso to enjoy them.

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Cash money. Much like in real life, your character in World of Warcraft is going to need it. While it isn’t as important for a starting character in WoW as it is for a higher-level toon, you’ll find that starting to amass a sizable stash of gold right out of the gate will make things a lot less stressful as you move on. Having enough cash to pay for training, flight masters, repairs, the occasional piece of gear, and ultimately your first mount (and the training required to begin riding around Azeroth) is important. It’s also not that difficult if you follow a few simple rules.

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It really wasn’t until the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark that most of us thought archaeology could be cool. Indiana Jones, with his whip, fedora, and confident smirk, had all of us reconsidering our future vocational choices. And while there are no Nazis, no rolling boulders and no daring escapes in archaeology as it exists in World of Warcraft, it’s still strangely mesmerizing and potentially very rewarding. It’s not without drawbacks, sure, but Cataclysm has made getting your hands dirty in search of Azerothian ancient history a lot of fun.

Joining First Aid, Cooking and Fishing, Archaeology is a secondary skill. It won’t interfere with the two professions a character currently practices. This means there is really no reason not to train the skill. You’ll find an archaeology trainer in every major Horde and Alliance city, and for a handful of copper that trainer will teach you to survey an area in search of artifacts ranging from vendor trash of very minor interest to relics of wondrous power.

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