Burning Crusade news: Blood Elves, Draenei and more!

Logan Booker gives you a run down on Blizzard's latest info on The Burning Crusade.

The expansion to the biggest game in PC history is almost on us, the excitement and anticipation almost tangible as the launch creeps closer and closer. You know, like a Crystal Fang spider in Blackrock Spire would an undefended Mage who’s drawn just a little too much aggro.

Stupid hate-pulling Mages aside, Burning Crusade promises to not only expand the world we’ve come to know, but add to it in ways that will both drastically and subtlety change gameplay fundamentals. Flying mounts, jewelcrafting and two new races – the Blood Elves and the Draenei – are just a part of the sweeping improvements and additions to World of Warcraft.

Lucky for us, we had a chance to not only visit Blizzard in the US, but talk face-to-face with designers too. Here’s just a sample of what we learned.

Those seeking more from their player versus player experience will be happy to learn that there are places in the Outland that will cater for them. An area called Zangarmarsh will provide Capture the Flag, while a new area, the forests of Terokkar, will have five objectives to capture. Bonuses are rewarded for good PvPing – for example, a two-day buff is granted to the winning side once all areas in Terokkar are successfully held. There’s even a town, called Halaa, that once captured, will spawn guards and quest NPCs for the side that is holding it. To capture however, you'll need to send in wyverns or griffs to bomb the crap out of it.

If you’d like to read more exciting info on Burning Crusade, be sure to grab the latest issue of Atomic, #70. It’s onsale, right now!

Here are some great pictures we got from the trip. You know, to tease you.


Water elementals – just one of many new spells Mages will have access to in Burning Crusade.



Who needs a griff or wyvern when you have a netherdrake flying mount?



A Draenei dishes out damage in The Burning Crusade.


Lead Designer Jeff Kaplan joins us for a hands-on play of Burning Crusade. Oh, what fun.



Zerg shoes – just the footwear you need when overrunning a Terran base. Puny humans!