World of Warcraft E3 2005 Update - Battlegrounds

At E3 2005, we had a chance to catch up with Blizzard Entertainment for a demonstration of some of the updates planned for World of Warcraft. Blizzard will release two all-new battleground areas, Warsong Gulch and Alterac Valley, which we had previously previewed prior to the game's launch. Warsong Gulch will be a fairly small zone intended for fast-paced, 10-versus-10, Horde-versus-Alliance competition. Specifically, in this case, the action takes place in a capture-the-flag mission. Alterac Valley, as we've mentioned, will instead be a huge area that is currently intended for high-level players of level 51-60. The zone will be the site of multiple quests, as well as a complex, objective-based, player-versus-player battle. In the smaller Warsong Gulch area, either side begins in the north or south side of the area. The battleground will accomodate players of different level brackets (levels 21-30, levels 31-40, levels 41-50, and levels 51-60).

Both battlegrounds will provide players the opportunity to earn "honor" points by successfully defeating enemies in the battlegrounds and, more importantly, by accomplishing quest goals within the area. Blizzard hopes that these substantial honor rewards will encourage high-level players to attempt these challenges, as well as prevent them from patrolling the contested borderlands in search of lower-level enemy characters they can easily kill off in unfair fights. Blizzard intends to keep an eye on player reactions to both the small battleground and the huge one to see which one players tend to gravitate toward, and why. The new areas will be implemented into the current game later this summer.