World of Warcraft Classic was (re)released

World Of Warcraft has changed a lot in the last 15 years, and so have many of the game's most popular characters. With every new expansion, developer Blizzard Entertainment has taken the game's story in brand new directions, often introducing plot twists that have caused players to view some of their favorite characters in a whole new light.

World of Warcraft Classic was (re)released just a short time ago, but there's already more stuff to do. Blizzard has added the three-part Dire Maul dungeon, jammed with elves, ogres and other bad things, marking the first major content release for the vintage 2005 game.

Dire Maul dungeon was originally released for WoW as a challenging quest for players ranked from levels 55 to the original 60 cap, and that restriction still applies. Blizzard points out that to succeed, you'll need help. "Dire Maul is a particularly dangerous dungeon for the unprepared and you'll need dependable teamwork to make your way through all three of its wings," it explained on its blog.

To get in, players will need lock picks, explosives or keys. Once inside, you can seek out trinkets that can boost your stats, along with the magical Orb of Deception that will transform you into an Opposite Faction member.

The update also adds quests for Paladin and Warlock epic mounts, provided you're at level 60 and up. Dire Maul has actually arrived a bit early, as it was supposed to go live as part of the Phase Two updates. Blizzard hasn't said when the rest of Phase Two will come along, but it took two years to release the first expansion, The Burning Crusade, in the original game.

 Source: finance.yahoo.com

Race and Classes

Players create characters which serve as their avatars in the online world of Azeroth. When creating a character in World of Warcraft, the player can choose from ten different races and nine different character classes. The races are split into two diametrically opposed factions, the Alliance and the Horde.

The WoW Alliance currently consists of Humans, Night Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes and Draenei (Draenei characters require The Burning Crusade expansion in order to be created.

The Horde currently consists of Orcs, Tauren, Undead (also known as Forsaken), Trolls and Blood Elves (Blood Elf characters require The Burning Crusade expansion in order to be created.)
In addition to the ten playable races there are many NPC races including (but not limited to) Goblins, Ogres, Murlocs, and Naga.

The nine available classes in World of Warcraft are Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, and Warrior. The Paladin class was previously only available to the Alliance, and the Shaman only available to the Horde. However with the release of Burning Crusade the Draenei (Alliance) are able to be Shamans and the Blood Elves (Horde) are able to be Paladins, thus removing the previous faction exclusivity. In the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, a tenth class known as the Death Knight will be added, which will also be the game's first Hero class. Classes are primarily limited by race: for example Night Elves can only be Druids, Hunters, Priests, Rogues or WoW Warriors.

The Professions

During the course of playing the game, players may choose to develop side skills for their character(s). These non-combat skills are called professions. Professions are divided into two separate categories, primary and secondary.

Primary professions are those skills related to the creation and enhancement of weapons and armor, and can be subdivided into gathering and crafting professions. The gathering professions in WoW are Herbalism, Mining, and Skinning. Crafting professions include Blacksmithing, Leatherworking, Tailoring, Alchemy, Engineering, Enchanting, Jewelcrafting (added in the Burning Crusade expansion).

Inscription (to be added in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion). Crafting professions also have specialization categories that when trained, allow for more diverse items to be created, depending on the character's direction in the game. There is also the Enchanting profession, which allows a character to enchant weapons and armor, and also disenchant magical items in his or her possession. A character is limited to two primary professions.

Secondary professions are skills that serve to enhance the player's experience. The Secondary professions are First Aid, Cooking and Fishing. Characters can learn all three Secondary professions. The Rogue class has two unique secondary professions: Poisons and Lock picking.