One of the benefits of attending Blizzcon was the opportunity to get some
hands on time with the new World of Warcraft expansion, The Burning Crusade. The
Burning Crusade will feature two new playable races, one of which, the Blood
Elves, was featured at Blizzcon (the second race has not yet been announced).
The Blood Elves were once a “good” race formerly known as the High Elves, who
became corrupted in their quest to feed their hunger for mana and for revenge
against the demons that destroyed their homeland. The Blood Elves are now on the
side of The Horde, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at them or their
starting area. The dominant color of choice for the Blood Elves themselves is of
course red, but it’s a bright and almost cheery red. The Blood Elves look as
you’d expect good elves to look – of slight build and pleasant features. Perhaps
their kindler, gentler look is designed to attract players to the side of The
Horde without making them sacrifice good looks in the process.
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| Can a race this beautiful really be evil? |
The Blood Elves start in Ouel’thelas, a bright wooded area with sunny weather
and very warm, yellow feel to it. Their buildings resemble spires, with winding
ramps and high platforms. Portals provide quick transportation between the
buildings for the elves. Even the local monsters are aesthetically pleasing –
wildcats, small, living trees, and wispy, glowing creatures that float on a
cushion of mana energy. While looking around you really have to remind yourself
that you’re in a Horde starting area.
There are six classes Blood Elf players will have to choose from: hunters,
mages, priests, rogues, warlocks, and warriors. No surprises there, but when you
start play as a Blood Elf you’ll immediately notice their special racial powers.
The first is Mana Tap which drains mana from your target and turns it into an
aura around you. This aura is stackable, so you can have up to three levels of
it from two more Mana Tap uses. The auras are released when using the other
Blood Elf power, Arcane Storm. This power will consume one level of aura and
convert into mana, rage, or energy for your elf to use depending on his/her
class. So basically Blood Elves have the power to drain mana and then store it
for their own use – not too shabby of an ability.
The initial Blood Elf quests are of the familiar kill a set number of
creatures or talk to another NPC type, which is to be expected. I didn’t have
enough time to get my character beyond level 4, which is about the time when
some of the Blood Elf history began to be revealed. Coincidence? You decide…
The Blood Elves look to be an interesting addition to the World of Warcraft.
It will be interesting to see how they develop over the next few months and how
they will balance out against the other races. We’ll be sure to bring you more
details on the Blood Elves and all of the other new features in store for
players in the The Burning Crusade expansion as they become available.
