BlizzCon, Blizzard's inaugural gaming convention, will feature a king-of-the-hill tournament on World of Warcraft's newest battleground: the Arathi Basin.

Players can join as part of a full pre-chosen team, as a small group, or as an individual in a pickup team. After each match, the players on the winning team will keep their seats while the losing team members give up their bank of computers to the next challengers.

In all, there will be three concurrent matches of Arathi Basin going on all day during both days of the convention. The team that retains its status as Kings of the Basin for the most consecutive wins will face the ultimate challenge on each day of the show: a battle against a team of World of Warcraft developers. In addition, there will be other prizes for teams that win multiple consecutive matches.

For full rules and information, click here.

Can you perfectly mimic a whelp's squeal? Are you a dead ringer for the male Gnome's voice? Then you just might be a winner in the BlizzCon Character and Monster Sound-Alike Contest! This latest BlizzCon contest is sponsored by Games for Windows and Alienware, and the prizes are out of this world! Five lucky winners will receive Alienware Gaming Notebooks -- perfect for playing World of Warcraft on the go! So, if you sound like you belong in Azeroth, let us hear it! Contestants can signup at the show; check the BlizzCon information booth for more details at the event.

The latest edition of the Warcraft Weekly has been posted! Check it out to find all the latest community discussions that have been going on in our forums.

Warcraft Weekly - 10/12/2005

We have just updated our World of Warcraft Wallpapers section with a new wallpaper featuring the Fury of Blackrock Spire .

New World of Warcraft Fan Art

The Blizzard Fan Art Section has been updated with four new pieces of artwork.

While the BlizzCon goody bag will have a little something for everyone to take home, attendees might still want some loot to share with friends and guildmates who couldn't make it to the show. With that in mind, we've created a variety of limited-edition items that will make their debut at BlizzCon. Please visit the BlizzCon Merchandise page to check out some of this epic BlizzCon gear. These items will all be produced in limited quantities, so be sure to stop by the BlizzCon Store as early as you can at the show...before someone ninja loots everything out from under you!

Every once in a while, a portal will open up between game worlds, allowing characters from one video game to be transported into another. World of Warcraft is no exception. When the Dark Portal opened, Orcs came through. This one, however, brought something different. One of our players has captured what looks to be a pair of plumbers trying to find their way home.

Plumbers by a castle, Plumbers stomping the enemy, Plumbers going home

Have you made or seen something that you think deserves to be on the World of Warcraft Community Watch? Send us a link at: [email protected].

*Links on this news post may expire over time and are created by other companies/individuals that are neither affiliated with nor supported by Blizzard Entertainment.

The World of Warcraft team is happy to announce the release of the new 1.8 content patch!

Highlights of patch 1.8:

• Silithus - Totally revamped zone for level 60 solo players and 5-man parties.
• Four Dragons - The four corrupted dragons from the Emerald Dream
• Druid Talent update
• And much more!

You can read the entire patch notes here.

Comin' straight out of Orgrimmar: Level 60 Elite Tauren Chieftain will perform the last show of their Storm, Earth, and Fire World Domination Tour this month in Anaheim, California, hitting the stage before The Offspring. Having power-leveled past their previous name -- "Tenth Level Tauren Chieftain" -- L60ETC is undoubtedly best known for their multimillion-selling single, "The Power of the Horde," a track that appeared on their 2003 album "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne." In addition to the hard-rocking, heart-thumping tunes it contained, that album might best be remembered by music lovers everywhere for the popular little computer game that was included as a bonus feature on the disc. After conquering every major city in Azeroth, L60ETC will be blasting the sounds of war one more time during their tour-ending performance at BlizzCon on Saturday, October 29, 2005.

STRENGTH AND HONOR!

Blizzard is happy to announce that New York-based comedian, writer, and actor Christian Finnegan will be performing at BlizzCon at the closing night concert. Mr. Finnegan is a regular on VH1's Best Week Ever, had his own special on the standup series Comedy Central Presents, and had a featured role on Chappelle's Show as "Chad" in the Mad Real World. We're excited that he'll be lending his talent for the event, and we're looking forward to putting on a great show for all of BlizzCon's attendees. Visit the official BlizzCon site to learn more about our upcoming gaming convention, scheduled for October 28 and 29 in Anaheim, CA.

While we wish every player could attend this year's BlizzCon, we understand that a large number of players will be unable to make the trip. But there is still hope! Blizzard is pleased to announce that WoW Radio will be offering live video feeds of some of the different events at BlizzCon. You can look forward to watching some of the Q&A panels, the costume contest, interviews with Blizzard employees, and several other big events live from your computer. As we head into the last few weeks before the convention begins, please keep checking WoW Radio's BlizzCon website, for more information.

WoW Radio also airs Shoutcast "Radio Shows" every day that you can listen to from your computer. These talk shows cover the latest news and community discussions about World of Warcraft. Check out their website for running schedules and downloads of their archived shows.

The World of Warcraft development team has confirmed that BlizzCon attendees will be able to go hands-on with a playable sneak peek of the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion. For those who won't be able to attend BlizzCon, please note that gaming magazines hitting newsstands in different regions of the world around the time of the event will feature in-depth previews on the new content we have in store. Click here to learn more about BlizzCon.

We have recently placed some exhibit-only BlizzCon tickets on sale, for those of you who are interested in attending BlizzCon and trying out the World of Warcraft expansion set. See the recent announcement for more information about this limited supply of exhibit-only tickets.

Missed out on the full $120 Show Pass that includes the concert but still interested in checking out the exhibit halls? You're in luck! We're now offering Exhibit-Only tickets for BlizzCon at a price of USD $85! An Exhibit-Only ticket entitles you to all the same privileges and access as a regular BlizzCon ticket except for the closing-night concert. You'll still get your goody bag and access to the exhibit halls, seminars, stores, tournaments, and developers at BlizzCon. If you'd like to take advantage of this limited-time offer, please click here to purchase your BlizzCon Exhibit-Only ticket now.

Battlegrounds. Inside these zones, epic battles between the Horde and Alliance take place. Night Elves clash with Orcs, Dwarves fight with Forsaken, steel clangs against steel. What happens, though, when you throw in a disgruntled Dwarf and a Murloc? Actiontrip has your answer. Enjoy!

The Adventures of Murloc Boy

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Have you made or seen something that you think deserves to be on the World of Warcraft Community Watch? Send us a link at: [email protected].

*Links on this news post may expire over time and are created by other companies/individuals that are neither affiliated with nor supported by Blizzard Entertainment.

Make sure that you keep up to date on all the latest in the World of Warcraft August, 2005 News Archive.