Battle.net - August, 2004

	World of Warcraft Stress Test Beta Starting at NOON PDT TODAY! Thursday, September 2, 2004
	The World of Warcraft stress test beta has begun! You can now create your stress test beta account and begin playing the game. Please check your e-mail inbox for a letter from FilePlanet with instructions on where to go to create your account. After you have created your account, you will also be able to post in the stress test beta forum. Please keep in mind that the stress test, the forums, and your stress test beta account, will all be closed on September 9, when the stress test beta ends. So, keep an eye on your inbox and hurry into Azeroth once you receive your email from FilePlanet. The World of Warcraft awaits!

	Announcing the World of Warcraft Stress Test Competition! Thursday, September 2, 2004
	We’re looking for the greatest of heroes to step forward and demonstrate their skill and valor. If you can prove your worth by becoming the most powerful members of your faction classes, then you could win the chance to continue your adventures in Azeroth beyond the completion of the stress test! Blizzard will be holding a competition during the stress test to determine the three highest-level characters per class in both the Alliance and Horde factions. At the end of the stress test, three players of every Horde class and three players of every Alliance class will win entry into the World of Warcraft closed beta test. In the event of a tie, total experience accumulated will determine the ultimate winners. In the interest of fairness and in accordance with the World of Warcraft Beta Test Agreement and Terms of Use Agreement, players are not allowed to share accounts. Any character that has been leveled up through shared playtime by multiple players will be disqualified from the contest. The competition will run through the entire duration of the stress test. At the end of the stress test, Blizzard will notify 48 lucky winners of their acceptance into the closed beta test. As a special reward for their accomplishments, the winners will be able to move their characters from the stress test to the closed beta servers, ensuring that they can continue playing uninterrupted. Click here to see complete contest rules.

	World of Warcraft Stress Test Beta Set to Begin Wednesday, September 1, 2004
	The World of Warcraft stress test beta is just a day away. Hundreds of thousands of gamers applied for the stress test this past week, and FilePlanet was up to the task, issuing over 100,000 accounts and providing the stress test beta client for download. With the signups and downloads complete, we are just about ready to welcome these gamers into World of Warcraft for the very first time. Starting tomorrow, September 2nd at 12:00 noon PDT, stress test beta participants will be able to create their World of Warcraft accounts and begin playing the game. Their participation will help us optimize our account-creation and server infrastructure, and enable us to deliver the best online experience possible when the game launches later this year. We want to thank everyone who applied for the stress test beta, and we look forward to seeing the new testers online tomorrow when the stress test beta starts. Selected stress test beta participants should keep an eye on their inboxes for an email containing further instructions. For more information on the World of Warcraft stress test beta, please check out our FAQ. To get a head start on learning how to play World of Warcraft, take a look at our beta strategy guide.

	World of Warcraft Stress Test Beta Update Tuesday, August 31, 2004
	FilePlanet has issued all of their free authentication keys for the World of Warcraft stress test beta and will now resume taking applications from FilePlanet subscribers for the remaining keys. The stress test will start shortly after the sign-up period ends. The actual date is undetermined as of yet, but when the stress test beta is ready to start, an announcement will be posted on www.fileplanet.com. Please do not contact Blizzard on the status of the stress test beta. If you have any questions about the signups or the upcoming World of Warcraft stress test beta, please check out our Stress Test FAQ.

	Final Warcraft III Beta Patch Details Tuesday, August 31, 2004
	PC, Macintosh, and ALL language versions of the 406 patch are now available on the Westfall gateway. This patch is expected to be the final beta patch before we release the 1.17 patch to the public. Take this opportunity to look at the upcoming balance changes as well as the two Neutral Hero additions. The 406 patch contains several additional bug fixes and balance changes based on YOUR feedback from the 404 and 405 versions. You can connect to Westfall and participate in the beta patch analysis by connecting to Battle.net, then logging off and choosing Westfall from the Gateway selection screen. Please be aware that once you patch up to Beta 406 you will need to reselect Westfall from the Gateway selection screen. At any point, if you want to go back to playing 1.16 on the public gateways (Lordaeron, Kalimdor, etc.), simply choose the appropriate gateway from the Gateway selector screen and you will automatically be reverted back to version 1.16. We look forward to seeing you on the Westfall server!

	New Blizzard Downloader Test: The World of Warcraft Compilation! Sunday, August 29, 2004
	Our new World of Warcraft Compilation is now available for downloading! This exclusive set includes a polished collection of World of Warcraft cinematic and in-game movies that were shown at various industry trade shows over the years. Until now, many of these files were only available as separate downloads. In addition to acquiring a full series of critically acclaimed World of Warcraft movies, when you download the compilation you will be helping us test the new Blizzard Downloader. The Blizzard Downloader is being developed to ensure that we can deliver files such as game patches to you as quickly and as seamlessly as possible. Download the compilation here. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your Blizzard Downloader experience, please visit our Blizzard Downloader support page. We appreciate your feedback, and we hope you enjoy this collection of highlights from the World of Warcraft archives!

	Sign Up for the World of Warcraft Stress Test Beta! Thursday, August 26, 2004
	In order to evaluate World of Warcraft's account-creation process and server performance under heavy loads, Blizzard will be conducting a seven-day stress test beta in the days ahead. This test will require over 100,000 players to download the World of Warcraft stress test beta client, create an account, and log on to play when the test goes live! To make the client available for download to such a large audience, we have partnered with FilePlanet, GameSpy's Web-based file-delivery service. Users posting on our Battle.net World of Warcraft Forums have identified some error messages that certain users may encounter with the Fileplanet stress test file. If you have been accepted into the stress test and are receiving an error stating that the archive is corrupt or that no installer data could be found, please see our Fileplanet Stress Test Issues thread for solutions. We will continue to post issues and solutions there as they are brought to our attention. Please note that these issues do not apply to current players in our continuing beta test. Read the Stress Test FAQ to learn more. Sign up for the Stress Test at FilePlanet.

	New Blizzard Action Figures Available! Friday, August 27, 2004
	Hey action figure fans, Blizzard has released some new action figures that you could potentially add to your collection. Ranging between 5.6" to 8.5" in height, the figures are fully poseable, with an average of 14 points of articulation. The Warcraft Series II Action Figure set features Medivh, Grom Hellscream, and the Dwarven Rifleman! The Diablo Action Figure set features the Necromancer, Baal's Minion, and the Corrupted Rogue! These figures are available now in our online store.

	The Blizzard online store has been updated with four new Warcraft Role-playing books. Check out: Friday, August 27, 2004
	Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game The #1 fantasy roleplaying game and the #1 fantasy real-time strategy computer game join forces in Dungeons & Dragons® Warcraft® the Roleplaying Game. Warcraft Roleplaying: Manual of Monsters Manual of Monsters is an essential sourcebook for Dungeons & Dragons® Warcraft® the Roleplaying Game, which translates the hugely successful Warcraft computer game series into a pen-and-paper roleplaying game world based on the popular d20 rules! Warcraft Roleplaying: Magic & Mayhem Sorcerers and wizards truck with deomons while tinkers and engineers build mighty engines of battle in this sourcebook for Dungeons & Dragons® Warcraft® the Roleplaying Game, which translates the hugely successful Warcraft computer game series into an exciting pen-and-paper roleplaying game world based on the popular d20 System rules. Warcraft Roleplaying: Alliance & Horde Compendium Individual heroes skirmish and mighty amies clash in this core sourcebook for Dungeons & Dragons® Warcraft® the Roleplaying Game, which translates the hugely successful Warcraft computer game series into a pen-and-paper roleplaying game based on the popular d20 rules!

	World of Warcraft Wins Award at Germany’s Biggest Games Show! Friday, August 27, 2004
	We are very happy to share the news with you that World of Warcraft won the Best Online Game award at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany last week. Over 100,000 visitors attended the show, and many took the time to come check out World of Warcraft. It was the first time that many players had the chance to see the game, and their positive feedback was warmly received by our European World of Warcraft team, who worked hard to set up the gaming area that you can see in the pictures below. We’d like to thank everyone for their support, and we look forward to seeing UK gamers at the Game Stars Live show in London next week! Check out out some pictures from the event.

	European Realm has a Winner Friday, August 27, 2004
	From the stronghold of the Arreat Summit, a second hero arises to take his place among the legends of Sanctuary. Congratulations to Patriarch ETFonTop-Leader as he is the very first registered Diablo II character to reach level 99 on the Europe Realm. For becoming the very first character to reach Level 99 on the Realm, his alter ego will receive the prizes listed here, in our "When Worlds Collide" contest. Only the Asia 1-3 and US East prize packs remain! Stay tuned for further contest updates.

	US West has a Winner Thursday, August 26, 2004
	From the lofty stronghold of the Arreat Summit arises the first hero to achieve glory in the realms of Sanctuary. Congratulations to Matriarch Tifas-Revenge as she is the very first registered Diablo II character to reach level 99 on the US West Realm. For becoming the very first character to reach Level 99 on the Realm, her alter ego will receive the prizes listed here, in our "When Worlds Collide" contest. So far, only the US West Realm prize pack has been claimed, which leaves the US East, Asia 1-3 and Europe prize packs up for grabs. Stay tuned for further contest updates!

	New Warcraft III Bonus Map: Excavation Site Friday, August 20, 2004
	With the help of Gazlowe's engineers, an unexplored city was recently excavated near Durotar. Quickly secure the gold mines in the center before your enemies do. Download Excavation Site a new Bonus map for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.

	New Blizzard Job Openings Friday, August 20, 2004
	Blizzard is looking for people to help give our customers the best service possible. If you have experience working with credit card transactions and want to be a part of the World of Warcraft team, please look at the Account Services Representative posting for more information.

	No Winner yet for Asia 3 Friday, August 20, 2004
	Update -- After reviewing the status of the Hardcore Ladder on the Asia 3 Realm, we have determined that HFC_Nicksor, a Sorceress, is the first character to reach level 99 on the Realm. Unfortunately, this character must be disqualified as they failed to provide Blizzard with a valid e-mail address and properly register their account at the time of its creation. This requirement is clearly stated in the Contest Rules, as seen here. Players must remember to register and provide Blizzard with their e-mail contact information, so we can award prizes to the winners. The Prize package for the Asia 3 Realm, which includes a signed copy of World of Warcraft -- Collector’s Edition, a Warcraft III -- Tichondrius Statue, a Blizzard Shirt, and a Blizzard North CD Wallet, is still available for registered players to win.

	Warcraft III Beta Patch Version 405 Changes Thursday, August 19, 2004
	Go here to check out the latest changes in the Warcraft III Patch 1.17 Beta. Thanks for your help in testing these new changes!

	New Blizzard Job Openings Thursday, August 19, 2004
	New Job Opening - Security Tools Programmer Blizzard is looking for a programmer to help secure our games against cheating and exploits. If you want to help make our games more fun for everyone, then please look at our Security Tools Programmer position for more information. New Job Opening - Unix System Administrator Blizzard is looking for a guru to help keep our Unix systems running smoothly. If you love command lines and can explain the arcane Unix world to non-Unix users, please check out our Unix System Administrator page for more information.

Warcraft III Beta Patch Details
Friday, August 13, 2004

Beta version 404 of the upcoming 1.17 patch is now available on the Westfall gateway. This patch contains many bug fixes, balance changes, a couple new features, and two new Neutral Heroes!! You can connect to Westfall and participate in the beta test by connecting to Battle.net, then logging off and choosing Westfall from the Gateway selection screen. Please be aware that once you patch up to Beta 404 you will need to reselect Westfall from the Gateway selection screen. At any point you want to go back to playing 1.16 on the public gateways (Lordaeron, Kalimdor, etc.), simply choose the appropriate gateway from the Gateway selector screen and you will automatically be reverted back to version 1.16. We look forward to seeing you on the Westfall server!

The Goblin Alchemist

The Firelord

Click here for complete details.

	Warcraft Manga: The Sunwell Trilogy Friday, August 13, 2004
	Blizzard is pleased to announce the development of a three-book manga series entitled Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy, to be penned by New York Times best-seller and author of several Blizzard novels Richard Knaak and illustrated by celebrated artist Jae Hwan Kim. Click here for more information about this groundbreaking project.

	Thursday Fan Art Update Thursday, August 12, 2004
	The Blizzard Fan Art Section has been updated with five new pieces of artwork.

	Planned Web Server Maintenance Tuesday, August 10, 2004
	The Blizzard and Battle.net Web sites will be down for 24-48 hours for scheduled maintenance on August 17-18th. This will not affect the Battle.net gaming service or the World of Warcraft community site. We apologize for any inconvenience.

	New Warcraft III Bonus Map: Stone Cold Mountain Friday, August 6, 2004
	The blizzard that once made the high crags of Stone Cold Mountain inaccessible has finally subsided. Rumor has it that the first expeditionary force sent to explore the area returned battered and broken. Time, it seems, has only made the mountain deadlier. Download Stone Cold Mountain a new Bonus map for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.

	Warcraft III Accounts Closed Thursday, August 5, 2004
	A number of additional accounts and CD keys have been tied to the use of a hack or cheat program while playing Warcraft III on Battle.net. In keeping with our aggressive stance against cheating, we have permanently closed 18,000 Warcraft III accounts. 7,600 of the Warcraft III CD keys used with the now-closed accounts have been banned from ladder play for one month, and 1,400 more have been banned from ladder play permanently. Repeat offenders risk having their CD keys disabled, which will result in the permanent removal of their copies of Warcraft III from Battle.net. We will continue to monitor Battle.net for cheating and take action as needed. If you would like to report additional instances of hacking or cheating, please notify us at hacks@blizzard.com. A false report filed by one player against another will not result in the actions described above. As always, thank you for your continued support; with your help we have been able to keep Battle.net a fun and safe place to play Blizzard games.

	Thursday Fan Art Update Thursday, August 5, 2004
	The Blizzard Fan Art Section has been updated with five new pieces of artwork.

	42 New World of Warcraft Screenshots Monday, August 2, 2004
	Check out 42 new screenshots from the Horde vs. Alliance Race War Server.

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