Graphic By: Brittany Stoll

In World of Warcraft, gamers can create a character from one of two opposing factions: the Alliance and the Horde. The Alliance is comprised of Humans, Gnomes, Dwarves and Night Elves. Its blood enemies--Orcs, Trolls, Taurens and Undead--make up the Horde. For each race, you can customize their appearance, from skin color to facial hair and even piercings. However, the real meat of character creation comes in the selection of classes. World of Warcraft gives several options, from the damage-dealing warriors to the magic-wielding Mages and Warlocks. There are several classes that fall in between, like the Hunter, who uses both ranged and melee weapons and can command pets to attack their foes.

World of Warcraft (popularly referred to by the acronym WoW) follows the same formula as many MMOs. Players build their characters up from humble beginnings, by attacking random beasts and conducting series of quests handed down from non-playing characters (NPCs) that follow a loose sort of storyline. Many players, especially those not well versed in the style of gameplay in MMOs, end up feeling lost by the lack of a cohesive, advancing plot. Alternatively, players gravitate to MMOs for the unique open-endedness, the embodiment of a good fantasy adventure of their own making and the social infrastructure of mutual dependence these games create. While players can "solo" adventures on their own, there are many challenges in World of Warcraft that require players to work together in parties. Players can also join guilds, large groups with their own unique name and tabard, that offer special options, like guild-specific channels for quick communication. Anyone in WoW can start a guild--for a price--but many people also aspire to join the large, player-developing guilds to quickly move through the game.

So, without a clear, definitive end-game, what keeps players going in World of Warcraft? Currently, the level cap for players is at 60 (with the expansion raising the cap to 70). However, aside from simply exploring new territories and completing the 1000-plus quests, players can engage in player vs. player (PvP) combat with the opposing faction. PvP is usually a critical element of many MMO games, but World of Warcraft's system is one of the better ones I have played in. Each player class is balanced pretty well, so that, all things considered equal, there is no one class that has a distinct advantage over another. The kingdoms in WoW, Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, are divided into many different zones. Some are controlled outright by either the Alliance or the Horde, but others are contested. Territories directly controlled by the Alliance or Horde are considered safe zones for those factions. Enemy players cannot initiate combat, but if attacked, then will have a five-minute window where they their opponent is not considered "safe." Contested territories are another matter all together. They comprise most of the territory in WoW, and players must constantly look over their back for opponents seeking to gain honor kills and prestige in their own faction for slaying enemy players.

Honor points are gained whenever a player from one faction kills a player from another. Over time, as honor is accumulated, players can gain ranks that will appear next to their name for all to see. Rank can get you bonuses--from cheaper goods in stores to epic mounts to quickly traverse the world. The easiest way to accumulate honor is to fight on the battlegrounds of WoW. Battlegrounds are isolated maps where Horde and Alliance players engage only in player vs. player combat while trying to achieve FPS-like goals--such as capture the flag and control of spawn points. Battlegrounds are set up so that only players in comparable level brackets can face off against each other, usually in 10-level brackets such as 20-29 and 30-39.

The game allows characters to pick up certain professions. A player is allowed two primary professions and three secondary professions. The secondary professions are fishing, cooking and first aid. The primary professions, however, vary to a greater degree, with two (a gathering and a manufacturing) usually intended to complement each other. This can tend to be the main source of income for players, as they can sell their supplies or finished goods in auction houses or one a individual basis.

World of Warcraft also takes advantage of instancing. An instance is a portion of the game that becomes player specific, isolated from the general populace to produce a unique in-game experience. In WoW, most instance situations are dungeons, where the enemies are usually elite and the loot can be extremely rare gear. Instances require groups and can often last anywhere from thirty minutes to hours just to complete.

So, what will The Burning Crusade offer to expand the content? First of all, two new races. The Horde will be able to play the Blood Elves, a race of high elves that became disillusioned with the Alliance as part of the Warcraft backstory. So far, Blizzard has kept the identity of the Alliance's new race under wraps. As said above, the expansion will introduce a new level cap at 70, giving 10 new levels of development for longtime players to wade through. New quests and new territories will be added as well. However, best of all might be the flying mount. Reports have indicated that Blizzard intends to introduce a new kind of mount that will allow you to soar through the skies, offering an aesthetically pleasing mode of travel as well as dynamically shifting how players can move about.

Some reports have The Burning Crusade being released in May, but game release dates are precarious at best. Either way, if you have not checked out World of Warcraft yet, go out and grab a copy (Wal-Mart sells it for $40). The game does come with a $15 subscription fee, but you also get one month free on purchase. Buyers beware; prepare to lose all your free time.