At this week’s E3 Expo in Los Angeles, Calif., Blizzard Entertainment took the wraps off the single-player campaigns to be integrated into its forthcoming Warcraft III expansion pack, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. The Frozen Throne will sport 4 single-player campaigns with a bonus “RPG-style” mini-campaign that demonstrates how the world editor works. It’s being simultaneously developed for Mac and PC.
The multiplayer beta test is nearing completion, according to Blizzard, and the single-player campaigns are the final piece of the puzzle that are being put in place prior to the expansion pack’s release this summer.
In The Frozen Throne, players return to the mythical land of Azeroth several months after Archimonde and the Burning Legion were defeated at the battle of Mount Hyjal. The campaign follows the Death Night Arthas and the Night Elf Demon Hunter Illidan as they travel towards Icecrown glacier in Northrend. The soul of Ner’zhul, the evil Lich King, is imprisoned within. Players discover that the fate of the world rests in the hands of the Human Alliance and the Night Elf Sentinels.
Features in the new expansion pack include four new race-specific Heroes, each with unique spells and abilities; 2 new units per race; 3 new tilesets; player-built shops with items unique for each race; 5 neutral Heroes that can be recruited by players; new neutral buildings that provide players with additional units; and expanded multiplayer options over Battle.net, now with clan and tournament support. What’s more, the game sports an enhanced world editor that enables players to generate and connect custom campaigns with cut-scenes and voiceovers.
Coming this summer, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne will cost US$35. The game has received a Teen rating from the ESRB.