Blizzard Entertainment’s massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft was updated to v1.7 yesterday. The new version will be downloaded and installed by all Mac and PC players when they connect to the game online.
Highlights of the new release include a new high level raid dungeon located in Stranglethorn Vale called Zul-Gurub, and a new 15-on-15 capture and defend battleground called Arathi Basin. There’s now a new weekly fishing contest along the coast of Stranglethorn.
Hunter talent trees have been extensively reworked in this release, as well — enough so that Hunters will have all talent points refunded, so they can be respent. Survival and Beast Master talent trees have undergone major revisions specifically, to give Hunters additional choices when selecting talent.
Dozens of other changes have been made as well, to general gameplay, Player vs. Player (PvP) gameplay, Druid, Paladin, Priest, Rogue and Warlock classes, changes to items, pets and professions, and much more. You can read all about what’s changed online on the Patch Notes Web page.
World of Warcraft was released simultaneously for the Mac and Windows late in 2004. The MMORPG is set in the war-torn world of Azeroth, a mystical land that has served as the setting for Blizzard’s popular Warcraft real time strategy game series. As an online game, there’s no single-player component in World of Warcraft — it’s designed to be played exclusively online. In addition to buying the game at retailers, users are required to set up and pay for an online account (additional charges apply after a trial period).