WoW: Wrath of the Lich King Ship Date Announced

According to Blizzard Entertainment, the highly anticipated second expansion to World of Warcraft will hit retail outlets beginning November 13.

Entitled Wrath of the Lich King, this will be the second expansion released for Blizzard’s widely popular subscription-based MMORPG, following the hugely successful Burning Crusade expansion launched back in January 2007. In this latest addition, Lich King Arthas Menethil makes his frigid return to the Warcraft mythology, last making an appearance in the 2003 release of Warcraft III : The Frozen Throne.

Wrath of the Lich King will add the frosty content of Northrend to the virtual world of Azeroth, bringing several new zones and dungeons to explore. The expansion will also boost the character level cap to 80 while also providing cool new abilities, an achievement system, siege weapons and destructible buildings. Wrath of the Lich King will also offer the necromantic death knight, WoW’s first Hero class. Consumers will also have the option to purchase the standard version, or the special collector’s edition that includes a behind-the-scenes DVD, soundtrack CD, mouse pad, an exclusive in-game pet and more. Both versions will sell for $39.99 and $69.99, respectively.

"We’re looking forward to launching Wrath of the Lich King and finally giving World of Warcraft players a chance to take on Arthas and his minions," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "Until then, we’ll continue to refine and playtest the expansion content to make sure it provides a highly polished and entertaining experience."

Wrath of the Lich King will be available in North America, Europe, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Russia on November 13. Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand will see the expansion released the next day (14th), followed by a November 18 release in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. The expansion requires the original game as well as the first expansion pack, both of which can be found in the World of Warcraft Battle Chest boxed set, retailing for $39.99.