WoW's 10th Anniversary Brings Nostalgia, Molten Corgis

Blizzard usually throw a birthday party for World of Warcraft, but are really indulging their love of pomp and nostalgia as the MMORPG hits double digits. WoW's 10th anniversary celebrations will bring a level-100 version of the classic Molten Core raid and a new PvP battleground based on old favourite murderzones Tarren Mill and Southshore. Having a bash at those will get players special mounts and gear, but even simply logging in during the festivities (between November 21st and January 5th) will get you that adorable molten corgi pet up there.

Both of the big additions are steeped in nostalgia. The Tarren Mill and Southshore action was before my time but is legendary in its relentlessness. They were two opposing towns in an easy-to-access zone at a point in the levelling curve where players were confident, flush with abilities, and keen to cause trouble. Hundreds of players fighting at all hours there was known to cause server slowdown and crashes, until the introduction of battlegrounds moved PvP mostly out of the open world.

I remember Molten Core fondly. It was my first large-group MMO experience, as it was for many. By the time I reached MC in 2006 it was mostly old hat, but still challenging for new 60s. It's outdated in design and function these days, so seeing it brought to some fraction of its former glory will be ace.

This will all function as a second wave of content after the release of the next expansion, Warlords of Draenor, on November 13th. The v6.0 patch, which brings most of the expansion's systemic changes and some introductory content, hit test realms yesterday and should go live in October.