World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Announced

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King has been announced as the second World of Warcraft expansion pack at this year's BlizzCon.

The new expansion will be set in Northrend, a harsh and frozen continent under the sway of the Lich King, an undead demigod created when its spirit merged with the human betrayer Arthas Menethil. The Howling Fjord, in south-east Northrend, will be the expansion's first zone, while Utgarde Keep has been confirmed at BlizzCon as the first instance players will encounter in the expansion.

Along with new zones, quests, items and monsters, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King will also include the Death Knight, the game's first hero class; an increased level cap of 80; siege engine warfare and destructible buildings; and expanding customization options for characters, including new hairstyles, skin colors and dances. The expansion is exclusively high-level, available to players of level 68 or higher, and will not add any new content for beginners.

World of Warcraft quickly became the dominant North American MMOG after its release in 2004, and in July, Blizzard announced the game had broken the nine million subscriber mark. More information, including a video trailer, is available at the official Wrath of the Lich King site. No release date has been set.