World Of Warcraft: Beta news from e3

Some news regarding the WoW beta and other topics has surfaced from various e3 articles. Gamespy has released this new interview with Jeff Kaplan, which reveals quite a bit of information in particular. Some points of interest are:

-Kaplan revealed that the next phase of the beta will be rolling out in a couple of weeks and will open up much more of the game for the legions of testers. The first new aspect of the beta will be the level cap -- enough of the high-level content has been completed that the team is now comfortable raising the level to 55.

-Another new aspect that should be in the game soon will be a brand-new in-game e-mail client. Kaplan was more than willing to acknowledge the inadequacy of the in-game tradechat system and believe that the new mail system will dramatically enhance the way people communicate and buy and sell items from each other. Key to this is the ability to "attach" items to e-mails the way oridnary e-mail attaches files. Players will be able to send items to each other via e-mail COD -- don't pay and the item simply doesn't open up. The system even works if the other player is offline.

-Kaplan revealed that five new zones are getting ready to roll out, Ajami, the Burning Steppes, the Hinterlands, Tamaris, and Feralas.

-The team just recently concluded a massive redesign of [The Barrens] and will be redoing the entire area -- revamping everything from the quest structure to level design.

-PvP players will be thrilled to learn that the team is currently working on a number of battlefield ideas. One idea currently kicking around is to have players take a bat or griffin ride to an instanced zone where players will have to attain a variety of tactical objectives within a limited period of time. Another is to designate certain areas within the "war zone" between the Alliance and the Horde as free fire zones where anyone who enters is a legitimate target.

-"Guild Management Tool." The Guild management tool will be attached to the character sheet and will allow guild masters to designate and rename up to 10 different ranks, contact all members, and set a number of permissions for various guild ranks that allow players to be rewarded and punished for various contributions. The tool also sports a timer that shows the last time a player logged on -- perfect for kicking guild members who haven't played in a while.

-The Talent system will also serve as a precursor to ultra high-level prestige or specialty classes. Two of the classes mentioned include demon hunters and an archmage who can summon devastating water elementals. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that specialty classes will be in the game at release, but Kaplan did say that if they weren't they're definitely planned for the first major upgrade after launch.

-"This is an ultra high-level raid zone." He said. "In fact, this is pretty much end-game content." He was running through an area that players will find filled with demons and dragons battling each other. "Warcraft III players will recognize this mountain." He said, "And the challenge here is to re-purify the Well of Eternity. In fact, as you travel through this area, you might even find a very familiar skeleton chained to a rock."