World of Warcraft Utgarde Keep Preview
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Fresh from your many victories in Outland, you have heeded the call. Brave adventurers are needed to battle the massing Scourge in Northrend. The serene trip by boat into Daggercap Bay stands in sharp contrast to the scene at your final destination, the besieged town of Valgarde. As the boat comes to a stop at last, you find yourself in a town under siege. Enraged vrykul charge the town's defenders, overwhelming them with their sheer size and savagery. Buildings catch fire and burn before your eyes, and the cries of battle mingle with the shrieks of the proto-dragons flying low overhead. Despite the chaos, your eyes are drawn to the massive stone edifice dominating your view -- Utgarde. As you gaze upon the twin skull visages on the façade that leer out upon Daggercap Bay, you feel a shiver run down your spine that has nothing to do with the frosty air....
The towering, ominous Utgarde Keep is a sight impossible to miss for players arriving in Howling Fjord, and likely the first dungeon experienced in Northrend. The design process behind Utgarde Keep, and the other dungeons of Wrath of the Lich King, has evolved from years of experience developing for World of Warcraft. In this article, the World of Warcraft design team explores the goals and overall philosophies at the foundations of the five-person dungeons of Northrend, and gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Utgarde Keep itself. Let's start the tour.
