Our good friends at the Orange County Register were lucky enough to be let into BlizzCon yesterday (we'll be on the floor in just a few hours here), and they've got a preview gallery of what it's like in there up on their site right now. There's nothing super revealing in there, but there are lots of pictures of vendors setting up, and the various stages they'll have at the event. The Illidan statue from last year is making a re-appearance, and he's joined by someone Starcraft fans will want to see.

We can't wait to get in there -- Diablo 3 will be playable, and of course we'll have coverage from all the panels, tournaments, and booths inside the convention center all day today and tomorrow. The Opening Ceremony starts at 11am PST, so stay tuned here to watch our coverage as it goes down live.

Our friends over at Upper Deck's WoW TCG site have been running a little review of their biggest stories from 2007 over the last week (including this terrific piece about the Lady Kath card), so if you haven't been keeping up over there all year, or just want to look back at what happened in the trading card game, go check them out.

They've also posted two pieces looking forward as well. The first is a look at what the Organized Play schedule looks like for 2008-- they're going to have a new award to honor the Player of the Year, starting with the just-finished World Championships, and they're also going to have a Group Championships tournament as well. They're also looking for names for both events, so if you'd like to win a Wraith Scythe card, check the bottom of that page.

And there's a preview of what's coming in 2008 as well-- an art book is due out soon, and the Magtheridon's Lair raid deck is coming out soon also. We'll keep an eye on what else they've got planned over there-- while the online game is headed to the Sunwell, they've only just scratched the surface of possibilities on Burning Crusade content.

Those wascally wabbits at MTV Multiplayer have somehow gotten their paws (see what I did there?) on a five-page preview of the second World of Warcraft comic, still written by Walter Simonson, and drawn by Ludo Lullabi and Sandra Hope (the cover, pictured here, is done by Blizzard's own Samwise Didier, with an alternate cover by Jim Lee).

I have to admit that I never got a chance to read the first WoW comic, but this does look a lot like the preview we saw a little while ago-- our amnesiac hero (whose name is now "Croc-bait"?) is fighting for his life in the Crimson Ring's arenas, with Orc Shaman (cheer! for the Horde!) Reghar Earthfury by his side. And by the way, giving those blades to a Human is not cool, Reggie baby. There is also a fun little cameo on the last page, but I'll leave it up to you all to speculate who that might be-- I have my own thoughts, but just to stay spoiler-free, I'll keep them to myself.

Still it is cool to see this thing come together, steeped in Warcraft lore as it is. The Blood Elf/Night Elf friction is a nice touch, too-- I'll definitely be shipping those two as the comic rolls on.

Reader V3T sends word that the folks behind Auctioneer did a long testing session last night, and they say that the latest builds of all the Auctioneer addons are now working under 2.3. They are, we're told, still in alpha, but V3T says they are stable enough to use and that all functions are working-- including BottomScanner, an awesome little addon that finds bargain auctions for you as they happen.

That cheering you hear is frugal and money conscious players everywhere happy to have a new build of Auctioneer under 2.3. Preview versions of the addons can be found on Auctioneer's Preview page. V3T also says they're looking for more usage and feedback, so if you do download it, make sure to report any bugs or errors and let them know what works or what doesn't.

Been waiting? Wait no longer -- the druid's talent preview is up and running on the European website! See new skills here and talent trees here. Interesting highlights include a flight form for flying transport around the Outlands, a new CC spell called Cyclone that has no limitations on enemy type or an indoor/outdoor restriction (but does require level 70), the ubiquitous pet-summon at 41-points balance, and increased HoT spell domination with new healing spell Lifebloom and the 41-point restoration ability Tree of Restoration -- which only allows a druid to cast HoTs.

Bit-tech has posted a very nice preview of the Burning Crusade expansion-- apparently they lured Blizzard across the pond to show them the game (probably with cookies-- we all know Blizzard employees are weak for cookies). They don't have much in the way of new info; if you've been paying attention, you already know about the new honor system, "winged" dungeons, and the racial abilities and lore. But the one thing they do have is lots and lots of (relatively spoiler free) eye candy! Gape at the spectacular instances! Oooh at the beautiful new zones! And gasp at the new models!

Also, our good reader Mordicieus sent along a lot of leaked BC pics he found over on the Noggaholics forums. Click to see them, but watch out for spoilers...

• Nogg says this is some wizard guy... Maybe you know him...
  
• The Blood Elf mount
• A few Draenei totem models
• A few interesting mob models-- I like this guy
• And Tier 4 sets: Warlock, Shammy, Hunter, and Druid

Remember, all the leaked stuff is still unconfirmed and likely unfinished. Thanks Mord!

It's not so long since I put up a post about more Burning Crusade rumors - but now there's no more waiting to determine what's fake and what's not (unless you were waiting for druid, hunter, or priest news). Blizzard has announced the official talent and spell changes for six classes! (Though they do not that the information shown is not final and still subject to change.) The new information comes complete with talent calculator, so you can go right ahead and plot your new build. These changes confirm some things we've seen rumored, and deny others. And all in all, these changes only make me more curious about what Blizzard has planned for the three classes they've not yet done announcements for.

Again, from an anonymous, on-the-spot cameraman, some hazy, blurry, brief, yet extremely cool glimpses of flying mounts at E3. Take off, eh?

The official World of Warcraft site has been updated with a new feature, detailing the lore & history behind the mysterious Blood Elves, soon to be gracing Azeroth in the Burning Crusade expansion.

The story follows the legacy of the outcast elf Dath'Remar Sunstrider, and how he led his people to their new home in Azeroth, millennia before the first war. From reading this, it looks like Blizzard has done another excellent job in setting up the backstory of the new Horde race & incorporating their history into the World of Warcraft; you can check out the story right here.

Thanks to this stealthy cameraman, you can get an almost-realistic, slightly-lifelike, not-so-reasonable, low-rez facsimile of previewing the Burning Crusade expansion at E3. It's like being there, only with poor eyesight & without all the geeks! Enjoy...