Warcraft III Races Confirmed

Blizzard has officially announced the four races that will be present in the final version of Warcraft III. Here’s an excerpt from the official press release:

BLIZZARD FINALIZES WARCRAFT III RACES

Orcs, Humans, Undead and Night Elves vie for dominance in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
IRVINE, Calif. – Feb. 1, 2001 – Blizzard Entertainment® today announced details on the four races players will control in Warcraft® III. The company also announced the game’s full title — Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos™.

In Warcraft III, four distinct races armed with unique units, magical abilities and weapons of war clash in their renewed struggle for dominance. The different races players command will be Orcs, Humans, Undead and Night Elves. The previously announced Demons race will now be a non-playing race that interacts with the four playable races and advances the game’s storyline.

Said Frank Pearce, Warcraft III Team Lead, “As Warcraft III evolved, we were able to hone in on the elements in the game that will provide the best playing experience. After months of design, we have in place the game’s final races as well as the non-playing and neutral units. We will now focus our efforts on finalizing each race’s units, the AI and the campaigns.”

Race Overviews:

Humans. The noble defenders of humanity continue to fight for survival in a world plagued by darkness and war. The humans concentrate their skills in the realms of martial discipline and technology. They alter their environment, use armor, weapons and machines; and domesticate animals. Human units include the Footman, Knight, Elven Priest, Elven Sorceress, Dwarven Mortar Team and Dwarven Rifleman. Human heroes include the Paladin, Arch-Mage, Half-Elven Ranger and the Dwarven Mountain King.
Orcs. The savage Orcs have rallied once again and stand ready to face the terrible demons who corrupted their society long ago. The Orcs rely on brute strength and melee combat. Units used by the Horde include the Grunt, Troll Head Hunter, Wyvern Rider, Shaman and Troll Witch Doctor. Examples of Orc heroes are the Farseer, Blade Master, Tauren Chieftain and Shadow Hunter.

Night Elves. These mysterious, shadowy beings are one of the eldest races of the world. They have emerged from their centuries-long seclusion to defend the world from the coming apocalypse. Units include the Ent, Archer, Sentinel, Assassin, Treant and Hippogryph. Elven heroes are comprised on the Keeper of the Grove, Demon Hunter, Priestess of the Moon and Arch-Druid.

Undead. The plague-ridden undead army known as the Scourge has come from the frozen wastelands of the north to topple civilization in its darkest hour. The undead Scourge is renowned for its ability to generate units on the battlefield. Corpses of fallen foes are very important to the Undead. Several abilities and spells rely on corpses as components for their spells. Undead units include Dredge, Ghoul, Banshee, Necromancer, Gargoyle and Frost Wyrm. Heroes include the Death Knight, Lich, Dread Lord and Abomination.

Other key features in the game include:

Legendary heroes lead powerful forces while completing quests, gaining experience and acquiring special items.

Fully interactive 3D world that incorporates non-player characters; wandering monsters; neutral towns, strongholds and temples; and environmental effects.

Skeletal and skinning animation process allows infinite frames of animation resulting in true fluid movement of 3D models.

Campaign editor allow players to create custom 3D maps and complete missions with scripts for units, spells and event triggers.

Expanded multiplayer options over Battle.net® including a larger number of players per game and multiple game types including team play and questing.
Warcraft III is expected to release during 2001 in Windows® 95/98/2000/NT formats. A Macintosh® version of the game is expected early 2002. The game will be available for around $50 at retailers nationwide and through the company’s webpage at www.blizzard.com.

Find out more by visiting Blizzard’s official Warcraft III website.