World of Warcraft Patch 5.4: Siege of Orgrimmar launched yesterday, bringing with it various changes to the world of Azeroth. In testing for the last few months, Patch 5.4 introduces a new zone, destroys an existing one, and lets players take on the power-mad leader of the Horde, Garrosh Hellscream.
The new zone in Patch 5.4 is the Timeless Isle, which promises plenty of open-world adventuring for max-level characters. The Timeless Isle is all about exploration, and just about everything on the Isle is designed to be taken on by solo players. There's a new currency found on the Timeless Isle in the form of Timeless Coins, which can be used to purchase things like gear, pets, mounts, and vanity items. The Timeless Isle also features the new Event System, which alerts players when they're close to rare spawns, treasure, and other items.
Patch 5.4 also brings about the destruction of one of the best zones in World of Warcraft, the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. Garrosh Hellscream is the ultimate cause of this, as a great power was unleashed during his attempts to locate a powerful artifact deep within the Vale. The landscape of the Vale has been drastically changed (all water is gone, for one thing), and Vestiges and Manifestations of Pride are all over the place.
The centerpiece of Patch 5.4 is the new Siege of Orgrimmar raid. Players will be tasked with dealing with Garrosh's actions within the Vale of Eternal Blossoms before taking the fight to Orgrimmar, the capitol city of the Horde. This massive raid features fourteen encounters which will challenge the best players in World of Warcraft. Different wings of the raid will begin to open over the next several weeks, with the first ones available now. For a complete Siege of Orgrimmar raid schedule, click here.
Patch 5.4 includes various other changes to World of Warcraft, including the Connected Realms system, the Celestial Tournament, Proving Grounds, class changes, new gear, and more. For a complete overview of everything Patch 5.4 has to offer, head on over to the official World of Warcraft website.
