Desolation is a large 8 player map designed for powerful team battles at your local LAN Party. Plenty of creeps, plenty of exploration and plenty of things to do.

Download it here.

Got a scenario? Be sure to send it in. For other cool maps, check out our archive.

Thanks to Noisetank13 and MagnaMothy88 for the news.

So what's new this time? Find out the actual damage the Assassin's spells do, the actual duration of Banish, as well as a range of other cool stuff:

• Frozen Throne Human Forces
• Frozen Throne Night Elf Forces

Expect us to keep you updated!

• Plunder Isle AOW Rush
• Strategy Index
• Comment

Got a strategy? We'd love to hear it.

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The IP address for http://www.blizzard.com has changed. You may be unable to access Blizzard.com until your ISP's DNS server has updated. You can use use http://63.236.3.76 to reach Blizzard.com in the mean time.

Nothing all that big and special, but it clears a few questions and concerns.

Got art related to Warcraft 3? Be sure to send it in. Other cool eye candy can be found in our Fan Art Gallery.

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As you may all know, sign ups for the Warcraft III expansion set have just recently ended and people are beginning to wonder when the test will start.  I just wanted to let everyone know that we will be commencing the beta test shortly, so people who have been accepted should begin to receive confirmation e-mails in the next few weeks.  Confirmations will be sent out in waves like previous betas. 

We'd like to stress that no e-mails have been sent out yet. However, be sure to keep checking your mail! Remember, if someone else got a e-mail, and you have not, you still have a chance of getting the beta. Not all of the beta confirmation will be sent at once.

Even if someone's got an advantage in numbers or resources, he'd be hard pressed to win if his heroes were two or three levels lower. Therefore, creeping is essential, and today guide talks about how you can outcreep your opponent, and be the first to get that Granite Golem.

• Speed Creeping
• Strategy Index
• Comment

A great Warcraft 3 player? We'd love to hear from you.

When you attack and kill an enemy character, they scream out and die. A few creatures actually split apart when they are killed. When they die, blood pools around their skeletal remains. In a large battle, the battlefield can become very bloody. One of the units of the Undead Scourge can actually cannibalize dead enemy corpses to gain vitality. Another unit of this same group, the abomination, actually has part of its flesh exposed, which vaguely shows some internal organs.

Read the rest here. It is interesting to note that Blizzard did no land well with these people. Their previous hit, Diablo 2, was their lowest rated game ever.

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Kudos to striko_514 for the news.

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Thanks to 2xtreme21 for the update!

Which of the new player units in the Frozen Thron sounds the coolest?
Dragon Hawk	39	3%
Spellbreaker	223	18%
Bat Rider	59	5%
Spirit Walker	143	12%
Fairy Dragon	129	10%
Mountain Giant	145	12%
Obsidian Statue	85	7%
Black Sphinx	287	23%
Daboo?	122	10%
TOTAL	1232	100 %

It looks like the Black Sphinx is the by far the most popular unit, and the reasons are obvious. After all, who would get excited by a hug, flying terror that devours spells for breakfast? The Spellbreak was second, again for his cool anti-magic abilities. In fact, every anti-caster seemed pretty high on the list, I guess everyone just tired of the mass casters that we see right now.

In V2.2 of Neo Gladiators, there four new heroes to choose from, a cooler skill system as well as many more bug fixes. This, on top of the original features, such as a responsive and intelligent AI, a betting system, dozens of Game Types, all make this THE Warcraft 3 Gladiator Map.

Download it here.

Are you a talented map maker? Got a scenario to share? Be sure to upload it.

Thanks for the update MagnaMothy88!

We thank everyone for participating in our Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne beta test signups. We’re now reviewing the applications and will notify selected testers by email within the next several weeks.

Please note that we can neither accept any additional applications nor make any changes to the information on anyone’s current application. Also note that we are unable to comment on the status of any application prior to the email announcements going out, so please refrain from contacting us regarding your application.

We’re looking forward to an extremely productive beta test. While we haven’t yet determined an end date for the test, we expect it to last at least 8 weeks, if not longer.

Visit our Beta Information Center for further Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne beta news, and please be sure to visit our Web site regularly for extensive coverage after the beta test goes live!

Congrats to all the winners! If you are one the select few that gets chosen for the beta, be sure to drop us a line, or post at our forums about it. Screenshots would be very much welcomed!

Now in the second partition, we get to the advanced stuff. Find out the deadly hero kill sequence, micro-management, supporting units and specific things you do against specific enemy builds. This is good stuff!

• The Art of Crypt Fiends: Part I
• The Art of Crypt Fiends: Part II
• Strategy Index
• Comment

A Talented Warcraft 3 player? Be sure to send us your guide!

Not only will these dudes add new flavor to the game, they'll also add new humor. I mean, can it get any better that than bashing the enemy with a massive Panda? Well take a look at the information we have:

• Mercenary Heroes
• Frozen Throne Index

We'll keep you updated

Thanks to Noisetank13 for the news.

Gamespot released a preview of the upcoming expansion for WarCraft III. While it doesn't contain that much new information, it does include a whole heap of new screenshots, including a long awaited image of the Pandaren Brewmaster. Go take a look.

Noisetank13...you're a lifesaver for news when I go to class...thanks. =)

The Crypt Fiend is a viable alternative. In the correct hands, these monster's are deadly, and Neobie will show you how:

• The Art of Crypt Fiends: Part 1
• Strategy Index
• Comment

A great Warcraft 3 player? Be sure to send us your strategy!

• Thread of Darkness: Chapter 1
• Stories Index
• Comment

A talented author? Be sure to submit your work.

Thanks to Ojan for the reminder.

Unfortunately, with most players, their strategy is set at the start of the game. Today, Nightmyre addresses this matter with his new guide. If you're that moderate player seeking for that extra leap in skill, versatility might just be what you need.

• Versatility
• Strategy Guide
• Comment

A talented Warcraft 3 player? Be sure to send us your strategy.

How Often do you visit the Infoceptor Forums?
Daily	199	25%
Weekly	75	9%
Occasionally	128	16%
Almost Never	279	34%
Forums?	128	16%
TOTAL	809	100 %

As one can expect, the vast majority of people either were part of the community, and hence visited often, or were not part of it, and hence never visited it all. It, is however, good to see that nearly a quarter of you do participate, and help make Infoceptor what it is today. As for those who don't, give it a try some time, you'll find the experience interesting.

In Lord of the Rings Hero Defence, you and up to 9 other players take the role of heroes as you try to protect Friday from Sauron's forces. Featuring 13 levels, with bosses for each, and an ever increasing amount of enemy troops, this is great scenario for them big matches at a Cubercafe or LAN Party.

Download it here.

Got a cool scenario? Upload it now. A Huge archive of maps can be found in our Map Index.

• The Undead will be able to build an Obsidian Statue, a powerful support unit that acts as a a mobile moon well.
• The Obsidian Statue can be upgraded into a Black Sphinx, a powerful anticaster.
• Scarabs can also Burrow
• The New Orc unit will be the Spirit Walker

Be sure to give it a read. Want to discuss it? Check our Frozen Throne Forum.

Starting Sunday, February 16, four upcoming series of action figures based on Blizzard Entertainment games will be on display at the American Toy Fair in New York City.

These figure looks very cool! Be sure to check them out. Kudos to Doc Sketchers for the news.

Remember though, signing up anytime this week gives you an equal chance of winning. Right now, the Battle.net servers went down due to overload, like usual, so errm, wait a little while.

Thanks to Chib for the link.

We'd like to thank KindGalaxy a second time for spending the 90 minutes it took to type this all out.

Remember, to catch all the dandy screenshots and everything else, check out the March Issue of the magazine... if you're an Australian of course.

Thanks to Khasandro for the information. Good luck to all those signing up for the beta!

• Scarabs are summoned from corpses. However, they do not have a time duration, and can last forever.
• There will be two new item types, staves and powerups. The former has unlimited charges but a cooldown, while the second is used the instant its picked up.
• Neutral Building: Goblin Shipyards, where you can by sea transports.
• Undead Rangers will have Black Arrow, Silence and Charm.
• Flamestrike can kill archers outright on its highest level, but to balance it, it has a delayed casting, like Comet in Diablo II.

Sounds interesting? We've got a full summary, with tonnes of new information, exclusive information. Be sure to read it.

• Starcraft: Magic the Gathering Cards

Got suggestions? Post here.

• Frozen Throne Units: The Undead

We'll keep you informed!

• Bane: Prologue
• Stories Index
• Comment

A Talented writer? Publish your own work via our submission guidelines.

Which Warcraft 3 Expansion Hero do you think sounds the coolest?
Crypt Lord	364	25%
Blood Mage	504	34%
Night Elf Warden	253	17%
Troll Shadow Hunter	260	18%
Eh?	93	6%
TOTAL	1474	100 %	..

Seems like the general stance is that offensive heroes are cooler than defensive ones. The Blood Mage took the lead with over 500 votes. What was surprising was that an interesting concept like the Warden got the least votes, perhaps its because Blizzard has released very little visuals of the unit.

This Dark Wizard stronghold is admired for the raw power of its inhabitants and the pristine manner in which it's maintained. Prepare yourself for a conquest that will rival the legends.

Well made, well balanced, it's a fresh map that's great of a Lan Party. Download it here.

Got a Scenario? Be sure to publish it.

The genius of Warcraft III lies in the brilliant execution of its story and the fully developed characters.  For possibly the first time in an RTS game, the story doesn't play second- or third-fiddle to base-building, unit creation, or any other RTS malarkey.  Instead, the engaging saga of the battle for Azeroth unfolds brilliantly from the very first mission, you actually care about what happens to the game's characters.

Take, for example, the end of the human campaign, where Arthas edges a little to closely to the dark side and succumbs to its foul trappings handled with seamless elegance.  Warcraft III is not just the RTS game of 2002, it's a new high-water mark for the entire genreand temptations.  The moment where Arthas slays his father was a stroke of genius, and left me absolutely floored.  My hero was now the villain?  I absolutely had to see how all of this craziness would play out.  On top of its towering story, Warcraft III features some dazzling visuals, with highly detailed and nicely animated characters, and controls that are the essence of simplicity, with all of the lveling up and spell effects, the game's controls could've become a muddled mess, but the processes were.

Not Bad... Kudos again, to Business for the news.

So, you're watching your new expansion become completed, micromanaging your troop production, or just all around slacking off and waiting for more units. Your heroes and/or army are idling around outside your town. Suddenly, you hear, nearly simultaneously, "Your forces are under attack" and "Your hero has fallen". Quickly, you zoom to the action, and notice that your hero has just been wiped out by coil/nova/swarm, and your army is being ripped to shreds. "WTF", you think, "I coulda easily handled that army a second ago". You've just been the target of effective recon

This is again, one of those most useful tips, applicable to every race that you play. So be sure to give it a read:

• Recon and Invisibility
• Strategy Index
• Comment

A talented Warcraft 3 player? We want your guide! Be sure to send it in.

One should take note of the movie industry, which can sell tickets to minors as they please, and cannot be reprimanded. Now, wait a minute...it's illegal for a store to sell Diablo II to an underage kid, yet, it's not illegal for a movie theater to sell him a ticket to see any R rated movie?

Am I the only one who sees something very wrong with this?

Check out the news post by CNN here.

We are aware that some Diablo II players are equipping their characters with hacked items. These items are unfairly enhancing their characters, which in turn is giving them an unfair advantage over players who are playing fairly. This problem has been made a high priority and will be resolved. In the meantime, please do not use or trade these items. We will continue to keep you informed as we get closer to implementing a solution.

Please note that Blizzard Entertainment continues to maintain an extremely aggressive policy against the use of hacks and cheats in our games. Using a hack or cheat while playing a Blizzard game online can result in permanent removal from Battle.net.

As always, we appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter. If you would like to report additional instances of hacking or cheating, please contact us at hacks@blizzard.com. Thank you again for your continued support.

--Blizzard Entertainment

Best of luck to Blizzard, and word to the wise, if an item looks to good to be true, well, it probably is. But of course, you all knew that right?

• [MERC]Deathblade has published the third map in his series 'Night Elve's Scorn'. Featuring a tonne of new units, it's even better than the first two. Try it here.
• Want a Realistic Battle of Helm's Deep? SugarBoy  has sent in the third version of his original map which won the Map of the Week. There's new Ladder's, imrproved Gandalf AI and tonnes more. Be sure to give it a try.

Remember, if youv'e got a cool scenerio, you can upload it. For other great scenerios, check out our Map Archive.

• Humerus: Chapter 8
• Stories Archive

A talented write? Publish your own tale via our submission guidelines.

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• Ancient of War
• Comment

Fan Art? Be sure to submit it.

This week's guide focuses one early game tactics, so that you make the intelligent decision during the start game. Should you harass the enemy, or should you creep? When is it best to expand, and when is it best to tech? Find out in this guide

• Early Game Tactics
• Strategy Index
• Comment

Got a strategy? Be sure to submit it.

Now that you've seen the previews, are you impressed with what the Warcraft 3 Expansion has to offer?
Hell Yeah!	691	60%
Kind of	318	28%
No Way	64	6%
Daboo?	76	7%
TOTAL	1149	100 %	..

It looks like Frozen Throne will be a popular game, judging by the opinions of our views. The great majority were more than pleased at what Blizzard promised, and there's very few left unsatsifed. So, provided those promises can be delivered, we're in for hell of an expanion.