World of Warcraft Patch 2.4.0 - US/AUS

Brace yourself for the Fury of the Sunwell, the next content patch for World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. You have traveled through the Dark Portal and braved the perils of Outland; you faced off against the might of the Burning Legion itself, and you prevailed. Now the journey that began with the arrival of the draenei on Azeroth and the blood elves' inclusion into the Horde is about to come full circle as a mighty army gathers to purge evil from one of Azeroth's most important loci of power: the ancient, magical Sunwell.

Explore the mystical grounds of the new 5-person dungeon, Magisters' Terrace, where one of the Burning Crusade's most notorious villains is preparing to make his desperate last stand. Lead your raid group straight into the heart of the Sunwell Plateau to confront the most terrifying and deadly agents of the Burning Legion. But beware, for your enemies will not go down without a fight. Expect the demons to send in their most ferocious, brutal, and powerful officers. Your greatest challenge yet awaits.

The new dungeon and raid content is not the only new addition of this upcoming patch. More than a dozen new daily quests will provide fresh new challenges, and a brand-new faction stands ready to reward you for your bravery and commitment. The call goes out to the strongest, most cunning, and bravest heroes to join the Shattered Sun Offensive in the battle to reclaim the Sunwell.

Sunwell Plateau
For millennia the mystical pool of energy known as the Sunwell fueled the potent magic of the exiled high elves. The Sunwell's inexhaustible power permeated the elves and infused them with a constant supply of arcane energy. For generations the high elves protected and cherished the well, benefiting from its powers even when outside the borders of their homeland, Quel'Thalas.

Although the elves sustained heavy losses in the Troll Wars and the Second War against the Horde, the Sunwell remained secure... until the coming of the Scourge. Without warning the death knight Arthas, a mighty servant of the Lich King, led his undead armies in a merciless attack upon the elven kingdom.

Undeterred by the desperate struggles of the elven defenders, the Scourge marched on toward the Sunwell, slaughtering any who attempted to bar their path. The legendary king Anasterian Sunstrider faced off against Arthas in an attempt to slow the undead advance, but even his unyielding will and extraordinary powers proved insufficient against the merciless death knight.

With the elven capital lying in ruin, Arthas marched triumphantly to the Sunwell and tossed the bones of the fallen necromancer Kel'Thuzad into the radiant beam of light. With this act the sacred well was instantly corrupted. Knowing he had sealed the fate of the high elves, Arthas departed with the newly resurrected Kel'Thuzad to carry on in service of the Lich King. Many of the Scourge, however, remained behind to prey upon the few elves who had not yet fallen.

The ranger Lor'themar Theron organized the remaining survivors to fight the undead, but it was the return of Prince Kael'thas that brought the elves a fragment of renewed hope.

Tragically Kael'thas soon learned that the greatest danger to his people was posed not by the Scourge, but by the Sunwell itself. The corrupted powers of the well still permeated not only the elves, but all that they had built. Given enough time, the vile necromantic energies would kill the elves and spread an incurable poison throughout the surrounding land.

Kael'thas painfully concluded that the Sunwell, the heart of their society, must be destroyed.

And so he executed a plan that would irrevocably change the fate of his people. With the aid of the most powerful remaining magi, accompanied by Lor'themar and a party of volunteer defenders, Kael'thas succeeded in destroying the mystical Sunwell.

Or so he thought.

The Sunwell's energies had been dispersed, and yet not all of its essence was lost. A mysterious individual named Borel gathered what remained of the energies and hid them away in the guise of a mortal girl, Anveena.

In the aftermath of the Sunwell's destruction, Kael'thas declared that his people would be forever known as the sin'dorei, or blood elves, so they would never forget those who had fallen in defense of their homeland.

Although the Sunwell's threat was ended, Kael'thas could not have foreseen the effect its loss would have on his people. The elves suffered terribly from withdrawal, for many of them had been infused with the arcane energies of the well all their lives. Only in the absence of the Sunwell did the blood elves come to realize how addicted they had grown to its powers. Over time the elves grew ill, and the youngest and oldest among them died. Determined to find a cure for his people's crippling addiction, Prince Kael'thas sought a renewed source of arcane power, and he soon fell into the service of the demon Illidan Stormrage.

With Illidan's aid, the blood elves found a temporary reprieve, learning to siphon the magical energies of others to ease their own suffering. As Kael'thas joined the fight against Illidan's many enemies, the prince came to rely more and more on fel energy: the dark and corrupting essence wielded by the demonic Burning Legion itself.

Now, bristling with newfound power, Kael'thas has turned his back on his former master, Illidan, and has finally returned to Quel'Thalas, promising final deliverance to his people. To this end he has harnessed the mortal possessor of the Sunwell's energies, Anveena. Yet many believe that the prince's exposure to fel energies has made him unstable, and that he has sought out a new master, a demon lord of the Burning Legion so terrible that even the mighty Illidan would tremble in fear at the sound of his name:

Kil'jaeden.
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Sunwell Isle
With the next patch, the Sunwell Isle will be available for play. This area includes a new quest hub and 5-player and 25-player instances. Join the Shattered Sun Offensive in shutting down Kael'thas' nefarious operations. This new force is comprised by both the Aldor and Scryers and is led by the naaru. Players will take part in claiming Sun's Reach and setting up a larger base of operations to stop Kael'thas and the Legion.
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New Daily Quests
The combined forces of Shattrath have launched an attack on the Isle of Quel'Danas, to confront Kael'thas and the Legion at the Sunwell and surrounding areas. Players will be able to gain reputation with the Shattered Sun Offensive and participate in a new set of daily quests, including new daily dungeon quests for both the heroic and non-heroic five-person Magisters' Terrace dungeon at the Sunwell. And last but not least, this update will increase the daily quest limit to 25.
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Global Arena Tournament
Players will now be able to create level-70 characters with epic equipment on special tournament realms and compete in a new global arena tournament. For more information, details, and entry requirements, please visit the official tournament pages.
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UI Improvements
The combat log has undergone improvements that allow more robust combat text filtering including the ability to define custom colors for enemies and friends, as well as combat text filtering for self and others.