With the opening of the Dark Portal, and the renewed war to stop the Burning Crusade's destruction of worlds, the heroes of Azeroth have given little thought to the frozen wastes of Northrend -- and the terrible, ancient powers that wait there. Yet the brooding evils of the fallen Nerubian empire and their malevolent sovereign have not forgotten Azeroth?

The former death knight and now Lich King Arthas has set in motion events that could lead to the extinction of all life in Azeroth, as his undead armies and the necromantic power of the plague threaten to sweep across the land. Only the mightiest heroes can survive the frozen northlands with any hope of disrupting the plans of Arthas -- and perhaps even challenge the Lich King himself and end his reign of terror for all time.

• New character class: the necromantic Death Knight
• New continent: Northrend, the icy domain of the Lich King
• New level cap of 80, including mighty new powers and talents
• Epic siege warfare and destructible buildings
• New profession: Inscription
• New character-customization options, new dungeons, and much, much more