Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne |
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Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne cover
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| Developer(s) | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Director(s) | Frank Pearce Jr. |
| Producer(s) | Chris Sigaty |
| Designer(s) | Rob Pardo |
| Writer(s) | Chris Metzen |
| Composer(s) |
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| Series | Warcraft |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne is an exciting expansion pack for the popular video game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. It's a real-time strategy game made by Blizzard Entertainment. It came out around the world on July 1, 2003, for computers running Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.
The Frozen Throne continues the story from Reign of Chaos. It shows what happens after the first game ends. In the single-player story, you follow new heroes like the Night Elf warden Maiev Shadowsong and the Blood Elf prince Kael'Thas. The returning hero Arthas Menethil also plays a big part. There's also a separate story for the Horde, which was added in parts after the game first launched.
This expansion adds many new things to the game. You'll find new units, buildings, and heroes for each group of characters. There are also two new smaller groups of characters and five neutral heroes. The game also brought back sea units, which were not in Reign of Chaos. The online multiplayer mode, called Battle.net, got better too. It added features like clans, automatic tournaments, and new maps.
Work on The Frozen Throne started in October 2002, soon after the main game came out. It was officially announced on January 22, 2003. Before it was released, 20,000 players got to test out the new features. Blizzard has continued to update the game even after it launched. They add new content, balance changes, and support for newer computers.
Many critics liked The Frozen Throne. They often praised the single-player missions for being fun and different. The new units looked and sounded good. However, some critics thought the graphics were a bit old. By August 15, 2003, the game had sold over one million copies!
Contents
How to Play the Game
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne is a real-time strategy game. In this type of game, you control units and buildings to complete different goals. This expansion makes small improvements to the main game's play style.
The game changed how many units you could have and how much they cost. This lets players build slightly bigger armies. Buildings also cost less, so you can start your game faster. The way weapons and armor work was also updated. This means some units are now better or worse against certain enemies. New defense buildings help stop enemies from attacking too early.
When you defeat enemies, they might drop "runes." These runes can help your heroes get back health or mana (magic energy). The Frozen Throne also brought back naval battles. These were in Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness but were mostly missing from Warcraft III.
New Units and Heroes
Each main group in The Frozen Throne gets new units, buildings, and a new hero. Heroes are very strong units that you can only recruit once. There's also a new shop where your regular units can buy items.
Two new groups, the Naga and Draenei, were added. The Naga appear in all four stories. They have their own buildings and unique units. You can control them in some missions. The Draenei are only in one story. Blizzard calls them "creeps," which means they are neutral units that attack everyone.
The game also added five neutral heroes. You can hire these heroes in multiplayer games from a special building called the Tavern. The Tavern can also bring back fallen heroes, but it costs more resources.
Single-Player Story Missions
The single-player missions have more varied goals now. Sometimes you control many armies. Other times, you have only a few units to work with. Unlike previous Warcraft games, the main story doesn't include the orcs. Blizzard wanted to focus on a story where you control heroes more like in a RPG.
In these missions, you often don't build bases or gather resources. Instead, you focus on leveling up your heroes. The Horde story campaign has almost 40 special items just for it. Both story campaigns together add about 40 hours of new gameplay.
Multiplayer and Custom Maps
When you play against the computer, you can now choose how hard the opponent is. The online multiplayer mode got better with clans and automatic tournaments. These tournaments have a strict 30-minute time limit. You can also chat with other players while waiting for a game.
The expansion includes 62 new multiplayer maps. It also has custom scenarios based on popular fan-made maps. Up to twelve players can play at once. If a teammate leaves the game, their resources are now shown in a separate window. You can even transfer them to yourself.
The Frozen Throne also comes with an improved World Editor. This program lets you create your own maps and scenarios. The new editor lets you do more custom work. You can edit skills, use more functions, and add new units. You can also link multiple maps together. This means events on one map can affect another. The Horde campaign was made to show what the new World Editor could do.
Story of the Game
The Frozen Throne takes place in the fantasy world of Azeroth. In the first game, the human paladin Arthas Menethil became evil. He was controlled by the Lich King Ner'zhul, a powerful undead sorcerer. Arthas attacked the High Elves and turned their general, Sylvanas Windrunner, into an undead servant. He then helped the Burning Legion, a group of demons, invade Azeroth.
The demons were defeated by an alliance of elves, humans, and orcs. During this time, the Night Elf leader Tyrande Whisperwind freed Illidan Stormrage. Illidan then became half-demon and was cast out. After the demons were gone, a demon master named Kil'jaeden told Illidan to destroy the Lich King.
New Characters and Groups
The expansion introduces new groups to the Warcraft world. These include the Blood Elves, who used to be High Elves but now need magic. There are also the Naga, who are mutated Night Elves. The Draenei are the original people from the orc homeworld, now called Outland. Finally, the Pandaren are a race of traveling, human-like pandas.
The Frozen Throne follows several stories. You'll see the Night Elf warden Maiev Shadowsong chasing Illidan. You'll also follow Blood Elf prince Kael'thas as he struggles with the Alliance and then joins Illidan. Arthas tries to save the Lich King from Illidan's attack. Sylvanas Windrunner fights for her freedom.
The Horde story is separate from the others. It's a stand-alone adventure that feels more like an RPG. It tells the early story of the Horde's new kingdom. You play as the beastmaster hero Rexxar.
What Happens in the Story
Maiev Shadowsong chases Illidan to some islands. She finds Illidan has teamed up with the Naga. He also has a powerful item called the Eye of Sargeras. Maiev calls for help from Illidan's brother, Malfurion Stormrage, and his wife, Tyrande Whisperwind.
Illidan escapes with the Eye to the kingdom of Lordaeron. Tyrande is swept away by a river while helping some Blood Elves. Maiev tricks Malfurion into thinking Tyrande is dead. They capture Illidan and destroy the Eye. Illidan then reveals he was using it to destroy the Lich King. When Kael'thas tells Malfurion that Tyrande might be alive, Illidan helps Malfurion rescue her. Malfurion thanks Illidan and forgives him. Maiev still chases Illidan, who flees to Outland.
In Lordaeron, the Blood Elves are uneasy allies with Garithos, a human commander. Kael'thas can only complete his tasks with the help of Illidan's Naga. Garithos then arrests Kael'thas and his forces for treason. The Naga leader rescues them. They go to Outland and join Illidan, who promises to help them with their magic addiction. Together, they take over Outland.
Illidan's master, Kil'jaeden, finds Illidan. He plans to punish him for not destroying the Lich King. But Illidan says he went to Outland to gather forces for a new attack. Kil'jaeden decides not to punish him.
Arthas returns to the Undead lands of Lordaeron. Three demon lords rule there. Arthas tells them the demons were defeated. He then declares himself king. While clearing the kingdom with Sylvanas Windrunner and Kel'Thuzad, Arthas notices his powers are weaker. The Lich King contacts Arthas in his mind. He explains that Illidan's attacks are weakening him. He tells Arthas to come defend the Frozen Throne.
Arthas goes to Northrend. With the Lich King's help, he defeats Illidan in a fight. Arthas shatters the ice of the throne. He puts on the Lich King's helmet. This joins their souls, and Arthas becomes the new Lich King. Meanwhile, in Lordaeron, Sylvanas is freed from the Lich King's control. She kills the remaining demon lords and Garithos. She declares Lordaeron the home of the free undead, now called the "Forsaken."
Far away, Horde Warchief Thrall builds a new kingdom called Durotar. Rexxar, an adventurer, helps Thrall build the kingdom. He is helped by Rokhan, a troll. Rexxar learns that humans from Theramore plan to invade Durotar. Their leader, Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, does not accept the peace between humans and the Horde. With help from the admiral's daughter, Jaina Proudmoore, Rexxar attacks Theramore. He kills the admiral and leaves Jaina in charge of the city.
How the Game Was Made
Blizzard started thinking about the expansion right after the main game came out. Work began in October 2002. The Frozen Throne was officially announced on January 22, 2003. People had high hopes because Blizzard's previous expansion, StarCraft: Brood War, was very successful.
A main goal was to see how players used different characters and units. This helped them figure out what each group needed. For example, Orcs got a new way to heal units. Humans got a unit that could disable enemy towers from the air. When designing the stories, they made levels that fit the new heroes' abilities.
Blizzard first showed off the expansion in February 2003. They also showed the single-player story at a big event called E3 2003. Blizzard also hinted that the Naga would be a new playable group, but this didn't happen in the final game.
On February 14, 2003, Blizzard announced the first test for the game. 10,000 players got to try it. On March 10, 2003, 10,000 more players were chosen. On April 1, 2003, Blizzard joked that the Pandaren would be a new group. They even made a fake page about them. This was an April Fools' Day prank. However, the final game did include the Pandaren Brewmaster as a neutral hero. You could also unlock him in a secret mission.
On May 29, 2003, Blizzard announced the game was finished. It was released in North America on July 1, Australia on July 3, and Europe on July 4, 2003.
Blizzard kept supporting The Frozen Throne with new updates. These updates fixed problems and added new content. For example, they added more neutral heroes in May and August 2004. The game also only had the first part of the Horde story when it launched. The other two parts were released in an update in December 2003. This allowed Blizzard to use player feedback when making the later chapters. Many updates have been released for the game. In April 2018, Blizzard added proper widescreen support, more than 15 years after the game came out.
What Came After
The Horde story in The Frozen Throne set up many things for World of Warcraft. Many actions from the game were explored more in the online role-playing game. Other things introduced in the expansion became important in World of Warcraft expansions. For example, the Draenei and Blood Elves, and the world of Outland, were central to The Burning Crusade. Arthas becoming the Lich King was a big part of Wrath of the Lich King. The Pandaren race was featured in Mists of Pandaria.
In 2017, Blizzard released an expansion for their card game Hearthstone called Knights of the Frozen Throne. It has many references to The Frozen Throne. Most of the heroes added in The Frozen Throne also appear in the fighting game Heroes of the Storm. A Night Elf unit from the expansion, the Mountain Giant, appears as a boss in a Warcraft-themed battleground.
See also
In Spanish: Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne para niños
