Here is a brief description of the many features available in World of Warcraft:

• Factions - The World of Warcraft will consist of two opposed factions: The Alliance , consisting of Dwarves, Humans, Gnomes, and Night Elves; and The Horde , which consists of Orcs, Tauren, Troll, and Undead.

• Updates - Blizzard plans to provide additional monthly content, including new adventures, quests, and items.

• Quests - A robust quest system. For more information on quests, click here .

• Interface - A simple, easy to use interface, which offers twelve hotkeys across the top of the keyboard from 1 to "+".

• Combat - Combat damage will not cause "spam" in your chat box, however, it is still very easy to monitor your health and the health of your party. Damage appears on your character portrait, and the health bar changes color based on the amount of wounds you've taken.

• Groups - Grouping will feature prominently in World of Warcraft. Currently, groups are limited to five members, but there will also be a method for linking groups for larger events, such as raids.

• Emotes - There will be plenty of emotes in World of Warcraft, including all your MMORPG favorites and some new ones too!

• World - Explore many rich environments, ranging from underwater shipwrecks, to the depths of historical sites such as Blackrock Spire.

• PvP - 10% of the game world will be dedicated to player vs. player (pvp) encounters. There will be prestige awards associated with pvp, in the form of unique items awarded through arena combat, or from defeating high level creeps in the frontier areas.

• Inventory - A very simple inventory system without weight requirements. Simply drag and drop items into your backpacks, of which you'll be able to carry five.

• Banks - You will be able to access your loot at all banks in major cities (although it has not been confirmed whether you will be able to use the opposing Faction's banks), and you'll be able to store everything you'd ever need, elimiating the need to create "mules."

• Dungeons - Hundreds of small dungeons, and several large dungeons. For more information on dungeons, click here .

• Skills - A detailed, but simple, skill system. Skills consist of three types:

  • Primary or Core Skills : The basic skills for each class that advance with use each level.
  • Secondary Skills : Unique skills which require skill points to improve. Examples are: Alchemy, Cooking, Engineering, Herbalism, Lock Picking, and Mount Riding.
  • Talents :The way to specialize your character and make him / her unique. Examples are: Weapon Specialization, Increased Attribute.