The first part of this panel was an inside look at how dungeons are created in World of Warcraft. The first step to making any dungeon is thinking of an epic idea. We go through a list of questions to form the idea of this dungeon: Where is this place? Who lives here? What will the player do? And why is this dungeon epic?

The next step is to create a 2D layout of the dungeon that shows how players will flow through the dungeon, where the encounters will be, and any specific points of interest.

We then begin the process of blocking out the dungeon and creating a 3D structure following the layout. This version is playable in the game. We check the scale of the dungeon many times at this point to ensure it gives the proper feeling and atmosphere for players going through it.

In the final stages, we work on interactive objects like doors, elevators, and destructible objects. Through this whole process we work very closely with our art team to ensure everything looks great.

The next phase is where we create encounters. It always starts off with a brainstorm of ideas, so everything we can think of is a possibility. During this brainstorm we also try to identify any new tech that we can use in the encounters as well as new art. It is very important that we provide variety from one encounter to another and really determine what will be fun for players to experience.

To bring these ideas to life we use a propriety tool called “Wowedit.” Yes, we really went all-out with the clever and original names for our tools. We use this tool for creature placement, spell/ability creation, and any scripting that needs to be done for an encounter, such as phases where different things are happening.

After that, it’s playtesting time! The design team always plays the encounters first, as we will often require a lot of iterations before we’re satisfied with them. It then moves on to testing by our quality assurance department and eventually on our Public Test Realms. During testing, we listen very closely to all the feedback that comes in; something may sound fun on paper but turn out differently when playing.

We are committed to the quality of our work and know our players have high expectations for everything we create. To fulfill this we try to not only create great epic dungeons but always aim to make each one better than those that have come before.

The second part of the panel went on to preview several of the new 5-player dungeons that will be released in Cataclysm or in a future content patch for Wrath of the Lich King.

The first one was Abyssal Maw. This dungeon is one of the two new 5-player dungeons that are located in the Sunken City of Vashjir. This dungeon will give players a non-linear experience located on the ocean floor. We have also made some great graphical improvements in our water effects that will be featured prominently here.

The next dungeon we saw was the first of two 5-player dungeons that will be located in the lost deserts of Uldum. We are focusing on making this epic Titan dungeon into a non-linear experience as well, and players will once again encounter the ever-adventurous dwarf, Brann Bronzebeard.

The panelists also went into details on a new wing that is being developed in the old favorite, Blackrock Spire. It will be an entirely new dungeon located in Blackrock Mountain, and gives us a chance to reinvent a classic area. Players will be able to explore this and figure out why the Twilight’s Hammer is here and whether or not there really was only one Beast.

After that, the panel went on to talk about raid dungeons, the first being Icecrown Citadel, which will be released in patch 3.3. This is the home of the Lich King and his Scourge army. The waypoints used in Ulduar received a lot of positive feedback, so we plan to use those again in this dungeon. We are currently planning to implement 12 epic encounters, including battles against the ultimate Frost Wyrm, Sindragosa, and the Lich King himself! This dungeon will also include a new 5-player dungeon with 8 bosses spread across three separate wings.

The next raid dungeon is called Blackwing Depths. This will be an entirely new raid based on the original and classic favorite, Blackwing Lair. Unlike Naxxramas, this dungeon will include brand-new art, items, and creatures. A possible appearance (with updates) of some old friends is possible too…

The developers then went on to show us the new World of Warcraft: Cataclysm raid dungeon called The Firelands. This is a 10- and 25-player raid dungeon in the elemental plane of fire, and is an exterior raid zone like Ahn’Qiraj 20 or the Caverns of Time Battle of Mount Hyjal. This plane is the home of our old friend Ragnaros, the Lord of Fire. Here players will be able to fight him again, but this time he will be at his full strength.

To wrap up this panel, we talked about the five-year anniversary event, Onyxia! She is receiving several updates including updated encounter mechanics and new loot. There was a definite assurance to everybody that there will be more deep breath randomization than ever before!

That’s it for this year’s Raid and Dungeon panel. See you next BlizzCon!