Blizzard formally announces the next World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King. The Northrend continent, a new tradeskill, higher level cap and 'Death Knight' class have all been presented, along with a new battleground including dynamic buildings. A playable demo will be available for players at BlizzCon throughout the event.

Blizzard's official statement at BlizzCon:

"Blizzard Entertainment's latest expansion to World of Warcraft - Wrath of the Lich King - opens up the harsh, icy continent of Northrend for adventuring and exploration. New levels of power will be achieved, as players quest their way to the extended level cap of 80 - and then use all of their newly won might to battle the undead armies of the fallen Nerubian empire. Ultimately, players must face the dread Lich King Arthas himself.

Some of the highlights you will learn more about at BlizzCon:

-The dark, necromantic Death Knight - the first new character class added to World of Warcraft since its launch

-Northrend, the harsh, icy continent where the Lich King holds sway - complete with new zones, quests, items and monsters.

-New level cap of 80 - including access to mighty new powers and talents

-New Battlegrounds featuring epic siege warfare and destructible buildings

-Expanding character customization options, including: new hairstyles & dances, the ability to change the hairstyles of existing characters, and new skin color variants

The new tradeskill will be called 'Inscription'. Inscription will allow players to permanently enhance existing abilities and spells. Imagine it as being an enchant on your abilities rather then an item.

The Death Knight has been officially tagged as a 'Hero Class' by Frank Pierce. Details are still unclear as to how this game aspect is accessed and how it will effect the competitive Arena system, but things look to be significantly changing.

Blizzard plans to have several panels with developers for elaborating on the expansion and on WoW PvP in general. Stay tuned!