World of Warcraft Gets Universal Binary, Gameplay Improvements

by , 3:15 PM EST, February 7th, 2006

Blizzard Entertainment on Tuesday released version 1.9.3 of World of Warcraft, which gives the massively multi-player role-playing game (MMORPG) compatibility with Apple's new Intel-based iMac and MacBook Pro. While the game runs acceptably with Rosetta on the computers, this enables it to achieve the impressive performance shown by the company during last month's Macworld Expo.

Players need to simply log in to the game to download and install the latest update. Blizzard cautioned that the minimum version of Mac OS X is now 10.3.9; the game will not launch in earlier editions.

The publisher's release notes for the patch also hint at special world events that will happen on Valentine's Day, which is Feb. 14. Blizzard typically celebrates holidays within Azeroth, and that day will be no different. "Be on the lookout for amorous individuals!" the company said in the notes. "Put on that special perfume or cologne, express your love, and receive gifts in return!"

Other changes to the game include various character class and profession improvements, tweaks to the Alterac Valley battleground and modifications to several items, quests, raids and dungeons. In addition, the bug that caused players to dismount in certain Undercity areas has been fixed, and the Royal Dreadguards, Undercity Guardians and Ironforge Guards now detect opposing players at the same distance as other cities' guards.

A Night Elf poses for the camera