Blizzard’s European site has a new Insider interview with World of Warcraft lead producer J. Allen Brack and art director Chris Robinson about the lessons learned developing the Sunwell Plateau and the challenges in building the icy continent of Northrend for the upcoming Wrath of the Lich King expansion.

Robinson explains that Wrath of the Lich King will have a much more grounded, traditional look than Burning Crusade, favoring Nordic and gothic designs to Outland’s bizarre alien landscapes and equipment. The art team is busy creating as many new items that reflect this art style as possible. “From the get-go, players will earn trophies of war that are very ‘Northrendy’ — for example, say, a two-handed axe that’s made of a dragon jaw, covered with spikes, leather, and other traditional materials,” says Robinson. “We want players to see the new gear and think, ‘Yeah, that guy’s been to Northrend.’”

Robinson also detailed their visual design philosophy for the continent itself, explaining, “The relatively green and ‘temperate’ starting areas will be fairly densely populated, but as the story progresses we expect players to get more spread out. By slowly adding more and more snow, we can enhance that growing sense of isolation and dread. It’s very much what Arthas must have experienced when he wandered the wastes of Northrend after destroying Mal’Ganis.”

According to Brack, the giant turtles of Warcraft II will be making a return in the expansion, acting as transports between the two starting zones on either end of the crescent-shaped continent of Northrend. Brack describes this solution to the problem of placing the two starting zones so far apart as “simple, effective, grounded in Warcraft lore, but … also one of those light moments that are so important to create the iconic Warcraft feel.”

Brack also reiterated Arthas’ role as arch-nemesis in the upcoming expansion. Blizzard wants players of all playstyles – from the casual PvPer to the hardcore raider – to interact with the titular Lich King from the onset. In Burning Crusade, only the top game’s top raiders ever saw villains Illidan and Kael’thas.

In closing, yes Blizzard, you can have all of my money.

Fury of the Sunwell and Beyond [WoW Europe via WoW Insider]