March 20, 2009 6:00 AMBlizzard Entertainment has redesigned its Battle.net website and is offering World of Warcraft players the chance to merge their account(s) with a new battle.net account. The new battle.net will be the online starting point for World of Warcraft and any future titles, including StarCraft II and Diablo III.Q: What is a Battle.net Account?A: As part of our ongoing improvements to Battle.net, we are introducing a centralized account system that will let players manage all of their Blizzard Entertainment games, including World of Warcraft and future games, in one place without having to remember multiple sets of login information. Q: What are the benefits of creating and using a Battle.net Account?A: The new Battle.net Account allows you to log in to World of Warcraft, manage purchases at the online Blizzard Store, keep track of CD keys for your Blizzard Entertainment games, access our websites (such as the World of Warcraft Armory), opt in to upcoming beta tests, and more using a single login -- just your email address and a password. In the future, we plan to add more features, including tools to make it easier for friends to communicate between games and to help bring our community of players closer together. Q: How are World of Warcraft accounts related to Battle.net Accounts?A: Think of a Battle.net Account as a keyring that can hold up to 8 World of Warcraft accounts. To merge a World of Warcraft account with a Battle.net Account, visit the Battle.net / World of Warcraft Account Merge page and follow the instructions there. Repeat the process for each World of Warcraft account you wish to merge. Q: I already have a classic Battle.net account that I made for StarCraft, Warcraft III, and/or Diablo II. Can I just use that?A: No, the new Battle.net Accounts are separate from classic Battle.net accounts for StarCraft, Warcraft III, and Diablo II. To allow for the Battle.net features we have planned, we’ve built the new Battle.net Account system from the ground up for World of Warcraft and upcoming games such as StarCraft II and Diablo III. In order to play Warcraft III, Diablo II, and StarCraft on Battle.net, you will still need to log in using your “classic” Battle.net login information. Q: Why will Battle.net accounts be mandatory to play World of Warcraft in the future?A: With the upcoming releases of StarCraft II and Diablo III, having one unified account system allows us to ensure the highest-quality user experience and customer support for our players. In addition, the new Battle.net Account system will give World of Warcraft players access to certain future Battle.net service features and updates (as applicable). Click over to the links below for more information.Battle.netNew Battle.net FAQBlizzard Entertainment