Preview: World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
- October 13, 2008 14:08 PM PST
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We play the second WoW expansion pack and give you first impressions straight out of BlizzCon 2008.
Check OMGRPG.com for more coverage of BlizzCon 2008 and Wrath of the Lich King.
On November 13th, 2008, RPG lovers around the world will rejoice as Blizzard Entertainment releases their latest expansion to the behemoth MMO World of Warcraft. In Wrath of the Lich King players will be able to tour that frozen expanses of Northrend, battling the forces of the Scourge with newfound abilities and powers, and even a Hero Class fighting by their side. Wrath of the Lich King may not be the pinnacle of Blizzard's design prowess, but it is certainly by far the strongest piece in their portfolio to date. For PvE and PvP, for casual and hardcore, for lovers of lore and lovers of mechanics, this expansion has something for everyone.
Why Northrend?
For those who haven't had the chance to witness the beauty that is Warcraft III, Arthas Menethil was one of the most appealing and ultimately tragic characters in the Warcraft universe. In WC3 you play through the game as Arthas learns to embrace his inner demons and ultimately ushers in a plague of destruction upon his own people, even killing his own father. For most Warcraft enthusiasts, Arthas stands as the ultimate villain, and I for one am eager to take a swing at his ice-encrusted noggin for all the atrocities he's responsible for. Arthas Menethil is now known as the Lich King (yes, it's a bit more complicated than that, but I simplify here for those watching err...reading at home), and players will now get the chance to take the fight directly to his doorstep: the frozen continent of Northrend.
Death Knights: Badass to the Bone
If pressed to give only one answer to the question "Why should I buy Wrath of the Lich King?" it would have to be the Death Knight class. For any player who has leveled a character to level 55, the option is available to roll a Death Knight of any race and gender. The Death Knight begins their journey through Azeroth at level 55 with armor and abilities worthy of a Hero Class: i.e. they kick ass in the most awesome way.
The starting zone for Death Knights is unique in that it is phased separate from the regular WoW map and set several years in the past. The phasing technology is a new one, and enables the Blizzard developers to create pockets of content visible only to those who have met predetermined criteria. For instance, a Death Knight who has not finished the last battle at Light's Hope Chapel will not be able to travel around Azeroth with the rest of the players on his server because technically he is in a different phase of the game. The quests in the DK starting zone are some of the most inventive in the game, if much darker. Note to the squeamish: Don't roll a Death Knight if you have an aversion to torturing people, slaying helpless villagers, or slaughtering your own kind.
Each ability in the Death Knight's arsenal is delightfully powerful, from the ability to wrench foes from afar and deliver them within swinging distance to the summoning of ghoul minions that will do the fighting for you. If you can stomach the gruesome origins of the Death Knight, this is the class that every WoW lover will want to play come November.
Raiding Revamped
At this year's BlizzCon the Blizzard development team finally admitted that not everyone plays WoW the same way. Some join massive raiding guilds and slaughter every baddy from Onyxia to Archimond. Others play the game in small groups of 5 to 15 players, enjoying what content they can with their intimate band of friends. In Wrath every raid dungeon will include a 10-man version as well as a 25-man version. What exactly does this mean? Well, essentially it opens up the end-game content to all guilds, both casual and hardcore. No more will your guild composed only of coworkers at the local copy store pine away wondering what the inside of the Sunwell looks like. Everyone will be able to see the brilliant design that went into creating the raid encounters, and there is plenty to ooh and ah over in these new raid dungeons.
At BlizzCon 2008, developers introduced convention goers to the fight with Malygos, the Aspect of the Blue Dragonflight. Within this simple encounter is one lone dragon, capable of destroying dozens of heroes. What makes this raid dungeon so unique is the fact that players will get the chance to use novel tactics, such as siege weapons, in order to defeat this awesome creature. Although the fight is difficult, Blizzard assures us that there will be nothing in Wrath of the Lich King as insanely difficult as we saw with the Sunwell in The Burning Crusade. They want players to have fun, not spend hours upon hours attempting one boss hundreds of times.
The Pleasure of PvP
If raiding is not your thing, perhaps we can tempt you with the news that PvP is getting the once-over with Wrath of the Lich King. Keeping in the spirit that "not everyone plays WoW the same," Blizzard is introducing new and novel ways to engage in player vs. player combat, as well as new ways to get rewarded to engaging in the various types of PvP in the game. As it stands now, a PvP lover will have to master Arena combat in order to get the best PvP gear available, but not so in Wrath. In the next expansion, players that live to run battlegrounds such as Arathi Basin and Alterac Valley will also have access to high end PvP gear appropriate to their achievements.
Most exciting of all is the introduction of Wintergrasp, a world PvP zone with meaning and with fun. Players will fight for domination of this point of the map using catapults, siege weapons and bombs, breaking into and then defending a citadel against the opposing faction. As a reward for winning the battle, the victorious faction will get access to a special raid instance, as well as daily quests and special loot purchased within Wintergrasp itself. If all PvP within the game were this much fun I doubt I would do much else.
Wrath of the Lich King is beautiful, in design and execution, and is one of the most delightful MMO experiences out there to date. When November 13th rolls around, you will most definitely want to tie your courage to the sticking post and set sail for Northrend, where adventure awaits every type of MMO player. Getting the chance to dig in hands first this weekend and wallow in the awesomeness has only made me that much more eager to own my piece of the frozen continent.
Be sure to go to OMGRPG.com for more details and information about Wrath of the Lich King!
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- Oct 20 2008 at 06:40:40:PM PST
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WoW is getting old not that many new updates plus $15 a month. No thanks.
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Say what you will.... but I think WoW is a great game, and I can't wait to play the Xpac.
BTW Wong, the latest content patch last week had loads of new content, including the new level 80 talents, barbershop, and achievements system.
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When it's as big and comprehensive as WoW, it's definitely worth the money. If you're into that kind of stuff, that is.
Personally, I'm a big fan, not really having played it that much myself, but this will give my mates more stories to tell me and for me to enjoy in the weeks to come.
Thanks blizzard. And keep this quality of work coming, I hope this translates into just as much work and energy being put into starcraft and diablo. Those are definitely games I'm waiting on.
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If it's free MMO-age you want, there are plenty out there. But if it's quality you want, a top-notch game with innovation and a rich history and community, you're going to have to pay a subscription fee. A game like WoW is just too popular, and Blizzard isn't willing to pay for their games by putting Sprite and Gelette shave gels ads in the cities.
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Well I haven't played WoW in about a year so I guess it's time to get back in the habit. =)
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Mandifesto wrote:
If it's free MMO-age you want, there are plenty out there. But if it's quality you want, a top-notch game with innovation and a rich history and community, you're going to have to pay a subscription fee. A game like WoW is just too popular, and Blizzard isn't willing to pay for their games by putting Sprite and Gelette shave gels ads in the cities.
I second that motion fuck in game advertising!
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I'm glad they invented phase...oh wait, guild wars has been doing that all along.
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It could be that both the GW team and Blizzard have created technologies that are different but named the same. I can't personally say because my Guild Wars experience was limited due to boredom, but I believe they relie almoste entirely on instanced play. There is no adventuring outside the instance, and so this would not be the same thing as the phasing system in WoW where all players are in the same zone but may or may not see eachother depending on what stage of a quest they are on.
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