There’s no denying that Blizzard’s MMORPG title, World of Warcraft, is the most successful MMO in the history of the genre, as well as one of the most successful titles ever. Pulling record numbers for a subscription-based online game, World of Warcraft is a title that transcends its genre to become something that gamers and non-gamers alike can get together and enjoy. Early last year, Blizzard launched the first expansion for their beloved MMO, The Burning Crusade. The Burning Crusade not only added in two new classes and allowed for Horde players to play as a paladin class (as the Blood Elf race), but also added in some great new areas to explore, including some fantastic new high-level areas in the new Outland area.The latest expansion for the game, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King doesn’t add any new races, but adds plenty of fantastic new elements that no WoW player should be without. From the new Death Knight class that can be accessed by players with character level 55 and higher, to the great new story elements involving the return of the fallen king Arthas, and an awesome new continent to explore, the frozen land of Northrend. While you will need to be at level 55 or above to really begin to take advantage of the major updates that the expansion brings to the table, its added content makes it more than a worthy purchase for any WoW gamer.
Wrath of the Lich King adds some compelling new story elements for fans of the Warcraft universe, reintroducing the land of Northrend and the fallen king of Lordaeron, Arthas. For those unfamiliar with the story arc presented in Warcraft III and its expansion, The Frozen Throne, Arthas is somewhat the “Darth Vader” of the Warcraft franchise, a once promising paladin and prince who was corrupted into becoming the evil Lich King, ruler of the Undead Scourge and the frozen continent of Northrend. The Lich King’s powers are increasing and getting ready for a new assault on the land, thus requiring you to travel to Northrend in order to stop the onslaught.One of the biggest new features introduced in Wrath of the Lich King is the first of the Hero Classes, the Death Knight. Once you have a character who hits level 55, you’ll unlock the ability to create a separate Death Knight character on the same server (you need an open character slot to do this). Your Death Knight will start out at level 55, and will have their own quest arc to follow that is unique to the class.
The Death Knights are a great new addition to the Warcraft class list, with some great new abilities and a unique gameplay feel to them. Death Knights can utilize heavy plate armor, making them suitable tanks, while they can wield a good variety of strong weaponry and are good at attacking as well. The real difference between them and other classes is their class-specific ability to use runes. Death Knights can use magical runes that function a lot like enchantments, allowing your Death Knight to perform more powerful melee attacks and spells.
Additionally, the quest arc for the Death Knight class that gets you started is very well done. Presenting a good mix of story and gameplay, the starting arc is excellently done, and very compelling from all fronts. The new phasing function, which basically allows players on a certain quest to experience environmental changes that are only visible to them, adds a great element to the world and shows the effects of your actions.However, there are some problems with the new hero class that will require some bugs to be ironed out down the line. The Death Knight class needs some more balancing, as they seem to be a bit too powerful at this point and don’t fit in terribly snuggly with the other classes in the game. However, this issue can be fixed through upcoming patches, and chances are that whatever Hero class Blizzard debuts next will be spot on.Additionally, players who are level 68 and above will benefit from a brand new continent to explore, Northrend. The frozen landscape that is the home of the Lich King himself, Northrend is filled with great new quests and tons of new features to explore.
Graphically, World of Warcraft hasn’t changed a whole lot over the years, but boasts a few subtle improvements. The game’s art direction is still unrivaled in the MMO genre, with excellently conceived environments and colorful areas. There are some improved lighting details in the expansion, especially apparent in Northrend, which is certainly a site to behold for fans of the game.World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King provides the majority of content to upper-end players who’ve hit the previous level cap of 70 and are looking for a great new class to try out or an awesome new continent to explore. If you’re just starting out and haven’t hit on the game’s higher level features, then chances are you won’t be able to get to the real meat of the expansion until you’ve done some leveling. Still, with the great new content, there’s really no reason for any WoW fan to not pick up this expansion.
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