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Four years after its initial release, the unstoppable juggernaut that is World of Warcraft can now claim a multitude of awards, critical raves, and the title of undisputed MMO king with 11 million active subscribers.  But instead of resting on its laurels (not to mention piles of money), Blizzard is intent on continuing to refine and enlarge the Warcraft universe through the periodic release of expansions.  Expansions like Wrath of the Lich King.

The Return of the King

Once upon a time, there was a little game you might have heard of titled Warcraft III.  That game chronicled, among other things, the fate of Prince Arthas Menethil as he became an entity known as the Lich King.  A couple of years passed, World of Warcraft was released, and Arthas…was pretty much a nonentity.  He went from a central figure in Warcraft lore to a no-show in the new MMO.

But Arthas is back with a vengeance in Wrath of the Lich King.  He pops up everywhere as you level through the continent of Northrend, and is in fact the first NPC that a new Death Knight interacts with. And it seems like he hasn’t just been sitting on his frozen little rump for the past four years. 

The Great White North

The biggest draw of Lich King is, of course, the addition of the continent of Northrend and all its new quests, rewards, and new characters - including sentient murlocs, wolverines, and walrus-men. 

With 10 zones (one dedicated solely to PVP action), Northrend is huge.  It feels bigger than Outland, and it seems like the WoW development team has learned a few lessons from the first expansion.

You can choose to enter Northrend through either the Howling Fjord or Borean Tundra, which are on opposite sides of the continent.  This relieves the huge amount of traffic that plagued Hellfire Peninsula 2 years ago, and makes for easier questing as you won’t be fighting your fellow adventurers for quest objectives.

Death Becomes You

One of the most talked-about features in Wrath of the Lich King is the new Death Knight “Hero Class.”  This marks the first time that a new class has been added to the game, but the wait was worth it.  If you have a level 55 character, you can start a Death Knight on that server.  Think of the Death Knight as a sort of anti-paladin, a caster-tank that can command the undead.  Instead of mana, though, they’ll tap into runic power, a unique resource system that takes some getting used to.

Blizzard did an outstanding job in creating the Death Knight starting area: Acherus: The Ebon Hold.  Each Death Knight starts off under the power of the Lich King, and the questline that introduces the class and its powers is chock-full of action and lore.  All of the lessons of the past four years seem to have gone into the experience: the introduction of the class doesn’t feel like a tutorial, but it quickly teaches you everything you need to know about the Lich King’s newest minions.  

The Royal Treatment

There’s a lot that’s new to the game besides Northrend and the Death Knights.  There’s been an overhaul to the entire graphics engine.  The whole game looks crisper, but the real difference comes in looking at fire and ice effects.  And there’s plenty of ice in Northrend.

The level of polish is impressive: you can see new details in armor and weapon, as well as weather effects.  And for those of you who’ve been playing the game with the sound off for the past two years, turn your speakers back on.  There’re hours of new music that really set the tone for all the fresh environments.

A lot of questing mechanics have been improved and added to as well.  The Death Knight starting zone, along with other new areas, utilizes “phased questing.”  As you progress through certain quest chains, the world updates around you.  For example, the Scarlet Enclave that you’re attacking in an early Death Knight quest eventually falls as your forces take over the town.  The next time you visit, you’ll have new quest givers and vendors to use.

Another welcome change is the addition of siege weapons in the game.  A number of quests require you to mount a dragon or a cannon or a tank to destroy your enemies.  It’s a mechanic that’s been implemented in a number of other MMOs, and it’s about time that WoW joins the fun.

Hail to the King

There were a couple of things we’d still like to see in the game.  While technology added in Burning Crusade made respawn timers dependant on how many players were in the area, it is still frustrating to have a mob you’ve waited patiently for be tagged by that stealthed rogue. With the vast majority of the expansion focused on levels 70-80, there’s nothing to bring new players to World of Warcraft.  Some new content in the old lands of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms would have been nice: some of us are just plain sick of Stranglethorn Vale at this point. 

Still, it’s inconceivable that any current WoW player wouldn’t want to get Wrath of the Lich King.  Once again, Blizzard has knocked our socks off with an expansion that expands on the original game and taken it to new heights.  We’re still waiting on the next few patches which have promised even more content, including raids and the long-awaited dance studio.  With everything in game now and more frozen goodness on the way, it’s going to be a busy holiday season in Azeroth.

Article by: Joel Rubin