World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (PC)

It's not about hitting level 80; it's the journey getting there.
11/26/2008 8:10 PM | 4 Comments | Page 1 of 4

Gather 'round the campfire, children, and hear this tale of a hero of the Alliance. He wasn't the best at his class, or the first to gain a Legendary weapon or armor. He wasn't exceptionally skilled at fighting the Horde -- although he had won his share of fights. But he is a hero because, no matter how often he failed, he pressed on. And even now, he continues on slowly to his goal. He is Artdarkist, a Draenei Hunter of little renown on the realm of Aerie Peak, and member of Clan Mail Enhancement. His story begins in the Borean Tundra of Northrend...

This is a travelogue of sorts, chronicling my journey through Northrend to unravel the mysteries of the frozen north and how Arthas, Azeroth's errant favorite son-turned-Lich King, plans to channel John Romero and make all of us his bitch.

I made up my mind early that power leveling through the World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King expansion was not for me. I wanted to explore, hear the stories, do a little hunting and fishing, maybe even love a few critters.

The week before the expansion came out, Blizzard instituted an Xbox Live-style achievement system. As achievements are earned, they are announced to your guild, and server firsts are announced realm-wide. I partly decided to take my time because I found myself hooked on getting extra achievements. These are integral in keeping original content alive for the casual player, as numerous achievements are tied to exploration, quests and dungeons in the original game and the first expansion. It's a cool twist to offer rewards in a form other than Epic gear for only the most hardcore raider.

This travelogue is not designed for the hardcore player, but neither is Wrath of the Lich King. Blizzard seems to have made a conscious effort to appeal to the more casual side of its 11-million-user fan base in providing a challenging experience that will not turn most players off. Less than a week after the game was released, one hardcore guild had enough players at level 80 that it was able to defeat the hardest dungeon in the expansion and literally complete all the dungeon content. (Harder content is expected in future content patches, when new instances and raids are open and more of the world is revealed.) Be warned: If you consider yourself hardcore, then what's here is not for you.

I first entered Northrend through the Borean Tundra. In Northrend, Blizzard has revealed a vibrant new continent, rich in backstory and visual majesty. Whether you take the Nordic boat from Stormwind to the Tundra, or the more traditional ship from Menethil Harbor to the Howling Fjord, you are treated to tons of eye candy as you approach the dock, as well as incredible music that changes by zone and situation. With two starting zones on opposite sides of the continent for Alliance and Horde, there is an element of variety here that wasn't in either the last expansion or the original game.