WoW: Catalysm Options

[Oddies da Nerfed]

Pretty well covers it.

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/cataclysm/

[Scan_Man]

I thought I'd bump this since Cataclysm is two weeks away, and it is one of the most anticipated games of the year (this has been the best year for games/gaming in a long time by the way).

Today, the Cataclysm hit. The old world, level 1-60 zones, is forever changed. You can now experience the revamp, as well as the new class/race combinations, without dropping money on the expansion.

I did not receive a beta invite, but last week Blizzard put the revamp on the Public Test realm. I leveled up a character to try out the new 1-60 experience, to see what's all the fuss. Is the new World of Warcraft 1-60 experience worth checking out if you have never played WoW, or you're a returning player, or even you're a current player looking to level an alt?


The answer is yes!

For new players the revamp features tutorials, that teach you the basic controls, and how to interact with the UI. Even quests have added tutorial features that displays what the mob target, in a kill quest, and some descriptive text. Another new feature is the beginner tooltips. This will display extra information on the tooltips of your ability, basically telling you how and when you should use that ability (some abilities work in combination with others, while others should be prioritize over another). There is even a quest in the starting areas teaching you how to use your starting abilities. Returning players will be greeted with so many changes the game will feel new, but familiar.

Everything is so streamlined now. Add that in with the great UI, then you have a MMO experience that allows you to focus on the content, and even the storyline. One no longer has to train every single rank in your abilities, since they scale with level. Very nice change, as having to find a trainer after each level distracts you from the content. Your spellbook will show you every ability your character can learn as a preview, and tell you what level you will gain access to it. So, now you can plan ahead when you need to make a trip to the trainer. When you ding a level, the game will inform you that there are new abilities available for you at the trainer. Very helpful.

The talent system has been overhauled as well. Instead of adding another tier of talents, as seen in Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King, the talent number was reduced. The number of talents is the same as during the original release of WoW. Blizzard goal is to have talent have more meaning when you choose them, to remove the bloat, and add in more spec defining talents. What this means as you are leveling up is the spec you choose is a personal choice because it is the playstyle you are most interested in. At level 10 you get your first talent point, just like in vanilla. However, the difference is you now have to choose a spec you will be sticking with. When you choose a spec, you are awarded exclusive abilities for that talent tree. A number of these abilities are spec defining abilities, that in the past you would have to spend a talent point in at a very high level. Now you get the abilities by choosing a desired spec, and one will feel fully functional playing the class of their choosing at level 10+. No more "damn I have to wait until level 70 to feel like I'm playing a Shadow Priest."

Questing in the new areas is the best part. The leveling path is more defined, and each zone only covers 5 levels; instead of the somewhat erratic nature of bouncing between zones with that have a wide leveling range. What this means is you get more focused quests. Quests that deal with the story going on in the zone, and reach a conclusion when you are done. It almost feels episodic, as you level through one zone and then on to the next. You never will really have more that 5 quests in your log. And quests cluster, meaning all the quests available to you are on has objective in the same general area. When you complete those you get the next set. Therefore, one does not run into a problem where you have a quest on opposite sides of the zone.

Quest feel so much more rewarding now. This is mostly due to Blizzard fixing the itemization from 1-60 to match what it is in Wrath of the Lich King. It is worlds better. For each zone you will get upgrades that actually look like armor sets by the time you are done. There is always a reward for your class. No longer will you have the only option of picking a piece with stats you don't need, or having odd stats on them.

Another part I like is the amount of choice you have now on where you want to level. This is perfect because it allows you to pick what zones you want to see. It adds replay value to something I once thought was not very re-playable because of the grind. Zones have changed, and some will have changes after you quest through them because of the heavy use of the "phasing" feature: which was introded in Wrath but used only a little. In the Cataclysm when you complete a zone sometimes you are given the choice of changing to another leveling zone path. It is so good to have these options. You can't do everything in one swoop; well you could but it is not optimal since you will be above the level, and the rewards will not the meaning. Therefore, it encourages you to pick the zones you want to see. Then when you are done, you can make a new character to try a different path.


It is interesting how they handled the storyline and quests of each zone. Basically, Cataclysm takes place 5 years after original WoW. The setup to each zone usually follows three threads. The first is what has been happening because a hero quested here 5 years ago (you if you played vanilla). The second is what is still happening regardless of the hero's efforts. The third is how the Cataclysm has affected the zone, and the new threats because of it. The combination of these threads makes the leveling experience interesting, fresh, and familiar. The first thread makes the game feel like a sequel to vanilla WoW. The second makes sure the memorable quests and quest chains for each zone are still present, but in many cases have a new twist. While the last gets you involved in the expansion early on.



As a WoW player that did not care much for the leveling up content, I am impressed. I've changed my mind. The revamp is a pretty solid game that definitely feels like something made in 2010 (Blizzard's stated goal when they set out to revamp the game). The new 1-60 experience now feels like a game first, and a MMO second. Which is a really great way to hook new players and returning players. Too bad 60-80 is still 60-80 and now pales in comparison to the new stuff, which sucks a bit. Like going through a time warp. Wrath content is not that bad, but the new stuff is so much better.