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WoW: Catalysm
Oddies da Nerfed
post Aug 21 2009, 01:44 PM
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Pretty well covers it.

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/cataclysm/
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Crushinator
post Aug 21 2009, 07:42 PM
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Seems cool that they are reshaping the whole original world, should liven up the game some for people who've been at it for 5 years.

But it seems weird to give certain races access to classes they didn't have before, I mean isn't the class selection one of the biggest factors in making the races different from each other? Are they just moving towards a cosmetic-only race situation?


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Knightsword
post Aug 22 2009, 02:47 AM
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Each race will still have its racial abilities, and its not every like every race is getting every class. It seems to me to be a balancing issue to give each side the same number of races with access to the same number of classes.
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HC82
post Aug 22 2009, 04:46 PM
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Having a Tauren be a Paladin or a Blood Elf be a warrior isn't going to really affect the class system to a point of brokenness. Racial traits do add to the diversity and might lead to some races being more favorable over others, like a Tauren Pally having more HP for tanking builds, versus the Blood elf favored for healing. Overall if done right, it won't stir things up too much

After playing Lich King, which is a solid expansion btw, I'm kind of geting tired of the whole "grind, raid, gear-up, repeat" syndrome. Granted if I got the expansion and played it I would have a blast, but I'd rather not tease my self with sleepless nights, trying to gear up for another bullshit boss that ultimately is a waste of my time, because next expansion, I do it all over again.
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omega71
post Aug 22 2009, 07:53 PM
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The thing that sucks about this is, I am going to roll and Aliiance toon for the first time..And I am not sure how I am going to like that...

I have played Horde the whole time I have played WoW..Defecting to the other side is kinda of saddening to me..




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Scan_Man
post Aug 27 2009, 03:37 AM
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I can't stand level up content, so I'm glad they are only adding five additional levels to the cap. From what I hear they want those five levels to be a big deal by having more end game content waiting for you. Sounds awesome, but I hope it does not turn into another "cater to bad players" fest as seen with current state of the game.

Give the bads the level up content, and give me more challenging end game content.


The only thing that has me worried about this expansion is it is basically World of Warcraft 2. MMO sequels or total revamps have been known to not succeed. There is a ton of tasty MMO's coming out to grab a chunk of WoW's player base. Aion is the biggest contender. Then you have Star Wars: The Old Republic by BioWare (which is full of win if they stick to their formula). Also, FFXIV. But something tells me those games will be too scary for bads that infest WoW to even touch.

With that said, even though WoW is still great they are really giving us more of the same when you look at it. Leveling characters in MMOs is getting outdated I'm afraid; Square-Enix is smart to pick up on that one. And as HC82 said to paraphase, we still getting the same old "raid this boss, get items so you can raid the next boss, only to prove a waste of time when the expansion after rolls around." That's how it is though.


Experiencing interesting boss mehcanics and defeating it with other people while the content is fresh is the draw for me. The latest raid dungeon has a boss encounter with mechanics inspired by Ikaruga as an example.

This post has been edited by Scan_Man: Aug 27 2009, 03:53 AM


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Knightsword
post Aug 28 2009, 09:28 PM
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I did come up with a name for a worgen character that I'll use:

Wurgan

There can be only one.
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Scan_Man
post Nov 23 2010, 11:21 PM
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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.


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Scan_Man
post Dec 12 2010, 02:23 AM
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Just an update about 80 to 85 content.


Maybe because the last expansion left a bad taste in my mouth. But, I'm loving the content in Cataclysm. Leveled to 85 without stopping starting the minute servers allowed us to do level 80+ content (3 am EST). Took me exactly 24 hours. And I had a blast. The new zones, except for Hyjal, and questing is nice. Cutscenes add to the experience in a way that has never really been seen in an MMO.

I'm happy the content is actually challenging now. Even leveling mobs can wreck you if you are not careful. Much different than what was before where you could take 3 or more mobs at a time, and just blast them with AOE.

The new 5 man instances on heroic mode will break your fucking balls. Holy shit man! They are hard! Even harder than most boss in the raids of last expansions; including the hardmode versions on the raid bosses.

Blizzard was not kidding when they said they wanted to make endgame content more challenging compared to Wrath of the Lich King . People in my guild are saying they are harder than Burning Crusade 5 mans. One person in my guild that played Everquest for years before WoW, said the style and difficulty feels similar to Everquest endgame. Which is what vanilla WoW endgame content was modeled after. In Cataclysm, the major theme seems to be going back to what vanilla WoW was, but polishing it up.

For me in Wrath, two years ago, I was blasting through those instances like nothing, and in PUGS. They were very easy. Not so in Cataclysm. These things will destroy a PUG group. It is very refreshing to be doing 5 man content and wiping for hours. These things will kicks your ass; even the trash. The bulk of casual players are now reaching level 85, when they get the gear to try heroics mode are in for an awakening. Its now going to be learn to play better, or go back to normal mode. Very nice change to endgame content indeed. Hopefully, Blizzard does not cave to whiners that the game is now too hard, and nerf stuff. They said they have no plans when the game was still in beta, but we will see. Enjoying it so far.


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HC82
post Dec 13 2010, 07:10 AM
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Playing the new expansion, the leveling content, at least to me, is all too similar. Everything else about the game has been refined and from a level 1-60 mind set, the game has been revamped and has a fair amount of new content. I feel more like leveling a new toon, then actually leveling from 80 to 85. The end-game stuff is where the challenge is, though.

Overall as a complete package, the whole "world changing" events makes the game a worthy experience and adds the necessary changes to justify a purchase of another expansion. The new end game areas, for now at least, is just more stuff to do.

For people who hated playing WoW the first time around, will find that the new changes to lower levels is a breath of fresh air. Combat is faster, the UI is more streamlined, the questing is outlined... It's all just a lot better, including the story. You can see they really removed vanilla WoW from 1-60 and made it a more dynamic "Lich King" WoW, meaning all the story and dynamic changes that they introduced in Lick King, is revamped with 1 to 60 content in mind.
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Scan_Man
post Dec 13 2010, 05:11 PM
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Just in Cataclysm sold 3.3 millions copies within the first 24 hours. Breaking the record of fastest selling PC game. Nothing slowing this game down after 6 years.


Yeah I have to agree 1-60 experience. I really loved Uldum. It is just gorgeous, and littered with entertaining quests. Probably the best zone they have ever done in terms being of great aesthetics, questing, and story. But the thing is I actually feel like playing through the 80-85 again if I have an alt or something. On the other hand the thought of leveling again through 60-80 content always has always made me groan.


I guess what I like is there are more "gamey" like quests to give you a break on the whole kill "x", or pick up "y" off the ground, and loot "z" off bodies. Like there is a couple quests in Uldum where you have to control units, and use their abilities to kill waves of enemies, like an RTS. Or even quest require you use stealth.

Like this is from one of my favorite sequences in Uldum. A reference to Indiana Jones with guy dying via plane propeller. And what is up with all the gore and swearing in the game now. I guess Blizzard wanted the game to have mature elements.







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