Kharins Quest

Just when we thought it was safe to go about our normal everyday game play – raids, random dungeons, battlegrounds, exploration of a transformed world, questing, dailies, crafting, chasing achievements – Blizzard has released a new catastrophic event upon us all.  A few days ago a small blue post announced,“One of Azeroth’s oldest adversaries will soon tear through the Elemental Plane to reforge the world in flame, but this foe won’t be conducting his reign of terror from the confines of a castle or lair. Deathwing is a destructive force the likes of which adventurers have yet to see in World of Warcraft, and his appetite for devastation can only be satisfied by the shattering of the world. Following his explosive escape from Deepholm, Deathwing will cast a deadly shadow over the people of Azeroth as he wreaks indiscriminate havoc across the land.”  Over the last few days, sightings and deaths at the fiery breath of Deathwing have indeed been reported.

It seems that murder, chaos and mayhem will be unleashed when we least expect it.  With catastrophic suddenness the maddened, corrupted dragon aspect, Deathwing the Destroyer will continue his destructive revenge – sweeping in with ferocious suddenness and reducing all before him – landscape, buildings, mobs, critters, NPCs and players alike to so much dust and ashes.  The only warning of impending doom will be a blackened sky with a fiery red glow.  Areas will be devastated – though fortunately not irreversibly.  (After all, in the world of Azeroth even the worst death and destruction is rarely permanent – mobs respawn, resources nodes reappear, bosses can be defeated countless times and terrors faced and defeated ages ago can return to terrorise again, problems solved reappear, and our toons die countless times with little to show for such harrowing experiences than the time it takes for a graveyard run or maybe a dose of resurrection sickness and some gold to repair broken armor.)

Naturally, the World of Warcraft is no stranger to such world encompassing catastrophic events.  It is after all a world born out of the chaos of the “old gods”, a world brought to brink of global destruction by repeated drama and disaster.  Invasions by the demonic burning legions and their servants; the arrival of the orc armies through the dark portal; the almost complete shattering of the planet draenor (home to orcs and draeni); repeated attempts of the “old gods” and a couple of corrupted or maddened dragon aspects to bring about chaos, sedition, destruction; and waves of the devastating undead plague have all threatened to overwhelm the inhabitants of Azeroth and to destroy their world beyond reckoning.

The lore of such cataclysmic events draws from myth and legend of our own world.  Many ancient societies (e.g. Greek, Hindu, Chinese, Mayan) claimed that our world was formed from chaos and has been subjected to periodic world-remaking disasters.  While ancient Hebrew sources declared (in contrast to many of their Middle Eastern and Mediterranean neighbors) that a good, powerful, eternal God created time and space (the cosmos as we know it) de novo, they agreed with their neighbors that this world has experienced global disasters as the result of human and angelic rebellion.  These ancient sources all foresee future global catastrophes.

Be that as it may, what the Deathwing event will entail – apart from wholesale regional devastation transcending even the Zombie Plagues – and how long it will be with us is at this point in time difficult to know.  The only clear fact is an achievement (under the Cataclysm explorer category) Stood in the Fire which requires being killed by Deathwings fiery breath (though there are reports of this being glitched).  Being caught up in what is essentially a random and overwhelming event will normally result in death of even the most seasoned hero within seconds.  There is no opportunity to rally a credible defense unlike the Elemental Invasion or the Headless Horseman’s attacks on factional towns in Hallow’s End.  There will be nowhere to hide from the attacks- fleeing to the wilderness areas (as my hunter did during the Zombie Plague) will not save you for Deathwing can reach the most remote crannies of the world.

Certainly, the experience will be out of the ordinary and it would seem from the forums that many players are extremely anxious to experience it.  The fainthearted, those with tight playing schedules or those who lack an overwhelming death wish may wish to head back to safety of Dalaran or even Shattrath until the attacks cease.  On the other hand, it’s is hard to know how long Deathwing will be allowed to roam free, spreading devastation in his wake.  And at the moment at least, his attacks are so random and sporadic that many if not most players are yet to become aware that they have begun and getting the achievement may pure luck. But be warned for a fiery death could descend at a moment’s notice.  Be prepared.

Kharin

Just before maintenance on Tuesday, I heard the rumours that something dramatic was about to happen.  The portals to the Elemental Lords had been opened “permanently” to allow the last access for a few short hours before everything closed down for extended maintenance.  Trade was abuzz with speculation that the shattering was upon us and that portals in Dalaran and Shattrath would be no more.  The extended maintenance, which was extended further, eventually drew to a close.  As World of Warcraft finally came back on online, I logged in with great impatience and anticipation – not to be disappointed.

The world of Azeroth had been remade in a fiery cataclysm.  The elemental invasion was over and Deathwing the Destroyer, leader of the Black Dragonflight had emerged from the elemental plane Deepholm (in which he has been sulking for years on end) and wrecked havoc across the cities and continents of Azeroth.  Coastal areas had been hit by huge tsunamis, lakes had been emptied and others formed, cites and town had been devastated and in some cases wiped out completely, volcanos had erupted and dividing chasms had been rent deep into the crust to change the face of the world forever.  Since the disaster, many cities and villages have been rebuilt and new ones established, political alliances and influence changed, some areas reclaimed and other lost, new settlements and new alliances established.

So what has changed?

• Stormwind Park totally destroyed, the entrance towers scarred, the Stormwind Keep precinct upgraded and a new cemetery and parkland area with fishing pond and farm added north of the Cathedral and Dwarven districts;
• Virtually every district in Orgrimmar scarred by inundation, zeppelin towers moved to central roof area accessed by lifts, goblin slums added in Valley of Spirits;
• Both Stormwind and Orgrimmar now have 2 banks and 2 auction houses;
• New fishing and cooking dailies (available to all levels) in Stormwind and Orgrimmar;
• Jewellery trainers in more capitals (Stormwind and Orgrimmar for example);
• Flight trainers and flying mount vendors now available in Old Azeroth (e.g. Stormwind for example);
• Portals to faction cities in Dalaran and Shattrath removed and replaced with class trainers.    Dalaran does still have a portal to Caverns of Time, while Shattrath retains the portal to the Isle of Quel’Danas and there is a portal to Stormwind and Ogrimmar next to the Dark Portal;
• Now able to use flying mounts in Dalaran;
• Major geographical and political changes to many zones (i.e. splitting of the Barrens into north and south, remodelling of Ashvara including a entrance into the region from a new rear Orgrimmar gate, dividing of Stranglethorn Vale into north and south, new coastal areas in the Blasted Lands, a great chasm between Searing Gorge and Burning Seppes in the south and Dun Morgh and Loch Modan in the north, Southshore fallen to the undead) and at least minor changes to most regions;
• New areas on the map (e.g. Twilight Highlands, Gilneas, Grim Batol) though these are still inaccessible;
• Direct flight routes connecting Darnassus and mainland Kalimdor with the two Draeni islands and a direct ship route between Teldrassil and Stormwind;
• Direct portal between Darnassus and Exodar and vice versa;
• Many new flight points and some new settlements and towns (e.g. Haven of Green Warden in Wetlands, Fuselight in the Badlands, Bilgewater Harbour in Ashvara);
• A pass between Burning Steppes and Swamp of Sorrows;
• New starting zones for Trolls (the Echo Isles) and Gnomes (outer areas of Gnomeregan and New Tinkertown);
• Further class and talent changes with greater access to different classes for different races (e.g. trolls can now be druids);
• Artisan (epic) and Master riding training available (cost 4250g each) – though not flight within old Azeroth as yet;
• New achievements (e.g. All the Squirrels who Cared for Me) and major revamping of old ones (e.g. the addition of Cataclysm quests and areas to Loremaster and Explorer respectively);
• New Hero’s Call Board (Alliance) and Warchief’s Command Board (Horde) in factional captials that give lead in quests to new level appropriate questing areas;
• A variety of new level one critters, new mobs and quests at all levels;
• Gathering resources now give experience;
• New singing sunflower pet from Brazzie just south of the Dalaran crater.

Changes yet to be implemented and which will no doubt require expansion pack:

• Ability to fly in the old world;
• New raids, dungeons and PvP;
• Availability  of new superior and epic Cataclysm gear;
• New races of Worgen and Goblin and their respective starting areas;
• New secondary profession – Archaeology
• Ability to level from 80 to 85;
• Active portals to new 80+ areas.

There is no doubt that major changes have happened.  As with many stories of catastrophic upheaveal, the old world has been remade, and out of the old a brave new world has emerged.

For most, it will be fascinating to explore the new face of Azeroth to see what has changed and what has stayed the same, and to enjoy new scenery.  It is also appealing to have some new starting zones and new cooking and fishing dailies, a whole raft of new quests (though mainly for lower level characters so far) and new race-class combinations.

However, the almost complete removal of portals from Dalaran and Shattrath, particularly a couple of weeks before flying in Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor and much of the new content can be activated, is less than exciting for higher level toons.  It seems that Dalaran is destined to be the dead end ghost town that Shattrath has long become, peripheral capitals such as the Exodar, Darnassus and Silvermoon are likely to be even less inhabited and the new hubs Stormwind and Orgrimmar liable to become lagfests (Lagwind and Lagrimmar).  Indeed, just getting around (despite the new flight paths and streamlined travel in some places) will be that more time consuming for all but mages especially in the time gap between the removal of the portals and the introduction of flight in Old Azeroth.  Portals to Stormwind and Orgrimmar in Dalaran would at least ease some of the pain.  Time will tell how the developer’s strategies –  to make the old world cities more lived in (though Stormwind, Ironforge and Orgrimmar were always well inhabited in my experience), to encourage players to enjoy the new scenery and to reduce lag – will work out.  And I for one will miss the synergy of having a sanctuary town, where horde and alliance somewhat uneasily rub shoulders, as a major hub.

Nevertheless, there is a lot to enjoy and plenty of new content to unpack in the short time left to launch date.

Kharin

The background and official story of the Shattering