I am a liar. I told myself never again. Yet, here I am, driving through the streets of Ogrimmar on my trike, raging at all the non-purebloods that pass by me.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has stolen a piece of my soul, and I'm glad for it.
My Goblin is a racist named Grobkaz – taken from the Warhammer Dwarf book, it translates to "goblin work" – and he hates all non-goblins. The new content I'm exploring with him is awesome, easily the best Blizzard has ever done with their five year old MMO, but it's tough when you're role-playing a hater.
Exploring the remade landscapes of the old world is lonely when you have to spit vitriol at the Orcs and Trolls who rush to your side in a PvP battle, but such is the goblin way. Like the new furry race of Worgen, the Goblins have an awesome starting area that immerses you in the culture and lore. Sure, you could just click past the quests this time around, but the new material and storytelling Blizzard's put in compels you to read. Bravo, guys.
The bad part about Cataclysm is how hard it makes it to play past the new content. The redesigned zones of the old world make boring zones and quests relevant again, but the untouched areas, as well as those in Outlands, just feel…boring. Lucky for me leveling is slow going when you spout epithets at any non-Goblin who comes too close or dares to touch you. You wouldn't want them making you dirty, after all.
Of course my non-role playing characters are getting some love too, and WoW has changed so much since the last expansion that inactive players will have a lot of readjusting to do. Not all of the changes will please the more hardcore players (they've really simplified leveling for the lowest common denominator), but they've made it a blast to play, and more gratifying than ever.
Perhaps someday I'll tell myself I'm moving on, that Blizzard's stolen enough of my life, but as long as they're releasing expansions like Cataclysm they'll have one politically incorrect Goblin on their servers.
I'll make a confession: I'm sort of addicted to World of Warcraft. I'm not to the point where I've stopped showering or eating or going to work, but I did completely screw up my internal clock over the holiday break by staying up until 4 a.m. to play the game. My main character is a blood elf paladin and currently just a few XP bars shy of 65, so I haven't reached the new zones that Cataclysm offers yet. However, I already know my investment is paying off for one reason alone: the ability to fly in Azeroth. As a newcomer to WoW I honestly can't believe that this wasn't offered until now, but I'm very happy that I'm able to do it.
Another awesome addition is the secondary profession Archeology. I've gained a lot of experience points from it and it's essentially a game of hot and cold, which is a lot more fun than the other professions. I'm told that once I gather enough fragments to make a whole relic it should be worth a decent amount of gold as well.
Overall, I often feel the same way Charles expressed in his editorial on the MMO. There are reasons why I shouldn't play it: it's expensive, it can be repetitive and get boring, people in the dungeons can be real jerks and there are without a doubt better ways I could be spending my time. But for the most part all of those reasons don't matter because I genuinely enjoy logging on and playing with my friends and chatting with the IGN guild, Pockets Full of Magic.
Still, I have a feeling that once I hit level 85 I'll feel fulfilled and be done with it, but who knows?
I've played WOW on and off since its launch, although it had been a couple of years since I last logged on. However, since I have, I've been amazed at what Blizzard has done to the game -- Cataclysm isn't just an expansion, it brought on a whole new MMO! It's awesome roaming around and seeing all the changes in these zones I've spent hundreds of hours in, and even better are the new quest chains. The streamlining is amazing -- no more running back and forth and back and forth between a town and a quest giver -- but even more impressive is how much better the quests have gotten. Now instead of working on a bunch of disparate tasks, they all combine to form a much deeper and more emotionally resonant story. I'm not ashamed to admit that I choked up more than once in the quest chain centered around Lady Sylvanas. And Welcome to the Machine is without a doubt the funniest WOW quest I've seen yet.
Ugh, I hate you, World of Warcraft. No don't turn away! I spoke out of anger and didn't mean what I said! Are we all good? Great. But seriously I totally hate you.
I've been playing World of Warcraft since launch, burned through Outland and Northrend and run Scarlet Monastery so many times that returning to it feels like a real-life visit to an apartment I used to rent. I'm so emotionally invested in this world I feel shame every time I go to unsubscribe, which has been several times now. Yet with every expansion I start back up. I have to see what Blizzard's done.
In this case my time in Azeroth wasn't quite as extensive as in expansions past, even though Cataclysm marks the most impressive change to the world to date. Specifically, how the starting experience is so fast, convenient, and story-driven. I love how the story gives the world a sense of progress and continuity by referencing events in the past. I love how easy it is to get good gear. And I still really like the visual style.
But in the end I just don't think I can stick with it. Roughly six years on and off is a long time to spend with one product. And there are so many other cool games out there that are near impossible to play if I'm spending most of the day chasing blues. I think this time, despite all WoW's strengths, I think I might finally be done with it. I think.
I've collected a ton of playtime in World of Warcraft over the years, despite failed attempts to stay away. The release of Cataclysm only enticed me to spend even more time among my digital comrades. It's a pretty safe bet to say that I am impressed with all the new changes Blizzard implemented this time around.
Specifically it's all the changes made to streamline the progression from level to level and by extension the manner in which you experience the different zones in Azeroth. Gone are the nights of long-going dungeon runs and countless hours of grinding to gain a new level. All the quest hubs seem to be better centralized with a quest indicator built right into your map, making for a better experience for both old and new players. Notice how I haven't even talked about the new zones and races, that's how new the experience feels even without playing much of the new expansion areas.
In the end, it all comes down to whether or not I plan on investing more time in WoW. The answer is definitively yes. I no longer feel like I need to dedicate nights to level grind when I can just as easily jump in complete a series of quests and feel like I've accomplished enough to put it down. I can't think of a better compliment for a MMO than that. Now, if you'll excuse me my guild (Pockets Full of Magic) needs me.
