OK guys so after waiting all of yesterday for the servers to come back up, we decided to go to bed in hope that we will see some Cata action in the morning.
Lucky for us, they're back up and running with new content and updates :D
So, firstly, I was going to try the Goblins. Being a Horde player, I wanted to check out our newest addition but unfortunately, an important quest of theirs is bugged and nobody can get past level 4 at the moment :( But on first impressions, I absolutely love them and I will definitely roll a Goblin when Cataclysm goes live!
Instead, I decided to try out the Worgen race. I have taken tons of screenies and have some info on some other important gameplay changes.
On first impression, Blizzard have done an amazing job on the graphics, atmosphere, scenery and general look of the new content. The water effects are alot better than before, the lighting and environment detail are really good. It pulls you into the game and gets you interested in it alot more than the current live content does. There's just so much more to the game in Cataclysm, than in previous expansions.
There were a few things that I didn't like. For one, the awful British voices (Now I Know how the Scots feel about the Dwarven voices lol) It was like being in a Dick Van Dyke film :O It's petty I Know, and I can turn the voices off, but it just gets on my tits.
There were a few bugs here and there, but as they say, beta is beta and nothing is final.
The Human form skins appear to be bugged as some people were running around with worgen mouths and worgen arms (that skin on the human model) and in my case, as you can see above, I had orc arms/neck O_o I hope they fix that soon
Anyway, what I did like about them was...well, everything else !
The Worgen form model is really nice and detailed, the animations are smooth (However, the walking was a little clunky in worgen form for my liking. I can't complain, it's a worgen for god's sake, not a ballet performing gorilla!) The quests were easy to follow and complete, with an interesting and solid storyline. In comparison to the current live content and the starting zones there, this is ALOT better. It's on par with the DK starting zone and they have improved the use of phasing. It's still a little buggy but they've used it more and made it work better than they did in the DK zone.
I am a little disappointed that the female model isn't available yet, but I'm sure when they are finally ready for testing, they will be just as good as the male models.
Right, my experience with the Worgen levelling zone, Gilneas. Overall it's very smooth and easy to follow. The storyline is very in depth and well written. The design, layout and appearance of the zone also helps players to immerse themselves into the game. Blizzard have come a long way since the old vanilla days and their crappy starting zones :P
I did see a few of these block things around, I can only assume they are placeholders for other stuff yet to be implemented.
Vehicle quests make a return (Huzzah!) The interface when on a vehicle is the same as those currently in WotLK. So the usual clean, simple and easy to use UI. There seems to be more use of these kinds of quests as well so it keeps things interesting. I'm not sure about the whole semi-naked guy cuddling up behind another (not naked) guy on a horse though, that's pretty creepy...
There are also alot of vehicle bombing quests. You know, the 'Here's some explosives/poison/deadly crap of doom, get on this bat/plane/horse/boat/etc and kill some stuff.' Much fun as always :D
And don't forget the 'Get on this gun/harpoon/cannon and blow stuff up' quests, they're here too :P
As mentioned earlier, the environment detail is a huge upgrade from vanilla. It's about the same as - if not better, than the quality you see in WotLK. Blizzard really have gone to town with the details. Every little thing has been made to fit where it's been designed to be. My screenshots really don't do it justice at all
The water effects are ALOT better than before. It looks more realistic and nicer to look at after you've been fishing for hours on end
Now, as far as the storyline goes, I'm not going to go into too much detail as I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't experienced it for themselves. You start as a human, and the first series of quests takes you through the back story of Gilneas and how their people became Worgens. After that, it moves on to you being a worgen and helping in the fight against the Forsaken, ending in an epic battle against a well-known figure in Warcraft lore. Before moving on to the alliance with the Night Elves and moving on to Darkshore (and oh my god you won't recognise it!)
Now, as stated earlier, the models are still a bit buggy, there's a huge limit to the customisation you can currently do with both human and worgen models, and the females aren't released yet. However, this is what the male worgen model currently looks like in game
The storyline about the fight against the Forsaken is (In my opinion) very in depth, well designed/written, and interesting . It really gives you a feel of the pressure the Gilneans have to keep hold of their homelands
But some of the quests are alot of fun. Like this one for example:
I did like the clever use of phasing later on to include the cataclysm. Because this stage of the Worgen storyline takes place at the time of the cataclysm. Although I felt the earthquake was rather weak in comparison to the damage it dealt. You walked into a building, spoke to some woman, there's a little shudder, you walk outside and half the lands underwater! But nonetheless, I thought it was clever how they did that.
There HAS to be a giant elite of some kind in every zone these days hasn't there? First the Fel Reaver in Hellfire Penninsula, then the (Pretty disappointing) Storm Giant in Howling Fjord, now there's Koroth the Hillbreaker! Don't worry, he'll get his comeuppance later
So I hope this blog entry has given you a little look into Cataclysm, helped you see what is to come and maybe you're a little more excited about it than you were before you read it :P Please bear in mind these are all my own opinions, and you may feel completely different about the content once you get to experience it.
Oh and one more thing, you wanted top hats?
Let's just say that if you're looking forward to rolling a Worgen, you won't be disappointed!
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In the next entry, I will be covering some new options, the new talent interface, UI changes, maps and other gameplay changes
Until then,
-Fox
Ahh my life is complete, Foxes in WoW <3
Old Map (as it is currently in WotLK)
And the new one as it is currently in the Beta
The Forsaken starting zone, Deathknell, goes unchanged with only a few cosmetic tweaks. There are lots more trees in the area (and in the whole zone) which makes it feel less empty
Once you're done there and head over to the fork in the road, there used to be a random quest giver who asks you to go to the farm down the road and take some pumpkins. But now, players are greeted with this:
The pumpkin farm has also been tweaked a little bit, but remains pretty much the same. There is an extra wall put in behind it where the Scarlet Crusade people are (who are still there)
Now, Brill is one of the most dramatically changed areas in this zone. It's been completely revamped, remodelled, re textured and all I can say is...It looks goooooood. It's taken on the same design style of the buildings in New Agamand and other similar Forsaken areas in Northrend. Seriously, great job on that one Blizzard, it's just a shame you didn't update Undercity slightly :(
They've also applied this style to the Zeppelin towers and given them a major upgrade too. The Zeppelins themselves however, appear to be unchanged
The Field where the Gnolls and 'Maggot Eye' have been noticeably altered. Maggot Eye himself is still in his outdated hut, but the fields it overlooks have been changed. Other quest areas, like the Agamand Mills, Venomweb Vale and the Balnir Farmstead are completely unchanged
The water effects, as is the case with everywhere else, has been updated, also with some added mist effect in some areas.
And finally, the second biggest change to the zone...The Bulwark! It too has taken on the same graphical style as Brill and the Zeppelin towers, It's been fortified and strengthened. There's some decent vendors there now, and Some other bits and pieces
