IGXE MMO
01-18-2010, 07:33 AM
Blizzard Entertainment finally released a substantial patch for their popular MMORPG http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xmlWorld of Warcraft. They added many new features including; new dungeon's and quest's. This patch has unquestionably made the game a much more enjoyable for players across all servers. It also drew back players who had left the game previously, simply due to the content involved. I personally have found this particular expansion to be simply amazing with a great deal of effort put into the planning and implementing of the patch. This patch requires you to have already purchased and installed the Wrath of the Lich King expansion pack. What I found that drew me most about this update is how they streamlined the badge reward system in tandem with the Dungeon Finder. The side-effect of which allow's player's to aquire rare and powerful item's without being restricted by a set group. The storyline that was added with the update was exceptionally well-done, even making me go so far as to force my group to wait while I read the dialogue!
With that being said, I am going to explain some of the major feature's that were added in this patch; Three new dungeons, with normal and heroic and raid settings - which are rumoured to culminate in a final battle with the Lich King himself. As to my understanding, the final battle was not implemented in this patch, but will be added at some point in the near future - though information on this is scarce at best. While I have not fought in the 25-man raid level in the Hall's of Reflection, I am well aware that it is here in which you confront the Lich King.
The name's of the new dungeon's are as follow's;
The Forge of Soul's: This is the first dungeon and where the questline start's.
Pit of Saron: This is the second dungeon that continues the questline from The Forge of Soul's Hall's of Reflection: This is the third and final dungeon that complete's the questline.
In regard to the other change's added in this patch, they reconfigured the Dungeon Finder tool allowing one to forge a group themselve's or simply hunt for one solo as well as merging the dungeon's together across all server's in a brilliant move to reduce wait-time's to a minimum - easily making this my favorite tool in the game. The tool work's for all level's of dungeon's, allowing you the option of selecting a 5-man dungeon run, either being random in normal or heroic difficulty or picking specific dungeon's you would like to run - though you forfeit any badge's you would have earned by picking a specific dungeon.
Furthermore they are retooling certain dungeon's permanently - various low-end dungeon's that are rarily used anymore are becoming new level 80 dungeon's with easy gear and badge reward's, with Onyxia's Lair being a fine example. There may be other dungeon's added in the near future but many of them will be changed in this coming expansion which will raise the level cap to 85. So for those intending to aquire gear for their lowbie character's, or simply out to get easy achievement's, now is the time in which to do so or it will be too late.
On a side note, Blizzard has seen fit to adjust a few of the classes in World of Warcraft. Again. The most significant change has been to the infamous Deathknight's, essentially beating every poor Deathknight in Azeroth over the head with the ever feared 'Nerf-bat', and making them no better than any other class in the game. With that in mind, they also made it very much easier to obtain this once prestigious class, further trampling on any sense of accomplishment one might have had playing as one. This change has saddened me greatly and ultimately led to putting my Deathknight on the side-line's indefinently. What was once meant to be a powerful and feared warrior is no better than anyone else out there. This, in my opinion, is the worst of the change's brought about by the recent patch, trailed closely by the change to Dual Wielding. Dual Wield now make's the player take more damage from creature's - so dual wielding is no longer a viable option for any tanking role and ultimately only good for damage dealing.
There are a great deal of more minor change's that I was not able to cover in this review, you can find link's to the patch note's listed below.
Ultimately I would have to give this patch a 8 out of 10 on my scale.(I would have wholeheartedly made it a 10/10 if not for the change's to Deathknight's and Dual-Spec.)
Written by,
Dana Reitz - http://www.igxe.comIGXE MMO Journalist
With that being said, I am going to explain some of the major feature's that were added in this patch; Three new dungeons, with normal and heroic and raid settings - which are rumoured to culminate in a final battle with the Lich King himself. As to my understanding, the final battle was not implemented in this patch, but will be added at some point in the near future - though information on this is scarce at best. While I have not fought in the 25-man raid level in the Hall's of Reflection, I am well aware that it is here in which you confront the Lich King.
The name's of the new dungeon's are as follow's;
The Forge of Soul's: This is the first dungeon and where the questline start's.
Pit of Saron: This is the second dungeon that continues the questline from The Forge of Soul's Hall's of Reflection: This is the third and final dungeon that complete's the questline.
In regard to the other change's added in this patch, they reconfigured the Dungeon Finder tool allowing one to forge a group themselve's or simply hunt for one solo as well as merging the dungeon's together across all server's in a brilliant move to reduce wait-time's to a minimum - easily making this my favorite tool in the game. The tool work's for all level's of dungeon's, allowing you the option of selecting a 5-man dungeon run, either being random in normal or heroic difficulty or picking specific dungeon's you would like to run - though you forfeit any badge's you would have earned by picking a specific dungeon.
Furthermore they are retooling certain dungeon's permanently - various low-end dungeon's that are rarily used anymore are becoming new level 80 dungeon's with easy gear and badge reward's, with Onyxia's Lair being a fine example. There may be other dungeon's added in the near future but many of them will be changed in this coming expansion which will raise the level cap to 85. So for those intending to aquire gear for their lowbie character's, or simply out to get easy achievement's, now is the time in which to do so or it will be too late.
On a side note, Blizzard has seen fit to adjust a few of the classes in World of Warcraft. Again. The most significant change has been to the infamous Deathknight's, essentially beating every poor Deathknight in Azeroth over the head with the ever feared 'Nerf-bat', and making them no better than any other class in the game. With that in mind, they also made it very much easier to obtain this once prestigious class, further trampling on any sense of accomplishment one might have had playing as one. This change has saddened me greatly and ultimately led to putting my Deathknight on the side-line's indefinently. What was once meant to be a powerful and feared warrior is no better than anyone else out there. This, in my opinion, is the worst of the change's brought about by the recent patch, trailed closely by the change to Dual Wielding. Dual Wield now make's the player take more damage from creature's - so dual wielding is no longer a viable option for any tanking role and ultimately only good for damage dealing.
There are a great deal of more minor change's that I was not able to cover in this review, you can find link's to the patch note's listed below.
Ultimately I would have to give this patch a 8 out of 10 on my scale.(I would have wholeheartedly made it a 10/10 if not for the change's to Deathknight's and Dual-Spec.)
Written by,
Dana Reitz - http://www.igxe.comIGXE MMO Journalist