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WOW: Innumerable adjustments and tune-ups to Lich King

As you quest by way of a single of Northrend's first zones, the Borean Tundra, you are going to be struck by two things. Very first, you will note the stark beauty from the landscape, with its Aurora Borealis painted across the sky, its icy wastes stretching to the horizon, and its herds of mammoth wandering the permafrost plains. It is a tribute to Blizzard's oft-praised art direction that a four-year-old game engine is often produced to appear this fantastic (all the same, Lich King won't be giving Far Cry two a lot competitors in regards to graphical razzle-dazzle). The second thing you are going to notice is how filled the place is with factors to complete. You'll seldom travel far with no stumbling across a brand new quest hub bursting with missions to become completed. Blizzard keeps the addictive fires burning by giving you a number of advancement tracks to think about at the same time. Longtime Planet of Warcraft players grow to be so attached to their characters since, in all these digitally-stored statistics, they see a portrait of themselves, a map of their leisure time carved in 1s and 0s. For the old standbys -- encounter level, gear, honor gained from player-versus player combat, reputation with numerous factions - Blizzard's added the new "achievements" system which tracks everything imaginable, from how many dungeons you've explored to how many pets you own.

There's also a brand new, player-versus-player zone in the center of the Northrend continent, called Lake Wintergrasp. It is a never-ending free-for-all where players from both factions engage in siege warfare for control of strategic objectives that will give them access to special gear that can't be acquired any other way. Though the previous expansion took baby-steps in this direction, with player-versus-player objectives scattered throughout each Outland zone, this time Blizzard is doubling down with a more serious commitment for the idea.

To all this is added the first new character class since the game's launch in 2004 - the Death Knight. In a departure from previous classes, the Death Knight begins at Level 55 instead of Level 1, eliminating days of low-level busywork. In play, it really is a cross between a warlock and a warrior - using dark magic and necromancy to summon zombies and plagues as aides in battle, but fundamentally a blade-wielding melee class. Rolling a Death Knight unlocks a single of your expansion's most intriguing storylines, in which you begin as a lackey for the Lich King himself, seemingly bound in service for the undead army.

Still, Lich King is not devoid of its flaws. Play a few hours and you will quickly see the core gameplay isn't substantially different from what it's been all along. The combat system is still the old model of activating various skill buttons in the appropriate sequence. As always, Blizzard's approach is low-risk and evolutionary, not exciting or original. Lich King lacks some of your bolder innovations you are going to see in other online RPGs -- such as Warhammer Online deeper integration of player-versus-player combat into the quest system, or Lord on the Rings Online emphasis on creating a narrative practical experience to rival single-player RPGs.

Also, Lich King is somewhat indifferent to new players. While the first expansion, Burning Crusade, beckoned first-timers with new beginner zones and fresh races, Lich King only offers substantial content to players who have at least reached level 55 (the minimum required to unlock a Death Knight). If you're a newcomer to Globe of Warcraft, there may not be a compelling reason to pick up this expansion until you've played long enough to become sure you're in it for the long haul.

Nevertheless, these are minor quibbles when weighed against the sheer generosity of what Wrath of your Lich King offers. Seeing the innumerable modifications and tune-ups towards the game engine and the rules, you get the sense that Planet of Warcraft is a finely-tuned machine that its makers just can't stop tinkering with in an obsessive effort to keep it fresh, relevant, and above all, fun. For now, mission accomplished.

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