Review: World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

KING HIT: Seductictive new content should attract fans and newcomers alike to World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King.

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What's World of Warcraft?

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If you don't already know, let me dispense with a few obligatory World of Warcraft facts (thanks, Wikipedia).

The game is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, or MMORPG. More than 11.5 million reasonably rational people pay about NZ$20 a month to subscribe.

With a game population like this, you wouldn't be surprised to learn that it's the world's largest MMORPG (by number of subscribers) and it holds the Guinness World Record for most popular MMORPG, but perhaps most importantly, it has had a whole South Park episode dedicated to it, among other cultural references. It's kind of a big deal.

And now comes Wrath of the Lich King (WotLK), the second expansion set in the series. On its first day of release, it sold 2.8 million copies. Those dedicated few who bought it straight off didn't need reviews - trying to tell them of the game's merits is like preaching to the choir of an ultra-orthodox sect.

From what I can see, there are two other kinds of people - those who have never played and don't know what the big deal is, and those who have already reached the highest levels of World of Warcraft (WoW) and have given it away, either because of boredom, or the reclaiming of their RLs (real lives).

For the unbelievers, a WoW fanatic named Cartman put it best: "Butters, go buy World of Warcraft, install it on your computer and join the online sensation before we all murder you."

For the former fans who need good reasons to go back, read on.

For starters, there is a whole new continent, Northrend. It is the home of Arthas Menethil and Ner'zhul (who have combined to become the Lich King) and their undead hordes.

Venturing out there just to get some payback for the infuriating scourge invasion preceding WotLK's release is good enough reason for some.

Whereas Outlands was a barren, battle-scarred desert, Northrend is a jagged, snow-covered Nordic landscape. There is also a new race of evil Viking half-giants called the Vrykul, who live in an area known as the Howling Fjord. Other new races include the Taunka, Tuskarr and the Drakkari ice-trolls.

If you're really dedicated, you might even get one of the new proto-dragons (ancestors of the dragons) as a mount.

There is also a heap of new content - new dungeons, a new profession (inscription) and some trivial but entertaining additions, such as barbershops (for the mullet you always wanted your toon to have).

If it's PvP you're after, Player vs Player battles have entered the arms race and you're now able to harness the destructive power of siege weaponry such as catapults, ballistas or meat wagons to bring your enemies to their knees.

Another new aspect I am particularly fond of is the Achievement system. This records all your deeds, everything from catching 100 fish to defeating the bosses of Naxxramas with less than 21 people in the zone on Heroic Difficulty.

As for the graphics, Blizzard has revamped the graphics engine, so while WoW will never be truly free of the relatively cartoonish feel, the dynamic art direction and improved rendering (including new ice-shading - no kidding) more than make up for this.

But perhaps the most highly anticipated aspect of WotLK is the new class, the Death Knight. This is the game's first hero class, and they are seriously good value.

To create a Death Knight, you must have an existing character at level 55 or higher, as they start out at level 55. The Death Knights are made up of the faithless souls from all races who have given their souls to the Lich King in a bid to gain eternal life. The class mechanics of the Death Knight focus on a regenerating rune system and a host of deadly afflictions.

When your runeblade-wielding Scourge warrior gets going with these, you will find yourself a satisfied gamer indeed.

In summary, newbies, just get in there and give it a go. The levelling from 1-60 has never been easier or faster and the achievement system will give you that reward craving/satisfaction from the start.

For those unsure about returning, surely all that new content is beckoning seductively. The two magic words, new class, should be more than enough to encourage a wee peek at least.

And really, what's so great about the real world anyway?

Aja Trinder has been playing WoW since May 2007, mainly on PvE realms. She plays a level 71 Death Knight, a level 65 Hunter and a level 41 Warlock. She's a librarian at The Press.

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