Cataclysm

[Rasix]

The Forsaken are evil insofar as they will punch anyone in the way of getting what they want, Big Bad or Innocent Bystander.

I much prefer that to Varian and Garrosh constantly channeling Marcus Fenix.

Yeah, the Forsaken are real subtle and nuanced with their whole mustache-twirling "No we won't use the plague. OF COURSE I WAS LYING, USE THE PLAGUE!" routine and Garrosh's for-the-slow-kids speech directly comparing Sylvanas to the Lich King. I haven't seen an evil so thoughtfully shaded since...

No mas.

Enough fucking lore battles. This is stupider than Step Up 3D. 

[Draegan]

Rasix to the rescue.

[Fordel]

It doesn't help that a lot of the "lore" is generated via comic books and novels (that, unlike the Star Wars EU, are all considered canon), which tends to lead to kind of "wtf" moments, like the game assuming you already knew all the Kalecgos/Anveena/Dar'Khan backstory in advance. It'll probably have something similar in Cataclysm, when people start wondering why Staghelm is suddenly evil/dead.

They actually do a decent job of explaining where Staghelm is in Teldrassil, it's tied to the moonwell water quests, so every noob elf will be informed.

[WoopeeTuralyon]

Several of the new class-race combinations strike me as making absolutely no sense. How the hell is a dwarf able to be a shaman? Nature nature IRONFORGE? No. And please share an occasion where a tauren has shown any inclination to be a holy roller paladin.

[Zetor]

The Earthen [ancestors of the dwarves] are very much 'in tune' with the elements, in fact it's a smaller stretch for them than draenei. You even get to command a squad of Earthen elemental shamans in some Storm Peaks quest where they cast earth shield, lava burst and earth shock. Some of the Earthen Ring representatives (for the Ahune event f'rex) were also dwarf shamans from the wildhammer clan.

Tauren pallies... I got nothin' (other than HOLY COW!). However, when we roll hordeside alts, I'll definitely play a tauren pally over a BE one.

[ezrast]

From what I hear, tauren pallies aren't actually paladins; they draw their power from the tauren sun god (to balance out druids, who draw their power from the moon goddess), who just happens to give similar powers as the holy light does to paladins.

[caladein]

It's the same thing with Priests.  Everyone has their own source for Priestly powers.

[Fordel]

From what I hear, tauren pallies aren't actually paladins; they draw their power from the tauren sun god (to balance out druids, who draw their power from the moon goddess), who just happens to give similar powers as the holy light does to paladins.

Yea, it's just game mechanics that makes them "paladins" in the end. If you go to the Druid Trainers in Thunderbluff right now, you can see a little conversation between two Taurens about how they start thinking up the whole Sunwalker thing.


Wildhammer dwarves have always had a very strong nature and elemental connection, this is clearly where the dwarven shamans are coming from. Conversely the dwarven mages and warlocks seem to be coming from or taught by the Dark Iron 'allies' as well.

[Sheepherder]

How the hell is a dwarf able to be a shaman? Nature nature IRONFORGE? No.

What is it about Mountain King that you do not get?

[SurfD]

How the hell is a dwarf able to be a shaman? Nature nature IRONFORGE? No.

What is it about Mountain King that you do not get?

Other then the fact that absolutely nothing about a Mountain King screams "shaman"?

[lesion]

You know what makes no sense? Space goats. If you still play this game and ponder the merits of bizarre retcons and poorly explained blamfazoos, drink until the urge to care fades.

[Rendakor]

My only complaint about Tauren Pallies is that we're getting that instead of undead pallies.

[Sheepherder]

Other then the fact that absolutely nothing about a Mountain King screams "shaman"?

Dual-wielding hero who grows big and fierce during combat and uses lightning attacks != shaman?

[WindupAtheist]

Shamans aren't druids, and their being into "the elements" doesn't neccessarily mean they hug trees.

[SurfD]

Other then the fact that absolutely nothing about a Mountain King screams "shaman"?

Dual-wielding hero who grows big and fierce during combat and uses lightning attacks != shaman?

So by extention, storm giants are shaman?

[WoopeeTuralyon]

Hey, don't diss the space goats. Woopee is a sexy one.

[Ingmar]

Shamans = Wildhammer dwarves, there's really nothing wrong with it.

[Slyfeind]

Stuff on fire.

Ugh dear god the world changes sound dreadful. It sounds like:

Human newbie area: Shit gets serious. It's all out war. You're dropped off in the middle of the blood war between the brood death and the doom sluts, where you pilot a dragon that pukes death and decay and you fight the doom death fucks while exploding zombies are thrown at you by flaming demons. Quest NPCs follow you around and you don't even have to go anywhere because there are teleporters that everybody starts with that take you to the next town, warp you through all the quest givers, and warp you to the quest mobs. All this while hordes of flaming zombie orcs are raining down from the heavens.

Next area: Shit gets really serious. It's all out war. You parachute down using the skins of dead dragons while demons are firing machine guns filled with acid. Quest givers drop from the sky and lob exploding demons at them while the dead death guild of death makes death out of the dead. The entire zone is volcanos exploding out of other volcanos and dwarves are all cyborg zombies charging from more volcanos. And there's also a big river of blood where zombie pirannhas shoot death.

Next area: Shit gets really really serious. It's all out war. You turn into a dragon that shoots dead zombie whores out of guns that explode on contact. Demons with razor sharp wire for hair are fighting worgen who are all piloting giant ninja cyborg zombie titans. The whole zone is made of bones that are screaming at you all the time and you can't turn the sound off.

Next area: Shit gets really really really serious. It's all out war. You can't see anything except more dragons and death and blood giants and doom demons. You become the cybernetics on a really big death dragon that bleeds death acid.

Jesus fucking christ, is there a game in there?

[Fordel]

Jesus fucking christ, is there a game in there?

That sounds like a pretty awesome game to me. 



Unless you long for the time of inspecting whale carcasses on the shoreline and stuff, the Cata storyline is a vast improvement.

[Pezzle]

The whole zone is made of bones that are screaming at you all the time and you can't turn the sound off.

Winner.

[Mattemeo]

It sounds like...

...what I imagine the proposal for the first level of the next instalment of Painkiller to be like. At least till they have a chance to jazz it up a little.

[Paelos]

Shit just got serious. 

[ajax34i]

Do they still have the same looting and levelling sounds?  My ding is all I need.

[Sheepherder]

So by extention, storm giants are shaman?

Yes.  Why does this bother you?

[Slyfeind]

Unless you long for the time of inspecting whale carcasses on the shoreline and stuff, the Cata storyline is a vast improvement.

At least whale carcasses would give the impression that there's something else going on besides 85 levels of bombing runs.

Seriously though, what strikes me the most is how you described Desolace in its comparative boredom. It reminds me of Burning Crusade, where players went from All Out War in Hellfire Peninsula, to...a forest of giant mushrooms and swamp hippies. Burning Crusade was all uneven and kinda pissed me off, and I liked how Northrend went back to a more gradual build. Plus I hate vehicles. 

I'll keep an eye on it, but it sounds like Cataclysm is Not For Me.

[WindupAtheist]

Next area: Shit gets really really really serious. It's all out war. You can't see anything except more dragons and death and blood giants and doom demons. You become the cybernetics on a really big death dragon that bleeds death acid.

Jesus fucking christ, is there a game in there?

Are you fucking kidding me? This sounds a billion times more fun than... say... the "Alliance and Horde hold to a tenuous truce while adventurers collect beets for hungry farmers and supposedly battle against some great evil force that really only exists inside some instance only 2% of the population will ever access!" bullshit we got in BC.

[Paelos]

Hey for a while there we were collecting cloth and other items to help for the "War Effort" to open up a gate to an Old Evil that only 2% of the server would ever see. They should try something like that again in Cataclysm. 

[kildorn]

Hey for a while there we were collecting cloth and other items to help for the "War Effort" to open up a gate to an Old Evil that only 2% of the server would ever see. They should try something like that again in Cataclysm. 

"Hey Guys, someone sealed an ancient evil behind this gate!"
...."We need to pull everyone together and open it!"

Am I forgetting some reason WHY we opened that gate again?

[Brogarn]

Am I forgetting some reason WHY we opened that gate again?

That's easy. It's been the standard operating procedure for every adventurer since the entire genre was created: Open everything. There might be treasure in there!

[Paelos]

We opened the gate because bugs started cracking through the gate, I think. Or something. We needed to stop the big bugs that were causing the other bugs to get all buggy.

[Musashi]

It was C'thun who was manipulating the Black Dragonflight.  He was manipulating something, and trying to escape from where he was sealed.  He needed to be dead.  So sayeth Chromie, so shall it be done.

[SurfD]

It was C'thun who was manipulating the Black Dragonflight.  He was manipulating something, and trying to escape from where he was sealed.  He needed to be dead.  So sayeth Chromie, so shall it be done.

I think it had more to do with them finally figuring out that the Silithid (who had ben appearing in zones as far away as the Barrens) were actually under the controll of the Evil Eye, and as such, they decided that sending a bunch of adventurers in through the front gate to deal with the problem was a better solution then potentially attempting to wage a war on 4+ fronts if the bugs decided to start pouring out of every hole available to them.

[Draegan]

I always felt that Silithius was a forgotten zone.  I didn't play WOW much when AQ came out though so that might be why.  I always felt it was tucked in the corner and forgotten.

[Paelos]

It wasn't forgotten so much as it made absolutely no sense. It was this weird alien looking place completely covered up by evil insects. There was nowhere else in the game where it fit.

[Rendakor]

I was always waiting for the big reveal about the bugs being related to the Zerg.