Revamp (The Shattering) Early Impressions

[Mangala]

So its been live a few days has the major part of Cataclysms content and I was wondering what those playing are thinking of it.

I personally am really into it, the world has changed sufficiently that it feels fresh and new - even for the alts that were half way through the old classic content.

Recreating Pedesvir to see the new dwarf starting quests and on was a joy also - nice quest rewards, good quest flow and some great writing went into them, and im getting the impression its the same all over.

The only minor downside is it feels like levelling is too fast - I get half way thru a zone its quests become green, but being me I dont leave like many others would, Im seeing things out since each zone has its own story within the overall wow story (lollore).

[Jarkko]

I like it. It's an all new game, especially on Horde side

[Keggi]

to me it flows alot better but i do get the leveling too fast thing level 40 in a few days hmmm part of this i think is going to zones that were higher level before i.e wpl at level 30


but all in all im likeing it

[Taith]

Just the fact that you aren't running the length of the zone over and over is a big improvement for me. Between that and better quest clustering, it's easy to see why the levels are flying past.

I ran around through all the cities. Some haven't changed much, but they all seem pretty good. Malfurion Stormrage is in Darnassus if you haven't spotted him yet.

I've run a shaman through Dun Morogh and, comparing it to the time I levelled a dwarf warrior through shortly before joining the original HoJ, it did seem a lot better.

I've also been questing an undead warlock on the Turalyon server through Western Plaguelands. Very interesting changes, completely revamped after the work the vanilla factions have done reviving it. There's also the Battle of Andorhal, which I believe I haven't seen the end of yet, with a number of familiar faces making appearances, and some surprising and extremely cool questing on behalf of the Forsaken.

I've just reached the Argent camp next to one of the middle farms. It's Argent Crusade, the Wrath faction. Get yer rep if you didn't manage to max it out with a champion's tabard.

I had just arrived at the Argent camp and was picking up quests, and as I ran towards the Forsaken standing there my screen went red. Now, I've had several weeks of technical difficulties with my laptop, so I made an effort to remain calm, walked around a bit to see if maybe it was just an area of red cloud, then started to log off.

Then the world exploded in flame, instantly killing me, and I got Stood in the Fire.

[Mangala]

I was close to where DW burned WPL down yesterday but he doesnt cover all that zone, sucked as I didnt know he misses out the lumbermill and Hearthglen. (This is on my Paladin).

Yeah getting AC rep is grand, especially as for a while it gives AD rep on the side without telling you. I went from Neutral to Revered with the AD on my pala just from doing the WPL and early EPL quests.

Overall, having started new Ped, played my priest in Badlands, my Pala through WPL and EPL (now in revamped tanaris), and my hunter through the end of Ashenvale, Stonetalon and now Desolace. I really am wowed by this indeed. Im even taking my comment back on  levelling back, considering I got 9 levels from WPL and EPL yesterday - while timewise it may be fast, as far as out leveling zones is concerned I think it looks like you cant really do that unless you are one of those folks that wears heirlooms and only quests in a zone while its yellow/orange

[Jeremiah]

and you now get XP for grey Qs

[Kurtt]

I'm really, really enjoying it so far. So much so that worryingly, I've forgotton all about SWTOR 

Blizz have done a great job with this patch, and I think the changes to the old world far outshine the new additions with the expansion (I may change my mind once I actually play Cata.

I'm loving the new dungeouns too. Very fun, and very repeatable. My favourite zone so far has to be WPL, though I've not quested through there yet. Am saving it for my Worgen!

[Jarkko]

Azshara is by far the coolest zone now IMO    It's so cool the temperature actually fell to -25 Celsius over here when I started to explore it (true story!).

[Taith]

Blizz have done a great job with this patch, and I think the changes to the old world far outshine the new additions with the expansion (I may change my mind once I actually play Cata.

Can anything equal doing quests for a turtle god?

[Taith]

Synch has a rule about no spoilers in gchat, and presumably the forums. Where are you guys on that sort of thing?

[Mangala]

We dont have a rule, but we dont tend to do it - in /g at any rate.

On here, just preface your post (used to be an smf spoiler mod, but :effort to get working these days:) or something.

Not many of us here anyways, and those that are know how to find stuff out if they want.

[Mangala]

Blizz have done a great job with this patch, and I think the changes to the old world far outshine the new additions with the expansion (I may change my mind once I actually play Cata.

Can anything equal doing quests for a turtle god?

Talking of turtle gods - hyjal and its whole bring back the dudes from the War of Ancients line was amazing, really well put together set of quests with some good lore behind them.

[Taith]

That level of vagueness I can do. (And I'm looking forward to Hyjal.)

I was on the ride out of Stormwind, marvelling at everything that was happening, when it really sank in that I was playing through the intro cutscene of a game. Never mind there being half a dozen people on the boat with me, it felt like a single player experience. TBC and Wrath - you hop on the boat and you're there, little difference to the first time you jumped continents in Vanilla. The ride out of Stormwind felt like starting something new.

They've learned a hell of a lot over the years with this game. I was flying over Hellfire Peninsula late in TBC when I realised how cleverly the zone was designed. The great wads of empty space you found in some Vanilla zones were gone. Here, you trip over quest areas every time you move, but the quest progression is laid out in such a way that you feel like you're travelling all over. When you're on the ground, you don't realise how closely packed everything is.

In Wrath they finally got the NPC faction stuff right, which they've been working on since the Argent Dawn vendors appeared and which they got close to right in TBC. Wrath saw the introduction of phasing and while the Death Knight starter zone is considered the pinnacle of it, I think the way you build the Argent Crusade and Ebon Hold bases in Icecrown is actually the cleverer implementation. Phased questing, like around the base of Icecrown Citadel, is one thing, but building a base is leaving your mark on the game world.

I'm still in Kelp'thar forest so I haven't seen much of what they've done with phasing, but my initial impression is that they've really got ahold of what they can do with the concept. I'm looking forward to seeing more of it.