Wrath of the Lich King is Amazing!

It's finally here and Wrath of the Lich King is amazing!

Blizzard Entertainment's commitment to quality shines through this latest expansion and I couldn't be happier. There are vast new areas to explore, 10 new levels, and the exciting new Death Knight class in the largest expansion ever to the world's best and most popular online game.

This expansion succeeds because of the unparalleled level of polish that Blizzard brings to all of its games, and there is no question that Lich King is also the best dollar-per-hour deal you're ever going to find in any game of any kind.

No matter what style of play you prefer, you're going to love Wrath of the Lich King. If you're into player vs. player combat, you're going to totally get off on the battlegrounds and the amazing new vehicular combat.

If crafting is more your style, you'll love that every single profession has been upgraded with new abilities and recipes.

And absolutely everyone will enjoy the ten new levels to work through and the vast new areas to explore, complete with hundreds of new quests and a mind boggling amount of new lore. The amount of thought and creativity evident in the new quest lines will stagger your imagination and every goal in Wrath is truly fun and many are really something altogether unique.

It is definitely impressive that Blizzard has given us thousands of hours of additional play with Wrath of the Lich King, but it is even more impressive that everything is where it should be and works as it should on launch day. I don't know of any other MMO that meets this standard.

Another reason I like WotLK is that by maintaining the style of graphics used from the beginning, this new expansion runs perfectly, even on older computers. No need to buy a new computer or a new graphics card just to play the game you've come to love and want to keep playing.

To be fair, nothing in Wrath of the Lich King is a revolutionary change from previous versions of World of Warcraft, but I believe that is more of a strength than a weakness. There is a reason that 11 million people play this game and the reason is that it is fun! Why fix what isn't broken?

Death Knights Rawk!

There is no question the one change in WotLK that is getting the most buzz is the addition of the Death Knight class. And for good reason! These bad boys kick ass like a Warrior, keep themselves going like a Warlock and take as much punishment as a Paladin.  Most experienced players believe Death Knights are now the most useful characters in the game.

Not for beginners, it is fitting that Death Knights begin at Level 55 and have their own starting area that has been designed to make the most of their place in the lore of the Lich King. Not only do Death Knights meet the Lich King within minutes of starting life, they also quickly get enough gear so that without delay you will feel like a powerful, malevolent force, ready to dominate in this new expansion. Seasoned players will really appreciate this "instant on" feature and recognize it as a gift from Blizzard to their loyal players.

Northrend

Far to the north of of the old Azerothian landmasses, Northrend is the largest expansion to date. Every zone in Northrend is larger than the zones in any previous expansion, yet each possess the same awesome level of detail we have come to expect. More importantly, every new zone is full of new enemies as well as a few you will recognize from the older areas of Azeroth. Even in the early zones, you can look forward to meeting Vrykul barbarians, Iron Dwarves and the Tuskarr walrus people, making these new zones very different from anything you have seen before.

As expected, Wrath of the Lich King seamlessly integrates the features of the 3.0 patch adding real-time shadows, the in-game calendar, and many of the small things you didn't realize you needed until you got them.

The Inscription profession is one of the 3.0 patch features that gains new strength in WotLK. Inscriptions give players a new way to increase their characters' powers and abilities It reminds me of Enchantment, but it works on characters, instead of their items. Inscription offers a whole new level of play for experienced players and newbies alike.

Vehicular Combat

Wrath of the Lich King continues the tradition of new player vs. player arenas like those found in Burning Crusade.  If you'd rather match your skills against other players instead of game-controlled beasts, then you'll like the new landscapes for the bloodshed as well as the chance to pilot vehicles that can be mobile weapons in themselves or can be used to transport large groups of allies. These new vehicles aren't quite what you find in first-person shooters, but they will nevertheless completely change the way PvP devotees think about their game play.

All in all, I couldn't be happier with Wrath of the Lich King and I believe with additions like this one, World of Warcraft will continue its reign as the number one MMOG well into the foreseeable future.