WotLK Is Coming 11.13.2008 - 9.15.2008

'Nuff said.

-Matt Graham

WotLK Beta Journal Entry #1 - 9.13.2008

WARNING! THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE WRATH OF THE LICH KING BETA!


So, the first thing I did with the Wrath of the Lich King beta was roll a Death Knight. Here is just about everything that I did in the starting zone and beyond in great detail. Enjoy!

After a short cutscene describing Death Knights and Acherus, I first spawned in the necropolis with the Lich King right in front of my face. Beginning with no weapon, I talk to the Lich King who then directs me to Instructor Razuvious. Razuvious then tells me of the importance of a runeblade to a Death Knight. After a few quests, I receive my first runeblade and runeforging skills. I'm then told to test my skills on some prisoners. A bit later, I return to the Lich King who orders me to look through the Eye of Acherus and scout out the below Scarlet Crusade town of New Avalon. After the scouting trip, I go to Mograine who points me towards Scourge Commander Thalanor who was found hovering above the ground on a Scourge Gryphon. I'm told to take a Scourge Gryphon taxi down to Death's Breach where I can find Prince Valanar.

Once in Death's Breach, I have a chance to do a few side quests, such as the quest that grants me my Deathcharger mount. So, after doing a few of those quests, I'm told to hide in a box of ore by the mine. There, I'm taken by a Scarlet Crusade peasant to a harbor where they are loading ore. The area is covered with hundred of member of the Scarlet Crusade, but because of my disguise, I make it onto a ship without anyone noticing. Then, I jump out of the box I was in and grab a hold of a canon. I fire upon the spawns of crusaders on the beach until I kill 100 of them. I then call on a Scourge Gryphon to take me safely back to Death's Breach.

After my victories at Death's Breach, Valanar orders me to see Mograine in Acherus. Immediately, Mograine send me back to Valanar at Death's Breach. This is the first time I experience phasing (instancing without actually going through an instance), or at least the first time I notice it happening. Valanar is found on a platform in front of about 25 Death Knights who are bowing to him. Salanar, another lead Death Knight at Death's Breach, is now right next to him to right of his platform. Further on, I notice that Havenshire, a Scarlet Crusade town right next to Death's Breach, is now in flames and ruins and Gothik the Harvester is patrolling around. Moving on, I find Noth the Plaguebringer hanging out in a pumpkin patch asking me to help him prepare a cauldron. Adjacent to the pumpkin patch is the Crypt of Remembrance, and there I speak to Prince Keleseth and Baron Rivendare who both gave me quests. While I was there, I should have spoken to Baron Rivendare about the annoying times he's given my main.

The next group of quests takes place in New Avalon, a city infested with the Scarlet Crusade. I'm sent to kill citizens, as well as crusaders and the mayor, and I also have to pick a few things up. The citizens just stand there scared shitless when they see me, and the crusaders don't have too much health, so I took them down fast. The mayor himself is basically just as easy as a regular crusader. After that, Prince Keleseth sends me out to receive information from crusaders regarding the "Crimson Dawn".

After that, I visit a small tavern that the Death Knight's have taken over in New Avalon. I'm sent to the main hold in New Avalon to do a few quests there before I'm then told to meet up with a group of Death Knight's at a nearby chapel. The band of Death Knights has destroyed that chapel and found a Scarlet Crusade prison nearby full of members of the Argent Dawn. I, being a male Human, am ordered to kill a female Human who happened to be an old friend of mine. She tries to save me, but the Lich King's powers are too much - I kill her right then and there.

Next, I'm sent to kill a courier and get his belongings. Using what he dropped, I disguise myself as a member of the Scarlet Crusade to receive information from someone at the harbor. After returning to the tavern, a portal back to Acherus is opened for me. I step through and speak to Mograine about my findings. Mograine tells me to speak to the Lich King - this time he's at Death's Breach.

This time at Death's Breach, the Lich King is up high on a platform with Prince Valanar and Prince Keleseth on each side of him. The Lich King provides me with a horn that calls a Frost Wyrm for me to ride into battle with. On the back of the Frost Wyrm, I'm commanded to deliver the final blow to the Scarlet Crusade of New Avalon. After I finished off New Avalon, the Lich King provides me with the last piece of the full second set of Death Knight gear and then orders me to go through a cave behind him and into the Noxious Glade. From there, I went to the Browman Mill and prepared for the final battle against Light's Hope Chapel.

I really don't want to give too much away. The end of the final battle is one of the coolest things I've ever seen in WoW. To try and tell you the basics of it without giving away the whole thing, Mograine and the rest of the Knights of the Ebon Blade are betrayed by Arthas as he basically calls them his pawns used only to get to Tirion Fordring and his men, Mograine passes the Ashbringer to Fordring, and Fordring then announces an alliance of the Silver Hand and the Argent Dawn - creating the Argent Crusade. As the Knights of the Ebon Blade are betrayed by Arthas, they too, sort of "unofficially", join the alliance as a part of the Argent Crusade.

After the battle and conversation between factions, I create a Death Gate back to Acherus. There, Mograine commands me and the other Death Knights to team up and kill the remaining Scourge in the Ebon Hold, including Patchwerk. Upon returning to Mograine when the deed is done, he reminds me of my past as a hero of the Alliance. Mograine tells me that Tirion Fordring gave him a letter that is to be delivered to King Varian Wrynn in Stormwind. As I was once a member of the Alliance, Mograine orders me to take the portal behind him to Stormwind and deliver the letter myself.

Upon entering Stormwind, the guards and civilians throw rotten fruit at me, spit on me, and call me names. After reaching the King of Stormwind, we speak for a brief moment and come to an agreement of an alliance between the Death Knights and the forces of good, against the Lich King. There ends the beginning quest chain for the Death Knight hero class.


I gotta say, the Death Knight starting area might be the best thing I've ever experience in WoW. I'll probably write a follow-up post to this one that will be specifically my opinion on the awesomeness of the Death Knight starting zone. If I get around to it, it'll be out within the next couple of days.

-Matt Graham

Finally... - 9.10.2008

No, I'm not dead. I just haven't been playing WoW a whole lot and I've been pissy because I haven't gotten into the WotLK beta, however, that all changes now...

I AM SO EXCITED! I JUST got my beta invitation in my e-mail box and I started downloading the client within a minute of seeing "Inbox (1)".

I gotta say, I haven't been this excited about something in a long time. I cannot wait to give you guys some awesome reviews from my experiences in beta! Honestly, I never expected to get a beta invite after it had been this long without getting one, so I never planned anything for the blog if I got in. With that said, I quickly decided that I'll probably do a day-by-day journal type of thing, while alternating the characters I play quite often.

Expect the first article sometime in the late afternoon tomorrow or on Friday night!

-Matt Graham