Are you prepared for Northrend!

In the run up to the launch of The Burning Crusade I was desperately trying to reach level 60 so I could keep up with the rest of the world when the portal opened. I was there on launch day when the server was constantly crashing from so many people and I was still there months later grinding my way to 70. I shared in the heartbreak of trading in all my hard earned gear for greens with twice the stats and I spent the brief pauses in my levelling trying out the new battleground.

I was a player possessed but it was awesome. And after three months I had reached level 70 and had turned my attention to the arena. Then I realised that I had a choice. I could give up all hope of sleeping ever again and join a raiding guild or I could take a break and wait and see what Blizzard could come up with next.

Lag Central? Not this time!

What I received for my patience (and need of a good nights sleep) was World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. After my time in Outland I was missing home and jumped at the chance to head back to Azeroth. Once there I headed to Stormwind Harbour (they surely needed planning permission on a structure as old as that!) and boarded the boat for Borean Tundra.

I was a little apprehensive about travelling by boat on the launch day of Wrath of the Lich King. What happens if the server crashes when I am in the middle of the sea? Can I swim back? Will I drown? Will I ever get home? Luckily, and to my surprise the server didn't crash. In fact there was hardly any lag. Blizzard had clearly been very busy since the The Burning Crusade ensuring that life goes on even when a new continent is being formed.

When the boat docked I found myself in Wrath of the Lich King's first area: a town surrounded by snow and under attack by giant beetles. While this may not have been the most salubrious place to hang out it meant that I got straight in helping to defend the town. Unlike the amazing views of Outland with planets slightly too close for comfort, Lich King's Borean Tundra was more like coming home but finding that home is a lot prettier than you remember.

Taurens with L plates!

There's a lot more depth to the surroundings in Wrath of the Lich King, and many more creatures to kill or to ingratiate yourself with. The quests are also a lot more interesting than just 'kill x wolves and bring me x wolf hides'. New missions often involve vehicles, which can be anything from a steam tank to a mammoth to an almighty Dragon - and you'll use them for everything from destroying enemy bases to chopping down trees to help in the war effort.

You are also a lot more involved with the story in Warth of the Lich King. Numerous quests grant insight into the past, showing how Northrend came to be the way it is; including in-game cinematics, which you would previously only find inside high level instances. On the whole it means that while the uber-players are still just that, in Wrath of the Lich King the average player can feel included in the story too. All this combined with the new achievement points system means that you have many more opportunities to brag to your mates than just playing who has the biggest sword.

The other major addition in Wrath of the Lich King is Blizzards' first new class in over four years, the Death Knight. Handily, this first in a new group of Hero classes allows you to start for level 55 if you already have a character of another class on that server - so if you're attached to your old high-level character like me, you don't have to abandon them for an age to grind a Death Knight up from scratch.

Emphasising the heroic nature of Death Knights is the fact that they have their own starting area and quests to explain their place in the world. It's here that Blizzard have really surpassed themselves. Wrath of the Lich King's Death Knight introduction quests are probably, in scope, variety and sheer entertainment value, Blizzards' best work on World of Warcraft to date. Even if you never touch the Death Knight again it is worth spending the few hours necessary to complete the storyline.

Gameplay-wise, Lich King's Death Knights are a close range melee class, pitched somewhere between the current Warrior and Rogue, dependent on three different types of Runes which determine what attacks are available, and a slow building pot of Runic Power which increases in combat. Again Blizzards' genius can be seen here: Death Knights prove both powerful and flexible, feeling familiar and fresh at the same time.

The same, yet different

And that's a good way of describing Wrath of the Lich King in general. Currently being a level 75, I won't pretend to know all the end game instances inside out or claim to have the latest armour tier set; however I'm really enjoying myself. Each area brings familiar Warcraft gameplay warped into something new, and I'm having a great time exploring and getting to know Northrend - and believe me, it takes some effort to get the achievement for discovering everywhere!.

If you're looking for something drastically different to the World of Warcraft you have been playing for years you are not going to find it in Wrath of the Lich King. However if you want to keep playing, or you just want something to reinvigorate your interest then you should get on the boat now. Just make sure you have stocked up on food and water first. And remember; enjoy everything in life in moderation... even World of Warcraft!

GAME's Verdict

• Another enormous, gorgeously detailed continent for WoW addicts to explore.
• Death Knights are a brilliant addition.
• Missions in Wrath of the Lich King carry far more diversity and story.

• PVP, while more involved, is still not the same standard as Warhammer Online.
• Once you get to level 80 there is still the question of what to do now.
• There are now so many races and factions for you to befriend that there is no way you can ever become exalted with them all.

Review by: Ali 'Azeroth' Worrow & Nick 'Lich King' Logan
Version Tested: PC Review Published: 12.12.08