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A Worgens adventures in Cataclysm - Part One: Howling at the moon.
Here begins my adventures in Cataclysm, documenting the levelling experience from 1 through to 60.
Written by Chris Joyce, 03 September 2010
The great cataclysm has changed the face of Azeroth forever, and it's time to see just how much.
BOOM!Join me, over the coming weeks, as I take a Worgen hunter on his adventures throughout Azeroth, taking a detailed look at the new quests, the changing world and the fun to be had in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.
Round 'em up!Although it should be obvious, I must warn you that this player diary will be very spoiler heavy, so make sure you want to know what happens before you read on.
King Genn GreymaneThe Worgen:
The attacking Worgen"Led by their indomitable, King Genn Greymane, the proud citizens of Gilneas once stood with the Alliance against the vile orcish Horde that sought to conquer all of Lordaeron.
Prince Liam GreymaneGilneas survived but in the chaotic years following the Second War, the mighty kingdom drew ever inward. Distrustful of their formal allies, the Gilneans erected a mighty wall at the borders of their land closing off their nation and their hearts from an ever-darkening world.
GilneasNow, many years later, as the seemingly unstoppable undead scourge marches across Lordaeron, human civilization teeters on the brink of destruction as war and terror close in all around them.
The citizens of Gilneas are faced with one terrible truth; their mighty wall cannot hold back the dead for much longer, and worse, rumours of a new threat have arisen within the kingdom's borders, of feral nightmare creatures that walk upright as men but hunt and howl as wolves."
Our adventure begins in Gilneas, a beautifully designed town, reminiscent of Victorian England with the buildings, cobbled streets and market stalls. Washing hangs between the buildings, scraps of newspaper blow around in the breeze...and the sound of impending battle are all around.
Of all the starting zones in WoW, the Worgens is by far the most impressive (although I will admit, I am yet to experience the Goblin starter zone), with the strong storyline rich in lore, and the excellent use of phasing technology, and while it is considerably longer than others, it is a very enjoyable experience.
Prince Liam Greymane sits mounted atop his trusty steed as he rallies his men, attempting to boost their moral in preparation for the impending attack with his inspirational speech.
I was sent to find Lieutenant Waldenin in Merchant Square, and as I arrived I discovered that he was dead, the claw marks on his body presumably made by whatever was on the other side of the city walls.
As I returned to relay the news to the prince I saw the streets filled with rampaging Worgen, and the townsfolk fleeing in terror. The attack has begun and it's time to see how well my gun fares against these beasts, along with my trusty mastiff, Wolf.
I was asked to kill a number of the rampaging Worgen, while evacuating townsfolk from their homes and collecting salvaged supplies; all fairly straight-forward quests.
Upon completion I was sent to speak to Gwen Armstead over in the Military District. Worgen are everywhere, locked in fierce combat with the Gilnean guards and the streets littered with the corpses of both.
Gwen Armstead instructs you to visit your class trainer. By this point you should be at least level 3 and able to pick up the first of your class abilities; in my case this was Steady Shot, a welcome addition at this early level.
After practising my new skill for a moment I made my way over to see the legendary King Genn Greymane.
Despite their previous conflicts, King Genn asked for me to make my way into the Stoneward Prison and speak with Lord Darius Crowley. While Crowley had previously been opposed to Genn, his assistance in these times is required. A nearby guard also asked for me to despatch with more worgens on my way.
MMOZine Issue 34
For our latest World of Warcraft coverage, click here to download MMOZine Issue 34 for free.Heading in through the side door of the prison I made my way up the stairs onto the rooftop to find Crowley fighting off hordes of attacking Worgen where I jumped in to lend a hand for a two-minute timed quest.
The Worgen pile over the walls and attack in huge numbers, quickly outnumbering you, but are easily dealt with and offer no real challenge as a combat buff from Crowley gives you increased damage and regeneration during the event.
With the attacking beasts put to rest Crowley needs to attend to his men, but agrees to join the king in the battle and reveals the location of his store of heavy artillery in Josiah Avery's cellar. While this news would normally be concerning to the king, to learn that weaponry is being snuck into his town, it's welcome news on a day like today.
As you enter the cellar of the nearby house, the billowing dust blowing up from the double doors is a nice graphical touch. Josiah Avery was waiting for me in the corner, but as I got close he went all Teenwolf on me and attacked.
To make matters worse, I was bitten...
Suddenly, I was pulled back through the air, and a shot whizzed past my head to take out the beastly Avery before he had chance to attack again. My saviour turned out to be Lorna Crowley, Darius's daughter, flanked by a pair of bad-ass looking mastiffs, and armed with a shotgun. I like her more than I like her father...
Worgen have begun sneaking around the streets, so Lorna handed over one of her hounds so that I could sniff out a bunch and take them out, before sending me with a message to the king.
Krennan Aranas, one of the most brilliant alchemists known, had become trapped on the other side of the city, and as always it was down to me to rescue him. Thankfully, Greymane loaned me the use of his mount to go and rescue the alchemist.
The horse runs along its path automatically, leaving me with the simple task of hitting the rescue button as I arrived to find Krennan hanging from the branches of a tree.
The Worgen attack had become too strong at this point, so it was time to fall back to Greymane Court where Crowley's men are fortified within the cathedral.
With the artillery all set up and ready to go, I joined Crowley on his mount as he raced around the courtyard while I tossed explosives at the marauding beasts to draw their attention. As we arrived at the cathedral I jumped off the horse and onto one of the large cannons sat waiting on the cathedral steps to lay into the chasing Worgen.
The beasts charged the steps, with dozens coming from every direction, but they soon flew in the opposite direction, much faster, as they were blasted by the cannons.
After blasting 100 of the attacking Worgen I made my way into the cathedral to speak to Crowley. At this point my bite wound had become much worse, and rather disturbingly begun growing hair...
Despite the last minute defences on the cathedral steps, more Worgen continue to attack and have made their way into the cathedral.
I took out another batch, as instructed by Crowley, and it was at this point that I transformed into a Worgen. In a later build of the beta client there will be a cut scene to show you the events of the change, and then leading up to the present day, but sadly this is missing at the moment.
After a brief loading screen I was brought up to the present, in Duskhaven, to find myself trapped in the stocks as a fully formed Worgen; a very unfortunate predicament...
It is here that I will call this first part to a close. The initial part of my levelling journey has been just as fun as it has eventful, and the work that has been put into this new zone is clearly evident.
Both new players, and veterans alike, are likely to find something new here and this is just the start - there's a whole lot more left for the Worgen starting experience.
Join me in part two of my Worgens adventures as I continue through the starting zone, and move on to Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms.
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