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WoW Cataclysm - Changes to the starting experience.
With the return to Azeroth in Cataclysm, we take a look at how the starting experience has changed.
Written by Chris Joyce, 01 September 2010
World of Warcraft is, without a doubt, one of the most successful MMOs and its 11.5 million subscribers certainly testify to that but its growth has slowed recently. Back in February Blizzard announced that, from all trial accounts, a staggering 70% of players don't make it past level 10 before the account is closed.
Cataclysm Starting Zone ScreenshotsWith the upcoming release of Cataclysm, the game's third expansion pack, Blizzard are not just creating a new continent, they are literally destroying the old one, and this process allows them to completely redesign the entire experience from the start.
Cataclysm Starting Zone ScreenshotsWith the beta phase well under way the majority of changes have been implemented, and here we take a look at just what has changed, and how this will affect the experience for new players, and veterans levelling new characters.
Cataclysm Starting Zone ScreenshotsBe warned that there may be spoilers here, for those not wanting to know what happens in Cataclysm just yet.
Cataclysm Screenshot - Grind, grind, grind...
Cataclysm ScreenshotThe start of almost any MMO will consist of basic quests - kill X of Y, and fetch me 10 of such a thing. These quests will continue throughout the game, but often become a little more interesting as you fight tougher mobs and have more skills at your disposal.
Instead of just sending you to kill some mobs, come back, then go and kill some more, additional quests have been added in the same areas, so that you have more to do - rescue trapped miners by providing them with teleport devices for them to escape, extinguish fires, or recover stolen weapons?
They are all still fairly basic quests, but it gives you something more to do, and things to watch out for, making your early levels feel like less of a boring grind.
- Where do I go?
One of the most irritating things in an MMO is not knowing where you are supposed to go. Wandering around aimlessly searching, or asking in regional chat channels, isn't fun.
A few patches back the quest map was added to World of Warcraft, which marks the map to identify where your intended target is located, or the general area to retrieve certain items. Although this isn't a new addition to MMOs in general, it was a nice change to WoW, and the help system has been expanded a little to make things that little bit easier for the newcomer.
When tasked with killing a certain creature, or mob, their nameplates will be activated; highlighting that they are a required for a quest, and making them stand out a little more than other nearby mobs.
The tracking system on the minimap has been improved, allowing you to track multiple things at a time, allowing you to continue tracking herbs, or mining nodes, while easily being able to locate or profession trainers.
- Combat is boring...
In the early levels of an MMO, combat can be a little dull, with very few abilities available. It often becomes a case of spamming one button until the target is dead, and then moving on to the next.
In Cataclysm, this is becoming less of an issue, as key abilities for all classes are available at a much earlier level with the intention to allow players to become accustomed to essential abilities at an earlier level, and to give the feel that all classes are different and not just simple melee or caster.
Paladins will start with Crusader Strike, Hunters pick up Steady Shot at level 3 and other similar changes. The core set of skills used throughout the game will be picked up at much earlier levels introducing variety into combat.
Another way combat has become a little more interesting is in the way the mobs react when attacked. Instead of jogging towards you slowly, and in many cases dead before they got to you, they will now charge, or leap towards you meaning you need to react a little faster.
- How does this ability work?
While the tooltips for your skills often provide a decent amount of information, they can often be confusing for new players, or those trying out a different class for a change.
Starting zones now have small training camps, set up with training dummies to test out your skills.
Upon hitting level 3, and learning one of your new abilities, you will be given a quest to go and test it out on one of the training dummies a few times, allowing you to see how it works and what kind of damage it does.
You will only get this quest once, not every time you learn new skills, but it will introduce new players to the concept of testing their abilities before charging into combat, and realising that they don't quite know how it works.
- Run here, run there...
A common complaint amongst MMO players, and myself, is that there is often too much running around involved before you reach the level where you can buy a mount.
The Human starting zone, for example, would have you running from Goldshire up to the logging camp, then back and forth between the two, or from Redridge to Goldshire.
This is now a thing of the past. Tons of new flight paths have been added to Azeroth, reducing the amount of running around considerably, and making travel within zones much quicker.
MMOZine Issue 34
For our latest World of Warcraft coverage, click here to download MMOZine Issue 34 for free.Now, instead of having to run up to the logging camp from Goldshire, Marshal McBride will loan you a Stormwind Charger mount and you will whizz through Elwynn Forest to your destination. No more running through the Trogg infested cave as a Gnome or a Dwarf - instead, you will fly across the landscape on a helicopter towards Kharanos, or parachute behind enemy lines in an assault on the trolls.
- I can't afford training, or professions...
When starting out in WoW you will soon find there are quite a few things you need to spend money on - training, professions, bags, food?
If you are new to the game, or playing on a different server to your main characters, you could often find yourself short of cash in the early stages, or with full bags due to the lack of storage space.
One thing I have noticed while working my way through the various starter zones is that the rate you obtain gold has increased considerably.
Now, rather than ending up at level 10 with a handful of silver, you will find yourself with a couple of gold, which is more than enough to get yourself trained up and up and running with your chosen professions, along with a few bags to boost your inventory, and still have more than enough to spare.
By level 20 there are no issues in having enough gold to pay for your riding training, and a mount to get around on.
- What do I do with these talent points?
The talent system in WoW has seen numerous changes over the years, but the most recent changes are definitely the best, and not only simplify the process, but allow you to properly build your character based on your chosen spec.
Upon hitting level 10 you get your first talent point, and with three talent trees to choose from and very little information to describe them, this would often be quite overwhelming, or confusing, for new players.
Now, when you hit level 10 you are prompted to choose which of the three classes you want for your class.
Each spec has a description to give you an idea of its benefits and lists a few key skills you will earn if you choose that spec.
Once you have made your choice the other two trees are locked out, and you cannot put any points into them until you have added 31 points into your chosen tree.
This removes the confusion over where to put your points, and allows you to work towards some of the key skills, rather than dropping points here, there and everywhere.
Each time you level up, an on-screen pop-up will clearly show that your new level, and advise what you have earnt at this stage, whether that be new talent points to spend, or new abilities that are available at your trainer.
Higher ranks of spells have now been removed, and the power of your skills will scale as you level up, removing the need to spend gold on new ranks of existing skills.
Now, when you go to your trainer you will actually get something new.
- I don't feel 'involved'...
Before now, it would often take a while before you began to fully experience the full storyline of Wow, as you progressed through the levels and left behind the newbie zones.
Right from the start you now feel like you are part of the story, rather than a lowly peasant working his way up until people felt he was worthy to join in.
Humans will be immediately met by King Varian Wrynn who has come to recruit you personally, Gnomes will take part in a battle with the minions of Thermaplugg after their retaking of Gnomeregan, and Dwarves push back the attacking Frostmane trolls.
You feel much more involved, and the experience is a lot more exciting than before.
Events that have occurred since the Cataclysm are told by well-known characters from the Warcraft world, such as High Tinker Mekkatorque, in well-designed quests and story scenes. The sense of involvement is much deeper, and draws you deeply into the lore of the world and the on-going events following Deathwing's attacks.
NPCs will react as you pass by, many running to catch you up, calling you by name, and offering messages of encouragement, or additional quests. Things are a lot less static and don't all feel like scripted triggers.
As you can see, things have changed a lot in Azeroth, and this is just the first ten levels.
Overall, I think they have done a fantastic job in overhauling the starting experience, and it will be a refreshing experience, not just for new players, but those looking to level new characters in the expansion.
Many areas have received a makeover, with areas now destroyed leaving burning forests, and new settlements have been built in places like Silverpine Forest while existing ones have been fortified and seen impressive development such as Brill.
I currently have a level 80 of all ten classes, and have done almost every single quest there is to do, and working through to level ten was a refreshing, and entertaining, experience. I, for one, can't wait to see what they have done with the rest of Azeroth.
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