The importance of the Wrathgate story in Icecrown Citadel
by Mike Schramm 
Nov 11th 2009 at 1:00PM
Zubon has mostly high praise for the storyline -- I agree that Borean Tundra and the Howling Fjord are preludes to the real anti-Scourge action you find in the Wrathgate questline. But then he goes one step further, and says that the end just shows how old Blizzard's game really is. Even while such an epic story is unfurling, graphical glitches and the realities of Blizzard's game (one of the phases is essentially an ongoing fight in which you personally have no effect) bring the experience back down. Wrathgate is certainly an epic event, and every indication is that we're going to be feeling its repercussions a lot in the next dungeon. But five years after launch, it's also a sign that Blizzard is pushing this old game as hard as they can.
Patch 3.3 is the last major patch of Wrath of the Lich King. With the new Icecrown Citadel 5-man dungeons and 10/25-man raid arriving soon, patch 3.3 will deal the final blow to the Arthas. WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.3 will keep you updated with all the latest patch news.Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, Raiding, Leveling
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
John Nov 11th 2009 1:15PM
"(one of the phases is essentially an ongoing fight in which you personally have no effect)"
This. If they're talking about Battle for UC, then yeah, I totally agree. Great concept and I hope it was just a stepping stone for future quests like this, but it sucked for me. I knew what was going to happen, but when I got there, it was already finished, it was totally bugged, I had no idea what to do, and I had to restart it. Even then it was awesome but not as epic as it could've been, I guess, in my opinion. But again, it was a great step up from the BC quests.
I don't know why they didn't make it a true instance instead of a separate instance that's constantly running on a loop. Maybe because then you wouldn't see other players and if you were playing with a friend but not grouped you'd have been separated. That would've been better than the less-than-immersive temporal loop.
Again, it was a great attempt, it just needs some refinement going forward. And the phasing technology was a big step forward too, which shows they're still innovating.
frozndevl Nov 11th 2009 2:05PM
I had heard about the this epic part of the storyline and was excited when I ended up down in UC. Unfortunately, I came in towards the end, didn't realize that I could wait to run through the entire so only saw the last portion of the fight. It was very much like catching the last 5 minutes of tv show without the knowledge that it would re-run right away. I've only got the one 80 so I haven't had the opportunity to run the event again.
vazhkatsi Nov 11th 2009 2:43PM
i think he actually meant the huge ongoing battle outside the wrathgate that you only vaguely see and take no part in whatsoever. and then it goes away after the cinematic. i've always wanted to level an 80 and some friends too, and then tear it up in there if we all skip the wrathgate cinematic
Qot Nov 11th 2009 3:00PM
The biggest problem with the Battle for Undercity: not many people are doing it at the moment. It's you, Thrall, Sylvanas... and you don't really feel like you're pulling your weight in that group. It's like being run through Deadmines by someone from Ensidia. Sure, you get the quests done, but it's just not as fun.
If you did it within the first few weeks or so of release (I did it November 22nd, 9 days post-release), OMFG was it epic. Ridiculously epic. I couldn't wait to do it again, by far the most fun in game to that point. You had dozens of people swarming, AoEing, fighting... Sure, you had Thrall and Sylvanas, but relative to your group's swarm, it felt like someone from Ensidia was running you and your friends through regular 5-man ToC. Sure, they're over-powered for the fights, but you're helping.
If Blizz could do one thing for me for Cataclysm, it'd be to instance Battle for Undercity and use the cross-server instancing to make the groups larger. Sure, it'll only be 5, maybe 10 people at a time, but that's better than the current you and maybe someone else.
Tim Nov 11th 2009 1:22PM
I messed up with the raid on UC. I fell down the elevator, then some stuff happened, it was weird. I lost some of the epicness because of it. Is there a way to re-attack UC? I know you can watch the movie part again.
JediMasterEric Nov 11th 2009 1:22PM
Personally, I think the event from Wrathgate were top notch story telling. I have been playing WoW for a long time but unfortunately I did not play the other Warcraft games, so most of the lore was missed by me. The Wrath story line was the best feeling of emersion that I have had in WoW thus far. I can not wait for more to be revealed in 3.3. I have even gone back and spent hours reading up on the lore to I can fell more a part of what is happening. For anyone that has not done that, I recommend it 100%. Knowing lore has greatly enhanced my experiance in game.
Neddyhodge Nov 11th 2009 1:30PM
I personally enjoyed the Wrathgate questline, but I agree that i felt useless during the Battle For Undercity. It might have been cooler if we were able to take control of the NPC bosses for the battle (aka control King Varian as if he were a vehicle). That way the lore would still play out, but as a player we would be able to fully experience the glory of the battle.
I wouldn't think it would be a far stretch to see similar questing experiences and cutscenes in Cataclysm.
benai Nov 11th 2009 3:56PM
similar to the Mathias Lerner chain where you play as arthas
Jack Spicer Nov 11th 2009 1:33PM
"it's also a sign that Blizzard is pushing this old game as hard as they can"
I don't play a lot of other MMORPGs besides WoW, but have any of them managed to incorporate storyline into the game in a really meaningful way (outside of one or two bright spots)? I think its just a limitation of the genre in general.
bushkanaka86 Nov 11th 2009 2:11PM
Yes, LOTRO. There are plenty of little side quests like WoW to help people out around the world, but then there is the epic story line as well.
It is split into "Volumes" and "Books". The first volume had 15 books in it, which are all these epic quests that progress the story as you go. Many of them have cinematics and their own instanced zones. You get to participate alongside heroes from the story, and there are voice overs at different points from Gandalf or Galadriel.
The epic story quests also reward you with "epics" which are about the best, non-dungeon, gear you can get, titles, and even a mount. So there is incentive to do them for sure.
idonotlikepeas Nov 12th 2009 8:00AM
Guild Wars is also pretty good at this - the main centerpiece quests of the game (called missions, very similar to WoW instances in concept) are impressive in scope and generally contain multiple cinematics.
Frankly, WoW is behind the times in this particular area. I liked the Wrathgate questline specifically because it seemed like they realized that and were trying to correct it.
PKC Nov 11th 2009 1:45PM
I IMMENSELY enjoyed the Wrath Gate sequence, and especially the Undercity. The Undercity instance was great precisely because it was an opportunity to observe action, and participate - with xp gained - without having to worry about survival.
This mix of what the game brings you - cinematics that you only watch, regular game play, and ACTION gameplay that affords little or no risk while you enjoy the sequence, and perhaps other new upcoming in-game experiences - is wonderfully creative, and introduces a variety not shared by a lot of WOW's competitors.
Great job Blizzard! Keep it up!
Paul
Jigsaw-Complex Nov 11th 2009 1:55PM
I'm sorry, but i'm tired of people ragging on WoW's graphics. "Wraithgate was one of the best things in the game... but MWF2 looks better." I'm tired of graphics being part of a game's quality, especially a mmo. Is FF7 less worthy of its acclaim because it's over a decade old? Blizzard is finally doing right and making the story fun and more engaging then any other MMO i've seen since The Matrix Online (before sony ruined it).
If you look at the armor, the instances, the zones, attacks, etc, Blizz is doing the best they can with WoW, and that's still pretty damn awesome.
Rhabella Nov 11th 2009 2:26PM
"Is FF7 less worthy of its acclaim because it's over a decade old?"
HELL NO! In fact, other than the inability to use analog controls on the PS3, it is still worth every penny of the 10 dollars they it costs you to download it. In fact, I'd probably pay more than that if i had to. Great games shouldn't be judged on graphics alone. They should be a minimum expectation for graphics and then a complete evaluation of the game.
Would I trade FF7, or even the replayability of even FF1 for the most beautiful RPG on the planet that can't deliver a great gaming experience? NO WAY!
Lucidien Nov 11th 2009 5:52PM
FF7 was the reason I had a fulfilling childhood. Well that and Warcraft. Warcraft Orcs and Humans. Yes, that game, and 2 are worth going back for. Heck, I used to LAN Warcraft 2 with my third-grade teacher. And just look at FF7 now, an animated DVD-movie released ten, TEN years after the game, along with Dirge of Cerberus, a PS2 sequel, Crisis Core, a PSP prequel and a highly successful manga series to boot. Why the success? Good graphics? Heck no. Good play-style? Horribly of-its-time. It had one of the most epic storylines I've ever seen on-screen, in books, anywhere. And look at WoW, a huge, complex and evolving quality lore, which has been merged to books, manga, comics, what may well be a feature film, a line of RTS games and the most acclaimed MMO to date. I'm hoping it has more than 10 years ahead.
That said, if you want glitz, glamour and great graphics, buy a new game, and don't even touch MMO's, because something will always come out better than what you've already invested in. If you're in it for the story-line experience or the strategic RPG co-operative (or oppositional, PvP has its place) then WoW is awesome.
Sorry for the wall-of-text, but hey, I have nothing but nerdrage for people who whinge about WoW's graphics and mechanics. Want something modern and up-to-date? Fine, take your shallowness elsewhere. Go play CoD4 or whatever those gimmiky X-Box kids are playing these days.
Josin Nov 11th 2009 1:57PM
I loved the Wrath Gate, especially since I had no idea what was going to happen next. (I fortunately was able to see it before all the events got spoiled for me.) I loved the buffs that were given during the UC event, which allowed me to participate and do meaningful(ish) amounts of damage in my RP gear, which looks like a Stormwind Guard. I really felt like part of the WoW storyline, which was awesome, and 3.3 looks like that will be an increased feeling, with interactions with Jaina/Sylvanas and Muradin/Saurfang.
jack Nov 11th 2009 8:30PM
Like any visual medium, the art is just a vehicle to carry the story. While WOW may be dated, the graphics are in no way "Bad", and do the job quite well. With graphics setting put at max, the game still looks great IMO. The point is the content, not necessarily the graphics (while they are nice to look at). Another point is that half of Wow's player base doesn't have the adequate hardware to run something extra shiny like Aion, so while Wow's graphics arent groundbreaking, the game is accessible to many more people.
qoa Nov 11th 2009 2:20PM
1:24 into Wrath Gate. This tense moment is kind of ruined in entirety for me by cutting to this smiling human woman looking around clueless with wanna be anime eyes.
Wulfkin Nov 11th 2009 2:27PM
I don't think the feeling of uselessness in the Battle was due to WoW not being able to keep up. They could have tweaked it so you felt more involved, it was just a design flaw. They were clearly trying to make it as epic an encounter as possible, as succeeded, but the downside was you felt inadequate seeing Thrall and Sylvananas WTFPWNing everything in sight. Still, I ran around killing stuff with my uberbuffs and enjoyed it, it just would have been better if they made you a bit more of a significant element than a sidekick.
But lets face it, Wrathgate was one of the coolest things in MMO history.
Snark Nov 11th 2009 2:42PM
I think I'm the only one that was rolling my eyes at Wrathgate. I thought it was cheesy. Some elements of the scene were cool but on the whole it was underwhelming for myself.