Behold the Final Fall of Warcraft's Lich King

[Asehujiko]

also it's annoying that 6 years later he dies only to be instantly replaced by another baddie..so everything was for nothing then.

Pretty sure the whole "binding himself in ice" means that he's not going to be a recurring villain, at least not for a very, very long time.

I still reckon the job should have gone to Darion or Thassarian.

Except that Darion is an overly reckless nutcase who might throw the entire remaining Scourge at the next threat that shows up and then loose control of it and Thassarian pretty much fails miserably at everything he does or attempt to do. I think Bolvar makes a fine Lich King compared to your choices.

One tiny observation: The last few lines aren't spoken by Bolvar but by Ner'zhul. I expect that after Cataclysm, he just overpowers Bolvar's mind like he did with Arthas the first time. Also, Tirion just left Frostmourne lying there and that is VERY DEFINITELY controlled by Ner'zhul and not whoever is wearing the Helm of Domination at the time.

 

[Danpascooch]

WoW will never be the same.

I hope they make real expansions again, not this half assed "five level increase" cataclysm mini-expansion bullshit. It better not mean there will be no 10 level expansions again

EDIT:

This was like the biggest moment in WoW history, couldn't they have made a beautiful video like the WotLK trailer? They were fine with putting that file in our directories, so it shouldn't be a memory size thing.

Speak for youself anyone unhappy win cataclysm clearly doesn't understand how huge of an expansion it is.

Also if it was me I would prefer a 0level increase expac. I hate leveling

I am unhappy about changing the Azeroth we know and love, I am unhappy with them recycling old dungeons as new heroic content, and I am unhappy with the 5 level increase.

Come on, you can't possibly argue that it is as big as the last two expansions

im not arguing that its as big.


im saying its A LOT BIGGER.


think about it, a whole new guild system, guild talents, new professions, character specializations, and a big re-do of level 1-60 and new level 80-85.

thats a lot more content than the 10 new levels u got in BC AND WoTLK. and on top of that WoTLK was pretty lackluster anyway, i really disliked this expac, BC was better, but it wont be better than cataclysm.

Dude, you're nuts.

New level 80=85 is less than 70-80, new guild system is less than LFG system, guild talents is much less than achievements, character specializations are about on par with glyphs, new profession is about on par with the new profession on WotLK.

Not only that, but half of the content is just recycling and reskinning old content, sure, 1-60 gets a scenery change (big effing deal), but new heroics are mostly going to be new versions of already made dungeons, many of the new areas will be reskinned old azeroth areas, and I would much rather see something new. For example, goblin's skin is already in the game, easy to adapt to players, Blood Elves and Dranei were new when they came out in BC.

It's easy to look as the next thing as the best thing, because it is the thing that you don't have yet, but look at the facts: The whole expansion reeks of laziness, the smaller level cap increase just attaches a number to it.

 

[RanD00M]

While sounding awesome.It is destined to be underwhelming.
Why? Because it isn't a 40 man RAID.
Real raiding died with vanilla.

 

[Brad Shepard]

Thank God that im out of this mindfuck of a game.

 

[John Funk]

While sounding awesome.It is destined to be underwhelming.
Why? Because it isn't a 40 man RAID.
Real raiding died with vanilla.

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahah no.

As someone who raided hardcore pre-BC, 40-man raids are dead and good freakin' riddance.

Dude, you're nuts.

New level 80=85 is less than 70-80, new guild system is less than LFG system, guild talents is much less than achievements, character specializations are about on par with glyphs, new profession is about on par with the new profession on WotLK.

Not only that, but half of the content is just recycling and reskinning old content, sure, 1-60 gets a scenery change (big effing deal), but new heroics are mostly going to be new versions of already made dungeons, many of the new areas will be reskinned old azeroth areas, and I would much rather see something new. For example, goblin's skin is already in the game, easy to adapt to players, Blood Elves and Dranei were new when they came out in BC.

It's easy to look as the next thing as the best thing, because it is the thing that you don't have yet, but look at the facts: The whole expansion reeks of laziness, the smaller level cap increase just attaches a number to it.

I think you're underestimating just how huge of an undertaking completely reshaping Azeroth from the ground up really is.

Goblin skins may be in the game, but they're having to completely rework them for players - they might as well be building something completely new. As with completely remodeling the current zones.

80-85 may just be 5 more levels, but we're getting seven new zones, just one less than we got in WotLK (well, two less if you count Crystalsong, but there's like no content there at all). If going from 80 to 85 takes us as long - and has just as much content - as getting from 70 to 80, then what's the problem? Is it just that the arbitrary number hasn't gone up as much? Blizzard could divide the levels in half, and there, you'd have a 10-level expansion. Or hey, divide them into quarters, for a 20 level expansion, all with the exact same amount of content!

Wait, Wait, Wait, Wait now im totally confused i think the WoW makers just totally fucked with the lore, wasn't it the sword (Frostmourne or something) that corrupted the user not the crown?

Also, the lich king was originally a soul that made a bargain with a demon and that it needed a host in which it chose Arthas not Arthas himself. (I have read the Warcraft 3 lore 1000 times over and i am certain of this)

Frostmourne was a tool of the Lich King that corrupted Arthas' soul, yes, but it wasn't the embodiment of the Lich King - that would be the armor and helmet that had been locked in the Frozen Throne, that Arthas put on at the end of WC3:TFT. This actually is pretty fitting with what we know.

 

[Zenode]

Frostmourne was a tool of the Lich King that corrupted Arthas' soul, yes, but it wasn't the embodiment of the Lich King - that would be the armor and helmet that had been locked in the Frozen Throne, that Arthas put on at the end of WC3:TFT. This actually is pretty fitting with what we know.

So killing arthas in a way achieves nothing, since (watching that end cinematic) the Lich King still needs to be transfered?

 

[John Funk]

Frostmourne was a tool of the Lich King that corrupted Arthas' soul, yes, but it wasn't the embodiment of the Lich King - that would be the armor and helmet that had been locked in the Frozen Throne, that Arthas put on at the end of WC3:TFT. This actually is pretty fitting with what we know.

So killing arthas in a way achieves nothing, since (watching that end cinematic) the Lich King still needs to be transfered?

The position of the Lich King needs to be transferred, yes - but Arthas had already been corrupted by Frostmourne. So the thinking (as I understand it) is that by putting someone who was still in control (and who had been a Paladin, no less) in the role, he'd be able to withstand the corrupting influences and hold the Scourge back.

Think of it kind of like what the guy did in Diablo/Diablo II: He used himself to seal away the evil.

 

[Zenode]

Frostmourne was a tool of the Lich King that corrupted Arthas' soul, yes, but it wasn't the embodiment of the Lich King - that would be the armor and helmet that had been locked in the Frozen Throne, that Arthas put on at the end of WC3:TFT. This actually is pretty fitting with what we know.

So killing arthas in a way achieves nothing, since (watching that end cinematic) the Lich King still needs to be transfered?

The position of the Lich King needs to be transferred, yes - but Arthas had already been corrupted by Frostmourne. So the thinking (as I understand it) is that by putting someone who was still in control (and who had been a Paladin, no less) in the role, he'd be able to withstand the corrupting influences and hold the Scourge back.

Think of it kind of like what the guy did in Diablo/Diablo II: He used himself to seal away the evil.

Now that makes perfect sense. (I just thought of what the main "bosses" in Cataclysm are due to thinking about it now) XD

 

[RanD00M]

While sounding awesome.It is destined to be underwhelming.
Why? Because it isn't a 40 man RAID.
Real raiding died with vanilla.

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahah no.

As someone who raided hardcore pre-BC, 40-man raids are dead and good freakin' riddance.

But there are no challenges in raiding anymore.You just zerg it and win.
Almost none of the bosses have any strategy other then T&S.

 

[Xyrak]

While sounding awesome.It is destined to be underwhelming.
Why? Because it isn't a 40 man RAID.
Real raiding died with vanilla.

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahah no.

As someone who raided hardcore pre-BC, 40-man raids are dead and good freakin' riddance.

But there are no challenges in raiding anymore.You just zerg it and win.
Almost none of the bosses have any strategy other then T&S.

Ummm .. What?

The old content stuff, that is the case, the abilities are so underpowered compared to gear that you can just take whatever to the face and live through it, not so in ICC though. Not much in there you can just T&S ... And tell me exactly which bosses in Vanilla, pre Naxx at least, that weren't T&S? Phase 1 Razorgore, Nefarion I guess ... and ... what else? Almost every other major raid boss was T&S and either dispells or tanking adds.

Anyways, I didn't like the direction, or lack of direction if you prefer, that Wrath took. It was just BC all over again, with primals becoming eternals, etc. I'm glad Cataclysm will be (at least on paper) a much needed change, and looking at some colour other than white and grey will be a nice change too. I REALLY want to kill Mal'Ganis ... BADLY. ANd yea, while they are running out of villians somewhat, there are still a few left as mentioned in other posts. One would think Sargeras and Kil'Jaeden would be obvious targets.

 

[John Funk]

While sounding awesome.It is destined to be underwhelming.
Why? Because it isn't a 40 man RAID.
Real raiding died with vanilla.

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahah no.

As someone who raided hardcore pre-BC, 40-man raids are dead and good freakin' riddance.

But there are no challenges in raiding anymore.You just zerg it and win.
Almost none of the bosses have any strategy other then T&S.

Dude, pre-BC was ALL tank-and-spank other than a few bosses in BWL, AQ40, and Naxx. WotLK has fights that are waaaaaay more interesting than anything in classic (Valkyr Twins, for one - yay for Ikaruga!)

Raiding is easy, easy, easy if you ... do it on easy mode. That's what achievements and hard modes are for. Don't complain unless you're doing it on the mode meant for you.

 

[Galad]

As someone who's never played WoW, but was just impressed with that cinematic, would you mind explaining me what's this about easy mode and hard mode? Can WoW players change a difficulty setting somewhere in their options on the fly perhaps?

 

[Amnestic]

But there are no challenges in raiding anymore.You just zerg it and win.
Almost none of the bosses have any strategy other then T&S.

Yogg 0 Keepers.

Enjoy zerging that.

In fact, not one boss in Ulduar is just tank and spank. Even the tankiest and spankiest of them all (Vezax) has movement and tactics to the fight.

Except that Darion is an overly reckless nutcase who might throw the entire remaining Scourge at the next threat that shows up and then loose control of it and Thassarian pretty much fails miserably at everything he does or attempt to do. I think Bolvar makes a fine Lich King compared to your choices.

I fail to see how loosing the Scourge at the next threat is a bad plan. In fact it decidedly sounds like a good plan. Why sacrifice our troops when we have legions of walking corpses, plague giants and bone dragons to do it for us?

One tiny observation: The last few lines aren't spoken by Bolvar but by Ner'zhul. I expect that after Cataclysm, he just overpowers Bolvar's mind like he did with Arthas the first time. Also, Tirion just left Frostmourne lying there and that is VERY DEFINITELY controlled by Ner'zhul and not whoever is wearing the Helm of Domination at the time.

Ner'zhul didn't overpower Arthas' mind. Quite the opposite in fact.

As someone who's never played WoW, but was just impressed with that cinematic, would you mind explaining me what's this about easy mode and hard mode? Can WoW players change a difficulty setting somewhere in their options on the fly perhaps?

'Hard mode' and 'Easy mode' only apply to certain raid encounters. You meet certain conditions (press a button before you start the encounter, don't kill certain enemies during the actual fight, do something within a set time limit etc.) which generally activates the Hard Mode which are...well, harder. A boss may have extra abilities, there may be extra mobs in the fight or just simply hit you harder. In some cases such as Flame Leviathan, you have a non-binary hardmode, with a total of 5 difficulty settings. No towers up, 1 tower up, 2 towers...up to 4 towers up. A Flame Leviathan+4 fight is drastically more difficult and more complex than a Flame Leviathan+0 fight due to a half-dozen new abilities and a massive increase in boss health.

Other bosses, such as Mimiron, are binary hardmodes. It's either Easy or Hard, there's no in-between settings like Flame Leviathan.

'Hardmodes' generally offer new loot, achievements and sometimes access to bosses which couldn't be done if you only killed the bosses on easy-mode. Bragging rights too.

 

[Serum211]

This cant be!! YOU'LL ALL PAY FOR THIS, ARTHAS IS ENTERNAL!! BEST. VILLIAN. EVER. (and my personal favorite character among all game characters ever.)

Oh well, all things must come to an end. I will miss my old friend Arthas Menethil. I will tell you this i loved him with all my hearth

 

[Asehujiko]

I fail to see how loosing the Scourge at the next threat is a bad plan. In fact it decidedly sounds like a good plan. Why sacrifice our troops when we have legions of walking corpses, plague giants and bone dragons to do it for us?

Ner'zhul didn't overpower Arthas' mind. Quite the opposite in fact.

The fact that, knowing Darion, he'd hand the whole bunch over to the first enemy that demonstrates even the slightest bit of cunning, kind of like when Kel'Thuzad conned him into committing suicide with a sword that resurrects everything it touches as undead minions by throwing a bunch of ghouls at a church.

And the only piece of info that says that Arthas won can hardly be described as canon.

 

[Amnestic]

I fail to see how loosing the Scourge at the next threat is a bad plan. In fact it decidedly sounds like a good plan. Why sacrifice our troops when we have legions of walking corpses, plague giants and bone dragons to do it for us?

Ner'zhul didn't overpower Arthas' mind. Quite the opposite in fact.

The fact that, knowing Darion, he'd hand the whole bunch over to the first enemy that demonstrates even the slightest bit of cunning, kind of like when Kel'Thuzad conned him into committing suicide with a sword that resurrects everything it touches as undead minions by throwing a bunch of ghouls at a church.

And the only piece of info that says that Arthas won can hardly be described as canon.

How is an official book endorsed by Blizzard 'not canon'?

As for Darion, are we conveniently forgetting that he did so with the Corrupted Ashbringer in an effort to free his father's soul from its bonds? An act which not only worked to free Daddy Mograine, but also caused an explosion of light which killed all the undead assaulting Light's Hope, saving the Argent Dawn and their pasty Paladin butts?

 

[OwenEdwards]

Given that I will never play WoW, but I did play 3 quite a bit, I'm glad to see what finally happens to Arthas without having to commit the next ten years to viewing it.

Seconded, though I did play WoW, I never much liked it. But it's good to see my main man's final scene.

 

[Whothefuckislucas]

Oh well, all things must come to an end. I will miss my old friend Arthas Menethil. I will tell you this i loved him with all my hearth

I see what you did there.

 

[Danpascooch]

While sounding awesome.It is destined to be underwhelming.
Why? Because it isn't a 40 man RAID.
Real raiding died with vanilla.

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahah no.

As someone who raided hardcore pre-BC, 40-man raids are dead and good freakin' riddance.

Dude, you're nuts.

New level 80=85 is less than 70-80, new guild system is less than LFG system, guild talents is much less than achievements, character specializations are about on par with glyphs, new profession is about on par with the new profession on WotLK.

Not only that, but half of the content is just recycling and reskinning old content, sure, 1-60 gets a scenery change (big effing deal), but new heroics are mostly going to be new versions of already made dungeons, many of the new areas will be reskinned old azeroth areas, and I would much rather see something new. For example, goblin's skin is already in the game, easy to adapt to players, Blood Elves and Dranei were new when they came out in BC.

It's easy to look as the next thing as the best thing, because it is the thing that you don't have yet, but look at the facts: The whole expansion reeks of laziness, the smaller level cap increase just attaches a number to it.

I think you're underestimating just how huge of an undertaking completely reshaping Azeroth from the ground up really is.

Goblin skins may be in the game, but they're having to completely rework them for players - they might as well be building something completely new. As with completely remodeling the current zones.

80-85 may just be 5 more levels, but we're getting seven new zones, just one less than we got in WotLK (well, two less if you count Crystalsong, but there's like no content there at all). If going from 80 to 85 takes us as long - and has just as much content - as getting from 70 to 80, then what's the problem? Is it just that the arbitrary number hasn't gone up as much? Blizzard could divide the levels in half, and there, you'd have a 10-level expansion. Or hey, divide them into quarters, for a 20 level expansion, all with the exact same amount of content!

Wait, Wait, Wait, Wait now im totally confused i think the WoW makers just totally fucked with the lore, wasn't it the sword (Frostmourne or something) that corrupted the user not the crown?

Also, the lich king was originally a soul that made a bargain with a demon and that it needed a host in which it chose Arthas not Arthas himself. (I have read the Warcraft 3 lore 1000 times over and i am certain of this)

Frostmourne was a tool of the Lich King that corrupted Arthas' soul, yes, but it wasn't the embodiment of the Lich King - that would be the armor and helmet that had been locked in the Frozen Throne, that Arthas put on at the end of WC3:TFT. This actually is pretty fitting with what we know.

I realize the level numbers are arbitrary compared to an outside source, but even arbitrary numbers are useful when compared against each-other. 5000 of something is still more than 2000 of the exact same thing, even if they have no external reference besides the other number. Since it would be a very stupid move on Blizzard's marketing departments part to make the same level of content and advertise it as less of an increase, one has to (fairly I might add) assume that it is in fact less content.

You argue that it is "Only one less zone than WotLK" but that is still less than WotLK, I realize no expansion of WoW isn't a giant overhaul that requires unbelievable work and time, and that it is by no stretch of the imagination "easy" but everything about this expansion is screaming that it doesn't measure up to the first two, it just doesn't.

Not to mention that it is by sheer coincidence that this seemingly smaller expansion comes right after the death of WoW's main antagonist, it makes sense that Blizzard would have to make something smaller in order to preserve not only the power of the Lich King, but to find a basis for new expansions now that Warcraft's biggest enemy is gone.

This trailer explains it pretty well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x30Ghe_SdTA

 

[John Funk]

I realize the level numbers are arbitrary compared to an outside source, but even arbitrary numbers are useful when compared against each-other. 5000 of something is still more than 2000 of the exact same thing, even if they have no external reference besides the other number. Since it would be a very stupid move on Blizzard's marketing departments part to make the same level of content and advertise it as less of an increase, one has to (fairly I might add) assume that it is in fact less content.

You argue that it is "Only one less zone than WotLK" but that is still less than WotLK, I realize no expansion of WoW isn't a giant overhaul that requires unbelievable work and time, and that it is by no stretch of the imagination "easy" but everything about this expansion is screaming that it doesn't measure up to the first two, it just doesn't.

Not to mention that it is by sheer coincidence that this seemingly smaller expansion comes right after the death of WoW's main antagonist, it makes sense that Blizzard would have to make something smaller in order to preserve not only the power of the Lich King, but to find a basis for new expansions now that Warcraft's biggest enemy is gone.

This trailer explains it pretty well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x30Ghe_SdTA

But they aren't being compared to an outside source, or to each other. They're completely incomparable.

If leveling from 80 to 85 takes roughly as long as leveling from 60 to 70 or 70 to 80, with roughly the same amount of content - as in, you need to do twice as much to hit a level - then what is the problem? That they aren't giving you the little yellow fwoosh-bing twice as often? It ISN'T 5000 vs 2000 of the exact same thing, it's 5000 vs 2500 things that are twice the size.

You're making a lot of assumptions based on the very limited bit of knowledge that we will have five fewer check marks to knock off in Cataclysm.

Frankly, I couldn't disagree with you more. Nothing in BC or WotLK came close to the undertaking that is the overhaul of old-world Azeroth, not just cosmetically but in terms of quest progression, level flow, etc. Plus, Deathwing was around long before Arthas ever was an idea. He's been kicking it since Warcraft 2, yo