Truly, this was the peak of World of Warcraft. Northrend is the finest collection of zones ever added to the game. The quests populating them are significantly more interesting than those of Outland or the base game. Classes and specs finally, for the first time, feel truly balanced and well designed. The RPG mechanics are at their most robust with complex talent trees, gem slots, and glyphs. The dungeons are easy but numerous.
The raids consist of soaring glorious highs, and lame lows. The first tier with the reuse of Naxx is pathetically easy, and a huge bummer. The second tier is Ulduar, the best raid in history. The third tier is ToC, a one-room parade of only 5 average bosses. The final tier is Icecrown Citadel, the glorious culmination of a decade of hype. It's no longer necessary to raid previous tiers of content due to the presence of catch-up gear, and there's now a choice between raiding with 10 people or 25. Hard modes ensure that casual and hardcore players alike can find what they're looking for, and Blizzard's encounter design has hit its full stride. Wrath really feels like the great compromise between what WoW was and what WoW became.
The raids consist of soaring glorious highs, and lame lows. The first tier with the reuse of Naxx is pathetically easy, and a huge bummer. The second tier is Ulduar, the best raid in history. The third tier is ToC, a one-room parade of only 5 average bosses. The final tier is Icecrown Citadel, the glorious culmination of a decade of hype. It's no longer necessary to raid previous tiers of content due to the presence of catch-up gear, and there's now a choice between raiding with 10 people or 25. Hard modes ensure that casual and hardcore players alike can find what they're looking for, and Blizzard's encounter design has hit its full stride. Wrath really feels like the great compromise between what WoW was and what WoW became.