http://www.gamespot.com/features/6284838/index.html?tag=nl.e513
By: Staff, GameSpot - Posted on December 03, 2010
World of Warcraft has undergone one of its most dramatic changes with a patch aptly named The Shattering. As a precursor to the release of the game's latest expansion (Cataclysm, which is scheduled for release on December 7), parts of Azeroth have been devastated, displaced, flooded, or outright destroyed due to the conspicuous homecoming of a very large and very angry dragon named Deathwing. Upon leaving his roost of hate and resentment inside Deepholm, Deathwing took to the skies over Azeroth and began his assault on its lands, setting fire to population centers and delivering an assortment of natural disasters to its shores. Since the initial attack, the inhabitants of Azeroth have had time to rebuild and regroup, and the result is reworked areas (some more so than others) that feature new characters and quests. We took a look at a few of these locations to highlight just how much Azeroth has changed.
Stormwind (Map)
The city of Stormwind is no stranger to change; its sizable harbor was added so that Alliance players could catch boats to the Northrend continent introduced in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. That pales in comparison to the face-lift that Stormwind has received for Cataclysm, though. Not only has the dragon Deathwing completely destroyed the park and damaged the towers overlooking the entrance to the city, but the entire city has benefited from a makeover that, presumably, wasn't Deathwing's doing. The streets have been repaved, small alleyways have been carved out to make getting around easier, and Stormwind Keep now has a grand entrance complete with a statue atop a fountain. Behind the city, where there used to be nothing whatsoever, there's now a cemetery and a small rural area that boasts both a pumpkin patch and a fishing lake.
Stormwind Map (Before) Stormwind Map (After)
Stormwind
Despite sustaining some significant damage during Deathwing's flyover, the city of Stormwind has never looked better. Pick a spot anywhere in the city, and you can't fail to notice that practically everything you're looking at has been lovingly redesigned or remodeled. Stand outside the city's stockades, for example, and you can see that streetlights, building exteriors, and even paving stones now look significantly better. In the distance you can see the ruins of what used to be the entrance to Stormwind's park and--even though World of Warcraft's draw distance has been improved--a distinct lack of trees.
Stormwind (Before) Stormwind (After)
Westfall (Elemental Break)
Westfall's Cataclysm transformation isn't as dramatic as that of many other zones, at least where its appearance is concerned. There is, however, a big chasm populated by translucent green oozes just east of the Gold Coast Quarry now, complete with some kind of vortex that's perpetually spinning trees and chunks of ground through the air. Elsewhere in the zone, wind elementals have been replaced with cyclones that will throw any animals or players that get too close into the air. The area around Sentinel Hill has been walled in to form a sizable settlement of sorts and can now change quite dramatically as a result of your questing in the area, courtesy of the same phasing technology that was introduced in Wrath of the Lich King. Several great new quests make Westfall well worth a visit even if you've no business being there at your character level, and two new flight points make moving around the zone much easier if you don't have your mount yet.
Westfall (Before) Westfall (After)
Menethil Harbor/Wetlands
Menethil is approximately half the town it used to be as entire buildings are now underwater on the west side. The inn and many of the town's vendors are still functional, but you have to wade through shallow water to reach them. Elsewhere in the Wetlands zone, night elves have established a small outpost with its own flight point at Green Warden's Grove, and a new dwarf quest hub--also with its own flight point--has appeared next to the large lake that was created when the dam keeping Loch Modan out of the Wetlands was destroyed.
Menethil Harbor (Before) Menethil Harbor (After)
Loch Modan
Stonewrought Dam--which held the pristine waters of Loch Modan--was severely damaged, forcing its contents to the land below. As a result, Loch Modan is completely drained, and the land underneath the dam has become a large wetlands area with various elementals and other creatures patrolling what's left of the once-mighty lake.
Loch Modan (Before) Loch Modan (After)
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World of Warcraft: Then and Now
Gadgetzan/Tanaris
Gadgetzan has grown a little, many of its buildings have been relocated, and the encroaching ocean has made it a coastal town rather than an inland one. Horde and Alliance flight points have been relocated inside the city walls, and outside, a new ship is being built. Survivors from nearby Steamwheedle Port are now gathered on rooftops barely above water level, waiting for rescue balloons sent over by the Gadgetzan goblins. Pirates still occupy much the same area of Tanaris that they always have, but where before they occupied makeshift encampments, they can now cause trouble from the comfort of their ships. Tanaris isn't necessarily a zone that you need to make a point of visiting to see the Cataclysm changes, but there are few better zones in which to appreciate World of Warcraft's new normal-mapped water with procedural ripples and--as determined by your visual settings--varying levels of reflection.
Gadgetzan/Tanaris (Before) Gadgetzan/Tanaris (After)
Thousand Needles
The massive chasm that served as a focal point for Horde quests has been completely flooded following the events of the Shattering. Likewise, the Shimmering Flats--a large salt flat where goblins and gnomes could be found racing each other--has also been filled to the brim, but the two races have built an enormous barge in the flooded area and have sent salvage crews to collect wreckage from the ground below. Taurens still make their home atop the various peaks in Thousand Needles, but they're joined by a new encampment of Twilight cultists that you can see on the right side of the screen. Finally, the Great Lift that once connected the canyon to the Barrens has been completely destroyed by the flood waters.
![[]](http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images//2010/336/1000kneedles_before.jpg)
Thousand Needles (Before) Thousand Needles (After)
Badlands
The Badlands is still just as inhospitable as it was before the Shattering, only now it has a massive swath of torn land and a pair of sheered mountains just about where the Dust Bowl was located. How this formation, which is called Scar of the Worldbreaker, got there remains to be seen, but it's reasonable to infer that Deathwing got a little too close to the flight deck. What's also interesting is that a massive chasm now separates the Badlands from Loch Modan, destroying any direct land route from one area to the other.
![[]](http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images//2010/336/badlands_scar_before.jpg)
Badlands (Before) Badlands (After)
Booty Bay
Despite what's suggested in the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm trailer, which shows a massive tidal wave crashing upon the statue of Baron Revilgaz, the pirate stronghold of Booty Bay didn't drastically change after Deathwing's little tantrum. The statue is still intact, albeit with some damage and a bit of seaweed here and there, and the town's physical characteristics are mostly unchanged. Still, there are some little details to take notice of--new waterfalls cascade down the cliffs near the back of Booty Bay, and a shipwreck, created by the tidal wave, can be found on one of the cliff sides.
![[]](http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images//2010/336/bootybay_before.jpg)
Booty Bay (Before) Booty Bay (After)
Darkshore Harbor
If you want a good idea of the kind of destruction Deathwing's arrival has caused in World of Warcraft, venture on down to Darkshore and visit the Night Elf town of Auberdine, or at least, what's left of it. The whole area has been completely obliterated and still suffers from the aftereffects of the Shattering which includes a tornado--called the Eye of the Vortex--that still hovers around the ruins of Auberdine. The rest of Darkshore has been similarly wrecked, with large portions of its coast now submerged underwater, while a new waterway can be found a little further inland.
Darkshore Harbor (Before) Darkshore Harbor (After)
Southshore
One of the more contentious areas in World of Warcraft, the Alliance-controlled Southshore is now under the control of the Horde thanks to the Forsaken forces and the Forsaken Blight (the massive puddles of green fluid) produced by the machine featured in the screenshot below. A number of relatively minor physical changes have also been made to Southshore to reflect its new occupants.
Southshore (Before) Southshore (After)
Orgrimmar
To say that the capital city of the orcs has undergone some changes is an understatement. The entire area has been almost completely redesigned with a menacing theme in mind. Metal plates now reinforce many parts of the city walls and interiors, and seemingly even more large teeth adorn various structures. The Horde war chief, Garrosh, built a new structure in the middle of the Valley of Strength where he resides, waiting to give orders to members of the Horde. Additionally, there's an entirely new area for the goblins, called the Goblin Slums, which signals their post-Shattering alliance with the Horde.
Orgrimmar (Before) Orgrimmar (After)
407 Comments
Posted Dec 8, 2010 9:24 am PT
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cool, it looks almost exactly the same, who plays this game?? go pick up a real MMO like DAOC or EVE
I heard that the graphics went better this time and it really got my hopes up. But it didn't. It's almost 7 years behind and they haven't made a new engine or anything? its still the same? Why not make a whole new WOW instead of this. I really hope the gameplay is somewhat different from before, until blizzard gets my respect back.
I'm still hoping they will create a Warcraft 4 someday.
I'm glad someone has the time to devote to this game...b/c I sure don't...
That game has always been ages behind in both gameplay and graphics and the new expansion doen't change it. Actually the best thing that ever happened to WoW was Wrath of the Lich King. This- this is just more milking. Yes, milking you, cows!
I loved WoW years ago and i would like to just take a peek of what the new addon has in store but i probably wont play it that much anymore.
crazy dudes. a huge dragon comes in to wipe the whole city and the first thing they do is build a GRAND ENTRANCE?? that's like a big KICK ME AGAIN sign..
lol...... why are people still playing this game? Its like buying a Wii instead of getting a 360. nah jus playin your all cool.
If WoW ever goes Free To Play, i'd prolly take it as my pension plan for my retirement of gaming.
Left WOW after two years of playing. It was great fun at first, but once I was don't leveling it became nothing but a grind. Raiding while fun at times was like a 2nd job where you were expected to give up 20+ hours a week of your life to grinding for tiered gear and drama amonst the members and offices was ridiculous. And I certainly don't miss grinding dailies for tokens, reputation, and materials. If WOW ever goes free to play like most other MMOs have I may go back, because then I could play at my leisure with no monthly charge to worry about, but in the absence of that I won't be back no matter how much they dress up the graphics.
Can't bring myself to play this game anymore. Left a year ago because of some of Blizzard's less than ethical business practice's, haven't looked back, haven't regretted it.
WoW is now pretty darn awesome. In silverpine forest there are loads of quests to do with raising undead from human corpses and thwarting the plans of the worgen. Not to mention the new race-class combos, the ability to use flying mounts in old areas and new races, awesome quests and achievements. Also, there is a string of quests accosiated with Malfurion Stormrage, which are awesome for leveling. You MAY think I dont have a life, but to be honest, we all need something that takes us away from what is real, its just the people who play it for 12 hours at a time and forever think about it that take it too far. A couple of hours a day never hurt anyone, though, apart from those nasty Defias
left Wow about a year ago, miss it at times. Was tempted to come back for Cataclysm, but have decided not to, atleast for now anyway.
this is basically blizzards way of making a WoW 2 i think its going to be good
Already miss it, but a new expansion won't bring me back... probably
once you quit this game and you realize that the real world IS more fun, you never go back. I still have amazing memories here but none of them are worth repeating.
I think WOW has excellent lore. The game gives it a bit of a different scope than the narrative of a book would. However, it does seem like they're trying to milk the game and evolve (or devolve) the storyline around the expansions.
So pretty much after this devastating event the cities look BETTER?!?!?! Nice job Blizz!
Of course, none of you are forgetting that GW 2 will be FREE to play, unlike WOW which is \$14.99/month. I believe that with both TOR and GW 2 coming out presumably next year, WOW will undoubtedly take a hit in it's subscriber-ship despite the release of Cataclysm. The graphics for GW 2 look amazing and the new dynamic event system may be a game changer. We will see about the story which I suspect will remain weak. I just wish Blizzard would quit pumping out WOW expansions and concentrate on the game I really care about, Diablo 3.
My last prediction is, that when WOW finally dies in about 4-5 more years, Blizzard is going to come out with a new MMO based either on the Starcraft or Diablo universe. I'm hoping for the latter.
wow the whole wolrd looks like its gonna be amazingly different.
UPS delivers my wife's Cataclysm today...can't wait to see what the Worgen really look like.
Booty Bay? O_o
I could sit in Stormwind forever. Blizzard did an incredible job with it. It feels like a small town with people running around and the awesome stone cobble streets. Very cozy.
@-TheDarkWolf- lol, that's #1 impossible to determine #2 the sw games released by bioware have been great. so your point fails. now go buy cataclysm and play a game that was more fun 6 years ago lol
@adidas32x, zeebenzene
I did not mean that WoW's fan-base is larger than the Star Wars fan-base as a whole. I meant that the WoW fan-base is larger than the Star Wars video game fan-base. Besides, just because one is a big fan of Star Wars, that doesn't mean that they are going to be buying every Star Wars game that is released, not all are that great.
They really should have kept this article in the PC section. Now we have to deal with pools of retards.
[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]
@You_2 Well, I don't go on a French site and just start dropping deux's. Just saying, if you make it legible fine, but did you SEE his post. >.>
Wow! That is actually really cool!
Wow is a great game. If you want a very accesable, easy to get into game then wow is definately worth a try for those new to the genra. Its GUI is simple, uncomplicated and just perfect now. So many little updates have just thinkened the layer of polish this game now has. The graphics are simple but they work so well somehow. PVP, Raiding in this game is a lot of fun, there is so much to do in this game it can be quite overwhelming which all of this somehow lacks in just about every other mmo ive tried. My BIGGEST and probably only GRIPE with wow is its community. Its probably the worst ive ever known in an mmo so beware of that. Most players you come across in general are very arrogant and unhelpfull so you really need to join a nice casual guild for lvling up your first character, or you will probably ged fed up with the game pretty early on. Also limit the time you play or this game, it will very quickly take over your life if you dont lol. Im a huge fan of Bioware games but RIFT i think is gonna be the next biggie for me, but will definately try Star WarsTOR. Wow with lightsabers, its gotta be done :-)
Im either going to begin playing WOW, or SWTOR both are pay to play, so theres no argument there, but as far as game-play goes, im not sure, ive researched both quite heavily, but im still not sure. Im leaning towards WOW, but SWTOR is definitely still an option
@AzatiS Yeah definitely no argument that in terms of multiplayer Blizzard wins. Bioware for single, Blizzard for multi. It's why I'm really interested to see how The Old Republic is gonna turn out. It's coming from a studio which has previously focused mainly on single player story driven gameplay so it's going to be interesting to see how that affects how TOR plays as an MMO. I doubt it'll pull many fans away from WoW due to the different setting (Fantasy vs. Sci-Fi) which, I imagine, most WoW players won't be interested in (so all the talk of it being a WoW beater is mostly wishful thinking)
Cataclysm also destroyed the log in servers!!
@StJimmy15: not everyone on gamespot is a native English speaker. Cut him some slack.
@DXB95: I may tolerate bad grammar but solicitation posts piss the hell outa me, F*g! Oh well, you've been flagged.
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@alzeer1 You may find this site helpful in your fight against illiteracy. http://www.grammarbook.com
i dont care about these game 5 maby more i played time to move on and left old mmo
best wow was 1-60 its end to me
thx but am waiting new world of mmo)
@med12
I'm getting back into it tomorrow. I'm pretty excited.
I'm going to start playing wow for the first time this or the next week, that means i missed all the previous things that have been changed ![[]](http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/shared/emoticons/sad.gif)
Orgrimmar looks much better then storm wind ffs!
Gonna miss the classic Storm Wind :'( Posted Dec 6, 2010 12:29 pm PT
@Ovirew There's second page with more areas--the Auberdine and Badlands shots show some pretty drastic changes,
@artiom24 totally agree @-Unreal- Daeromas, Thunderlord. (saw your last post and i was like wtf? then i checked my inbox and said ohhhh haha) check the epic Knight title haha
@ggregd
Thanks for the info. I don't mind grinding at all. I just don't like being forced to party up - which alot of these mmorpgs seem to embrace. DDO is Dungeons and Dragons Online - an earlier MMO by Turbine (fantastic game by the way - and it's free2play now) Posted Dec 6, 2010 11:53 am PT
@Prometheus It says at the top that this is in reference to the Shattering patch and not Cataclysm on the whole. Additionally, it says that this is just a visual comparison on how some areas have changed. However, we did just post a video of specific features coming with the expansion.
@Lellz
Piss off, this is no place for a GW fanboy. Why are you here? You keep coming back. Get a life, seriously.
These pictures really don't represent what Cataclysm is all about. It's not some graphical update, it's a revamp (including quests, dungeons) of the vanilla zones, plus what you would normally expect in an expansion. (new zones, new dungeons/raids, new races etc.). I don't think Blizzard would be happy with the way you represent Cataclysm, just saying ;-)
@artiom24 despite the fact that WOW is pretty much the best MMO there is?
Judging by these pictures of four areas, Stormwind and Westfall look to have changed the most. And I have to say that even then, the changes aren't really all that drastic. The video they showed in this article, too, doesn't do the changes much justice. I guess I was expecting more... But at least the quests and locations and looks of characters will change in the new expansion.
cant wait...to make a WORGEN WARRIOR! WOOOOOT
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