Project Lore

This post may contain spoilers for anyone who hasn't played through the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. With the beginnings of Icecrown Citadel now on the PTR, it seems that the death of Arthas is on a lot of peoples' minds. If you've been playing Wrath of the Lich King, you're certainly at least vaguely familiar with the, well, wrath that the Lich King has brought to Azeroth. You've seen the destruction of waves of scourge under his command and the legions of indigenous peoples of Northrend enslaved under his control. But what of Arthas Menethil, the fallen paladin prince who ultimately unleashed the full power of the Lich King by merging with him? Arthas' story is, indeed, a tragic one. The only son of King Terenas Menethil II, Prince Arthas was a promising swordsman as a youth and a member of the purest paladin group, the Knights of the Silver Hand. He may have been perhaps a bit too quick to action, but the prince became a well-known, renowned warrior who, among other exploits, defended Quel'Thalas from an attack by a group of forest trolls. Perhaps the turning point in Arthas' life came with the rise of the plague of undeath. While investigating the plague, Arthas and his group, including Jaina Proudmoore, fight an undead army and encounter Kel'Thuzad, the plague-bringing necromancer. During this attack, Kel'Thuzad mentions Mal'Ganis. On their way to Stratholme and Mal'Ganis, Arthas learns that the plague is not just killing innocent people; but turning them into an undead army. Every soldier who had fallen while defending Lordaeron would become an undead puppet. Arthas, who wanted to be the one in control of the situation, was perhaps driven a little crazy knowing that even in his death, Kel'Thuzad had triumphed. As it turns out, this was the Lich King's intention all along. Although the prophet Medivh and Jaina both suggest that Arthas should head to Kalimdor and not to Stratholme, Athas' headstrong manner guides him against that advice. He drives onward to another spot of his unraveling. Arthas pledged to do anything to protect his people - even if it meant the extreme step of killing those who were on the brink of becoming undead in the Culling of Stratholme. Some viewed it as murder; But I see it as the tragic fall of a hero - Arthas sacrificed his own humanity in the hopes that it would prevent the spread of the plague. Perhaps haunted by what he had done, Arthas grows ever-obsessed with the intention of eradicating the plague. He tracks the source to Northrend and, once again in the hopes that it will help protect his people, takes up the cursed runeblade Frostmourne. As we know, it has quite the opposite effect. From there, the downfall becomes rapid. Arthas begins losing his soul and his sanity. He finally destroys Mal'Ganis, but only to help free the Lich King and take control of the Scourge. Eventually, the Lich King and Arthas become one... or do they? Perhaps with the approaching climactic battles of Icecrown Citadel in Patch 3.3, we shall see. Could Arthas' true consciousness still be buried deep within the Lich King? Or has he been so completely tainted that he never could be found again? I would draw a comparison to Star Wars' Anakin Skywalker, so consumed by the Dark Side that he lost his true self until just before his death. Take that a step further - what if, by chance, Arthas knew that taking up the Frostmourne would eventually kill the Lich King by giving him a human form, and he was willing to lose himself in the process? Would the end justify the means? Personally, I'd like to see the former Arthas come out once again (and it seems some of you would, too), somehow, in Icecrown Citadel. But even if he did somehow live and separate himself from the Lich King, could he redeem himself after all the horror he inflicted upon his people? If given the choice, would you allow Arthas to have a second chance?

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Finally, subscribing to @Warcraft on Twitter has paid off.  Yesterday, Blizzard, by way of said Twitter account, updated all its followers with news that Jaina Proudmoore "needed new attire for an urgent upcoming event.  So our artists obliged."  Obliged indeed, but they didn't just stop at her attire (which is the same look, but appears to actually be fashioned armor, instead of squishy cloth). Jaina also received a much needed makeover, complete with a unique face.  The whole ensemble clocks in at a higher resolution (is that a belly button?!), giving the famed character all the glam and curves any NPC could ever want.  It's not exactly how the comics portray her though.  I am of course referring to the size of her...staff.  It's much taller than her in the comic...Yeap, the staff. /me looks around shifty-eyed. This is actually the Ruler of Theramore's second major update since her former lover became the focus of our attention.  The first being minor adjustments to her face and stomach.  She wants to save him so badly that she's resorted to cosmetic surgery to return him to the light! With Jaina all dolled up, the artists can now focus on some of the other leaders.  I don't know about you, but after almost five years I'd think Thrall would have replaced his gear.  Especially since he's been chasing Jaina all over Azeroth.  Even orcs should realize that human females enjoy men who change their outfits! A forum thread on the topic prompted Zarhym, everyone's favorite disembodied chattering head, to tease us with further Patch 3.3 details.  "We feel now is a very good time to get Jaina an update since her and Sylvanas will play key roles in the five-player Icecrown Citadel dungeon. That isn't to say other heroes will not receive similar treatment in the future. ;)" Seems safe to say that Jaina and Sylvanas will be appearing during the assault on Icecrown Citadel, and hopefully in the absolutely epic death of Arthas.  I hope I am not overselling the upcoming event, but I am quiet excited to see which direction Blizzard takes us.  After all, it'll be the culmination of Warcraft III's events, allowing us to progress into uncharted territory. Here's a link to the old image of Jaina for comparison.

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Death By Tar & Feathering? Patch 3.3 is so close that I can almost connect to the PTR long enough to play it.  We've been waiting for this content patch ever since it we revealed that Arthas would be joining the game dedicated to him a little late - by C'Thun the star could never arrive on time.  Now that we have the PTR housing patch 3.3, the first round of ever-changing patch notes, maps of the dungeons and lots more, one burning question remains.  How will Arthas die? Let's start with the more appropriate question.  Will Arthas die? It has almost become cliche that World of Warcraft's bosses manage to slip through death's grasp at the last second.  A large number of the best known bosses have merely been de-summoned, released from someone's control or regained their sanity (put down at his request).  In the case of the Old Gods, we mortals have been fighting parts of them, leading some to believe that we've only faced a portion of their vast power.  Is it possible that Blizzard could allow one of Warcraft's most infamous villains to avoid the grave?! Hell no.  The disservice done to fans by allowing Arthas/The Lich King to live would be unfathomable.  He's going down. Of course, then we return to the original discussion, how do you want Arthas to die?  Blizzard could go one of a hundred ways for Arthas' demise, so I can only tell you how I'd like to see him die.  That would be by Jaina's hand.  If there's anyone who needs redemption for all Arthas has done (that's still alive) it is Jaina, his former lover. Rather than another Maiev + raiders vs. Illidan team-up, I'd like to see Arthas go all Hulk on us, freezing our toons when we get him to zero HP.  As he's toying with us, attempting to crack our minds, Jaina pops out of no where to confront him.  Being the former suave Prince The Lich King tries to sweet talk his former mate, only to be struck down mid sentence by an icy bolt, and then finished off with a melee move from her staff.  Double tap, it's important.  Her icy demeanor would vanish as he falls to the ground, and then she'd weep over his fallen corpse (as we looted it) as she curses the gods for putting her in such a position. The odds of my vision coming to fruition are slim to none, but it doesn't hurt to dream.  It wasn't until I finished reading Christie Golden's book that I came to believe Jaine is the only person to send the Prince of Lordaeron six feet under.  How do you want the former paladin to go down?  What about you hordies?  You likely have a different view on this whole Scourge debacle since one of the leaders of your nation-states didn't date the backstabbing necromantic.  Although I hear Thrall has the hots for Jaina.  Just a rumor someone's spreading.  And there is that Slyvanas lady.  Perhaps she'll get her revenge in the horde script?

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Cataclysm Countdown is a series of informed speculative articles concerning things we might see in the next expansion that I will be posting every day this week, leading right up to Blizzcon. In the interest of thought purity, I will do my best to steer clear of recent “leaked” material, relying upon it only where it logically connects with the existing lore. Nothing hereafter is official or has been confirmed/denied by Blizzard at the time of its writing. The Lich King falls. The Argent Crusade's task of defeating the Scourge is over, and with it the tenuous cooperation between the Alliance and the Horde. A new threat arises from the depths of the ocean and brings death and destruction to both sides. Jaina Proudmoore and Thrall take it upon themselves to protect the world at large, ascending from their positions as faction representatives. In the interest of self-preservation, the remaining forces of the Horde and Alliance cease any remaining ties. Instead, tempers flare as Garrosh, the new Warchief of the Horde, and King Varian Wrynn bare fangs at each other and decide to drag their people, once again, unto the brink of all-out, bloody-nosed WAR. The stage is set for a conflict greater than Azeroth has ever seen before. But how will we experience it? Ahh... the way things used to be! World of Warcraft, despite its name and pedigree, was not built from the ground up for PvP play. Ever since the game's release, Blizzard has added more and varied ways of engaging the enemy, but it's always been compartmentalized and shoved just to the side of primary content. Even Lake Wintergrasp, arguably the crowning jewel of PvP combat at the moment (it both maintains the scale of a Battleground and affords access to certain rewards typical of World PvP). Though it's far from perfect, Wintergrasp will likely be the template for this part of the game moving forward. Let's stop for a moment, though, and let our imaginations run wild, yeah? WoW, at its pinnacle, should emulate the large-scale, world-wide conflict that the series is known for. Ideally, that means  bunkers, forts, and whole armies fighting with each other in all zones across Azeroth. Players would be able to not only construct siege vehicles, but hire mercenaries, create defensive buildings, and upgrade units. OK, have a good image in your head now? Well, hold onto it, because that's only a dream. With the changes we are expecting to see to the rest of the game, PvP on that level would be near impossible to implement. Let's not forget all the balancing that would be involved in the creation of so many new game systems. We've got to face the reality that World of Warcraft just can't support such an overhaul in its core gameplay. Will we see something approaching that near the end of the series? Quite likely, through patches and incremental additions along the way, but not right now. Still, that doesn't mean we won't see PvP combat expand in Cataclysm. The key really is just to find a happy medium. I see this as taking at least one of two forms:

1. Zone-wide PvP -- With many zones being re-purposed in the expansion, it stands to reason that a few of them could play host to open fighting. Those with high amounts of resources, or those that straddle the border between core Horde and Alliance territories will be the ones most impacted. The first that comes to mind is the Hillsbrad/Arathi area of Eastern Kingdoms. With the Scourge threat defeated and the Plaguelands theoretically in the process of returning to normal, little stands between the Alliance reclaiming Lordaeron than the Forsaken. With his new found allies, the Worgen of Gilneas, on Undercity's doorstep, Varian is in a good position to retake the former Human kingdom. The Forsaken, with some help from the Blood Elves, would fight back to protect the only place they can call home. Several areas like this can be spread throughout the world map, with control of them affording certain buffs or rewards.
2. Objective-based play -- True World PvP would be hard to manage. Imagine a full PvP server, but one where control of the world actually matters. Instead, what not have a series of smaller objectives that each side needs to take and hold. Holding a number of these sites at any given time would afford lesser rewards, perhaps some sort of points or honor to every player in the general area. These points could then be used to purchase faction rewards in the main cities. Final Fantasy XI did something like this with crystals needed for crafting professions, and so has WoW to an extent (with Stone Keeper Shards and the like), though it was necessary to engage in PvE content to obtain those items.

But then again, who knows? We may just see a few new Battlegrounds and Arenas to fight in. I'm sure PvP will move forward in certain respects, but at the end of the day, the balance between fun and fairness is what needs to be maintained. Considering either of these ideas, servers with already lop-sided populations would potentially see one faction completely shut out of rewards. Objective-based gameplay may be more suited to accessibility, considering that when more capture sites are placed in the world, it becomes harder for either side to dominate completely. Covering every objective would quickly spread forces thin, but it would allow the opposite faction to rally up and take a few of their own. The only difference in this case would be that one side would gain points, and thus rewards, at a faster pace. However, this approach runs the risk of placing less importance on any given objective. It would be less lore-centric, and some out-of-the-way objectives would fall into disuse. Zone-based PvP would certainly centralize the conflict, and the consolidation of forces would allow Blizzard to do more interesting things within each area. While balance is a greater issue here, Wintergrasp-style buffs could preserve the spirit of competition. So what are you guys looking forward to in terms of Player versus Player action in the next expansion. Are my ideas too far-fetched? What about ideas of your own? Do you think PvP might get the shaft as Blizzard focuses on expanding the lore and PvE content? We've only got a couple more days until we find out for sure!

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I was not the only gamer to get wrapped up in the excitement behind Christie Golden's latest World of Warcraft novel.  Apparently many, many of us decided to pick up the novel upon its release, making it the first piece of Warcraft's Extended Universe to dip into the mainstream via the #16 slot on the New York Times Best Seller list.  There's good reason why Arthas: Rise of the Lich King made it to the prestigious list, it's fraking awesome.

*Note: If you've followed Arthas' lore at all, then none of this should contain any large spoilers.  But plot points will be discussed (especially in the comments) so beware.*

The novel starts off with a simple introduction to Northrend's native races and creatures that we have become so familiar with.  After the brief prologue we are tossed into the world of old, the days of Arthas's upbringing and rise as a prince.  It's this early section of the novel (Golden broke it up into three distinct parts) that will bring experienced lore nuts the most joy.  Here we are given entirely unknown details about Arthas' past, alongside various scenes that have been told in the novels before.  To keep things creative, Golden chose Arthas' naive mind as the focal point for the scenes, giving us more insight to his motivations while she touched upon these key scenes.  This section's extensive use of foreshadowing, specifically the implementation of Arthas' stead Invincible, captured me beyond any other WoW/Warcraft novel.

Section 2 - The Bright Lady - deals largely with Jaina and Arthas' touchy relationship as he descends down his dark path.  Golden writes a fantastic love triangle between the pair and Kael'thas.  One that has neither being the "bad guy," but both eligible suitors for the powerful mage.  The pair of males both get their shots at each other through witty dialogue and observation, but Kael'thas ultimately comes out on top, despite losing the girl.  As soon as Golden removed the love triangle from the plot, the novel begins recycling much of the Warcraft III:RoC+TFT campaign.  She doesn't take much artistic risk - possibly in fear of alienating us - sticking closely to what we know.  For me, precious little lore was introduced in the back half of the book, but the constant fight inside Arthas between what he has done - killing his father, dumping Jaina, the murders at Stratholme - and the power he was after kept things interesting.

I've always believed that Golden could craft good characters and well written stories.  To me her weak points have always been her dialog and battle scenes (or lack thereof), but no more.  In Rise of the Lich King she masterfully crafts Sylvannas Windrunner and Kael'Thas - characters that I haven't seen much of since I have always played Alliance in WoW - in addition to the interactions of Arthas and Jaina.  Kael'thas was also a part of the best battle scene in the novel, the fight upon Icecrown Citadel as Arthas attempted his ascent to The Frozen Throne.

How about the resolution to the dichotomy of Arthas's psyche?  Previously we had always been told that Arthas and the Lich King had merged.  According to the novel, that isn't the case.  Stunning.

End Spoilers.

Seriously, if you are at all interested in the Warcraft lore then you need to go pick up this book.  Your need to experience the novel is compounded further if you are playing Wrath of the Lich King and haven't completed the WC3 campaign.

My rave review aside, I am not sure how this piece of literature would stand on its own.  I feel that by going into the novel as a Warcraft virgin, the reader would be missing a lot of the story.  Specifically the entire foreshadowing that made the early chapters such a joy to read.  At any rate, it is still the best WoW novel to date, and the best starting point for new readers.

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