Wrath of the Lich King Classic was released not so long ago, an add-on for the “classic” version of World of Warcraft. It is considered the best in its history among fans of the game and those who miss hardcore MMORPG. In this article, we want to talk about why is it the best.

The first thing to mention is that many gamers have been playing it for many years – and this is the most obvious indicator of the game’s coolness. Moreover, many beginners start playing WotLK. If a new player doesn’t want to develop a character from scratch, he can turn to boosting services for help, where professional players will help to upgrade a hero, go through dungeons and raids, and also offer wow classic gold for the best price. This all makes the game much easier for both new players and veterans of the game.

New content and the return of the old

The main innovation of WotLK is the continent of Northrend, a location for heroes of level 70 and above, and another small addition. Spacious northern lands with snow-covered forests, frosty deserts, magical ruins, and, of course, the Citadel of the Ice Crown towers over the district and greets players on the loading screen.

Northrend is not just another zone for completing quests, clearing dungeons and raids, and conquering PvP arenas. This is a notable breakthrough in Blizzard’s design, the most beautiful location in their games at the time of its appearance. It is separated into many zones. Huge mountains, ancient sanctuaries, villages of the small peoples of Northrend, tombs of the Ancients, fortifications of the Scourge.

A special mention deserves Dalaran — a city of wizards originally from Warcraft III, which was lifted into the air with the help of magic and moved to Northrend. A true cradle of magic and the capital of all heroes of the maximum level, Dalaran fascinates with towers reaching into the sky, intricate alleys, and shops in the spirit of Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter films. In Wrath of the Lich King, Onyxia’s Lair was updated — a small raid with a single dragon boss, after whom the location is named.

They removed the chain of tasks to access it and improved the rewards so that they fit level 80 heroes. Naxxramas has returned — the last raid from the “vanilla” World of Warcraft. The flying citadel of the Lich Kel’Thuzad now hovers over Northrend and awaits level 80 heroes. Another addition is the “purification of Stratholme” in the Caves of Time created for The Burning Crusade.

Significant innovations

In addition, there were a lot of changes here dungeons, raids, equipment, monsters, and quests. From the more noticeable and unusual:

  • Increase the maximum level to 80. This figure became the ultimate symbol of the “MMO nerd” and gave rise to the meme “Elf of the 80th level”. At the same time, the set of talents for classes and the range of opportunities for professions has expanded.
  • A new profession, an Outline, thanks to which you can create scrolls and items to enhance characteristics and symbols — special improvements for class skills.
  • A more diverse task design was introduced. There was an opportunity to ride on the plot transport (sled animals, siege engines), and some zones changed in the course of the plot. Destructible objects appeared in PvP arenas.
  • There was introduced to the ability to take a double specialization, which allowed you to change the skill set at will.
  • Achievements. Only a few of them gave some kind of rewards like titles or items, but the players liked them.
  • Hairdressers where you can change the appearance of your character appeared.

Death Knights: a new class

Elite warriors, servants of the Lich King, and Death Knights are brand new, and the first World of Warcraft class was added after the release. A warrior in heavy armor specializing in the magic of death, ice, blood, and disease, he remains one of the most popular choices among players. According to the statistics of 2019, it took 6th place among all WoW classes.

Balance of hardcore and accessibility

For many players, WotLK became the first add-on, and for a good reason: its advertising campaign was truly large-scale. The trailer with the Lich King was played on TV in all possible world countries.

Since its release, the MMORPG has been on a course to simplify everything — from mechanics to progression. And on this path, Wrath of the Lich King was no exception: it was possible to level up in this supplement from 1 to 80 levels faster than from 1 to 70 in The Burning Crusade and even more so from 1 to 60 in vanilla, which sometimes took people months, if not a whole year of the game. In WotLK, pumping is achieved in a couple of weeks of active play.

Also in addition, the prices for learning skills and changing them have decreased. Services have become cheaper, and dungeons have become simpler. Like many quest chains, the latter has become much faster and more dynamic.

In summary

Wrath of the Lich King is the latest “classic” World of Warcraft addon. A couple of years after the death of the Lich King, a Cataclysm occurred that changed the world of Azeroth forever. And not only in terms of plot and design: the very vision of the game has been updated. From a measured MMORPG with a challenge and a bunch of difficulties, World of Warcraft has turned into a session adventure for everyone. It didn’t make the game any worse. After the death of the Lich King, World of Warcraft just became different.

All of these reasons served as an impetus for the game to become truly legendary and widely recognizable among fans of MMORPG games. Despite the long years of existence, today WotLK has a high rating of 8.8 on the IMDb website, which indicates the ongoing love and devotion of WoW fans.