Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

100 or More Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Amazing"

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King introduces old time WoW players to new content that they could only have hoped to have experienced before. This expansion pack almost feels like a whole new game with all of the bonus material added to an already spectacular game. Wrath of the Lich King raises the level cap up to 80, gives us the ability to create the first ever hero class, the Death Knight, allows us to explore the continent of Northrend, and much, much more.

First and foremost, the level cap being raised gives players a new goal and more things to do. There are new quests, new items, new instances and raids, new factions, new everything. But the level cap for players isnt the only thing that was raised. Professions have been increased too. So for those people stuck at the maximum level of their profession, you have something new to look forward to, too. But the most prominent and obvious cap increase is your player's. By leveling up to a new range of levels, you will acquire new spells, new items, and new friends along the way. And that's not all, you might get an achievement here or there too. The areas in Northrend are very well made, and are extremely visually appealing. The level of detail that Blizzard has added to the key features of Northrend, such as ice, water, and trees, has been noticeably increased. While you grind grind grind away, or perhaps are doing something more productive, why not take a moment to look around at the world that you live in? Explore a little bit, take in the sights, and just take a moment to actually see what's around you. Anyways, whether it's leveling your character, leveling your professions, admiring the level of detail, or anything else, Blizzard has provided you with more options than ever before, given us more of the same, but better, and many new things, too.

The Death Knight hero class is a big change to everybody out there. Being the only class in the game as of now to start out at level 55, these warriors are probably the most powerful, and possibly even overpowered class in the game to date. The Death Knight uses a rune system unique to their class. Each Death Knight has two blood runes, frost runes, and unholy runes. Through talents, however, (and a certain Blood ability) you can gain something known as a death rune, a rune that can be used up as any of the three runes. Death runes are unique in that they can only be used once, before reverting back to the original rune that they were converted from. Another interesting aspect of the Death Knight class are its roles. A Death Knight can serve as a DPS class, a tanking class, and even (sort of) a healing class. A group of five Death Knight im sure will not be uncommon, and will bring a new feeling into the game. While some people will argue the difficulty of defeating or playing a Death Knight, just keep in mind that practice makes perfect. Death Knights, like any other class, are still a class, and take time to get used to. So if you're frustrated at first, don't give up! This is one of the most exciting features in the expansion pack and shouldn't be overlooked. But just keep in mind that if you plan on creating one of these, that you must have a level 55 character on the realm you wish to create it on first. That being said, this is something that I think is very interesting, and also just plain fun; and I hope that you will feel that way, too.

The New continent of Northrend is also a big change for people. You will now be facing off against some higher level, more difficult aspects of the game, but all of it will be new, and hopefully enjoyable. The landscapes and monsters all have a distinctly different feel to them, and each also brings a whole new feature to the game. The places you explore will range from a somewhat lush and tranquil forest, to a snow covered land with vicious snowstorms and blizzards. A feature in Northrend that also brings a whole new contrast to the game is Wintergrasp. Wintergrasp is the first area in WoW history to be 100% PvP (player vs. player). This place brings back the outdoor PvP that old time Warcraft fans have so very much missed. It is like an outdoor battleground without any particular goal or player limit. All in all, Northrend is a huge feature in the game, and should definitely be visited by everyone at one point or another.

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is a fantastic expansion pack to an already spectacular game. It brings you what you wanted, what you needed, and more of what you had. Bursting with new content, this is something that every WoW player must have. Whether it's to do some serious end-game raiding, some more hardcore PvP content, or just goofing off with all of your friends, this is one box that should defnitely be on your shelf. While it does have some very obvious flaws, they don't hinder the game's excellence enough to make it unworthy of your attention. "I tell you this... for when my days have come to an end, you... shall be king."