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Cataclysm Closed Beta - NDA Lift (Spoiler Alert!!!)
Obzerver
Member Posts: 225
A ton of info + screens here = http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/1840-Cataclysm-Closed-Beta-NDA-Lift
Taken from worldofraids.com
Spoiler Warning: Please keep in mind that this contains a lot of spoilers, read at your own risk!
Cataclysm sees quite a few changes to existing lore. This is more a story progression than anything, but with some of them being very dramatic changes, I wanted to recap everything I've found so far.
Horde
* Garrosh Hellscream is the new Warchief and has reinforced Orgrimmar and many Horde outposts around Azeroth with dark iron. He's also reclaimed Gorehowl -- his father's weapon -- and now wields it.
* Thrall was captured by SI:7 (and it looks like Garrosh actually set that up), to be later rescued by the Goblins during their new player experience.
* Cairne Bloodhoof was poisoned by Magatha Grimtotem and is now dead.
* Baine Bloodhoof is now the leader of the Tauren race in Thunderbluff (those that are part of the Horde).
* The Forsaken went against Garrosh's wishes and released a plague on Gilneas, killing most of its inhabitants. Sylvannas is expected to be further in the dog house once Garrosh learns of this.
* The Horde have, thanks to Goblin ingenuity, built "The Bomb" -- a weapon of mass destruction -- and unleash it on a night elf village in Stonetalon Mountains. Garrosh, displeased with the slaughter of innocent people, kills the general who ordered the bomb to be dropped.
Alliance
* Magni Bronzebeard attempted some sort of ritual in Old Ironforge and was turned to stone, leaving Ironforge without a single ruler. While attempts are made to remove the curse from Magni, Muradin Bronzebeard, Moira Thaurassin and Falstad Wildhammer have formed a council of rulers.
* Varian Wrynn has devoted resources to upgrading many Alliance outposts on Azeroth, including Sentinel Hill.
* The worgen "curse" was actually created by a sect of druids known as the Druids of the Scythe, wielders of the Scythe of Elune and the magic it provided. They fell victim to the feral nature of the worgen and lost control of themselves -- forever transforming. They had to be locked away in the Emerald Dream, though Archmage Arugal managed to free some and in turn released the curse upon the denizens of Gilneas. The trees you see in various screenshots with the glowing blue liquid flowing from them are trees where the Druids of the Scythe were contained and put into slumber.
* The Park in Stormwind was indeed destroyed by Deathwing after he emerged in Azeroth. This is confirmed by a group of NPCs chatting before the boat ride out to Vashj'ir. Some had previously thought that an earthquake may have destroyed it.
Other
* Edwin VanCleef is dead. His daughter, Vanessa VanCleef is now the leader of the Defias Brotherhood. She has unleashed a plot to bring down Stormwind after witnessing the assassination of her father some 5 years ago.
* Corporal Keeshan is the main character behind the Redridge zone progression, known as John J. Keeshan. The story revolves around the Blackrock Orcs planning an invasion of Lakeshire, and plays out much like a Rambo movie where you must recover Keeshan's bandanna, bow, knife and a locket from his lost love, as well as freeing his captured Bravo Company friends.
* Kalec is rounding up all of the blue dragonflight, as he fears the death of Malygos will be a sign of weakness and Deathwing will send out agents to assassinate the remaining dragons within the flight. This holds true as the black dragonflight has invaded Azshara to hunt down Azuregos. Kalec and Azuregos help low level Horde players to repel the invasion.
* Malfurion Stormrage is the only thing keeping Darkshore from being devoured by the Cataclysm; he's created a giant twister in the middle of the zone.
* The Twilight's Hammer are attempting to summon an Old God in Darkshore, Soggoth the Slitherer.
* Deathwing has summoned Ragnaros and agents of the Plane of Fire into Hyjal. The players go through a linear quest chain culminating in the banishment of Ragnaros back to the Plane of Fire.
Involved in the chain (and fights leading up to and including Ragnaros): Ysera, Aspect of the Green Dragonflight; Malfurion Stormrage, Jarod Shadowsong, Cenarius, Goldrinn, Aviana, Aessina, Tortulla, Hamuul Runetotem, Fandral Staghelm. It's pretty damn epic.
* The Cenarion Circle and Cenarion Expedition are the reason for Desolace seeing the growth it has, and have thus named the middle of the zone the Cenarion Wildlands.
* Ysondre is the last of the Dragons of Nightmare, and although she has been saved from the nightmare, she states she can never return to the green dragonflight. Emeriss and Lethon are already dead; Ysondre helps players kill Taerar during a quest chain in Feralas.
Comments
Some really nice story plots and twists to explore. SI:7 capturing Thrall.. didin't we have to rescue thrall last time in the CoT instance? He's not the best at getting away is he?
Well, the CoT instance was when he was still a slave to the humans and we helped free him because the Infinite Dragonflight was getting in the way trying to change things.
Is there anyone in beta that plays a Hunter or a Priestess? If so how do you like the class changes?
Never really cared for the "story" in WOW, the NPC's and their drama. Much more interested in the "world". Note: distinction between "history" (lore) and "story" (predictable forced linear plotline).
Sad, that dev's these days think their job is to be more akin to novelists than world-builders. Will have to wait and here more about beta before I consider this expansion.
All subject to change with the next expansion.
Woot
Velika: City of Wheels: Among the mortal races, the humans were the only one that never built cities or great empires; a curse laid upon them by their creator, Gidd, forced them to wander as nomads for twenty centuries...
"Garrosh, displeased with the slaughter of innocent people"
Wait, what?
Also, it´s just me or all i can read is "Horde this, horde that , horde questlines, horde low levels and horde storylines" on pretty much every single big thing in this post?
I mean, most of the alliance related things kind of read as mostly cosmetic or from neutral factions such as the cenarion.
*Shrug*
We shall see, i guess there´s still a lot of info to be revealed in the upcoming weeks.
Rawr.