The buzz and hype surrounding every new one World of Warcraft expansion is as much about pre-patch activities as it is the actual release. Wrath of the Lich King is once again becoming a popular expansion, and this time Blizzard has a knack for hindsight to make the experience even more engaging.
With the official announcements made and the schedule set for the coming weeks, players are scrambling to prepare their gold, gear, and guilds for the events leading up to the expansion. Whether it’s a new character that needs leveling up or an endgame tone that needs the gear and upgrades, here’s what every player needs to know about the WotLK pre patch.
6 Inscription, the new profession
Players are already hoarding all available materials for the incoming new Profession, Inscription. Enchants are about to become a lot more portable, and it’s time for Darkmoon Cards’ awesome power to go away, as Incriptionists will have the power to craft them both as bind-on-equip items.
Herbalists are about to dominate the auction house and get rich again as the main regeant for inscription is Herbs. This is a craft trade as opposed to a collecting trade, and the ink is made with herbs, while paper and other basic materials can be purchased from vendors. Alchemists need herbs, and those who practice professions like dressmaking or enchantment that don’t need a counterpart can use their second slot for herbal medicine and be ahead of the trend.
5 Death Knights Arrive Early
In 2008, when the expansion was originally released, players could not use the new class until the expansion was officially opened. This time, players won’t have to wait for the expansion to come out to create their first Death Knight. The class will be available as part of the pre-patch events, with the aim of allowing players to level up in time to fully enjoy Northrend.
The storyline change for Death Knights has no effect on lore and requires no replays. The Death Knights’ second awakening when Arthas left them still works, it just happens a few weeks earlier.
4 The Fresh Start Realms
It was hard to watch some old servers disappear and disappear forever, but part of the reason was to make way for others. The Fresh Start realms are a concept that would only work in Classic, and it’s a creative idea for those who want a more authentic experience.
Unlike other servers, the Fresh Start realms don’t allow certain perks like character transfers or level boosts, at least not for the first few months they’re active. Players can’t throw the advanced Death Knights until they already have at least one level 55 ‘tone on the same server. The rules are quite strict and it will be interesting to see the player’s reaction to this feature.
3 Joyful travels
For those who complain, there’s nothing new, and for those who don’t want changes, here’s a pre-patch event that everyone can support. Joyous Journeys is an experience buff for players who wanted a new character for the expansion but want to stay on their own servers, and it’s available on every Classic: WoW rich since June 21.
The experience boost is helpful, but not mandatory, and those who want a more authentic experience don’t need to use it. The option is available to talk to each innkeeper and turn it off or back on, allowing everyone to adjust their own grind.
2 Zombie Plague
This event has an interesting history dating back to the Corrupted Blood Incident of 2005. The difference is that this Zombie Plague is a fabricated event planned by the developers, while the original was a bug that players accidentally exploited. Pets that got the plague from Hakkar brought the deadly germs back to Azeroth from the raid and it spread to the general population.
Fans of Warcraft III will remember the historical events that ended that game, and the Zombie Plague event is a continuation of the same story. The Scourge rises again to attack Azeroth, and this time the Horde and Alliance will unite and chase the Lich King all the way back to Northrend.
1 The Plague Invasion
As if a zombie plague in the cities wasn’t enough, the floating fortresses also return with their evil crystals and players must work together to defeat them. However, depending on what kind of server it is, these can turn into spicy PvP events or fun cross-faction role-playing.
That’s what happens when Horde and Alliance have to work together and it’s all part of the challenge of the Scourge Invasion event. It’s worth taking on a Necropolis and reaping the rewards, which consist of gear and other decent trinkets, another way to prepare a character for the journey to Northrend.
Revenge of the Lich King Classic launches on September 26, 2022 for PC and macOS.
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