The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Cataclysm: Day 1

GameInformer has conjured up this piece that dives into the strengths and weaknesses of Blizzard’s newly released World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion pack, though it’s quickly apparent that they don’t have very many negative things to say about the addon.

Level 80 is freaking epic. I’ve been leveling a new character since the Shattering, but I had to come back to my level 80 death knight for obvious reasons. While my mage had been helping the free folk of the world with their pirate problems and feeding the homeless, the death knight is resurrecting ancient demigods to aid in the struggle against Deathwing. So awesome.

Soloing is much better designed. Mechanics that were used mostly in raids or occasionally in five-man dungeons are everywhere in the world. One memorable cave in Deepholm has worms that cast ground-targeted earth spikes that you are well served by moving away from, and has giant, un-killable versions that patrol around and deposit you back at the entrance if you don’t avoid them more like a Zelda game than anything else.