World Of Warcraft Expansion: Burning Crusade

Average customer rating: 4.5

It's never too late to start playing WoW
The best expansion to an MMORPG I have seen.
A solid expansion that misses out on being a great one
A must have addition to World of Warcraft
Hooray for Outland!

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World Of Warcraft Expansion: Burning Crusade

Manufacturer: Blizzard Entertainment
Product Group: Video Games
Binding: CD-ROM
ASIN: B000BWZY7Q
2007-01-16

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Amazon.com Product Description

Blizzard Entertainment took online role playing by storm with their hit title, World of Warcraft. With mind-boggling improvements in graphics, gameplay networking, and interface -- really every category -- this game became the crown prince of the genre. World of Warcraft players will be excited by the approaching release of the new expansion pack: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. This pack expands the already massive, award-winning multiplayer online role-playing game by tremendous bounds, adding new races, lands, battlegrounds, professions and items, and much, much more. Although no release date has been set, here is sample of what you can expect from The Burning Crusade. <table align=left width=250 cellpadding=10> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/videogames/detail-page/crusade-1-sm.jpg" border=1 align=top>

The Burning Crusade is the highly anticipated, unreleased expansion pack for Blizzard's "World of Warcraft." </td></tr></table> <table align=right width=150 cellpadding=10> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/videogames/detail-page/karazhan-1-sm.jpg" border=1 align=top>

What lies in Medivh's tower? View larger.</td></tr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/videogames/detail-page/bldelves-2-sm.jpg" border=1 align=top>

Blood Elves emerge as a new race in The Burning Crusade. View larger.</td></tr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/videogames/detail-page/bldelves-1-sm.jpg" border=1 align=top>

The Blood Elves seek the golden destiny that has been promised to them. View larger.</td></tr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/videogames/detail-page/outland-1-sm.jpg" border=1 align=top>

Warcraft's newest continent: Outland. View larger.</td></tr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/videogames/detail-page/outland-2-sm.jpg" border=1 align=top>

Once a beautiful land, Outland has been ravaged by war. View larger.</td></tr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/videogames/detail-page/outland-3-sm.jpg" border=1 align=top>

Outland is a vital strategic location. View larger.</td></tr> </table>

The expansion pack features an increase in the level cap to 70. There are two new playable races, including the magical Blood Elves that you can read more about below. The other race has not yet been released by Blizzard. There will be new starting zones in Quel'Thalas and beyond. Another eye-opening addition is the entirely new, unexplored continent of Outland that is reachable through the Dark Portal. Plus, you'll find many new high-level dungeons to explore in Azeroth, Outland, and elsewhere that will substantially boost gameplay. There are new flying mounts in Outland; tons of new and dangerous monsters (including epic world bosses); hundreds of new quests and items; and even a new profession: Jewelcrafting. Of course this isn't the end of the list -- this is just a glimpse of what Blizzard has planned for their unreleased expansion pack.

The New Story, the Rumors, and More
Several years have passed since the Burning Legion's defeat at Mount Hyjal and the races of Azeroth have continued to rebuild their once shattered lives. With renewed strength, the heroes of the Horde and Alliance have begun to explore new lands, and have broken through the Dark Portal to investigate the realms beyond the known world. In this expansion pack, The Burning Crusade refers to the Burning Legion's ongoing efforts to destroy life on Azeroth. To date, the Burning Legion's exploits have been documented in Warcraft III and in the War of the Ancients novel trilogy. As part of the expansion pack, players will now be able to travel through the Dark Portal to confront the Legion on otherworldly battlefields.

Although only one race has been revealed, Blizzard has announced plans to unveil details about possible additional races at a later date. On the other hand, many details have been released about the new continent, Outland. Players last visited Outland in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, alongside Illidan as he conquered the Pit Lord Magtheridon's domain. Players will also gain access to Quel'Thalas, the region to the northeast of the Forsaken lands, where the Blood Elves reside. Blizzard says that this expansion pack holds even more new areas that are ripe for player exploration -- additional details will be revealed in the months ahead.

Blizzard also has plans to add new dungeons and battlegrounds with the expansion, though the exact number has not yet been determined. One upcoming dungeon that has players excited is Karazhan, which is located within Medivh's tower. Because Medivh has played such a central role in Warcraft lore, Blizzard is convinced that longtime players will be especially interested in seeing what Karazhan contains. As for battlegrounds, Blizzard has released very little information. However, they have announced plans to make some of the battles from the past accessible through the Caverns of Time.

Blood Elves: The New Race
Thousands of years ago, the exiled Highborne landed on the shores of Lordaeron and founded the enchanted kingdom of Quel'Thas. These high elves, as they called themselves, created a fountain of vast, magical energies within the heart of their land -- the Sunwell. Over time, they grew dependant on the Sunwell's unstable energies, regardless of the bitter lessons they'd learned in ages past.

During the Third War, the villainous Prince Arthas invaded Quel'Thalas and reduced the once-mighty realm to rubble and ashes. His undead army decimated nearly all of the high elven population. In addition, he used the Sunwell's energies to resurrect a powerful undead Lich, Kel'thuzad, thereby fouling the Sunwell's mystical waters. The few elven survivors, realizing that they had been cut off from the source of their arcane power, grew increasingly volatile and desperate.

In the midst of the elves' darkest hour came Kael'thas Sunstrider, the last of Quel'Thalas' royal bloodline. Kael, as he was commonly known, knew that the remnant of his people would not long survive without the nourishing magic that once empowered them. Renaming his people "blood elves" in honor of their fallen countrymen, Kael taught the survivors how to tap into ambient mystical energies -- even demonic energies -- in order to sate their terrible thirst for magic. In search of a new destiny for his people, Kael'thas ventured to the remote world of Outland where he encountered the fallen night elf, Illidan. Under Illidan's watchful eye, Kael and his blood elves regained much of their former power. Unfortunately, the blood elves practice of embracing demonic energies caused their former comrades in the Alliance to shun them. Thus, the remaining blood elves on Azeroth look desperately to the Horde to help them reach Outland where they can reunite with Kael'thas and achieve the golden destiny he has promised them.

Outland: The New Continent
Once the beautiful homeworld of the orcs, all that remains of Draenor is the scattered wastes of Outland. Following the Second War, the Alliance invaded Draenor by crossing through the Dark Portal. To their horror, they discovered that Ner'zhul -- the dark warlord of Horde -- had constructed a series of new gateways that could lead the beaten Horde to newer, unspoiled worlds. As the Alliance forces closed in around him, Ner'zhul opened his gateways as a means of escape. However, his plan backfired and the gateway's clashing energies resulted in a massive catastrophic explosion that ultimately ripped the world of Draenor to pieces.

Nearly thirteen years later -- towards the end of the Third War -- the fallen night elf, Illidan, discovered that huge chunks of Draenor still existed, floating upon the astral winds of the Twisting Nether. After his defeat at the hands of the evil Prince Arthas, Illidan fled to the remnants of Draenor and dubbed them "Outland." He quickly seized control of the chaotic region and sealed the last of Ner'zhul's gateways.

Though he is the undisputed ruler of the ravaged land, Illidan lives in fear that he will be discovered by his powerful enemies -- most notably Arthas, the new Lich King, and the remaining Lords of the Burning Legion. For now, Outland is home to a number of scattered draenei tribes, primitive orcs, and powerful, arcane creatures of the Nether itself. Agents of the Burning Legion have also targeted the region as a vital strategic location in their unending Burning Crusade to scour all life from the universe.

What else can expected? Blizzard has tantalized Warcraft players with the brief glimpse into The Burning Crusade's storyline. Will these heroes find friends or foes? What dangers and rewards lie in wait beyond the Dark Portal? And what will they do when they discover that the demons they thought were vanquished have returned to renew their terrible Burning Crusade? These and other questions will remain unanswered until the gameplay can be explored by role-playing Warcrafters.

Customer Reviews:

It's never too late to start playing WoW.......2007-06-05

I have to admit, I was very apprehensive starting to play WoW Burning Crusade well after the release date. But, am I ever glad I did. This game is addicting and lots of fun.

I was worried it would be difficult to start playing a game when you are Level-1 and other guys are Level-70. But, that just wasn't the case. The starting quests are such that you remain in a few general areas until you get past about Level-20, after that you venture out into the larger world (but even the starting areas are vast).

The other good thing about starting the game late in the cycle is the noob areas aren't overly crowded. Nobody is stealing your quests, no queues for quests, but there are still enough people around to get a good group going for a good Elite quest.

Until a week ago, I have never played WoW, but I have played Guild Wars and Lord of the Rings Online. While some of the other games have better graphics and worlds you may be familiar with due to movies (such as LOTRO), they have nothing up on WoW. The WoW interface is easy to learn, work with, and customize. The WoW worlds are large and provide enough variety to keep things fun. One week into the game, I have a Level-20 Blood Elf Rogue and have cancelled my LOTRO account.

Another good thing about WoW is that it works well for high-end and low-end systems. I play on my desktop, which is a high-end 8800GTX-based system and it plays great. I also play on my notebook, which is just an ok system with integrated graphics. It works well on my notebook as well.

Bottom line, if you are thinking about starting to play WoW, stop thinking and do it. The Burning Crusade expansion pack is a good way to start. You don't need a Level-60 character to enjoy the expansion pack, you can start one of the new races and still play in the new environment.

It's never too late to start playing WoW

The best expansion to an MMORPG I have seen........2007-06-03

ABOUT ME: I have played an Undead Rogue since day 1, and after around 20 days played at 70 I have taken the plunge to roll a paladin and I am loving it. Also, I have raided all dungeons up to Naxxramas.

The Burning Crusade is by far the best expansion, and expands the formula of World of Warcraft even more. Blizzard really fixed the problems with gear, the lack of endlevel dungeons, lack of raid content, boss design, and quest rewards. I will discuss these five things in detail.

~ GEAR ~
Pre-BC: The difference between raiders and casual players was huge. Players who werent decked in epic gear didnt stand a chance against other players who did. Even players in Tier 1 (easiest epic set to get at the time) could kill players in blues without even trying.
BC: The difference between raid gear and dungeon gear isnt very big any longer. I replaced my entire Tier 2 set and my epic weapons from raiding by the time I hit around level 66ish. After having over 20 days /played at 70, I have to say I am having a lot more to do at 70. Very good trinkets and weapons are easily obtainable by dungeon runs, and endgame content is fairly easy (with the exception of Serpentshrine Cavern, The Eye, and Black Temple). However, it is now fair competition between epic'd players and blue'd players. Gladiator PVP gear is amazingly powerful and the weapons are on-par with most of the weapons from Karazhan and Serpentshrine. If you have a team of skilled players, it wont be long to obtain these crazy Gladiator sets.

~ DUNGEONS ~
Pre-BC: After getting your attunements done, you had 2 options in terms of dungeons: do UBRS, scholomance, or stratholme for sub-par gear, or spend 4 hours a night raiding MC, BWL, AQ40, Naxx, ZG, and AQ20 for epic gear that is nearly 2x as powerful as non-epic gear. The dungeons were boring and got old quickly.
BC: As soon as you enter the outlands, you are greeted by 4 dungeon hubs of ~4 dungeons of different levels. The gear from these dungeons will most definitely replace your level 60 gear. Every level you gain you will be able to do another dungeon to get shiny new gear. And as soon as you hit 70, over 5 dungeons open up for you (all hosting INCREDIBLY powerful gear). There are plenty of quests for these dungeons, and they are all very interesting and look different from one another. They are all very straight forward and dont really get old.

~ RAID CONTENT ~
Pre-BC: Most people finished with content very quickly and ended up waiting for a new dungeon to come out. Yes, I was there when Blackwing Lair came out and it was BUGGY as hell and no one got ANYWHERE. Yes, I endured through the horribly designed pre-C'Thun trash in AQ40, and yes I was there when the C'Thun encounter was terribly buggy and no one could do anything in phase 2. Then Naxxramas came out and raiders rejoiced because it was the best dungeon made and I couldnt agree more.
BC: The new dungeons and bosses (which I will get into later) are amazing to say. The environments and atmosphere of each raid dungeon is different and they all have a certain feel to them. A Karazhan run feels like an adventure through an old abandoned run-down castle full of monsters and the undead. Gruuls lair feels like an epic journey through the cave of an incredibly powerful monster. Magtheridon's Lair (whom you are teased by in Blood Furnace) feels like a prison holding an ancient, wise, and destructive monster...and it is! These dungeons are all these things, they are alive, they are vibrant, and they are FUN.

~ BOSS DESIGN ~
Pre-BC: Ragnaros was the introduction of the horrible resistance checks in WoW. I can think of around 8-10 encounters that were resist checks and stupid gear checks (Vael/huhuran and twin emps/patchwerk, respectively) that prevented progression in the 4 40 mans. With the exception of Naxxramas and Blackwing Lair, all these dungeons were filled with trash mobs and you spent more time clearing trash than doing bosses. The bosses just were NOT fun.
BC: The boss encounters in the Burning Crusade are a HUGE improvement over their predecessors. New, different encounters such as netherspite and shade of aran, and just plain fun ones like the chess event are just a few to name. They are all very fun, and are definitely worth wiping on, the pleasure and burst of excitement when you down these challenging bosses after nights of wiping are awesome. Also, with the 10/25 man caps, it is much easier to start/join a raiding guild that gets somewhere. The content isnt as crazy as Naxxramas was at 60, but they still require the same level of organization, skill, and teamwork.

~ QUEST DESIGN ~
Pre-BC: Not much to say besides that the quests in Azeroth are stupid, annoying, and the rewards are HORRIBLE and USELESS. They are all very similar and they are very repetitive.
BC: All the quests are awesome and different. While you still have those grind + kill + get x of this quests, you have an assortment of new quests as well. You can summon bosses, and do bombing missions, they are all new, and they are all pure fun. I even love questing at 70, the money and even some of the loot are great to have. I am working on the Netherdrake questline at the moment, and I cant wait to have my own transparent giant dragon to fly around the outlands on. There are loads of quests leftover at 70, and they all have very good rewards at the end of each chain.

Why doesn't the Burning Crusade get a 5/5 overall? For one reason: they did not revamp Azeroth. Revisiting Azeroth at 70 is like attending a funeral, its stupid, and its pathetic how useless anything from Azeroth is at 70. The quests leading up to level 58 (when you can enter outlands)still have sub par rewards, and besides the opening of Karazhan and Caverns of Time, they have done absolutely NOTHING with the world outside of BC. I believe they really need to revamp the questlines and the rewards to make it more rewarding for people to go back to Azeroth to do the old quests and content.

Other than that, The Burning Crusade is the most extensive expansion to a game I have seen, and it is definitely worth the $40 to jump on the ship. I tip my hat to Blizzard for making an incredibly fun and rewarding game even better.

A solid expansion that misses out on being a great one.......2007-05-28

World of Warcraft TBC is without a doubt, a solid and long anticipated expansion to the World of Warcraft series. The expansion adds an a bevy of new content for levels 60-70 in the mysterious lands of Outland. Additionally, jewelcrafting is introduced into the game, and while I haven't spent enough time on this new addition to the game, I have gotten my feat wet with it and it is surely a nice way to bolster the crafting elements of the game.

Perhaps the biggest addition that is introduced in TBC are the two new races, the Dranei and the Blood Elves. Both could not look better in the game, and the nice balance of classes in the races help keep the game enjoyable. The starting cities, particularly the Blood Elves' are absolutely breathtaking, literally you have to see it, screenshots do not nearly do it any justice. All in all, Blizzard could not have done a better job with these two new races.

The Burning Crusade expansion does nearly everything right from the over two year wait with the addition of new content, new races, raised level cap and jewelcrafting except for the fact that they have left out the addition of a new class for a game that desperately needed one or two. Don't get me wrong, the game is incredibly balanced with the current group of classes but with just eight at the moment, the game clearly lacks more substance and diversity. If you can ignore the fact that the addition of one or two new classes would have made this an absolute perfect expansion, then TBC is a virtually flawless expansion to an ever-growing World of Warcraft franchise.

A must have addition to World of Warcraft.......2007-05-23

Up front, this isn't a review on the actual game play. It's more of a tip for those who are looking into World of Warcraft and are wondering if they should invest in the expansion early.

I was told that unless you wanted to play one of the new races, that the expansion wasn't worth buying until you were getting close to level 60. Granted most of the material that comes with the expansion is level 58+, I found that it's worth having at the lower levels, even though I haven't tried EITHER of the new races, and don't have any high level characters yet. Basically, I bound my hearth to Shattrath, which has portals to all 4 main cities within your faction. There's also an enchanting trainer in Shattrath, so players won't find it necessary to travel to Uldaman just for training. Just these two things alone made the expansion worth buying!

Hooray for Outland!.......2007-05-17

10 more levels, more professions, more races, more lands - how awesome is that?

I do wish that there was more customization of characters - at least the ability to change hairstyles. 70 levels later, I'm a little sick of looking at the back of my head.

Other than minor changes like that - it's still a well balanced games that I continue to enjoy. I can't wait for levels up to 100!

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