Cataclysm features Goblin GTA parody

By Oli Welsh Published 28 September, 2009

WOW expansion scooped by PC Gamer.

The UK edition of PC Gamer magazine got to stay behind after class, sorry BlizzCon, this year - and found out a bit more about the forthcoming Cataclysm expansion to World of Warcraft. Teacher's pets. We're still sulking about not being invited to that particular party, but not above bringing you the headlines.

PC Gamer discovered how the first five levels of the new Goblin and Worgen races will play out. Worgen start, in a flashback, as humans from the separatist state of Gilneas who fall in with a dissenter called Crawley who advocates joining the Alliance. Then the Worgen curse falls, and the game cuts to year later, with the player transformed into one of the werewolves.

Goblins start as businessmen on the island city of Kezan, and the first five levels consist of a sort of Grand Theft Auto parody as you collect debts, play robot American football and flirt with your "hot secretary". (PC Gamer thinks Goblins are hot. Just saying.) When the Cataclysm hits, a volcano erupts and your attempt to evacuate ends in slavery.

Changes to capital cities reflect the new focus on storytelling. For example, new Horde leader Garrosh Hellscream has edged the Undead, Blood Elves, Goblins and Trolls out of a remodelled Orgrimmar, clad in black iron. "Garrosh has thrown out any races he feels can't help defend the city from the centre," said producer J Allen Brack.

Azshara - "the worst zone in the game... just a miserable experience," according to Brack - has been completely remodelled as a display of Goblin engineering might. There's a new city, a Goblin equivalent of Mount Rushmore, and the coastline has been reformed to look like a Horde symbol from space.

Graphics are getting upgraded to Wrath of the Lich King standard across the old zones. "All of the terrain technology, all of the texture blending, all of the skybox technology, will all go retroactively into the Cataclysm expansion," Brack said. Whether Blizzard will get around to remodelling creatures themselves is "just a question of how much time we have".

There's plenty more to digest in the PC Gamer article, on sale now, and the PC Gamer podcast. For a roundup of everything previously revealed, check out our own Cataclysm hands on from BlizzCon.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (10) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • towser #1 2 years ago

    /expects the mother of all patches when this comes out...

    :-)
    Edited by 1 at 28/09/09 @ 17:13

  • Sharzam #2 2 years ago

    If people think other expansion patches (2., 3.) were big oh dear god this will be a monster. But still looking forward to it although for me personally i will probably buy it then play for couple months then quit at max level and come back months later after another mmo diversion if wrath anything to go by.

    I am not surprised there doing a GTA thing as half the jokes in the game (and there are alot) are taking the mick out of other games.

  • M83J01P97 #3 2 years ago

    They have already said the Cataclysm changes will be rolled out over several background download patches and not in a single behemoth.

  • Beltsu #4 2 years ago

    Most adictive... game... ever!

  • Wyrm #5 2 years ago

    This is one of the reasons WoW is on top, it's sense of humour and constant homage-paying is extremley fun to have in the world alongside the serious lore.

  • Nephirion #6 2 years ago

    Whether Blizzard will get around to remodelling creatures themselves is "just a question of how much time we have".

    Sounds like they are pulling out all the stops on this one ... /sarcasm

  • InfiniteFury #7 2 years ago

    "This is one of the reasons WoW is on top, it's sense of humour and constant homage-paying is extremley fun to have in the world alongside the serious lore."

    I used to agree with this statement.

    However, when they started renaming every other expansion NPC with a celebrity spoonerism for the hell of it, I found it became quite tired, forced and pointless.

    Funnily enough those last three adjectives seem to describe Blizzard's design philosophy for WoW these days. Maybe not a coincidence.
    Edited by 1 at 28/09/09 @ 22:01

  • Slipstream #8 2 years ago

    Funnily enough those last three adjectives seem to describe Blizzard's design philosophy for WoW these days. Maybe not a coincidence./opinion

    Also, millions of users beg to differ.

    Cataclysm is sounding more fun everytime. As a Vanilla player I am really excited, if a little sad to see Azeroth turned upside down.
    As well as the wealth of additional content, I'm also keen to see how this effects the older low level quests. When you look at it from that standpoint, Blizzard really have their work cut out for them.

  • whizzedout #9 2 years ago

    To busy playing Fallen Earth, Bye Bye WOW.

  • billyandrews #10 2 years ago

    Awesome starting points for both races. So, the release date of the expansion did not leak yet? I've come across a lot of good reviews about Cataclysm, and here's one article on how to make the most out of this update. Please take time to read this one: http://ww w.articleslash.net/Gaming/Onlin...