WoW: WotLK - Review @ 1UP

Ryan Scott rates WotLK an A-.

The most negative criticism that I can really level at Wrath is that it's essentially one giant carrot to the rest of WOW's stick. With Northrend's far-superior content, a newly accelerated 60 to 70 leveling curve, and Death Knights starting out at level 55, Blizzard's essentially holding up a neon sign that says "levels 1 to 54 don't matter anymore." With the leveling grind becoming more tiresome with each expansion, and with so many perks -- PVE-to-PVP server-switching, name changes, and even gender changes -- slowly implemented over time (each for a small fee, of course), I have to wonder how long it'll be before Blizzard offers race/class changes or flat-out level 55-plus newbie characters of all classes for lazy players with cash to spare.

I honestly wouldn't rule that sort of thing out, as Blizzard's even gone so far as to promise a dual-spec system (allowing players to shift roles with what I can only assume will be considerable ease) in a future patch. And like Burning Crusade, Wrath is essentially a year-and-some-change-long project with at least three or four major updates over the course of its lifespan. Heck, we won't even get to go toe-to-toe with the Lich King himself for a while yet; his home turf, Icecrown Citadel, will be Wrath's ultimate raid dungeon, and part of the game's final content patch. That's fine by me, though -- Wrath features more than enough content to keep me busy for a while yet. And if WOW's current track record maintains, things can only get better with time.