World of Warcraft Stress Test Beta Review

Most people would consider it unfair to review a game while it's still under development. In fact, just looking at the title of this article makes me wonder why I'm bothering to call it a review instead of "first look" or "early impressions."

The reason is simple, really: It's as complete as any MMORPG I've played. Now, I've beta tested games like Shattered Galaxy and Earth & Beyond... and hopped on to other titles like EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot, and Shadowbane on release day. None of them were as entertaining and bug-free as this Beta test opened months ahead of release!

Blizzard is still streaming lots of content into the game (most notably, many classes are short their Talents) and working out the kinks in their PvP system. I can't comment on any of those since I haven't experienced them but I will share my thoughts on the game I did get to play.

Character Building

Coming off of Shadowbane, any character system will be a horrible let-down. One of my biggest gripes about MMORPGs are the strait-jackets placed on character customization (I'd assume in the name of balance). If you haven't experienced a real character creation system, check out the Shadowbane Catacombs Character Builder. It's based on old Beta information (the system has only gotten deeper since its last update) but gives you an idea of what can be.

Bittersweet memories aside, World of Warcraft has a moderately customizable character system through their Talent trees. Character stats are ruled by race and class. During the Stress Test there was a skill point system in addition to Talents and Stats but it was abolished at its close. Skill points were earned at intervals from combat experience. With them you could buy skill in weapons, armor, and trades. All of these have been restructured to be purchased with money now. Since I haven't experienced the "current" system, I can't comment on it. I do have to admit, I liked Skill Points.

All of your skills increase with the tried-and-true "the more you use it the better you get" system. All of your abilities and talents are tied to your level. Abilities are purchased from trainers (this includes spells and special attacks) while Talents are assigned for free at each level starting at 10.

Not all classes had Talents during the Stress Test but my class (Priest) did. It was very Diablo-esque in its layout and, while I don't think they make or break your character, some of the bonuses could have a tremenous impact on your day-to-day adventuring.

Summation: It's not Shadowbane but the options available for character building blow archtype-based systems and gear-based systems away

Combat

There is nothing revolutionary about World of Warcraft's combat system. It's your standard fare of auto-attack with some special powers thrown in. Considering the fact that all MMOs bow to the server-latency-client gods, this is no surprise.

The list of variables made available to the player include: Health & Mana (or Rage for non-casters), melee/ranged weapon attack/delay/damage, accuracy, avoidance, absorption, casting times, spell resistances (not implemented), stealth powers, ranged powers, melee powers, and facing-based components.

Of note is the speed of the battles. Combat is fast-paced and has a tangibly violent feel to it.

The PvE was challenging enough (for PvE) and even my Priest (pure support in almost every game I've ever played) could hold his own against a single enemy.

It was hard to gage the PvP based on my limited experience in WoW. The system is under review but what it amounted to was: group meets group and a few seconds later it's over. The longest fight I was in pit a single rogue and myself against 4-5 enemies (of similar but slightly lower level than us)... and that was because they pretty well ignored me and focused on the rogue I was healing.

All-in-all, combat in World of Warcraft is enjoyable and interactive enough considering its setting. There's enough thought required (and reflexes, don't forget reflexes!) to keep it relatively engaging even during PvE encounters.

Spellcasting

Spellcasting follows the classic model. You have casting times and can be interrupted (you continue casting with a lengthened timer) or really interrupted (mana is lost and spell fizzles). They can also have instant casting times, recast timers, and secondary immunity timers. Your spell vault is ye olde fashioned spellbook where all versions and upgrades of your spells co-exist happily to clutter up and be situationally useful.

There's very little to distinguish the magic system in World of Warcraft from any of the others. It's a refinement of the systems in games of the past with the added spice of the Talent system to offer a little tweak here and there. I was a little underwhelmed, hoping for a more evolved system to acquire and manage spell inventories but the one World of Warcraft provides is decent... and the spell effects are straight out of Warcraft III.

Tradeskills

Tradeskills are divided into gathering and crafting areas. Gatherers can utilize their skills on fixed-location spawns (all on slow respawn timers). Everyone can see them, but only the gatherers appropriately skilled can gather them. Crafting is recipe-based and you buy the recipes as you gain the skill level to make them. Still, it's the cliche "combine button pass or fail" system.

While the Stress Test was going, there was a debate over the commercial viability of tradeskill-produced goods. Part of the answer was a recent change limiting the number of Trades (now called Professions) a character can take. Didn't get to experience it but it doesn't feel like the right road to me.

I'm not a hardcore tradeskill player, myself, so the system as it stood during the Stress Test was quite enough for me. Based on the traders I've known, however, it's not a very attractive system for many.

Immersion

In my opinion, one of the biggest factors in sticking with a fantasy game is the elusive concept of immersion. When I'm playing I don't want to be reminded that I've got a stressful day at work tomorrow or that I need to mow the lawn and repair some roof shingles the next day. For a little while, I'm looking to become someone else and live in that dream world. World of Warcraft served that up for me in spades.

There are quests and talking NPCs everywhere (not talking with voices, talking with text). If you take the time to read that text, you can get absorbed into the (surprisingly) rich history of Azeroth. Things are seemingly on the move and if you can suspend your belief that you're the center of the Universe then it's fun to be part of the action.

Lots of people are down on the primitive graphics and would use it as an excuse to talk bad about the game. However, when I look at it I don't see low-polygon models and cartoony textures... I'm seeing hulking Tauren, decaying Forsaken, savage Trolls, and noble Orcs. Behind them are amazingly detailed forests of countless variety, lush grasses, and murky waters. Beneath them are rough tunnels of stone, infested mineshafts, and unknown dangers. Everything benefits from the artistic talents of Blizzard's creative team. From the decaying hulk of a broken catapult to the bright walls of the tallest tower.

Since I only got to play for 6 days, every trip is an adventure. How well it holds up after the core lands are explored? Who knows... but for my part, I was happily Forsaken.

Conclusion

It's the standard Blizzard fare: take all the best things from the genre and weave them together into a cohesive, entertaining whole. It's not revolutionary enough to put the slices in bread but, all things considered, it just might be extremely tasty, perfectly-baked, fresh-baked bread with a big tub of honey spread.

Discuss it in the forums!

Note: All images were borrowed from the official World of Warcraft site and my compliments go out to the RPSA for taking such amazing pictures. Each one links directly to the image on the official site.

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