adventures in the Cataclysm Beta: Goblins and Kezan

The first thing I did last week when I got our Quest! beta keys was to log into the Cataclysm beta and fly around the new Azeroth.  Once I was done, it was time to seek out sillier side and try out the Goblin starting area.  Like all our Cataclysm coverage, this is a complete spoiler fest, so if you don’t want to know about the story behind the Goblins, here would be a good place to stop reading. 

This is by far the most polished starting zone to date.  It far surpasses anything currently in the game, and that includes the Death Knight starting area.  Everything is rock solid and tight as a kaja cola drum.  It was a delight to see how advanced the quest design has gotten in just a few short years.  Playing the Goblin starting area I had more fun and laughed out loud more times than I have playing WoW in a long while.

The first thing I did last week when I got our Quest! beta keys was to log into the Cataclysm beta and fly around the new Azeroth.  Once I was done, it was time to seek out sillier side and try out the Goblin starting area.  Like all our Cataclysm coverage, this is a complete spoiler fest, so if you don’t want to know about the story behind the Goblins, here would be a good place to stop reading. 

This is by far the most polished starting zone to date.  It far surpasses anything currently in the game, and that includes the Death Knight starting area.  Everything is rock solid and tight as a kaja cola drum.  It was a delight to see how advanced the quest design has gotten in just a few short years.  Playing the Goblin starting area I had more fun and laughed out loud more times than I have playing WoW in a long while.

Creating a Goblin

My little Sprokette is a hunter.  I wanted to try out how the new focus resource system works with hunters, so I figured it was a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.   Goblins are all about the money – it’s not just a catch phrase with them.   With the Goblins, they don’t really have nations perse, they have cartels, and their leaders are chosen from among those that rise in status within the cartel.  Because they are all about the money, Goblins get the greatest racial every thought of in the game: Perennial bank access.  The other two racial abilities are tied to a rocket belt that every Goblin wears.  You can shoot a single rocket every few minutes with Rocket Barrage and you can launch yourself forward with Rocket Jump.  Neither of the rocket abilities are particularly stellar at this point in the beta, but being able to access your bank wherever you are is definitely a prize worth having.

As soon as I rolled my character I learned that Sprokette was a social climber, with her own personal assistant Sassy Handwrench and knack for getting into trouble. The problem is that since I’m doing so well within the Cartel, the Trade Prince Gallywix has decided he needs to deal with me.  I can imagine him being threatened by Sprokette: She is pretty fabulous.  Did I mention her gun no longer uses ammo and she dances like Byoncé?

Life on the Isle of Kezan

My PA suggests that I do what I can to build reputation within the Cartel if I have any hope of beating Gallywix at his own game.  In order to do that, we’ll throw a huge party and make sure everyone know exactly how fabulous I am.  First things first, she tells me I should get the mines working again so we can get some cola for the soiree, and sends me to deliver a ticking incentive to the foreman.  The foreman says that the troll slaves they’ve got mining their kaja have some attitude problems, and it’s up to me to straighten them out.  Well, anything for money I grumble, and off I go to bounce some heads, kill some worms and collect some cola.  With the mine taken care of, it was time to get decked out for the party, get some supplies, and round up my entourage of friends.  No self-respecting Trade Princess would party alone. 

While shopping, I’m stopped by the coach of the local sports team, who begs for my assistance in winning the big game.  He asks me to collect the ultimate footbomb uniform (because naturally Goblins play football with bombs), and then instructs me to clobber the other team and maintain our reputation.  I do so, kicking the final extra point kick so hard that the footbomb soars into the mouth of Kezan’s dormant volcano. 

With the party all set to go, I start mingling with my guests by the pool, when Gallywix’s henchmen show up to crash a perfectly good gathering.  Pirates on motorcycles flood the place, and it’s up to me to stop them.  By the time I get the pirates under control, it seems that my actions at the footbomb match have woken up the supposedly dormant volcano, and it’s time to grab what we can and get out of Dodge.  Here is where things get truly crazy, because I’ve got to steal items from Gallywix and even break into the vault in the bank, all while a volcano is erupting.    Once that is done, I’ve got to deal with Gallywix himself, and prove that I’m the top dog around here – while here still exists.  With the trade prince brought to his mechanical knees, we all hop on a boat and head off just in time for Kezan to implode.  Oddly enough, no one seems to blame me for the destruction of our homeland.

There’s plenty more fun once your boat lands in the Lost Isles, but I'll leave you hear for now.  Honestly, there’s just too much good stuff to give you a complete rundown of the goblin starting area, but as you can tell, it’s darn near perfect.  Let’s hope they give as much love and energy to the Worgen starting zone.