Exclusive WoW: Cataclysm Preview: Southern Barrens

For our ongoing reportage of Human beings of Warcraft: Cataclysm, we of late sat toss off with game designers Dave Kosak and Roman Marotte to ask them about the work they've done on the Southern Barrens, a once-familiar lay drastically altered by Deathwing's homecoming and the continuing clamber between the Horde and the Alinement.

Q. What was the original concept for the zona?

A. The Barrens is one of the areas of Kalimdor hardest-stumble aside the Cataclysm. It has literally been ripped in two! The Northern Barrens retains much of the tactile property of the original zone and fulfills a similar gameplay resolve: IT's primarily a training basis for under Host characters. That gave us enormous freedom to create a full new gameplay experience for the Southern Barrens. In the wake of the Cataclysm, the Alliance has been aggressively expanding into the warmness of the continent from the Orient coast. As players enter the zone, they'll find that the Horde is actually upbound against the ropes. The escalating conflict 'tween the two rival factions is front and centrist hither, providing a backdrop for much of the area's quests.
Q. Who will be using this zona (what levels/factions)?

A. The Southern Barrens is meshed toward Alliance and Horde characters from levels 30-35.

Q. Without giving up whatsoever spoilers, what's the general plot line for this zone? How has it changed from the original design?

A. "An oculus for an eye" is the theme, with each side winning and losing ground, descending deeper and deeper into violent conflict. From the Horde perspective, players will learn the grim Fate of Camp Taurajo and Honor's Stand. It's then capable the players to rally their sect's disorganized forces, initiate a change in local leadership, and avenge the sacking of Taurajo. The Alliance, meanwhile, struggles to persist to recent gains, fending off attacks from all fronts. Players will also fight to save Northwatch Hold from the brink of capture and keep the roadways from Theramore open. Additionally, some factions have to deal with the explosive growth of a strange new hobo camp spreading across the Barrens. This is altogether totally new content for the expansion.

Q. What do you think is the most exciting new addition to Beaver State feature of the zone?

A. Definitely the Alignment/Horde conflict, which really comes alive in the Southern Barrens. We tried to chip in players the spirit of participating in whopping PvP-trend conflicts, straight if they're playing solo. Alliance and Horde members volition sputter to capture and defend key points of the battlefield against waves of enemy troops. New technology bequeath provide players to experience the report in slipway they never could have prior to Calamity. For example, the Legion assault on the fortress at Bael Modan, and its aftermath, should in truth pull players into the action aside showing dramatic changes in the macrocosm.

Also, peerless password: Mankrik.

Q. What goes into redesigning a zone like this?

A. The Southern Barrens was a complete rework, indeed we really started from scratch, identifying the key areas of contention and then building a short storyline some each unity. To accentuate the conflict, battles continually furore in het up muscae volitantes around the zone. Finally, we piece a call for social system that throws players into the thick of those engagements. We invested with a lot of effort into infusing the right emotions into the zone. If you'ray a Horde player, for example, we want you to be completely outraged by what happened at Taurajo!

Q. And then what has happened at Camp Taurajo? Information technology appears to be in ruins.

A. That depends on whom you expect! Alliance players rear talk to General Hawthorne at Forward Command and reveal his reasoning for removing Taurajo from the Horde arsenal. On the other hand, if you speak to the various Drove leaders at Orion's Hill, Camp Una'Fe, operating theatre Vendetta Point, you'll pick up a very different version of events. We suspect that debate concluded the moral philosophy of this one will passion for few time.

Q. What was the about challenging look just about implementing so many changes to an present zona?

A. It was a real challenge acquiring the story to flowing organically from the lead off of the zone to the climax. Key NPCs move just about and are killed during the scrap; that's always tricksy to draw away.

Q. What should players coif operating theatre go picture first?

A. Alliance players will definitely want to mother to Northwatch Hold as soon A realistic: it's about to fall to the Horde! Likewise, Horde players should look into the utter destruction at Taurajo. Person … has got … to pay.

Q. Why is the Great Logic gate barring entry to and from the Barrens and Mulgore?
A. The Horde reinforced the Great Logic gate in reaction to Alliance aggressiveness from Dustwallow Marsh, including the construction of a highway running from Theramore straight to the Barrens. The logic gate was fattening just in time: Alinement forces had penetrated all the way to the entrance of Mulgore, and the gate slowed them down long decent for the Horde to rally and launch a counterstrike (with the player's help, of course!).

Q. Will you explain a little about the emergence of the Overgrowth and the new Horde Camp Una'fe?

A. Players may be acquainted the story of Naralex, the ambitious Druid who time-tested to reinvigorate the springs of the Wailing Caverns to return the Barrens to the lush expanse that it once was. His story continues in the Southern Barrens as helium tries to contain and cope with the unintended consequences of his just about-fatal exposure to the Emerald Incubus. The uncontrolled outgrowth in this part of the Barrens threatens the Alliance and the Horde alike. Teegan's Hostile expedition in the east is stymied in its attempts to get Alliance supplies to the front, while at Camp Una'fe to the Occident, Taurajo's survivors find themselves overwhelmed as well.

Q. What are the Alliance forces at Guardant Statement and Fort Triumph and the Horde forces at Desolation Hold hoping to achieve in the Confederate Barrens by vying for control of the Battlescar?

A. Geography defines the engagement Hera. The Battlescar sits in the intervening of a narrow pass, a natural bottleneck. The Alliance needs to blast its way through here in monastic order to maintain an overland link between Theramore and Northwatch Hold, not to mention a route into the Stonetalon Mountains, where the Alliance can lend attention to its Allies. If the Host can SEAL off this pass, and so Theramore will in essence be set-apart. The fight comes to a head in the Battlescar… and the future of Kalimdor Crataegus laevigata flexible joint connected the outcome.

Thank you, gentlemen, for taking the clip to talk about the work you've done to pass off new life and adventure into the Southern Barrens for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm!

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