Even today, Wrath of the Lich King (WotLK) is still considered by many players to be the best expansion that World of Warcraft has ever had. Now Shadowlands is here and is the fastest-selling PC game of all time. MeinMMO author and WoW expert Benedict Grothaus examines whether Shadowlands can perhaps surpass WotLK.
I have been playing World of Warcraft continuously for almost 16 years now. I still have fond memories of Wrath of the Lich King, even though I was younger back then.
Burning Crusade is still personally the better addon for me. Nevertheless, WotLK is the expansion that remains one of the best in the community’s memory and serves as a benchmark – even though Blizzard introduced features at the time that led to huge discussions, such as the dungeon browser or hero classes.
At the release of Shadowlands, many players were skeptical and still are today. This is evident from the comments here on MeinMMO, where readers predict a poor future for the MMORPG.
But did WoW really reach its peak with WotLK and then surpass it? Or can Shadowlands connect to a time that many players seem to miss?
First of all: Since WotLK was released over 12 years ago and since then the official website and forum of WoW have been revised several times, it is now nearly impossible to capture the voices of the community from back then. Therefore, I am sharing my memories, which I will keep as objective as possible.
WotLK – The “Peak” of World of Warcraft (?)
WotLK was that good: On Metacritic, where the current Shadowlands received a minor backlash at release, WotLK has a user rating of 7.9/10 and is thus in 2nd place among the expansions, just behind Burning Crusade with 8.1. Both have a metascore of 91/100.
In our poll on MeinMMO about the worst WoW expansion, both WotLK and BC came in last place. Conversely, this means that these two expansions were received the best.
But wait: Wasn’t Burning Crusade better? According to the numbers and in my opinion yes. However, Burning Crusade was still more oriented towards hardcore players back then. With WotLK, this changed; the game became easier for newcomers and “casuals” and generally attracted more players.
According to Blizzard, World of Warcraft reached its peak with WotLK in October 2010, with 12 million subscribers, just before the release of Cataclysm (via Time.com). This makes WotLK considered by many players and the general consensus the best addon WoW has ever had.
Moreover, the contents of Wrath of the Lich King are still considered some of the best that World of Warcraft has to offer – and some are still in some form of play today.
What Made WotLK So Good?
The best raids in the game: There are several points I fondly remember about WotLK. The most important ones are likely the raids Naxxramas and Icecrown Citadel.
I almost missed Naxxramas back in Classic and was overjoyed that I could still experience it. Many other players felt the same way because Naxx was released just before Burning Crusade. The “original” Naxxramas is now even playable again in WoW Classic.
The Icecrown Citadel brought us the Lich King, the greatest villain from Warcraft and a reminder of Warcraft 3. Like some others back then, I also started with Warcraft 3 and was thrilled that we could fight Arthas in person.
The fight itself is still one of the best there is and consistently wipes unprepared groups in timewalking events. The story of Warcraft 3 finally reaches a conclusion with this fight that fans have wished for. This was a defining moment in the memories of many players.
Features That Shaped WoW
Enduring features in World of Warcraft: WotLK introduced several features that are still included in WoW today and have evolved over time. The most important ones are:
- the dungeon browser, which provided players with a quick and convenient way to find dungeons. No more endless searching for the entrance.
- Hero classes, a new, “stronger” type of character class that started at a higher level. Back then, there were the Death Knights and then with Legion the Demon Hunters.
- heroic raids. Strictly speaking, there weren’t heroic raids in WotLK in the form we know today, but back then there were already “hard modes” that could make individual bosses harder and raids for 10 and 25 players. Today you know that as “flex raid” and the difficulties normal, heroic and mythic.
Especially the dungeon browser and death knights back then as well as the demon hunter later generated fierce criticism and loud discussions. I won’t go into the pros and cons here, but you can hold whatever opinion you want: Both helped make World of Warcraft what it is today. At least, without the dungeon browser, WoW would be different today and probably have fewer players.
Shadowlands Challenges the Title – and Has a Good Chance
How does Shadowlands fare? On November 24, 2020, Shadowlands, the 8th expansion of World of Warcraft, was finally released. The addon quickly became the fastest-selling PC game of all time.
Despite initial skepticism and criticism from some players, Shadowlands apparently attracts both veterans and new players. And rightly so, because Shadowlands builds on many mechanics and contents that made WoW so good in its time and improves them.
What Shadowlands Does Well
Borrowed, improved, and new features: Shadowlands has received many new features that turn the gameplay upside down. Torghast, for example, a roguelike dungeon for solo players and groups, allows for crazy gameplay that does not exist anywhere else.
With the new covenants, the core feature of Shadowlands, WoW forces players to make a crucial decision and bond that they must choose. Covenants grant powerful bonuses but punish you if you betray them and change your mind.
Moreover, legendary items are making a return. These are the most powerful items in the game, which you can “easily” craft in Shadowlands. Legendarys were first introduced in Legion as a feature. Generally, in my opinion, Shadowlands borrows several features from Legion and makes them better:
- Torghast reminds me of the Mage Tower with its tough challenges or the visions from BfA.
- The covenants and their sanctums feel like the order halls from Legion, which already had unique stories and provided me personally with a lot of fun and motivation to play.
- And legendaries are… well, legendaries. But better.
One could now say: “It’s all just copied!”, but so what? They were all good features that I would have liked to continue playing and have missed since their disappearance. And damn, if I can get an improved version of it now, I want it!
Even the first raid Castle Nathria, which came with Season 1 of Shadowlands, reminds me of Karazhan back in BC, my absolute favorite raid. The mechanics and boss designs are wonderful and enjoyable; the aesthetics fit my preferences perfectly. I already have more motivation to raid than I did in BfA or Legion.
What Does Shadowlands Take from WotLK? Shadowlands not only manages to reconnect with old successes in terms of gameplay and features. It also captures the spirit that WotLK embodied back then, in not-so-obvious ways.
A major strength of WotLK was linking nostalgia and memories with new content. Arthas, Naxxramas, Northrend – all of these were things that veterans of the franchise had a close bond with and could get excited about.
Shadowlands does exactly the same. Since we are in the realm of the dead, it is possible to reunite with many characters that players had long considered lost forever. Uther, Kael’thas and – once again – Arthas are big names making a return.
Not only are these “important NPCs” part of the world, but also details that only a few players love all the more:
- the horse Graymane from Westfall is available as a ghostly mount – a nice reminder for Alliance players.
- Draka, Thrall’s mother, can be found as your boss among the Necrolords.
- Mankrik’s wife is bravely fighting enemies in the afterlife – especially Horde players should remember her.
I have also found a personally touching story, when I reunited with an NPC I thought I had lost in the Shadowlands. All of this is a service to true fans who have a connection to Warcraft.
The ultimate compendium for WoW: Shadowlands
148 pages of guides for newcomers and returning players, including an XXL poster. Everything you need to know about dungeons, the new covenants, Torghast and the classes in practical hand.
Only candy canes and rainbows? No, not quite
This could be better: Despite all that Shadowlands does right, there is also criticism of the game. What I can say after almost three weeks is that some of the farming and grind content is starting to annoy me.
The Maw, for instance, bothers me more and more each day because it loses the charm of the new too quickly and simply offers too little variety. Go in, destroy the toys of the Jailer until he gets angry and then run away from his laser. Could be more exciting…
Especially frustrating: Since I am a blacksmith, I urgently need the elethium from the Maw to craft legendary armor for my guild. Elethium can also be found in other ores, but it is so rare there that farming doesn’t seem worthwhile, even if you need it.
The completely revamped professions system is really cool, but such restrictions are very annoying. It somehow feels unfinished when I have to decide whether to participate in activities in the Maw or farm instead – without a mount, because they won’t go into the Maw. As a slow death knight, that’s really frustrating.
And why do I only get 5 souls per week in the first weeks? I want to build my sanctum; the features there are too cool to wait so long!
Despite the criticism, these are just minor issues and rather whining on a high level. Whether this turns out to be a bigger burden in the future or whether it will be refined remains to be seen.
Is it worth starting with WoW Shadowlands? Listen to it in the MeinMMO podcast
In the latest podcast, we discuss WoW Shadowlands with our guest Marylin Marx from GameStar, what has changed and whether one should return after a long break.
WotLK vs. Shadowlands – Which is Better?
A concrete answer to this question cannot be given at this time. WotLK had over two years to improve, show more features, and respond to the community.
Shadowlands is only a few weeks old and too young to draw a final conclusion. At the moment, I’m having fun; the allure of the new is still very much present, and I’m really excited about what’s to come.
However, until all the content – meaning all raids, dungeons, and patches – are playable, it cannot be said whether WotLK or Shadowlands is the better expansion.
What I can say is: Shadowlands is fun. Like, really. After BfA, which… well, wasn’t quite as good, I am genuinely excited about WoW again, and I know many former players who feel the same way.
Shadowlands is on the right track and takes the very aspects from the past that made WoW so great. This is how an MMORPG should evolve: By keeping good features or improving them further.
I welcome the approach to bridge the gap to the old in order to attract veterans while also bringing in new content so that it doesn’t feel boring or like you’ve seen it all before.
Some loud voices stamp this as “lazy recycling,” but I can only vehemently disagree. A reunion with old acquaintances is precisely what WoW currently needs. And for new players who are not familiar with all of this, it doesn’t matter whether they meet “new” or “old” characters, as they wouldn’t know either of them.
If Shadowlands continues in this direction, I believe it can replace WotLK. Partly because it builds on past achievements and has better potential at launch. At the very least, it will stand on equal footing with great expansions like WotLK, Burning Crusade, or Legion.
