Vashj’ir is one of the new 80+ questing zones being introduced into World of Warcraft’s latest expansion: Cataclysm. Much like Borean Tundra and Howling Fjord, Vashj’ir is paired with Mount Hyjal as one of two options you will have to begin your latest adventure. The zone is tuned for 78-81 level players which means those of you who will be jumping in right out of ICC will definitely breeze through the content – but don’t let that get in the way of your fun! Vashj’ir and Hyjal introduce us to the latest questing philosophy adopted by Blizzard, a system that has been refined yet again to an even higher standard. I have never been so immersed while playing WoW.

After logging into your freshly installed copy of Cataclysm this fall and exploring the newly renovated cities of Stormwind and Orgrimmar, you will find a new quest waiting for you right away. Currently, this quest is located at the Stormwind Harbor for the Alliance and the Front Gate of Orgrimmar for the Horde. The quest informs us of a journey to Vashj’ir, the lost Highborne city that has begun to resurface after the Cataclysm. As you make your way to the boat (Orgrimmar has a brand new dock east of the gate) you will subtly enter a phased event. This is but the first of generous uses of phasing seen thus far in the expansion content which help to further the immersion I alluded to.  Below you will find an edited-for-time video chronicling what happens next:

As you can see, we’ve come a long way from just stepping through a portal to a loading screen or simply riding a zeppelin through a stone valley. There are many more scripted events like this scattered throughout the zone that really make WoW feel like a totally different game. For the first time I actually feel like I am part of the story. Even simple fetch quests are meaningful this time around, with clear motivation for collecting said items and almost always a payoff seeing those items get used in some fashion or another.

The first thing that you will notice about Vashj’ir is how gorgeous the location is. Vashj’ir is structured like a miniature continent with three separate subzones: Kelp Forest, Shimmering Expanse, and Abyssal Depths. Each zone has it’s own distinct flavor and the color palate becomes increasingly more forboding as you progress through the quest-chain and deeper into the sea.

You may have noticed that I said quest chain when speaking about zone progression. Let me take a moment to try and explain how the new questing philosophy applies to your direct progression through a zone. Unlike zones in previous expansions, Vashj’ir has a very linear quest flow. It’s not like, for instance, Borean Tundra where there are a ton of small quest hubs scattered throughout the zone that you can tackle in any order you wish. There is a very specific quest line from start to finish driven by a specific narrative. You only ever have up to about four quests at any given time before you unlock the next set of quests via either the same NPCs in a hub or a phasing event. You cannot fly around the zone and start whichever quest you wish.

While there will certainly be some critics to this new system (there are a small handful of folks on the beta forum that miss the ability to stockpile quests for one massive turn in), it is of my opinion that this new system is utterly fantastic. Having such a tight quest chain has allowed the developers to tell a truly meaningful story from start to finish that holds your attention every step of the way. Like I mentioned earlier with the example of a fetch quest, every single quest feels like it has a direct purpose in furthering the story and your own personal adventure. There is a definitive beginning, middle and end to the zone complete with an epic climax and grand finale.

From everything else that I have played so far, I can confirm that Vashj’ir is not exclusive to this new questing philosophy. In future columns I will discuss how each zone might vary a little in execution, but one thing is for certain: Blizzard has raised the bar yet again. Vashj’ir is a phenominal experience. Just when I thought I was out – they pull me back in.

Zone Grade: A+

Enjoy this Post?

Remember to subscribe to our RSS Feed and if you would like, please share this post.