Welcome to Cataclysm and welcome to new beginnings! While there is plenty of content for characters pressing the level cap of 85, the new races introduced December 7 when Cataclysm was released changed the geography of World of Warcraft almost as much as Deathwing. Both the Goblin and the Worgen races race came with an extensive starting zone to guide them from level one through the mid-teens. Both starting zones paint a vivid, albeit brief, history of the race from the point-of-view of your new character. There’s plenty of lore and racial culture to be explored, and neither zone is to be missed.
WARNING: While I tried to keep this as spoiler free as possible, there will be a few vague references to starting zone events contained in the descriptions to follow. If you’re trying to stay completely spoiler free, you might be better off skipping the rest.
Your Goblin starts off in Kezan City, a highly-industrialized mini-metropolis with all the trimmings, including a highway system and a football franchise. Your player character assumes the role of an up-and-comer in the cutthroat business world looking to take his or her place as the Trade Prince/Princess (the de facto leader of the city). You’ll undertake quests aimed at improving the economy (both your own and that of Kezan City) by motivating workers, cleaning out the pests in the mines, and marketing the city’s signature product: a soft drink called Kaja’Cola. To travel about the large city, you’re given the use of a goblin hot rod. Driving the hot rod about is easily one of the most fun experiences I’ve had in game; running over your foes (or any unlucky pedestrians) is viscerally satisfying and very funny. After a stint on the local football team, you’ll wind up squaring off against none other than the reigning Trade Prince. The whole area is wonderfully realized in an art style one can only describe as goblin, and the good times I had bombing about in the hot rod had me very reluctant to move on to the next zone.
Forced to leave the city, a new goblin is treated to a great cinematic that leads to a jungle isle. Player goblins will work through a phased series of events, including questing to help set up a town, a meeting with one of the most noteworthy personas in World of Warcraft, a final confrontation with the Trade Prince, and the goblin race’s eventual introduction into the Horde.
The Worgen starting zone has an entirely different flavor. A new player character Worgen actually starts the game as a human, proceeding through a phased series of quests defending Greymane City in the kingdom of Gilneas from an invasion of savage worgen that have completely given over to their bloodthirsty, animalistic nature. Inevitably, the new character is afflicted with the worgen “curse” and eventually becomes that which he has fought against.
After a haunting cinematic, the now fully realized worgen learns Gilnean alchemists are able to at least control the effects of the curse, allowing the player to partially keep his savage nature in check and use the powers granted by the curse for the good of the people. As if things could get no worse, the Forsaken see the Gilnean chaos as a perfect time to strike. Undead forces, led by Lady Sylvanas herself, attack Greymane City and drive the Gilneans out. After a fighting retreat with a truly epic resolution, the Gilneans renew an old friendship with the Night Elves and join the Alliance.
WoW enthusiasts will argue back and forth ad infinitum over which of the two starting zones is superior. Both feature a great deal of phasing technology that skillfully immerses the player in the plot. They also feature an engaging storyline that is truly gripping, and briefly plunge the player into the experience of being a character in the WoW lore instead of a player character in a game. It’d be hard to say one zone is decisively better than the other. If forced to make some sort of judgment, however, I would say the goblin zone is more plain fun. Between the hot rod, the irreverence of the goblin non-player characters and quests, the conflict with the Alliance and the underlying conflict with the Trade Prince, I found it more purely entertaining. The worgen zone, however, included a much deeper and richer narrative, which felt like the unfolding of a novel of gothic fiction with your character as the protagonist. The final conflicts with the Forsaken forces are completely compelling, and the introduction of the worgen into the Alliance feels a little more natural than the fortunate convenience that leads to the goblins joining the Horde.
Whichever way you slice it, both starting zones are very rewarding and just plain good times. If you’re just starting World of Warcraft, I encourage you to start off as a worgen or goblin. If you’re an established player looking for something else to do as a palette cleanser from that steady diet of Hyjal and the Twilight Highlands, spend a few hours in Kezan or Greymane City with a new character. I’m confident you won’t regret it.
“Ishnu-alah.” (Good fortune to you.) – Darnassian greeting
Awesome, Steve. Good work.
I don’t know of the Worgen start, but I’ve played the Goblin side and it was simply amazing fun. I’ve laughed hard several times :)
The Worgen start is mesmerizing! I can’t stop playing this toon. For funsies, I abandoned the Worgen Hunter I initially rolled and started a Worgen Druid. Very rich experience to try both a new race and a new class. I’m loving every minute of it and counting the minutes till the servers go back up later today!