World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Preview

[GameBanshee News]

IGN's World of Warcraft Vault has published their impressions after spending some time with the Wrath of the Lich King beta test.

Questing in Valiance Keep earns reputation with the Valiance Expedition. I couldn't find a reward vendor anywhere, but perhaps I just missed him, or perhaps he hasn't been added to beta yet. To the left of the main keep are all the Grand Master trainers that allow you to take your trade skills beyond their current cap. Alchemy doesn't appear to be added yet, but when I picked up Grand Master Herbalist, I also received a message saying I completed an Achievement! A brief glance through all of the Achievements and it seems like there is one for just about everything. Whether you are a collector, explorer, killer or socializer, there are at least a dozen or so Achievements that might interest you. Some will require you to spend time grinding, while others, like the Grand Master ones, will just happen as you naturally progress through the game. Some of the Achievements appear to be retroactive as well. I had 92 of the 516 current Achievements completed before I even logged in to the expansion.

General Arlos is stationed up in the central room of the Keep. He is there with his advisors discussing King Wrynn's pending arrival to Northrend. The General asks that you help boost the morale of the troops by fighting alongside them on the front lines. He sends you back outside to meet up with Sergeant Hammerhill for your first fighting mission.

After checking in with the Sergeant, you are sent outside the town's limits to fight Undead Nerubians. These are typical undead creatures similar to ones you may have faced back in Stratholme. You are only required to kill six of these level 68 creatures, which is very fortunate since there were about two-dozen people in this small area. Your first kill quest rewards you with 4 gold and 70 silver, plus a lovely green item that is worthless to most players at this time.