Storytelling in an MMO -- Success of the Lich King

Over the past year, a span that has included games like Dragon Age, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Uncharted 2, I can say without equivocation or sense of shame that the best video game story I have experienced is World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King.

You may now vomit.

In just over 12 months since the release of Blizzard’s second expansion, the quiet and too rarely discussed reality is that a phenomenal story has unfolded that is only now beginning to reach its epic climax with the final major content push before World of WarCraft: Cataclysm destroys and reshapes the world of Azeroth.

As they did with Burning Crusade’s Illidan Stormrage — the big baddie for expansion one — they have held the final confrontation with once Prince Arthas now Lich King as the final act before moving on. The difference is that for the year leading up to the ultimate showdown, they have constantly crafted skirmish after skirmish that forwarded a grand story in a way that no MMO ever has, and with skill that absolutely rivals a game like Dragon Age.

Opening scene — you stand upon the parapet of the Ebon Blade, a mighty necropolis floating high above the terrorized town of Hearthglen. Before you, the Lich King himself. You are a minion of evil driving toward a confrontation with the Argent Dawn at Light’s Hope Chapel that may open the door for an all out invasion of Azeroth.

This is not some high level encounter. This is how the Death Knight story line opens. This is the starting area, and in as many ways it is the opening teaser of a grand tale. Within a scant three or four hours you will see a town slowly destroyed and razed, you will engage in a titanic battle, you will see the rise of a new champion against the treachery of the Lich King himself and you will be given a meaningful reason to drive toward the story laid before you.

If you are among the gamers who look condescendingly down your noses at MMOs as empty-calorie time sinks, or even if you played and abandoned WoW prior to the Wrath of the Lich King, mine may seem like the bold declarations of a hopeless fan. While I cannot dispute the latter, I can tell you that historically I have agreed that the weakest part of the genre was the inability of these games to tell a coherent story that a plurality of gamers would be able to enjoy to any kind of conclusion.

In the final analysis, the past year’s work of Blizzard in constructing, improving and maintaining World of WarCraft’s second expansion might be seen as a sea change in how MMOs can and should be crafted.

In the last expansion, The Burning Crusade, the overarching story was the impenetrable realm of lore that only the truly obsessed could parse, and for most of us it was just a matter of clicking the little exclamation points over heads and finding out how many Burning Legion livers we were to extricate from the corpses of possessed orcs. Instance and dungeon runs were loot dispensers, and I doubt seriously that many people came out of Botanica or Shadow Labyrinth with much in the way of a sense of wonder. At least I never did.

For me, the experience of Lich King has been very different. This expansion has provided an omnipresent enemy with a strong story line that walks with you through every zone. Time and again your quests are directly tied into to the fate of Arthas and those he betrayed across the frozen continent of Northrend. It is the culmination of something that began more than a decade ago in Warcraft III, and now as it begins its final climactic act, I have to admit that I’m more engaged with this game’s story than I have been with any in years.

This is not just because I’m a WoW fan or because I have read lore literature extensively — I have not. It’s because time after time The Lich King himself has been involved in my quests, appeared to thwart the efforts I had made, spoke in my mind and taken the battlefield to directly impact the story. Those who last November followed the Wrathgate questline that was almost universally accessible for Lich King players saw what was possible in MMO story telling, and it is extremely gratifying to watch Blizzard continue down that path.

For me, at least, the Lich King himself has become the Darth Vader of video gaming. A bad guy on a grand scale, with more than a few parallels to be made. He should be counted among the industry’s best and most lasting villains, and I am connected to him precisely because we have had so very many encounters.

Blizzard’s trailer for this final content push is, to me, an epic representation of where the story has taken me — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta6Dd.... What is unusual for the MMOs I have played, is that even as a relatively casual player, what I see here makes sense and it seems like content I will actually get to play, not because I will invest endless days into the effort, but because they have made it accessible and fun to reach.

Though the release of this last act is staggered, and the reality is that no one will finally face down Arthas until the snows melts under the spring time sun of 2010, I spent last night delving into the first scenes of this third act, and though I tread dangerously close to spoiler territory here, I can tell you that I delved into a realm of evil, that I raced through a cavern as it collapsed around me, that I followed a hero into battle only to have victory snatched from our grasp, that I encountered yet again the primary evil of this story and that as we eventually ran for our lives I compared what was happening on my screen less to other games and more to my favorite films and shows.

Dismiss the game mechanics of an MMO all you want. I can’t argue coherently with that, but do not hold onto the dismissed illusion that these games can’t tell great stories. On that point, you would be hopelessly wrong.

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Honestly, I wish I could experience this as a single player game somehow. I'd love to play WoW offline and at my own pace. But the fact that Cataclysm will completely reshape the world means I can never completely experience this story before Blizzard makes it disappear.

I can't go back there! I have a son now! Let me continue believing that WoW is the Burger King of the video game world.

This sounds really intriguing, and I'm curious to see if they'll continue treating expansions as longterm story lines. They're going to end up sucking me back in if they keep this up. Only my memories of repetitive loot-mining keep me from signing back up. That, and the fact that my son isn't old enough to take care of himself. Yet.

The only thing standing between me and the urge to say you're full of sh*t is the fact that I haven't played the expansion so I just don't know. I'm going to shift straight to ad hominem attacks and say that you're suffering some kind of MMO narrative Stockholm syndrome.

you're suffering some kind of MMO narrative Stockholm syndrome.

Stockholm Syndrome explains so much of the MMO genre

"Yes! Of course I'll collect 12 more beaver livers. I'll get right back to it! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to dawdle. I love you."

PyromanFO wrote:

Honestly, I wish I could experience this as a single player game somehow. I'd love to play WoW offline and at my own pace. But the fact that Cataclysm will completely reshape the world means I can never completely experience this story before Blizzard makes it disappear.

A couple points in response:

1- Cataclysm is not reshaping Northrend, the continent where all this happens. The whole story arc will still be available after the expansion.
2- Most of Northrend can be done single player, and at your own pace. The GWJ guild on Blackhand has active people in all stages of the game.
3- For the portions that cannot be done solo, it may seem intimidating, but there's nothing more fun that chatting in ventrilo will a bunch of fellow goodjers while running the latest and greatest dungeon. We really do have a lot of good people in WoW.

Is there seriously a large contingent of gamers out there who are complaining that stories in MMOs are crap? I don't think that's the problem non MMO players have with MMOs.

The only thing standing between me and the urge to say you're full of sh*t is the fact that I haven't played the expansion so I just don't know.

I can't imagine a world where you would concede the point anymore than you can imagine a world where Demon's Soul is my favorite game, but I have played a lot of games and the story that began in Warcraft III with Mal'Ganis and Arthas at Stratholme has been boiling nicely for almost a decade, and they have treated it with far more substance and care than I would have ever expected.

@ Pyroman -- what Serengeti said. I play WoW like it's a single-player game with multi-player elements. It's still fun.

@ Benu -- I don't know if that's the case. And I won't even make the argument that WoW's story is better than that of other games -- I simply don't know. But I've been impressed with how most everything in WoLK goes back to Arthas. The Burning Crusade story seemed arbitrary (hoofed blueberries who travel on a spaceship?) and not all that compelling. Blizzard did a much better job of keeping its focus with its second expansion. That's got to be tough to do with as many moving parts at WoW has.

2- Most of Northrend can be done single player, and at your own pace. The GWJ guild on Blackhand has active people in all stages of the game.

To add to that point, I hadn't played my level 80 character since a few Naxxramas runs back in June or July. I was dramatically underequipped. After 3 hours of play with guys like Reaper and Zonk in just the new 5-man dungeons, I had epically upgraded six pieces of equipment.

For those who want it to be a game of endless raids week after week, that stuff is still there, but it will not be required to experience the narrative. The grind content is there for those who want it, but it's just not required. I only wish there was a way new players could automatically start with this content, but I think that's what Cataclysm is designed to address.

Is there seriously a large contingent of gamers out there who are complaining that stories in MMOs are crap?

Oh, I think so. Yes.

Elysium wrote:

I only wish there was a way new players could automatically start with this content, but I think that's what Cataclysm is designed to address.

In the meantime, if someone is looking to get into WoW, I'm positive we have some people in the guild who would be willing to "recruit" you. The recruit-a-friend program includes a 10-day free trial for the recruit, so you can decide whether you want to continue playing or not. In addition, it has the following benefits:

* Recruit and veteran characters can summon one another to each others locations across the globe.
* While adventuring with your linked friend or family member, you will each gain triple experience while partied up to level 60.
* For every two levels recruit characters earn, one "grantable" level is gained. Recruit characters may then grant these levels to lower level veteran characters.

So, if you're at all interested, I'd poke my head into the guild primer thread and ask about it. Try to find someone who wants to start a new alt and has similar available play times as you, as that will maximize the experience bonus, since it only applies when you're both online and near each other.

Elysium wrote:
The only thing standing between me and the urge to say you're full of sh*t is the fact that I haven't played the expansion so I just don't know.

I can't imagine a world where you would concede the point anymore than you can imagine a world where Demon's Soul is my favorite game, but I have played a lot of games and the story that began in Warcraft III with Mal'Ganis and Arthas at Stratholme has been boiling nicely for almost a decade, and they have treated it with far more substance and care than I would have ever expected.

So it's not that it's an MMO with a good story, strictly speaking, they began the tale in Warcraft III with some pretty bog standard in-game cinematics and fancy movies. Standing back, viewing the story arc and appreciating it I get. Blizzard has done amazing things with their lore and weaving it all together. It's this idea that the raw, in-game delivery of the story rivals Dragon Age that strikes me as incongruous. I know you were going for a money shot, but still ...

with skill that absolutely rivals a game like Dragon Age.

I mean, look at that statement. Look at it! The story, variation, lore, world building and delivery in Dragon Age is fundamentally better simply by virtue of how flexible it manages to be with player choice while still delivering meaningful and interesting story hooks all the way through.

No to be too reductionist, but I'm not sure how boxes full of text and a few quest events you can't meaningfully influence can even be playing on the same field as far as game story goes.

If you'd said "Amazing storytelling in the genre of MMOs" I wouldn't have even batted an eye. I won't argue the content or impact of how interesting and well told the story of the Lich King is, but as someone playing a video game it's hard to fathom how an MMO sitting on the edge of the bed and reading me a story is at all comparable to actually influencing events and living with the consequences.

I'd consider looking at World of WarCraft, perhaps as an HBP pick some month, to experience this epic story, but I'm put-off by the level requirement for Wrath of the Lich King. It's a shame that this epic, game-changing, never-before-seen example of storytelling in an MMO is carefully walled-off and only available to the already devoted.

I mean, look at that statement. Look at it!

You're right.

On second thought, I'd amend that statement thusly:

"With skill that at times exceeds the achievements of Dragon Age..." (edited to be more accurate to my opinion)

I know and understand your hesitation to imagine that it is anything but folly to say something like that, but I have to say that I am entirely comfortable with it.

No to be too reductionist, but I'm not sure how boxes full of text and a few quest events you can't meaningfully influence can even be playing on the same field as far as game story goes.

This betrays your ignorance on the matter. Vanilla WoW -- yes, this statement is accurate. Burning Crusade -- absolutely. It changed dramatically with Wrath of the Lich King. Scripted events at every stage of quests. Engagement in large scale lore battles. Phasing technology that allowed the world to change dramatically. Constant interaction with your primary villain. In the main story line quests of Wrath, this statement is just flat wrong.

Normally I am willing to concede that I look at WoW through rose colored glasses, but on this point I am confident. The two games approach story in very different ways, but I have no conflict in stating the WOTLK does as good or a better job of delivering that story. It may be true that the mechanics of the genre prevent you from enjoying that story, but that personal barrier doesn't negate anything.

I'd consider looking at World of WarCraft, perhaps as an HBP pick some month, to experience this epic story, but I'm put-off by the level requirement for Wrath of the Lich King.

Reconsider after Cataclysm launches, so that you can see the world through the lens of Blizzard's 5 years of experience building a story in this framework.

benu302000 wrote:

Is there seriously a large contingent of gamers out there who are complaining that stories in MMOs are crap? I don't think that's the problem non MMO players have with MMOs.

I don't know if it's large, but I've got my card right here. Maybe an MMO can tell a grand story, but from what I can tell, they can't generally make you feel like you are a part of that grand story. To everything Elysium wrote above, I mentally appended "...that 20 minutes later reset for the next group". For every epic storyline out there, it seems to me the "hero" is just one of thousands of deliverymen/exterminators running around doing busywork while the story happens to them. I could put on a movie and do the dishes and have the same experience as an MMO, while saving myself the subscription fee.

Yeah, I'm overgeneralizing and probably being unfair, but that's my impression. Granted I blew my 10-day WoW pass seeing what the fuss was about as an ass-naked Tauren doing the chicken dance in the middle of town.

adam.greenbrier wrote:

I'd consider looking at World of WarCraft, perhaps as an HBP pick some month, to experience this epic story, but I'm put-off by the level requirement for Wrath of the Lich King. It's a shame that this epic, game-changing, never-before-seen example of storytelling in an MMO is carefully walled-off and only available to the already devoted.

So you already have to be a certain level to experience the Lich King content? Hmm.

Elysium, what was your opinion about New Super Mario Bros. Wii and requiring time investment to experience the content?

Okay I feel like I'm beating up on WoW here, I really want to enjoy parts of it. I just keep running into things like a level 50+ requirement to experience Lich King. Maybe Cataclysm will take care of this stuff?

This betrays your ignorance on the matter. Vanilla WoW -- yes, this statement is accurate. Burning Crusade -- absolutely. It changed dramatically with Wrath of the Lich King. Scripted events at every stage of quests. Engagement in large scale lore battles. Phasing technology that allowed the world to change dramatically. Constant interaction with your primary villain. In the main story line quests of Wrath, this statement is just flat wrong.

Fair enough. To provide some balance to that, however, you're not exactly burning through Dragon Age and plumbing the depths of its delivery either. You have no idea how complicated, involving and resonant it can be. Karla is a ways into her third playthrough because there's so much depth to the story.

I stand by my sentiment. The story and events in Lich King could be delivered to me in the form of a re-cap video and I'd come out with the same experience as someone playing through it, given the utter lack of choice, variation or flexibility in the delivery. I could say the same about Uncharted 2, of course.

But hey, we're talking RPGs and you trotted Dragon Age out as a comparison point. In every way that video games are an interactive medium, especially RPGs as they relate to stories, there's just no comparison to the personal stake involved when you're deciding how to handle the Red Cliff Castle dilemma compared to seeing the same asshole pop into various quests over the span of a hundred hours.

I am excited to get back into WoW sometime when I can justify paying the $180 to play it for a year.

Did you quit before Lich King? What I'm getting from the article is that Lich King has a fundamentally different storytelling style than previous-WoW. If you did play Lich King, which parts do you think Dragon Age does better?

Elysium -1

You reached too far sir.

The inclusion of an actual enjoyable story in your favorite game is probably analogous to your wife discovering she loves to give BJs. Good for you!!! Enjoy that! I bet your excited!

But, to continue the analogy, Dragon Age is a $1million hooker that will teach you things about sex that you never expected.

I am excited to get back into WoW sometime when I can justify paying the $180 to play it for a year.

Edit - Increadibly fortunate year when we have the opportunity to experience the million dollar hooker and the bj enthusiast wife at the same time. I feel like Tiger Woods just thinking about it.

PyromanFO wrote:
I am excited to get back into WoW sometime when I can justify paying the $180 to play it for a year.

Did you quit before Lich King? What I'm getting from the article is that Lich King has a fundamentally different storytelling style than previous-WoW. If you did play Lich King, which parts do you think Dragon Age does better?

Yea, I was playing on a laptop in October right before the LichKing dropped, and some patch broke the game on my computer. I haven't gone back to my lvl 70 warrior since, but I have followed a lot of the quest lines through youtube and other videos.

What Dragon Age does is give you options, and those options impact the story in ways I don't think we've seen in any other game. Dragon Age also gives you companions with independant personalities that travel with you and enhance your experience. They judge your decisions, they talk to you if they approve of your actions, or are concerned by your decisions. They'll turn on you. They'll joke with you. They'll love you. You'll see the hurt in their eyes if they feel you've betrayed them.

These are all elements of storytelling that Lich King just can't touch.

Thanks. Thanks a lot. I was happily out of WoW, unsubscribed, and thought I had it all behind me until Cataclysm. Now you're making me want to play again, you bastard. Like I didn't have enough games to be playing. Damn you, sir, damn you to heck!

Just because you can write a good article and co-run my favourite website, you think you can just drag me kicking and screaming back into the fold? Is that what you think? You may just be right too. Curses!

Even though I do love WoW, I sort of have to agree with Certis here, at least in one regard: the actual mechanics of presenting the story in WoW are still rudimentary and unrefined compared to many single player games.

Are they much better in WotLK than previous WoW content? Yes, it's like night and day.

Is Blizzard taking steps, technological and otherwise, along the path that leads to them doing storytelling in a multiplayer environment that rivals what companies like Bioware do in a single player game? Yes, and I'd say that at the rate they are proceeding Cataclysm could very easily start rivaling what single player story game developers are doing.

Is the story and lore interesting and well developed in WoW? Yes, and here is where I definitely agree with Elysium, the underlying story of the "world" in World of Warcraft IS better developed than that in a game like Dragon Age. With the sheer quantity of content contained in WoW combined with the advances they've made in WotLK, the sense that you are in a place that is a living, breathing world that has a history and a future is definitely present in WoW in a way that is missing in many single player games.

But no, I wouldn't go so far as to say that the actual presentation of the story in WotLK even begins to approach what I've experienced even in games I've played in the last month (Dragon Age, Assassin's Creed 2, and a replay of Mass Effect) when it comes to moment to moment storytelling.

The story and events in Lich King could be delivered to me in the form of a re-cap video and I'd come out with the same experience as someone playing through it, given the utter lack of choice, variation or flexibility in the delivery. I could say the same about Uncharted 2, of course.

Madness! Come on, you can't actually believe that. For one thing you've just negated 95% of game story telling in one overly dramatic gesture. It's like you threw Jon and Kate +8's babies all out with the bathwater.

Yes, Lich King's narrative is unmutable (and really, so is Dragon Age's is just a matter of which predetermined progression you choose to pursue -- enter off-topic debate about free-will in video games) but experiencing it is fundamentally different that watching it even over someone else's shoulder. The key is that Blizzard is strong enough at developing content and suspension of disbelief to overcome the mechanical shortcomings of the genre.

I think that's one of the reasons I appreciate it more. It is at the forefront of world building in a way that, I'm sorry, Dragon Age just isn't.

These are all elements of storytelling that Lich King just can't touch.

Lich King also can't tell stories by semaphore. The fact that the delivery system is different is totally unconnected to the quality of the content. You and Certis are both touting the method of delivery as a major component, and I see that as a total straw man argument.

Elysium, what was your opinion about New Super Mario Bros. Wii and requiring time investment to experience the content?

Go sit in the corner, you rabble-rouser, you rapscallion, you carpetbagger!

I didn't think the story in Dragon Age was all that... so far. It's certainly doled out at too slow a pace, since 20 hours in I still haven't seen anything all that interesting.

How hard could it be to do better?

Yeah, I went there.

I have always thought, since Everquest came on the scene and especially at the announcement of FFXI, that MMO's could coherently tell a story. That it hasn't been implemented until recently boggles the mind.

Personally, I find the whole level grind-centric mechanics and intimidating time investment necessary to fully enjoy an MMORPG quite distasteful. Had I that much free time to spend I wouldn't spend it in front of a screen in its entirety. It simply doesn't work for me. I can't justify to myself spending money on a monthly basis to continue playing when I'll devote, at the most 8 or 10 hours a week when things are easy at work. That's probably why I will never play an MMORPG.

It's great that things are evolving in such a way with WOW. Perhaps, someday, there might be condensed single/multi player offline rendition of this allegedly grand story arc released for us non-mmorpgamers.

Wow, this really made my ears perk up. I had no idea what I was missing, but I really crave some good storytelling in a game because I haven't experienced it in some time. I tried WoW's free trial some time ago and never continued, but I might be willing to dip the toes in again if the story's that great. How long would it take for me to experience the Lich King? Would being recruited like Serengeti mentioned help or hinder the experience considering they've done it all before and it sounds like it's designed to make things go by quicker?

WoW seems overwhelming, but playing alongside with someone might help.

I can't justify to myself spending money on a monthly basis to continue playing when I'll devote, at the most 8 or 10 hours a week when things are easy at work.

I hear this a lot, and I don't really begrudge it. I understand why people don't like the subscription model, and the following statement is not meant to say you're wrong, but I have no problem justifying even 20 hours of gametime per month on a $15 investment.

The time commitment just ain't what it used to be. This article doesn't address the dramatic increase of experience, the reduced leveling requirements, the work they've done to streamline lower levels, the improved travel mechanics that make getting around infinitely easier, the absolutely revolutionary grouping mechanic they just installed that makes running any instance easy as just pushing a button, or any of the other elements that have changed the game. Suffice to say, they are there.

How long would it take for me to experience the Lich King? Would being recruited like Serengeti mentioned help or hinder the experience considering they've done it all before and it sounds like it's designed to make things go by quicker?

Ok, honesty time. It takes probably 30 hours in game time to get to WotLK content. Bam!

Wait, where are you going?!

As I said before, my least favorite thing about the deal is this impenetrable barrier. If you are considering starting from scratch, I suggest waiting for Cataclysm which will redesign and redefine this initial experience. I would love to say that the rest of Wow is as clean, crisp and engaging as WotLK, but it's just not.

Lich King also can't tell stories by semaphore. The fact that the delivery system is different is totally unconnected to the quality of the content. You and Certis are both touting the method of delivery as a major component, and I see that as a total straw man argument.

Video games are an interactive medium, how the story is delivered interactively is absolutely valid context when discussing RPGs of any stripe. You can't throw Dragon age on the table as a point of comparison and then yank it back when it doesn't suit your argument anymore. Player choice and pacing of the storytelling is either relevant or it isn't. If you don't feel like it is, then this may be one of the few times we actually approach gaming differently.

If you want to define the storytelling you're lauding simply by the story told and ignore the video game context, I wouldn't begin to argue with that. You haven't finished Dragon Age and I sure as heck won't likely ever see the Lich King story unless Sam Raimi directs a movie about it.

EpicMK wrote:

Wow, this really made my ears perk up. I had no idea what I was missing, but I really crave some good storytelling in a game because I haven't experienced it in some time. I tried WoW's free trial some time ago and never continued, but I might be willing to dip the toes in again if the story's that great. How long would it take for me to experience the Lich King? Would being recruited like Serengeti mentioned help or hinder the experience considering they've done it all before and it sounds like it's designed to make things go by quicker?

WoW seems overwhelming, but playing alongside with someone might help.

Leveling is now super fast, even without the referral program. They are constantly making changes to make sure that new players have an easy time getting started and an easy time experiencing the fun parts of the game while minimizing the crap.

That said, given the fact that Cataclysm will be fully revamping the 1-60 (and maybe through 70?) experience, if you are a brand new player you might enjoy the whole ride a bit more if you wait until then. I have a few friends who I intend to wait on recommending the game to for just this reason. Of course, people who have an old character lying around at a mid to high level from the vanilla or BC days might very well find now an excellent time to jump in and play. Even if they start a fresh character, they can just blow through the content they've already seen super fast and get up to the WotLK content, then start a new alt when Cataclysm arrives (as I'm sure most current players also intend to do).

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