The Shattering

The World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion is just around the corner. In one month I'll be leveling to 85 with all of my free time. In preparation for the release I decided, like a good fanboy, that I'd read the book that precede it. It is something I wish I could have done before WotLK, but Arthas was not out until five months after the game. While the book did get me excited about facing Arthas, I'd been level 80 for a while and some of the shine had worn off already.

It is no secret that the big baddie of Cataclysm is Deathwing. Most everyone knows that the lands of Azeroth will be getting a face lift care of the Betrayer. What the average WoW player doesn't know is who he is and where he has been. The last mention he got in a game was in 1995, during the second war, covered by Warcraft II and the expansion. Thankfully for us lore nerds we know through the books, about his origin, what parts he played in the past and when he was last seen.

So The Shattering would to pick back up after Day of the Dragon, right? Deathwing escaping, tail between his legs, to live and fight another day. Nope. Apparently he has been healing and planning his return in Deepholm. A fact I had not picked up on yet, save the paragraph in the wiki. My expectation was that The Shattering would be the build up before his return and it was. Just without mentioning Deathwing at all. Isn't this supposed to be about him?

The elements are upset, but we never find out why. Thrall leaves the Horde in the hands of Garrosh Hellscream without any logical reason. The same Garrosh who was suspected of skinning night elves, actually killed Cairne Bloodhoof and is still running the horde. Moira Bronzebeard, a character no one has seen since vanilla, is back to rule the Dwarfs in her father's absence. The same Moira who the horde has been killing since BRD opened it's doors. I guess that wasn't canon.

All that and not one mention of Deathwing. The whole story felt like filler. There were to many plots and not one of them carried any weight. There was not villain to root against or heroes to save the day, it all felt like tire spinning. Sure there are new leaders for the Taurens and Dwarfs, but none of it felt book worthy. Call it 50% my misplaced expectations and 50% Blizzard pulling punches. It was 100% disappointing.