Cataclysm Preview - Grim Batol
[blizzquote author=Blizzard source=http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/cataclysm/features/grimbatol.html]
During a bloody civil war among the three dwarven factions of Ironforge, the Bronzebeards ousted the Wildhammer and the Dark Iron clans from the ancient corridors of the mountain city. In the wake of the defeat, the Wildhammers ventured north and forged a new home, Grim Batol, in the mountains of what is now the Twilight Highlands. However, although they worked tirelessly to create a better future for themselves, the Dark Irons, who established the city of Thaurissan in the Redridge Mountains, could not move beyond the memory of their defeat. Consumed by the desire for revenge and desperate to control the entire dwarven region of Khaz Modan, the Dark Irons led a two-pronged assault on the Bronzebeards in Ironforge and the Wildhammers in Grim Batol. Despite their past differences, these two embattled rivals joined forces and drove the Dark Irons out of Khaz Modan, decimating the armies of the treacherous clan's sorcerer-thane, Thaurissan. Yet victory carried grave consequences. Although Thaurissan's wife and queen, Modgud, was slain during the attack on Grim Batol, her death tainted the mountain fortress. While the Bronzebeards rebuilt their glorious city of Ironforge, the Wildhammers felt forever changed by the horrors they witnessed at Grim Batol. They fled their cursed home and never returned.

The abandoned city's defiled corridors later became home to a number of nefarious plots. When the Demon Soul was discovered by the Dragonmaw clan and used to force Alexstrasza's drakes to serve the Horde, Grim Batol acted as the red Dragon Aspect's torturous prison. The Dragonmaw held Grim Batol through the Second War, before they were driven out by Deathwing, who planned to steal Alexstrasza's eggs. Yet as Deathwing carried out his plan, the Demon Soul was destroyed, and the powers locked within were returned to Alexstrasza, Ysera, Nozdormu, and Malygos. Deathwing narrowly escaped an assault by the four re-empowered Dragon Aspects, although he did not leave empty-handed; in his grasp were the eggs of Alexstrasza. For their vile transgressions, the fleeing Dragonmaw were shown no mercy, and the struggle came to a quick end. Members of the red dragonflight were left behind to keep watch over Grim Batol, and for years they successfully guarded its desolate halls from further intrusion... until the arrival of the Twilight's Hammer, a sinister cult who worshipped Azeroth's malefic Old Gods.

The cult, seduced by Deathwing's thirst for absolute domination over Azeroth, has claimed the Twilight Highlands as its base of operations. The black dragonflight has driven off the agents of the red dragonflight who guarded Grim Batol so that it may be used as a fortress for training Deathwing's minions. The halls of Grim Batol run so deep into the highlands that it is unknown to what twisted end the Twilight's Hammer is using this doomed dwarven marvel.

Called to action by the red dragonflight in the Twilight Highlands, players will be charged with putting a decisive end to the foul machinations developing within the level-85, 5-player dungeon of Grim Batol. The ferocity of the enemies within should not be underestimated, and with the assistance of brave Red Drakes and a handful of explosives, players can thin the ranks of Grim Batol's occupiers through bombing flights into the ruined city's corridors. Regardless of how successful these attacks might be, General Umbris will not allow his army to fall so quickly. In the end, adventurers will be left to their own devices, venturing into the darkest recesses of the dwarven fortress, where a nightmarish enemy is taking shape. Will you be able to uncover Grim Batol's secrets and emerge unscathed, or will your destiny be sealed within this tortured city, like so many brave heroes before you?[/blizzquote]



This article was originally published in forum thread: Cataclysm Preview - Grim Batol started by Boubouille View original post
Comments 173 Comments
  1. sabe's Avatar
    Isn't that place BRD?
  1. Eyeball2452's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Wesz View Post
    It feels like a combination of Ironforge, Blackrock Depths, and the Utgarde dungeons (Refer to http://static.mmo-champion.com/mmoc/.../june/ss56.jpg )
    They've been recycling for a while. Imo, I think redoing Azeroth was a mistake. The more I see, the less excited I am. I really enjoyed TBC because it was something new.

    Of course, that's partially do to the addition of only 5 levels too. I don't know, but it appears that there are a lot of corners being cut for CAT. Having said that, WoW really has no competition in the MMO genre, so what do they care?
  1. ElAmigo's Avatar
    to all the people that always have to find something to QQ about these are what you call place holder...christ

    and also to those saying it will be another occulus, whos to say that the red dragonflight aiding us cant be like the ashen verdict did in ICC
  1. Leviatharan's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Narshe View Post
    Grim Batol looks like a dark version of Ironforge. Cool.
    Thats what I was thinking! Darker... and (more?) EEEEEEEVILLL!!!!
  1. Noomz's Avatar
    I read the comments solely to watch people cry about re-used models.

    I think it'll be awesome, and the models look great.
  1. Brock2525's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Eyeball2452 View Post
    They've been recycling for a while. Imo, I think redoing Azeroth was a mistake. The more I see, the less excited I am. I really enjoyed TBC because it was something new.

    Of course, that's partially do to the addition of only 5 levels too. I don't know, but it appears that there are a lot of corners being cut for CAT. Having said that, WoW really has no competition in the MMO genre, so what do they care?
    Holy crap, you're stupid.
  1. mmoc516e31a976's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Eyeball2452 View Post
    They've been recycling for a while.
    What, you are complaining about Grim Batol's look? Seriously?

    It would be wierd if it DIDN'T look like Ironforge, considering it was built by the Wildhammer at the image of Ironforge.
  1. Hothgor's Avatar
    Obviously there will be some initial Old God involvement in Grim Batol. I know one of the interviews out there mentioned that after you defeated Cho'gal on heroic mode, the floor dropped out and you learned a 'terrible truth'. They mentioned lava, black dragon eggs aaaaannnnddd...

    Well, looks like the Old Gods themselves are corrupting the dragon eggs. Could this be a new dragon-flight in the works, or perhaps we are seeing the beginnings of the Infinite Dragons?
  1. Matchu's Avatar
    Just to clarify, it's not vehicle combat at the beginning of the dungeon. The forces of the Twilight's Hammer within Grim Batol are massive, so you'll start the dungeon with a bombing run through the halls to thin their ranks. It'll be a set flight path and will not involve aerial combat. This is only to get things started. This dungeon is not vehicle-driven at all.
    That's alright then.
  1. Rensyk's Avatar
    This looks so awesome - can't wait for Cata to be released now.
  1. Shirimasen's Avatar
    Dragon+Gronn=red vezax


    Or something which could otherwise be large like a gronn, and have scales like... say... dragons...

    gene splicing by twilight hammer perhaps?
  1. Huurka's Avatar
    Why would I want to see an autistic kid play Mario?
  1. eucatastrophe's Avatar
    Oh please don't ruin Vezax by tainting (ie recycling his model) him

    Why Blizzard, why...
  1. Xorkrik's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Eyeball2452 View Post
    Of course, that's partially do to the addition of only 5 levels too. I don't know, but it appears that there are a lot of corners being cut for CAT. Having said that, WoW really has no competition in the MMO genre, so what do they care?
    They are doing 65 levels fwiw. I'd hardly call re-doing and adding more zones to the 2 biggest continents of WoW cutting corners. Not to mention all the changes to combat, guild, raid etc. Cataclysm is by far the biggest and most complicated expansion yet.
  1. mmoc9616daefb1's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by sabe View Post
    Isn't that place BRD?
    facepalm big time... did you even read whats bieng said >.<?
  1. Travio's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Xorkrik View Post
    They are doing 65 levels fwiw. I'd hardly call re-doing and adding more zones to the 2 biggest continents of WoW cutting corners. Not to mention all the changes to combat, guild, raid etc. Cataclysm is by far the biggest and most complicated expansion yet.
    Yeah, but it's not endgame, so it doesn't count!
  1. wxcopy's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Tauror View Post
    What, you are complaining about Grim Batol's look? Seriously?

    It would be wierd if it DIDN'T look like Ironforge, considering it was built by the Wildhammer at the image of Ironforge.
    It kind of looks like the original Ironforge...
  1. Izichial's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Wspek View Post
    How many different type of mobs do you want there to be? Space is limited on Azeroth you know :P.

    On topic: it loooks awwweeeesome.
    Yeah, I don't mind the cultists (any race), dragons etc. nor the dungeon itself (and I personally agree with you that it looks pretty good, even though the "Blackrock style" of dungeons doesn't really appeal to me). Those are both expected and justified. It just annoys me that they don't expand the story of and explain the connections between Deathwing, Twilight's Hammer and the Old Gods and specifically their doings in Grim Batol, mainly the how of it. At the moment it's frustratingly vague and the "obvious connection" between many things is pretty far stretched. Why are the Gronn there, for example? Did some Twilight Hammer cultist bring a few back to Grim Batol on R&R from Outland? Why Gronn? Why is a faceless general (or whatever you want to call the type of faceless that Vezax and this new guy are) in Grim Batol, even assuming they're sent out to lord TCs around? Presuming they are, why are the reds (especially if some of them are the reds that were driven out or otherwise hung around that part of the world to keep involve in those affairs) allowing horde to use them if the horde is now allied with Dragonmaw? Sure, some of these (such as the Dragonmaw story and what the current relationship between Deathwing and the Old Gods is (pawn? allied? nutcase prodded in a certain direction?), certainly) will probably be explained in due time but still, much could have been explained without having to spoil.

    Also, you do not reskin things to use as placeholders. Also, wut at people going "don't say anything negative until you've played it!", it's called voicing concern because we want it to be as good as you presumably do. Also, what's wrong with the comment that much of TBC looked new? It did. So did WotLK apart from the giant playing for time that recycling Naxxramas was. Expansions are supposed to look and feel new, while they've seem to have done a great job on remaking Azeroth so far they need to follow it up all the way, sycophantic mewling won't iron out the creases in the details. Also, no one has said the re-used models are bad (hell, Gronn are one of my favourite creature models as well), it's simply the principle of using them when you neither sufficient explain their presence and/or don't balance the weight with new (as in new new, not new content that looks like old content) content on the other side of the scales. Also, overall alpha is actually pretty late in the development cycle.

    I don't see any corners being cut, just high speed rubber marks tarnishing the details. It's not the world but it's not hard to fix either so it should be.
  1. Bareno's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Huurka View Post
    Why would I want to see an autistic kid play Mario?
    Who said they were austistic? Read their website FAQ and find out why they do this...
  1. Hakawne's Avatar
    Uhm... if you think they won't release "official previews" with placeholders, think again.
    Do you recall the "official preview" for the WotLK expansion, plus the introduction of Death Knights?
    The DK in that preview was wearing the HUNTER SET FROM KARAZHAN with new colors. Demon Stalker...

    Pretty sure it's still in Alpha, so there will be placeholders, even in "official preview" screenshots.

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