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. Titandose's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Joels View Post
    Looks great
    hell yeah really great
  1. xalenthas's Avatar
    Makes me laugh every time I see all the Q_Q about a [possible] new combat that might involve a vehicle mechanic. Not as if they've ever been hard and as clarified by Blizz, this isn't one of them ...
  1. Mercadi's Avatar
    It looks great, imo. Why do some people pay so much attention to whether these modes have been recycled or not is beyond me. All the colors of this dungeon and its feel (judging from the pics) would be unique.
  1. Lushious's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Devlin1991 View Post
    Im wondering why the dragon aspects who are "enpowered" wont spank Deathwing into next year as soon as he comes into azeroth. He was powerful with the dragon soul but since it was destroyed and the power returned to the other aspects what will stop, Alextrasz,Kalegos etc from kicking his ass.
    Malygos: Dead
    Ysera: Sleeping
    Nozdurmo (sp?): "Lost in time" apparently
    Alex: Only one left

    Good riddance
  1. Second's Avatar
    There are humans in every expansion and they look so REUSED !
    Stop whining people, i like some comebacks - of Grull model for example. Those monsters were never used to full potential even in Nagrand. Have you seen "How to tame a dragon" movie(film)? Totally recalls me that main hero listing in the book "extreamely dangerous, kill on sight, extreamely dangerous, kill on sight, choke his victims, poisons his victims, ..." and there are many new "models" of dragons. Yet every one is extreamely dangerous and you should kill him on sight. In other words, no mather what he (Vezax-like creature) looks like, he is extreamely dangerous. Kill on sight!
  1. Frozenbeef's Avatar
    So pretty obvious its c'thun thats the secret...
  1. Geckomayhem's Avatar
    I thought it was called the Demon's Soul. But anyway, the instance definitely looks Dwarven. The screenshots give a feeling of both Scholomance and Ironforge. It's cool that they have enslaved Gronns, too.

    That General Umbris is a Silithid. It seems to hearken back to some of the bosses in AQ20.
  1. Hevesker's Avatar
    inc "OMG BLIZZ ARE REUSING A MODLE. THEY ARE LAZY QQ!"
  1. Foxhoundn's Avatar
    wtf stop this teaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasing !!!! >(((
  1. Beelzebubs's Avatar
    Is it me or is that a reskinned Old Ironforge?
  1. Bloodly's Avatar
    Nice, Ironforge with Vezax!
  1. Dexiefy's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by DodgeOwner View Post
    As many have stated beffor me, the hard drive space would be crazy huge if they kept adding new models. Also, lots of these could very well be place holders untill the digital artists get done with the new modles.
    couldnt care less about 10 gb this or that way in times of 2TB hdd's ~~ and 1tb hdd's being cheap as hell ~~ And lets be honest, you dont need SSD for wow :P
    As of placeholders, might be, but i doubt it. Humans are humans, orcs are orcs, dragonkins are dragonkins, only thing they can do is update those models like they do with naga but when it comes to recycled vezax... its ugh...
  1. mmocf3a1a1b543's Avatar
    Since when has blizzard ever officially released screenshots of placeholders? Exactly, these ain't placeholders. Not that I care that much about reused models, but the placeholder crowd is getting really annoying. Any complaints or critisscm can only improve the same game you're playing, if there was no QQing, then they could get away with everything, and as a company which cares more about money than having a good game, they would get away with as little as possible.
  1. memento's Avatar
    Yay, model and texture recycling everywhere

    C'mon Blizz. I know WoW is not about the graphics, but I hardly see anything new and fresh on those screens. Is teir visual creativity so burned out that the even the architecture looks like I've been there hundreds of times? Disappointing!
  1. mmoc6d823f96e4's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by DodgeOwner View Post
    As many have stated beffor me, the hard drive space would be crazy huge if they kept adding new models. Also, lots of these could very well be place holders untill the digital artists get done with the new modles.
    that´s the dumbest excuse someone brought up to protect blizzard, seriously.
    also i guess they are just placeholders and if not it´s ok aswell, since the boss mechanics are what makes the fight interesting
  1. Valistryx's Avatar
    To those saying that Blizzard has never released an official preview with placeholder... I direct your attention to the Wrath of the Lich King Trailer, where, as was mentioned above, the Death Knight was wearing recolored Hunter T4...

    WotLK Trailer
  1. Noomz's Avatar
    You idiots seem to forget that just days ago you got to know that some content has been cut out or changed completely due to lack of time and resources to do them.
    Now you complain about modelling.

    Talk about you people having ZERO brains to think with.
  1. Donald Hellscream's Avatar
    well... gronns in there fair enough deathwing hates them so why not force them do some dirty work for him, general vezax type of boss, well he is a faceless one and a servant of the old gods so many look alikes is certain to exist and the red drakes are.. well red drakes, the architecture is like almost any other dwarven fortress and that makes sense since it was build then the dark iron and the wildhammer clans were booted from ironforge. Last but not least its epic!!1!11!! yes i like the screenies im looking at.
  1. Azutael's Avatar
    I for one, love all the previews so far. And each one get me more excited for cataclysm.
  1. sulfuric's Avatar
    great general vezax gruul and the drakes from BWL. Thanks for charging for them again blizzard

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