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World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King pc Game Reviews
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Critic Score
Metascore: 91 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
6.6 out of 10
based on 47 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 194 votes
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Rate this game

Players last visited Northrend in "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne," when Arthas Menethil fused with the spirit of Ner’zhul to become the Lich King, one of the most powerful beings in the Warcraft universe. He now broods atop the Frozen Throne deep in Icecrown Citadel, clutching the rune blade Frostmourne and marshaling the undead armies of the Scourge. In Wrath of the Lich King, the forces of the Alliance and the Horde venture into battle against the Scourge amid Northrend’s howling winds and fields of jagged ice. Wrath of the Lich King adds a rich variety of content to an already massive game. New features in the game’s second expansion include: Death Knight Hero Class: Create a high-level Death Knight character -- the game’s first hero class -- once certain challenges have been met. Increased Level Cap: Advance to level 80 and gain potent new talents and abilities along the way. Northrend: Explore the harsh new continent of Northrend, packed with new zones, quests, dungeons, monsters, and items -- and do battle with the undead armies of the Lich King. "Inscription" Profession: Learn this exciting new profession and gain unique ways to permanently enhance spells and abilities in the game. Siege Weapons and Destructible Buildings: Take the battle to another level with new player-vs.-player game mechanics and new battlefields to wage war on. New Character Customization: Change how characters look and express themselves, with different hairstyles and dance animations. [Blizzard Entertainment]

PUBLISHER: Blizzard Entertainment
DEVELOPER: Blizzard Entertainment
GENRE(S): Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game
PLAYERS: Thousands
ESRB RATING: T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE: November 13, 2008

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
Eurogamer
Wrath of the Lich King takes the best-of-breed MMO and improves everything about it. It's a work of supreme confidence and quality that is twice as fun and ten times as beautiful as classic WOW, not to mention anything else in the genre. But above all else - in the breathtaking sweep of Northrend, in the assured, epic storytelling, in the constellation of brilliant quests - it is a grand adventure. Perhaps the grandest adventure in all gaming.
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100
Giant Bomb
This package makes for an epic and excellent expansion to World of Warcraft, one that will certainly keep longtime players coming back. And the increased accessibility and streamlined nature of World of Warcraft 2008 compared to World of Warcraft 2004 mean that even players who gave up a long time ago will also find plenty of reasons to return to Azeroth.
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100
G4 TV
It’s inconceivable that any current WoW player wouldn’t want to get Wrath of the Lich King. Once again, Blizzard has knocked our socks off with an expansion that expands on the original game and taken it to new heights.
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100
AceGamez
The journey through Northrend is one of continuous wonder, where every zone has something new to show and exploration of every detail is something that you feel compelled to partake in.
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100
Play (Poland)
I might copy the takeaway message from the review of The Burning Crusade: the best game in the universe has been significantly improved. It's amazing what Blizzard managed to achieve in this expansion. [Jan 2009]
99
Game Chronicles
Wrath of the Lich King has all the components necessary to hold the attention of the gaming community for several years to come...or at least until Blizzard decides which game we're going to be playing next.
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96
HellBored
The undisputed champion of the MMO world has delivered the ultimate sucker punch to all its competitors; delivering a visually outstanding, totally engaging and massively entertaining new expansion.
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96
YouGamers
World of Warcraft reigns supreme, and Lich King only serves to cement the lead Blizzard has in MMOs. Does almost everything right while actually breaking some new ground, even if the content is getting a bit too easy in the name of accessibility. A must buy for all existing World of Warcraft players and yet another reason for the rest to get back or join in. Resistance is Futile.
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95
GamingTrend
If you have a computer with internet and think you might enjoy playing games, do yourself a favor and try it.
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95
Gameplayer
It’s brilliant, inspired and will easily secure their supremacy as the leader in the MMOPRG market.
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95
Gameplanet
With well over ten million people playing the game, any expansion is a must-have for any fan of the game. More so this release, it has more content and depth than the first expansion and brings back a lot of the feel and flavour of the original game release.
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95
GameZone
While the majority of the content is geared towards higher-level players, there is still a lot of fantastic content for any WoW gamer. If you’re a fan, then there’s no reason that you should not have this expansion.
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95
Gamers' Temple
Lich King is an impressive addition to an already compelling game.
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95
GamingExcellence
With improved graphics, audio, and the return of the Warcraft lore that made the series so popular all those years ago, Wrath of the Lich King doesn’t disappoint, and shows everyone that when it comes to MMOs, Blizzard is still the king.
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93
Computer Games Online RO
Wrath of the Lich King is a casual MMORPG. It’s a vast game, in which you can still easily get to see all content playing 8 hours a week, slipped in here and there, because of the low difficulty and free structure.
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93
3DJuegos
This package makes for an epic and excellent expansion to World of Warcraft. It's brilliant, inspired, and a grand adventure.
Read Full Review
93
Jolt Online Gaming UK
An essential purchase, packed with great value and high quality content.
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93
AtomicGamer
Put simply, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is MMORPG gaming at its finest we've seen yet.
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93
PC Gamer UK
Still the best looking online world out there. [Jan 2009, p.64]
92
Play.tm
World of Warcraft may never look realistic but it will always have a very unique charm, and Lich King has certainly improved upon this.
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92
GameTrailers
If you’ve got that 70 collecting dust, now is a good time to unfreeze that account. The king is back.
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91
ActionTrip
Bottom line, with the introduction of the Death Knight, Blizzard has done a great job of adding another element of fun in the game.
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91
1UP
Wrath features more than enough content to keep me busy for a while yet. And if WOW's current track record maintains, things can only get better with time.
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91
Gamers.at
It doesn’t matter if you’re hardcore, casual or “normal” – if such a thing even exists among WoW-Players – the Wrath of the Lich King will frostshock your heart in a good way. [Issue#17]
90
Level7.nu
The second expansion to the gargantuan behemoth of a game that is World of Warcraft, titled Wrath of the Lich King, sets you on the quest to defeat the evil Lich King Arthas. The presentation has been improved and the overall design of the new continent Northrend is nothing short of impressive. A lot of the caveats found in World of Warcraft, and the expansion The Burning Crusade, have been removed. The only major issue is that it feels as though World of Warcraft is becoming a tad bit too easy, but nevertheless this is a fantastic expansion and a must for gamers everywhere.
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90
Thunderbolt
With a highly improved and immersive questing system, a new profession to master, a largely PvP focused zone, a level-cap of 80, and a devious new class to play, fans of World of Warcraft will be greeted with a multitude of new reasons to sell their souls and their time to Blizzard’s outrageously successful online RPG.
Read Full Review
90
PC Format
Bigger, prettier and cleverer than before and for most the perfect evolution. [Jan 2009, p.90]
90
Boomtown
All of the new additions that Lich King provides are expertly executed and will provide hours of new content to seasoned players.
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90
GameSpot
The second World of Warcraft expansion doesn't do anything for new players, but there's plenty of great content for anyone who's reached at least level 55.
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90
PALGN
Wrath of the Lich King is an epic gaming experience that will suck you in and never let go. A must for WoW veterans.
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90
Gamer.nl
With Wrath of the Lich King Blizzard shows the world how a MMORPG should look like. The add-on offers enough for both the casual and the hardcore gamer and is a must for every World of Warcraft player. We predict that it's gonna be a long and cold winter.
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90
Variety
Wrath of the Lich King offers the game’s 11 million-plus players more of what they love, with new areas, quests and character types focused on frigid northern climes, all highly polished and designed to compel. But Lich King particularly stands out for the ways it welcomes less experienced players into the fold by making the best experiences easier for them to access immediately.
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90
VideoGamer
With its spectacular design, dazzling polish and ever-compulsive gameplay, World of Warcraft seems destined to remain the everyman's pick of PvE-focussed MMO for the foreseeable future, and with the implementation of new PvP mechanics, Blizzard is no doubt looking to tempt back players who jumped ship to Warhammer Online and Age of Conan as well.
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90
Yahoo! Games
Seeing the innumerable changes and tune-ups to the game engine and the rules, you get the sense that World of Warcraft is a finely-tuned machine that its makers just can't stop tinkering with in an obsessive effort to keep it fresh, relevant, and above all, fun. For now, mission accomplished.
Read Full Review
90
GameSpy
It's telling of how ravenously the most devoted WoW players inhale content that level 80 Death Knights fishing for instance runs are commonplace at this point, less than two weeks after Wrath's launch.
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90
IGN
With Wrath of the Lich King, World of Warcraft's play style has been tweaked to be more accessible, addictive, and deeper. Any longtime player is sure to be pleased with what Blizzard's done here since it gives the higher level population a wealth of new content for play as well as improves the overall look of the world.
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90
Wired
Simply the most reliable gaming purchase you can make this holiday season. No other title will offer more content for the price.
Read Full Review
90
games(TM)
Wrath Of The Lich King has ensured that World Of Warcraft remains the pinnacle of the genre in its current form. [Feb 2009, p.124]
90
Games Master UK
Keeping WoW at the top of a very big pile, this is a wonderful expansion. [Jan 2009, p.68]
90
DarkZero
Compared to expansions for other games I would say that WotLK has a lot more content and this content is of a consistently high quality.
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89
GameStar
Wrath of the Lich King doesn’t offer much for new players, it’s made for experienced players. It increases the scale of the game, adds a few new bits and improves the game while still using the same well known and polished game mechanics. This may sound boring, but it’s absolutely not.
Read Full Review
87
GamingXP
If you are an experienced WoW-player, you should go for Wrath of the Lich King immediately. If you are a newbie and not interested in PvP-battles, there is no need to hurry.
Read Full Review
86
PC Zone UK
But by any standard, this far into the development of an MMO, and with two years since your last expansion, the envelope should be pushed a little. Blizzard could've shaken up the genre here. Wrath of the Lich King has had two years to innovate, build and refresh WOW, but all it seems to have done is prolong the same experience that people have been waiting to continue for years. Whether or not that's a bad thing is up to you.
Read Full Review
85
Meristation
The second expansion to the most played MMORPG ever is here. New weapons, new armors, new abilities and a new class. But is it enough? Wrath of the Lich King is a great game, a great expansion, but do not expect to like it if you didn't enjoy the old World of Warcraft games.
Read Full Review
85
Hardcore Gamer Magazine
A lot will depend on how the endgame of Lich King develops, and where we go from here. Right now, Lich King is a solid foundation to build on, with a lot to keep you occupied.
Read Full Review
83
Game Revolution
It just feels great to finally unleash all that power you built up through level 70 endgame in a whole new romping ground once again.
Read Full Review
80
LEVEL (Czech Republic)
A fresh continent to explore – what else do you need? Even with all the simplification this add-on brings lots of fun and new challenges. [Issue#173]

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 6.6 (out of 10) based on 194 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

P CLASS="usercomment">Brian M gave it a5:
Very well put together game, but with a very short game life. Having played it for 8 weeks, and completing almost all the content it was back to sitting about doing nothing for hours, or completing achievements, which are really for those who if not playing WoW, have nothing else to do.

Marshall L gave it a3:
I really enjoyed TBC and I have a 70 rogue and a 70 warlock who were both really fun to level up and play at end game pvp and raiding. When I heard the new x-pac was coming out I was like oh this should be cool. So I got the 10 day free trial to test it out. One of my old end game raid guildies messaged me and showed me how excited he was, he was level 80, had all these epics, was talking about how fun it was to get gear, ect . . . and I could think about was man I already went through this before. I have fully a full epic rogue in pvp and pve and a decently geard warlock and I was thinking whats the point in working for this all over again. I really busted my butt leveling my guys and getting them all kinds of cool stuff. I mean it was fun then, but no I just can't go through all that hard work all over again. I mean raiding and pvp was fun when it was new but I have done that stuff to death and am sick of it. It's just going to be the same process work work work get something work work work get something else. If you have never played wow I would say you will really enjoy this game, but if you have played this before and did all the end game raiding and pvp I say forget it. It's just the same crap with a few new features, zones, monsters, raids, ect . . .

Matt S gave it a3:
I've played WoW since the original release. This is a review of the actual product, not of the "WoW mindset" or whatever everyone is talking about. Raiding and dungeons are way too easy, PvP is balance is worse than BC and the playstyle is dumbed down, quests should be renamed errands, since you never have to travel more than 100 yards from the person who gave it to you. Everything in the game has been dumbed down. There are a few good things, achievements are fun, the ambiance and story are nice too. Overall though, it's crap in a pretty package.

Dalek Private gave it a0:
How can you like this game? I was at a lan party and 4 people spent half of the time playing wow instead of playing with the other people. There is alot of bad video's about it and the game just gets super boring after a few months... Come on, xcom or a old pixel game is better than wow. Wow also has way to many players Over 7million.

Louis P gave it a4:
Yet another interesting expansion, but... still the same gameplay with the same outdated graphics. Another reason for blizzard to make money by delivering their daily drug to all their crackheads. Their are other games out there (better ones) that cost the same price, but don't cost the monthly fee, money you can then spend on more constructive activity. It's still alot of fun playing this... for one month.

Joseph S. gave it a9:
Not a perfect game, but what game is? This new expansion keeps me entertained for minutes or hours, whatever amount of time I have to play. Makes me very happy some times, other times it pisses me right off (more like other players *cough pvp cough*) All the new stuff will keep old players entertained, and if your just starting, you will have plenty of people to run you through instances and all the lowbie mobs you want, not to mention a game that will last you a while since the level cap is now 80 (watch it on pvp servers though, level 80 death is lurking everywhere heh heh heh) --However--, if you are in school, are nursing or pregnant, or have heart conditions I would not suggest playing this game. You'll get bad grades, forget about your kids, and / or die. It is that engrossing. But seriously, either try the trial first or play at a friends house, this games isn't for everyone and we don't need more bad reviews because a few people are mad they lost a measly $15 (assuming they only paid for a month since it was so bad for them :)

Moore J gave it a9:
To get some of the pointless comments out of the way i'll sum them up for you: "Im a war fanboy" After playing warhammer online and WOTLK i decided to go with WOTLK for several reasons. Firstly being that this game is just more fun to play, there's no two ways about it. It's called world of warcrack for a reason, it's addictive and YES it will remove all your spare time from you, but when your paying monthly to play something surely you'd expect to get the most from it. Secondly i wanted to play as a death knight. Upon release they're clearly overpowered however at 80 any skilled player can deal with them if specced correctly. Finally i was already playing burning crusade and had a level 70 character so i figured this would be the logical step to take to continue my enjoyment of the game. I now have 9 characters to 60 or above and one at 40. Reviewing this as a standalone title is just stupid, "Same graphics" well yeh it's an expansion and sorry to put you down but the graphics engine has changed quite a lot. People complaining about queues are just upset they couldn't get on to play the game... you obviously want to play it so why throw a tantrum when you can't. There's a reason the other games don't have massive queues, because they don't have half as many players (Hell even 1/10th) as WoW does. One thing the game doesn't mention is that you need to have burning crusade to play this game, but i suppose common sense may provail here... hopefully In the end it's a simple descision wether you buy this game or not. If you have burning crusade, and have a character above level 55 then you should buy this game, you'll have access to the deathknight and you'll start with all blue gear when you get to outland. And if you havn't seen all the outland content then the deathknight is probly the best character to do it with due to gear advantages, a free epic mount, and being pretty overpowered at 60-70. If you don't like WoW then don't expect an expansion pack to change your mind, it's high level content and considering you didn't like the game to begin with then you're never gonna see this content anyway.

Herb E. gave it a2:
More of the same. Soon enough you'll be on your party mount in Dalaran, AFK waiting for something interesting to happen. That is, if you can't devote your life to raiding the ridiculous high-end content that only a minuscule percentage of the player base gets to see, let alone conquer. However, the game retains it's great environment aesthetic, one of the only memorable features of the game.

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