If you're a WoW player, you should probably log in today. You'll have received a note in the mail from a troll or gnome recruiting you to the retaking of either the Echo Isles, or Gnomeregan. Each will send you on a quest chain that lasts about half-an-hour. The new quests mark the start of the Cataclysm storyline. And they're superb fun.
At the end of the Echo Isles quests, Vol'Jin, the leader of the Darkspear, leads an assault on the Echo Isles, taking down Zalazane, the dirty traitor that's been holding the isles for five years. It also introduces a couple of new characters - a troll druid (one of the new character combinations coming to the Cataclysm expansion) and an undead troll hybrid man thingy.
It's worth doing them as soon as possible, if only because you'll end up grouping with dozens of other players, and get to feel all heroic. When I played, we had about forty players zerging Zalazane. And they all had flags! Flags are awesome. In Cataclysm, the Echo Isles have been radically transformed into a stronghold for the Darkspear Trolls. Which, ya know, is a bit of a comeuppance. Screens below.
One quick community note. Ykyik, of the PCG guild, has been roleplaying a troll perfectly for nearly two years. Every sentence he says, even during hectic raids, ends in 'mon'. It's impressive. If you see him, say hi from us.
We haven't played the Gnomeregan retaking. Because we hate gnomes. What's it like?
