From MIDI to Potter

One of the first things you will notice in The Burning Crusade is the soundtrack. While the "old" areas retain their themes, there is a a lot of new themes for the new content. Also the main logon screen has a new "remix". The new theme is very similar to the classic one, but much deeper and layered.

Overally the new themes sound much much better than the original ones (this could be due to the fact that I have been listening to the WoW music for two years now). There is a lot of brass and string sections, from classic violins to deep cellos. Also some vocal choirs have been woven in, giving the music a completely new level of depth and substance.

It really feels like an upgrade from a MIDI to THX.

Music helps in establishing the atmosphere of the zones. In fact it does not merely help, but is an essential element in immersing the player in the right mood. From violent, scarry and at moments sad themes in the beginning Outland zones, to magical music of Blood Elves starting zones (quite familiar to the Harry Potter movies theme), it was the first time I kept the music playing in front of sound effects - it just gave me a better understanding of where my characters are than pages of lore.

I don't know how long will it take for the effect to wear off, but at the moment I really regret not being able to get my hands on Burning Crusade's Collector Edition - if only for the sake of soundtrack CD that comes with it.