WoW Achievments Give a Lot to Do

Probably one of the biggest improvements to WoW going live with the next patch is the achievement system. I would guess that this idea came about in an attempt to give "casual" players more to do that doesn't require them to spend more than a few minutes each day (or really, whenever they have the time) on some of these achievements. Then, they said, "Hell with it, we'll throw in a ton of 'hardcore' achievements, too!". Ultimately, the achievement system is a very good thing, in this gamer's opinion. Why, you ask?

At this crucial time in the game development cycle, Burning Crusade content is winding down, players are bored, Warhammer hit store shelves last week and we still have two months until Wrath of the Lich King is actually released. Blizzard needs something - anything - to keep players interested during this time, and into the future. Enter achievements. Already, even before the upcoming patch hits, people are working hard to complete some of the achievements they know will be retroactive, such as the exploration, pet and mount achievements.

Just yesterday I was gathering some of the pre-BC keys I had missed while leveling my druid for The Keymaster achievement. Last weekend I went back and did a couple quests in Lower Blackrock Spire that awarded vanity pets, just to add those to my collection once the new patch hits. I'm preparing to get as many of the Brewfest achievements as possible (although I'm not quite sure which ones are retroactive and which ones are not). So, the achievement system is already giving us much to do now and, once the next patch goes live, even more to do until the expansion hits on November 13.