I have only fairly recently been playing WotLK and I decided to jump straight onto a Death Knight and try it out. I was actually fairly impressed with the Death Knights starting area and how the area's actually changed and evolved as you progressed through it.

I've now powered through all the old BC content and have been in northrend for 4 levels from 68-72. I've completed all of Borean Tundra and I'm over halfway through the quests in Howling Fjord. Other then it looking a bit more lively with NPC's fighting one another every now and again, there is a lack of change when it comes to the area's. Does the later game actually have the same evolving area's as in the Death Knights starting zone or is it going to remain the same as it has so far?

There's some really impressive phasing throughout Northrend. The early zones don't show this off so much, but once you reach Dragonblight, you will be impressed. It's not so dramatically pronounced as the DK starting area, as that is a small zone, moving quickly, but it's still there, and gives you a great feel of how the world is actually moving at the time. Without giving anything away, the must-do quest chain is in Dragonblight. As you move through the zones, try not to miss any quests, as you will miss out on some of the impressive phased stories. Aim for the quest achievement in each zone, this guarantees you won't miss out on anything.

I shall stick it out until I complete Dragon Blight then, which I think is the next zone to visit after Howling Fjord is cleared and see if that zone has what I'm looking for.

I have done all the quests in Borean Tundra and got the achievement for it, more because I enjoy doing the actual quests then unlocking the achievements. This is why I'm a little disapointed with the expansion so far. I expected to see much more phasing. Perhaps for the game to more resemble a single player title then an MMO now with that possiblity for story telling that phasing brings. The Death Knights starting zone had what I was looking for but the first two northrend starter zones appear to be lacking this. If it picks up with the phasing though as you say I should enjoy the game alot more once I reach it.

It was easy for them to do it with the Death Knight starting area because the only people that see it are Death Knights just starting out... after they finish the main quests you aren't even in the same area. For them to do it so much in Northrend would take a LOT of extra programming- a bit to much, even for an MMO- but it can be found. Like what noleafclover said, just be sure to do the big quests in Dragonblight... I just did that the other day. Awesome stuff awaits you, my friend ;) lol

Well I just got finished with the Dragon Blight zone and it was impressive. The parts after the cut scene are kind of what I was looking for, even on a smaller scale it would bring the story to focus much better.

I thought a perfect opportunity for that would of been after completing the quests around Warsong Hold in Borean Tundra. The quests easily allowed for it and I was half expecting it to become less hostile after finishing there, making it a little easier to exit the horde base on foot or land mount. I must have been dazed 5-6 times going back and forth to a base that was meant to be safe.

Phasing is done to EXCELLENT effect in Storm Peaks, but *especially* Icecrown.

Icecrown is probably the single most phased zone in the game, and works phenomenally well.

I shall get to them eventually, though it does seem to take a while to level even as a Death Knight. I'm only at Grizzly Hills at the moment but have completed Dragon Blight, Borean and Howling in full. Looking forward to Storm Peaks and Icecrown then and I'm glad that it wasn't just a one off thing they did.

CantFaketheFunk:
Phasing is done to EXCELLENT effect in Storm Peaks, but *especially* Icecrown.

Icecrown is probably the single most phased zone in the game, and works phenomenally well.

Though there is a giant phasing fail in the last Brann Bronzebeard quest chain in storm peaks. Not to spoil it but you're specifically shown a minor NPC dying, yet when you fly back over after completing the chain, there he is wandering around again as if nothing happened.

If they can make somebody as awesome as Bolvar Fordragon stay dead, why not some minor NPC who you speak to maybe twice in the final storm peaks chain?