Top 5 - Classic WoW Alliance Quest Chains

Hey dudes! Silvite Soltis here again and today I'm happy to finally be doing another top 5 list. It's been a while since I played around with this - mostly due to lots of real-life commitments and the like - but since I'd really like to do at least one every month, now seems as good a time as ever to jump back into it.

So far, we've already covered my top 5 dungeons, zones, music tracks, and classes. Because of that, and the fact that my Memories of Vanilla series keeps reminding me of these, I've decided to head back out into the world and tell about my favorite quest chains in classic World of Warcraft.

Keep in mind that my vanilla experience has been basically entirely Alliance until now, so for this list I'm only going to focus on the Alliance quests. I'm planning to do another top 5 for Horde quest chains when I eventually complete many of them on WoW Classic later this year, but for now let's just get right into it. Here are my Top 5 Classic WoW Alliance Quest Chains!

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#5 - Saving Sharpbeak

The Feels...

Actually probably one of the more surprising entries on this list - especially for people like me that entirely forgot that the Hinterlands existed for a while - Saving Sharpbeak tells the heartwarming story of a Dwarf and his Gryphon. Or, rather, his search for the baby Gryphon. See, some evil troll dudes had apparently kidnapped Sharpbeak and were planning to sacrifice him or something like that. Of course, in the beginning we had no idea about any of that though. As the standard adventurer, it was the player's job to run around the zone of the Hinterlands, searching for clues as to where Sharpbeak might have been taken.


What follows is an adventure of epic proportions in which you travel the world - down to the Blasted Lands, across the ocean into Zul'Farrak, and eventually back to the Hinterlands - in search of the answer. What has happened to Swiftwing's heir? What has happened to Sharpbeak?


Eventually, we found out that the gryphon was atop the massive troll stronghold of Jintha'Alor and our objective is clear: We fight our way through the droves of elite forest troll enemies, kill one of the leaders there, steal the key, and then find and free Sharpbeak.


Honestly, I still get chills when I think of this quest. Even though it's only one of MANY amazing quest chains in classic WoW, and may honestly be forgotten by many, it's got a special place in my heart. Thus I believe it is a solid quest chain to start off this list.

#4 - The Embalmer

Just an Old Dude in a Graveyard. Nothing to See Here...

Ok so, there's this creepy old dude hanging out in a shack by a graveyard. Next to him is a giant crate with chains holding it shut. What do you do?


Well...literally everything he asks you to apparently.


All kidding aside though, this quest chain is absolutely amazing. You start out believing you're just performing some simple errands for a poor old man who has made himself a hermit out by the Raven Hill Cemetery. As you follow his instructions, however, things begin taking a darker and darker turn. Eventually, after many adventures throughout the Duskwood zone, you are tasked with delivering a letter to the town hall of Darkshire. Soon after, a roar is heard in the woods: Stitches has been unleashed.


The Embalmer questline (AKA Stitches) is an amazing story that really emphasizes the role we, the player, find ourselves in as we traverse the world of Azeroth. We are merely random dudes or dudettes looking for some loot, coin, and sweet exp from any quest giver we can find. And though this quest chain is littered with red flags in the dialogue, we didn't care as long as we got ours. (Plus, did anyone actually read the quest text the first time around?) But for those of us with a soul, and the patience to actually read what we were doing instead of tabbing to Thottbot for every quest, the guilt felt at the end of the chain about what we'd unleashed upon our fellow leveling players in Duskwood was real.

#3 - The Missing Diplomat

Holy massively long quest chain, Batman!

Wanna Go on an Adventure?

One of the only quest chains in this list that actually kept the same name throughout its entire duration, The Missing Diplomat begins by tasking the player with speaking with a bishop in Stormwind to discuss a highly confidential issue of great importance to the Alliance. As lowly level 28-30s, we had no idea what we were in for as we began this quest. But eventually, we'd unravel the mystery as the quest givers sent us from zone to zone, speaking with all sorts of undercover individuals, scouring a marsh, and just generally being badass detectives.

Fight me, Bro!

Eventually, we learn that the diplomat that went missing was the freaking KING OF STORMWIND! And that the Defias Brotherhood (you know...those guys we kicked out of Westfall back at level 20 or so) were behind his disappearance.

Is this Quest Chain Done Yet? Nope!

Honestly, I don't remember every step of this chain - mostly because it's close to 20 quests in total - but when I hear the name of this chain mentioned in other videos, I always get a tingle of nostalgia. The Missing Diplomat is, quite frankly, the first quest where we as a player begin to feel less like a nameless adventurer and more like a genuine hero of the Alliance. It's an absolute MUST to complete while leveling in Classic WoW and I look forward to doing it again (someday) on my Alliance alts.

#2 - The Defias Brotherhood

VanCleef

No matter what race or class you rolled, everyone that has played an Alliance character past level 20 has done this quest. It is possibly the most defining quest of lowbie Alliance questing and the first time we see ourselves really unraveling a serious mystery out in the world. Until this chain, our leveling experience mostly focused on "run over there and kill those guys," followed up by "ok, now go kill some of those slightly stronger guys" or "go pick up 10 of these and 3 of those" quests. The Defias Brotherhood, however, had us travel back and forth between zones to investigate this mysterious organization that has been causing all sorts of problems around the kingdom of Stormwind.


Eventually, we uncovered the true nature of this shady organization and dived into the Deadmines to take out the head - both figuratively and literally. And upon completing this task, we were rewarded with an object of great power - a blue quality item (the first for many of us back in the day - especially if you didn't get lucky in the dungeon).


Honestly, choosing between The Missing Diplomat and The Defias Brotherhood was a really hard decision to make, as both are EXTREMELY iconic Alliance quest chains that really showed our growth as characters in the story of Azeroth at that time. The only real reason I placed The Defias Brotherhood over The Missing Diplomat in the end is that it is just a bit more straightforward and widely known. Like I said, EVERYONE has done this quest, whereas my #3 was more exclusive due to its higher level requirement. The Defias Brotherhood also culminates in a dungeon, which is always a fun way to end a quest chain, in my opinion. All in all, a solid #2.

Honorable Mentions

• In Defense of the King's Lands (Loch Modan)
• The Maclures and the Stonefields (Elwynn Forest)
• Beached Sea Creatures (Darkshore)
• Literally every other quest chain in Duskwood... (Morbent Fel, Mor'Ladim, The Legend of Stalvan, etc.)

#1 - Onyxia Attunement

If you managed to make it this far in this list, I really doubt you're surprised by this choice of number 1. Everyone that talks about WoW Classic, and everyone I've ever spoken to about the quests, raves about this quest chain and how amazing it is. From start to finish, it's a roller coaster of adventure.

Stormwind Rendezvous

You start off with a simple unsuspecting quest in the Burning Steppes - kill some dragons. Easy enough. But before you know it you're diving into Blackrock Depths, running to Stormwind, searching for notes, and breaking a random dude in his boxers out of prison. All for what?

To go and slay a big freaking dragon that's manipulating your kingdom from the inside, that's what!

Ohai!

Seriously, the Onyxia attunement quest chain has got some of the most gripping and engaging storytelling in all of classic WoW. Telling the amazing story of Reginald Windsor, a character who is both badass and tragic, this questline really pulls in the player and makes you feel like a champion of the Alliance. Sure, some of the individual quests can be frustrating at times and it's not the most intuitive of quests - especially having to find the crumpled up note to continue in the middle, but honestly these aspects are what made it so intriguing. An unwary player could finish all the prerequisites, not knowing what it was leading to, find the note, and then be sucked right back into it!

Oshit!

Plus, after breaking Windsor out of prison, you got the single-greatest solo event in Classic - The Great Masquerade - in which you slowly walk through the city streets with the Alliance hero to confront the Brood Mother in the Keep. Ok yeah, the quest is labeled as a 60+ raid quest, but c'mon. Who actually did it in a raid group?

She Deep Breathes More...

But it didn't end there! Once you finally got that far, you had the super-vague task of finding some random person who can help you from there. And, of course, that person is on the opposite side of the world in the middle of nowhere in Winterspring...


Do a dungeon (UBRS this time), get some blood, empower a necklace, and go fight a big-ass dragon!


10/10 would do again.

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So, there you have it - my top 5 Alliance quest chains in World of Warcraft: Classic. Honestly, there are tons of amazing quests that all have a place in my heart, but these are the first and most powerful ones I could think of. It's also worth noting that I didn't focus much on the early Kalimdor zones back in the day, so I may have missed a few gems in places like Teldrassil, Darkshore, and Ashenvale. So, let me know if there were any particularly notable chains there if you like and I'll definitely check them out.

Initially, I was thinking maybe I should make a "Top 5 Classic Quests" post, but seeing as I'd never really played Horde back in the day, I decided to focus on one side here. As I've said before, I'm planning on maining Horde when WoW Classic launches in summer 2019, so I think when the time comes I'll make a list for Horde side to go with this one. And, of course, I'll make a list for neutral quests as well for good measure - as there are an absolute crap-ton of amazing chains that both sides can do.

But anyway, that's all for now. If you enjoyed this, make sure to follow my blog by adding yourself to my email list below. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and check out my video content over on YouTube. There's a lot more coming later on, but for now, take it easy!

Memories of Vanilla #20 - High Up in the Hinterlands!

Hey dudes. Silvite Soltis back again for my next chapter of Memories of Vanilla - my reflective series of my adventures back in original World of Warcraft from 2005 to 2007.

Last time, I told the brief story of how I ended up in Tanaris, as well as my most memorable adventures there. And while it was good times, I completely forgot about another zone that I leveled in for a bit back in the day - a foresty zone in the mountains nestled between Hillsbrad, Arathi, and the Alterac Mountains, the Hinterlands.

The Hinterlands (Map)

So sit back, relax, and enjoy, as I tell the story of what I remember of that scenic zone from back in the day...

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The Quest

Honestly, I don't remember the first time I went to this zone. I know most of the mobs here were in the early 40s, so I was probably here at some point before getting my mount. But really, I don't remember much about those quests. Something about necklaces and killing trolls and...I don't know - maybe wolves? Or owlkins?

Anyway, the things I really remember from this zone came later when I got a quest from a goblin in Tanaris to go collect something called a Violet Tragan, which could be found in a lake over in that faraway zone. I remember putting this quest off for a while as I finished up some other quests in Tanaris, but eventually deciding it would be a good idea to head over - just for completion sake.

A Violet Tragan

So, I made the long journey back to the Eastern Kingdoms, flew up to Aerie Peak, and began my search for the magic mushroom. I must have been somewhere around level 46 or 47 by this point, because the mobs scattered around the fields posed little threat as I ran past, searching for the lake. Eventually, I located it in the center of the zone as the quest had instructed. Diving deep underwater, I found the bottom of the lake littered with these mushrooms, so I collected one, swam up to the surface, and looked in my bags, just to make sure it was there.



Scrolling over the new item in my bags, I confirmed that I'd looted it and was about to hit my hearthstone to head back to Tanaris to finish this quest and the last few that lingered in my quest log for the desert. But then I noticed something, the item's use text:

"Don't eat me."

Ok so, something bad was probably going to happen. But being 15 and curious, I couldn't just IGNORE this mushroom's text. After all, if something tells a teenager NOT to do something, what do you think they're going to do?

So I clicked it. And panicked as I watched my health whittle away rapidly as a result of the potent poison's effect. Frantic, I attempted to spam my flash heal button, but it was no use - I was in Shadowform and couldn't cast holy spells. And so, I died. GG Silvite. GG...



I ran back to my body, deciding not to repeat that mistake again, and sat to eat and drink up to full. As I sat there though, I noticed a group running over to some pyramid-like structure nearby - the Altar of Zul. And while I wasn't really sure what there was to do there, I wouldn't have to wait long to find out.

The Altar of Zul

"Hey, Silvite. You're a priest! Would you mind coming and healing us for this? We're getting the Mallet of Zul'Farrak!" one of the players whispered me as I dived back into the water to collect my mushroom.

"Well..." I began replying. I had been planning to head back to Tanaris, but I'd heard about the Mallet before and was curious. So... "sure. Sounds like a plan to me!"

Up popped the invite and away we went. The trolls lining the pathway up the altar posed little threat to our party of four level 40-somethings, but what awaited us at the top was definitely more of a challenge. As I'd come to know, there were two level 50 elite troll mobs at the top that needed to be killed in order to claim the Mallet of Zul'Farrak - the Keepers, Morta'gya and Qiaga.

Morta'gya the Keeper

This battle was actually quite challenging for our group, as there were tons of other non-elite trolls at the top that we decided we'd have to pull separately. I mind soothed the one that was slightly closer, which allowed us to get just close enough to pull the mobs, but more than once we accidentally pulled the two elites and ran away - scared to face such a large pack without being properly prepared. Finally, however, we had just the keepers remaining and our plan was underway.

Our mage polymorphed the keeper closer to the stairs and we burned the other as fast as possible. I don't remember if she had any dangerous abilities, but with the careful pulling and crowd control, it ended fairly quickly. With her safely slain, we turned our attention to the other. All in all, the plan went swimmingly. Unlike my plan to get the mushroom initially had...

Anyway though, after both elites lay dead in front of us, we all looted their bodies. To my surprise, there was no Mallet of Zul'Farrak though - only an item called the Sacred Mallet.

"What about the Mallet of Zul'Farrak?" I asked in party chat.

"Oh man," one of my group-mates replied, "we're only getting started..."

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I hope you enjoyed this tale of adventures in the Hinterlands. It's a zone that I honestly COMPLETELY forgot about when I started this series, but a good one nonetheless. When I think back now on everything I did there - both these memories, the ones before, and the many that came after - I really think that it's a bit of an underappreciated zone. Sure, it's not as forgettable as Desolace, but really...what is?

Anyway, that's it for today's installment. Next time, I'll round up the story of how I got the Mallet of Zul'Farrak, as well as how I saved a baby gryphon from some super-evil forest trolls. If you enjoyed this post, remember to follow my blog here, or check out my YouTube channel for additional content! Follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter for more updates or just to chitchat about WoW Classic. I'd love to hear your memories of the game back in the day as we all wait for that summer 2019 release. But anyway, for now...

Take it easy!

Picking a Race/Class in Classic WoW - A Simplified Guide by Silvite Soltis

Hey dudes. It's Silvite Soltis here again today for another fun post.

Recently, I've been noticing a plethora of guides on YouTube and posts on Reddit, Facebook groups, and the like discussing what race/class combination to play. Most of the time, the guides seem to focus on what makes each combination better suited for which roles, and while it's pretty obvious that some choices are just generally better than others, I felt like it would be fun to make my own guide, just to help those of you that are struggling to choose a main for Classic.

So get ready. Here's Silvite Soltis's 3-step guide to picking a race and class in World of Warcraft: Classic.

Step 1 - Pick a Faction
Red or Blue. Choose one. Both sides crap-talk the other, so really it doesn't matter which one you choose. If you went Alliance back in the day, try Horde. Or don't! It's 100% up to you whether you want to try something new or not this time around. Remember to find out what side your friends and/or family are rolling though, as you'll probably want to play with them at some point...or kill them. Whatever, I won't judge...

Step 2 - Pick a Class
I say pick a class next simply because it limits what races to choose from. I won't go into much detail on each class here, mostly because guides like that have been done to death. Instead, I'll just offer the following role guide:

Tanks - Warrior
Healers - Priest, Paladin, Shaman, Druid
Melee DPS - Warrior, Rogue
Ranged DPS - Mage, Warlock, Hunter

If you like ranged, but hate spellcasters go hunter. If you want to tank, go warrior. If you want to heal, go priest, druid, pally, or shaman - depending on how squishy you like being and what faction you picked. If you're an asshole or love heavy metal, roll rogue or warlock (respectively). And if you like AoE and being asked for favors constantly, go mage.

Step 3 - Pick a Race
Based on the class you chose in step 2, your options here are limited. Look at what races can be the class you selected and choose the one that you think looks cooler. Easy.

Step 4 - When in Doubt...
Roll a Troll Priest.

Honestly, all the min-maxers will probably have a field day with this, but honestly, unless you're planning on investing 16 hours/day in your character to blaze to 60 and go full on no-life raiding or PVP in WoW Classic, you really don't need to get the full potential out of your character. Every race/class combo is viable and can complete the content eventually. But do remember that not all specs are viable for high-end raiding, so stick to the roles outlined if you want to be included.

At the end of the day though, Classic is all about having fun, so play what you want and boo to what anyone says about it.

The end.

Memories of Vanilla #18 - Enter, the Warrior

Hey dudes! Silvite Soltis back again for another installment of Memories of Vanilla, my reflective series about what I remember of my adventures in original World of Warcraft back in 2005-2007.

Aoyamamotoko, 2006

Now that I've covered pretty much everything I remember from level 1-40 on my main character, I think it's time that I introduce my first, and most played, alt: Aoyamamotoko. Before that though, remember to follow my blog for more updates when additional stories are posted, and check out my video content over on YouTube. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

But without further ado, join me as I take a journey from Shadowglen all the way to Elwynn as I recount the beginnings of my female night elf warrior's story...

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I don't actually remember when this story took place, but I know it was before I got my own account. You see, back when Leika and I still shared our account, he actually decided to buy a second account, so he could level two characters together when he was playing, as well as to allow us to play together by each of us having our own characters on the other account (i.e., my priest could help his paladin, and his mage could help my soon-to-be warrior). And so, rather than me just getting my own account, we began sharing two accounts (ToS violation!!!!!!).

A Teenage Gamer's Fuel

Anyway, one day I was over at Leika's house, as was pretty common on days I didn't work. The night before, he'd told me how he'd gotten the second account, so I came over to make my first real alt in the same place that I'd created Silvite several months prior. Having played for a while at this point, I always thought one race kind of stuck out a bit more than the rest - the night elves. So, while I sat at his computer desk, drinking a Mountain Dew in classic gamer teen fashion, I clicked that purple race and began making my new character.

Similar to Silvite, I wanted a female avatar for...obvious reasons. Hey, I was 15 - what do you expect? Anyway, I now had to pick a class. Since Silvite was a priest, I thought maybe I should try something completely different from a ranged or a caster. Plus, I knew that most dungeons took warriors to tank, so my decision was made rather quickly.

Aoyama Motoko (from the Love Hina Anime)

I quickly flipped through the features, finding a cool set of face markings I liked (now called "Bear" I think, though I'm not 100%), decided on a name based off my favorite character in a manga series I was into at the time, Love Hina, and boom - Aoyamamotoko the Night Elf warrior was born!

I entered the world and was immediately greeted by the wonderful sight of Teldrassil, as well as the backstory of the night elves that I had never heard until this point. And when the screen faded and I was greeted with the user interface, I knew this was the beginning of a new adventure.

I ran around the purple forest for some time, following the instructions of the quest-givers around the area and slaying boars, cats, and spiders to my heart's content. However, after reaching level 5 or so and heading home for the night, I had reached a decision - I was going to go to Elwynn.

Because One Horse Wasn't Enough

You see, somewhere along my adventures on Silvite, I'd learned that if one got enough reputation with the other cities of the Alliance, the other mounts could be obtained. I had already started working on Darnassus reputation on Silvite (probably a good part of the reason it took so long for me to level, now that I think about it), so I thought it would be fun to work on Stormwind reputation on my night elf.  

So, once I got back home, I called Leika up and asked for his assistance. Logging onto his account, I saw my new warrior stood in wait. I entered the world, and within seconds was whispered by my mage friend. Was I sure I wanted to do this?

Absolutely!

With that, he ran from Darnassus and met me right there in the starting zone. Casting a portal, he waved as I cheered IRL. I was going to level up in Elwynn again! As a night elf! How weird! 

Well, that's how it felt at the time anyway. 

And that's the story of how Aoyamamotoko went from Teldrassil to Elwynn Forest in 5 levels, 1 hour played, and without making the Wetlands run.

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Aoyamamotoko on a Boat, 2007

I hope you enjoyed this short story of my first alt. Actually, Leika and I had played a bit on a couple of other alts before this, like an undead warrior and a night elf hunter (we joked around during the intro cutscene, hence my not knowing what the night elves were about), but none that ended up being characters I really played. Ao was my first, and still is my only, real warrior in World of Warcraft, as well as the only character that ever became my main other than Silvite (briefly for Karazhan in TBC). And the memories I have with her are all fond ones to this day.

But anyway, if you enjoyed this story, remember to follow my blog for more content going forward in the future. Also, leave a comment telling about your first alt in World of Warcraft. I look forward to your stories. Check out my YouTube channel for Classic WoW videos, and follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates!

That's all for today! Until next time everyone, take it easy!

Memories of Vanilla #17 - Saddle Up, Partner!

Hey dudes. Silvite Soltis here again for the next installment of Memories of Vanilla.

Last time, I told about how I hit the epic milestone of level 40 by grinding out pirates and naga in STV. And while I was ecstatic to get my Shadowform, there still remained one big goal to achieve around this time.

My First Mount

That's right. Today, I'm going to tell you about how I got that wonderful first mount in World of Warcraft - my Black Stallion.

Before we begin though, I'd like to just quickly say thank you to everyone reading this. It's a lot of fun for me to reflect on these times, as well as create other Classic WoW content in my free time, but the fact that you all seem to be enjoying it always inspires me even when I'm not particularly self-motivated. I probably wouldn't still be doing this without your support, so thank you all so much!

But anyway, let's get on with the story!

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It was somewhere around mid to late January 2006 when this story took place. I remember it being a particularly cold Ohio day as well, with snow and wind that really made me want to stay inside and do nothing but play WoW. But alas, being 15, I had to go to school.

The past week and a half or so had been a blur of mob grinding and frugal spending in Azeroth. I'd recently hit level 40 (as mentioned in MoV #16), but had nowhere near the 100 gold I needed for my riding skill and first mount. My friend, Leika, had offered to help me grind when he wasn't preoccupied with his own dungeons during his time on the account, so together we'd saved up around 75 gold or so.

Need More Gold...

So while I sat in school, day-dreaming about when I'd eventually get my mount, a thought came to me - which mount should I buy? As a human priest, my options were limited to a horse, but since it was so expensive, I couldn't purchase more than one. I remember considering this question as I went to my computer science class. As I sat there half-listening to the instructions for the assignment, I decided that I'd look up the options rather than actually pay attention to whatever the teacher was droning on about.

Browsing through Thottbot, I found the different options available. If I remember correctly, there were 4 choices - Brown Horse, Pinto, Chestnut Mare, and Black Stallion. And though I don't recall seeing what any of them looked like, I knew that for a shadow priest there could be only one option - the Black Stallion. My choice was made before I ever saw it.

School ended and I headed to my job at the local pizzeria again. Those dishes weren't going to wash themselves! It was only a short shift, since 15-year-olds could only work until 7:00 or so back then due to child labor laws, so I figured I'd be able to get another solid 6 or 7 gold when I got home if Leika wasn't busy doing a dungeon or something. It was a really busy day at work that day though (maybe it was Friday), so I ended up not actually being able to leave until 8 or so (I know, I know, call the feds!). I was pretty bummed because I was really expecting to be able to grind out that last bit of gold over the next few days, and any setback was really disheartening, but still I shrugged it off as I got in the car to head home.

Just then, I got a call on my phone:

"Hey Silvite, you done at work or what?" Leika said.

"Yeah, just finished dude. Heading home now. What's up?" I answered, wondering why he sounded so excited.

"Ok cool," he replied, "Log on WoW as soon as you get home. I've got something to show you."

I pried a little at that, but he refused to say any more. So as soon as I got home, I ran to my computer in the basement, not even bothering to change my dirty-dish-water soaked clothes first. Firing it up, I wondered what Leika could have meant. Surely he hadn't bought the mount for me...

Menethil Harbor, Where My Mount Was Waiting

The character select screen came up and I noticed something odd straight away. My priest was in the Wetlands, but I knew for a fact that I had been in STV when I'd logged out. Clearly Leika had moved me. Shrugging, I logged in and noticed I was standing just inside the entrance of the inn. Everything seemed pretty normal. My gold was the same too, so I wondered what the point was. As I was about to call him back, though, I noticed something in the top-right corner of my screen.

I had mail.

I moved out and over to the mailbox just outside. Clicking it, I found that I had a single letter from Leika.

"Congrats noob! Get to 60 already!"

Attached to the letter were 25 shiny gold pieces.

He's a Bro!

He'd given me the last bit of gold I needed to purchase my riding skill and my first mount. Fumbling, I called him up to thank him:

"Dude, really?"

"Yeah, really. Go get your mount! The Black Stallion is over there in Menethil Harbor. Go buy it and start leveling again!"

"Dude. Thank you! I can't even... Thanks man!"

And so, with gold in hand and goal within reach, I ran over to that riding trainer in Menethil Harbor, learned the riding skill, and bought my first mount - the Black Stallion.

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After running around for a bit on my new mount, I called Leika again to ask how he'd gotten the gold in such a short time. Apparently he'd been doing some dungeon the night before and gotten lucky with a blue drop that sold for like 30 gold on the auction house while he was at work that day. Feeling like it was just luck, he decided to use that gold to help me out. I thanked him again and vowed to get to 60 faster now that I could travel more quickly. And though it would still be several months before I'd make it there, it felt amazing the whole time.

I hope you enjoyed this short story of how I got my first mount in classic World of Warcraft. Back then, it was so important to have friends that would be willing to help you out, and I feel like this situation I was in really reflects that. If it hadn't been for Leika, I might have been running around on foot until level 45 or so by the time I'd collected enough gold, and that's with foregoing new spells and abilities! He really was a big help to my WoW adventure.

But anyway, that's all for today. If you liked this short story, remember to follow my blog here for more stories when they come out. Also, check out my YouTube channel for video content, and follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates when content like this is released. There's a lot more coming, so be ready! 

Thanks again for reading. And, again, take it easy!

Memories of Vanilla #16 - Silvite's Shadowform

Hey dudes! Silvite Soltis here again to bring you another installment of Memories of Vanilla - my reflective series about my memories of original World of Warcraft from 2005 to 2007.

Silvite in Shadowform (2006)

Recently, I concluded the story of my first journey to the Scarlet Monastery and the adventures that ensued there. Well, today we're heading back to the jungle to make it to the "halfway" point of leveling back in the day. That magical level where you get your big talent, buy your mount, and start to really feel like a baller - level 40.

Before that though, remember to follow my blog by adding yourself to my mailing list so you don't miss any updates going forward. Also, check out my YouTube channel for video versions of my stories and posts. I'm sure you'll love it.

But for now, on with the story...

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It was January of 2006 and my priest was back in STV doing some quests. I had just gotten back from my part-time job at a local pizza restaurant and was really looking forward to hitting this massive milestone. After all, I was level 39 now, and from what I'd heard from Leika, level 40 was where the game really began to pick up. Sure, I didn't have the 100 gold needed for my mount, but with the level 40 talent, Shadowform, I figured I could grind it out soon enough.

And so, I departed Booty Bay and made my way down the small dirt path leading to the beach directly to the left of the pirate town's entrance. As I ran, I looked at my experience bar - this was it. Only 5 bars of experience to go!

Where I was Grinding

My killing-spree began. As I had basically no quests left here at this point (at least, none that I was high enough level to complete anyway), I spent the better part of the next hour of my life carefully pulling pirate after pirate away from the campfire to get that sweet sweet exp. Whenever I'd get aggro on more than one, I would run back to the entryway and let the guards help me finish them off. Not that they ever really did - most of the time the mob would run back before getting within range.

The pirates fell, one after another. And slowly, each experience bubble filled. 5 bars left. 4 bars left. 3...2...Finally, the last bar was all that remained to be filled as I sat to drink and replenished my mana. Wasting little time, I steeled my resolve. This was it! It was time to finally get my Shadowform! Putting myself into overdrive, I renewed my slaughter.

The Campsite

Unfortunately, though, I was a bit too ambitious in my eagerness to get that last bit of experience. After I killed about 3 pirates around the edges of the beach, I ventured a bit too close to the campfire just as two pirates respawned. Not noticing them right away was my first mistake, and trying to fight them at half health and low mana was my second. I turned to head up the hill, just as I'd done in similar dire situations over the past hour and a half. This time, however, I barely crawled forward, having gotten dazed. My hp drained away as I attempted to flee and I sighed. I was going to die again.

Or maybe not.

My Savior...Moo...

Running down the hill came a tauren hunter. Though I don't remember what level she was (it was a female tauren, by the way - hence why it was so memorable. Who plays those?), a flurry of arrows struck one of my attackers as I spammed my Psychic Scream key in an attempt to fear them off of me. Without stopping or looking back, I ran as far up the hill as I could with the last of my HP. Ducking into the Booty Bay entrance, I noticed that I'd dropped combat and sighed again as I sat to eat and drink. 

That tauren had just saved my ass something big. 

With my health and mana back to full, I made my way back down the hill where my savior stood waiting. I did a /bow and /cheer, as I typically always did when encountering a helpful Horde player, and continued back down to the camp.

The camp was cleared, so I ventured a bit further along the coast, killing some pirates on the other side of a bridge until I encountered some naga along the shore. There was only a tiny sliver of exp left to obtain before that big yellow aura swirled around my character and I was as determined as ever to get it. One naga. Two naga. Three naga... 

Ding!

I'd done it! Level 40 was mine! Immediately, I smashed my 'N' key, pulling up the talent window, and clicked that amazing icon at the bottom of the shadow tree. Shadowform was mine!

I'll never forget the feeling of the first time I cast that aura on myself. The power I felt with the purple glow surrounding my priest - fading her features into a blurry silhouette of raw darkness. Leika had been right - priest was way better than a warlock.

Excited to test my new abilities, I ran back towards Booty Bay and attacked some of the respawned pirates as I did so. I was amazed at how much faster they seemed to die. Even though it was probably only like 3 seconds faster, it felt like I was obliterating them with lightning speed. Pleased, I made my way back into town, over to the flight master, and headed up to Stormwind to learn my other new spells...

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I hope you enjoyed this short story of how I hit level 40 and got Shadowform. Really, the feeling of accomplishment I got from that one event topped basically every other achievement I'd made in the game until that point - even finishing the Deadmines and SM. Having seen other priests running around in Stormwind and Ironforge with this amazing aura, I was super-hyped to get it myself.

Though I know that I won't get the same satisfaction from reaching level 40 in WoW Classic that I had back in the day, what with it being a repeated experience at this point, I still look forward to that day this autumn when I unlock the spell again. And, of course, I fully intend to go back to that shoreline in Stranglethorn to grind out that last purple bubble again.

Anyway though, if you enjoyed this post, why not follow my blog for more content in the future. Or, if you're less inclined to read, head over to my YouTube channel for video adaptations. I try to post at least one every week, so it's worth subscribing so you can stay up to date. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for more updates, but until next time...

Take it easy!

My Top 5 Classes in Classic World of Warcraft

What's up, dudes! Silvite Soltis back again for another Classic Top-5 List.

Today, I wanted to focus a bit less on the world of WoW Classic, with its zones, music, and dungeons, and take a closer look at something that I believe we all have an even more personal connection with - the classes of the game.

The Classes of Classic

Back in the day, all of us got held up on this question - what should we play? And while the classes, and we ourselves, have changed significantly over the years, I'm sure that some classes still stand out in our minds from back in the day. That being said, this list is purely my opinion, so don't take it personally if you share a different opinion. Instead, leave a comment telling your favorite classes from Classic and why you love them. I look forward to hearing your opinion!

But anyway, let's get right into it. Here are my Top 5 Classes in Classic World of Warcraft...

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#5 - Shaman

Tauren Shaman

Now, you might be wondering why, as someone who played exclusively Alliance back in the day, I have shaman ranked in my top 5. The answer is simple:

Frost Shock and Totems.

I'll be the first to admit, I never played a shaman back in the day, but I was always able to appreciate the crazy amount of utility they brought to groups, as well as their ability to always kill me no matter what. In a later installment of Memories of Vanilla, I'm planning to tell the story of how I tried to gank a shaman flagged for PVP in Felwood (with under half health, by the way), only to have him turn around and mop the floor with me before t-bagging my corpse. It was stupid just how much he could do and it gave me a great respect for the vanilla shaman ever since.

Sure, they might not be the strongest healers or DPS in the game and shaman tanking is kind of a meme at this point, but honestly, shamans are a great class in classic WoW.

#4 - Warrior

Tauren Warrior

Ahh, the class that I hear so much about nowadays from everyone that plays or has knowledge of private servers. The "master-class" as Tips puts it. In a way, he's not wrong - the warrior is an awesome class to play in vanilla. It was my first alt. And though I only got to around level 40 or so before TBC launched, I thoroughly enjoyed every slow, painstakingly earned level.

If you're seriously planning to tank, roll one of these bad boys and get ready for the long grind to 60. But also prepare to have some of the greatest experiences in class quests and weapon upgrades of any class in the game - because you'll definitely feel the improvement as you go.

Also, Mortal Strike is OP. Just saying...

#3 - Mage

Gnome Mage

If you ever played back in the day, you'll know that mages were THE staple DPS class in the game from 2004-2006. I actually don't remember ever running a dungeon without one! Their damage is great, their CC is amazing (Polymorph for the win), and, most importantly, they bring water for your healer! There's literally nothing not to love about the mage!

That being said, mages are definitely glass cannons, so if you plan on playing one, make sure you don't let things hit you too much. But with all the slows and snares they have available, that shouldn't happen too much anyway.

My first real mage was a Draenei that I leveled in 2007, so I missed out on playing a classic mage back in the day, but thanks to all the information I got from Leika about his mage, I knew a lot about them before ever actually playing one. And I really hope to at least casually level one come Classic.

#2 - Warlock

Orc Warlock

My initial first pick for a class back in 2005, the warlock is an amazingly useful class on all fronts. You've got crowd control in the form of Seduce, Banish, and Fear, all of which are great tools for any dungeon group. Though arguably less effective than a mage's polymorph, they are still effective when used carefully and correctly.

Furthermore, warlocks provide excellent buffs and debuffs to dungeons and raids, through their curses, demons, and the like. Curse of Shadows, Curse of Weakness, Blood Pact, Health Stones, and Soulstones all had their places in groups back in the day. Plus, have you ever see a tank go down in a dungeon only to have a warlock's voidwalker appear to taunt the mobs? I did - more times than I can remember, to be honest. It was definitely a different time back in the day.

Add into the mix how great this class was in PVP, the immense lore behind it, and the fact that you can play it as a gnome, and you've got a solid class for Classic WoW.

Honorable Mentions

Human Rogue

Rogue

If you like ninjas and sneaking around, rogue is definitely a fun class. I played around with rogues for a while back in the day, but the highest I ever got one was level 15 or so. Still, it's a solid DPS with a lot of utility (sap, interrupts, and the like). Not really my cup of tea, to be honest, but it's definitely a fun class for a lot of people. Plus, they're the best at ganking people, so......

Paladin

Human Paladin

The buffadin! My brother's favorite class and the one with not one, but two memespecs!

All jokes aside, paladins are crazy cool from a lore perspective and I'm really hyped to play one with my brothers on the weekends when classic comes out. But I know that I'll definitely be healing in the same dress as my priest if I ever get it to 60. Still, there's no better support class in my opinion - those buffs are too good to pass up.

Plus, you know...Judgement set...

Hunter

Dwarf Hunter

The one guy in every classic group that you could count on to forget to dismiss a pet and thus accidentally pull half the instance and wipe your run, the hunter is one of those classes that I don't have much love for, personally. That being said, they do have some of the most unique abilities and game-play elements, such as the ability to tame (and keep happiness up on) different pets throughout the world, feign death, and the all-too-important Tranquilizing Shot for raid bosses in end-game, so if played properly, they could be great. If you want to play a hunter, good luck and have fun. And, don't forget, everything is hunter loot.

Druid

Tauren Druid

The stereotypical "jack of all trades, master of none" class, the druid has historically been known as the least played classic WoW class, which is unfortunate given its unique elements. It's not without reason, however. While the druid has some great utility as a healer, it lacks a proper resurrection spell - having only a battle rez. In raids, this may be fine since you'd have others that can rez as well, but for dungeons or group quests out in the world, this may be an issue if you're lacking anyone else with the ability to rez.

Add in the fact that druid tanks are typically less viable than warriors and that kitty and boomkin DPS is laughable unless you're ultra-hardcore with consumables, and you've just really got a class that doesn't do much.

However, it's not all bad. Personally, I love the lore and the diversity that druids bring to the table. They were one of my favorite classes to run dungeons or PVP with, so they're still really fun as a class in my opinion. That being said, I definitely don't plan to play one in WoW Classic.

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Alright, with all of those out of the way, let's move on to #1. If you've been following me for a while, you can probably guess what it I'm about to say...

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#1 - Priest

Troll Priest

I'm sure I'll get some crap for loving this class, but honestly there's no question in my mind. The priest is my absolute, all-time favorite class in World of Warcraft - and even more so in Classic WoW.

First and foremost, the races you can pick are all unique and engaging - 3 choices on the Alliance side and 2 for the Horde - and each of these races gets unique racial spells: 

Dwarves get Fear Ward and Desperate Prayer. 

Humans get Desperate Prayer and Feedback. 

Night Elves get Starshards and Elune's Grace. 

Undead get Devouring Plague and Touch of Weakness. 

And finally Trolls get Hex of Weakness and Shadowguard.

At this point, everyone knows that Dwarven racials are the strongest and that most Horde priests go Undead for their strength in both PVP and PVE, but it's just so cool that there's such diversity even among the one class.

Anyway, priests have a ton of other interesting and useful spells beyond their racial abilities too: Mana Burn, Mind Control, Mind Soothe, Inner Fire, and Power Word: Shield to name a few. Each of these spells, while niche, have their own utility and can be useful, or just for fun in the game.

Finally, it is common knowledge that the priest is the absolute best overall healer for the majority of Classic WoW content, losing out only in terms of healing output to paladins only at the late endgame. Sure, priests need to know how to downrank their spells, a skill that I never learned back in the day, but that only adds another element of immersion to the class and really lets one explore the class fully. Plus, everyone really has to downrank for one reason or another (mana, threat, etc.), so it's hardly a priest-exclusive issue.

All in all, for these reasons, as well as my own personal bias towards the class, I feel confident in putting priest as my number 1 class in Classic World of Warcraft.

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I hope you enjoyed reading my top-5 list, but I'd like to know what you all think too! What's your favorite class from Classic World of Warcraft? It was a lot of fun for me to think about the different classes and what I enjoyed, and didn't enjoy, about each one, so I'm looking forward to hearing your comments as well!

If you liked this post, remember to follow my blog by adding yourself to the email list so you don't miss any updates later on! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter for other updates, and check out my YouTube channel for video content. But for now...

Take it easy!