Sunday, December 30, 2018
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Memories of Vanilla #11 - Desolate Desolace
Hey dudes. Silvite Soltis back again for the next chapter of Memories of Vanilla.
While looking over the previous installments of this series, I noticed that until this point my stories have all been in the Eastern Kingdoms. So today, I'm going to jump over to Kalimdor where one of my next adventures took place - in the beautiful and scenic land, known as Desolace.
Before that though, remember to follow my blog for more stories in the future, as there's a lot more coming. And be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates as well.
But now, on with the story...
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| Desolace |
Before that though, remember to follow my blog for more stories in the future, as there's a lot more coming. And be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates as well.
But now, on with the story...
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I was somewhere around level 33 when I first made my way down through the Stonetalon Mountains to search for Nijel's Point in Desolace. I don't remember precisely what brought me here, but I do know it had something to do with running out of things to do at my exact level in STV - a small level gap between Nesingwary quests, perhaps. Leika had mentioned the barren zone over in Kalimdor with some questing to do, so I must have figured that was as good a place as any to play around in.
Anyway, I got to Desolace without significant issue, but quickly encountered my first obstacle: finding Nijel's Point. Now, I'm not sure how I missed the sign pointing up the hill to the left of the road, but somehow I did. Wandering around the zone aimlessly for a while, killing scorpids and basilisks if I remember correctly, I eventually picked up my old-school flip phone and called Leika to ask for directions:
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| Desolace Map |
"Hey dude. Where is the town in Desolace? I can't find it..."
"Bro, it's just up the hill. Dead center of the northern border."
"But I don't see any...." I paused in mid-sentence, looking over and seeing a single guard walking around the hill to my right. Nijel's Point Guard. "Nevermind, I found it. Thanks."
So much for figuring stuff out on my own.
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Anyway, I began adventuring in the zone for a while, doing various quests that were honestly some of the most forgettable I've ever encountered in WoW. However, one quest really stuck out above the rest as it had a very unique objective.
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| Choose a Side - Gelkis or Magram? |
The night elf quest-giver in the center of Nijel's Point had just offered me two quests. One asked me to achieve friendly status with the Gelkis Clan Centaur; the other, the Magram Clan Centaur. And if I remember correctly, the quest text (which I finally started reading regularly by this point) told me that I could only do one, as they were diametrically opposed to each other. So I had a choice here. Do I side with the Gelkis and kill the Magram, or do I side with the Magram and kill the Gelkis?
I distinctly remember mulling over this choice over the next day or so, not wanting to sully my reputation with the wrong side unnecessarily. I began asking around, but my school friends were no help (as none of them played WoW as of yet). Leika simply told me that it didn't matter, as I'd likely never return to Desolace anyway. And my brother was still pissy with me since I had deleted his paladin and didn't want to talk with me about anything WoW-related.
So, with little input from anyone else, I made my decision: Gelkis sounded gross for some reason, so I'd kill them and make the Magram my friends.
And so, the grind began. My priest decimated the Gelkis tribe, killing any and all centaur in their encampments all in an effort to become friendly with the Magram clan. And, I still remember to this day, that one evening, around 7PM at my friend Tanshii's house, I made it.
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| The Gelkis Village Massacre - Geographic Location |
I'd gone over there to try and convince him and his twin brother to start playing WoW - so that we could play together. I'd let them play a bit on the account (yes, now there are 4 people using one account) and they seemed interested, but it was my turn to mess around a bit now. So I'd logged in, slayed a few centaurs, and, finally, my character dinged with a green glow - I was friendly with the Magram Clan Centaur.
Excited, I ran all the way back up to Nijel's Point (a good 10+ minute run along the road), narrowly dodging Rexxar along the path as I went. I stared at the NPC that had given me the quest.
There was no yellow question mark.
I sighed, opened my quest log and found that I had to speak to someone else after completing this chore - a centaur named Warug (yes, I looked up his name just now). I wasn't sure where he was, but the quest told me to head to southeastern Desolace. So that's what I did.
I left Nijel's Point, having stood there for all of 2 minutes, and made another ~7-8 minute run along the path down to find the correct destination...
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I hope you enjoyed my tale of Desolace. It's a zone that I honestly feel doesn't get enough attention or love, despite it having interesting content like this (yes, I know I said MOST of the quests are forgettable, but hey - this one wasn't). Thinking about it now, my overall impression is probably based on the fact that I initially quested there as a human priest, and that a Horde player may have a more immersive experience there, but that's beside the point. All in all, I enjoyed my time there, as I did in all of the vanilla zones back in the day. And I can't wait to go back next summer on my troll priest.
Anyway, in the near future I'm planning to tell the story of my first adventures in Scarlet Monastery, though there may be one or two smaller stories to tell before getting to that. If you enjoyed this story, follow my blog or subscribe to my YouTube channel for more content. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates, and feel free to leave a comment - I read every one.
Until next time, take it easy, guys!
Monday, December 24, 2018
My Top 5 Music Tracks from Classic World of Warcraft
Hey dudes. Silvite Soltis back again for another top 5 list.
There's lots of reasons why people loved Classic World of Warcraft - the questing, the dungeons, the social experience, and more. And while I appreciate all of these, I feel there's one aspect of the game that often gets overlooked - the music. Well, while sitting at my day job, listening to WoW music on YouTube, I thought to myself: "man, I really love the music of this game. I should do a top-5 list on it."
And so, I did.
Keep in mind that I love every single track from original WoW for one reason or another, so trying to narrow it down to just 5 was SUPER challenging - involving many hours of listening, re-listening, shifting placements, and so on. The composers and musicians really outdid themselves with these tracks. But anyway, with that disclaimer out of the way, here are my top 5 picks for the best music tracks from Classic World of Warcraft:
Ever been to a Renaissance Faire? Me neither, but this is basically what I imagine it would sound like. This track was definitely my favorite back in the day. And every time the Faire was in town in Elwynn (I played Alliance, as you know), I would head to Goldshire and hang out there, listening to this track.
It's just so upbeat and happy, yet old-timey that I can't get enough of it. Though I also like the new DMF track added in Cataclysm (if I'm not mistaken), the original is just way better in my opinion - really establishing the atmosphere of a medieval faire. And the memories of the time I spent getting Sayge's fortunes, delivering course weightstones, and just generally messing around in Elwynn whenever this group came to town always come flooding back whenever I hear this tune.
If you ask any Alliance player from back in the day for a song they remember, I'd be willing to bet that nine out of ten would say this track. A massive city that held the vast majority of Alliance players throughout most of vanilla, Ironforge is where many of us spent our time - waiting for dungeons/raids, looking for enchants, buying and selling goods in the auction house, or just idling for no reason. And so, with all that time spent there, Ironforge's theme is burned into our minds.
But that's not the only reason it's so high on my list. It's also got one of the most epic and dramatic beats in the game, stirring up a sense of pride as you listen. If you don't believe me, listen to it for yourself!
Whenever I hear this song, I think back to my priest and how I could march around the city streets, past the auction house, and out of the gates along with the hundreds of other proud soldiers of the Alliance. And how, at one point or another, we all called this dwarven city home.
Ok let's face it - all of the taverns in Classic WoW have amazing soundtracks - some of the best in the game. They make you feel warm, safe, and cozy. In my opinion, however, the pirate tavern theme that plays in Booty Bay's Inn is the most unique and thematically appropriate. First off, it just sounds like fun. The heavy, swinging beat reminds one of a salty sea shanty, with appropriate instrumentals to add to this feeling. However, it still retains elements of the overall WoW tavern theme, making it recognizable as a place for rest as well.
Hearing this song always reminds me of my times back in the day when I'd hearth back to Booty Bay after questing, clear my bags of any unnecessary items, and then buy some super-potent alcoholic beverage from the bartender and get Silvite completely smashed all while jamming out to this jolly tune. Lots of fun memories with this one.
It's no secret that I love trolls and everything about Stranglethorn Vale (seriously, have you seen my other posts and videos?). And while the STV theme is definitely amazing, I think that this particular jungle song is just a bit more engaging. It starts off slow, but heavy - giving an impression of something wicked in the distance. But in less than 12 seconds, it's upon you - an enemy giving chase. The trolls, with their voodoo magic, are up to something and you're right in the middle of it.
Though I never experienced ZG back in the day, I went there many times to grind Zandalar Tribe reputation in WotLK and this track always blew me away. The drums, the horns, and the twists in the song - they all still give me chills and remind me of this wild and exotic place. Plus, this track is extremely short when compared to others - only around a minute and 20 seconds, which makes it especially effective in drawing out that feeling of uneasiness in the jungle when it comes on and abruptly ends.
Personally, I can't wait to dive into ZG on weekends and run around, waiting for this track to come blazing in my headphones. Awesome song. Love everything about it.
Honestly, I like the Orgrimmar theme well enough. It really nails the feeling of a city filled with battle-hardened warriors living in a desolate land. However, as I didn't play as Horde too much back in the day, it doesn't have the impact that other tracks on this list do. Still a great song and I look forward to it becoming my anthem come Classic.
The message every lowbie Horde player saw while jamming out to this track killing Zhevras for their hooves. The slow winds and strings give a feeling of searing heat to the zone - which is further drawn out by your search for lions in the grass and shade and the constant dodging of raptors.
My favorite part of this song, however, is the grunting orc noises that it contains, which remind you that you are most definitely in a Horde zone. A really great touch to a fantastic track.
Surely anyone whose first character was a night elf, as well as anyone like me who frequented this zone back in the day, will have fond memories of this song.
As I said in my Top 5 Classic WoW Zones list, the music matches the relaxed, snowy atmosphere so well that it's hard to imagine any other music for Winterspring and Dun Morogh. These are zones where there's not much going on (some troggs here, some furbolgs there), and the music really reflects that in my opinion. Again, another track that while not in my top 5, is definitely in the top 10.
If you've been following my posts, you might be surprised to see Stranglethorn's theme in the Honorable Mentions section and NOT at number 1. However, there's good reason for that. Though I love the song and it's easily ONE of my favorites, there are just too many amazing tracks to choose from. And my personal favorite is elsewhere...
One of the only tracks I actually knew properly by name going into this list, Legacy is an amazing song with several great parts. First and foremost, it opens with an atmosphere of mystery about it - a single oboe (I'm really a fan of this instrument for some reason), before being joined shortly after by other instruments one by one. Then, all instruments work together, like the members of a party, to paint the image in the listener's mind. An image of mystery and discovery.
At 1:03 the song begins to pick up, with scaling violins in the background adding to the atmosphere of a much wider world. One in which your player is a part.
Then, finally, at around 1:43 the music begins to slow, dramatically, focusing your attention on what's to come. A boss? A puzzle? Your impending doom?
No.
The most epic part of the song. A blend of strings and rhythmic percussion that is both mysterious and exciting. You've journeyed deep into the dungeon with your party. And now, you are rewarded with the wondrous treasure within.
To me, this song encapsulates the World of Warcraft dungeon experience. I still remember the first time I heard it (particularly the ending) play in Scarlet Monastery back in late 2005 when my group approached the ending. The epicness of that moment forever burned into my mind as my group died to zealots, ran back to the dungeon, and did it all again. I notice that whenever there was a particularly epic moment in a dungeon (or raid, as this comes on again during the Ragnaros room of MC), this song would be playing in the background.
And in fact, the ending is SO epic that I've noticed it used in other places outside of WoW as well. Of course, I'm sure that many people noticed that Alexensual uses it in his endscreens, but I doubt many know that there was a documentary that aired on a Mongolian television channel in summer 2018 about some famous Mongolian person (honestly, I don't remember who it was or what he did) that utilized that ending in loop as its background music. When I heard it, I turned to my wife and laughed:
"Darling, that's my favorite song from World of Warcraft they're using..."
And if it's epic enough to be used for a documentary in out in a country where next to no one has even heard of World of Warcraft, you better believe that it's my number 1.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read through my post about my favorite music tracks from Classic WoW. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed listening to the music and writing about it. I'm not sure what I'll cover next in my top 5 series, but I'm sure I'll do another one soon. So if there's anything you'd like to see, or if I missed any amazing music tracks that you think I should've listed here, let me know by leaving a comment. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more content like this, including Top 5 and Memories of Vanilla videos, in the future.
Happy Holidays to you, wherever you are and whatever you celebrate. And, until next time, take it easy!
There's lots of reasons why people loved Classic World of Warcraft - the questing, the dungeons, the social experience, and more. And while I appreciate all of these, I feel there's one aspect of the game that often gets overlooked - the music. Well, while sitting at my day job, listening to WoW music on YouTube, I thought to myself: "man, I really love the music of this game. I should do a top-5 list on it."
And so, I did.
Keep in mind that I love every single track from original WoW for one reason or another, so trying to narrow it down to just 5 was SUPER challenging - involving many hours of listening, re-listening, shifting placements, and so on. The composers and musicians really outdid themselves with these tracks. But anyway, with that disclaimer out of the way, here are my top 5 picks for the best music tracks from Classic World of Warcraft:
#5 - Darkmoon Faire
Ever been to a Renaissance Faire? Me neither, but this is basically what I imagine it would sound like. This track was definitely my favorite back in the day. And every time the Faire was in town in Elwynn (I played Alliance, as you know), I would head to Goldshire and hang out there, listening to this track.
It's just so upbeat and happy, yet old-timey that I can't get enough of it. Though I also like the new DMF track added in Cataclysm (if I'm not mistaken), the original is just way better in my opinion - really establishing the atmosphere of a medieval faire. And the memories of the time I spent getting Sayge's fortunes, delivering course weightstones, and just generally messing around in Elwynn whenever this group came to town always come flooding back whenever I hear this tune.
#4 - Ironforge
If you ask any Alliance player from back in the day for a song they remember, I'd be willing to bet that nine out of ten would say this track. A massive city that held the vast majority of Alliance players throughout most of vanilla, Ironforge is where many of us spent our time - waiting for dungeons/raids, looking for enchants, buying and selling goods in the auction house, or just idling for no reason. And so, with all that time spent there, Ironforge's theme is burned into our minds.
But that's not the only reason it's so high on my list. It's also got one of the most epic and dramatic beats in the game, stirring up a sense of pride as you listen. If you don't believe me, listen to it for yourself!
Whenever I hear this song, I think back to my priest and how I could march around the city streets, past the auction house, and out of the gates along with the hundreds of other proud soldiers of the Alliance. And how, at one point or another, we all called this dwarven city home.
#3 - Pirate Tavern
Ok let's face it - all of the taverns in Classic WoW have amazing soundtracks - some of the best in the game. They make you feel warm, safe, and cozy. In my opinion, however, the pirate tavern theme that plays in Booty Bay's Inn is the most unique and thematically appropriate. First off, it just sounds like fun. The heavy, swinging beat reminds one of a salty sea shanty, with appropriate instrumentals to add to this feeling. However, it still retains elements of the overall WoW tavern theme, making it recognizable as a place for rest as well.
Hearing this song always reminds me of my times back in the day when I'd hearth back to Booty Bay after questing, clear my bags of any unnecessary items, and then buy some super-potent alcoholic beverage from the bartender and get Silvite completely smashed all while jamming out to this jolly tune. Lots of fun memories with this one.
#2 - Zul'Gurub - Voodoo
It's no secret that I love trolls and everything about Stranglethorn Vale (seriously, have you seen my other posts and videos?). And while the STV theme is definitely amazing, I think that this particular jungle song is just a bit more engaging. It starts off slow, but heavy - giving an impression of something wicked in the distance. But in less than 12 seconds, it's upon you - an enemy giving chase. The trolls, with their voodoo magic, are up to something and you're right in the middle of it.
Though I never experienced ZG back in the day, I went there many times to grind Zandalar Tribe reputation in WotLK and this track always blew me away. The drums, the horns, and the twists in the song - they all still give me chills and remind me of this wild and exotic place. Plus, this track is extremely short when compared to others - only around a minute and 20 seconds, which makes it especially effective in drawing out that feeling of uneasiness in the jungle when it comes on and abruptly ends.
Personally, I can't wait to dive into ZG on weekends and run around, waiting for this track to come blazing in my headphones. Awesome song. Love everything about it.
Honorable Mentions
Tavern (Dwarf)
The dwarven tavern music, a relaxing tune, is one of the most iconic tracks in game. Listening to it, one can imagine sitting in front of a roaring fire drinking a cool pint. It's a personal favorite for when I need to study, work, or write blog posts about a 14+ year old video game. Love this track and that's about all I've got to say about that.Stormwind
Stormwind is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic soundtracks in the game. As a human priest, this was the first city that I entered, and so this song is forever etched into my memory for that reason. However, I believe that in terms of Classic WoW music, it's just a bit lower than Ironforge in terms of epicness. Still amazing though.Orgrimmar
Honestly, I like the Orgrimmar theme well enough. It really nails the feeling of a city filled with battle-hardened warriors living in a desolate land. However, as I didn't play as Horde too much back in the day, it doesn't have the impact that other tracks on this list do. Still a great song and I look forward to it becoming my anthem come Classic.
Thunder Bluff
More than Orgrimmar, Thunder Bluff's theme is much closer to my heart, as I spent a lot of time here when leveling my tauren druid back in the day. It has a sort of nomadic tribal feel to it, which always reminds me of my time here. Not in my top 5, as there's just too many amazing songs, but it's definitely in the top 10 in my opinion, hence its place here.Barren Dry (The Barrens)
"The Crossroads is under attack!"The message every lowbie Horde player saw while jamming out to this track killing Zhevras for their hooves. The slow winds and strings give a feeling of searing heat to the zone - which is further drawn out by your search for lions in the grass and shade and the constant dodging of raptors.
My favorite part of this song, however, is the grunting orc noises that it contains, which remind you that you are most definitely in a Horde zone. A really great touch to a fantastic track.
Enchanted Forest (Teldrassil)
The title of this track really says it all. The vocals, the quick, scaled violin section, and the horns give this song a feeling of moving through an enchanted forest. And really, until the introduction of Eversong in the Burning Crusade, this track was THE musical embodiment of an elven zone.Surely anyone whose first character was a night elf, as well as anyone like me who frequented this zone back in the day, will have fond memories of this song.
Mountain (Winterspring/Dun Morogh)
Appropriately titled "Mountain", the track used in both Dun Morogh and Winterspring makes wonderful use of a woodwind instrument (an Oboe, if I'm not mistaken) to set the atmosphere for the zone, followed by a long stretches of strings and slow plucking to get the feeling of a snowy day out in the cold.As I said in my Top 5 Classic WoW Zones list, the music matches the relaxed, snowy atmosphere so well that it's hard to imagine any other music for Winterspring and Dun Morogh. These are zones where there's not much going on (some troggs here, some furbolgs there), and the music really reflects that in my opinion. Again, another track that while not in my top 5, is definitely in the top 10.
Jungle (Stranglethorn Vale)
As you know by now, I ADORE Stranglethorn Vale. So it should come as no surprise that I love the soundtrack here as well. The instruments, the beat, and the overall feeling of this song really make STV feel like the wild, untamed jungle that it is. I feel that without this soundtrack, the zone might not even be as engaging or iconic as it is. So if you're one of the people that plays with the sound off and are about to go into STV, I highly suggest you turn it on, at least for this experience.#1 - Legacy
One of the only tracks I actually knew properly by name going into this list, Legacy is an amazing song with several great parts. First and foremost, it opens with an atmosphere of mystery about it - a single oboe (I'm really a fan of this instrument for some reason), before being joined shortly after by other instruments one by one. Then, all instruments work together, like the members of a party, to paint the image in the listener's mind. An image of mystery and discovery.
Then, finally, at around 1:43 the music begins to slow, dramatically, focusing your attention on what's to come. A boss? A puzzle? Your impending doom?
No.
To me, this song encapsulates the World of Warcraft dungeon experience. I still remember the first time I heard it (particularly the ending) play in Scarlet Monastery back in late 2005 when my group approached the ending. The epicness of that moment forever burned into my mind as my group died to zealots, ran back to the dungeon, and did it all again. I notice that whenever there was a particularly epic moment in a dungeon (or raid, as this comes on again during the Ragnaros room of MC), this song would be playing in the background.
And in fact, the ending is SO epic that I've noticed it used in other places outside of WoW as well. Of course, I'm sure that many people noticed that Alexensual uses it in his endscreens, but I doubt many know that there was a documentary that aired on a Mongolian television channel in summer 2018 about some famous Mongolian person (honestly, I don't remember who it was or what he did) that utilized that ending in loop as its background music. When I heard it, I turned to my wife and laughed:
"Darling, that's my favorite song from World of Warcraft they're using..."
And if it's epic enough to be used for a documentary in out in a country where next to no one has even heard of World of Warcraft, you better believe that it's my number 1.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read through my post about my favorite music tracks from Classic WoW. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed listening to the music and writing about it. I'm not sure what I'll cover next in my top 5 series, but I'm sure I'll do another one soon. So if there's anything you'd like to see, or if I missed any amazing music tracks that you think I should've listed here, let me know by leaving a comment. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more content like this, including Top 5 and Memories of Vanilla videos, in the future.
Happy Holidays to you, wherever you are and whatever you celebrate. And, until next time, take it easy!
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Memories of Vanilla #10 - Arathi Adventures
Hey dudes! Welcome back to Memories of Vanilla, my reflective series of my adventures back in original Classic World of Warcraft. Last time, I told the story of how I became a ninja by accident due to my noobishness. Well today, I've got another story of wonder and adventure.
I'm not 100% sure when this happened - pretty much like all of my memories from this time, it's all a bit foggy at this point - but it must have been before the ninja event, as at that point I had the Yeti Fur Cloak, which is a reward from a quest in Hillsbrad. But anyway, at some point in the late 20s or early 30s, I decided to head to Southshore, as I had a quest telling me to.
As a human priest, the furthest north I'd gotten until this point had been Menethil Harbor, so that's where I began my journey. Upon landing there, I headed out into the marshes along the road, back to that northward crossroads I had paused at previously. When I arrived, roughly halfway across the zone, I began heading up towards the border - the Thandol Span.
Crossing the bridge, I admired the detail of the huge chains holding the bridge up. Sure, it's all digital, but it looked epic. And with all the cracks and bits of broken rock, you could tell that this was a place that'd seen battle. Soon, however, I had gotten all the way across and I continued along the path winding across the highlands.
I was getting pretty used to discovering new places at this point, so I knew to stick to the road and not to wander off, lest I be chased down by some spiders or something. And so, that's what I did. Running along the road, I looked left and right at the orange raptors and grey tarantulas wandering in the grasses. They weren't too much higher level than me, so I began to relax a bit. I made my way to Refuge Point, grabbed the flight path, and set out again onto the road.
Letting my guard down, as you probably guessed, was a mistake.
I got back onto the road and headed west towards Hillsbrad, enjoying the scenery as I did so. As I walked on, I noticed Stromgarde to my left and wondered what there was to do there. But as I was looking at the keep, I failed to notice the group approaching me on the road: the Forsaken Courier and her entourage of bodyguards...
Quickly, I ran off the road and tried to dodge the group, but I had gotten too close to the patrolling pack. They began chasing me - over a hill and right into a spider creeping by the path. And, of course, just as I thought I might manage to escape, a web appeared at my feet - I was snared. Within seconds, the swarm of undead ran back to the road, leaving my priest lifeless under the spider's feet.
I made my way back to my body...again...and resolved to be more careful as I continued on my journey. I would eventually learn to constantly be wary of mobs, patrols, and general dangers out in the open world, but this was not that day.
I hope you enjoyed my short story of getting slaughtered out in Arathi. Looking back, I'm starting to notice a pattern in my memories of classic back in the day - lots of dying and noobishness. But that was where most of the fun came from back then: learning about the world and the different zones, monsters, and obstacles as you went. Nowadays, I think a lot of people already know or have experienced situations like this, and so it's a lot less likely that situations like this will arise. But then again, maybe not. Hopefully, WoW Classic will bring in, and keep, a lot of people that never experienced the old world, so maybe it will be their turn to line the streets and forests with their skeletons while the classic veterans look on.
Anyway, that's all for now. If you liked this story, let me know by leaving a comment down below. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and check out my YouTube channel for more content like this. Until next time guys, take it easy!
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| Southshore, My Destination |
I'm not 100% sure when this happened - pretty much like all of my memories from this time, it's all a bit foggy at this point - but it must have been before the ninja event, as at that point I had the Yeti Fur Cloak, which is a reward from a quest in Hillsbrad. But anyway, at some point in the late 20s or early 30s, I decided to head to Southshore, as I had a quest telling me to.
 |
| The Thandol Span |
Crossing the bridge, I admired the detail of the huge chains holding the bridge up. Sure, it's all digital, but it looked epic. And with all the cracks and bits of broken rock, you could tell that this was a place that'd seen battle. Soon, however, I had gotten all the way across and I continued along the path winding across the highlands.
 |
| Arathi Highlands |
Letting my guard down, as you probably guessed, was a mistake.
I got back onto the road and headed west towards Hillsbrad, enjoying the scenery as I did so. As I walked on, I noticed Stromgarde to my left and wondered what there was to do there. But as I was looking at the keep, I failed to notice the group approaching me on the road: the Forsaken Courier and her entourage of bodyguards...
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| A Forsaken Bodyguard |
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| The Forsaken Courier |
I made my way back to my body...again...and resolved to be more careful as I continued on my journey. I would eventually learn to constantly be wary of mobs, patrols, and general dangers out in the open world, but this was not that day.
Anyway, that's all for now. If you liked this story, let me know by leaving a comment down below. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and check out my YouTube channel for more content like this. Until next time guys, take it easy!
Sunday, December 16, 2018
My Top 5 Zones in World of Warcraft Classic
Hey dudes. Welcome back to my blog.
After finishing and seeing the great reception of my Top 5 Classic WoW Dungeons post and subsequent YouTube video, I thought it would be fun to do another top 5 post regarding Classic World of Warcraft. After contemplating some different ideas and reflecting on my own experiences from back in '05-06, I decided on a topic that I think everyone will find interesting - and debatable.
So strap yourselves in, because today we're going to be traveling across the World...of Warcraft - to visit my favorite zones. Keep in mind that as I almost exclusively played Alliance from Vanilla through Wrath, my picks are very much skewed in that direction. However, I will be maining Horde come WoW Classic, so when the time comes I may create an updated list to reflect any changes in opinion.
With that out of the way, here are my picks for the top 5 World of Warcraft Classic zones:
Probably not too surprising for anyone that started the game with a human character, Elwynn Forest holds a ton of nostalgia for me from way back in the day. Most of my earliest memories, and lots of my later ones too, are from this zone. And of course, that soundtrack really added to the foresty aesthetic of the zone.
As mentioned in the first two installments of my Memories of Vanilla series, it took me a while to finish this zone back in the day, since I could only play at a friend's house when I went there over the summer of 2005. Because of this, I spent a lot of time getting to know every bit of this zone inside and out - exploring the caves, finding treasure chests, and getting destroyed by boars and murlocs. But I think that it's partially because of these immersive experiences in Elwynn that I really got hooked on the game in the first place.
Sure, Elwynn is cliche and gets raved about a lot by everyone and their mother, but I think it's for good reason. It's a wonderful zone, and a great introduction for new players to start their WoW adventure.
Where to begin? Duskwood is, by far, the creepiest zone an Alliance player will zone into before getting to the Plaguelands and Felwood. Sure, Tirisfal Glades and Silverpine have their own share of creepiness, but those are zones meant for the Forsaken. For a human to encounter the undead under the shadow of a cursed land, it was much more unsettling to find this land just south of the bright and cheery Elwynn Forest.
The first time I discovered this place, I was met with level ?? spiders that attempted to eat my face as I fled back across the river. When I finally returned at the proper level, however, I was greeted with a plethora of fun and interesting quests, as well as a giant abomination that DID eat my face as I unsuccessfully tried to run away.
I have so many memories of this cursed land and its engaging quests to uncover the secrets of Raven Hill cemetery, the Dark Riders and the worgen curse, and just what Abercrombie was up to out at that shack. Plus, the dim lighting and creepy music added another element of immersion as I quested through the zone - making me feel uneasy every step of the way. For these reasons, I believe Duskwood has a solid place at number 4.
Winterspring is an absolute delight of a zone, in my opinion. Personally, I LOVE cold weather and everything about the winter season, so a zone in World of Warcraft that is always wintery was already going to be ranked highly on my list. Add into the mix the good amount of questing provided by Everlook, the potential to grind out Timbermaw reputation in the furbolg camps of the zone, and the simple fact that you could potentially ding level 60 here, depending on how you chose to finish the 58-60 grind, and you've got a solid Classic World of Warcraft zone.
Furthermore, Winterspring utilizes one of the best soundtracks in-game in my opinion. Listening to it while running along the road from Everlook to wherever you're questing really adds to the snowy atmosphere. It's so memorable, in fact, that when I first heard a clip of it used by Bellular in his end-screens on YouTube, I knew immediately what it was from. A wonderful song for a wonderful zone.
There are many zones that are completely unavoidable when leveling in Classic WoW due to the lack of quests and quest hubs - Stranglethorn, Eastern Plaguelands, and Arathi Highlands to name a few. However, Tanaris holds a special place in my heart. Running into Gadgetzan, trying to avoid the PVP battles occurring just out of sight of the guards is an experience that everyone had, regardless of their server, back in the day.
Plus, once you got into Gadgetzan, you were met with more quests than you'd probably ever imagined up until that point. Within 2 minutes of entering the zone, you would have more to do than you'd probably had for 10 levels at that point, assuming you arrived at the appropriate level. And once you collected all of those quests, it was time to venture out into the desert.
Tanaris was massive in scope - if simple in design. But the enemies and quests there were interesting, varied, and memorable. From the Wastewander bandits just southeast of town to the trolls out to the west, to the Qiraji in the south, to the robot chicken escort quest in the mountains, there was always something new here. But even with the variety of mobs and quests, nothing really felt out of place. It was a really smooth experience from what I can recall. Plus, you also had one of the best dungeons in the game, Zul'Farrak, just a short run away from town. What's not to love?
But the one thing that I think really sold me on the zone more than everything else, is the soundtrack and the ambiance. Seriously, just listen to this. It SOUNDS like a desert - complete with sandy winds and stereotypical ancient Egyptian vibes. So as long as you quested in this zone, you felt like you were lost in the desert. And it was amazing. For all these reasons, I can honestly put Tanaris up at number 2.
There's one zone, however, that I believe is far greater than the rest - one that had basically no competition in my mind. But before that, here are a few more zones I feel I should at least mention...
A wonderful zone with great atmosphere and ambiance. The music is pleasant and relaxing (and is shared with Winterspring, if I'm not mistaken) and it really felt like I was in a snowy mountain zone whenever I was here.
Though I didn't play as a dwarf or gnome, really at all, during vanilla, I always enjoyed going into this zone for those reasons.
Teldrassil
Back in the day, I absolutely adored Teldrassil and Darnassus - so much so that I worked hard to get my priest, Silvite, exalted there towards the end of vanilla. The brightly colored magical forest was engaging and made me feel like I was in the home of the elves.
Over the years, and repetition of the zone, it's sort of fallen a bit from my place as a favorite, but I still appreciate it for what it is. And I'm looking forward to creating a night elf druid alt in classic to experience this zone in all it's 2006 glory come 2019.
Ashenvale
Also an amazing zone (there are a lot of these, huh?) with a really fantastic, foresty aesthetic. This was one of the first zones where night elves would encounter the Horde, so it definitely holds a special place in a lot of hearts. For me, I actually first experienced Ashenvale properly when leveling my tauren druid there around the very end of classic or beginning of TBC - I can't remember exactly when at this point. But I loved the feel of the zone and the quests that I did there.
A great zone and definitely one that I recommend everyone go to come next summer.
Eastern Plaguelands
EPL - the scourge-infested wasteland of the Eastern Kingdoms. This zone was actually in my top 5 when I started this list, but was just barely beat out by Elwynn Forest. I adore Eastern Plaguelands for its creepiness, it's unsettling quests (looking at you, Pamela Redpath), and the simple fact that this was where I originally dinged 60 at 7AM in early June 2006. It's home to one of the best dungeons in game, Stratholme, as well as the infamous Naxxramas raid.
With tons of quests and endgame content, grinding spots, and more, Eastern Plaguelands is definitely a zone that everyone that's headed for endgame content will experience. And I, for one, can't wait.
Un'Goro Crater
Un'Goro is one of the most unique classic WoW zones. It's got dinosaurs, a volcano, and...Nintendo?
Yes, this zone is essentially a giant, prehistoric crater filled with references to a bunch of other video games. From the Mario spoofs, Larion and Muigin, to Linken's quest that takes you all over the world, there's never a dull moment in this zone. And while it's not my personal favorite by any means (mostly due to the Devilsaur roaming around eating my face), it's still a zone that EVERYONE should go to when they finally reach around level 50 on Classic.
The Barrens
The legendary zone of Crossroads raids, general chat, and Mankrik's wife, The Barrens had to be on this list. Personally, it's a zone that I didn't get to experience much of back in the day as a human priest, but it is a zone that is widely known, and loved, by the players. And as I've decided to main a troll priest in WoW Classic, I'm super-excited to head down the long road, killing hoofless zhevras and headless raptors, finding a beaten corpse, then hearthing back to xroads to wait for the NPC to respawn so I can turn in my quest.
Keep in mind that I absolutely adored ALL of the zones in Classic WoW for one reason or another, and that even if they didn't make this list, it doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy them.
Now, with all of those out of the way, let's move on to my number 1. In my opinion, the absolute best Classic World of Warcraft zone...
Ok. I honestly don't expect anyone to be surprised by this one - especially not if you've been following my posts recently. But Stranglethorn Vale is definitely the most iconic zone of original World of Warcraft. Similar to how Scholomance was an easy number 1 for my top dungeon pick STV was the first place that came to mind when I thought of making a top 5 zones list.
First and foremost, this zone is MASSIVE - with it taking a good 15+ minutes to run straight down from the northernmost point down to Booty Bay along the road back in the day without a mount, there was enough space to put in a ton of mobs, quests, and secrets. And with the huge scale of the zone, you can be sure that they put in big chunk of content.
There are TONS of quests here, ranging from level 30 to 45 with a couple of quests even higher than that, if I remember correctly. In addition, the quests, especially the Nesingwary hunting quests, had a great sense of progression as you leveled up - starting maybe with some level 30 mobs, then to some level 32s, then 35ish and so on. So as you finished one round of quests, you would feel as though you were advancing going forward.
Furthermore, STV had some of the most engaging grinding spots in game as I recall. In particular, I remember hitting that early 40s level range where you're not quite high enough to go to Tanaris, but mostly done with the quests of STV and grinding the pirates just outside of Booty Bay to get that sweet EXP. The mobs were easy enough to pick off, and you had a safety net of Booty Bay bruisers close by if you were PVP flagged so you could at least get your ganker killed too (if you were lucky enough to get over there in time).
There's tons of other things I loved, and still love, about STV - the Gurubashi Arena event, the memory of hitting level 40 and getting Shadowform there, and the absolutely perfect jungle soundtrack of the zone - but if I listed every single aspect of this amazing place, I'd be here for hours. So for now, I'll just finish by saying this:
Stranglethorn Vale is, in my opinion, THE BEST Classic World of Warcraft zone.
So there you have it. Those are my favorite zones in WoW Classic. Looking back over the list, I notice that I'm really invested in the zones with Steamwheedle Cartel towns. I think maybe that stems from the interaction with both Alliance and Horde players that occurs there, but maybe it's more the fact that these towns are placed in the most engaging zones. Either way, it's interesting to see that for sure and I wonder how this measures up to other people's thoughts. Going forward, I'm really excited to main a Horde character this time around, to see how my thoughts change and evolve.
Anyway that's it for now. I hope you found my list interesting. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. Follow my blog for more content like this in the future and hit me up on Facebook or Twitter for updates. You can also check out my YouTube channel for videos with similar content. Until next time guys...
Take it easy.
After finishing and seeing the great reception of my Top 5 Classic WoW Dungeons post and subsequent YouTube video, I thought it would be fun to do another top 5 post regarding Classic World of Warcraft. After contemplating some different ideas and reflecting on my own experiences from back in '05-06, I decided on a topic that I think everyone will find interesting - and debatable.
So strap yourselves in, because today we're going to be traveling across the World...of Warcraft - to visit my favorite zones. Keep in mind that as I almost exclusively played Alliance from Vanilla through Wrath, my picks are very much skewed in that direction. However, I will be maining Horde come WoW Classic, so when the time comes I may create an updated list to reflect any changes in opinion.
With that out of the way, here are my picks for the top 5 World of Warcraft Classic zones:
#5 - Elwynn Forest
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| Elegant Elwynn |
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| Elwynn Forest (Map) |
Sure, Elwynn is cliche and gets raved about a lot by everyone and their mother, but I think it's for good reason. It's a wonderful zone, and a great introduction for new players to start their WoW adventure.
#4 - Duskwood
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| Dark Duskwood |
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| Duskwood (Map) |
I have so many memories of this cursed land and its engaging quests to uncover the secrets of Raven Hill cemetery, the Dark Riders and the worgen curse, and just what Abercrombie was up to out at that shack. Plus, the dim lighting and creepy music added another element of immersion as I quested through the zone - making me feel uneasy every step of the way. For these reasons, I believe Duskwood has a solid place at number 4.
#3 - Winterspring
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| Wonderful Winterspring |
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| Winterspring (Map) |
Winterspring is one of those zones that you travel back and forth to a lot, due to quests in Tanaris, Un'Goro Crater, and even for the Onyxia attunement (on Alliance side, at least). Sure, some might not like these quests where you have to fly back and forth from place to place for 20+ minutes just to talk to some dude, but to me, this was part of the vanilla experience. And with Winterspring, you definitely experienced this. For all these reasons, it is definitely my number 3.
#2 - Tanaris
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| Terrific Tanaris |
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| Tanaris (Map) |
Plus, once you got into Gadgetzan, you were met with more quests than you'd probably ever imagined up until that point. Within 2 minutes of entering the zone, you would have more to do than you'd probably had for 10 levels at that point, assuming you arrived at the appropriate level. And once you collected all of those quests, it was time to venture out into the desert.
Tanaris was massive in scope - if simple in design. But the enemies and quests there were interesting, varied, and memorable. From the Wastewander bandits just southeast of town to the trolls out to the west, to the Qiraji in the south, to the robot chicken escort quest in the mountains, there was always something new here. But even with the variety of mobs and quests, nothing really felt out of place. It was a really smooth experience from what I can recall. Plus, you also had one of the best dungeons in the game, Zul'Farrak, just a short run away from town. What's not to love?
But the one thing that I think really sold me on the zone more than everything else, is the soundtrack and the ambiance. Seriously, just listen to this. It SOUNDS like a desert - complete with sandy winds and stereotypical ancient Egyptian vibes. So as long as you quested in this zone, you felt like you were lost in the desert. And it was amazing. For all these reasons, I can honestly put Tanaris up at number 2.
There's one zone, however, that I believe is far greater than the rest - one that had basically no competition in my mind. But before that, here are a few more zones I feel I should at least mention...
Honorable Mentions
Dun Morogh |
| Dun Morogh |
A wonderful zone with great atmosphere and ambiance. The music is pleasant and relaxing (and is shared with Winterspring, if I'm not mistaken) and it really felt like I was in a snowy mountain zone whenever I was here.
Though I didn't play as a dwarf or gnome, really at all, during vanilla, I always enjoyed going into this zone for those reasons.
Teldrassil
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| Teldrassil |
Back in the day, I absolutely adored Teldrassil and Darnassus - so much so that I worked hard to get my priest, Silvite, exalted there towards the end of vanilla. The brightly colored magical forest was engaging and made me feel like I was in the home of the elves.
Over the years, and repetition of the zone, it's sort of fallen a bit from my place as a favorite, but I still appreciate it for what it is. And I'm looking forward to creating a night elf druid alt in classic to experience this zone in all it's 2006 glory come 2019.
Ashenvale
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| Ashenvale |
Also an amazing zone (there are a lot of these, huh?) with a really fantastic, foresty aesthetic. This was one of the first zones where night elves would encounter the Horde, so it definitely holds a special place in a lot of hearts. For me, I actually first experienced Ashenvale properly when leveling my tauren druid there around the very end of classic or beginning of TBC - I can't remember exactly when at this point. But I loved the feel of the zone and the quests that I did there.
A great zone and definitely one that I recommend everyone go to come next summer.
Eastern Plaguelands
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| Eastern Plaguelands |
EPL - the scourge-infested wasteland of the Eastern Kingdoms. This zone was actually in my top 5 when I started this list, but was just barely beat out by Elwynn Forest. I adore Eastern Plaguelands for its creepiness, it's unsettling quests (looking at you, Pamela Redpath), and the simple fact that this was where I originally dinged 60 at 7AM in early June 2006. It's home to one of the best dungeons in game, Stratholme, as well as the infamous Naxxramas raid.
With tons of quests and endgame content, grinding spots, and more, Eastern Plaguelands is definitely a zone that everyone that's headed for endgame content will experience. And I, for one, can't wait.
Un'Goro Crater
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| Un'Goro Crater |
Un'Goro is one of the most unique classic WoW zones. It's got dinosaurs, a volcano, and...Nintendo?
Yes, this zone is essentially a giant, prehistoric crater filled with references to a bunch of other video games. From the Mario spoofs, Larion and Muigin, to Linken's quest that takes you all over the world, there's never a dull moment in this zone. And while it's not my personal favorite by any means (mostly due to the Devilsaur roaming around eating my face), it's still a zone that EVERYONE should go to when they finally reach around level 50 on Classic.
The Barrens
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| The Barrens |
The legendary zone of Crossroads raids, general chat, and Mankrik's wife, The Barrens had to be on this list. Personally, it's a zone that I didn't get to experience much of back in the day as a human priest, but it is a zone that is widely known, and loved, by the players. And as I've decided to main a troll priest in WoW Classic, I'm super-excited to head down the long road, killing hoofless zhevras and headless raptors, finding a beaten corpse, then hearthing back to xroads to wait for the NPC to respawn so I can turn in my quest.
Now, with all of those out of the way, let's move on to my number 1. In my opinion, the absolute best Classic World of Warcraft zone...
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#1 - Stranglethorn Vale
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| Stranglethorn Vale |
Ok. I honestly don't expect anyone to be surprised by this one - especially not if you've been following my posts recently. But Stranglethorn Vale is definitely the most iconic zone of original World of Warcraft. Similar to how Scholomance was an easy number 1 for my top dungeon pick STV was the first place that came to mind when I thought of making a top 5 zones list.
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| STV Map |
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| Booty Bay |
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| Nesingwary's Camp (Lord of the Quests) |
There's tons of other things I loved, and still love, about STV - the Gurubashi Arena event, the memory of hitting level 40 and getting Shadowform there, and the absolutely perfect jungle soundtrack of the zone - but if I listed every single aspect of this amazing place, I'd be here for hours. So for now, I'll just finish by saying this:
Stranglethorn Vale is, in my opinion, THE BEST Classic World of Warcraft zone.
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Anyway that's it for now. I hope you found my list interesting. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. Follow my blog for more content like this in the future and hit me up on Facebook or Twitter for updates. You can also check out my YouTube channel for videos with similar content. Until next time guys...
Take it easy.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Memories of Vanilla #9 - The Ninja Priest
Hey dudes! Welcome back to my blog. It's been a while, so today, I want to continue my Memories of Vanilla series with a short story I hinted about in the last post.
I am, of course, talking about the time I accidentally became a ninja looter. It's definitely a doozy of a story, filled with anger, noobishness, and all the sorts of things we all remember from the good ole days. Before you read on though, remember to follow my blog for more content in the future. Especially going forward into 2019, it'll be fun to reminisce about classic as the date gets closer and closer.
Well now, with that out of the way, let's get on with the story!
I was questing in Stranglethorn Vale, as we all did back then, killing some various trolls and tigers as I attempted to finish off a quest in the area.
I don't remember exactly what quest I was on at that moment, but I think it had to do with the trolls by the coast - the ones between Grom'gol and Nesingwary's camp. I must have been around level 33 or so at this point, because I had started getting used to the feel of STV. As I turned the corner by some ruins, I was greeted by a rogue, running away from a group of Bloodscalp trolls with only a sliver of health left. Naturally, being the friendly player I was, I healed him up, subsequently getting aggro on 2 of the trolls and saving his life. He turned around, finished off the initial mob he had been trying to kill, and we defeated the group together.
"Hey, you need these guys?" he asked in /say. Before I could respond, I got a group invite.
Knowing that it was always safer to group up for quests, I accepted and we began working together to clear out the trolls. We made a good team, the rogue and I. He would sap one mob, we'd burn the other one or
two nearby. If there were a lot super close, I'd wand-pull and he'd cheap shot. And all the while, I kept us both alive with my healing. All in all it was a good time.
We'd just about finished up the quest, because we were on our way out of the area and heading back towards the quest giver when it happened. A troll fell dead, and in the bottom of the screen, the window popped up:
Tigerstrike Mantle
Confused, I replied in what I now realize was a terrible answer.
My rogue companion of 20 minutes of troll-slaying still wasn't happy, but accepted the fate of the Tigerstrike Mantle; my priest would don it for the time being until it was eventually replaced. However, he and Luv both warned me that, as a priest, I shouldn't need roll on items with agility, but rather try to find ones with intellect and/or spirit. I thanked them both for the lesson, and we moved on with our lives, but I never forgot that encounter in the jungle and the rage that it brought.
I am, of course, talking about the time I accidentally became a ninja looter. It's definitely a doozy of a story, filled with anger, noobishness, and all the sorts of things we all remember from the good ole days. Before you read on though, remember to follow my blog for more content in the future. Especially going forward into 2019, it'll be fun to reminisce about classic as the date gets closer and closer.
Well now, with that out of the way, let's get on with the story!
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| A Bloodscalp Troll |
I don't remember exactly what quest I was on at that moment, but I think it had to do with the trolls by the coast - the ones between Grom'gol and Nesingwary's camp. I must have been around level 33 or so at this point, because I had started getting used to the feel of STV. As I turned the corner by some ruins, I was greeted by a rogue, running away from a group of Bloodscalp trolls with only a sliver of health left. Naturally, being the friendly player I was, I healed him up, subsequently getting aggro on 2 of the trolls and saving his life. He turned around, finished off the initial mob he had been trying to kill, and we defeated the group together.
"Hey, you need these guys?" he asked in /say. Before I could respond, I got a group invite.
Knowing that it was always safer to group up for quests, I accepted and we began working together to clear out the trolls. We made a good team, the rogue and I. He would sap one mob, we'd burn the other one or
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| The Ruins of Zul'Kunda |
We'd just about finished up the quest, because we were on our way out of the area and heading back towards the quest giver when it happened. A troll fell dead, and in the bottom of the screen, the window popped up:
Tigerstrike Mantle
Need Greed Pass
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| Tigerstrike Mantle |
A new cloak! Awesome! I opened my character tab, looked over at my current cloak, and made my decision. Compared to my Yeti Fur Cloak, with its 6 agility and 3 spirit, this was a huge upgrade! 8 agility and 7 stamina, awesome!
So, naturally, I hit 'Need'. Within seconds, the roll was won, the cloak went into my bags, and I immediately equipped my new gear! All was great with the world...
"WTF dude? Why'd you need that? Ninja!"
Confused, I replied in what I now realize was a terrible answer.
"I needed it!"
Capslock Engaged:
"OH MY GOD, WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU NOOB? WHY ARE YOU F***ING PRIEST NEEDING ON A CLOAK WITH AGI ON IT? WHAT THE F***! WHAT'S YOUR GUILD? GUARDIANS OF AZEROTH? I KNOW YOUR GM! I'M GONNA GET HIM TO KICK YOU OUT!"
Needless to say, I was quite confused at all this. After all, the stats on this gear totaled to a higher number, so CLEARLY it was an upgrade. I simply replied "Ok."
Now I had, at some point, joined a guild called The Guardians of Azeroth. Our GM, Luv, was someone who was always on no matter what time of day it was, so a lot of people knew him. So, he was messaged, and in order to solve the issue, he flew down to STV to meet us in a classic, RP style (though now that I think about it, this probably could have been solved by just messaging). When he arrived, he inspected me and asked what I'd been wearing before needing on the cloak. So, I swapped back and forth between the new and old cloaks, to show that I'd actually equipped the item and that it was an upgrade, and he declared that it had simply been a misunderstanding.
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| MFW I Made a Mistake Back in 2005... |
The Tigerstrike Mantle incident, while unfortunate for the rogue, was a turning point in my early World of Warcraft career. It taught me not to think only of myself, but also of the other players I was grouping with - what they need, and what stats are better suited for them. Sure, 6 agi and 3 spirit weren't the best stats on a cloak for a priest and the blue cloak was technically an upgrade, but I could have held out for a cloak with intellect just a level or two later if I had known or considered it.
That's one thing I really miss from back in the day - the sense that you really cared about upgrades. Every stat mattered. But so did your relationships with other players. The risk of being labelled a ninja was a scary prospect, and I really did feel that I needed to prove my innocence. And in doing so, I was left with this powerful memory.
I hope you enjoyed this installment. Next time, I'll either tell my story of Desolace and my views on the Gelkis Clan centaur there, or my first time visiting the Arathi Highlands on my way to Southshore. Follow me here, on Facebook, and on Twitter for updates when that comes out. Also, check out my YouTube channel for regular video content. And no matter what, until next time:
Take it easy.
Friday, December 7, 2018
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Memories of Vanilla #8 - Tigers and Panthers and Raptors, Oh My!
Hey all! Silvite Soltis back again for another installment in my Memories of Vanilla series.
As with everything else on this series, it's been like 13 years since this happened, so a lot of the specifics are fuzzy at this point, but I know I entered STV by accident one day while leveling in Duskwood. While running to Raven Hill Cemetery, I turned south at the crossroads in the middle of the zone and found myself in a jungle. Not knowing what this zone was, I started exploring a bit, finding a camp with NPCs up a hill down the road. I must have been in the mid to late 20s at that point, as there weren't any quests available. Of course, I didn't know this was a questing hub though, and so I shrugged and headed back down the road to head deeper into the jungle.
Turning right along the road, I passed through the mountainous pass that lead to a rickety wooden rope bridge. As I approached, something caught my eye from the side of the road - a blur of orange and black amidst the grass. Before I knew it, I was dead on the ground, having been mauled to death by a tiger.
Now, I probably could have healed through the minuscule damage of a level 30 tiger, or at least gotten out of range if I'd tried hard enough, but being a noob of epic proportions, I didn't. Running back to my corpse, I carefully rezzed as far up the road as I could, as to avoid getting attacked again, then retreated back to Duskwood without delay.
Of course, being vanilla WoW, there was no avoiding this zone. And so when I eventually reached level 30 or 31, I returned to the jungle to begin the quests. My friend, Leika, had since told me about the Nesingwary quests and that they were just to the right of the main road after crossing the first river, though there were no quests leading there if I remember correctly. When I found that camp of hunters, I was amazed at the sheer number of quests I was able to pick up - something like 7 or 8 at once. Remember, this was back when quests were few and far between and your quest log could only hold 20 quests at a time. So picking up so many quests at once was amazing.
Anyway, with quests accepted and not a clue where to go, I began my long hunt of tigers and panthers in the jungle.
The tigers were easy enough to find and kill, since they were in the area just outside the Nesingwary camp, plus one had eaten me for lunch previously so I finished that quest without any problems. However, finding the panthers was another story. No matter how long I looked, I just couldn't find them. And so, I started exploring again.
Heading west along the river and up a hill, I found an area with what I was looking for. Panthers! Lots and lots of panthers! Excited, I began my killing spree. Panther after panther fell. And, as a skinner, I left behind no trace of the carnage. After about 10 minutes of relentless slaughter, however, I paused. Something was wrong.
I looked to the right-hand side of my screen. Nothing was being tracked. I opened my quest log, clicked on "Panther Mastery," and, with a sigh, realized my mistake:
Young Panther Slain 0/10
I was killing the wrong panthers.
How many times had I done something like this? Surely by now I knew better. Apparently not. I sighed, jumped down over the hill, and made my way back to the camp.
I hope you enjoyed my tale of my initial flubbing around in Stranglethorn Vale. As you probably guessed, I didn't play on a PVP server back in the day. If I had, I'm sure there would've been some ganktastic goodness in this story. Of course, this did occur later in STV when I'd encounter a flagged Horde, attack, and get demolished by his level 60 rogue buddy, but I really don't remember many of the details related to that, so I probably won't go to far into that. Next time, I'll continue telling about my time in STV with a short story of how I became a ninja looter by accident. Remember to follow me here on Blogspot, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for regular updates and content.
But until then, take it easy!
Now that I've gotten to the point where I had my own PC at home, the memories I had of events over the course of leveling have really started to blur together, so from here on out, the series may not be as chronological as it has been until now. Nevertheless, I still have lots of memories to share of my pre-TBC experience.
Today, we're stepping into the jungle. That wondrous zone of tigers, Samantha Swifthoof, and ganktasticness that is, Stranglethorn Vale!
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| Stranglethorn Vale |
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| Priest-Eater |
Now, I probably could have healed through the minuscule damage of a level 30 tiger, or at least gotten out of range if I'd tried hard enough, but being a noob of epic proportions, I didn't. Running back to my corpse, I carefully rezzed as far up the road as I could, as to avoid getting attacked again, then retreated back to Duskwood without delay.
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| Thanks for the Quests, Bro. |
Anyway, with quests accepted and not a clue where to go, I began my long hunt of tigers and panthers in the jungle.
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| Where Are You, Young Panther? |
Heading west along the river and up a hill, I found an area with what I was looking for. Panthers! Lots and lots of panthers! Excited, I began my killing spree. Panther after panther fell. And, as a skinner, I left behind no trace of the carnage. After about 10 minutes of relentless slaughter, however, I paused. Something was wrong.
I looked to the right-hand side of my screen. Nothing was being tracked. I opened my quest log, clicked on "Panther Mastery," and, with a sigh, realized my mistake:
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| Where I Was... |
Young Panther Slain 0/10
I was killing the wrong panthers.
How many times had I done something like this? Surely by now I knew better. Apparently not. I sighed, jumped down over the hill, and made my way back to the camp.
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| Where the RIGHT Panthers Were... |
I hope you enjoyed my tale of my initial flubbing around in Stranglethorn Vale. As you probably guessed, I didn't play on a PVP server back in the day. If I had, I'm sure there would've been some ganktastic goodness in this story. Of course, this did occur later in STV when I'd encounter a flagged Horde, attack, and get demolished by his level 60 rogue buddy, but I really don't remember many of the details related to that, so I probably won't go to far into that. Next time, I'll continue telling about my time in STV with a short story of how I became a ninja looter by accident. Remember to follow me here on Blogspot, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for regular updates and content.
But until then, take it easy!
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Memories of Vanilla #7 - Brotherhood
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| Accurate representation of my brother and me |
As you know, back in the day my brother and I both started playing WoW at our friend Leika's house. We made our characters on his account, and could only ever play when we went over to his house. Well, at that time, I was definitely closer friends with Leika than my brother was, and as a result I went over there way more often. My brother was also busy, being an active 17-year-old at that time, so he had other things to do. As a result, I leveled up much faster than he did. When I was doing Duskwood quests, he was still all the way back in Westfall.
Well, one day Leika and I were feeling particularly trollish and decided to play a bit of a mean prank on him. My brother may have done something to irritate one of us, or maybe not - I actually can't remember too clearly at this point. But, regardless of the reason, we thought it would be funny to mess with his progress by deleting his character from the account we all played on.
So, with lots of laughter, we logged in, stripped him down to his boxers, sold everything in his bags, and sent the tiny fortune of about 1 gold to Leika. After that, we logged out, and deleted the character - along with all the memories he'd made.
Yeah, we were jerks. But as teenage brothers, it was kind of normal for us to pull this kind of crap on each other. Still, when he eventually logged in to find his character missing from the login screen, I could hear his screams. And when he found out that it wasn't an accident, and that Leika and I had done it as a joke, I definitely got punched more than a few times.
Looking back now, I deserved it. It really was a dick move on my part, but hey - that's what brothers do, right? Anyway, he swore off WoW for a while after that, maybe a month or two I guess, before finally buying his own copy and recreating his lost paladin. Unfortunately, his name had been snatched up during the lapse, so he had to become a bit creative the next time around. As for me, I felt pretty bad about what we'd done, so when he made his new paladin, I gave him something like 10 gold to get his new adventure started. To this day, though, he still gives me crap about how I deleted his first ever character, and I wonder if I've ever truly been forgiven.
So, with lots of laughter, we logged in, stripped him down to his boxers, sold everything in his bags, and sent the tiny fortune of about 1 gold to Leika. After that, we logged out, and deleted the character - along with all the memories he'd made.
Yeah, we were jerks. But as teenage brothers, it was kind of normal for us to pull this kind of crap on each other. Still, when he eventually logged in to find his character missing from the login screen, I could hear his screams. And when he found out that it wasn't an accident, and that Leika and I had done it as a joke, I definitely got punched more than a few times.
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| Basically 10 gold to a level 3 paladin... |
I hope you enjoyed this brief tale of brotherly trolling. Like I said, I'm not 100% sure about when this happened, but it is definitely a vanilla memory that is near and dear to my heart. If you enjoyed this, or my other posts, follow my blog by adding your email down below. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more content. I'll have another story to tell here soon, but until next time guys...take it easy!
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