I'd be happy to explain my rationale if anyone has the will to wonder - but if not, just accept it as a universal truth and move along.
Showing posts with label Questes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Questes. Show all posts
Friday, September 24, 2010
Questes: Well, that about sums it up.
I finally completed my compendium of the most fabulous and endangered quests in all of WoW; so now I urge you to complete them, post-haste, before they are swept away. Below I have them listed in the order which I feel they are best completed, based upon precise calculations, balancing time and scope versus endangerment and epicness:
Questes: Only One May Rise
The Scarab Gong, courtesy of Wowwiki.com
Who can do this?
First, you need to be level 60 or above - but only a level sixty full of ambition, and an even fuller friends list of 80's, will ever get this done.
Second, you'll need time, as portions of this quest can revolve around ten-hour grinds or multiple runs of weekly lockouts. You really only need to run every particular dungeon once, but it's a lengthy grind nonetheless.
Where do I begin?
The first quest of the arching chain begins with What Tomorrow Brings..., given by one Baristolth of the Shifting Sands in Cenarion Hold, Silithus.
How does this one work?
This questis NOT simple. It requires a boatload of different interlocking, interweaving, and generally crazy quest chains that are hard to follow. As usual, Wowwiki has a wonderful guide; looking at Hoddie's comments on Wowhead are quite helpful too.
Oh, and remember - vigilance is key. If you want to obtain, well, what you see in the section below, there is no way but to persist. Good luck!
And finally, what do I get?
Well, first off, if you were the first person on your server to complete the quest (or completed it within ten hours of said person) you would get the fantastic title 'Scarab Lord' and Feat of Strength, and the unique one-of-a-kind Legendary mount Black Qiraji Resonating Crystal, which has a unique history you can go read about on Wowwiki. Unfortunately, these are no longer attainable, so if you are reading this, tough luck.
Increases in the numbers...
At the very least, Neutral with the Brood of Nodzormu +4365 reputation.
+1000 rep with Gadgetzan
+1525 Reputation with the Cenarion Circle
And a smattering of XP to be made into golds. And some more golds.
Then, the epics themselves. First you'll get whatever you pick up in your BWL, Onyxia, MC, and quite probably AQ runs. You'll get the achievements for each of those, and then the achievement for the level 60 Onyxia feat of strength too, as an added bonus.
Then, in the chain, you are awarded...
First off, the repeatables for Brood of Nozdormu rep give you Proxies of Nozdormu, which help alleviate some of the grind by allowing you to grant other players the ability to get stuff for you to turn in.
You get the choice between a Drake Tooth Necklace, a caster dps neck with Nature resist, and Drudge Boots, leather melee feet with nature resist too.
You get a choice between the Amulet of Shadow Shielding, a Stam/spirit shadow protection neck, and Onyx Embedded Leggings, shammy mail pants with some shadow resist too.
You get 3 Major Rejuvination Potions. Whoop-de-doo!
You get the one-of-a-kind, epic recipe (which is still highly coveted to this day) Dirge's Kickin' Chimaerok Chops, which is BoE if you want to sell it for a profitable sum to recipe collectors. You also get 20 of said chops, which were the best food around back in the day.
You also get the super awesome silence-limiting Gnomish Turban of Psychic Might, a cloth caster head.
You get to choose between the Band of Icy Depths, a underwater breathing ring, and Darkwater Robes, a Fire Resisting cloth chest.
You get The Scepter of Shifting Sands, a now-useless white BoE which was used to bang the gong back at the release in order to get the title and the mount, but still a cool keepsake.
Lastly you get your pick from four weapons: The Fang of Korialstrasz, a caster dps dagger; Shadowsong's Sorrow, a melee dps dagger; Runesword of the Red, a caster dps sword; and Ravencrest's Legacy, a tanking mainhand.
What did I just do?
You just completed the pinnacle of WoW Vanilla questing. You saw some of lore's most major characters come into play; you fought your way through multiple vanilla raids and world raids, events and grinds, to obtain the scepter of the shifting sands. And, if it is any indication from the cataclysm beta, you will be one of the last to do so, as in the Beta right now, the quest has been removed. Now is the time to strike, now is the time to take action and complete what may be the most grand, time intensive, satisfying and exclusive of questing accomplishments in all of the World of Warcraft!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Questes : The Lady's Necklace
Look at that, twice in two days! I'm on a roll. Also, this is the second-to-last one of Questes, so let's make it count with the flat out coolest piece of audio work in the game.
Who can do this?
This is a horde-specific questline, but don't let it discourage you - it only requires level 15 to do, so you might as well level up some race/class combination you haven't done yet (easiest is BE or Undead, location-wise) and you can do both WC for The Glowing Shard and then this in one demonic, or even fel, swoop.
All Credit to http://www.wowhead.com/item=22597#screenshots:id=55354
Where do I begin?
It can be annoying, or it can be easy. I've never had an issue with getting the item that starts the quests - The Lady's Necklace, dropped off of Fallen Rangers and Deatholme Acolytes at Windrunner Spire in SW Ghostlands. However, a select few have just very poor luck and end up farming for a while before it drops. It's just the luck of the RNG, but it's always dropped within 3 or 4 kills for me.
How does mine necklace?
Seriously? This is like the simplest quest in the history of simple quests. Just read the bloiting quest text. I'm not even linking to wowhead here, it's just that easy.
And now, the loot.
You guessed it! Loot.
First off, you get 100,000 rep with Tranquillien, and 250 with Undercity. Toss on a sprinkling of gold and xp, and it's not a bad quest in and of itself. After the completion event, you also get a book, if you talk to the nearby question-markless Ambassador Sunsorrow. More on this later.
That's it, though - there's not much here. Of course, as we know, the journey is the worthier part.
So... What's the point?
If you've done it by now, you know the point. At the end of the quest chain... *SPOILERS*... Deathwing appears and blows up the Undercity! Haha... see, now, the people who haven't done it are now going to go and complete it before actually having it spoiled. What really happens is that Sylvanas and a few of her banshees sing an epic and stunning song named 'Lament of the Highborne', all in Thalassian. I doubt that something of this quality will disappear in Cataclysm, but it very well could disappear, at least in its current incarnation - as Undercity and the entirety of Northern Lordaeron is getting hit by the renovate-bat, who knows.
For those allies in the crowd who can't be bothered to level up a measly level 15, I mean, seriously, you could just make a death knight for A'Dal's sake, you can type
/script PlaySoundFile("Sound\\Music\\GlueScreenMusic\\BCCredits_Lament_of_the_Highborne.mp3")
into the text window to hear the song, or watch a video on youtube. There is, however, nothing quite like walking up to the throne room and seeing it live. This is one of the truely amazing artistic feats in WoW - and something not to be missed.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Questes: The Sprite Darter
Well, here we are again, with me reopening up the old Questes template in one tab and a Wowhead client in another. In an unrelated note, I really, really dislike blogspot. Like, really. I could write a post about it. However, I will not, as this is a Questes, not a Tyrades. Which would be a cool column. Maybe I'll do it. But until it occurs, we shall never know whether it will be cool or not. Ah well.
Who can do this?
Only Alliance, sadly. However, the once Alliance specific reward that makes this whole chain worthwhile is not available to the Horde through a drop off of the Sprite Darters in Feralas. Almost easier for them, really, if you just put in the required amount of grinding to get the random.
Level requirement for the first quest Alliance side is 37; Horde side, the mobs are level 42-45, so the drop is technically possible for your level one bank alt if you really want to put in the time and dual-box or have a good high level friend who'll group with you and farm for you for a while.
Where does this start?
This one is pretty simple, although it actually isn't. Holy contradictory statement, Batman! But really, it begins at Kindal Moonweaver, up a little path northwest of the Grimtotem village. A little tricky to find at first, so turn on low level quest tracking.
The reason that it is tricky is that about halfway through the chain, it stops. As if the chain is over. You need to return to Kindal at this point, and you can begin working on getting your own sprite darter hatchling with 'An Orphan Looking for a Home'.
Also, before you begin it, pick up two Elixers of Fortitude. You can do it in the middle of the chain, when you're at Darnassus, but you might forget, and it doesn't hurt.
How to do this:
Horde: Get a good audiobook (I recommend Douglas Adams) or catch up on your shows on Hulu while grind, grind, grinding away.
Alliance: Follow NinjaPirateTaki's guide on the wowhead pages. Or you can look on Wowwiki, or check out the guide WarcraftPets recommends.
What do I get?
You get a totally awesome and unique pet. Not many people have it, so it is a mark of prestige as well as another pet to check off for your deer.
Also, you get some other stuff. Not really anything of note, but here goes:
Nightscale Girde: A high strength mail belt, and
Firwillow Wristbands, some cool NElf Druid RP gear, has a unique texture that would go well with the starting cloak.
Why this? Why now? Why meeee?
Basically, this was (and still is) one of the rarer, more unique pets out there - simply because there is nothing pointing you towards it. Of course, anyone with Wowhead in one hand a questhelper in the other can have it done faster than you can say 'Darnassus Hold-Em', but the rarity and coolness factor still stands (especially when the new swarm of Cataclysm WoWers heads in). Also, it could go away in cataclysm, yadda yadda yadda, all stands here. I've just realized if you're reading these out of order, my ramblings and exclusions could seem a bit weird. However, you all who this applies to are from the future, so you obviously have more pressing issues to worry about. Like zombies.
Who can do this?
Only Alliance, sadly. However, the once Alliance specific reward that makes this whole chain worthwhile is not available to the Horde through a drop off of the Sprite Darters in Feralas. Almost easier for them, really, if you just put in the required amount of grinding to get the random.
Level requirement for the first quest Alliance side is 37; Horde side, the mobs are level 42-45, so the drop is technically possible for your level one bank alt if you really want to put in the time and dual-box or have a good high level friend who'll group with you and farm for you for a while.
Where does this start?
This one is pretty simple, although it actually isn't. Holy contradictory statement, Batman! But really, it begins at Kindal Moonweaver, up a little path northwest of the Grimtotem village. A little tricky to find at first, so turn on low level quest tracking.
The reason that it is tricky is that about halfway through the chain, it stops. As if the chain is over. You need to return to Kindal at this point, and you can begin working on getting your own sprite darter hatchling with 'An Orphan Looking for a Home'.
Also, before you begin it, pick up two Elixers of Fortitude. You can do it in the middle of the chain, when you're at Darnassus, but you might forget, and it doesn't hurt.
How to do this:
Horde: Get a good audiobook (I recommend Douglas Adams) or catch up on your shows on Hulu while grind, grind, grinding away.
Alliance: Follow NinjaPirateTaki's guide on the wowhead pages. Or you can look on Wowwiki, or check out the guide WarcraftPets recommends.
What do I get?You get a totally awesome and unique pet. Not many people have it, so it is a mark of prestige as well as another pet to check off for your deer.
Also, you get some other stuff. Not really anything of note, but here goes:
Nightscale Girde: A high strength mail belt, and
Firwillow Wristbands, some cool NElf Druid RP gear, has a unique texture that would go well with the starting cloak.
Why this? Why now? Why meeee?
Basically, this was (and still is) one of the rarer, more unique pets out there - simply because there is nothing pointing you towards it. Of course, anyone with Wowhead in one hand a questhelper in the other can have it done faster than you can say 'Darnassus Hold-Em', but the rarity and coolness factor still stands (especially when the new swarm of Cataclysm WoWers heads in). Also, it could go away in cataclysm, yadda yadda yadda, all stands here. I've just realized if you're reading these out of order, my ramblings and exclusions could seem a bit weird. However, you all who this applies to are from the future, so you obviously have more pressing issues to worry about. Like zombies.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Questes : The Shady Rest Inn
This is one of the most excellent sidequests in the game. By sidequests, I mean ones that don't send you up against ancient demons or powerful avian gods, but ones that describe the little people of WoW - in the case, one innkeeper now known by the name of 'Smiling Jim'. There are a bunch more of these, like Mor'ladim and Jitters and Magister Duskwither and so many more... I might cover them all at some point. However, today is not that day. Today, we Questes!
Who can do this?
Well, both Alliance and Horde members can do the quests, however they are fairly different and the Alliance one ends with much more conclusion.
In terms of level requirement, you need to be level 37 to finish it, and 30 to start. You might level up enough over the course of the chain, because a ton of quests coincide with the quests in this area, however it's your best bet to just wait a little and at least hit 34 before starting. Unless you plan on running dungeons/bg's in the interim. Which isn't a bad idea.
Well, finding the start for this one has to be easy!
There are like 18 different ways to start this quest, so I'll be brief about each.
Alliance: First, you can pick up the quest chain off of Connor Rivers in the Blue Recluse - the inn in the Mage District in Stormwind.
Next, you can get it from Guard Byron (No, not the extremely stealthy tauren) who's inhabiting the walls of Thermore.
Horde: You can pick up a quest from one Krog to go check out the ruins, who's chilling in Brackenwall.
OR, you can just go straight to the source, the Shady Rest Inn, and grab the three objects off of the ground and surrounding areas; The Black Shield above the fireplace, the Suspicious Hoofprint on the ground, and a little glimmering badge on the floor.
Fine. Its four. Still a lot.
Ok, got a little tricky maneuver for me this time? Huh?
Nope. Wowwiki it is. Horde has a nice wowhead post too (the pink one).
Any 1337 Loot?
Ee-yikes. I'll make it quick.
In the end, you get some Leggings of the Long Road (caster cloth), Skirmisher's Cover (Hunter/Feral Druid/Rogue cap), or a Steel-banded Hauberk (nice for warriors/pallies).
Then you get one of three: Biting Axe (Str/Agil), Bone Dirk (Many Agils and a stam), and a Glowing Tourmaline Ring (stam/Spi, eww).
Then the horde can get:
You get to choose between 2 items: Eyepoker (statless wand) and Blasting Hackbut (statless gun).
Not all that great, but not all that bad.
Why this?
As with all of these... A - it rocks, and B - it could go away. However here we get to see some of the neat things Blizzard did with two different factions - if you get a chance to do both sides of the quest, you see insights into the situation that you never would get if you only saw half of the story. The Battle for the Undercity is another such quest which is explored differently on both factions (I only recently did the horde side one and was duly impressed), and it'd be neat to see if Blizzard gets to bring more such quests into Cataclysm - even in dimensions like PvP or dungeons or raids, which explored different sides to different stories or different factions. There's so much that Blizzard can do, and has done, it'll be quite awesome to see how they tinker around with things now, to get a feel for what they can and cannot do in their unannounced MMO.
Also: the alliance quest ends in a tragic yet noble way. It's one of those things that would deserve voice acting if Blizzard put the time into it (perhaps a short cinematic as well). But it's a cool quest in the constraints they have - one that really shows you what the smaller stories of Warcraft are all about. I don't know how much time they'll put into revamping Dustwallow as in 2.3 it got added to a fair bit, but who knows what can stay and what will go... when the world is devoured by rage.
Who can do this?Well, both Alliance and Horde members can do the quests, however they are fairly different and the Alliance one ends with much more conclusion.
In terms of level requirement, you need to be level 37 to finish it, and 30 to start. You might level up enough over the course of the chain, because a ton of quests coincide with the quests in this area, however it's your best bet to just wait a little and at least hit 34 before starting. Unless you plan on running dungeons/bg's in the interim. Which isn't a bad idea.
Well, finding the start for this one has to be easy!
There are like 18 different ways to start this quest, so I'll be brief about each.
Alliance: First, you can pick up the quest chain off of Connor Rivers in the Blue Recluse - the inn in the Mage District in Stormwind.
Next, you can get it from Guard Byron (No, not the extremely stealthy tauren) who's inhabiting the walls of Thermore.
Horde: You can pick up a quest from one Krog to go check out the ruins, who's chilling in Brackenwall.
OR, you can just go straight to the source, the Shady Rest Inn, and grab the three objects off of the ground and surrounding areas; The Black Shield above the fireplace, the Suspicious Hoofprint on the ground, and a little glimmering badge on the floor.
Fine. Its four. Still a lot.
Ok, got a little tricky maneuver for me this time? Huh?
Nope. Wowwiki it is. Horde has a nice wowhead post too (the pink one).
Any 1337 Loot?
Ee-yikes. I'll make it quick.
In the end, you get some Leggings of the Long Road (caster cloth), Skirmisher's Cover (Hunter/Feral Druid/Rogue cap), or a Steel-banded Hauberk (nice for warriors/pallies).
Then you get one of three: Biting Axe (Str/Agil), Bone Dirk (Many Agils and a stam), and a Glowing Tourmaline Ring (stam/Spi, eww).
Then the horde can get:
You get to choose between 2 items: Eyepoker (statless wand) and Blasting Hackbut (statless gun).
Not all that great, but not all that bad.
Why this?As with all of these... A - it rocks, and B - it could go away. However here we get to see some of the neat things Blizzard did with two different factions - if you get a chance to do both sides of the quest, you see insights into the situation that you never would get if you only saw half of the story. The Battle for the Undercity is another such quest which is explored differently on both factions (I only recently did the horde side one and was duly impressed), and it'd be neat to see if Blizzard gets to bring more such quests into Cataclysm - even in dimensions like PvP or dungeons or raids, which explored different sides to different stories or different factions. There's so much that Blizzard can do, and has done, it'll be quite awesome to see how they tinker around with things now, to get a feel for what they can and cannot do in their unannounced MMO.
Also: the alliance quest ends in a tragic yet noble way. It's one of those things that would deserve voice acting if Blizzard put the time into it (perhaps a short cinematic as well). But it's a cool quest in the constraints they have - one that really shows you what the smaller stories of Warcraft are all about. I don't know how much time they'll put into revamping Dustwallow as in 2.3 it got added to a fair bit, but who knows what can stay and what will go... when the world is devoured by rage.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Questes : The Glowing Shard
Now, hey, adept readers will note. The Glowing Shard? That sounds like some low level FedEx quest! What're you trying to pull on us? And you might even be more surprised when I tell you, you're right! It IS just a low level FedEx quest! But one chock-full of very, very, current and relevant lore.
It is no mystery that I am an ardent lover of all things druidic. This quest basically deals with all sorts of druidic dealings which will come to fruition in Cataclysm, and will play out also whenever we get to see the Emerald Dream (well, more than just a little acorn-filled grove surrounded by elite ancients of war). If you don't know what I'm talking about, go finish up your Icecrown Loremaster Achievement. The entire quest deals with the Nightmare and lore leading up to the Hyjal zone and the Barrens revamp and sundering. This quest is assuredly going to disappear. No doubt about it.
Who can do it?
The level cap for this one is 10, making it the most easily doable one of the lot. Unless you're getting run through the dungeon required to start this quest - Wailing Caverns, though, it really behooves you to get up to about level 15, when the random dungeon finder will queue you for it automatically. Otherwise, you're basically good. To solo the thing, it pays to be at about lvl 25-35, lower if you're more confident, and higher if you want it to go quickly and without deaths.
Start this is where?
The Quest begins off of a little green gem, whose icon looks like the Essence of Eranikus, that drops off of the end boss of the Wailing Caverns. It's a really, really annoying dungeon if you haven't done it before. In fact, it's really annoying even if you have. To spare yourself the trouble, follow your group leader, mind the jump, and if you are soloing hag upon wowwiki's every word.
Already had the page open for Wowwiki...
HAHA! This time, I'm actually going to TELL YOU what to do! Innit strange? If you still want to do it on your own, fine. I'm not going to stop you. However, you'd be a little nutty to do so.
Blizzard had a grand idea for a number of 'Mystery Quests' to be scattered throughout the world - like the one to find Jitters (easy) to the one from the scroll in the bottom of the bloodsail ship (harder) to the one from the dwarf in southern westfall (completely and totally insane). This is one of those 'mystery' quests - and Blizzard never made one after Vanilla, because they basically stunk. As this quest should be done simply for the lore, and more so to get you to run WC before it implodes in a bronze dragonflight paradox of insanity, it does not behoove you to run around the barrens and ask every person whether or not they know about a little green prism-thing. I'll spare you the trouble.
Basically, after you loot the gem, run to Falla Sagewind next to the flight master in Ratchet. She has no Question Mark. This is supposed to make the quest more 'mysterious'. In actually it makes it just eighty times more annoying if we didn't have wowhead. But, we do! After this it's simply a little jaunt up to your major druidic city (TB/Darn).
What crap do you get from this?
Not... much. If you haven't done the instance before, you get an achievement. Woo! Might even be a FoS someday.
You get to pick between two items. The Talbar Mantle, a very low level shoulder gear - once cool, now nulled by heirloom shoulders - and Quagmire Galoshes, a pair of decent tanking boots. Nothing spectacular, but a bit of XP and major city rep comes alongside.
So... That was totally not worth it.
You might think so. You got to do a really, really terrible dungeon. One that Blizzard will probably... hopefully... remove. Even its druidic awesomeness doesn't make up for the fact that it sucks. You ran around through a city to find a mob with no question mark over her head. Then, you flew an annoyingly long way back to an underused faction city you might not even have the flight route to, in which case you would have run or taken an arduous journey by foot/boat/zeppelin. Then you talked, finished the quest, and got a one of two low level greens.
HOWEVER. You now get to see WHY the barrens will be half a lush tropical forest in Cataclysm. You got to see the first warnings of the Emerald Nightmare, which Malfurion will come back yelling about. You destroyed the corrupted creations of the dream, and witnessed the power it has, first hand. This is Cataclysm's lore IN ACTION! The world is evolving before your very eyes! Live it! Breathe it! The Azeroth around you actually exists. It may not make up for the fact that you just ran WC, but hey, you did it. This is what too many quests were like pre-BC. So if you complain about how you have to go joust again, or your quest to pick up citizens on gryphonback is too long, or your grinding in Grizzly Hills isn't as much fun as it should be - you can now look back upon your arduously annoying journey and think, huh. This isn't so bad after all. In fact, this game might just be entertaining.
It is no mystery that I am an ardent lover of all things druidic. This quest basically deals with all sorts of druidic dealings which will come to fruition in Cataclysm, and will play out also whenever we get to see the Emerald Dream (well, more than just a little acorn-filled grove surrounded by elite ancients of war). If you don't know what I'm talking about, go finish up your Icecrown Loremaster Achievement. The entire quest deals with the Nightmare and lore leading up to the Hyjal zone and the Barrens revamp and sundering. This quest is assuredly going to disappear. No doubt about it.
Who can do it?The level cap for this one is 10, making it the most easily doable one of the lot. Unless you're getting run through the dungeon required to start this quest - Wailing Caverns, though, it really behooves you to get up to about level 15, when the random dungeon finder will queue you for it automatically. Otherwise, you're basically good. To solo the thing, it pays to be at about lvl 25-35, lower if you're more confident, and higher if you want it to go quickly and without deaths.
Start this is where?
The Quest begins off of a little green gem, whose icon looks like the Essence of Eranikus, that drops off of the end boss of the Wailing Caverns. It's a really, really annoying dungeon if you haven't done it before. In fact, it's really annoying even if you have. To spare yourself the trouble, follow your group leader, mind the jump, and if you are soloing hag upon wowwiki's every word.
Already had the page open for Wowwiki...
HAHA! This time, I'm actually going to TELL YOU what to do! Innit strange? If you still want to do it on your own, fine. I'm not going to stop you. However, you'd be a little nutty to do so.
Blizzard had a grand idea for a number of 'Mystery Quests' to be scattered throughout the world - like the one to find Jitters (easy) to the one from the scroll in the bottom of the bloodsail ship (harder) to the one from the dwarf in southern westfall (completely and totally insane). This is one of those 'mystery' quests - and Blizzard never made one after Vanilla, because they basically stunk. As this quest should be done simply for the lore, and more so to get you to run WC before it implodes in a bronze dragonflight paradox of insanity, it does not behoove you to run around the barrens and ask every person whether or not they know about a little green prism-thing. I'll spare you the trouble.
Basically, after you loot the gem, run to Falla Sagewind next to the flight master in Ratchet. She has no Question Mark. This is supposed to make the quest more 'mysterious'. In actually it makes it just eighty times more annoying if we didn't have wowhead. But, we do! After this it's simply a little jaunt up to your major druidic city (TB/Darn).
What crap do you get from this?
Not... much. If you haven't done the instance before, you get an achievement. Woo! Might even be a FoS someday.
You get to pick between two items. The Talbar Mantle, a very low level shoulder gear - once cool, now nulled by heirloom shoulders - and Quagmire Galoshes, a pair of decent tanking boots. Nothing spectacular, but a bit of XP and major city rep comes alongside.
So... That was totally not worth it.
You might think so. You got to do a really, really terrible dungeon. One that Blizzard will probably... hopefully... remove. Even its druidic awesomeness doesn't make up for the fact that it sucks. You ran around through a city to find a mob with no question mark over her head. Then, you flew an annoyingly long way back to an underused faction city you might not even have the flight route to, in which case you would have run or taken an arduous journey by foot/boat/zeppelin. Then you talked, finished the quest, and got a one of two low level greens.
HOWEVER. You now get to see WHY the barrens will be half a lush tropical forest in Cataclysm. You got to see the first warnings of the Emerald Nightmare, which Malfurion will come back yelling about. You destroyed the corrupted creations of the dream, and witnessed the power it has, first hand. This is Cataclysm's lore IN ACTION! The world is evolving before your very eyes! Live it! Breathe it! The Azeroth around you actually exists. It may not make up for the fact that you just ran WC, but hey, you did it. This is what too many quests were like pre-BC. So if you complain about how you have to go joust again, or your quest to pick up citizens on gryphonback is too long, or your grinding in Grizzly Hills isn't as much fun as it should be - you can now look back upon your arduously annoying journey and think, huh. This isn't so bad after all. In fact, this game might just be entertaining.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Questes : In Dreams
Hah, you thought you were rid of me, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU? Well, you were WRONG, soldier! Wrong as a doornail! In light of how wrong you are, I've decided to spotlight something completely off topic! That would be one of the most universally heralded quests in the game! A little quest from our Ashbringer-wielding, justice-serving head-of-the-Argent-Crusade Tirion Fordring!
First named in Metzen's short story 'Of Blood and Honor', Tirion has a long history described in said novel - a great precursor to the questline and WoW in general - you should read it. If you can't be bothered, a short summation follows: A post WC2 setting, just a week or two after 'Lord of the Clans', it describes Tirion's happenstance meeting with an orc by the name of Eitrigg (who you can see now in Ogrimmar/The Argent Stand) and how he ended up an outcast due to his pact of honor he swore to defend the orc, after his life was spared in turn. His family stayed in the town of Hearthglen (located in northern western plaguelands, now a scarlet crusade front) while he was exiled into the forests. It's a good read, and like always I'd heartily suggest it. Now, on with the show!
Who can do it?
Anybody that wants to, really. You need to be level 52, and that's about it. Youll need a fair bit of time as well, as the first three quests are pretty grindy, but the mobs are very close together and not hard to kill. Soloability I'd suggest around outland-ready, but if you're brave and daring you might even be able to do it at 52. Probably want stealth or invisibility potions, though.
Another thing - you can see a bit more of his history by going into Old Hillsbrad Foothills in the Caverns of Time.
Where do I beginz teh lulz?
Tirion himself has the starter. He's a bit hard to find, you know, being exiled and all, but you can either follow the river that divides E and W Plaguelands north on the Plaguelands side, or you can run through the Terrorweb Tunnel (usually a rare spawn in there, drops a load of Crypty Bits). Either way, he starts it off with three lengthy kill quests: Blood Tinged Skies, Carrion Grubbage, and Demon Dogs. Grind, grind, grind away.
A little hint to cut down running times: If your faction controls the Plaguewood Tower, you can fly using the spectral gryphon rider there to any of the other towers - specifically, the Eastwall Tower, as it is very near to the Light's Hope Chapel, which has a flight point. (Woo!)
One note about completion...
Try not to kill Isillien when he spawns at the end of the last quest. The end event has a chance to bug out, and while when I did it it was fine, other people have had issues. You can still turn in the quest in if you remain where you stand, though.
Where to go for teh guidez...
Wowwiki. Done and Done.
1007!
You get one choice out of 5 for the entire thing. Woo Beans.
First, a Mark of Fordring, very nice pre-OL neck for people that like crit/ap.
Then a Ornate Adamantium Breastplate, very very shiny tanking breastplate.
Next a Shimmering Platinum Warhammer (One of a kind model!), which is a.... decent weapon that looks very cool.
Penultimately a caster cloak, Shroud of the Exile, which is decent and graphically fine.
And last and certainly not least, for casters anyway, is a pretty little thing by the name of Fordring's Seal, a brilliant healing/dps ring for 50-60. All this'll be replaced in Outland ('cept for the hammer's total awesomeness), but nice for those neverending random Blackrock runs.
(See that hammer? Isn't it AWESOME? Yea. It is.)
Why this? WHY???
Firstly, it ends beautifully. Really well done stuff. Not going to spoil it here, but it's safe to say that it was the highlight of the questing experience for many Blizzard developers (as evidenced by a number of different podcasts/videos).
Also, Tirion exists in about 8 incarnations. With the heavy Plaguelands revamp, it could be seen that the world is brought up to the current timeline so as to make your actions feel more impacting. This may be very cool and awesome in its own right... but it would mean nixing some quests that no longer follow that path, including this one. This is one of those wuest which define why the Questing system implemented in WoW was so revolutionary. This kind of stuff hadn't happened before. It just... hadn't. This is one to do. It leaves you hanging to the last moment, and you can see how far Tirion has come, even to this day in Icecrown Citadel. All we are left to ponder, in every hero's case, is... Redemption?
First named in Metzen's short story 'Of Blood and Honor', Tirion has a long history described in said novel - a great precursor to the questline and WoW in general - you should read it. If you can't be bothered, a short summation follows: A post WC2 setting, just a week or two after 'Lord of the Clans', it describes Tirion's happenstance meeting with an orc by the name of Eitrigg (who you can see now in Ogrimmar/The Argent Stand) and how he ended up an outcast due to his pact of honor he swore to defend the orc, after his life was spared in turn. His family stayed in the town of Hearthglen (located in northern western plaguelands, now a scarlet crusade front) while he was exiled into the forests. It's a good read, and like always I'd heartily suggest it. Now, on with the show!
Who can do it?
Anybody that wants to, really. You need to be level 52, and that's about it. Youll need a fair bit of time as well, as the first three quests are pretty grindy, but the mobs are very close together and not hard to kill. Soloability I'd suggest around outland-ready, but if you're brave and daring you might even be able to do it at 52. Probably want stealth or invisibility potions, though.
Another thing - you can see a bit more of his history by going into Old Hillsbrad Foothills in the Caverns of Time.
Where do I beginz teh lulz?
Tirion himself has the starter. He's a bit hard to find, you know, being exiled and all, but you can either follow the river that divides E and W Plaguelands north on the Plaguelands side, or you can run through the Terrorweb Tunnel (usually a rare spawn in there, drops a load of Crypty Bits). Either way, he starts it off with three lengthy kill quests: Blood Tinged Skies, Carrion Grubbage, and Demon Dogs. Grind, grind, grind away.
A little hint to cut down running times: If your faction controls the Plaguewood Tower, you can fly using the spectral gryphon rider there to any of the other towers - specifically, the Eastwall Tower, as it is very near to the Light's Hope Chapel, which has a flight point. (Woo!)
One note about completion...Try not to kill Isillien when he spawns at the end of the last quest. The end event has a chance to bug out, and while when I did it it was fine, other people have had issues. You can still turn in the quest in if you remain where you stand, though.
Where to go for teh guidez...
Wowwiki. Done and Done.
1007!
You get one choice out of 5 for the entire thing. Woo Beans.
First, a Mark of Fordring, very nice pre-OL neck for people that like crit/ap.
Then a Ornate Adamantium Breastplate, very very shiny tanking breastplate.
Next a Shimmering Platinum Warhammer (One of a kind model!), which is a.... decent weapon that looks very cool.
Penultimately a caster cloak, Shroud of the Exile, which is decent and graphically fine.
And last and certainly not least, for casters anyway, is a pretty little thing by the name of Fordring's Seal, a brilliant healing/dps ring for 50-60. All this'll be replaced in Outland ('cept for the hammer's total awesomeness), but nice for those neverending random Blackrock runs.
(See that hammer? Isn't it AWESOME? Yea. It is.)Why this? WHY???
Firstly, it ends beautifully. Really well done stuff. Not going to spoil it here, but it's safe to say that it was the highlight of the questing experience for many Blizzard developers (as evidenced by a number of different podcasts/videos).
Also, Tirion exists in about 8 incarnations. With the heavy Plaguelands revamp, it could be seen that the world is brought up to the current timeline so as to make your actions feel more impacting. This may be very cool and awesome in its own right... but it would mean nixing some quests that no longer follow that path, including this one. This is one of those wuest which define why the Questing system implemented in WoW was so revolutionary. This kind of stuff hadn't happened before. It just... hadn't. This is one to do. It leaves you hanging to the last moment, and you can see how far Tirion has come, even to this day in Icecrown Citadel. All we are left to ponder, in every hero's case, is... Redemption?
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Questes : The Battle for Darrowshire
Wait, you say. I know that name! I have seen a great many things... and that's one of them - that's the extremely awesome video and song by Cranius! Of course, if you don't know about it, then now you do, so you can reread the beginning of this paragraph and be just as informed as the rest of us. Congrats.Now, what would you say if you could relive one of the best machinimas of all time IN GAME? Yes, I know you can blast your foes in twill and stealth into Stormwind (can't attack Ony any more, but you could) - but seriously, Darrowshire was a brilliant masterpiece by Cranius... and was based on a quest. Which is, oddly enough, the very same quest that we're going to do today in questes! It makes a man wonder, it does. With that said, let's get to fightin'!
Who can do it?
Anybody over level 50. This chain used to end in one of the most epic outdoor raid quests ever - no longer, nerfed in the death of the microdungeon in patch 2.3. Now it is possible to finish the last quest with a decent 5-man at level, or 3-man if you're good. Try to solo it if you really want to, but it is difficult and requires an inaverage amount of cleverness/speed. I'd wait until 70 or so to attempt soloing it, however, especially as a class not so levelling-inclined.
Where to begin!
There are two options of where to start this. Firstly, you can talk to Jessica Redpath in Everlook, the goblin quest hub in Winterspring, for the quest 'Sister Pamela'. Or, you can begin the chain qith a very similar quest from Marlene Redpath, who wanders around a ramshackle inn in the Western Plaguelands. Starting it here is suggested, because you have to go back to her later, she is in the same general area, and the quest she gives you offers a bit more xp. Basically, start with her. Also, neat bit of music inside the hut she stays in - not sure if it exists anywhere else in the world.
You an also bypass both of these quests, and go straight to Pamela Redpath on the outskirts of Darrowshire - use quest tracking to make it easy.
Who tells me how to do THIS one?Well, you guessed it, wowwiki once again comes to the rescue. Isn't it amazing how much anonymous people give to the community through posting there? Also, if you know your mobs well, you could try to just do the quest based upon Cranius's masterpiece. However, it takes some artistic interpretations, and if you just followed it linearly you'd probably get lost. Best to just stick to Wowwiki/Wowhead with this one.
Like always, however, I'd really suggest that you try and do these quests on your own, without outside instruction. In-game quest help makes it pretty simple, and if you keep referring to a guide, at least I feel it takes away from the epicness of the game. You can do what you wish, however.
The stuff we find...
Like always, experience is good. So is Argent Dawn reputation, for a number of reasons, not least the Argent Champion title.
As for stuff stuff, you first get some Tea with Sugar, which is actually usable during the Vezax encounter. Only 3 charges, but still neat you get something useful after all this while.
Next, you get three decent blue items, good for their level, but soon replaced by outland gear. They are the Ring of Protection (Best Vanilla feral tanking ring evar - its true, some durids is bare), the Arclight Talisman (Caster neck) and the Magebane Scion (offhand with a heap of resistances).
Why I picked this...
First, this is the best quest that is currently in game. No question. Beautifully crafted, brilliant story, interesting yet not idiotic game mechanics. All ending in a really awesome and epic encounter. Well done, Blizz, well done.
However, Blizzard is revamping all of the Lordaeron zones. A lot. It seems like the plaguelands may be hit by the revamp bat the hardest. It would be a really sad shame if it got lost to the hourglass of eternity - and I really hope it isn't - but just in case, do it now. Even if they make it better, and add more interesting and new followup quest lines, you really really dont want to miss your opportunity now. You'll kick yourself for it later.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Questes : Class Quests
This is sort of a stand-in for all of the class quests out there. If you are lucky enough to be graced with a really cool, class-specific quest, you better do it. No question. These are those defining factors that tie classes together, that prove your mark as a real (fill in your class here); these are the quests that people hold as some of their highest accomplishments in the game. I'll jot them out here. (In addition to the ones listed, each class - bar DKs - has a quest that brings them to do a specific thing in the Sunken Temple. Some are more interesting than others, but the dungeon's pretty fun, and I'd suggest doing it at some point. Very soloable nowadays.)
Of course, as you may have realized, I still have to cover a quest here. Obviously, I will cover the magnificent Druid's Epic Flight Form quest.
Who can do it?
Unfortunately, only Druids can do the Druid epic flight form quest. Oddly enough. Never understood the reasoning behind it. Also, you need to be level 70 and honored or higher with the Lower City (so you can enter heroic Auchindoun instances).
Also, you need to have both regular and epic flight training. This costs a hefty amount of gold - 4 to 5k, depending upon your reputation. You get the regular flight training at 60 for next to nothing, so it's not really an issue. I farmed up this gold during BC by grinding eternal water around skettis - the easiest way to get gold now is to quest at max level and do dailies - professions are also a viable option. However, to obtain swift flight form, you do need to already have purchased artisan flying - unlike the other mount chains.
Where to begin...
To start the chain, just talk to any druid trainer, and they'll give you a quest to go talk to a druid in the Cenarion Refuge in Zangarmarsh. The easiest gut to talk to, though, is an old Druid in Moonglade by the name of Loganaar. Just teleport to Moonglade (Remember that spell? Yeah? you get to use it now! Woo!), and accept his quest - and you're on your way.
How do I do this nao plox kthxbai?
Of course, there's a brilliant guide once again at Wowwiki. You can always check the pages for each specific part of the chain on wowhead as well. In fact, I seem to be saying that alot, and I could probably just nix this section. Whatever.
Roxxorz Lootzorz!
This quest used to have the best loot for any druid in the game. That loot is the spell 'Swift Flight Form'. An instant cast, while moving, mount that gives you all the usual bonuses of shapeshifting - including the ability to pick herbs. However, no longer. You can now train this spell at level 71, and the quest has faded into oblivion. However, there are a few other notable and still useful rewards in the chain.
Firstly, as with most of these quests, you get a great deal of reputation - this time with the Cenarion Expedition, useful for grinding keys for old roics, or getting exalted for your Hippogryph. Also, you get 100g.
Next, you get a dead useless trinket. It used to act as a riding crop for swift flight form, increasing flight speed by 10%, but no longer. It is now, essentially, useless. Undisenchantable. Not even sellable. Even the vendors know how useless it is.
Later, you get a marginally useful idol. I don't do much of my levelling in form, but for ferals and the odd non-healing straight boomkin-form leveller, it can last you through the first couple levels of Northrend. Otherwise, DE or sell it.
Lastly, and much more importantly, you get a very, very important key. The only way of getting this key, the Essence-Infused Moonstone, is either from a quest in this chain or a repeatable quest you an get after the fact. It summons an extra boss, Anzu, inside of Heroic Sethekk Halls. Now, this is just an ordinary boss... But he is no ordinary boss! He has a chance to drop a highly coveted mount - The Reigns of the Raven Lord - which, though the drop frequency is quite small, looks totally awesome.
Lastly, you get a Feat of Strength. Woo!
Why am I bringing this up an expansion too late?
Firstly, this is one of the most epic quests in ever. No, really. Solo boss fights encompassing all druid forms, thrilling heroics, an awesome aqueous chase... it's brilliant. Also, it's a unique experience for Druids alone, and so us ardent followers of Alamo are brought all the closer together.
However, Blizzard has stated that Class-specific quests are going the way of the Captain Placeholder. It's understandable, because only 1/10 of the characters get to actually see the content, but it's definitely a loss - they really tied the classes together. This is the last class quest we may ever see (excluding Hero classes), so it's worth cherishing. It's also relatively soloable nowadays, or at least doable with just the help of one more person. However, the river chase heavily relies upon no flying in Azeroth (and the old, un-hordesymboled Azshara) - it may be that Blizzard lazily waves this quest off as one not to revamp, because nobody's doing it anymore. I... sure hope not. But just in case, dust off that old druid of yours and level him up to 80 (it can't take you long - not with RaF, Heirlooms, Battlegrounds, and Random Dungeons), then go do this quest. You won't want to miss it.
- Death Knight: Sorry, all you get is the starting zone quests. Well, not sorry, actually, because this is the most polished zone in the game. But no active seeking of quests for you.
- Druid: The Seal Form quest is a bit of a trial of patience. It's one of the defining factors of a druid, in that it made a ton of people change classes right at level 16. Annoying, yet relieving, that they dropped it a few patches ago. The real gem is the Epic Flight form quest: see below.
- Hunter: The Ancient Petrified Leaf is your epic quest. Very cool from the looks of things - I haven't yet gotten to try it with my hunter.
- Mage: No really epic quests (sorry). You do get a quest that teaches you Polymorph Pig, though.
- Paladin: Lucky bum, you get two! Sorry, got. First, along with Warriors, you could craft one Quel'Serrar - sister blade to Quel'Delar. Buuut with level 80 Onyxia, the quest was removed. Sorry. However, you still get the very very cool Paladin Charger chain, which I highly urge you to do.
- Priest: Benediction. Do it.
- Rogue: Ravenholdt! It's a faction, I know - but it's YOUR faction. Some rogue-specific quests are around there too.
- Shaman: You have an epic quest for a Helm, which is kinda cool. Not very long, not as amazing as others, and no Alliance equivalent. However, you do have a quest for each of your totems (no longer necessary), which are worth doing.
- Warlock: Three! Three whole class defining quests. In addition to a quest for each Demon. Lucky. First are the two demon quests a large number of people skip: the Infernal, and the Doomguard. Next is one of the coolest quests that I have done, and that's the Warlock Epic Mount chain. Really dead annoying if you do it to get your first epic mount (as I did), but still annoying even now. But the annoyance is far overshadowed by the pure, unadulterated awesome that exudes from it.
- Warrior: Cool level 40 quest where I still remember being awed at the sheer size of the wind elemental. Also, the quests for stances are neat. No level 60 quest since Quel'serrar was removed, though. Sorry.
Of course, as you may have realized, I still have to cover a quest here. Obviously, I will cover the magnificent Druid's Epic Flight Form quest.
Who can do it?
Unfortunately, only Druids can do the Druid epic flight form quest. Oddly enough. Never understood the reasoning behind it. Also, you need to be level 70 and honored or higher with the Lower City (so you can enter heroic Auchindoun instances).
Also, you need to have both regular and epic flight training. This costs a hefty amount of gold - 4 to 5k, depending upon your reputation. You get the regular flight training at 60 for next to nothing, so it's not really an issue. I farmed up this gold during BC by grinding eternal water around skettis - the easiest way to get gold now is to quest at max level and do dailies - professions are also a viable option. However, to obtain swift flight form, you do need to already have purchased artisan flying - unlike the other mount chains.
Where to begin...
To start the chain, just talk to any druid trainer, and they'll give you a quest to go talk to a druid in the Cenarion Refuge in Zangarmarsh. The easiest gut to talk to, though, is an old Druid in Moonglade by the name of Loganaar. Just teleport to Moonglade (Remember that spell? Yeah? you get to use it now! Woo!), and accept his quest - and you're on your way.
How do I do this nao plox kthxbai?
Of course, there's a brilliant guide once again at Wowwiki. You can always check the pages for each specific part of the chain on wowhead as well. In fact, I seem to be saying that alot, and I could probably just nix this section. Whatever.
Roxxorz Lootzorz!
This quest used to have the best loot for any druid in the game. That loot is the spell 'Swift Flight Form'. An instant cast, while moving, mount that gives you all the usual bonuses of shapeshifting - including the ability to pick herbs. However, no longer. You can now train this spell at level 71, and the quest has faded into oblivion. However, there are a few other notable and still useful rewards in the chain.
Firstly, as with most of these quests, you get a great deal of reputation - this time with the Cenarion Expedition, useful for grinding keys for old roics, or getting exalted for your Hippogryph. Also, you get 100g.
Next, you get a dead useless trinket. It used to act as a riding crop for swift flight form, increasing flight speed by 10%, but no longer. It is now, essentially, useless. Undisenchantable. Not even sellable. Even the vendors know how useless it is.
Later, you get a marginally useful idol. I don't do much of my levelling in form, but for ferals and the odd non-healing straight boomkin-form leveller, it can last you through the first couple levels of Northrend. Otherwise, DE or sell it.
Lastly, and much more importantly, you get a very, very important key. The only way of getting this key, the Essence-Infused Moonstone, is either from a quest in this chain or a repeatable quest you an get after the fact. It summons an extra boss, Anzu, inside of Heroic Sethekk Halls. Now, this is just an ordinary boss... But he is no ordinary boss! He has a chance to drop a highly coveted mount - The Reigns of the Raven Lord - which, though the drop frequency is quite small, looks totally awesome.
Lastly, you get a Feat of Strength. Woo!Why am I bringing this up an expansion too late?
Firstly, this is one of the most epic quests in ever. No, really. Solo boss fights encompassing all druid forms, thrilling heroics, an awesome aqueous chase... it's brilliant. Also, it's a unique experience for Druids alone, and so us ardent followers of Alamo are brought all the closer together.
However, Blizzard has stated that Class-specific quests are going the way of the Captain Placeholder. It's understandable, because only 1/10 of the characters get to actually see the content, but it's definitely a loss - they really tied the classes together. This is the last class quest we may ever see (excluding Hero classes), so it's worth cherishing. It's also relatively soloable nowadays, or at least doable with just the help of one more person. However, the river chase heavily relies upon no flying in Azeroth (and the old, un-hordesymboled Azshara) - it may be that Blizzard lazily waves this quest off as one not to revamp, because nobody's doing it anymore. I... sure hope not. But just in case, dust off that old druid of yours and level him up to 80 (it can't take you long - not with RaF, Heirlooms, Battlegrounds, and Random Dungeons), then go do this quest. You won't want to miss it.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Questes : The Master's Key
Not so long ago, in that same rather near world, there was a tower in Deadwind Pass known by the name of Karazhan. It was the first step in what promised to be an epic raiding scheme, more accessible than ever with the new 10 and 25 man raids, versus the previously very constricting 40-man ones. Home to Tirisfal's Last Guardian, Medivh, it was packed with all sorts of lore and touted as a dungeon even from WoW's release (but didn't make it in 'til BC). However, it (like almost all BC's raids on release) required the completing of a quest chain, to obtain the key which opened the gate before Karahzan. Later the attunement feature was removed - only one raid member needs to have the key, to open the door which lets you enter Karazhan.
Who can do it?
There are a few requirements before you can get the key to enter Kara. First, you will need to have access to a Key to the Arcatraz, which comes from the quest chain that begins with 'A Heap of Ethereals'.
Next, you will need access to Shadow Labyrinths, which requires a key from a chest in the end of Sethekk Halls. (Both of these doors can also be avoided by using a rogue with 350 or greater lockpicking).
Lastly, you will need access to the Black Morass, which requires continuing the quest 'To The Master's Lair' through 'Escape from Durnholde'.
To actually do the chain, you will need to be level 70. However to do Karazhan solo, you must be level 80 and fairly well geared - as well as knowing what you're doing. Even then, It'd be difficult.
Where to begin...
You can either start with the lead-in quest, Archmage Alturus, which begins with Apprentice Tasserel in the World's End Tavern in Shattrath. If you don't want to go there for some weird reason, you can always just head out in front of Kara and pick up the two beginning quests.
Who can tell you how to do it?
There's a great guide on Wowwiki that takes you through it step by step. (A note on Wowwiki: It's a wiki, so, things can be wrong on the site! That, however, does not make it less creditable - as long as you note the discrepancy, and fix it yourself.)
Epix Lootzorz!
First, you get a great deal of xp and gold, as with any long quest chain. However, all through this quest, you get to take your first steps through the Violet Eye reputation, which has a great deal of neat rewards if you keep at the raid for a while. Really only useful if you plan on staying at lvl 70, though, because most if not all rewards will be replaced within the first few zones in Northrend.
Next, you'll get your very own copy of 'The Master's Key', which will allow you to enter the tower of Karazhan at any time you like.
Lastly, if you continue the quest all the way through the dungeon, you get a 'Violet Badge', a decent trinket with a ton of arcane resistance - useful for soloing a number of the bosses in Kara, especially The Curator. Who is indeed equipped for gallery protection.
Why in the gorram world does this quest matter?
Well, I'll tell you. Firstly, as with all others, this could be removed in Cataclysm - we just don't know - and it'll be neat to have a unique, no longer obtainable key if that is so.
Secondly, this was the first rite of passage for all BC raiders. It's a cool thing to be able to know the roots of raiding, and what has come before - so you can feel lucky that there are no more fights with ridiculously annoying RNG like Prince, or feel sad about the loss of your free epix off of Chess. Also, having a key is nice in case you want to shoot for the Karazhan achievement - with nobody doing it nowadays, it'll get harder and harder to find a key.
Lastly, it's just a pretty cool quest. All sorts of lore is intertwined throughout.
Who can do it?There are a few requirements before you can get the key to enter Kara. First, you will need to have access to a Key to the Arcatraz, which comes from the quest chain that begins with 'A Heap of Ethereals'.
Next, you will need access to Shadow Labyrinths, which requires a key from a chest in the end of Sethekk Halls. (Both of these doors can also be avoided by using a rogue with 350 or greater lockpicking).
Lastly, you will need access to the Black Morass, which requires continuing the quest 'To The Master's Lair' through 'Escape from Durnholde'.
To actually do the chain, you will need to be level 70. However to do Karazhan solo, you must be level 80 and fairly well geared - as well as knowing what you're doing. Even then, It'd be difficult.
Where to begin...
You can either start with the lead-in quest, Archmage Alturus, which begins with Apprentice Tasserel in the World's End Tavern in Shattrath. If you don't want to go there for some weird reason, you can always just head out in front of Kara and pick up the two beginning quests.
Who can tell you how to do it?
There's a great guide on Wowwiki that takes you through it step by step. (A note on Wowwiki: It's a wiki, so, things can be wrong on the site! That, however, does not make it less creditable - as long as you note the discrepancy, and fix it yourself.)
Epix Lootzorz!
First, you get a great deal of xp and gold, as with any long quest chain. However, all through this quest, you get to take your first steps through the Violet Eye reputation, which has a great deal of neat rewards if you keep at the raid for a while. Really only useful if you plan on staying at lvl 70, though, because most if not all rewards will be replaced within the first few zones in Northrend.
Next, you'll get your very own copy of 'The Master's Key', which will allow you to enter the tower of Karazhan at any time you like.
Lastly, if you continue the quest all the way through the dungeon, you get a 'Violet Badge', a decent trinket with a ton of arcane resistance - useful for soloing a number of the bosses in Kara, especially The Curator. Who is indeed equipped for gallery protection.
Why in the gorram world does this quest matter?
Well, I'll tell you. Firstly, as with all others, this could be removed in Cataclysm - we just don't know - and it'll be neat to have a unique, no longer obtainable key if that is so.
Secondly, this was the first rite of passage for all BC raiders. It's a cool thing to be able to know the roots of raiding, and what has come before - so you can feel lucky that there are no more fights with ridiculously annoying RNG like Prince, or feel sad about the loss of your free epix off of Chess. Also, having a key is nice in case you want to shoot for the Karazhan achievement - with nobody doing it nowadays, it'll get harder and harder to find a key.
Lastly, it's just a pretty cool quest. All sorts of lore is intertwined throughout.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Questes : You Are Rakh'likh, Demon
A long time ago, in a world far, far away from being far away (as in it is very close), the world of warcraft as we knew it was much smaller. About half as large, actually, and simultaneously, in being so small, there was a great deal less to do. No achievements, no heroics, not even daily quests to keep casual players occupied. However, there were a few quests, such as this one, which were extremely difficult and could even have been considered the pinnacle of non-instanced play, pre-Burning Crusade.
Who can do it?
Most people. For alliance, you must be neutral or higher with booty bay - for horde, you don't. Bit of a weird catch for this one, and sorry to all you Bloodsail Admirals out there. Also, to pick up the first quest, you have to be level 45 - you can do the whole thing at that level, too. However, to actually contribute to whatever group you are with, I'd heartily suggest at least being able to go to Outland (level 58). If you're looking to go solo, shoot for 70+.
Where to begin...
If you're Horde: You pick the first quest in the chain, 'Fall From Grace', from the Fallen Hero of the Horde, who stands in the Swamp of Sorrows entrance to the Blasted Lands.
If you're Alliance: You pick up your first quest in the chain, 'Petty Squabbles', from Ambassador Ardalan in the single tower in Nethergarde Keep, who tells you to go to the Fallen Hero of the Horde, who stands in the Swamp of Sorrows entrance to the Blasted Lands. Don't be put off by his name; the quest is available to both factions.
How to do it
Haha, you didn't seriously believe that I'd tell you how to do this quest on your own, did you? Do it yourself! However, if you did, then I'd suggest going over to Wowhead, where one commenter by the name of mootoo has a large guide on how to do them, and there are a number of useful comments on each portion of the quest on their specific pages. If you can't be bothered to tab out and check the site every step of the way, I'd snag this addon off of WoWInterface, a nifty little thing by the name of LightHeaded which displays all of a quest's comments on Wowhead right there next to your quest log, in game.
Da Loot!
Of course, the best part of all this is what you get.
Why do we care about this one?
The first thing that made me want to shove this back into the public eye is the simple fact it may not be around for much longer. Even though it has one of the coolest 5-man boss fights in WoW, it's OLD. Like, in there on release old. It may be one of those things Blizzard may renovate, wipe out, or just forget about as they restructure the zone.
Secondly, you get to see how Blizzard began its great journey to phasing as we know it today. In one part of the quest, you return to the fallen hero of the horde, and if you ask nicely, he'll summon up another fallen hero who gives you the next quest. Not close to as neat and elegant as we see with our questgivers disappearing and reappearing in the fleshwerks, but still a cool chance to see how the game mechanics have evolved over the years.
Who can do it?
Most people. For alliance, you must be neutral or higher with booty bay - for horde, you don't. Bit of a weird catch for this one, and sorry to all you Bloodsail Admirals out there. Also, to pick up the first quest, you have to be level 45 - you can do the whole thing at that level, too. However, to actually contribute to whatever group you are with, I'd heartily suggest at least being able to go to Outland (level 58). If you're looking to go solo, shoot for 70+.
Where to begin...
If you're Horde: You pick the first quest in the chain, 'Fall From Grace', from the Fallen Hero of the Horde, who stands in the Swamp of Sorrows entrance to the Blasted Lands.
If you're Alliance: You pick up your first quest in the chain, 'Petty Squabbles', from Ambassador Ardalan in the single tower in Nethergarde Keep, who tells you to go to the Fallen Hero of the Horde, who stands in the Swamp of Sorrows entrance to the Blasted Lands. Don't be put off by his name; the quest is available to both factions.
How to do it
Haha, you didn't seriously believe that I'd tell you how to do this quest on your own, did you? Do it yourself! However, if you did, then I'd suggest going over to Wowhead, where one commenter by the name of mootoo has a large guide on how to do them, and there are a number of useful comments on each portion of the quest on their specific pages. If you can't be bothered to tab out and check the site every step of the way, I'd snag this addon off of WoWInterface, a nifty little thing by the name of LightHeaded which displays all of a quest's comments on Wowhead right there next to your quest log, in game.
Da Loot!
Of course, the best part of all this is what you get.
- First off, this quest results in a ridiculous amount of xp. So, if you're looking to do it while leveling, I'd heartily suggest it.
- Next, it results in a Shard of Afrasa, a trinket which is nice to be able to obtain at a low level like 45, but it otherwise useless and can be vendored or disenchanted.
- For the quest you are given a Enchanted Azsharite Felbane Staff, Dagger, or Sword, which you get to keep after killing the final big baddie. The only reason I can see keeping them is aesthetic, or perhaps on the first few quests in outland where the additional attack power vs. demons would be useful. I'd vote just to trash or DE it; your choice. Makes a nice memento of the occasion, however.
- You also get a necklace, which is essentially just garbage now, however back in the day was quite useful it forming up a fire resistance set for Molten Core.
- Also obtained is a SECOND trinket, by the name of Demon's Blood, which is now unique in being the only non-engineer trinket that has Shadow Resistance on it, as Loatheb's Reflection and Ward of the Elements were made unobtainable in 3.0. (Credit due to Skelic).
- Lastly, you obtain a free 16-slot bag. Not bad for untwinked or first time toons.
Why do we care about this one?
The first thing that made me want to shove this back into the public eye is the simple fact it may not be around for much longer. Even though it has one of the coolest 5-man boss fights in WoW, it's OLD. Like, in there on release old. It may be one of those things Blizzard may renovate, wipe out, or just forget about as they restructure the zone.
Secondly, you get to see how Blizzard began its great journey to phasing as we know it today. In one part of the quest, you return to the fallen hero of the horde, and if you ask nicely, he'll summon up another fallen hero who gives you the next quest. Not close to as neat and elegant as we see with our questgivers disappearing and reappearing in the fleshwerks, but still a cool chance to see how the game mechanics have evolved over the years.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Questes of Moste Epic Praeportiones
What's a better way to kick off a blog than with a post telling you what's awesome in WoW? A SERIES of posts telling you what's awesome in WoW! Yea! Woo!
Basically, the idea is that I will make a list of the 10 most epic quests which you probably missed and perhaps will disappear when the earthquakes begin to truly take hold of Azeroth. I'll list each quest/chain, where you can begin it, and whatever else I feel like, in each post. Isn't it good to have structure? On a side note, I'd like to give a call-out to everybody in the chat channel! Howwwwwwws it going? (We'll miss you, Mike!)
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