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World of Warcraft |OT8| CITIZENS OF DALARAN

dimb

Bjergsen is the greatest midlane in the world
Even if I feel that Gorgrond does not come together as a whole to deliver a very strong story, it does feel like a zone that hits the vibe right for exploring and adventuring. It is a really diverse zone that transitions between thick jungle, deep caves, rocky desert, and steaming hot springs. There is cool story stuff there, where you're teaming up with Rexxar to take on the Iron Horde as they exploit the resources of the land.
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It also houses three very distinct dungeons and what is probably one of the best raids this game has ever seen. There are definitely Legion zones that I would consider a step down from it, even for all its inadequacies.

If you take Highmountain as a very general point of comparison, yeah, sure, the story flows better but what are the memorable quests and locations? Its feature is elevation, but it's actually a very flat zone when it comes to where players quest, as each hub plays out in a fairly unremarkable space. It's the "highest mountain" on Azeroth, but the ascension to the peak is just so dull compared to Kun-lai Summit. Even WoD's Nagrand felt like it made greater use of elevation with its climbs to peaks, and the hidden treasure locations that required glider runs to lower points.

The core of Warlords has really strong zones. Shadowmoon Valley, Spires of Arak, Frostfire Ridge are all great, with Nagrand ranking in as pretty good. Legion has four leveling zones and half of them are somewhere between not good and bad. As a whole it is the expansion that feels the least ambitious with its zone concepts and that's just a huge mark against it for me.
 

Data West

coaches in the WNBA
I loved Gorgrond. I loved the Laughing Skull stuff. I loved the Botanica stuff. I loved the idea of a Desert/tropical zone.
 

Lain

Member
Having played Legion extensively and following the leveling path a few times, I actually think it's pretty weak. Blizzard did a good job with the late game systems, but the path there is just beyond slight and forgettable. Highmountain is probably just the epitome of this, a completely one note zone with no interesting dynamics that does less with its repeated themes than we've seen in Warcraft before. Revisiting the Cataclysm zones for some of the Shaman quests really shed light on how bland the Legion zones are. Warlords of Draenor had an extreme number of problems, but the locations were much more diverse, dynamic, and interesting to explore.

I feel that Blizzard should be held to a higher accountability level with Legion's leveling zones. They are spartan, uninteresting, lacking diversity, and have such an insignificant soundtrack backing them up. Legion's leveling is getting a pass because it's quick and painless, but the complexity, scope, and ambition is completely absent.

I haven't seen all the Legion zones have to offer yet but I sorta agree based on what I've experienced so far.
Speaking of music, I did some of High Mountain yesterday, and nothing says anti-climatic to me more than going through what seemed a end to a questline with no music and maybe some wind noise in the background.

I will agree the navigation verges on obnoxious at times. In zones like Stormheim or Highmountain it makes sense, but places like Azsuna or Val'sharah shouldn't be such a pain in the ass to navigate. This expansion could have definitely used one or two zones that felt really open and sprawling. I liked it all when you're doing the actual quests and you're ferried from one hub to another, but running around trying to do world quests can be really fucking maddening when you follow a road to your "destination" only to realize too late that it's at the top of a 300 foot cliff.

I wish Blizzard learned to draw maps by now.
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
A lot of people deride WoD for having too many Orcs but the whole "alternate universe" angle meant they could do whatever the fuck they wanted and I feel the zones themselves benefited from that. Legion, on the other hand, has the problem of "this is not-Azshara, this is not-Felwood, and this is not-Howling Fjord". Because they need to stay within the confines of Azeroth, they more or less have to recycle concepts. Even Suramar is more or less a retread of the Blood Elf story.

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Data West

coaches in the WNBA
I mean, I'd say Legion suffers from 'too many Elves' as much as Draenor suffered from too many Orcs

the entire end game solo content is focuse almost entirely on killing and helping elves.


It has been nice seeing Tauren finally getting some lore love.
 

Bizazedo

Member
I mean, I'd say Legion suffers from 'too many Elves' as much as Draenor suffered from too many Orcs

the entire end game solo content is focuse almost entirely on killing and helping elves.


It has been nice seeing Tauren finally getting some lore love.
Today's WQ where we had to kill those three elites behind walls of elites felt like a goddamn war zone as players flooded in. All to kill elves.

And I can't help but feel the leader of the thunder totem tauren is a failure who keeps allowing her city to be attacked (WQ).
 

Strimei

Member
I mean, I'd say Legion suffers from 'too many Elves' as much as Draenor suffered from too many Orcs

the entire end game solo content is focuse almost entirely on killing and helping elves.

Personally don't mind it, though, as, at least for me, it feels refreshing. I've grown so tired of enemies whose aesthetic is crude metal bolted onto more metal. The Legion, Scourge had it a bit (though at least it was merged with their skeleton/undead theme), Deathwing and his followers, Pandaria avoided it fairly well until the end with orcs, and then more orcs in Draenor.

Yeah there may be a ton of elves (and 7.1 has even more), but I'm over the damn moon that we have enemies who have a graceful, ethereal aesthetic instead of something that looks like it belongs on a generic heavy metal album.

Please god give me more of that.
 

Renekton

Member
I'm about to start the 8000/12000 Nightfallen quests, which GAFers said are hell.

Anything I should prepare? D: I haz alot of methmana
 

Strimei

Member
I'm about to start the 8000/12000 Nightfallen quests, which GAFers said is hell.

Anything I should prepare? D: I haz alot of mana

Just be prepared to be sent into the eastern portion of Suramar.

The vineyard's fine, no problem at all, as is the menagerie/zoo, but once you get into the rest of it, elite mobs and detecting mobs everywhere.
 

Renekton

Member
Just be prepared to be sent into the eastern portion of Suramar.

The vineyard's fine, no problem at all, as is the menagerie/zoo, but once you get into the rest of it, elite mobs and detecting mobs everywhere.
Thanks a lot.

Are there any items or craftables I can use to make it easier?
 

Strimei

Member
Thanks a lot.

Are there any items or craftables I can use to make it easier?

Not really, except I guess one of those anti-dazing mount items.

You have two options when going through those areas. Either go real slow, plan your movements, and use CC when you can to move by the detectors (they can't detect when CC'd), or just blitz it and pray.

Try and memorize where the canal is too, its a good escape route.
 

erawsd

Member
I'd kill to have Chen or Akama or Nazgrim. The most famous warrior in all of Warcraft(Grom) was brought back in WoD and still survived it and yet the warrior class hall has zero to do with him.

That's because the Warrior Class Hall has zero to do with anyone thats not Vykrul. With the lore Blizzard established it just wouldnt make any sense to have non Vykrul in there. They probably should have come up with something else for Warriors and just left HoV as a dungeon/quest zone.
 

Data West

coaches in the WNBA
I have literally zero idea who any of the priest champions are.

They're the only class with worse champions than Warrior. Like I know who a lot of them are but they're so obscure from some comics that I have zero interest in that I doubt many people recognized.

Like the Shaman campaign is the perfect example of deep cut NPCs done right. Hydraxis being a follower, for example, is fucking cool
 

Rizzi

Member
They're the only class with worse champions than Warrior. Like I know who a lot of them are but they're so obscure from some comics that I have zero interest in that I doubt many people recognized.

Like the Shaman campaign is the perfect example of deep cut NPCs done right. Hydraxis being a follower, for example, is fucking cool

Literally who.
Calia Menethil? That super important lore character.
 

Strimei

Member
Ishanah's also essentially the backup leader for the Draenei, too. She's pretty important.

(Hasn't done much though admittedly)

Alonsus Faol essentially created the paladins.

Zabra Hexx...is just some troll priest.
 

Rizzi

Member
Ishanah's also essentially the backup leader for the Draenei, too. She's pretty important.

(Hasn't done much though admittedly)

Alonsus Faol essentially created the paladins.

Zabra Hexx...is just some troll priest.

Shouldn't he be in the paladin class hall then?
Do paladins get cool guys in theirs?
 

Strimei

Member
Shouldn't he be in the paladin class hall then?
Do paladins get cool guys in theirs?

Nah, he founded it but he remained a priest.

He was one of the heads of the church and when the Stormwind survivors arrived in Lordaeron went "we need better troops. How about we combine priests with plate armor?"
 

Rizzi

Member
Nah, he founded it but he remained a priest.

He was one of the heads of the church and when the Stormwind survivors arrived in Lordaeron went "we need better troops. How about we combine priests with plate armor?"

Alright, one important lore guy then, I'll give you that. :p
 

Data West

coaches in the WNBA
ishanah was the only priest hall champion I was like 'heh that's kinda cool'

and you get a Scarlet Order priest and it's like 'who??????'
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like if we're going to go with the greater evil needs to be stopped. let's pull out a heavy hitter
 

Rizzi

Member
ishanah was the only priest hall champion I was like 'heh that's kinda cool'

and you get a Scarlet Order priest and it's like 'who??????'
953783-cot6b.jpg

like if we're going to go with the greater evil needs to be stopped. let's pull out a heavy hitter

But then who would the death knights get?
 

carlsojo

Member
they already got like 5 heavy hitters

let the priests have someone

We got Velen! Maybe with the events on the Exodar he'll switch specs to Shadow and we'll get to see some badassery.

And maybe Callia Menethil will do.. something... anything.

They're the only class with worse champions than Warrior. Like I know who a lot of them are but they're so obscure from some comics that I have zero interest in that I doubt many people recognized.

Like the Shaman campaign is the perfect example of deep cut NPCs done right. Hydraxis being a follower, for example, is fucking cool

Mylra is the only cool Shaman follower and that's only because she hung that ogre over an airship propeller in Cataclysm to interrogate him. Rehgar is alright. The problem is that none of them ever get a chance to do anything to stand out.
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
Akama is a shitter. I wish Matron Mother Malevolence was our companion. She's my abuela.
 

Rizzi

Member
they already got like 5 heavy hitters

let the priests have someone

But we already have random human shadow priest, random troll shadow priest, Calia Menethil showing up for no reason after not being mentioned for years or having anything to do with anything, Sol, random scarlet order chick, and random pandaren.
What more do we need? :p
 
Just wanted to thank people for their replies about question. I think I'll just stick with Warlords for now since it's still a good amount of content I haven't touched at all yet. I guess I'm finally breaking my three year break tomorrow night.

Feels weird.
 

Xeteh

Member
It's amazing how easy it is to fake your death when the adventurers you're fighting are all infected with crazy neurotoxins.

(Sorry if I spoiled you :/)

Or hey, remember when Illidan was dead? What if he wasn't?!?!?!

Edit: AND A GOOD GUY ALL ALOOOONG
 

Strimei

Member
Or hey, remember when Illidan was dead? What if he wasn't?!?!?!

To be fair, the reasoning for his survival kinda makes sense since he is like part demon now and the whole "demons can't be killed except under specific circumstances" thing.

And Vanessa's explanation also makes some sense (we did get hit pretty hard by her poisons).

I like her anyway so I don't mind her being around again anyway.
 

Ashodin

Member
Let's see Paladins get

  • Some Draenei reject
  • Some T2 Judgement wannabe wearer
  • One of the guys who was with the Argent Crusade forever
  • Shitty Nelf convert
  • Turalyon's boy
  • LIGHTLORD
  • Motherfucking Lady Liadrin herself <3
 

Tarazet

Member
I swapped spec from Enhancement (19 points) to Elemental (7 points) just to get the flavor of it. Even though I was in full Mythic-level gear and the itemization wasn't too out of order, my DPS just flat out dropped by 50%. Only in heavy cleave did Ele do OK.

I'm sure part of the issue is that Recount wasn't picking up damage from the Fire Elemental for whatever odd reason, but something has got to be missing. Even the single-target burst windows that are supposed to be Elemental's strong suit are nowhere near what I get from Enhancement. Do the artifact points make that big of a difference?
 

Magnus

Member
So guys. Eastern Suramar WQs are easy mode with a group. Like seriously, pop open the group finder, find one of the dozens of groups doing it, sign up, then treat the area like a dungeon. Kill everything. So satisfying and fast.

Don't know why I didn't do this for the 8k honoured quest. Is it just not possible to do it for those story quests? Do they have to be done solo?

Also, as a priest main, it's just dawning on me how generally underwhelming our champions are. But I still ended up liking half of them. The troll, lightspawn, and Alonsus Faol all end up feeling pretty badass. Bummed Velen isn't among them.
 
Let's see Paladins get


[*]Some Draenei reject

Borros? He's comes across as a knock-off Maraad. Decent bodyguard, though.

On the whole I think the class champions are done right. Everyone seems to get one or two "lore" followers, with the rest being filler. The only one's who over do it are DK's but that's because their class hall campaign has you ressing dead famous people.
 

erawsd

Member
Borros? He's comes across as a knock-off Maraad. Decent bodyguard, though.

On the whole I think the class champions are done right. Everyone seems to get one or two "lore" followers, with the rest being filler. The only one's who over do it are DK's but that's because their class hall campaign has you ressing dead famous people.

Yeah, looking at the lists it does appear that thats how it is. They've said we'll pick up some additional champions during the expac, so I wouldnt be surprised to see some bigger names start to appear as "legendary" Champions.
 

Kangi

Member
The Warlock champions are on the boring side, but I like the way it's set up. Rogue CH has you as a seat at a table. Druid CH has you join the ranks of the surprisingly many Archdruids. Warrior CH, for what little I played, made you feel like Odyn's errand boy.

Warlock? You answer to nobody. You lead the council and a whole army of demons who call you "Master", and you beat up the ones who don't. Not the only Class Hall that makes you the boss, but it's refreshing after playing my alts some.
 

Data West

coaches in the WNBA
DH class hall is cool
Warlock class hall is cool
Monk class hall is cool
Shaman class hall is cool
Warrior class hall is not other than the sky jump
Hunter class hall is lame and feels rushed. It's WAY too busy. Like maybe they had an idea for a trophy room and then said 'fuck it just use a generic night elf lodge and shove doodads and NPCs all over it.'
Rogue class hall is cool.
DK class hall is ok
Mage class hall is cool
Paladin class hall is cool
Druid class hall is eh
Priest class hall is boring

Favorite class hall is probably Shaman or Monk with DH trailing right behind. Monk is reusing assets but it's such a beautiful zone that I'm glad to see back and I love that you have a nearby tavern right beside your command center.
 
I absolutely love the paladin class hall if for no other reason than where it actually is in the world. That's awesome. My only other alts atm are warrior and Hunter and they both get the short end of the stick.
 

erawsd

Member
Ugh.. trying to start my Druid artifact and there's just a bunch of 110s ganking. I dont even mind pvp on a pvp server.. but having to restart the whole escort part of this is more frustrating than I have the patience for at 3am.
 

water_wendi

Water is not wet!
"Thats not an invasion force. Thats an army!"

Such an odd line.

The last few characters ive just skipped the intro but decided to do Broken Shore again on my Mage. Seems that some stuff has been cut to make the trip to the Broken Isles shorter. After you return to the capital city and are summoned to Dalaran over Deadwind Pass you just talk to Khadgar and the teleportation happens immediately. The part where you go into Kara seems to have been removed completely.
 

Data West

coaches in the WNBA
It's a shame I see no real reason to level Survival as I think lore and appearance-wise, Talonclaw is handedly the best looking hunter artifact.
 
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