Faience's adventures in Outland: Of quests and bombing runs...
I admit -- I've been playing this game long enough to be a little bored. And not just this-is-my-three-hundred-and-fifty-second-Ragnaros-kill kind of bored, but that the standard quest types have started to loose interest. So many of these quests read like mad libs: kill <number> of <monster type> because of <very convincing reason> and return to me with their <personal item of some sort> as proof of your heroic deed. You will receive <amount> of gold and your choice of <really nifty items>. It doesn't encourage me to do more than skim the quest text. (Though if you do this, you occasionally miss some downright hilarious comments in the quest text.) If you could picture my typical encounter with a quest giver, I think it would go something like this...
Quest giver: The Naga have been...
Me: You want me to kill Naga?
Quest giver: Yes, they're...
Me: How many?
Quest giver: If you'd thin their numbers by 30, then...
Me: Great! Where are they?
Quest giver: Around Umbrafen Lake, to the south.
Me: What'll you give me for it?
Quest giver: Well, I suppose two gold coins and some experience points.
Me: Sounds perfect! I'll be right back.
Quest giver: Wait! Don't you want to know why?
Me (riding away): I'm sure they're all bad. But really, those experience points are all I need to know about!
So I must admit that I'm a bit excited to encounter a few new types of quests, which are, to me, at least, tremendous amounts of fun. Want to know what I'm talking about? Keep reading!
So when I first encountered a quest asking me to destroy two demonic gateways into rubble -- from the safety of a Gryphon soaring overhead -- my interest was piqued! I jumped on an armored Gryphon (I sadly had no control over its movements) and it took off towards the Murketh and Shaadraz Gateways.
Unnoticed by the demons below, my Gryphon flew lazy arcs above and around the Gateway, giving me plenty of time to aim and fire my explosive payload! Both Gateways were destroyed without any problem, though if I'd had difficulty with the aiming mechanics, I could have grabbed another Gryphon ride and made a second attempt. And fighting from a flying mount is nothing if not fun -- though perhaps I am a bit enamored of this new element of the game.
After my first taste of this manner of fun, I was sent on to Shatter Point, a ruined tower on a floating bit of rock that tilts in a most disturbing manner. (No, I didn't twist the above screenshot around just to make you dizzy -- that's actually what it looks like.) When I arrived, I was greeted by Runetog Wildhammer, who told me:
Hah hah! A fresh gnome from the mainland! Well don't worry -- Shatter Point might make you queasy but she doesn't stray far! And I've only seen her flip upside down once... or twice.
Despite this less than comforting welcome, Shatter Point had exactly what I wanted. More bombing runs! From here I was sent off to dispatch a certain number of of creatures and armaments on the Abyssal Shelf. These are trickier, as you're asked 62 items over the course of a fairly brief flight. (It's doable in one run if you pay attention instead of taking screenshots, I've noticed.) Abyssal Shelf runs are repeatable (wheeee!), but, sadly, there seems to be no reward or reputation for continued runs after the first. Sadly, I've yet to find any bombing runs beyond these, but there's a lot of the Outland yet to explore!
Read more about Faience's adventures in Outland.
