darkshire
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Review of World of Warcraft: Dark Riders
Before I even begin, I'm going to state the one thing that's been on my mind, and likely the mind of anyone else waiting for this particular title: It's about time. World of Warcraft: Dark Riders is the offshoot of the World of Warcraft comic series, specifically, the characters introduced in the 2009 special issue of the series written by Mike Costa. Yes, we have been waiting for this graphic novel for four years now. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely. Costa continues the tale started in that special issue and takes the reins of Dark Riders, skillfully weaving together one of those stories that isn't so much dependent on current game lore. In fact, it really doesn't address current game events at all. Instead, it takes the bold step of filling the gap between events that played out in WoW itself -- the disappearance of the Scythe of Elune from Duskwood and its sudden reappearance in Gilneas. And if that weren't enough, there's a wild trip through Karazhan and the questionable origin of the Dark Riders themselves, explained for the first time. But that's really just the tip of the iceberg here.
Know Your Lore: WoW for Dummies, Act I: Alliance
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft was originally released in the US on November 23, 2004. That is eight years of our lives that we've been playing this game ... for some players. For many players however, their experience with WoW began in Burning Crusade, or Wrath, or Cataclysm -- or even right now with Mists of Pandaria. And because of this, it means these players have missed out eight years worth of lore and story from before they began to play. One of the questions and suggestions I see pop up most frequently, be it on Reddit, Twitter or even WoW Insider, is what happened during all of that time? What was the story behind these expansions? Sure, there are novels and comics aplenty available for reading, but these are side aspects to the original games that didn't really tie into the game so much. The game itself had its own story going, particularly in those first couple of expansions. So let's step back in time and take a look at WoW and the basic ongoing story that has kept it going all these years -- not the novels, but the game itself. Get ready for WoW for Dummies: the vanilla years.
One Shots: Look before you leap
Some love to raid, some love to quest, and some just love to explore. The only real problem with being an explorer is that occasionally you'll find yourself stuck - after all, the game companies don't necessarily expect people to try their best to get places they generally wouldn't normally be going. Today's One Shots comes from one such explorer, Aerathil from World of Warcraft, who recently spent some time in a chimney. Aerathil writes in: I was doing a little exploring in Darkshire and thought it would be fun to see where I could go. I ended up here in this chimney which 1) doesn't go into the house and 2) is impossible to jump out of. I'm waiting on my Hearthstone cooldown at the moment, but now I know how Santa feels.Are you an explorer who loves nothing more than to find places that are off the beaten path? If so, we want to see it! Just send those screens in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game and the location. (Descriptions are welcome, but not required.) Then relax and await your time to shine!%Gallery-9798%
Know Your Lore: The Scythe of Elune
In today's Know Your Lore, we're going to take a look at something that has been requested by a few readers(and a blogger). It's not a very well known topic, it comes from a quest line tucked away in the far corners of Ashenvale that sends you running all over the world as if you had absolutely nothing better to do with your time, much like any other quest line in Kalimdor. Regardless of the annoyance of the quest line, it is probably one of the more intriguing side stories in the Warcraft universe.It begins shortly after the destruction of the World Tree. Archimonde was gone, but a great number of demons remained. Like the Scourge, the Legion doesn't simply stop when you tear the head from the beast. Priestess and Sentinel Velinde Starsong was the Night Elf in charge of leading the forces of the Kaldorei in these regions, assaulting the Legion and pushing them back as far as they could. This held up well for quite some time, pushing the demonic hordes as far back as the borders of Felwood. Unfortunately, the Night Elves were only level 20-something at that point, and the mobs in Felwood are like level 50, so things stopped going so well.In all seriousness, the Kaldoreian advance was slowing more and more as they pressed into Felwood, their numbers being utterly decimated. Velinde grew desperate as so many of the Night Elves fell to the Legion, and called out to her final hope: The goddess Elune. She begged the goddess for strength and power, the ability to avenge her fallen comrades.
Around Azeroth: Set sail
There was only one type of boat to be found in Azeroth -- the ships that traveled the seas, be it from Darnassus to Auberdine or Booty Bay to Ratchet, were all identical. At least until the release of The Burning Crusade, when the nautical technology of Azeroth jumped forward with a new ship design. In this shot, sent in by reader Dana, we see the results of this innovation at the end of the dock, just waiting to transport us to The Exodar.Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing a copy to aroundazeroth@wow.com, with as much or as little detail as you'd like to share with the world! %Gallery-1816%
Around Azeroth: The Master's Glaive
Darkshore is a fascinating zone, all looming trees and shadowy greys. But since it's the far-off lowbie zone for the Night Elves -- and many Night Elves will run off towards the more centralized Dwarf or Human starting zones -- I think many people miss the zone entirely. And so they end up missing a ton of great scenery like this -- the mysterious Master's Glaive, sent in by reader Matt.So do you have a unique shot of Azeroth that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! You can attach a picture file or send us a link to one -- and don't worry about formatting, we'll take care of that part.[Update: One day I will stop confusing "Darkshire" and "Darkshore." Maybe.]
