dire-maul-west
Latest
WoW Archivist: Memories of Dire Maul
The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? Last week I said we'd be visiting Dire Maul in-depth this week, and we're going to do exactly that. Dire Maul was added in World of Warcraft patch 1.3 all the way back in March 2005. As I pointed out last week, Dire Maul attempted a great number of things that Blizzard has never tried to do since. It was also one of the few instances that was given a lasting relevance throughout an entire expansion phase of the game's life -- from the day it was implemented in patch 1.3 to the final day prior to the launch of The Burning Crusade, players had a reason to venture into the three wings of Dire Maul that wasn't simply grinding for currency. Dire Maul was one of the last bastions of adventure and discovery in our dungeons. That isn't to say all instances afterwards were bad, that's not true at all, but never again did we have a 5-man dungeon that you were free to explore and discover the secrets hidden away in its dark corners. It's a style of dungeon we haven't seen since, and with the prominence of the dungeon finder in World of Warcraft these days, it's one we're unlikely to see ever again.
Know Your Lore: History of the Shen'dralar
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. There's been plenty of chatter regarding the upcoming expansion, and both Rossi and myself have been doing our best to fill in the background on lore figures and races that will play some kind of part in it. One of the questions I find myself asked a lot in regards to Cataclysm is how the new race/class combinations will fall into play lore-wise once the expansion launches. The answer to that question is easier than you'd think -- most lore for these new race and class combinations already exists in one form or another in game. Over the next few weeks I'll be giving you some background and history into each class and race, and how these combinations make sense in the face of existing lore, as well as speculation on possible conflicts we might see in the future with regards to these choices. Please note, the following post may contain spoilers for the Cataclysm expansion -- if you'd rather avoid all discussion or speculation regarding Cataclysm, it'd be advised to steer away now. Today we'll be discussing one of the most baffling of the new announcements -- night elf mages. Although the original announcement left some (including myself) horribly confused, later revelations made the choice perfectly logical. While they've been addressed briefly in the post regarding elven evolution, we're going to take a closer look at the Shen'dralar -- the Highborne that make their home in Dire Maul.
Scourge Invasion: Revanchion
Revanchion is a level 60 ghost... thing in Dire Maul: West. He's one of the more annoying-to-get-to invasion bosses. Not because he's all the way out in Feralas, but because he's in Dire Maul: West. To get to him you need the Crescent Key which is earned via a quest in Dire Maul: East. So he may be more trouble than he's worth, but that's not for me to decide!If you're level 60 (or higher) I assume you know where Feralas is, I assume you know where Dire Maul is, so I'll forego the handy dandy map this time. If you have the Crescent Key, just run up into Dire Maul and get started. If you don't have the key, you can work around that by rounding up a bunch of ogres, letting them have their way with you by the door, releasing spirit, and rezzing on the other side. You bunch of cheaters.When you're inside, there are some wandering trees you should deal with. If you're really good at timing and sticking together, you can get away with killing only one or two if you work around their patrols. On the other side, you'll come to a set of three archways. The middle will lead you to Tendris Warpwood. We don't care about him. The right will lead to the upstairs section. We don't care about that either. Go left. You'll see an area like this: See that ghost hanging out waayyy in the back in the corner? Like they should be wearing a dunce cap? That's Revanchion. Clear the trash here, then pull the boss! The biggest problem when fighting this guy is he has an insanely high dodge rate and has Frost Armor. Your tanks will have very very low threat unless they're a Paladin, so be careful! Beyond that, the fight really isn't so scary. He has a Shadowbolt Volley he does now and then, but that's about it. He also melees, but it doesn't hurt much. Just kill him.Unfortunately, the loot Revanchion drops isn't as good as the drops you were getting from earlier invasion bosses. At level 60, Outland gear is available to you, and that stuff is amazing. Back in 2006, though? Before epics were commonplace, and before we even had access to Outland? This stuff was top of the line.So what does he have? He has some healing bracers, Bracers of Mending. Though with the spell power change, some regular caster could get use out of those! Shadow Priests would enjoy that Spirit for leveling, for example. There are some spell power gloves, The Shadow's Grasp. Melee classes can bask in the not-quite-glory of the Cloak of Revanchion. Lastly, he drops Corruptor's Scourgestones if you're wearing your Argent Dawn Commission (or similar trinkets) just in case you're working on Argent Dawn rep for achievements.If you've never done Dire Maul before now, I recommend taking this opportunity to run through it. Heck, do all three wings if you can. They all tie together a bit while still having their own individual stories. It's a bit like what Burning Crusade dungeons should have been. It has wings, but they're all interconnected in little ways. You can go from one to the next without every stepping out of the instance if you want to do so. It's neat! Explore!Now, let's go back to the Eastern Kingdoms with Lord Blackwood!
