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The top 10 most beautiful spots in WoW
World of Warcraft sometimes gets panned for its graphics, which have never been on the bleeding edge of virtual reality. This, however, was a deliberate choice on Blizzard's part, and I think it's a good one. It allows for people who are behind the hardware curve (such as myself) to enjoy the game, and the graphics' intentional cartoonishness holds up better over time than hyper-realistic renderings, which often seem horribly dated within months. More importantly, WoW's beauty hasn't suffered for it. Azeroth is stunning. I've compiled a list of the ten spots I personally find to be most beautiful, and by spots, I truly mean spots, not entire zones. I expect many of you will have wildly differing opinions, and I look forward to reading about them. The ten locations are listed in alphabetical order by zone; there's no way I could actually order them - I would never be able to decide!
Pet battles are magic with the Nether Faerie Dragon
At its most basic level, pet battles are a game of rock, paper, scissors. Flying beats Aquatic, Aquatic beats Elemental, and so forth. However, there are a few pets that change up that dynamic and add another level of complexity to the system. The Nether Faerie Dragon, for example, is a Flying pet. Despite its Flying designation, it abandons most stock Flying abilities, possessing a range of powerful Magic abilities instead. Its abilities are as follows: Slot 1 Slicing Wind or Evanescence Slot 2 Arcane Blast or Life Exchange Slot 3 Moonfire or Cyclone Only two out of six spells on this Flying-type pet are actually Flying abilities, while the rest are Magic. Choosing between Slicing Wind and Evanescence is purely a matter of personal preference -- the former provides more offensive versatility while the latter provides more defensive options. However, it almost seems foolish to pass up the deadly combination of Arcane Blast and Moonfire.
Patch 4.1 adds ... a resort town?
Patch 4.1 is adding a bunch of new content to Cataclysm, including retuned Zul'Gurub and Zul'Aman heroic instances, but it's also adding a resort, apparently. Perculia over at Wowhead went on an expedition to the 4.1 PTR, where she discovered that there's been a new area added in the mountains between Feralas and Silithus. Its inhabitants are marked as Gadgetzan faction, and it's full of NPCs, from Silverpine favorite Johhny Awesome to chef Gordon Tramsay. And everyone seems to be having a grand old time, sipping pina coladas and lounging around in lawn chairs. We have no idea what the location is going to be used for -- it may just be fun flavor, but Wowhead speculates it might be an extension of the Steam Pools or even used for some kind of in-game holiday.
Breakfast Topic: 101 things to do before the world dies
On the EU forums, a character named Redbranch from Thunderhorn came up with what I thought was a pretty nifty idea -- getting his/her fellow players to chime in on a list of 101 things to do in old Azeroth before Cataclysm hits. It's sort of the WoW equivalent of The Bucket List, and the responses range from the violent ("Slaying as many people as possible") to the nostalgic ("Go base jumping again in Feralas") to the practical ("Prepare plentiful supplies of gold"). Then Slorkuz chimed in with the following: Slorkuz Quote: The old world is changing forever. Let's compile a list of things to do before the end. 1) Play through all the starter zones, to give some idea if each race's lore. Visit the Shimmering Flats! source We already know that Thousand Needles is going to be mostly underwater in Cataclysm, but it was another nudge to the realization that the world we know is going bye-bye forever. Right now, my personal "bucket list" includes doing the dungeon set 2 quest line, but I'd love to hear from other players on how they're approaching the "end of the world."
Throw your own egg hunt with Noblegarden Eggs
I've been looking at the Noblegarden items for awhile now, since they first showed up on the PTR. For some reason, it never hit me until I saw it on live realms how cool one item in particular actually is. For five chocolates you can buy your own Noblegarden Egg, which allows you to lay a Brightly Colored Egg. Yes, that's five eggs for one egg of your own, which is a pretty horrible exchange rate.What's so cool about it? They're the exact same eggs you've been picking up that whole time, except that you can set them out. You can loot them right away for an added chance of whatever loot may be in them, but I'm not sure why you'd do that, except for possibly completing Dressed for the Occasion/Sunday's Finest. What makes it better is that other people can loot them.What makes that so great? If you can get an organized crew (and their alts) together, you can set up your own Noblegarden Hunt for your guild or your friends and family. Laying an egg has a 1 hour cooldown, so each of you will only be able to set out one egg each, but with a sizable group that might not be too terrible. A brief hunt, but you can make it exciting! Feralas, perhaps? Icecrown? The interior of a cleared Ulduar? Just take it far, far away from busy cities or hubs. You don't want to lay an egg out in the Stormwind Trade District. Joe McMullet will loot that thing in a flash, and that's no good.
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!
Well Fed Buff: Baked Salmon
Well Fed Buff serves up tasty dishes to boost your HP, stats and appetite – with that special WoW twist, of course. With Wrath of the Lich King barreling down upon us, we felt somewhat compelled this week to pull a recipe from a less well-travelled area of the old world. Come with us back to Feralas this week for a simple but satisfying recipe from a gentler, simpler time. Baked Salmon Reagents: Raw Whitescale Salmon, Soothing Spices Requires Cooking (275) Pick up the recipe in Feralas from Sheendra Tallgrass (Horde) or Vivianna (Alliance). You can fish Raw Whitescale Salmon in Eastern Plaguelands, Winterspring, Alterac Valley, Burning Steppes, Feralas and Zul'Gurub.
WoW Moviewatch: Shipwreked
There's not much to say about this video other than it's beautiful. Robgee did an excellent job with his footage and color filters. While Shipwreked is technically a music video, we would say that it's a work of art.Robgee filmed this machinima in multiple locations, including Stranglethorn Vale, Feralas, Desolace, and Nagrand. However, he manages to make them look like they're real areas, although you'll only see but a tiny glimpse of a person. For a first effort, we think he did a fine job, and look forward to his next movie![Via Warcraftmovies.com]If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
Around Azeroth: Man? Woman? Tree?
While riding in Feralas from Desolace, reader Kahdrill noticed this tree next to the road. As she put it, "The first thing I noticed was the shape of what seemed to be a man, standing with his arms stretched out. Then i saw that opposite of him was what looked like the figure of a woman. Made me wonder if this was intentional, or just an accident of textures." Rorscharch test serendipity or hidden art? You decide.Do you have any unusual World of Warcraft images that are just collecting dust in your screenshots folder? Because we'd love to see it on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wow.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next!%Gallery-1816%
Around Azeroth: Splash!
Reader Michael sends in this shot taken in the lush landscape of Feralas. And though you may be inclined tot take this for just another waterfall, Michael points out an interesting detail: the water splashes off the rocks as it falls. Is this a recent addition, or just something we've never bothered to pay attention to before? Either way, lovely! (Also available in wallpaper size.)Do you have any unusual World of Warcraft images that are just collecting dust in your screenshots folder? Because we'd love to see your idea of the best looking instance on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wow.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next! %Gallery-1816%
Archmage Vargoth's travels documented in blog form
As I've said a few times on the site before, I love seeing Archmage Vargoth in the weirdest of places. Wherever players can go, I love seeing that little purple guy show up, too. And so reader Horns has made my day-- he's started a blog completely dedicated to seeing Archmage Vargoth all over Azeroth. Vargoth in the Undercity, Vargoth in Feralas, Vargoth in that little cave above WC, and Vargoth under the hammer of Rag in MC.Awesome. And Horns needs your help-- if you've got a pic of Vargoth in a funny or interesting place (or even a boring place-- would be awesome to see a hundred Vargoths standing in Ironforge's AH), get it to Horns and he'll post it for you. I'd really like to see Vargoth in places that he shouldn't go-- since he actually summons a little bit off center of the player, it should be possible to stick him in place players can't go, shouldn't it? Like on the roofs of buildings in Stormwind? I'll try messing around with it when I get a chance, but if you guys pull it off, send the pic to Horns.
Outland, South Carolina
Pheonix_singing found Outland... and it's in South Carolina. Doing a little searching, I also found Durotan, Nagrand, Crossroads (oh man watch out for all the Chuck Norris jokes there), and Lakeshire. Unfortunately, Azeroth doesn't appear on Google Maps anywhere-- at least until they start mapping other planets. Until then, of course, MapWoW's got the monopoly.I have to give it to Blizzard for their place names-- they're really, really good at coming up with names that sound real, but aren't. Stranglethorn Vale is a perfect name for the southern tip of the Eastern Kingdom, and Feralas and Desolace are perfect for their ambient locations as well, but none of those names directly refer to anything on a real map. And even Azeroth is a pretty epic sounding name that Blizzard (Metzen, probably) pulled out of thin air. Well, not completely thin air-- they did kind of nab it fromone of their first games, which was based in "Androth." But still.And my favorite name from Warcraft isn't on any real map either-- it's Thousand Needles (or 1K Needles, as I like to call it). I don't know how a designer looked at the hundreds of plateaus south of the Barrens and decided to call it that, but I'm glad they did.
New WoW site for non-combat pets
With the release of the latest WoW TCG expansion, a new in-game pet has arrived, Bananas the Monkey. Looking into this has led me to a wonderful site dedicated to collecting all the non-combat pets in Warcraft. And when I say "dedicated", I mean "look no further than this site."World of Warcraft Small Pet has checklists, FAQs, guides to getting pets exclusive to the opposing faction, screenshots, extensive information for each pet, you name it. Now, I have a fair collection of non-combat pets, mostly from seasonal events like the mechanical yeti from Winterveil and Willy from Children's Week. I also quested for the Sprite Darter Hatchling out of Feralas back when the zone was in my level range. But this site is for the serious collector.Check it out and then tell me: frightening obssession or one more kind of pleasant activity to pass the time in-game?
Around Azeroth: Feralas in the morning
Nemain of Medivh snapped this shot while swimming from the shore of Feralas to Feathermoon Stronghold at 2 in the morning. And all I can say is wow -- I don't think I've ever seen the sky over Feralas in quite those colors. And while it's quite beautiful, I have to wonder what sort of air pollution causes yellow clouds...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 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.See more of your pics from Around Azeroth.%Gallery-1816%
Countdown to Burning Crusade: Day 8
We gave you some screenshots to caption last week in our Countdown to Burning Crusade, but this week it's your turn to provide us with some screenshots. We're going to do a series of three "best screenshot of location" contests, and we're going to give you some extra lead time on a couple of them, so listen up for the appropriate deadlines. For today, we want to see your best screenshot from Feralas -- anywhere within the zone is kosher, but you'll have to find a way to make it unique, funny, or particularly beautiful to catch our eye. You have until 2pm EST tomorrow, January 9 to send your best Feralas screenshot to us at countdowntobc AT wow.com for a chance to win the analog companion to WoW: the World Of Warcraft The Roleplaying Game. You must include the word "Feralas" in the subject of your email, and your image must be less than 5MB in size. You've got a bit more lead time for the next two "best of location" contests. You have until Wednesday, January 10 at 3pm EST to send us your best screenshot of the Caverns of Time, which you should be able to access (sans the instances) even if you're not in the beta. Send us the best screenshot to countdowntobc AT wow.com with "Caverns of Time" in the subject of your email and you'll take home a 60-day game card. And if you haven't been one of the lucky winners of a 60-day prepaid card so far, you'll have one more chance this weekend. The last "best of location" contest will be two, two, two contests in one: for "Tale of Two Cities" we want you to send in your best/funniest/most original screenshot of either Ironforge or Orgrimmar (you have to choose one and only one -- no double entries allowed). The best Ironforge screenshot winner will walk away with an Alliance crest t-shirt in your choice of size, while the best Orgrimmar screenshot will take home a Horde crest tee; we'll publish the winners and runners up on Friday, so you'll need to get your entries in to countdowntobc AT wow.com by 3pm EST, Thursday January 11. You must include "Tale of Two Cities" in the subject of your email, and all screenshot submissions must be less than 5MB in size. Good luck to all!
Around Azeroth: Looking towards Feathermoon
Jason sends in this shot of Feralas looking out towards the island stronghold of Feathermoon. A boat comes around to this dock to take you there -- though I have been lead to believe that it's actually faster to swim, I've never bothered to confirm this myself.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.
Around Azeroth: Feralas waterfall
Reader Kelgas of Azjol-Nerub sends in this impressive shot from Feralas. And while Feralas is a zone full of amazing scenery, this waterfall must be off the beaten path, because I can't quite place it. Though that probably just implies that I'm ill-explored....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.
The only thing we have to fear... is spiders
Moony on WoW Ladies is freaked out by the Burning Crusade. But unlike most of us, she's not freaked out because all the new instances look so awesome, or because she loves playing with the new races. Nope, she's freaked out because there are spiders. If you've ever been to the Spider boss in ZG (or the spider nest in LBRS), you know how creepy the creepy crawlies can get in Azeroth, but apparently on Bloodmyst Isle (a new Draenei zone), they get even creepier-- so much that she'd rather run back to Loch Modan to pass by that quest.And surprisingly enough, a few people share her pain. I've never really been freaked out by spiders in WoW, but I was kind of sickened by my first trip into the insect nests on the eastern border of Feralas-- those winged beasts are icky for sure. And Silithus, of course, although by then I'd gotten more used to it. And some people have other fears brought on by their travels through Azeroth-- one commenter has a fear of heights that shows up from time to time while jumping off of zeppelins, and a few other players have issues with swimming really deep while that little blue bar drops. And it's not always fear-- this past weekend, I was running Baron, and it occurred to me just how disgusting the abominations are-- not only are their guts all hanging out, but they actually vomit on players they attack. That's sick, man!Have you been freaked out or sickened by something in the game? Blizzard's great because they play on central parts of our culture when creating the World of Warcraft-- from pop stars and entertainment to myths and legends, even to our basest fears. Have they ever actually got you shaking in your Wolfrunner Shoes?
