linken
Latest
WoW Archivist: It's a secret to everybody -- the Linken quest line
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? In the original version of Un'goro Crater, players with a penchant for exploration and a keen eye could find a mysterious quest near a small pond. The first players to find it had no idea that they were embarking on one of vanilla's most epic and celebrated quest lines, and one of Blizzard's most elaborate easter eggs. The chain was a tribute to many of the key moments and tropes in the beloved Legend of Zelda series. It took you up and down Kalimdor multiple times to solve puzzles, forge magical weapons, face deadly enemies, and ultimately find the legendary Triforce Golden Flame. Sadly, the Cataclysm erased the Linken quest line and it can no longer be completed. Let's relive the glory that was. Wreck it, raft Finding this quest early in vanilla was not simple. No quest took you to this area. No floating exclamation point marked it back then, either. To begin the quest line, you had to spot a clickable object called A Wrecked Raft. The raft gave you the quest It's a Secret to Everybody. The quest name referenced the original Legend of Zelda game. An enemy moblin would sometimes offer you rupees, presumably in exchange for keeping their help a secret (to everybody). Once you found the hidden quest from the raft, you were faced with another mystery. The quest text read, A destroyed raft rests along the shoreline. Considering this is only a small pond, it is not clear as to how it ended up here, although looking at the trees tells you that the water level may not be constant. Perhaps a little exploration in the area might uncover more clues...
The funny, morbid, and sad coins of the Dalaran fountain
Level up fishing so you can fish in the Dalaran fountain. I'm serious. This completely nonsensible and illogical statement is brought to you by the 53 tiny lore moments you'll get if you'll just sit yourself down somewhere and level up fishing. Yes, it's boring having to fish up dozens of useless fish to get to the good stuff in Outland and Northrend. Yes, you could be farming up gold or materials that will help you level in Wrath. I don't care. Go fish.You see, while you'll be fishing up a lot of equally useless fish in the Dalaran fountain, you'll also get coins. No, not in the sense that you'll be fishing up ingame money, but you'll fish up coins tossed into the fountain of this very old city by 53 people, many of whom will be known to you if you've played the game for any length of time. Some of them, perhaps most of them, are funny. Some are serious. Some are heartbreaking. I admit to a touch of being a lore geek, and it was wonderful being allowed a peek into the irreverent or hopeful or sad heads of Jaina Proudmoore, Thrall, or Stalvan Mistmantle. It is idiosyncratic little touches like this that make WoW hopelessly fun to play, and it is my fondest wish that whatever person at Blizzard who thought this up is pulled off whatever they're doing right now and chained to a desk until they come up with more stuff like this.So, if you don't do anything else with your time between patch 3.02 hitting and Wrath going live...level up fishing so you can fish in the Dalaran fountain. But don't read any further if you're not interested in Wrath spoilers, because there are a few here...
Phat Loot Phriday: Linken's Boomerang
There are all kind of cultural and gaming references within this huge world we play in. But for a lot of players (especially us old school Nintendo gamers), this quest line this reward comes from is definitely one of the best. (No, the screenshot above is not from World of Warcraft, but seeing as this is a trinket, I figured that would be more interesting then a stats screen.)Name: Linken's BoomerangType: Rare TrinketDamage / Speed: 113-187 / NAAbilities: Flings a magical boomerang at an enemy, damaging them and giving a chance to stun or disarm them. Remarkably powerful with the disarm proc-- some people say it can even be used against bosses, and there's rumor that even Rag can lose his hammer when hit with this thing. And of course, this is a special item for Pallies, because the ranged attack makes this the only ranged ability they have at all. It's not much, but it's all they got. How to Get It: With this one, the joy is in the journey to get it. It's a long series of quests (quests that some players call the best in the game) that starts at about level 50. In southeastern Un'goro, there's a little raft sitting on the edge of a pond. Click it, and it'll send you to the bottom of the pond looking for a pack. From there, you'll be off to Marshal's Refuge to meet Linken, a gnome who's lost his way-- and he'll send you all over the world, just like a hero in an old movie-- or an old videogame.Because if you haven't guessed by now, the Linken quests are basically a huge homage to the old Legend of Zelda Nintendo games. The first quests are called "It's a Secret to Everybody"-- a phrase the old man told Link (Zelda's main character) in the first game. Later quests are called "It's Dangerous to Go Alone"-- another reference to the old man's wisdom. Aquementas was a villian in the old game, and also makes a "cameo" (if you can even call it that) in Azeroth. The other quest reward Linken gives when you finally finish the chain (you'll eventually have to defeat Blazerunner on Fire Plume Ridge in Un'goro after debuffing him with a special item), is Linken's Sword of Mastery, which is very close to Link's Master Sword. And then there's this little trinket, a nice bonus for Pallies everywhere, and just another reminder of the care that Blizzard has taken in filling this game with culture, art, and wit.Getting Rid of It: BOP, 62s 3c to a vendor. Disenchants into Illusion Dust and or Greater Eternal Essence, with a small chance of a Large Brilliant Shard.
