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Robin Williams tribute arrives in Warlords of Draenor
We knew that Blizzard was planning to add a Robin Williams tribute to the game and had even see datamined files suggesting we might meet Genie, Mork, or Mrs. Doubtfire inside World of Warcraft. However, we've gotten our first in-game look at what Robin will look like. On an island in the seas south of Talador (nearly to the boarder of Nagrand), you'll find an ever-burning lamp sitting on a ledge overlooking the sea. If you click on it, a genie-like NPC named Robin will emerge, yelling "INFINITE COSMIC POWER!" Robin only remains for a moment before shrinking back into his lamp, saying "Itty bitty living space." Also on the island is a large broken egg with a chair and some machinery inside -- no doubt a reference to Williams' role as Mork, an alien who arrived on earth in a similarly egg-like ship. There may yet be more to this tribute, since datamining has found additional NPCs, but whether they'll show up on this island, somewhere else entirely, or never arrive in the game itself we don't yet know.
Warlords of Draenor: Talador preview
The Warlords of Draenor zone previews continue with Talador, the heart of the draenei civilization on Draenor. Associate Quest Designer Johnny Cash provides an overview of what promises to be a stunning zone. Talador is the original, pre-Burning Crusade version of Terokkar Forest, a lush, forested zone home to both Shattrath City and the sacred Auchindoun. In Warlords, we'll see Shattrath and Auchindoun in their full glory, along with other draenei outposts such as Tuurem and Telmor, however all is not well. Shattrath is under occupation by the Iron Horde, and it will be the player's job -- along with allies, of course -- to liberate the city. Similarly, Auchindoun is being threatened by the brutal Teron'gor (you may know him better as Teron Gorefiend, the very first death knight), as well as being threatened by demons from the Burning Front. Players will fight alongside Exarch Maladaar, leader of the Auchenai, and Lady Liadrin in defending the draenei's sacred mausoleum. Talador is a zone that will punch you right in the TBC memory bank that you didn't remember you had. Can't wait for you to see it. - Russ Petersen (@nite_moogle) July 17, 2014 In addition, Talador will provide players with a choice between building an Arcane Sanctum or an Arsenal for their garrison outpost. Each will provide a means of support for the player--either an arcane orb that zaps enemies who get too close, or artillery strikes from mounted arsenal cannons. Furthermore, Talador holds plenty of secrets, like rumors of mythical Arakkoa, who have left their shadowy, ancestral homes in the Spires of Arak for reasons we can only guess at. Talador is the zone I'm probably looking forward to the most, because Terokkar was my favorite zone in The Burning Crusade. I can't wait to see Shattrath and Auchindoun the way they were meant to be seen, and to fight alongside great heroes of the draenei in order to protect these precious cities. I'm sure Talador holds many exciting adventures for us denizens of Azeroth, and I look forward to experiencing them.
Warlords of Draenor's Talador is at the heart of the Draenei civilization
World of Warcraft continues its exploration of the new zones of Warlords of Draenor, this time with the gorgeous land of Talador. Talador is the predecessor to what eventually becomes Outland's Terokkar Forest, and while players will see familiar sights like Shattrath, it won't be quite as they remember. The area is a warzone as the Iron Horde has besieged it, and players must do all they can to push back the wave of invaders. "Talador is home to the heart of Draenei civilization," Blizzard writes. "It is stunningly beautiful, and the zone has a palette of oranges, golds, and greens that make it incredibly vibrant. The zone really showcases the breadth of Draenei life: the sprawling trade hub of Shattrath, the massive mausoleum that is Auchindoun, the iconic city of Tuurem, the mythical Telmor (it does exist!), and so many others."
Gorgrond and Talador coming soon to Warlords beta
World of Warcraft Creative Director Alex Afrasiabi confirmed today on Twitter that Gorgrond and Talador are "on deck" with the Spires of Arak and Nagrand close behind. Currently, only the Tanaan Jungle introductory sequence, Frostfire Ridge, and Shadowmoon Valley are available for testing. Whether or not "on deck" means in the next build, we aren't sure, but we do hope it will be soon. Gorgrond and Talador are on deck. Spires of Arak and Nagrand to follow closely thereafter. http://t.co/oOE7QJRCu5 when we have more info! - Alex Afrasiabi (@Abrosiabi) July 14, 2014 From what we know of these zones, the Blade's Edge Mountains of Outland were formed when Gorgrond and Frostfire Ridge collided in the shattering of Draenor. Early release screenshots, as seen above, also suggest that part of what became Outland's Zangarmarsh is on the outskirts of Gorgrond. Talador is a central zone in Draenor and is known to us as Outland's Terokkar Forest. Talador includes Shattrath and Auchindoun. We suspect we can expect a distinct orcish flavor in Gorgrond and Draenic in Talador.
Warlords of Draenor: New maps of Auchindoun and Talador
As the Alpha continues apace, we're starting to see more details - like these maps of the upcoming Auchindoun dungeon and the Talador zone, up on Wowhead now. alongside this list of new items which reference the zone. Since Talador corresponds to the Terokkar Forest zone from The Burning Crusade, it's not surprising to see Shattrath and Auchindoun on it - but what is interesting is to see the city of Telmor (destroyed by the old Horde in our history) make its first in-game appearance. Since Telmor is the city where a young Durotan and Orgrim Doomhammer were taken after being rescued from an ogre patrol as well as the place hidden by Leafshadow, one of the Ata'mal Crystals, its appearance on the map is pretty important in terms of what it hints about the zone. It's pretty interesting to see both Fort Wrynn and Vol'jin's Pride on the map as well. Both settlements are suspiciously close together considering the recent hostilities - a sign that relations between the two factions have improved? Or simply a case of real estate being limited? Old familiar names like Tuurem and the Tomb of Lights are present as well. We're definitely getting a sense of the zone and I'm looking forward to unraveling the story of the place.
Who I want to see in Warlords of Draenor: Restalaan
Yep, another one there's no art for. Enjoy this picture of some random draenei instead. Who was Restalaan and why should you care? I'm glad you asked. Restalaan was the closest thing Velen had to a buddy - a close friend and confidant, a right hand who led the defense of the draenei city of Telmor. Having been with the prophet since the exodus from Argus, Restalaan was technically an ancient eredar, born during the time when Velen, Kil'jaeden and Archimonde were the triumvirate and led all eredar before the coming of Sargeras. Restalaan was always there, serving as Velen's sounding board and anchor. In the history outlined in Rise of the Horde it was Restalaan who led the patrol that saved Durotan and Orgrim Doomhammer when they were children - an event that should still have happened in the Warlords of Draenor timeline, since both Durotan and Doomhammer are confirmed to be alive. In the original timeline, Restalaan would come to have reason to regret this decision, since in the process of saving the two young orcs and leading them to Telmor to meet with the prophet he exposed Durotan to the use of the Ata'mal fragment Leafshadow. This enabled Durotan to later expose Telmor to the Horde, which destroyed the city - Durotan killed Restalaan during the battle. So died Restalaan, captain of the guard of Telmore, Velen's best friend, survivor of the exodus from Argus - killed by the boy who's life he saved. But that fate is not set on the Draenor of Warlords.
Warlords of Draenor: New Talador screenshot
We've had several recent tweets from Blizzard developers coyly discussing aspects of certain upcoming patches, or, say expansions. With no Warlords of Draenor beta access yet in sight, every potential glimpse into that world gives us something to get excited about, and last night's tweet of the above picture from Creative Director Alex Afrasiabi is no exception. If you're not quite yet familiar with the different areas of Draenor, our own Matthew Rossi has an excellent article to enlighten you. Talador is a the center of the continent, described as "the heart of Draenor." In that area can be found both the draenei's central city Shattrath and the great mausoleum of Auchindoun. Unfortunately for those draenei players who may wish to make a pilgrimage to Shattrath, Warlords of Draenor finds it almost completely occupied by the Iron Horde. At least Talador itself is serene and beautiful, as the screenshot shows. Preliminary speculation among the WoW Insider staff has us fairly sure that the settlement in Afrasiabi's picture is none other than Tuurem. Burning Crusade era players may remember Tuurem as a ruin in the middle of Terrokar Forest filled with hostile Broken. It was also the key to several quests, including forging the connection between Firewing Point and the unfortunate fate of the Cenarion Thicket. In any case, Tuurem looks a lot nicer in that screenshot than it does in Terrokar, that's for sure.
