Vaelastrasz
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The best fight from classic WoW
This is a topic I know will get me into trouble. Classic WoW is known as "classic" for a reason, after all. Being the opening foray into the MMO that has since become the standard for the entire industry, WoW's first incarnation is filled with memorable encounters. The raid bosses we battled back then are the yardsticks by which we have judged pretty much everything that has followed. I know it's tempting to say something like Ragnaros or Onyxia or C'Thun, because those are the big bad end boss fights that remain etched in WoW players' collective consciousness. I've always tried to stay away from the obvious answers, though, because, well, they're obvious. I don't think there's anything particularly interesting I could write about Ragnaros or Onyxia that hasn't already be said better by someone else. When I sat down to brainstorm about this topic, I ran through many of the classic bosses, testing my memories of them, and after a while I hit upon what I knew would be my personal answer to this question: Vaelastrasz the Corrupt.
The Queue: Trinket-Palooza 2009
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Allison Robert is your hostess today again (our condolences).I'm in an autumnal sort of mood, hence today's picture. Yes, I know that Barrens trees always look like that. We got a really interesting question about trinkets the last time around that really caught my attention, so a lot of today's Queue is going to be comprised of an Enjoyable Stroll Down Memory Lane and Into Holy ^$*# Look At That Trinket From AQ40 How Has That Not Been Nerfed Yet.Starlin asks...So, what's up with Brewfest this year? Anything new or updated?Fortunately or us, Kisirani posted on this same question yesterday. To summarize, there are no major changes to the holiday, but Coren Direbrew has been updated to level 80, the mount drop rates haven't changed (nor are they now required for the Brewfest meta-achievement), and no new pets or mounts have been added. You can reasonably expect a beefed-up holiday boss with a new loot table (most likely of ilevel 200 items, possibly 219 if they want to match the gear from heroic Trial of the Champion), but otherwise the same experience as last year. I'll have an OverAchiever for the good folks seeking Brewfest achievements up on the site soon.
Breakfast Topic: Nostalgia vs. reality -- fight!
There's an interesting post on the forums that's become a catalogue of what old-time players miss most about classic WoW. While it's become a pretty thorough compilation of iconic moments, there are admissions that, well, maybe some of the stuff that's fun to look back on wasn't actually that much fun at the time. The examples include trying to get past a 40-man raid of the opposite faction into Molten Core, the boredom of raiding as little more than a glorified Decurse-bot, the countless guilds who broke up on Vael, and the fun of Tarren Mill/Southshore PvP that had the ancillary effect of making leveling in Hillsbrad such a nightmarish experience.I'm seeing the first glimmers of such nostalgia for BC content start to emerge, and hearing a Sunwell PuG advertised as a "fun run" the other day left me speechless for a moment. It's equal parts compelling and unnerving; part of me misses the struggle to down bosses in Tiers 4, 5, and 6, but I also remember ugly M'uru wipefests. Everyone likes looking back on the first boss kill, nobody likes remembering the 45-minute trash respawn timer in SSC, and I like to think that as the game has "grown up," it has also gone resolutely forward.But then, I'm not an old-school WoW player on the level of these forum posters, and I'm also not sure that the nostalgia for BC content will ever approach that for classic content. Is, say, Black Temple going to be looked upon as fondly as its classic counterparts like AQ40 someday, or is the classic "classic" and irretrievable for a reason?
One boss leaves!
Technically, this week, it's "two bosses leave" because we're wrapping up two separate fights. First up, Kel'Thuzad vs. Archimonde. This was a close fight, with a 14 votes (out of a total of 2508) separating the winner from the loser. As you might guess, opinions on the article were quite varied, with little consensus as to who would win or why -- but in the end, 14 more voters felt that Kel'Thuzad would be victorious.Our next fight pitted Vaelastrasz against Illidan -- and this one was pretty clear cut, with Illidan getting a comfortable 67% of the vote. (Though there was a good amount of debate over the fairness of the abilities included for consideration, both Vael's Burning Adrenaline and Illidan's Shear.) Tragic, really, as I was rooting for Vael. (As commenter George M. noted, "Vaelastrasz destroyed Guilds. True story.")If you enjoyed these fights, the next is set to be just as dramatic! Check back later to voice your opinion on the Twin Emperors against Chromaggus. (And check our brackets for the upcoming fight schedule.)
Two Bosses Enter: Vaelastrasz vs. Illidan
Two Bosses Enter is recovering from a long holiday season full of booze and raiding -- and attempting to get back to its regular weekend schedule. So while our last match (Kel'Thuzad vs. Archimonde -- it's a close one, folks, so jump in and cast your vote!) isn't over until Monday, we're going to get right on to our next match. This week we have Vaelastrasz the Corrupt -- powerful member of the Red Dragonflight, corrupted by Nefarian to fight off heroes trying to enter Blackwing Lair -- and Illidan Stormrage -- Night Elf turned demon who now rules over the Black Temple. Join in our series of fantasy deathmatches by reading up on these bosses and casting your vote on which of the two would win out in a fight.
One Boss Leaves: Kazzak vs. Vaelastrasz wrap-up
Vaelastrasz the Corrupt has emerged victorious from last week's encounter between himself and Doom Lord Kazzak. There's a lot of disagreement in the comments as to why, including lengthy discussion of whether Vael's Burning Adrenaline ability should be considered in the fight and whether Kazzak's Twisted Reflection ability could just heal through whatever damage Vael might do. But disagreement aside, Vael won by a landslide: The comment winner of the week, however, has to be Jess, who stays out of any detailed discussion of numbers or abilities and gives us the following:Vael because after a few minutes with him Kazzak would want to /wrist rather than keep fighting that whiny emo boss.For anyone who's fought Vael, you know exactly what Jess is referring to. Will his attitude win Vael the overall top spot in our competition? We're nowhere near the end yet, but you can check back later today for another matchup!
Two Bosses Enter: Doom Lord Kazzak vs. Vaelastrasz the Corrupt
Another weekend, and you know what that means -- it's time for another episode of Two Bosses Enter, WoW Insider's series of fantasy deathmatches between some of the toughest bosses in the World of Warcraft. Each week, two bosses walk into our arena, but only one of them gets to walk out again -- and at the very end, we'll wind up with one boss who wins out over all. The best part of all this is that you get to tell us who winds up the winner every week.Some internet connectivity issues caused us to skip last week, but this week we're back with a vengeance, talking about one of my favorite boss fights in the game -- Vaelastrasz the Corrupt, who we're pitting against Doom Lord Kazzak. So what are you still reading this for? Read on to find out a bit about each of these bosses and tell us who would win if they met up!
Around Azeroth: He only looks friendly from a distance
Raid, meet Vaelastrasz. Vaelastrasz, meet raid. And, yes, Vael only looks cute and cuddly from a distance -- once you get close you're likely to find he has a mean streak. Eleve of Kel'Thuzad sent in this shot -- allowing us to enjoy the sights of Blackwing Lair without all the dying involved in learning the encounters (note the skeletons scattered throughout the room).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%
