Singing a new Forest Song
by Amanda Rivera 
May 27th 2007 at 5:14PM
And so, in my quest for a cross-racial mount, I took my level 36 Draenei priest to Ashenvale. Now, this is a zone I really don't enjoy playing in. The map discovery is very difficult, the terrain is tough to traverse, and everything is so spread out it takes forever to complete quests. I have not quested in this zone for about a year or more. All of my Night Elf alts I have leveled in human lands because I know the quests so well. But, like I said, I am on a personal quest to get my priest a palomino at 40, and so I trudged on into Ashenvale with a heavy heart.
In Astranaar I met up with Vindicator Palanaar (whose name seems an odd coincidence, don't you think?) who sent me on to Forest Song. Here is where I roll my eyes and groan, but travel out to Forest Song I did. What I was expecting to find was one random guy with two quests and a whole vacant ruin to himself. What I did find was something completely different. The Silverwing Sentinels are there, as is an ancient protector, not to mention a whole heap of Draenei. They even added a flight point. The area has been fixed.
The quests as I started to do them reminded me a lot of the Draenei starting zone. They are tight, easy to accomplish, and steeped in lore. I stood in awe of the game design team in their desire to improve existing content.
I cannot explain how delighted I am that a place I dreaded is now a questing area I enjoy. I feel like I was given Forest Song back. I must now apologize to Ashenvale, because my previous bias is now going to get a serious revamp of its own.
Are there any areas like this that you have found to be improved? Have you been "given back" an area that you found previously less than stellar?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Quests
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim Engelbart May 27th 2007 5:23PM
I'm still waiting to be given back Ghostlands... man, half the quests there involves going to the Dead Scar and killing some mobs there :/
FadedReality May 27th 2007 5:52PM
The Barrens could use at the VERY least a graveyard more north than XR
I'd like to see Shimmering Flats get some more involvement than "we need 10 eyes, 2 livers, 15 scales GO!" Maybe a goblin crashes into a wall and opens up a new cave.
With the Dark Portal open, I think Swamp of Sorrows could use a nice dose of lore to make it worth the trip.
The Warsong Lumber Camp being so close to Demon Fall Canyon and Felfire Hill should have a nice chain taking you in there.
All in all I think with the portal between Outland and Azeroth siting wide open, the Legion's presence on Azeroth should be a bit more pronounced. Regarldess of the "defenders" at the Portal.
Jp May 27th 2007 5:57PM
With the Dark Portal open, I think Swamp of Sorrows could use a nice dose of lore to make it worth the trip.
Check again. It got it. Draenei helping the lost ones, and Blood Elves killing them.
springz May 27th 2007 6:48PM
I'm still missing the flightpath in the northerpart of Stranglethorn Vale (for alliance).
It is still rediculous to run up and down that annoying zone, and the ironic bit is that you are pretty much done in the northern part as soon as you hit the mount riding level.
Flightpath at the rebel camp would be ideal.
RogueJedi86 May 27th 2007 6:56PM
Azshara. Azshara. Azshara. It's so huge, it only has like 3 quests total for the whole zone, and both the Alliance and Horde flightmasters are at the Southwestern end of the zone, far away from anything. As it is, Azshara is only good for farming. It's the most desolate, unused zone in the game.
Geoff May 27th 2007 8:43PM
I second the vote for Azshara. Seems like such a cool and beautiful area when I first when there. But the quests were so dull and I was out of there after only a short time (despite helping a hunter do the horribly slow hunter quests)
mindrazor May 27th 2007 10:11PM
@1 No offense, but I really must disagree with you on Ghostlands. Great bunch of quests, atmosphere, and action. By the time you get to Deatholme (sp?), you have really developed your character quite a bit. I very much enjoyed leveling in that area. As a bonus, you're exalted with that faction by the time you are ready to move on and can leave with some awesome parting gifts! No, Ghostlands is one of the better zones in the game at any level.
Tetelestia May 27th 2007 11:31PM
lmao at roll my eyes and 'grown'
mindrazor May 28th 2007 12:23AM
I caught that groan/grown thing too. Chalked it up to a bit of a slip...still funny though!
Slaystern May 28th 2007 1:43AM
Anyone who doesn't love Astranaar/Ashenvale must just be dead inside - it's some of the most beautiful, lush and atmospheric terrain in the game (with the possible exception of STV). Blending into the red expanse of Azhara to the eastern coast, or the green corruption of Felwood to the north, the top 3rd of Kalimdor is the best pre-BC content imho and thats not even mentioning Winterspring or the secluded Moonglade. And I'll take Darkshore over Westfall anyday. From the Master's glaive to the Long Wash to the Cliffspring river and the Tower of Althalaxx...the quest density might not be up there with comparible level Eastern kingdom zones, but that feeling of distance and "space to move around" just seems to fit somehow. The feeling of seclusion from the rest of the world is almost sheltering until reaching Warsong and the first connections to the greater struggle of the NE's and the Orcs come into view.
With the beefed up Forest Song adding some focus to the area, it's a slightly richer playground for us NE fans although it still helps being a class with some early speed buffs to get around quicker (Druid Catform, Hunter Cheetah aspect and so on)
Lisi May 28th 2007 3:58AM
I'm a little confused as to why you are doing quests in a night elf zone for a palomino which is from the humans. Maybe it's just me but it seems a little odd.
Ferengus May 28th 2007 1:54PM
Those extra NPC's and quests in Forest Song have actually been there for almost half a year now, since patch 2.0.1, which was pre-TBC. It's since the same patch the Drainei quest givers in WPL, Swamp of Sorrows and other regions are active. Only the flight point you're talking about is brand new since the latest 2.1 patch.
But to answer the question: Azshara, obviously
dzd May 28th 2007 8:18AM
Reputation spillover, that's my guess.
tiamazzo May 28th 2007 8:33AM
That's slightly disappointing on the horde side. =( He didn't get any new BE areas. Just a couple of stand alone BE's in old towns, that offered just one new quest chain.
That I can think of off the top of my head, there was one in STP (Not even a BE, just a new chain), a member of the Farstrider Enclave in Grom Gol trying to learn about Troll magic, a Blood Elf searching to cure the magic addition in Freewind Post, and a Warlock in Stonard trying to poisen the lost ones food supplies. I want to say there was one in Shadowprey, but I don't think that's right.
Maybe I'm missing a few, but that's all I found while leveling my paladin.
tiamazzo May 28th 2007 8:35AM
Oh, there's also a paladin at the Bulwark that wants your help defiling Uther's tomb. Fails horribly. I find it strange that Uther is so forgiving, considering he's been battling the horde for years.
Really neat quest if you've never done it. He also offers the paladins level 50 quest.
Juliah May 29th 2007 2:24PM
Um, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but as far as I know (unless they've changed it recently and I missed it), you can't get a palomino at 40. Believe me, I looked and tried with my priest. I hope I'm wrong (please, someone correct me if I am and tell me how to get one pre=60, if it is possible), but AFAIK, you can't get one before level 60.
Ken Lydell May 29th 2007 3:28PM
I ran my first character, a Night Elf hunter, through Darkshore, Ashenvale, Stonetalon Mtns and Desolace and most everywhere else on the way to Outland. I skipped the Nightsong Woods after a recon that persuaded me that it was more trouble than it was worth.
Since then, eight Alliance alts, including two Night Elves, have passed through Westfall, Duskwood and Northern STV en route to other zones for further leveling. Ashenvale, Nightsong Woods, Arathi Highlands, Azshara, Hillsbrad and Redridge leave much to be desired when it comes to Alliance solo play. The hunter quest in Azshara proved to be so tedious I abandoned it. I can think of no reason to ever visit that zone again.
My BE pali is now in Ashenvale and I will give that zone and Nightsong Woods another shot in the hope that Horde quests prove to be more satisfying than those of the Alliance.
The Ghostlands is the best L10-20+ zone I have encountered thus far. I completed all but two quests there without the help of others and moved on with a nearly empty quest log and excellent gear purchased with the help of generous loot tables.
Varatil Jun 19th 2007 7:01AM
Personally I have always loved the night elven areas, quest density, to me anyway, seems way better in darkshore then westfall. Plus I simply can't stand the quests in redridge in duskwood, no clue really as to why, but I kill my fourth spider west of darkshire, I feel like I ought to be that spider. Quick flight and boat trip over to kalimdor, and I'm a furbolg now (ashenvale is worth it simply for that item) and I've already cleared out half the continents quests in an hour, maybe I'm being sent around a lot, but you can just do this that and the other thing on the trail and hav those quests out of the way and now you're at your original objective with, 6 quests done, oh me oh my.
But I guess I shouldn't be ranting about how much I like the northern kalimdor, (BEARS! ^.^). A zone I think needs a tune up? The stv Flight path has been pointed out, I think stonetalon needs like some winged instance which ranges from actual stm level range goodness, to all sorts of necessary thing for mid and high end content, maybe even some outdated things so a new guy could say "Oh has that always been there?" and then some idiot who thinks they're smart can respond "Oh yeah, yeah, it's been there for a while, they have the trainer for the level 40 lesser flask of petrification in there."
GIVE STONETALON SOME LOVE!