Getting all the Well Read books
by Mike Schramm 
Nov 29th 2008 at 7:00PM
It's the weekend after Thanksgiving, the family has all left, there's nothing but turkey leftovers to eat, and you hit level 80 last week, and you're just waiting for your guild to level up so you can start the endgame. What is there to do on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon? Find all of the Well Read books -- WoWWiki has the guide I've been looking for ever since I first got excited about this achievement. I count 43 in total, and they've got a list of all the books you need and where you can find them for reading.The vast majority of the books can be found in Scholomance and the Scarlet Monastery, so a run through both of those instances (you can easily solo both at 80) will get you many of the books you need. From there it's time to travel the world -- Brill, Southshore, the Eastvale Logging Camp, Duskwood, and Booty Bay, and a few other places, depending on your faction (Alliance seems to have a little bit of an advantage there, as Stormwind and Orgrimmar have nice libraries. There are a few good books in Undercity, but the Orcs and Tauren aren't much for book learning, apparently).
Seems totally doable in a quick afternoon, and while you won't really get anything but the 10 achievement points (and probably a nice chance to pick up some more of the old Azeroth explorer achievement), why else would you do this, other than to brag about it. Whenever anyone argues that you don't know your Azeroth lore, you can just point them to your Armory page, and tell them to check the part about you being Well Read.
Filed under: Alliance, Analysis / Opinion, Tips, How-tos, Fan stuff, Odds and ends, Quests, Achievements
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Celton Nov 29th 2008 7:06PM
Did you mean Stormwind and Ironforge have nice libraries?
NoTomorrow Nov 29th 2008 7:07PM
Quick error: orgrimmar is horde, not alliance :-)
Pål Nov 29th 2008 7:29PM
Orgrimmar is also completely safe even for the Alliance during a certain phase of the Wrathgate chain :)
Dan Nov 29th 2008 7:08PM
I was completely unaware of books in game before this achievement.
JBurg Nov 29th 2008 7:56PM
Seems I've been beaten to it, but I'm gonna say it anyways... Stormwind and Ironforge have nice libraries. Sadly, Orgrimmar does not. :(
Got this achievement finished just a bit before "Wrath" launch. Picked up most of the books while exploring to finish up that achievement. Best places to go for books are SM library, Ironforge's Hall of Explorers, and the Royal Library in Stormwind. There is one book available only in Scholomance as far as I know, but it isn't hard to get if you can unlock the door or find somebody to unlock it for you.
Horde do have a much tougher time with this though as "The Guardians of Tirisfal" is only available deep within Stormwind or Karazhan. Neither are a cakewalk even at 80. I was lucky to pick it up on my last Kara run before x-pac completing the achievement. It was the first time I heard gasps for an achievement over vent. Many didn't realize there were that many books in the game, much less that one person had read them all.
Feanora Nov 29th 2008 8:08PM
You can find Guardians of Tirisfal in the Horde inn, top floor, in Dalaran.
SaintStryfe Nov 30th 2008 3:31AM
To be fair, Stormwind has stood for ages, even after it's destruction, it had great stores of knowledge, a lot from Loradeon refugees. Ironforge even longer. Ogrimmar is only what, 6 years old?
Riwerwind Nov 29th 2008 8:21PM
it's not really an acievemnt before you put up some book reviews to show that you really read em
Firestride Nov 29th 2008 8:45PM
The Alliance having an advantage? Never!
Jess Q. Nov 30th 2008 4:03AM
Hah, I'm glad someone said it or I was going to have to.
Firestride Nov 30th 2008 12:26PM
I actually have a theory as to why this happens. I think that more Blizzard developers play Alliance, so they're less likely to notice little things like "Hey, we put an Alliance town directly between a Horde quest hub and the quest mobs" or "Boy, these Alliance guards sure seem to go out of their way to attack Horde players" or "Every Alliance race gets to start in a lush forest, and move into some of the most beautiful zones in the game after that, but non-Tauren Horde players either start in the red desert or a horror-movie forest. And then everyone moves into a new desert, or a different horror-movie forest."
I don't think they actively dislike the Horde, but I don't think they spend as much time experiencing the little inconveniences that pile up on our side.
Sinthar Dec 2nd 2008 7:39AM
I just cant believe you. Not only are there differences with talents, and skills (at least upto TBC - but i think most are STILL the same) but it was a well known (myth maybe) urban fact that blizz dev's played horde. There is an obvious horde bias within the company (for example when they handed out trophys within Blizzard, they were all horde figures etc). Personally i think they have just redressed the balance slightly - and given you your 'slight' annoyances.
As to your 'slight annoyances' that crop up.
Boo hoo, the terrain aint as pretty???? Talk about a petty moan - q for 2 hours and ull be outta them.
The Q mobs and Q hub opposite side of an Allies camp? Hmmm sounds sort of the same as Stranglethorn for allies with a dam great horde camp in the middle of it. Or maybe the swamp where you have to run past the horde camp to get your q done at least 4-5 times, or maybe....etc...etc. So yeah they DO do that - to BOTH sides. Maybe the slight annoyance of not even being able to walk to the dam q hub without being led (as the only easy path) directly into a horde camp, with the only option for survival being to jump into water far below (if you last that long, and dont miss the water)
Allied guards chasing you? Good thats wot their meant to do, what do you expect - them to give you flowers?
kozom Nov 29th 2008 8:46PM
*sits down at table*
*picks up WoW Coles Notes*
*reads page one*
Kozom has earned [well read]!
[guild chat][Kozom]: I NOUE LORE NOWE!!!
JStorm Nov 29th 2008 8:57PM
Couldn't you just have used Wowhead instead of waiting for a "guide?"
http://www.wowhead.com/?achievement=1244
Abrazama Nov 29th 2008 9:08PM
I took it as a matter of personal honour to get the achievement in the first week- librarian by trade :)
SaintStryfe Nov 30th 2008 3:35AM
I'm getting my MLS (grad in May, hopefully) and I've been working for this one too. Sadly, finals are all consuming
ustilago Nov 29th 2008 9:20PM
I had "Well Read" done on my Horde main a few days before "Wrath" launched.
The only thing really painful about getting to "The Guardians of Tirisfal" in Stormwind was the ridiculously long death run from the logging camp. In certain parts of the city you can actually run a fair distance without aggroing a single guard.
Mimzy Nov 29th 2008 11:25PM
This was one of the first achievements I went for! The Scholomance book was easy to get. I just tagged along with a group getting a 60 paladin his mount (this was before Wrath hit). The room where you summon the mount also has the boss that drops the key you need so I picked it up and hit the door.
A word of warning. For the love of Elune, don't attack the boss! One of the pallys I was with decided to kill the baddies on the platform which caused the entire room to attack us. Even with four 70s and a 60 they were too much and we died almost instantly. Fortunately, I had already opened the book so I got the credit even though I didn't get to actually read it... Which I did for every other book, I'm proud to say!
jeppe Nov 30th 2008 3:25AM
A great and thorough guide can be found here:
http://www.wow-pro.com/general_guides/well_read_achievement
Mel Nov 30th 2008 9:26AM
I tried to get this achievement by reading all the books at the location of the opposing faction when possible - which meant a lot of death-runs, but I got my achievement. :)