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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: Exploring the World of Warcraft
by Lesley Smith 
Apr 17th 2009 at 8:00AM
So when I rolled my druid, the day before the expansion hit, I was determined to see as much as this beautifully crafted world as I could. Yes, I essentially had a death wish. I was exploring Outland with an honour guard of my guildies at level 10 (and hearthed in Shattrath), I ran through the Arathi Highlands at level thirty, swam through Un'Goro Crater in my forties and was pushing the boundaries of Shattrath by my fifties.
However along the way I found some amazing places: the crystal filled cave at Marshal's Refuge, the boughs where the Dragons of Nightmare can occasionally be found, the first time you run into Azuregos in Azshara, the Twin Colossals of Feralas -- well the eastern one at any rate. Then when I got my flying mount I really started exploring properly.Nagrand alone is full of nooks and crannies and I adore the beauty of Crystalsong Forest.
So come on, readers, I want to know if you've explored all the hidden places of Azeroth and Outland. Do you have any favourites? You do? Great, be sure to tell us about them in the comments box.
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 6)
Aedilhild Apr 17th 2009 9:30AM
The sunlight, the canopy, the birdsong, and that melodic shimmer of Ashenvale and Teldrassil forever enchant.
Grizzly Hills' overture and Dragonblight's poignant, Debussy-like fantasias stand as the game's best marriage between land and score; and its finest music.
Oddly enough, though, my heart stays in Loch Modan. Nostalgia grabs me every time I swing by. There is just something about that place.
bszota Apr 17th 2009 9:31AM
i loved all of the scenery throughout the game (EXCEPT the blasted lands... it felt out of place and carrot-colored...).
Im not a big cash earner so id never even had a flying mount (not even 60% speed) until i reached northrend.
I ding 77 when i had just finished in grizzly hills, and I wasn't in a guild at the time, i wanted to solo level, no help from guides... so i had NO idea about the zones of northrend, i hadnt ruined it for me in advance.
So i go exploring on my ram. I head along through crystalsong forest... i see dalaran but skip it... too crowded and i head up into the mountains.
Thats when i discovered the Storm Peaks. I remember running along the lonnnnggggg path to K3 zoomed right out and feeling VERY small next to this TOWERING cliff face on my left. I hit K3 and poked about in the little village... then mounted up on my newly bought 60% flyer (yay northrend quest reward money)... and fly up into the mountains.
I turned off the music and did alt+Z so i could get the full benefits of the view.... and it is by far my most favorite zone.
Flying around it on a 60% speed flyer makes it feel even more immense. I loved coming round a corner and finding a GIANT metal man, and plains of snow, and villages built onto cliff edges and that amazing cave in the north east that hollows out a giant hole through a mountain.
Love it.
lawrichai Apr 17th 2009 9:35AM
I was always the explorer type and wanted to visit every inches of every maps. I delighted myself when I found beautiful views in places you would never see if you just follow your quests.
Those places where you could take a nice looking screenshot and your friends would ask "-That's in the game?"
^^
Ashfall Apr 17th 2009 9:40AM
Back in the days when you could spirit res from anywhere I took a little run through Wetlands at lev 23 and died. I then ran across Thandol Span and towards Hillsbrad having no idea where I was going. It was so cool seeing Stromgarde (which I thought must be an instance or something it looked so grand) then though thoradin's wall and past Durnholde then ressing at Southshore.
Imagine my surprise when I found level 20 ish mobs there. I thought they'd be lev 60!
My method for getting to Menethil was to bubble and jump off the dam in Loch Modan therefore bypassing the whole of Khaz Modan and those filty orcs!
Trisong Apr 17th 2009 9:44AM
My favorite place is somewhere that is rarely seen due to it's location. It's the abandoned Tauren settlement on the south western tip of Kalimdor. I suggest using any class that can walk on water. You have to start the trek in feralas on the coast and head south while hugging the land (due to the deep ocean waters). Keep going south until you literally get to the south western tip of silithus. You'll first see the massive windmill on a small foothill. That is when you know you've made it.
I love exploring, and recommend checking out all the out of the way areas. You'll never know what you may find.
Agerath Apr 17th 2009 9:45AM
BRD and Dire Maul are two of my favourite places, even now; their beauty & intricacy is unmatched in the rest of WoW, imo.
Agerath Apr 17th 2009 9:48AM
My favourite world area is Dun Morogh airfield, though; we had a fireworks party there last Nov 5th as well as mass gnome suicides.
Pexxle -=SilverHand (RP)=- Apr 17th 2009 9:54AM
So many good posts here, i just have to agree with the locations.
Any place is can strike you as beautiful or interesting depending on ones mood.
:)
Honestly i wish i didn't find fishing so tedious, since i like the Walrus people and would like to see/hear more from them in the future. Their humble ways and jolly but sleepy voices, make me feel welcome in the little fishing villages. If my skill wasn't so low i would actually spend time fishing there. Taking it all in.
Zarfay Apr 17th 2009 9:56AM
My favourite Northrend zone is probably Howling Fjord, the visiual appeal along with the music makes it stunning so I'm glad I made it the first zone I visited in wrath.
My favourite Outland zone is... Nagrand and Helfire Peninsula. Nagrand has that beauty which you can't say no to and there is something about Helfire Peninsula which really sums up Outland for me.
And as for old world... Eversong Woods is gorgeous but probably Mulgore just because it was my first zone. Every time I hear the music from Mulgore and Thunderbluff I get very nostalgic (it took me a week to get to level 10!) and can't help but remember the good times there.
chickennub Apr 17th 2009 9:56AM
Oh..the cave you pictured reminds me of "Dadanga" my favorite kodo (right outside the cave). I liked Tanaris too..especially the pirate part to the east coast. I want to build a resort there and strap some serving trays onto the turtles backs so they can roam around and serve "mini-umbrella" decorated drinks.
I do like booty bay too, except when those stupid people run around killing everything (blizzard-approved griefing) for the purpose of getting the "bloodsail admiral" title..grrrr.
roflmaoFTW123 Apr 17th 2009 10:03AM
my favourite place is probably the Airships above Icecrown, they look awesome especially the alliance airship, the flower bomb cracked me up
drahliana Apr 17th 2009 10:05AM
Ahh... Azuregos... he's the only being I know who seems to be haunted by his own ghost. It's been fairly often that I've seen both Azuregos and The Spirit of Azuregos walking simultaneously within bowshot of each other.
Closest parallel that I recall was an episode of Space:(why did I watch it?) 1999 where one of the Moonbase crew was haunted by his own ghost...it did not go well.
Dightkuz Apr 17th 2009 10:26AM
There is a cave hidden deep in mountains of STV, which back in the days was only reachable by walljumping. Back in Beta or very early of the game, it was possible to buy a rare tiger mount from a gnome in that cave. Unfortunately the gnome wasn't present when I managed to get there tho.
Blombomb Apr 17th 2009 10:28AM
I have a fondness for Moonglade, it's pretty yes, but mostly because I remember as my first character, a level 10ish gnome rogue, going there during the lunar festival. Unwittingly walking towards the entrance to Timbermaw Hold. A huge (at the time it seemed even bigger) bear thing running out of the tunnel at me. That's probably the most scared I've been in Wow. One of my favourite places to hang out is the forge in IF. It looks great.
Vjax Apr 17th 2009 10:36AM
For me exploration=swimming. At lvl 24 i swam around both continents, there are numerous little spots along those oceans that few ever see. For the most part it was just my own way of understanding how vast the place really was. On that toon, my first and still my main, I swam from Menethil south, first time i saw Stormwind I was soggy as hell, hehe.
Best spot in Azeroth...the little uninhabitated village at the southern tip of Silithus.
BC...The lake just above Alerian Stronghold in Terrokar
Wrath...The top of the bridge between Utgarde Keep and Nifflvar
Tori Apr 17th 2009 10:36AM
Sometimes I miss that feeling of when you first start the game and realize how big it is.
I remember the first character I made was an Undead Warlock. I spent the first few hours completing all the beginner quests in Deathknell. Now, I thought that Deathknell was pretty big. The spider mines seemed so far away, and going to the Scarlet Encampment was likewise a good distance.
When I finally completed that area and ventured out into Tirisfal, I realized how big the game actually was. Seeing the tiny circle of Deathknell in the west of the Tirisfal map in comparison to the remainder of the zone.....I was just like "Whoa! =O"
And then zooming out of Tirisfal and seeing a dozen other zones of equal size, and THEN zooming out farther and seeing a whole other continent!
It blew my mind.
mdmadph Apr 17th 2009 12:05PM
This pretty much sums it up for me, too. I remember playing my first week in just Teldrassil, and thinking, "Wow, they were right, this game is HUGE. You could play here in these forests forever."
And then someone takes me over the boat to Darkshore and my mind is completely blown. I had no idea just how big the rest of the world was.
el ranchero Apr 17th 2009 10:40AM
Wow, where to start... virtually all of Northrend, especially the areas where you can see the Aurora Borealis. Auberdine: I don't care for the zone (long and thin zone mean LONG travel times) but I can almost taste the briny seawater in Auberdine and feel a warm breeze blowing through the open Night Elf buildings. Sunstrider Isle/Eversong Woods has the most clever color scheme for a forest, and the score is beautful yet somehow has a kind of haughty, sarcastic tone to it. I don't know how the composer managed that, but it's perfect for the blood elves.
Cyrance Apr 17th 2009 10:43AM
Camp Mojache blew me away the first time I quested through there. That, the path west, and the topography all the way down to the coast. Very well done.
Driuzt Apr 17th 2009 10:55AM
For me it was the first time I was in Zul-Gurub and the path leads down to the rope bridge and across the water, you can already see Hakkar in his temple - my first ever raid, and the realisation of just how much content I still had coming to me.
Similarly, the area outside the Zul'Aman in Ghostlands with all it's lush vegetation. Blizzard artists can certainly 'do' foliage ;)