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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 5 of 6)
Gimmlette Apr 17th 2009 10:56AM
So many comments elicited a "Oh yeah, that place". A friend and I swam from Feralas to Tanaris following the southern coast of Kalimdor. That empty Tauren village with the fires still going was quite a sight.
As a dwarf, I enjoyed Dun Morogh and the bustle of Ironforge but the lag was so bad I had my hearth in Thelsamar for a long time.
I loved Desolace. It was just so different from all the other places I'd been in the game up to that point and the quests were quite different. I did enjoy Maraudon when I first go to it. I remember watching my daughter play and her guild running into Maraudon's back half to farm it. Rotgut, however....
I remember finding Shimmering Flats for the first time. I had moved my daughter from Chicago to Reno and the first time I saw the Great Salt desert was the same feeling when I ran into Shimmering Flats. (This was BEFORE you could get a mount at 30) "My gosh. This is the Great Salt Desert," I remember thinking. All that was missing was that odd sculpture about half-way across the flats.
I still, on occasion, go to Moonglade for the tranquility, or Wintersprings for the beauty of winter.
I haven't really bonded that much with Outlands. I love the sky in Hellfire and Nagrand and I enjoyed the time I spent in Nagrand, but there isn't a zone there to which I have developed an attachment as with Old World.
I adore Howling Fjord with Grizzly Hills a close second. The music and landscape really go together. Because I like to fish, I have my spots in both places where I will go for a couple of hours just to soak in the scenery, the music and collect buff food. Win win.
vazhkatsi Apr 17th 2009 10:58AM
the little hut and sandbox in northern nagrand, just sort of hidden back there.
Feitan Apr 17th 2009 11:00AM
I still don't have WotLK, but that'll change when I'm nearing 70 on either of my mains.
I think my favorite place so far, as it so charming and I don't think many people know they can get up there, is the air field near Iron Forge. Trolls are constantly attacking from a cave there, and theres a gnome crying his eyes out because of his crashed plane.
I still have alot of exploring to do in Outlands.
Though my favorite city remains to be Undercity. Theres so much history in its walls that it speaks when you pass through Lordaeron. Plus it is beautifully laid out, as the entrance just blossoms to the entirety of the Undercity.
seanfury Apr 17th 2009 11:00AM
I love chilling in this random house in Stormwind when I don't feel like getting whispered/talked to by random people. I love Stormwind's architecture and it kinda makes me sad that there aren't more random NPCs in the empty areas. Make it feel alive, you know?
I also really like Duskwood. Probably because I love horror movies and Duskwood just screams horror movie. No specific spot though.
Like many have mentioned, I LOVE the floating islands in Nagrand too. Just so cool.
Delvin Apr 18th 2009 3:16AM
Yea, I spent a while just running around SW looking in the buildings and stuff. Lots I hadn't seen. Do like seeing NPC's going about their business too. Wish there were more. That big hall back in the Dwarven District was interesting among others.
Jason Apr 17th 2009 11:02AM
I love anywhere that has ancient ruins. Ashenvale, Azshara, and Feralas being my three favorites. When you stumble upon ancient ruins, it gives the game so much more meaning and depth. You can see the streets and buildings and imagine what happened to it. That really sells this game for me.
Greg Apr 17th 2009 11:13AM
My favorite zone of all time has to be Azshara. Pre-BC I spent a lot of time there harvesting Dreamfoil and never got tired of it. It was something I did for many months just about every day. For some reason the orange and yellow autumn-ish coloring is very pleasing to me. I'll always remember stopping by the Temple of Zin-Malor and running up to the second floor to check if General Fangferror was around. I also enjoyed running around the "Night-Elf Statue of Liberty". And for me the Bay of Storms has always seemed mysterious and beckoning ... so many submerged but not forgotten pieces of the past. I never even tired of swimming out to Lord Hydraxis for the MC stuff ...
wiglif Apr 17th 2009 11:30AM
My favorite location is absurdly out of the way. If you can get some water walking potions or spells and a fast mount you should go see it. Mount up on the west coast of Feralas and run due south until you reach the far south-western coast of the continent. There you will find a quant little house, with a fence for keeping livestock, and a fishing boat tethered on the beach. I've visited there several times since i found it, and have always found it to be a soothing place to sit down if I've got nothing else to do.
Mill Apr 17th 2009 11:37AM
I like the entrance into the undercity, mainly because of its historical values. Turn up your speakers and listen to a WC3 cinemactique (spelt that wrong, sorry). And also, with a 'lock or pot so you can see invisable people, there are ghosts around the UC courtyard !-]
Cyrus Apr 17th 2009 11:37AM
My favorite zones as zones are Azshara especially and now that I think about it a bit, Feralas and Desolace, I guess. They feel by far the most like traditional fantasy, sword and sorcery settings. It's nothing but rugged wilderness, which means a healthy amount of wildlife all along the magical spectrum from bears to faerie dragons, competing with brutish humanoids and restless ghosts.
In those zones your character is a hero battling chaotic but not actually malevolent threats. You're on the frontier in those zones. The locals are nothing but embattled villages and temporary military encampments hunkered down on the fringes of the areas. It's just you, reclusive wizards, crazy traveling salesmen, and treasure hunters, bounty hunters and refugees begging for help with their private vendettas. Just doing a quest to carry a message in those zones is like exploration.
Eu Apr 17th 2009 11:58AM
Dunno if someone brought it up already, but what about... The Deadmines? First dungeon for many people, and Ironclad cave felt so epic when we entered it, with some "hidden" stuff to see.
Those were the days...!
Koso Apr 17th 2009 12:12PM
My favorite discovery was the dancing troll village stuff inbetween winterspring and felwood, a guildie had told me about it and we set out to discover it.
Too bad he died and I didn't, it's a long way down (yay for pally bubble).
Xeiw Apr 17th 2009 12:09PM
Faldir's cove in the hinterlands. It feels so quiet and safe there. (minus the billions of naga underneath the water)
mdmadph Apr 17th 2009 12:11PM
I love that place too! You'd be amazed how many people have never even been there or know that there's a whole line of quests you can do there.
I certainly had never heard about it until I was on my third or fourth alt.
placebo Apr 17th 2009 12:40PM
Thirded! I was going to say this place. I think I somehow found it on my second character because I had fallen down (or ran from mobs) the mountain where Stromguarde was and levitated to the water and explored.
From what I remember it almost looks like its revealed on the map after exploring normally, so I never thought to go around to the other side.
Stone Apr 17th 2009 12:47PM
Wow I have never even heard of that place. I am going to quest there on an alt as soon as i get home. Worth being late for Ulduar...right?
Xeiw Apr 17th 2009 1:26PM
I found the quests to be a bit tedious there, but I still really enjoyed the cove itself.
Lemons Apr 17th 2009 12:49PM
Exploring in WotLK has become a cheapened by the achievement system.
Remember back in Vanilla/BC when you used to explore because you wanted to? Every month or so I'd get an itch to go explore some godforsaken corner of Azeroth for no reason at all...just to see what's out there. And it was good.
But now you have everyone running everywhere doing just enough "exploring" to reveal the areas of the map so they can get some quick and easy achievement points.
I hate "The Explorer" title, I hate pretty much everyone wearing it because you know most of them simply did it for the AP. Are you really an explorer? Do you have a passion for exploring? No...you're just some DB who ran around the world for a few hours to get the lamest title in the entire game.
I think at this point it's important to state I'm not against all achievements, just the exploration ones. Many achievements that reward a title actually do mean something. If you see someone with "The Justicar" title...it is safe to say they are a pvp whore (cause that's a shitload of WSG)...if you see some1 with "The Explorer" all that tells you is they have figured out how to make their character RUN (it's the W key for all those wondering).
I still haven't bothered to get "The Explorer" title in protest to this stupidity. If I'm going to explore an area it's going to be because I want to mofuggin explore it! Not because there's 10 achievement points waiting for me if I do.
Aedilhild Apr 17th 2009 4:13PM
Fair enough, but the mention of Faldir's Cove and the positive response to it (I'm contemplating a look-see myself) shows that, even now, people go places just for the heck of it.
foodlion Apr 17th 2009 5:48PM
Someone's got their panties in a bunch...
I, myself, proudly wear my explorer title. For one, upon the release of Wrath I had a grand total of 2 unexplored regions in Old World/ Outlands (one of which was Faldir's Cove), so it was nice to see that my exploring had really paid off.
Furthermore, it really fits with the slight amount of RP I like to do in my downtime. I like to think of my character, a hunter, as a sort of rugged outdoors man who lives for the wonderful and sublime sights the world offers.
I have spent many a late evening, after several tedious hours in Naxx, simply riding around in Northrend on my trusty Talbuk or Hippogryph. Listening to either the in-game soundtrack, or something like Opeth while exploring the work of art that is the Fjord or Sholazar (loved the Lost reference for those who found it : ) ) is incredible.
But seriously dude, stop being so judgmental torwards people of whom you have NO knowledge. Troll...