Patch 5.3 interview with Ghostcrawler
Mystery of the Unborn Val'kyr
The latest patch 5.3 news
All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsThe Queue: Again and again
by Alex Ziebart 
Feb 2nd 2010 at 5:00PM
In this edition of The Queue, we answer a couple of new questions, and a couple of questions that we've answered approximately seventeen thousand times. Okay, not that many, but it certainly feels it. Hopefully between the new and the old there's something for everyone.
cactusham asked...
"Can Horde queue up for Stockades and Deadmines, and can Alliance queue up for Ragefire Chasm and Wailing Caverns?"
Assuming you're in the appropriate level range, yes! There's no threat of a bunch of Horde zoning out of the Stockades in the middle of Stormwind because the tool drops you back where you queued, not outside of the instance. It's a good opportunity to see content that normally would have been incredibly difficult to access.
Babaloo asked...
"How do you handle many whelps?"
Run directly into the middle of them and spam all of your AOEs while everyone else in your party also spams their AOEs and then get disconnected due to the obscene data flood.
That's how my raid's rogues seem to do it, anyway.
Montas asked...
"When Cataclysm hits, we (our 80s) won't be able to go back to the 'old world' becouse there will be "new old world." Will it be posible to help someone level up in old world? Will I be able to make the Loremaster achievement? Also, will chat channels be separated for old and new 'phase' of these zones?"
There is no old world and new old world. There's no phasing, there aren't multiple versions. When Cataclysm hits, the old world will change for absolutely everyone, even people who are leveling their very first character and only own vanilla WoW and none of the expansions. Azeroth as we know it now is going away permanently.
So yes, you can help someone level, because they'll be seeing all of the same things you will. We don't know what's going to happen with Loremaster yet, but it will most likely be updated to reflect the rest of the world. That, or we'll be given a new one.
Medros asked...
"If the Dragons are all children of the individual aspects, where do the proto drakes come from? A lot of them match in color to the various flights, but I would think that Alexstrasza wouldn't let her kids just be hanging out in Northrend, not after what happened at Grim Batol. Also, where in the evolution chain would they be? Higher than whelp, lower than a full Drake? Proto is defined as 'first, earliest, original' so would these be less evolved versions of the Dragons of Azeroth? If so, why didn't they evolve with Malygos, Alexstrasza, Neltharion, Ysera, and Nozdormu?"
The Proto-Drakes are what the dragons were before the Titans raised them up. They were more or less just beasts, like any other thing in Northrend. The Titans empowered many of them (not all of them), and they made the Aspects and the Dragons from them. Dragons and proto-drakes are two different things now, but at one time they were the same.
Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW.com crew is here with The Queue, our daily Q&A column! Leave your questions in the comments and we'll do our best to answer 'em!
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 9)
brian Feb 2nd 2010 9:09PM
I would have to say it feels awesome, because then we can all have a cry together.
After all, isn't that what the Fall of the Lich King is all about?
MoarHeroisms Feb 2nd 2010 5:14PM
Back when WotLK first launched, King Wrynn took Bolvar Fordragon's place in Stormwind, yet Varimathras was still visible to Horde players before they did the Wrath Gate questline. Why didn't Blizzard developers use the same phasing to keep Bolvar in Stormwind Keep until Alliance players reached a certain level?
Bolvar had a place in many players' hearts as a great hero of the human kingdom, so it's sad to imagine new players will never know he existed until they raid ICC.
mechabahamut Feb 2nd 2010 5:17PM
It's really sobering when you put it that way.
Faerillis Feb 2nd 2010 5:26PM
Simple Moar, Bolvar was sent to lead the forces in Northrend and could be seen at Fordragon Hold preceding the events. Varimathras however remained in Undercity the entire time.
Hollow Leviathan Feb 2nd 2010 10:17PM
Varimathras has been replaced by an orc for all of my newly minted undead and trolls (no belfs here thanks), so, no, horde do not have a nostalgia edge over alliance.
Blondies Feb 3rd 2010 4:14AM
@Faerillis
Gryan Stoutmantle was sent to Grizzly Hills, but my shaman can still go see him in westfall. Yes he doesn't share the fate of Bolvar but still, some phasing would've been cool.
@Hollow Leviathan
Afaik Varimathras is still there, but only if you haven't completed the Wrathgate questline. When you do that, he's replaced by an orc.
jbodar Feb 4th 2010 6:27AM
No... Varimathras was indeed replaced by the orc. However the Bloodfist's dialogue is different depending if you did Wrathgate on that toon. Pre-Wrathgate, he's on an "errand for the queen".
http://www.wowwiki.com/Bragor_Bloodfist
Philip Feb 2nd 2010 5:15PM
I have felt lately as if I have neglected the Old World too much. I found myself in Stranglethorn Vale on a quest to catch some lightning eels in Zul'Gurub, but instead found myself gazing over old stomping grounds, wistful and sentimental over old friends who are now gone, moved on to new games or new adventures.
Cataclysm, indeed.
Squirr3llywrath9 Feb 2nd 2010 5:17PM
Let's say that hypothetically I log off in the middle of a flight path the night before 4.0 hits. Where would I be when I logged in?
Tim Feb 2nd 2010 5:18PM
Best question ever?
Midas Feb 2nd 2010 5:18PM
Gnomeregan
Lornicide Feb 2nd 2010 5:21PM
I believe something like this has been asked before....I'll try to sum up the answer...hope I'm close....
No one really knows, but chances are everyone in the old world will find themselves at their hearthstone local upon logging in.
i think i read that here on wow.com, but not sure. Hope this helps.
Lornicide Feb 2nd 2010 5:24PM
@Midas:
Best answer ever! LOL
Was just there last week grinding out the last of some rep. At 80 and I still hate that place.
PvtDeth Feb 2nd 2010 5:36PM
Questions like this have been asked many, many times here and the answer is always the same, NO ONE KNOWS. No one knows and no one could possibly know. The developers don't even know because they're not finished yet.
After all that, we all speculate and the speculative answer is ALWAYS the same, you'll wake up at your hearthstone location or a capital city. Might be right might be wrong, but who really cares? It doesn't matter, completely inconsequential.
STOP ASKING THESE QUESTIONS.
Now could I please ask the wow.com readership to ironically ask the same question a few dozen times?
Deathknighty Feb 2nd 2010 5:49PM
@Pvtdeth
Are you absolutely sure you want me to do that?
talitha3k Feb 2nd 2010 7:19PM
atop a Basic Campfire.
Arbitor Feb 2nd 2010 7:32PM
"atop a Basic Campfire."
:O
*GASP*
A political scandal!
Muse Feb 2nd 2010 7:58PM
Follow-up in the event that we do find ourselves at our hearth stone locations:
What would be a good place to bind hearthstone? Somewhere that a lot of people wont be, but which will be fairly close to the action?
wackydavo Feb 2nd 2010 5:17PM
I think the queue just got bitten by a troll.
GrumblyStuff Feb 2nd 2010 5:18PM
Is there any areas you've gone back to in order to secure a piece of Azerothian history or just to experience it before it goes away?
I've got the Loremaster title but there's still many quests I haven't completed (well, maybe not that many) and many items I wish to collect before areas are changed. Oh Azshara, my lovely autumn zone! Why... WHY must you become a horde leveling zone?!