Breakfast Topic: Who knew?

Did you know that there is a secret room in Dalaran that you can access only if you complete the achievement Higher Learning? I just found out about it myself. And while this piece of information is practically useless, it made me think ... What other things don't I know about? And then I started remembering all the times when I learned something so basic about the game that I said to myself, "How could I not have known that?"
There was the time before The Burning Crusade was released when I was happily making my mooncloth every four days and traveling to Darnassus or Darkshore to do so, when a guildie informed me that there was a moonwell in Stormwind. "Doh!" Then there was the time that I was grouped with a friend, happily traipsing around Eastern Plaguelands (so yes, I was almost level 60), and I would stop running every time I had to respond to an in-game whisper. My friend asked me what I was doing, and I explained that I had to stop running to type a response. He then informed me that I could use the mouse to auto-run and keep my hands free to type. "Doh!" More recently, I was in Dalaran exchanging Emblems of Triumph for Emblems of Conquest for Emblems of Valor for Emblems of Heroism ... (big gulp of air) ... in order to purchase Reins of the Wooly Mammoth. I needed 200 Emblems of Heroism, and I was exchanging all of my emblems one at a time. My guild was waiting for me to do a raid and asked what was taking so long. So I told them. And then they told me I could simply shift-right click on an emblem and pick the amount I wanted to exchange. "Doh!"
Why didn't I know these simple things? How could I have been playing this game for five years and not know these things? I used to laugh when I saw the tips on the loading screen. The one that informs the player that she can eat and drink at the same time always elicits a mental response from me that goes something like, "Who the heck doesn't know that? What a dumb tip." But recently I have begun to realize that there are many people just like me who let the simplest nuances of the game escape them for some reason or another.
So what things are you embarrassed to admit that you didn't know until you were well entrenched in the game? Don't worry, we'll never tell (wink, wink).
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
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Reader Comments (Page 5 of 14)
Prissa Apr 22nd 2010 8:51AM
You are a cruel individual :P
PvtDeth Apr 22nd 2010 9:47AM
That's not really funny.
AltairDusk Apr 22nd 2010 10:29AM
For those who are still confused after the above two comments: there is no confirmation screen. Don't type this unless you want to leave your guild.
Shane Apr 22nd 2010 8:44AM
OMG!
You can downgrade emblems more than 1 at a time?!
SQUUUUUIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Samuel Apr 22nd 2010 9:24AM
Not only that, but you can use the moneychanger guy down by the sewer bar to take triumphs straight to heroisms, without having to downrank them one by one.
John Apr 22nd 2010 9:51AM
Yep - the goblin bank next to the inn in the sewer is all-around nice, not just for the direct emblem exchange, but it's also less crowded.
Remember though, once you downgrade you can't go back up - so be careful!
jten11 Apr 22nd 2010 3:10PM
Now THAT I didn't know. Learn something new everyday...
Thanatos Apr 22nd 2010 8:44AM
Vanish? I was a level 65 Subtelty Rogue that had never used Vanish. BTW, thanks for the emblem info, holy cow what a headache.
Luci Apr 22nd 2010 9:19AM
How did you get to 65?! Omg XD
Conrose Apr 23rd 2010 9:29PM
I tried leveling a priest once and it took me a couple weeks to realize that fade was not like rogue's stealth.
Shortly thereafter I stopped working on the priest.
placebo Apr 22nd 2010 8:44AM
RE: Higher learning.
WTB Warlock and one other to summon people to that room for gold.
tyler Apr 22nd 2010 9:30AM
I have spent hours in the room in Dal and never once came across another soul... Starting to think it might be a phase/instance.
Quanzar Apr 22nd 2010 9:48AM
This room is not instanced. Me and a guildy both went there the other day non grouped and we saw each other. No idea on summoning to it though.
Nalume Apr 22nd 2010 10:04AM
From what I've read a warlock can summon others to this room, but you won't be able to buy the pet from Vargoth without the Higher Learning achievement.
placebo Apr 22nd 2010 12:40PM
If they patched that then no. Then at least for awhile the higher learning achievement was only to get the book that teleports you and has nothing to do with him. Still worth a try I would think.
Gothia Apr 22nd 2010 8:46AM
I didn't know you could open mail automatically by shift+click that was a great time saver until I discovered postal.
I didn't know you could make a hot key for disenchanting - matter of fact I didn't know about hot keys being anything other than the 1-9 keys.
I didn't know how to bring up a chat channel once you left it so I didn't have trade channel for quite a while.
Luci Apr 22nd 2010 9:20AM
Learning that you could leave the Barrens chat that is trade channel was one of the better things I ever learned.
Tim Apr 22nd 2010 12:13PM
Or leaving ICC general chat. The new Barrens for some reason. One is a low level levling zone, the other is the highest end of raid content. Both have Justin Bieber jokes.
stieinberg Apr 22nd 2010 8:46AM
When I first started playing I didn't learn about talents until around level 40 when a fellow warlock asked me what talent spec I was using
Gothia Apr 22nd 2010 8:58AM
Which is probably why it too me so long to level up my 1st toon - that and spreading talents across 3 trees :)
I wonder if they covered talents in the tutorial?