Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsBreakfast Topic: Unfinished business
by James Koon 
May 16th 2010 at 8:00AM
What I found surprised me. In The Park alone, there are many unused buildings: an inn, an archery shop, another shop with scrolls on the counters, and yet another shop filled with wine barrels. All lack NPCs and purpose. In fact, out of all of the shops, there is only one NPC in any of the buildings: a night elf herbalism trainer, whose name you cannot see because it clips into the shelves above.
So I decided to actually pay attention to the rest of Stormwind. The buildings leading into Cut-Throat Alley are empty. There's a large hall in the Dwarven District that is also missing signs of life. These are just a few quick examples of unfinished areas in Azeroth. Other examples might include the unfinished dwarven farming area on the southern border of Wetlands, Old Ironforge or the upper ring of Undercity.
Our beloved Azeroth, in all of its awesomeness, at times seems utterly barren and unfinished. With Cataclysm on the horizon, I for one hope many of these lifeless areas are revisited by the development team and given purpose. What is your favorite unused area, and what do you think the Blizzard developers should do with it?
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Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 6)
kunukia May 16th 2010 1:22PM
Our guild has had meetings there since vanilla. I suspect many other guilds do also.
DarkSpade May 16th 2010 9:26AM
I'm always exploring unused or forgotten areas. I suppose they are really great for RPers, but I still often find myself asking "why don't they use this for something!?" My favorite is a little spot in north east duskwood. On the road to deadwind pass, keep an eye out for a hard to see trail to the north. The winding and somewhat easy to lose path leads to a small pond being fed by a waterfall(and draining into another) and a tomb being watched over by two creepy statues. It's also the only area I know of in duskwood that doesn't have the creepy lighting and fog. I've checked WoWwiki and wowhead, but neither mention any purpose for it.
By the way, judging by the leaked images of stormwind, I wouldn't count on too much being added to the park.
ElrithCC May 16th 2010 9:32AM
One of my old RP guilds used to have our meetings there, it's called Beggar's Haunt, by the way.
John May 16th 2010 10:50AM
I was just running through there the other day on my way to Swamp of Sorrows.... I love that tiny little Horde outpost in the middle of the hardened Alliance stronghold (And the quest lore is brilliant... the quest itself sucks but the lore *brilliant! and NOBODY ever sees it!)
thegatherer May 16th 2010 9:29AM
any instance with only you and your partner, most likely, one of the dungeons with tables for torture (SM, ironically, comes to mind).
....not that anyone would want to admit they were living their sexual fantasies in a fantasy world with virtual avatars, one of which is controlled by god-knows-who.
thegatherer May 16th 2010 9:31AM
Oh, reply system you,...always fooling around with messages....
Anyway, this was a reply to blacked out Zalvi24, up above....I dont know why i always feel the need to be helpful....
or implement Douglas Adam's style humor.....
eman.yomon May 16th 2010 9:45AM
I like that the park is so empty. Being that I play on an RP server, it opens many opportunities for businesses, including my own. It saddens me that it might be destroyed soon.
John May 16th 2010 10:48AM
From the Stormwind screen shots that were once posted on MMO-Champ it looks like the Park is going the way of the dodo...
This makes me happy and sad. Much of Stormwind was previously under/un-used but on RP servers this led to a lot of places to play around and chat without NPCs giving it that "lived in" or "occupied" feel.
I love the looks coming out with Cata especially to Orgrimmar, but we'll see if they give us a couple of buildings or spaces to RP with...
Pheras May 16th 2010 11:14AM
Are you kidding? Knowing that the Park is going the way of the dodo means a lot for RP. You can set up your own storylines about family or friends that live in the houses around the Park... suddenly Cataclysm hits and now the fight against Deathwing is VERY personal.
Brevalaer May 16th 2010 11:00AM
You did check out the 2nd floor of Stormwind barber shop, didn't you?
Angrycelt May 16th 2010 6:29PM
Shhh! That's where I put the... you know whats.
Paul May 16th 2010 11:31AM
I loved the cave I found on the Silithis coast.
Yeah, it has a coast. There's a farm there too I think. Been a while since I've been there.
Roxton May 17th 2010 4:04AM
Yes! The huge creepy cave with nothing in it but odd muttering... And the tauren-style farm down the coast with no one there. For anyone interested, it's at the the very southernmost point of Kalimdor. There's no way that I know of over the border in Silithus, so you have to run along the coast from Tanaris or Feralas.
Hoggersbud May 16th 2010 11:56AM
y'know, when playing WOW versus other games, one of the things I've noticed is how the cities are not impossibly large to the point where you get lost inside them, or just find yourself trudging through endless empty streets and alleys.
WOW managed to avoid that. Some of the cities may be confusing, and awkward, but they aren't so large that they never seem full. Yet there's plenty of space that's undeveloped.
When I'm in any WOW city, even the perpetual ghost towns of Silvermoon or the Exodar, at least I feel I'm somewhere. In contrast, EQ? It just felt like I was wandering around nowhere in particular.
Babaloo May 16th 2010 12:01PM
Emerald Dream. Man, I wanna see that place finished, lore or not. It seems like it could have so much potential for amazing and stupid stuff to happen inside of it. My favourite zone has to be Verdant Fields, unique, crazy models all over the place and that is only a small bit of the wackiness that's possible in the Emerald Dream. Bring it back Blizzard.
Darky May 16th 2010 12:20PM
Did you know that blizzard even partially developed it to the point of it being a zone, google it :). Also i just saw this and it made me giggle a "rumor" of wow's expansion the burning crusade with illidan/arthas/deathwing and ysera all in one :D (arthas being a ONE HUNDRED man raid with 50/50 horde alliance). I want this expansion please :p
Darky May 16th 2010 12:20PM
http://www.absoluteinsight.net/2716 (forgot to link it >_
RetPallyJil May 16th 2010 12:07PM
If we're all VERY good boys and girls, someday one of those buildings will turn into a ***DANCE STUDIO*** !!!!
Urza May 16th 2010 12:58PM
I'm going to go with the little fishing camp on the top of the elwynn forest waterfall. :)
Anyone on a roleplay server I'm sure knows there are "go times" to be had at the dwarven farmers on the eastern coast of Arathi.
Jìnx May 16th 2010 1:42PM
Being an exploit junkie, I love going to "bannable" places. I've been to Quel'Thalas, the Dancing Troll Village between Moonglade and Darkshore, Kara Crypts, Ironforge Airport, and ontop of Ironforge Gate... just to name a few.
I feel that these places were made to be discovered. I mean, maybe not the empty, barren-like areas, but the Dancing Troll village is a wonderful place to hang out while waiting for a dungeon, or waiting for guildies to come online in order to raid. The best thing about "bannable" places, is that not everyone is aware of them nor has the time or interest to explore.
I guess the idea of exploring and stepping outside your comfort zone is a dying idea :/, with quest helpers, flying mounts... you get the idea.