WoW Rookie: Loremaster, a completist's dream

For those of us who are leveling up or even digging into a fresh 80, there's never been a better time to fold in The Loremaster to the ol' to-do list. Flying your Loremaster title proves you've been around the block; it's not like The Explorer, which you can hoof your way through even at level 1. Earning your Loremaster title means grinding out literally hundreds and hundreds of quests over every step of your journey through Azeroth, Outland and Northrend, from level 1 through level 80. It's the completist player's dream, a title that shows you've paid your dues in every zone at every level of the game.
We're not bringing this up now as just one more item to chuck into your pre-Cataclysm bucket list; indeed, The Loremaster won't be going anywhere in Cataclysm. While none of the numbers of quests required for completion have been adjusted yet to accommodate Cataclysm material, Blizzard has assured players not to worry about it. The Loremaster quest count has been updated before, so we should be confident that it will be adjusted again.
Still, if you're playing through the old content anyway, it simply makes sense to run through quests that will be disappearing when the expansion cracks Azeroth apart at the seams. Sure, there'll be plenty of new quests to do -- but you'll never get the chance to run all of these particular quests again.
What's involved?
There are four parts to achieving the overall The Loremaster title:
Your reward: the Loremaster's Colors and the title Loremaster <Name>.

Before you even think about beginning, make sure you're up on the tricks of the trade when it comes to questing. Click that link right this very moment! We'll wait for you to get back.
OK, now that you're back ... If leveling up in a logical fashion is your first priority, your plan of attack will probably be different than that of players who're already at the level cap. There are many, many more quests in any given zone than you'll need to level up enough for the next area. Completing every single quest in every single zone along the way will leave you over-leveled for most zones and instances long before you reach them. Think ahead, keep an eye on your XP bar and the level ranges of upcoming zones, and make sure you don't ruin your own fun.
If you're not particularly worried about tackling every area (or certain areas) at a level-appropriate moment, then you're free to attack this achievement with zest. As you move into new zones with your pumped-up levels, you may find the XP a little less rich -- but the cash and cumulative XP will flow like wine.
Be sure to turn on low-level quest tracking on your minimap before you begin. Finish each zone before you move to the next. A questing addon (more details, below) can help you make sure you haven't missed anything. Stay organized, and don't head into any expansion material until you've completed everything from the previous portion of the game.
Sort out the details with addons
Keeping track of which quests you've done and which are available still to do used to be a nightmare. Unless you literally played with a notebook and pencil at your side, tracking every completed quest, you had no way of knowing where you stood. Today, the game keeps track of completed quests under the hood. All you need to do is install an addon that will show you what's done and what's left in an easy-to-read format.
The big name on the block these days seems to be EveryQuest; download it here, as well as this handy addition that shows all the quest givers and their available quests right on your map.
Another popular alternative worth investigating is Loremaster.
Know your lore
The entire Loremaster project will be even more entertaining if you can keep the storylines in context. Bone up! We've got a huge range of lore resources right here at WoW.com:
- Lore 101 How exactly do you find all of WoW's story elements when they are literally scattered across several different games, comics, manga and novels? How do you know what should be taken as official lore and what to throw away as mere speculation? We'll show you the ropes.
- Know Your Lore Our wildly popular series peers more deeply into the epic figures, key zones and movers and shakers of Azeroth, Outland, Northrend ... and beyond.
- WoW.com's Guide to the Lore of Warcraft Here it is: the lore of the WoW world, indexed and at your fingertips.
Happy questing – and may we see that new title over your head (relatively) soon!
Rookie tip of the week
Reader Rekoor is right -- it always pays to RTM.
With the new(er), built-in quest-helper mechanic in the game, it is easier than ever for players to just pick up quests and go without ever stopping to actually read the quests. However, there occasionally comes a time when just knowing where to go for your quest isn't enough. So before you go asking in general or guild chat, read through the quest to avoid chances of a public flogging. Not only will the quests provide you with further details you need, but each one has its own bit of story to follow along with and perhaps give you a greater sense of purpose as you progress through the world.
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Filed under: WoW Rookie, Achievements






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Biggles Aug 5th 2010 2:44PM
Nitpick mode on - You could never do "The Explorer" at level 1, because the experience you'd get for finding the new zones would level you up... an interesting sub-question is, if you *did* do it (presumably by many, many summons) - what level would you end up at?
Ichew Aug 5th 2010 2:50PM
Actually, it is possible to be level 1 and get the explorer title. It only requires that you turn experience gains off on said character.
Bronwyn Aug 5th 2010 2:54PM
Ichew, you cannot turn off experience gains at level 1. You must be level 10.
quinnm151 Aug 5th 2010 3:06PM
Ehem...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKwC-s8v1Yg
Boz Aug 5th 2010 3:08PM
"Level 1 Explorer Proud GM Ironoath of on Azuremyst (EU-A) couldn't be more pleased on behalf of wee little level 1 member Döra, who recently snagged her Explorer title after an epic journey on foot across Azeroth, Outland and Northrend."
http://www.wow.com/2010/08/04/the-classifieds-the-open-ticket/
Cephas Aug 5th 2010 3:09PM
Yes, you can freeze XP at level 1. See up there how the words, "even at level 1" are a link? Go click that link and scroll down to "Level 1 Explorer".
Pyromelter Aug 5th 2010 5:06PM
Level 17
http://www.wow.com/2009/07/26/dwarf-levels-solely-by-exploring-gains-world-explorer-at-level/
vazhkatsi Aug 5th 2010 6:12PM
theres actually a level one twink guild on my server, most of them have the explorer, and some have a few thousand achievement points.
The Dewd Aug 5th 2010 2:13PM
I've thought about getting one of these addons for a bit, now. Not because I need help with Loremaster (I have it and there are people in my guild working on their 2nd or 3rd who know where all the quest hubs are if I were to miss one) but because I've considered going back and picking up Every Single Quest That I've Missed. I did more than I needed in every zone while leveling but I'm sure there's a few obscure ones I never picked up or dropped and never found again.
danawhitaker Aug 5th 2010 2:20PM
Everyquest and Questhelper, along with Lightheaded are my indispensible tool on this journey. I've got six alts going through old world right now (all classes I've never played before, and covering all professions). They're all doing Loremaster. I just dinged them all 60 this week, but I still have the upper-level Old World content left to go through for Loremaster, so it'll be a while before I move on to Outland. Though, aside from using Everyquest as a checklist after the first character goes through a zone, I don't need the other addons much. Once I know the quests well enough from doing them on the first 1-2 characters through the zone, I can pretty much do it on autopilot. I've found that even though I did do Loremaster on my main, I'm gaining a greater appreciation for all the old world content than I ever had. There's something about it that's very rewarding to me. It's not for everyone, but I'll be proud to say that I did Loremaster on all my characters before the Cataclysm. :)
Aldarion Aug 6th 2010 8:17AM
I'm in a similar situation as you are. My main, a Blood Elf, got Loremaster just a few weeks ago. It was actually the last achievement I planned to do for him as I've already achieved as much as I could on/with him... And now I started playing a bit more on my little druid cow and my only Alliance character, a Death Knight... And yesterday, my moocow got 2000 quests, and Frostyeyes 1000... I was really surprised, I never actually counted how many quests I've did on those alts... But now after seeing this, I think I won't rest until after I have three characters proudly donning their Loremaster's Colors.
(Yeah, I like questing, too. I won't get worked up with quests as I do while PvPing...)
Thayer Aug 5th 2010 2:23PM
I recently completed Loremaster a few weeks ago, and I will go on record saying just how awesome EveryQuest is. It helped me find quests I had no idea existed. It gives you a drop down menu (accessible via a button in your quest log) that will tell you the names of the quests in any zone in the game. If you don't know anything about the quests you'll still likely need to look them up on a website like wowhead but just knowing it exists gives you somewhere to start. When you're coming to the end of Kalimdor, you'll be willing to look anywhere for those last few quests. When I got to that point, EveryQuest saved me.
It's a very time-consuming achievement, but in the end it's very worth it. The feeling of satisfaction every time I see that title over my character's head is just great. The cash along the way is also nothing to sneeze at. Doing Loremaster funded my flying, epic flying, and cold weather flying with about 6k left over, and I started it all as a brand new death knight.
Moobs Aug 5th 2010 2:26PM
I got that Addon for help with Loremaster, and in the end I rarely used it!
I have to say it is nicer from the horde side as we only need to get 685 a(kalimdor) and 550 (EK). I struggled with Kalimdor and used Every Quest but on EK it was very easy.
I achieved Loremaster on Aug1. The hardest part was getting the quest done, I was insulted and cursed for being an 80 in a newbie zone.
But in the end it was well worth it for me.
Sanitycrusher Aug 5th 2010 2:33PM
I have just completed Loremaster of Kalimdor and soon EK on my DK; who is the last of my 10 characters to complete these achievements. I hear that the Outlands and Northrend Loremasters are a cakewalk in comparison. Is this true; especially since they will all be level 70 or close to it the first time I walk through the Dark Portal?
Ohnoto Aug 5th 2010 2:38PM
They are easier in the sense that in there is an achievement for each zone in Outlands and Northrend so you can track what you need better per zone and not per continent.
If you are missing 5-10 quests in EK or Kalimdor there is a lot of ground to cover and retrace for finding the missing quests, that isn't the case in Outlands or Northrend.
RetPallyJil Aug 5th 2010 2:38PM
The day they added achievements, I instantly dinged Loremaster of the Eastern Kingdoms.
I had 15 quests left in Outland, and 490 in Kalimdor lol Yeah that took a while.
Arturis Aug 5th 2010 2:38PM
Completist? Wouldn't that be Completionist?
Not being picky, I'm just curious as to if that is an actual word or not.
Cephas Aug 5th 2010 3:13PM
I just asked the ol' Merriam-Webster dictionary as well as dictionary.com, and they both agree. Completist is a word and completionist is not.
Arturis Aug 5th 2010 3:18PM
I am officially fascinated by that. Ive heard the word "Completionist" used for years from various people, and this is the first Ive seen of "Completist". Though popular use doesn't necessarily make something correct, or course.
You learn something new every day, as they say! ^_^
alpha5099 Aug 5th 2010 7:50PM
I would like to join in your fascination. I've never heard anyone say "completist" before, but have heard "completionist" many a time.