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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: Soundtrack to my e-life
by Brent Jackson 
Aug 6th 2010 at 8:00AM
A few days ago, I noticed a comment on this very site that moved me. The commenter was responding to one of the dozens of voice clips that have been leaking from Cataclysm. The commenter was asking for a simple transcript of the clip, because he or she is deaf. I was instantly felt I had to write it out for them. It wasn't until later that I realized exactly why I was moved so much for this person: I love the game's soundtrack. The music of World of Warcraft is a huge part of the experience for me, and I can't imagine playing without it.
The soundtrack provides atmosphere for everything from a jaunty tavern to haunted forests and much more. Alliance players, do you remember the first time you journeyed through the Dark Portal? More specifically, Honor Hold? The trumpets, the last-stand vibe ... It was amazing. I still get nostalgic any time I happen to be flying through Dun Morogh at night. It should be a law that every Alliance player must have the game music on the first time they storm into Orgrimmar, and the same goes for Horde players raiding Stormwind. Every expansion, it seems I find one or two pieces that stick with me for years. In vanilla, it was the Song of Elune (played sporadically in Ashenvale). In The Burning Crusade, it was the theme to Honor Hold and Silvermoon City. Wrath, however, gave me my favorite: Wintergrasp.
Do you have a favorite WoW song? Is there one tune that plucks your heartstrings and makes you remember days long past? Or do you mute the game and play to your own music?
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Reader Comments (Page 3 of 6)
Docp Aug 6th 2010 8:39AM
I'm someone who muted the game about an hour into my first session, sound effects and all, and hasn't turned it on since (well ok, once or twice for specific things, like fighting Bronjahm). I'm a player who likes to watch TV when out and about grinding and I find the music and sound effects too distracting in raids when I'm trying to listen to vent (especially as a European player I don't think I've ever been in a guild where half the players didn't have quite a thick accent).
The music in wow might be good, but it's no Rush.
eresin Aug 6th 2010 8:39AM
I do find the music in Sholazar Basin quite annoying, but perhaps I spend too much time there farming ore, herbs and leather...
Rywen Aug 6th 2010 8:41AM
I grew my first 80 up as an Nelf. So when my husband and a handful of close friends factioned to Horde, the chills that Orgrimar sent down my spine will always stay with me. Every time I ride or portal in I am in awe of the roughness of the city which the music there only heightens.
My second favorite zone music is Grizzly Hills. There's 2 pieces there that I just love, one with the bagpipes and then one that's more tinkling sounding. Yeah that's not a very musicie way of putting it but I'm just a listener, not a musician. :) I can't imagine playing the game without the in game music! I would feel jipped if I couldn't hear the drums of war beating or the pipes flaring.
ruggerjj Aug 6th 2010 8:42AM
I love the fast paced music portion from Shadowfang Keep
Samutz Aug 6th 2010 8:44AM
The music in Teldrassil always reminds me of the very first time I played WoW, playing a night elf warrior in WoW's first year. I never leveled that character past 15-ish, but my experience in that first zone made me fall in love with WoW.
But now, I have Sirius Radio's Alt Nation playing in the background most of the time. And from time to time they'll play a song that's a few years old that'll reminds me of what I was doing in WoW around that time.
feniks9174 Aug 6th 2010 10:23AM
This.
My further characters were all NElfs during classic and the music in Teldrassil and Ashenvale were a big part of me falling in love with the game.
Unknownrose Aug 6th 2010 8:49AM
Favorite track/music in wow?, easy. Karazhan and Stormpeak. both tracks move me deeply. Storm peaks has a certain feel to it that makes you feel as if you are floating or being at calm. karazhan has a certain intensity and sadness to it, A beautiful piece of work i'll have you know.But the reason why both move me so much is because, Karazhan is a favorite instance from its beautiful dead horse's to its grand opera.I go to karazhan not because of the lore behind it. But because of the beauty of being in such a place and the music being played there. Storm peak however is a diffrent story,That track makes me feel at easy with-out a care really. It makes me feel as if there's nothing wrong or to worry about and continue on merry adventure way. I think blizz did a great work on the tracks because alot of us fall more inlove with the game because of the music.
Shizukera Aug 6th 2010 8:49AM
Invincible. That song gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it.
Tim Aug 6th 2010 8:50AM
The haunting voices in Storm Peaks' soundtrack. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE that music there. And second is Grizzly Hills. The melancholy-like violin fits my personality perfectly. Every other area of the game gets the Zune MP3 shuffle treatment.
vespers Aug 6th 2010 8:51AM
I listen to the music occasionally, but most of the time it is muted.. as most of the time I am on the computer my music library is on random-play (to be fair I often drop out of random when something catches my attention).
And when raiding I listen solely to trance.. anything else, including the game's music, is too much of a distraction, but trance helps me focus.
Evoke Aug 6th 2010 8:51AM
I have had the music off since BC, though for a change lately I have turned it back on for different background noise. Why you might be asking have I been playing with no game music on, well in short I wanted to hear the game sounds in the raids and then I found my self using Winamp to play my music from my computer.
EaterOfBirds Aug 6th 2010 8:53AM
good post, im really looking forward to cataclysm to see what new music there is. sure we're all getting a little bored of northrends soundtrack now but it was a joy to hear all the different zone soundtracks for the first time. favourite is probly still grizzly hills :)
Hiwa Aug 6th 2010 8:55AM
Storm Peaks hands down is my favorite music. I can go there and herb farm for a couple of hours, peacefully flying around, looking for flowers and listening to the music. There are a couple of passages that still, no matter how many times I've heard them, can give me goosebumps because they're so evocative of...I don't know what. They just move me deep inside.
Next is most definitely Ashenvale, which reminds me so much of my first toon and being introduced to the game.
Third, I guess, is a part of Maraudon where you're going down a ramp to fight some trees and the music just switches, suddenly, to this incredible "CHARGE!" soundtrack. Epic--I kind of giggle inside every time I hear it.
Ricardo Aug 6th 2010 9:02AM
Nagrand at night.
Just mindblowing.
kevinblack16 Aug 6th 2010 8:58AM
Interesting topic - I had asked in the Queue yesterday about the soundtrack for Cataclysm.
I love listening to the in-game music. It really gets me into the zone (pardon the pun). So many zones have great music. First entering Dragonblight was so epic - the music just pushed me into grinding out that next level. Wintergrasp is epic. Nagrand, Zangarmarsh, Elwynn Forest, Stranglethorn Vale, Duskwood, Ashenvale, all great.
On a bit of a side note - my RL friend plays WoW with no music, no sound effects (understandable being a Prot Warrior, who needs to hear parries) and more importantly no spell effects!! Spell effects really are interesting. It's those little things that make you love the character you're playing whether it be Consecration, Fireballs, Buffs, Heals, Proc's, they all look great and I hope Blizzard continues to maintain that creativity when working on their spell effects.
Being a Pally myself - I hope Templar's Verdict has a solid effect :)
paladinsblood Aug 6th 2010 8:12PM
That little island in the north west ghostlands, the one with the night elves....it's....
Sorrow....like the island knows why you've come and weeps for the your brothers..
Microtonal Aug 6th 2010 9:02AM
The fiddle tune in Grizzly Hills. All the music from Karazhan. The Stormwind bridge. The edit of Alexander Scriabin's "Prometheus" that plays in the Blood Furnace and a few other places. That goofy thing that plays when you're fighting XT-002 in Ulduar. The Blood Elf theme, lately found in the Crimson Hall in ICC. There are others, of course, but these are the ones that really stick out in my mind when I'm not in-game.
Molly Aug 6th 2010 9:03AM
There's a piece of music that plays in Dragonblight that absolutely gives me the creeps when I hear it. It actually makes me feel like I'm all alone in a frozen desert, and Very Big Things could attack me at any moment. I love it.
I also love the music in Gnomeregan. I love how kooky it is, and then I remember that I'm working my way through an irradiated city full of troggs and insane gnomes and it suddenly becomes very surreal.
Eric J Aug 6th 2010 9:03AM
Dragonblight, but mainly the area directly around Ysera. Garden of Life, I believe it's called.
DragonBlood Aug 8th 2010 7:44AM
hmm think I have a couple that I really enjoy:
1. Lament of the Highborne - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4m56E4LosU&feature=player_embedded
2. Karazhan Opera and Moroes - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU0AOAGN_ME
3. Forge of Souls Bronjahm fight music - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LLPuw0zv0o&feature=related
also of note are Wintergrasp, Moonfall, Undercity, Song of Elune and I always try to catch the L80ETC in World's End Tavern