Breakfast Topic: Memories of WoW in 2010

2010 was an eventful year for me, both in-game and out. In World of Warcraft, my guild managed to make it all the way through Wrath content, including a last-minute 25HM Lich King kill. It marked the first time in my six years of playing that I've been in a guild that's "finished" an expansion, hard modes and all. Back out here in real-life, I began working for WoW Insider at the beginning of the year, and between writing lengthy columns about Warcraft lore and getting into the world of podcasting, I can't remember when I've had more fun doing something that's supposed to be "work," or worked with a better group of people.
Despite all of the Warcraft memories of the past year -- the struggles with recruitment, the difficulties of learning various encounters, the triumphant cheers on Vent when we finally beat the boss we'd been working on for weeks, my fondest memory comes from the tail end of the year, and the tail end of Wrath. The night before the Shattering's launch, my guild leader took those of us that wanted to go on a truly epic romp through the Azeroth few people got a chance to see -- the odd areas and map glitches that we will never see again. While I loved the raiding and the achievement hunting, that quiet night spent reminiscing in Vent with my guildies was probably one of the best evenings of all, mostly because it can never be repeated.
Now that it's only hours from being over, what's your fondest memories of 2010? Did you do everything you wanted to do with the year, and with the old world before it went away?
Despite all of the Warcraft memories of the past year -- the struggles with recruitment, the difficulties of learning various encounters, the triumphant cheers on Vent when we finally beat the boss we'd been working on for weeks, my fondest memory comes from the tail end of the year, and the tail end of Wrath. The night before the Shattering's launch, my guild leader took those of us that wanted to go on a truly epic romp through the Azeroth few people got a chance to see -- the odd areas and map glitches that we will never see again. While I loved the raiding and the achievement hunting, that quiet night spent reminiscing in Vent with my guildies was probably one of the best evenings of all, mostly because it can never be repeated.
Now that it's only hours from being over, what's your fondest memories of 2010? Did you do everything you wanted to do with the year, and with the old world before it went away?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Crystilia Dec 31st 2010 8:07AM
Coming back to my guild after a year away and finding everything the same. And having the best nights in ICC. We like to set all four front room traps off at once, makes for hilarious vent.
Rob Dec 31st 2010 8:08AM
Killing LK was memorable. Having fun with my friends. The endless PUGs were pretty much forgettable.
Entaro Dec 31st 2010 8:13AM
My fondest memory has got to be Loremaster.
I've always been fond of questing, and I made Loremaster my goal right after I got to 80 for the first time (Started playing the game right after WotLK came out).
I tried during 2009 to achieve this ultimate goal, but I hit a huge stand still when I finally got to Azeroth. The quests there were numerous and annoying. Through perseverance, though, I managed to make it through all of the quests in 2010. I achieved that goal that I had set out for myself when I first hit the level cap. It was an incredibly happy moment.
Now I need to move on to the next unreachable goal.
Szass Dec 31st 2010 8:16AM
Truth be told it been an awful year full of pain and misery.
I'll spare you all of the gory details.
I for one cannot wait for 2010 to end.
And LORD PLEASE, let 2011 be better.
Majikman Dec 31st 2010 9:27AM
I feel you man this year can't end soon enough! My 09 - 2010 was awful. It was all capped off by my mom falling and breaking her arm at my house on Christmas.
Getting back to WoW though, I had a ton of fun with WoW this year. Nothing jumps out as a stand out moment, but still fun none-the-less. I was not able to get though Ulduar or Icecrown as the guild I was in seemed to fall apart just as we were gaining some momentum in those instances. The coupled with my crowded school schedule meant not having the time to play the way I wanted too (ie Raiding). Cata has renewed my interest in leveling alts, so it looks like I'll have lots to do through out 2011 in Azeroth!
Darky Dec 31st 2010 1:49PM
Same here, before 2010 antidepressants were not necessary.
Ctmcstomperq Dec 31st 2010 3:36PM
Yes please.
WoW was good and all, but bad things happened this year and I would just as soon it be over with thanks.
Logan Dec 31st 2010 8:23AM
mine would be probably my first linch king kill, finishing my septet of the shifting sands, and raiding thunder bluff with the whu and crashing a world server.
Bossy Dec 31st 2010 8:44AM
Memorable moment of WOW in 2008: becoming Justicar wuth the paladin. 3 months/10 hours a day: fantastic.
Memorable moment of WOW in 2009: discovering the wonderful steatlh play of my rogue in world PvP in early Wotlk.
Memorable moment of WOW in 2010: Playing fantastic PvP battles in Wintergrasp and becoming Master of Wintergrasp in the summer (with a magnificent PvP balance in that zone the last few months).
Let down of 2010: My paladin will be ditched for PVE content due to mana problems in dunegons and Tol Barad is the WORST thing that Blizzard ever developped.
Dec 2010: Castle Ravenloft dungeon board game was a blast .....
Mark Lam Dec 31st 2010 9:02AM
From a WoW perspective, seeing Cata roll out as smoothly as it did. With all of the changes that essentially make this WoW 2.0, I was expecting many more issues than there were (and are - I know there are some still out there).
2011 will be the first time our guild will be raiding on a regular basis and I'm hoping that becomes the best memory for 2011!
Happy New Year!
Mark
erictapley Dec 31st 2010 9:16AM
For me 2010 can best be described as the "Year of Lore" -- thanks, in large part, to the efforts of you, Anne, and Mr. Rossi. I had always dabbled in the stories of WoW and as a player of the original Warcraft RTS games and expansions it was interesting to see the storylines develop but you opened my eyes to a whole other aspect of the world.
My own meandering led me to lore pages at wowwiki and other sites, but I would have never thought to look into the lore of zones (Un'goro and Sholazar), side characters, obscure-but-important dragonflights, and all the other wonders of this universe.
Each week is like a mini-Christmas with new wonders to discover.
Thank you! I look forward to more in '11.
Malozing Dec 31st 2010 9:23AM
Starting to play WoW on the first of this year wouldn't have been any fun without my boyfriend and our guildies. I don't think I'll forget running around with a couple of guildies showing me around, helped me out, and told me I had to die for a quest... Thanks Hunts. I don't think I can ever trust you, Dalanie, and Wild again :P
roseclown Dec 31st 2010 9:27AM
2010 was the year I became an officer of a pretty sweet guild, and a GM of another. Swirling in mass responsibility while struggling through school was tough but fun, and nothing was sweeter than being at the Rally against Gallywix, giving a speech about striking off for freedom and profit as GM of For Her Tallest.
The Trade Princess movement that started this year in January has come almost full circle to being in game, and having posted from beginning to end of the thread, now being a GM, and seeing Mida in game, AND within a month having the guild explode to over 100 people has all been a amazing experience.
In many ways, this year of WoW has been a year of Goblins and Boss Mida for me. And with all the amazing people I have met and friends I have made, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Tim Dec 31st 2010 9:48AM
My fondest memories of WoW were goin into a pug 10 man and easily downing boss after boss. No one was bugging out and acting like an elite a-hole; we had a fun time and everyone knew what they were doing and what was expected with no hassles. Unfortunately we weren't able to work on getting together the next day to continue and maybe even finish it. I still do not have the Kingslayer title and I will miss my never ending supply of mana to heal. I'm afraid to step into dungeons or raids until Blizzard comes up with a fix of some kind or I can get over my fear of high repair bills.
Bethontheharbor Dec 31st 2010 10:01AM
My one goal for the year never came to be, actually my goal for lich king.. I never saw the inside of ICC even once on my 3 80's. Not that I didn't try , but I could never get any guild I was in or people on my realm to form a group to go farm gear so I could get even into a pug to kill trash due to people preaching GS as the law.
Hell I couldn't find people to even run northrend dungeons, without getting punted from the LFG groups for having full pvp gear, though for low level stuff like utegard did that matter? No.
Now like so many of the past raid dungeons, like BT and Magisters,ICC is a ghost town no one wants to even go into anymore, even though the new greens at 80 -81 are better than ulduar gear.
Claud Dec 31st 2010 10:09AM
Some memorable WoW moments were getting a rogue and paladin up to 80, as well as a shaman up to 72.
Still the moment that sticks out in my mind as most memorable was being raid leader for a PUG Mally 10. Id tried and tried PUGs for that(needing my Champ of Frozen Wastes title) for weeks and we barely ever made it to the third phase, where we died within 20 seconds. In this group we made it flawlessly through without any deaths, I got my title, and my DK was top DPS. This was in early march 2010.
Another fond moment was hoofing it on my wolf through old world zones, then the same through the new ones a week later
MusedMoose Dec 31st 2010 10:25AM
For me, my best memory of WoW in 2010 was showing up in Stormwind from Teldrassil via boat, and seeing the devastation that Deathwing had wrought. Sure, I'd seen pictures of the city, but nothing quite compared to seeing it in person, so to speak. I actually stared at the wreckage that's visible as the boat comes in and said, out loud, "Dear gods, what did he do to this place?" It really struck me, then and there, how much the world had changed.
Another great thing in 2010, though lower-key and more long-term, was getting into a great guild with nifty people. I'm leveling up my new human hunter as quickly as I can, because one of my guildies is putting together dungeon runs (heroic and normal) so that everyone who wants to can get geared up for heroics. Raids are likely in our future, and I'm thrilled. With any luck, someday, my hunter will have the "Dragonslayer" title. ^_^
Cyrus Dec 31st 2010 10:59AM
Now that you mention it, 2010 was a pretty lackluster year for me in WoW. It was great in real life, and that was part of the problem for my WoW career; RL comes first and there's only so much time in the day and all that. And even WoW was fun overall, or I wouldn't be playing, but... meh. I didn't complete any major "projects" like Loremaster or Insane in the Membrane like I did in 2009, I didn't play an important role in my guild like in 2008 and 2007 when I was an offtank through BC... I even missed out on killing Yogg and Arthas (Wrath was the first time my guild killed end-game bosses before they were nerfed, even, but I just happened to miss those raid nights)... I just stayed geared up and played along.
But Cataclysm and 2011 look good. If I don't complete any big "goals" or miss boss kills, it'll be because RL came first, not because of the game, I'll bet.
Baba Dec 31st 2010 11:05AM
2010 was the year when I finally stopped following my friends around 100%, and struck out alone with one of my mains to a guild with a couple of people I had met in-game.
Getting to know these people has been a great experience, if I had only stuck with my RL friends I would still just know ONLY those friends.
razion Dec 31st 2010 11:08AM
I remember my first real position as a raid-tank--I was off-tanking Ignis in Ulduar. The encounter was really fun, and I have fond memories of using my rocket-bear to hurl across the room to grab a construct, luring it into the fire after applying a Lacerate, waiting until it was "Cherry Pink", and then dragging it into the water pit where our guild leader, our resident hunter, would obliterate the construct.
I remember my first real position as a raid dps--being a Moonkin throughout ToC. We had all the normal content on farm by the time ICC came out, and remember myself being "The Orb Chicken". I would spend time solo shooting down the light and dark orbs on the twins fight and the frost orbs on the Anub encounter while the rest of the raid concentrated on, well, everything else.
Those were my raid jobs--the Off Bear and the Orb Chicken.
But my best memories were those where I was PvPing on my warrior. Nights on nights of laughter and fun; our only pleasure being wreaking chaos and destruction upon our opposing faction--nothing could be sweeter than ensuing anarchy. Most particularly I remember holding the Ironforge Auction House for a good four to five hours before it got late, and the group had to go our separate ways. The night was particularly successful, and we all reveled in the carnage, so great was our success.