Patch 4.1 PTR: Old Ironforge open for public viewing
by Sarah Nichol 
Feb 26th 2011 at 11:00AM
Magni Bronzebeard stands, still petrified, next to several extremely large tomes, attended by Advisor Belgrum and Honor Guard Dunstan. Advisor Belgrum used to be located in the Halls of Explorers, and his dialogue indicates that he feels he is to blame for Magni's current predicament. Belgrum was involved in the events of the Shattering, helping to translate the tablet that led to Magni's eventual petrification and heading up the interim goverment prior to the Council of the Three Hammers. Honor Guard Dunstan appears to be a new NPC (unless he is related to a certain mountaineer).
I was very interested to see that Magni stands within a pattern of stones laid on the ground. We don't know whether the laying of this pattern was part of the ritual that transformed him, or part of the result. Aside from the platform these NPCs stand on, there is a long winding pathway that leads down below. The narrow path juts out over the traditional bubbling pool of lava, at the bottom there are two guarded doors. Presumably these lead to the natural caverns and hallways that make up the rest of the Hall of Thanes, containing the burial chambers of past kings. There is no sign that the doors can open at the moment, and there is no sign of the titan relic known as the Iron Forge that gives the city its name.
If I were a suspicious and optimistic blogger, I would say that the textures on those doors make them look mighty temporary. Will they open up more of Old Ironforge in the future? I'd love to see the story of Ironforge take center stage, either as a new area within the city, or perhaps as a possibility for new instances. I wouldn't bet on such a thing for 4.1, but I'll keep my fingers crossed for later in the expansion.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Mintos Feb 26th 2011 11:06AM
Is this going to be a "new" part of the New Ironforge, or?
Jawn Feb 26th 2011 11:06AM
Oh i hope it stays and makes it live! I'd ~LOVE~ to see old Ironforege for myself!
*hopeful*
noel mcleod Mar 1st 2011 9:37AM
The thing I like about this is that there is SO MUCH MORE content that they can add before the game would go stale. years and years of it. A n instance / raid / zone (or better yet, all three) based on old Ironforge would be awesome.
Jormund Fenris Feb 26th 2011 11:07AM
Neat. *uses camera*
linkers746 Feb 26th 2011 11:13AM
I'm really glad they decided to make Old Ironforge public. It really is a beautiful place, one of the coolest places in game in my opinion, and it was always a pain to sneak in there on a gnome character. =P
Greenimeani Feb 26th 2011 7:17PM
^This.
I accidentally found it a while back on my dwarf shaman. I was trying to see if there was anything in the ceiling of IF with Far Sight, and when I looked down, I saw the chamber below everything.
Chris Feb 26th 2011 11:18AM
The whole dwarf politics thing is huge in cata it would be amazing to how instances in old IF.
Maybe there will be some sort of time travel lore element to this ;clutching at straws I know,but a dwarf themed instance would be really cool
Sleutel Feb 26th 2011 11:20AM
"There is no sign that the doors can open at the moment, and there is no sign of the titan relic known as the Iron Forge that gives the city it's name."
Psssst... *Its* name.
Alex Ziebart Feb 26th 2011 11:42AM
Fixed. I blame the lack of sleep for letting that one get past me.
Andre Feb 26th 2011 1:19PM
@Alex Ziebart
If I were a suspicious and **optimitic** blogger, I would say that the textures on those doors make them look mighty temporary.
Ronin Feb 26th 2011 2:19PM
@Alex Ziebart, you must've been _really_ tired! Here's another:
"The narrow path that juts out over the traditional bubbling pool of lava, at the bottom there are two guarded doors."
Probably you edited it and forgot to take the "that" out of the first clause.
Sarah Nichol Feb 26th 2011 2:34PM
Well, to be fair, I missed that too. And I didn't have the 'tired' excuse because it wasn't early in the morning for me.
I did have the hangover excuse, mind. *cough*
Sleutel Feb 26th 2011 2:53PM
Also:
"Honor Guard Dunstan appears to be a new NPC (unless he is related to a certain mountaineer.)"
Misplaced period.
"The narrow path that juts out over the traditional bubbling pool of lava, at the bottom there are two guarded doors."
Ungrammatical.
Amaxe Feb 26th 2011 3:40PM
Some days it doesn't pay to get out of bed, I guess.
Sleutel Feb 26th 2011 4:01PM
Or pay extra-special attention to your spell- and grammar-checker. :D
Vacasta Apr 26th 2011 2:05AM
I'd file this one under 'No good correction goes unpunished.' His correction invited more sharpshooting. :)
Aruhgulah Feb 26th 2011 11:29AM
Wow. Just...wow. FINALLY. Though given how many folks have been sneaking down there on the sly, Blizz may have just caved in to the inevitable, as they did with IF Airport.
Dragonrose Feb 26th 2011 11:52AM
Holy beard, I always thought the big anvil and smith themeded bridge in the middle of Ironforge was, well, the iron forge! : O Time to brush up on my dwarf history.
TO WOWWIKI! *mounts swift blue gryphon and flies away*
Iirdan Feb 26th 2011 12:31PM
Nah, that's the "Great Forge". The Iron Forge is an anvil that they house below the city in the Hall of Thanes; it's a holy relic for them, after all.
Dragonrose Feb 26th 2011 7:08PM
WoWWiki however, speculates:
As it's implied that the Ironforge and Great Forge are terms that are used for the same location, it is possible that the anvil, Iron Forge was later moved to the Great Forge, sometime after Lands of Conflict, although this hasn't been entirely confirmed.
http://www.wowwiki.com/Iron_Forge