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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: What starting zone do you love?
by Amelia Ramstead 
Aug 31st 2011 at 8:00AM
Lure me in with a beautiful location and great storyline, and I'm yours. I've been sucked in by the Blood Elf and Draenei starting zones and was loathe to leave. I also loved my time in the Goblin and Worgen starting zones, although being plopped out into the world with no real skills was a tad frustrating. I've also enjoyed starting Night Elves and Tauren. Despite this, my favorite zone is the Undead zone. That's right, Tirisfal Glades. Although it doesn't meet my "beautiful" requirement, the story more than makes up for it. And actually, on second thought, it is beautiful, in its own special way.
There's just something about Tirisfal Glades that feels so ... good. Maybe it's the slightly gothic feel. Maybe it's the tragedy that permeates the zone, the loss that is evidenced everywhere. And Sylvanas is one of my favorite characters, so having the opportunity to play next to her feels like an honor. I liked the undead starting zone from the beginning, but the changes in Cataclysm really added to the atmosphere. Being evil is so fun.
What about you? What starting zone really gets your juices flowing? Do you find yourself constantly making the same race over and over again just so you can watch the cinematics or do the same quest? What is it about that zone that makes it so very awesome for you?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 4)
ravyncat Aug 31st 2011 10:54AM
My favorite starting zone is Teldrassil followed by the Draenei islands. I sometimes make baby tunes on other servers just so I can feel relaxed there. I absolutely love the architecture of Gilneas...but I did not like the actual zone much.
Humans bore me, so I have never leveled all the way through Elwyn.
The Gnome starter zone was ok...but it gets shifted to Dwarves pretty soon. Both are decent, but not something I am eager to go do again.
Horde side my favorite has to be the Goblins. Oh how I love their city! I wish that you could go back there later. I am also fond of the Blood Elf area. I love Silvermoon.
I like the revamped Tirisfal Glades as well questwise, though it still feels oppressive to me. I think that is more to me not liking being a Forsaken than anything else. I just can't like them. But, I do admit this is the zone I am most likely to roll a new toon in if I am doing a make a baby character to rest thing.
I liked the new troll starting area a lot.
I have not tried the Orc or Tauren ones since Cataclysm. I did not like them before mainly because I do not like where they are.
muffinmocha Aug 31st 2011 10:56AM
When I first started playing back in BC, I was such a noob, it took me a long, long time to leave the NE starting zone, what with getting lost, getting stuck, and falling into the Veiled Sea. I spent so much time there, that I never, ever want to go back. Never did get any NE past lvl 20.
livingmercy Aug 31st 2011 11:14AM
I'm most familiar with Elwynn, but can get irritated with it when I start a new toon to try and forget that I'm not a big kid with kills. lol
I loved starting my goblin, though. I'm terrible at the car part (Yes, I'm a girl... and yes, I've heard all the jokes.), but it's fun and the goblins make me laugh a lot.
I'd like to start a Tauren and a Worgen, though - now that I've read some of these comments.
(I did not like the Draenai area... it seems to be pretty popular, but I was alone there for about 18 levels... that's not fun for me, so I didn't enjoy the environment.)
blazenor Aug 31st 2011 11:39AM
I feel that Blizzard should have put the same work in the goblin and worgen starting zones into all the starting zones for the expansion. The humans, gnomes, nightelf and orc still lack something.
Ominous Aug 31st 2011 12:06PM
* Breakfast Topic: WHICH starting zone
goldeneye Aug 31st 2011 12:39PM
Yo Darnell !
'Sup bro. Mind carrying some of these corpses for me?
Shoutout to BFF!
For me, it's the Worgen starting zone. 100% awesome..
Thomas Higgins Aug 31st 2011 4:02PM
Gilneas. Such a tragedy that we Worgens cannot go back and reclaim our home.
Philster043 Aug 31st 2011 4:57PM
Never say 'cannot' - I have a feeling the Worgen will reclaim Gilneas one day, just as the Trolls and Gnomes reclaimed part of their homelands.
The Worgen and the Goblins are the new "exiles" of WoW.
MattKrotzer Sep 1st 2011 1:15AM
Don't fall for the "Gnomes reclaimed a part of their homeland" line. They reclaimed nothing. They built new buildings on land they could've occupied at any time they wanted for the first 6 years of WoW. All the gnomes "gained" was cooler temperatures and reduced safety, outside of the protective walls of Ironforge.
Hardly something to brag about. "Hey, we left Ironforge, but at least it's bitterly cold, and we're standing out here when anyone could lob a rock at our heads!"
Philster043 Aug 31st 2011 4:53PM
The Eversong Woods are what really sold me on WoW. However, I really enjoyed Durotar, too. And Dun Morogh is the one starting zone that I never mind starting new toons in over and over again, though I feel it's lost some of its charm post-Cata.
Teldrassil and Tirisfal Glades (pre-Cata) actually almost made me leave the game - my first two toons were a Night Elf and Forsaken. They're both a little better now post-Cataclysm, though.
Uktabi Aug 31st 2011 5:06PM
For I first began playing the game about 3 years ago my favorite starting zone was without a doubt the Blood Elves starting zone, because compared to the others it just looked great, and flowed very well. It's also probably, because back then Blood Elves were my favorite race, because I thought most of the others looked ugly, and ironically I hated the Trolls, because their feet armor never showed up, but now that's my favorite part about them.
Trolls are now my favorite race come Cataclysm, and their zone is the best starting zone in my opinion as well. You really get into the atmosphere, and your very proud to be a troll, and a part of the horde, even though Vol'jin doesn't like Garrosh.
FOR THE HORDE!
GuinnIsPro Aug 31st 2011 5:07PM
*When I first began playing*
MattKrotzer Sep 1st 2011 1:16AM
4 pages, and not one person claiming the Gnomes' starting area. What a shock. Not sure the humans got any mention either (not that they should.)
Too bad Blizzard won't note things like this.
LordGav1n Sep 1st 2011 9:52AM
definitely NE starting zone. My first experience in WoW was in Teldrassil and the music and purple hues immersed me into this world 6 years ago.