Breakfast Topic: That longing feeling
by Emma Foster 
Sep 1st 2011 at 8:00AM
Once upon a time in a distant land called Azeroth, a Night Elf druid was born. This little Night Elf was running around being its level 4 self, exploring the world and its purpleness (Teldrassil being the whole world for a level 4.) A hop skip, and a boat ride away, she found herself in Stormwind, city of the humans. "It's not nearly as purple here as it is back home!"
Hardly two steps into the great city when all of a sudden the sky darkened and a deafening screech rose. At first startled and then in awe, the little druid looked up to see the silhouette of a great winged dragon. The best part about it ... it was purple! "I must own that dragon!" She thought. After a quick trip to the internet, the goal was set and the journey began, pushing through 80 levels of dungeons and deaths, beginning the rep grind, and finally obtaining the fruit of the efforts: a netherwing drake.
Although I don't play that Night Elf druid as much anymore, I still remember the wonder and awe I first felt when I began playing. Have you had similar experiences? Did you ever have a goal that you once thought was unobtainable? If so, did you prove yourself wrong, or does your goal still elude you?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Uktabi Sep 1st 2011 11:01PM
I had a similar experience when I first began playing, but for me it was seeing a Fury Warrior dual wielding 2 2-Handers, and I thought it looked amazing, so I immediately respeced my baby warrior to fury, and began to level my heart out. Too bad I didn't realize that I just don't like the warrior playstyle.
Now I play a Hunter, and it's my favorite class by far. Playstyle's great, and I know have a thing for awesome polearms and such.
Mergetvs Sep 1st 2011 8:10AM
I remember that as well, Teldrassil felt so gigantic. The change to the wintersabers rep got me their mount, which I had wanted ever since it first came out. Just not enough to do the terrible old grind. So now I have it to match my Pet on my hunter.
Revnah Sep 1st 2011 8:10AM
Yes, I did. My very first character - a night elf druid, too - was a tailor. I made my druid a tailor and my mage a leatherworker because I had no idea what BoP and BoE meant, lol, and when I found out that one day in the distant future I'd be able to make myself a FLYING CARPET, I was hooked.
It took forever. Don't ask me how I managed to take so long to level, but it took a long time with my first characters. Tailoring went up steadily too, and then finally, finally I had the recipe - and had to find four Golden Draenites to make the danged thing!
Ah, those were the days :-)
Udderpowered Sep 1st 2011 8:10AM
For me it was Anzu, I saw it back in TBC and really wanted it. I soloed it for weeks back in wrath but never expected it to drop before I gave up, then one day it did!
Nina Katarina Sep 1st 2011 8:13AM
I was in the mid-70s, I think, and wondering whether the rest of the climb to 80 was worth it when I first saw a bronze drake. Now, everyone and their 4th alt have this mount, but I hadn't seen it before and I thought it was utterly gorgeous. My paladin still rides her bronze drake. Sure I've got more prestigious mounts, but none of them match T12 armor quite as nicely.
Jamie Sep 1st 2011 8:13AM
Well, back in TBC I had a gnome rogue by the name of Conviction, he was a spritely young chap into his Horde slicing on the battlefield. But I grew tired of how my hard earned pvp armor looked so pathetic on his small stature, so when the ability to race change was implemented I race changed him into a tall Night Elf.
Despite the look of squashed armor, I loved playing as a Gnome Rogue, they were the most subtle class around (aside from Taurens). I looked after that Night Elf Rogue all the way through Wrath however I'll never loose my love for our pint sized heroes after the day I lost my Conviction.
Now I have a Gnome Priest, Warrior & Mage. My love for playing as a Warrior, Engineering & Gnomes has even made me change my favourite class of Paladin to Warrior because Gnome can't bring the light when they lay the smackdown!
For Gnomeregan!!
Fletcher Sep 1st 2011 8:22AM
For Gnomeregan!
I've always wanted some kind of quest where a gnome gives you "Gnomish-Engineered Punting Boots" and sends you to kick some Tauren about. Victory through Science!
Noah Sep 1st 2011 10:43AM
I'm a tauren druid, but nevertheless, that was a good story. I'll be honest, I've drop-kicked my share of gnomes across Baradin Bay, but you guys always have a heart bigger then all the other races. For that, and your love of the gnomish people, I applaud you, sir.
For Gnomeregan and for the Horde!
Spectres Sep 1st 2011 8:15AM
I really wanted to get "the Exalted" and The Justicartitle, but I simply do not have the patients for it. I have the "Ambassador" title, or I did until they added Gilneas.
Eirik Sep 1st 2011 3:22PM
Exalted, check. Ambassador, check. Justicar - Aw, fer cryin' out loud... HOW many WSG runs do I have to make? How many SUCCESSFUL ones?
... goes back to grinding for Dark Whelplings and crying in his ale.
MusedMoose Sep 1st 2011 8:16AM
I, too, have known the wonder at seeing a netherwing drake and going through all the work and grinding to get one. The questline at the end is awesome, though, and the dragon itself has such a great look, so it's totally worth it. ^_^
Rezina Sep 1st 2011 8:17AM
Mine was walking into Stormwind for the first time--seeing how huge the city was, and all the other players walking around interacting with each other. I kept going from building to building, exploring. . . and then I fell into the canal. I've found other cities more charming and massive (Dalaran is my personal favorite, even without the portals) but that first visit to Stormwind at level 5-ish helped me fall hard for WoW.
Smurk Sep 1st 2011 4:26PM
As I approached Stormwind for the first time I had my mind blown by a "flying mount" that turned out to be a flight point griffin.
Shadowwind Sep 1st 2011 8:19AM
Raiding. I started back when Naxxramas was the end-all be-all of raiding and one NEEDED a guild if you wanted to raid. I didn't know anyone in real life who played, and I wasn't sure how one went about finding a guild like that. (was also positive I wasn't NEARLY good enough TO raid) I'd look up Naxx boss strats and drops on Thottbot (remember that site?!) and drool over the gear worn by the people running around Org.
Well, long story short, I got a guild invite by some people I'd been questing with. And BC dropped, and we all got to the level cap, and we started looking at Karazhan. And suddenly that distant dream wasn't so distant anymore.
LynMars Sep 1st 2011 9:36AM
Same here; I played in Classic and never got to do more than a run into AQ20, ZG when it was a 20 man, and a partial MC run. I never finished any of them. I ran Alterac Valley a lot with my warlock buddy as I was a Disc priest in Classic, and so no one wanted me in raids, and I wasn't in a raiding guild.
Guild drama in BC and its heavily casual attitude meant I never saw much raiding then either, and no one really wanted to try. I ended up in a new guild, though, and met my current raiding team, finally finishing Kara and seeing Magtheridon. They stuck with me for Wrath.
I remember looking at the gear at the beginning of Wrath and thinking "well, I'll never see that epic raiding stuff" but my pals from BC came through in 10man, and I even rolled with a 25man for awhile, very briefly reaching the top 25 for geared priests on my server. I found raiding could be stressful but also a lot of fun; 10 mans remind me of the fun UBRS runs my friends and I did in Classic, but with more work involved.
I'm glad Blizzard's made raiding more accessible. It's a great part of the game and one that keeps my friends and I entertained. Still Disc too; I just can't get in the Holy groove!
Pliskin Sep 1st 2011 8:41AM
I started playing right at the end of BC, hit 70 4th of july that year, my ex told me about the new expansion. The Lich King, who was he? why was he a king? and do we get to kill him!? i started to become fascinated with the whole wrath expierence once it came out, and my whole mission was to kill the guy, or become friends with him on my DK. unfortunately neither of those has happened. But i remember the first time i went to Howling Fjord. I thought wow....this place is wicked. thats still one of my favorite zones to date
jtrack3d Sep 1st 2011 8:51AM
Well, it must have been recently then, because you couldn't fly in Stormwind until Cata.
But WAAY back for me, the coolest thing was the ancient protectors in Teldrasill. I came from NWN and they had nothing that big in it.
Blayze Sep 1st 2011 8:44AM
Justicar. I might get there eventually; it all depends on my rep gain during the WSG weekends.
Gendou Sep 1st 2011 8:47AM
I've been playing since Vanilla, and I remember well the wonder of seeing these zones - which now seem so small - for the first time, and thinking how huge they were. I remember being amazed at the lack of loading screens (I hit my first one while playing an Alliance alt and boarding the Tram) given the sheer size of the world.
After more than six years in Azeroth, I kinda miss that feeling sometimes.
Gendou Sep 1st 2011 8:54AM
As for goals, I've always done well with setting goals in-game.
Group goals like Frostbrood mount, Shattered World title or Yogg +0.
Individual goals like Netherdrake, Firebreaker title or Kirin Tor Familiar.
In fact, it's when I don't have an achievable goal set for myself that I seem to lose interest in the game.