Breakfast Topic: What was your moment of awe in WoW?
by Jason Christ 
Sep 9th 2011 at 8:00AM
I joined World of Warcraft on the Recruit-a-Friend program. After talking about race and class with my friend, I finally settled on a Human paladin as my first character. He was going to level a Night Elf hunter.
We joined up together in Goldshire and completed a few quests; then it was time for bed. He offered to take me to Stormwind to log out in the city. I had to take care of some real life stuff, so he walked me through the auto-follow function and started running.
A bit later, I returned to the computer and remember being overwhelmed with the sheer size of Stormwind. The auto-follow had been broken and I was standing near a canal, lost and confused. How would I ever find my way around this vast metropolis? Of course, the luster wore off as I became familiar with the city, but it's been my home ever since that moment. I proudly wear the
What was your first awe-inspiring moment? Was it a place? A quest chain? A task you completed in game?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
Thurkess Sep 9th 2011 8:05AM
Definitely the first time I entered Deadmines. Not knowing what to expect from a dungeon (WOW was my first MMO and didn't really understand alot of the concepts and workings for it at the time), I was amazed at the amount of Elites throughout the Dungeon. Then the bosses as well which seemed like a monumental task for such a low lvl character.
mibu.work1 Sep 9th 2011 8:07AM
My first step into orgrimmar.
Papa Sep 9th 2011 9:04AM
Agreed, the first time I saw Orgrimaar in-game I was blown away.
photofire1969 Sep 9th 2011 9:35AM
Diddo.....was following a high level friend thru mulgor, the barens and then into org picking up flight plans as we went. He showed me the bank, the AH, the trainers and then up to the Flight master. By the time I got the flight plan I didn't know which way was up!! I didn't even know where the entrance was (look to you left dummy). It was a total mind blow with what they could do with a game!
mibu.work1 Sep 9th 2011 9:46AM
To elaborate, because I wanted to get my post in early: I remember my first character, which is still my main today. I had finished the valley of trials and didn't know where to find sen'jin village. My friend who had gotten me into WoW had only played night-elves before, and so was as lost as me. We figured if we followed the road, we'd find Sen'jin. We ran down the road, and jumped off as two orcs barreled past on worgs. I decided I wanted a worg, and would buy one as soon as I could (this was around patch 1.1, so all you veterans can shudder in unison with me at the old cost of riding).
We reached razor hill, and I was impressed at the inn and the barracks and the watchtower on the ridge, but I could tell this was an orc village, and the quest said sen'jin was for trolls. We dropped off a package a peon had sent us with, and y friend decided to stick around and get training for his warrior. I decided to explore down the canyon. I ran down it, at one point fleeing for my life from harpies (I learned to jump-shot by necessity at this point). I got to the end, and before me was a MASSIVE wall. I wondered what that could be. I walked to it, and it just kept getting bigger the closer I got, until I walked in. As I went through portcullis after portcullis, heard the beating of drums, and then a dull blare of deep brass as I turned the corner and saw the fires, the spires, the cliff walls, the huge buildings, and the bustling players. I walked up to an orc in shiny, spiky armor, and tried to ask him for directions. I was informed that he was High Overlord Saurfang, and this was Orgrimmar. I still remember getting a chill down my spine as I reached the bank, spun around, and realized just how MUCH there was here. Then I saw the paths running off to the right, and realized there was MORE. I remember calling my friend, and telling him, in my 14-year-old voice, 'Dude, you gotta come see this place.'
Moonfaxx Sep 9th 2011 3:48PM
A similar story...
On a trial account, I remember (as a wee night elf warrior) trying to take the boat from Rut'theran Village to "wherever this north dock goes to." There was a loading screen... and suddenly I appeared back on the dock in Rut'theran with the message that I would have to have the Burning Crusade expansion to go there. This piqued my interest, so I immediately obtained the BC trial. As I came off the dock on Azuremyst Isle, I stumbled into the doorway of the Exodar. Walking down that ramp was all it took... I rushed to the store and bought both Vanilla and BC. The Exodar has been my home ever since.
As I've said in comments past: "It is the most visually stunning [city], has trainers for most everything, has a great location for most everything if you can take the few minutes needed to learn your way around, is on the less faulty BC servers... and best of all, there is hardly anyone ever there. I have yet to see a train or piccolo at work in the Exodar AH." No lag, never been bothered for gold, never had to put up with silly conversations in /say or emotes from the "interesting" folk one meets on the Internet.
Revnah Sep 9th 2011 8:09AM
Stormwind was pretty impressive to me too, especially the harbour - the sheer dimensions of it reminded me of an antique Greek or Roman city.
Later, on my first Horde character, I thought I was already used to the beauty of Azeroth, but when I first entered Silvermoon City I was bowled over again. I remember thinking that it had been worth going Horde just to see that.
Another moment of awe was arriving in Northrend on my first character, and coming to that bridge across the actual fjord in Howling Fjord. Oh. My. Gods. I still have one of the screenshots I took then, as my desktop background :-)
MusedMoose Sep 9th 2011 8:14AM
Ooh, I completely forgot about entering Howling Fjord for the first time. There's something amazing and epic about the journey into the harbor, through the narrow channel with the burning boat bound overhead, and around under the rock with the tiny cove behind it. Such a great introduction to the zone.
ravyncat Sep 9th 2011 8:52AM
I think this was also my biggest moment of awe. I have always loved the sheer beauty of Azeroth. But my arrival through all the twists and turns on that boat from Menethil harbor was awesome.
Even though I prefer Borean Tundra for leveling, I always recommend to people first seeing Northrend that they take that boat first even if the one that leaves from Stormwind is more convenient.
Strawder Sep 9th 2011 8:09AM
An ex of mine got me into WoW, bought me the game and everything. Her boyfriend played, so she got me into it too.
After about two hours of roaming around Goldshire and doing some of the quests, she asked me if I wanted to see Stormwind. I didn't know what Stormwind was, but I said sure because I was having a blast thus far.
Nothing could have prepared for walking into Stormwind's Valley of Heroes for the first time and hearing that epic fanfare. She took me straight to the cathedral, because I was a Paladin. Valley of Heroes awed me completely, but Stormwind Cathedral brought a tear to my eye.
Mortenebra Sep 9th 2011 8:59AM
Definitely this! Stepping into Stormwind, surrounded by the towering statues of heroes from a bygone time... all heralded by some of the most epic music in the game.
Mamaryno Sep 9th 2011 11:53AM
Flying into stormwind after Cata. Seeing the towers at the front gate with Deathwings claw marks on them...took my breath away. Then flying over the park. I still love flying ove the city.
MusedMoose Sep 9th 2011 8:13AM
Trying to get an Alliance character from Stormwind to Teldrassil back in vanilla. I remember looking over maps on the official WoW site, figuring out where I had to go to catch the boat, then realizing just how far I had to travel. My character was 20 at the time, a warlock in need of parts for the succubus-summoning quest, and I had no idea just how big the world was. Running through the Wetlands on my way to Menethil Harbor really made me realize how much was out there, to say nothing of exploring the night elf areas for the first time. After that, I looked at the maps again, and wondered just what those unexplored areas held.
Another one was just after patch 4.0, when we became able to fly in the old world. I remember taking my main to Stormwind, getting my new flight license, and taking to the skies on my blue drake. Rising above a city I'd known for so long, seeing it from a new perspective... There was something about it, some kind of gleeful confirmation that the world had changed and now, I could get anywhere.
Arbolamante Sep 9th 2011 8:46AM
If you were a low-level night elf going the other way, that run through the Wetlands was a death race. Getting to Ironforge or Stormwind meant running through a zone with lvl 20+ mobs. Those dang crocs could run real fast when they smelled lvl 10 blood.
epow3r Sep 11th 2011 12:52PM
In the Vanilla Beta:
After I got a few levels with my Dwarf Rogue I left Dun Morogh to actually see the rest of the world...with level 15!
So I got to all these magnificent places like Westfall, Stranglethorn Vale, Duskwood and the Deadwindpass, The Badlands, Redridge Mountains and finally to The Burning Stepps and the Blackrock!
The sheer variety of all these beautiful locations that had been designed with so much love make me really fall in love with this game.
Didax Sep 9th 2011 10:59AM
I started playing back shortly after BC was released. My first toon, a blood elf ran around exploring the starting area and questing for what seemed like a very long time. Then I went to Falconwing Square...which lead to Eversong Woods.
I looked at my map.
"Egads! This place is HUGE!"
I right clicked, and literally gasped at the relative size of the zone I was in versus the continent.
Another right click..."Wait...there's a second continent?"
Another right click..."O_O"
Byeble Sep 9th 2011 8:28AM
WoW is my first and only MMO, so walking into Darnassus with my little night elf druid was really awe-inspiring. I'm upset that there's no real reason to visit there now, other than the dailies, so I hope one day Blizz'll make it so you HAVE to go :P
biffuz Sep 9th 2011 8:16AM
The first time I entered Ironforge with my gnome.
I like dwarves, I like mountains, IF doors are featured in the trailer... it was just awesome.
A similar experience was with the old Onyxia quest chain. Walking into the city with all the guards bowing before you... amazing.
Elmo Sep 9th 2011 10:58AM
Definately Ironforge, this was back in vanilla so all the Alliance actually hung out in Ironforge to make it even better it was also during the AQ war effort, oh how I loved doing /rude on General Zug.
but I spend all day grinding quests in the shadow of this great mountain city and a bit hesitant to enter it. around level 10 I dared walk up that long winding path and saw the dueling players outside the city people running in and out and then seeing that giant statue.
when i continued I saw lots of people running about or standing in front of the bank.
it was awesome.
2nd place probably was entering Loch Modan, still one of the best zone transitions in the game imo
BB Crisp Sep 9th 2011 8:38PM
Ironforge for me too. I remember making it my hearthing city for my first character, a night elf hunter.
I'd love to see how it looks now, but sadly I'd be executed on the spot if I were to visit. I'm, uh, not the same sort of elf that I used to be after my race change operation.