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The latest patch 5.4 newsBreakfast Topic: What's the best quest zone in the game?
by Olivia Grace 
Feb 11th 2012 at 8:00AM
The screenshot is a fine example of this. Sure, it looks like Gilneas, but it's actually a little pocket of Blasted Lands southwest of the Dark Portal. Unfortunately, I was on my Horde warlock when I happened upon this little coastal settlement, so its inhabitants were less than friendly to me!
What are your favorite zones to quest in, and what makes a great questing zone? For me, the vital components are atmosphere, looks, convenience of travel and geographical layout, and quality of quests. A zone has to look good -- my preference is for dark, mysterious zones like Duskwood -- and have a great feel to it. I think the feel is some combination of continuity in the looks and the quest content, plus a sense of what's going on in the zone, a bit of a story that I'm part of. Travel has to be convenient -- in long, thin zones, there has to be a way to get around. Obviously, this is tantamount where you can't fly!
And the layout of the quests has to be convenient, too. I hate doing a whole bunch of quests in one area and then moving to another area, only to have to go back to where I started. And having to go back to the same place again and again. That's just me, though. And lastly, the fewer "bring me nine basilisk gizzard" quests, the better. I don't care if they're to make your soup or for a satanic ritual -- it's still dull!
Badlands, since its Cataclysm rework, has some amazing quest lines -- it's now on the list of vital places I'll always level through -- but visually, it doesn't do it for me. My favorite? Duskwood, by a long shot! How about you?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 5)
Matheus314 Feb 13th 2012 10:55AM
"I would actually not mind seeing the Alliance completely take over this zone just as the Horde did Hillsbrad (eye for an eye!), and to see a re-construction of Stromgarde Keep. Bye-bye Hammerfall."
And that would be a great balancing point for alliance after the loss of Southshore.
Elmo Feb 11th 2012 12:16PM
I always liked Dun Morogh and Loch Modan and that didn't change with Cata.
Not really a fan of the supposedly funny quests like 'the day deathwing came' or 'part of the machine' they simply don't get me laughing and feel out of place to me.
Noyou Feb 11th 2012 2:36PM
Still love Dun Morogh and Loch Modan, especially If I am leveling a miner/herber with a skinner. I love the music and the open space. Probably sentimental values too since I leveled my second toon, a Dwarf hunter, through there. Loch Modan is usually a must quest area on all my toons.
pekarnya Feb 11th 2012 12:47PM
Strangely my favourite zone is pre-Cata Dustwallow Marsh. Though it is very grey(VERY GRAY) I enjoyed the dark and dull atmosphere of that zone and especially that the storylines there were straightforward, except for the burnt inn. Ogres, ghosts, murlocks, some dragons in the mix, some goblins and a very relaxed grind - that's what does it for me.
Amaxe Feb 11th 2012 1:00PM
"Strangely my favourite zone is pre-Cata Dustwallow Marsh."
Also known as Post-Cata Dustwallow Marsh
/duck
Amaxe Feb 11th 2012 12:57PM
Northrend.
I just don't like how they changed questing in Cataclysm, though I think the Alliance Stonetalon-->Southern Barrens story was interesting.
But once you have 7 85s, an 82 and 2 low level toons it gets real old real fast.
I really hope MoP won't follow that model.
Jaq Feb 11th 2012 1:04PM
I decided a couple of weeks ago to finally level the poor paladin that had been my first toon when I started playing in 2009, but had been abandoned when I started playing my DK as my main. After getting from 62 to 80 as fast as humanly possible (thank you, dungeon leveling!), I decided that for once, rather than sprinting through the Cata 80-85 zones, I was going to take my time and immerse myself in the experience.
What I learned doing that was that Hyjal was far and away my favorite quest zone. It achieves this, by itself, by being a near constant, rolling downhill behemoth of story. The quest flow, while linear, makes sense and moves naturally, moving out from Nordrassil to bringing back each of the Ancients to side with you. You then get to catch your breath with the frankly hilarious Twilight Cult subplot (I love the graduation speech quest, where you incite a riot. Classic stuff) before the zone climaxes with moving towards Ragnaros.
Hyjal's brilliance, though, lays in how it planted seeds for the future, seeds that are perfectly paid off by 4.2. On my last run through, as I went to fetch Staghelm for Alysra, I did it with a sense of dawning horror that I was making a terrible mistake, and of course, once I hit 85 and returned to Hyjal to start the 4.2 quests, there it was: I'd helped create two raid bosses. The key quest givers of Hyjal return as major players in the 4.2 chains, and you're given multiple callbacks to your efforts in the zone while leveling.
The sheer brilliance of Hyjal, both in itself and in setting up Firelands, makes me wonder why most of the lore lead ins to the 4.0 raids were so lacking.
Honorable mention for quest zones: Stonetalon for Horde, Thousand Needles, Silverpine Forest.
duskhawk Feb 11th 2012 1:23PM
In Vanilla my favorite was Duskwood, but since I went Horde I hardly see it anymore. Nowadays I love the Plaguelands.
bethontheharbor Feb 11th 2012 1:30PM
Top 4 catazones:
Silverpine
Vashjir
Eastern Plaguelands
Westfall
Worst : Stonetalon
Desolace
Silithus
with #1 being Deepholm.. I just hate navigating that place
Muskogean Feb 13th 2012 3:08PM
Although I hate the red-colored zones I have to say the most epic and fun questlines have been in the Eastern Plaguelands. The two that top the list are Darrowshire/Little Pamela and Tirion Fordring. Close on their heels are The Blightcaller and Cata's Fiona's Caravan. Except for Fiona these quests took the player all through more than just the EPL though centered there. The depth of the stories was wonderful. Having to cross the world from Winterspring to find Pamela or learning about how a paladin of the caliber of Tirion found himself in a small hut in the wilds really gave the game incredible depth and made me dig far deeper into WoW lore.
Jaydvd Feb 11th 2012 2:24PM
Vashjir, I don't give a shit what yall have to say about it. Then I also distinctly remember duskwood, and its whole ghost/worgen/zombie halloween feel.
Noyou Feb 11th 2012 2:48PM
Winterspring. Just finished the zone on my bank toon (yes, I am leveling a bank toon to 85- something is wrong with me, I know) and it is as good, if not better than it used to be. I didn't start the quest for the saber mount yet. Too much holiday stuff going on.
Zangarmarsh. Probably the only zone it outland I really like. Another zone I usually complete. Probably my favorite zone in the game- if I had to choose one. As I have said before- if they ever had guild housing- our home would be there. Mushroom tree house? Oh yeah.
priestessaur Feb 11th 2012 3:15PM
Winterspring was always my favorite zone pre-Cata. Post Cata, I excitedly took an alt there to see the changes but came away very disappointed with the zone's redo. They stripped out one of the most fantastic quest lines and dumbed down the others. The only positive thing I could see from the change was the addition of the highborne lore. To me it was like watching the movie that came out after the book. Yeah, the story was ok, but the original had so much more depth.
My favorite zone post-Cata is probably Badlands. Not only do I get to punch Deathwing in the face, but Rhea's story was heartwrenching and a must do quest line, IMO.
jfrombaugh Feb 11th 2012 2:39PM
I have to say my overall favorite zone is Hyjal. I am a big Druid fan and it just really feels like such a emotional storyline, saving those animals, fighting the fire elementals, doing the jousting, healing part of the zone, infilirating the cultists, and then facing Ragnaros himself. I'm honestly surprised so many people prefer Vashjir, I thought that it felt a lot more generic and the underwater battling was annoying.
And then the Molten Front dailies...I enjoyed them much more than the Tol Barad dailies. Doing them made me forget that I still had over 200 Marks to go before I could finally get that Flame Hippogryph.
vthemechanicv Feb 11th 2012 2:42PM
When going for my (alliance) loremaster. I thoroughly enjoyed Darkshore. It was a sampler platter of pretty much the whole game. Naga, Twilight Cult, Old Gods, Elementals, and had cameos of Malfurion and Azshara.
The other one I enjoyed was Feralas. While most of the zone was forgettable it culminated with a fight with Cho'gall himself.
Honorable mentions to Badlands and Eastern Plagelands.
Z4focus Feb 11th 2012 2:51PM
I really enjoy Nagrand. That place to me had it all. U get good quests, a PvP area, u get the Nessingway quest, Big Durn, the Ring of Blood and u can get rep with 2 factions while doing all this stuff. I have taken every toon through that zone. Looks amazing and the things one can do there is by far (to me) the best there is.
mord Feb 11th 2012 3:04PM
After questing a lot pre-cata, I am still enjoying questing through the redesigned zones. I have to level, maybe two more alts to experience everything.
Best redesigned zones: southern barrens, EPL, WPL, Stonetalon, Cape of Stranglethorn, Blasted lands.
BC: Netherstorm
WOTLK: Howling Fjord (Stormpeaks close second)
Cata: Vashj'ir (twilight highlands is also excellent)
pace9 Feb 11th 2012 3:56PM
repost this after Mists drops. In the past few months, Ive been hard at work trying to reach my goal of having a level capped character of each class (I'm 6/10 with the other 4 in the 60s and 70s, so I'm almost there)
As a result of my goal, I RACE when I level. I never stop to enjoy the scenery. Once mists drops (I will presumably have met my goal by then) I plan to clear each zone's quests (and read the quest text that comes with them) with my monk so that I can answer questions about the game like this. I honestly have no clue why I do half the things I do or which zones are better than others, because I never get far enough into any given zone.
Once mists drops, you'll get an answer =)
Mives Feb 11th 2012 6:56PM
I used to be the same, race as fast as I could to get the leveling done with. I decided for Cata that I would take my time and read all the quest information. I found I leveled faster because of it AND enjoyed the game a hell of a lot more.
MIves Feb 11th 2012 5:14PM
Duskwood for me. Dragged my main through there a few days ago to get the questing achievement and the first time since Cata dropped. Much, much more streamlined, compact but still kept all the old quests albeit with minor differences. Stavlan and Stitches quests are still freaking cool. Just really dig the feel of the entire zone.