The Queue: Panda wasteland
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Anne Stickney (@Shadesogrey) is taking this thing over today.
I have no idea what's going on in the above video, but I think I can safely say that YouTube has some of the weirdest stuff.
Everyone ever I swear asked:
(Insert expansion questions here)
Guys, we can't say anything about anything until the NDA is lifted. Patience, please! And while you're waiting, you can read this nice Lawbringer all about the NDA and why it's there.
I have no idea what's going on in the above video, but I think I can safely say that YouTube has some of the weirdest stuff.
Everyone ever I swear asked:
(Insert expansion questions here)
Guys, we can't say anything about anything until the NDA is lifted. Patience, please! And while you're waiting, you can read this nice Lawbringer all about the NDA and why it's there.
Stephanie asked:
Sorry if this has been asked before but I am getting a new laptop in a few days. What is the best way to get WoW and my add ons onto the new laptop? Preferably with all my saved settings.
It's actually pretty easy to do. All you have to do is copy your WoW folder over to your new laptop from your old one. Just make sure it goes into the Program Files folder (or wherever you put it on your old PC), create a shortcut to the launcher on your desktop, and you're good to go.
Atanae asked:
My Q4tQ - Is there any explanation for the major discrepancy in Theramore's actions in Kalimdor? In Dustwallow, we see the "normal" Theramore, where we stop agitators from instilling a more warmongering mindset and we get some seed quests that show Horde infiltration of Dustwallow (which abruptly end). In South Barrens, you see a really "warmongery" Theramore - pretty much what the agitators wanted. The problem is: the South Barrens quests (30-35) happen "before" the Dustwallow ones (35-40).
Why would Theramore be so antagonistic in South Barrens and then revert back to a more peaceful stance later in the quest chain? And if the Dustwallow quests are reinforcing Jaina's peaceful views, why is she housing war machines? It seems as if the quest chain is backwards and we should have started in Theramore and ended in South Barrens.
Here's the deal: Way back in vanilla WoW, Dustwallow Marsh was the zone of unfinished ... stuff. The Missing Diplomat chain ended abruptly with no real conclusion. The chain involving the fire at the Shady Rest Inn also ended in a dead end. In fact, it seemed like Dustwallow was one of those zones that was just sort of half-developed at launch, kind of like Azshara, only with a few more quests.
However, the zone received a major makeover in Patch 2.3.0. Mudsprocket was added as a quest hub, more quests were added all over the zone, and the whole storyline with the Grimtotem tauren was added as well. The Shady Rest Inn quest chain was finally finished, and the Missing Diplomat chain finally had a resolution of sorts. It went from someplace nobody went to unless they happened to be killing Onyxia, to a viable quest hub that was pretty fun, level-appropriate, and had some pretty cool rewards.
Now this is just me guessing here, but given the sheer number of zones Blizzard had to revamp with Cataclysm, Dustwallow Marsh was really not high on the priority list -- because it had already gotten a pretty major revamp back in 2.3.0. So technically speaking, Dustwallow Marsh is almost in its own little timeline -- but not as far as lore is concerned. You'll see mention of the Shattering, and you'll see the physical changes the zone has gone through, but as far as attitudes and quests, they really haven't changed that much at all. The zone was touched, but it wasn't touched in anywhere near as much detail as the zones that really needed it, like Azshara.
Frankly, I don't think the decision was a bad one from a time management perspective. Would you rather Blizzard spend time redeveloping a zone that was already redeveloped or work on someplace that really, really needed that revamp because it hadn't been touched in seven years? So basically, with Dustwallow and Theramore, I wouldn't look too closely at the material presented in there -- because most of it was written out well before the Shattering ever happened.
@oathblade on Twitter asked:
Why does the N'aru G'eras in Shat have his own personal Vindicator bodyguards?
Because he's a darkened naaru and they're protecting the rest of us from him. I mean come on -- look at him. He looks pretty dark to me.
Seriously, though, it's probably because he's carrying a lot of valuable material on his person to sell, and they don't want him getting robbed. ... although how, exactly, a spinning, glowing windchime with no hands is carrying all that stuff is anybody's guess.
@BrokenRavens on Twitter asked:
At the start of the Vash'jir quest chain, a group of humans help the Horde in their assault on Stormwind. Is this odd? Is the central conflict of WoW seen inside the game as orcs vs. humans, or just Org. vs. Stormwind?
I'm assuming the humans you're talking about are the ones that show up to sail the Horde forces over to Vash'jir. In that case, you aren't looking at Alliance citizens; you're looking at mercenaries of sorts. They're on the side of whoever happens to pay them enough. They aren't really concerned with moral decisions -- or in the case of Bud, they're not really concerned with thinking at all.
The primary conflict in Warcraft started out as orcs vs. humans, but it developed beyond that when the Horde was formed in Warcraft III, and the Alliance as we know it was formed between Warcraft III and WoW. Now, it's pretty much Alliance vs. Horde -- and the mercenaries and middlemen don't really have a side. They simply side with whoever is paying them at the time.
Filed under: The Queue






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
Puntable Mar 16th 2012 11:03AM
Wasn’t Pandaria part of the one big continent before the sundering? Does this mean that there are probably groups of Elves and Trolls living there in isolation, with cultures that are vastly different from the normal Elves and Trolls?
Jason Mar 16th 2012 11:36AM
The yak-style Tauren NPCs in one of the new Pandaria shots confirms that at least one race has long-lost cousins waiting on Pandaria.
cromahr Mar 16th 2012 11:42AM
Considering yesterday's screenshot with the tauren-like being, that would actually make sense... maybe some of the other races travelled to Pandaria back then, and maybe they have developed differently... I remember that the dwarfs described in the WOTA-novels were much more like their proto-form (the earthen) and less than modern dwarfs, so I wouldnt be surprised if we'd see some other Azerothian races there too.
Then again, I dont know if that would really make sense, because so far, we have hardly ANYTHING about pandas in Kalimdor or EK... if there was trade going on back then, or if some of the races visited Pandaria, it's highly unlikely that there are no written records, no hint at all, no archeological artifacts hinting at the Pandaren, unless whoever got to Pandaria was absolutely forbidden to leave or forbidden to talk/write about it after his/her return, or any tracks were erased by the Pandas.
Thats actually one thing that bothers me a tiny bit there... if Pandas are "established in lore", why are there no signs at all, other than Genn's keg-pieces or whatever they are? No records, no hints, no stories.
Because it makes you wonder whether the Mists covering Pandaria actually changed something, because there are no signs of them from before the "disappearance" of Pandaria to be found anyway.
Sure, Blizz might have tried to avoid any premature hint at the Pandas being added to the game, but if there was any contact between any of the other races and Pandaren before the Sundering, its weird there are no stories or memories of it. Even if its been 10.000 years, the elfs should remember, and I dont know if "that continent that used to be there" would be so totally forgotten...
Just rambling, sorry for the wall of text =)
Cephas Mar 16th 2012 11:44AM
Possibly, but not necessarily. In particular, I don't think we'll run across a splinter group of elves because they were pretty much one cohesive society before the sundering, unlike Trolls and Tauren who were much more tribal, nomadic, and spread out across the supercontinent. One of the recent screenshots pretty much confirms Tauren-like creatures, and the map shown at Blizzcon includes an island off the north coast called Zandalari Isle, which certainly sounds like a good place to find trolls, although the Zandalari aren't exactly a new variety of Troll since they've been in the game since Vanilla.
ForgottenAtDawn Mar 16th 2012 11:49AM
If you take a look at the Mists map (Mists Blizzcon, on my phone or I'd get a full link), there's a small island near the top of the continent with teeny-tiny writing that says "Zandalari" (or similar, again I'm on my phone and can't check). So yes, I'd say trolls will be making an appearance. And from the butt-whuppin we gave them in 4.1 I think they won't be friendly...
zackwbrandon Mar 16th 2012 11:52AM
According to the available lore on Pandaria, no, Pandaria was never part of super-continent Kalimdor. When the Night Elves were conquering Kalimdor and becoming magical crack addicts, the Emperor of Pandaria recalled his envoys (the Night Elves and Pandaren were allies at the time probably via the Furbolg but there is nothing saying so one way or the other) and went the way of Gilneas. Then, when the earth started shaking a few decades later the last Emperor sealed the island off to protect it, but not before a group of Pandaren said good-bye and took a multi-millenia long trip around the seas on a sea-turtle. A few Pandaren have emerged from the Mists or the turtle - not sure where Chen comes from - and interacted with the current world from secret enclaves on both continents.
This information was obtained without using the RPG books and should, therefore, be somewhat close to canon. It comes from wowpedia and was scrapped together based on Warcraft III, interviews with Samwise and Metzen, and Blizzcon last year. However, I must admit it is likely to change (or be clarified) with new focus on the continent of Pandaria.
hicks Mar 16th 2012 12:58PM
Of course there were Pandaren in EK and Kalimdor after the Sundering. But they all starved to death due to a lack of bamboo.
Skarn Mar 16th 2012 6:11PM
On Twitter yesterday (or was it the day before?) Dave Kosak, the lead quest designer, stated that Pandaria was sealed off before Cenarius started teaching Druidism to the Night Elves. What signifies the start of those teachings? Malfurion was a Night Elf and was taught Druidism prior to the Sundering, so that could count. More likely it refers to teaching the race as a whole, which occured post-Sundering.
So that doesn't help the question much....
Boz Mar 16th 2012 11:05AM
There have been a lot of very interesting and important questions answered by The Queue. Questions about Thrall's unborn child, the forthcoming destruction of Theramore, why some gamers are afraid of Mists of Pandaria- I, too, have a question. It might not be Azeroth-shattering, about Titan mythos, or concern Pandas, but I consider it very important, nonetheless.
What wallpaper will eventually replace the existing Kil'jaeden homage in The Sunwell?
Despite their laziness in taking down their statues of Kael'thas Sunstrider, I just don't see the Blood Elves sitting on the laurels while Kil'jaeden adorns the walls of such an important location. Do you think they'll put up a portrait of an important figure in Blood Elf culture? An interlocked classic iron scroll pattern? Or maybe a neutral floral pattern? Or do you think the Blood Elves will just go crazy and hire a painter to do some frescos? Are sculptures a possibility, or is that just so 2011?
Starsmore Mar 16th 2012 12:19PM
This is where we make a "Lor'Themar...... who?" joke, right?
Shinae Mar 16th 2012 12:57PM
That's an amusing question. ^_^ You likely already know this, but I can't help answering for the sake of others: The Sunwell is in the past in both instances; there is no present-day Sunwell that players can visit (but I hope that will change someday).
The Sunwell raid happens at the end of the Burning Crusade storyline. It is also possible to visit the version of it that exists in the Wrath storyline, but only by being on the Quel'delar questline, at which point you'll see that both high elves and blood elves make pilgrimages to their sacred place.
Matthew Mar 16th 2012 2:04PM
That is one of the prettiest places in game.
However, you can visit sunwell in modern (or more close to modern) time - how?
The Epic Sword questline from wrath that began with a broken hilt.
Quel'danas I think .. . I'm not sure though
Cephas Mar 16th 2012 4:17PM
Well yes, you do go there for the Quel'Delar questline, which would have happened just before the fall of the Lich King, but Blizzard didn't bother redecorating the whole place for one quick cameo appearence. Lorewise the restored Sunwell is hugely important to the Blood Elves, so I would imagine they're taking good care of it and its surrounding decor, but we're not likely to see any of that in-game.
Lemons Mar 16th 2012 5:19PM
I just want to know how that mural got painted in the first place.
"The Shattered Sun will be upon us in the hour...ready our archers and magi along the walls, I want blood knights and arcane guardians patrolling the courtyards, and will somebody PLEASE finish that Kil'jaeden mural? I think it'll really bring the room together."
Killik Mar 16th 2012 6:13PM
Hey, Sunfury Blood Elves are mad keen on decor.
Skarn Mar 16th 2012 6:20PM
Hmm. I'd go with this: http://us.media.blizzard.com/wow/media/fanart/fanart-1246-full.jpg
Killik Mar 16th 2012 6:28PM
I could totally see that on the wall - if the Sunwell was a Blood Elf Auto Garage! ;)
zakrain Mar 16th 2012 11:07AM
on switching the files anne is correct where its realy easy to on just copying the files over to the new pc/labtop, just one correction. it no longer goes in the program files directory (for US comps, dont know about ovr seas and other areas) the dir is c (wht evr ur main harddrive is)/users/public/games/
Poleleboo Mar 16th 2012 11:26AM
You can run it fine from any dir. I have multiple WoW installation directories on multiple drives and they all work fine.
The important part is that you keep your WoW directory intact, and start it through Launcher.exe (shortcut's fine).
worob.aaron Mar 16th 2012 11:28AM
This is incorrect. WoW still installs to Program Files. You can place it elsewhere, however the default install location IS within Program Files on Windows 7 PCs.