The Greatest Adventure in World of Warcraft

[@cekopeko]

What does the text that appears at the end of the video mean - "tmcdq yzmfzq"? The Jedi mentioned it is a "hidden secret" though a bit too well hidden, to be honest. Am I too short sighted and these are just the initials of his supporters or there is more to it? I've tried looking them on google, read all the comments, even tried to connect it somehow with the outro song, but to no avail. Hope someone sees my comment and try to figure it out together :) Otherwise the video is, as all the others - amazing! This type of content, the one that Jediwarlock and another creator by the name of Verigan make, proves how many hearts and minds this game has won! Thank you! ❤

[@beenmurked4126]

I was thinking a cipher but I ran it through a solver and didn't get results that made sense on my end. Now I'm intrigued as well.

[@cekopeko]

@@beenmurked4126 I haven't been able to find any clues throughout the video itself, though the cipher solver was a good call! I ran it myself using CHATGPT and it assumed thet it was a Ceaser cipher? It gave me an answer that did not make a lot of sense - "UNDER ZANGAR". What is under Zangarmarsh? And I am not completely sure that this is the correct decipher.

[@Paranormal_Possum369]

@@cekopeko It looks like some kind of ROT13, I also got UNDER ZANGAR with it

[@ritterspots89]

Maybe its a kind of anagram. Rearranging it into two words of five and six letters. Edit: there are no vowels so perhaps not. Edit 2: Tarren Mill Combat Deployment Quota & Yogg-Saron's Zealots: Mighty Forces and Zealous Quests. Surely 😂

[@decree1367]

@@ritterspots89 bro, you went full 5Head on this! xD

[@kendakgifbancuher2047]

As a kid, I was unironically scared of Duskwood. I will only stare at it across the river from Elwynn and ponder, what monsters roam there.

[@Jediwarlock]

Skull-level wolves and spiders! O_O

[@prestonexzabe2997]

Sorry, it was probably my undead rogue, but I've changed

[@oktaymozaffary5637]

Lol i did the same

[@honnorgaurd]

glad to see i wasnt the only one who felt this way... what a memorable experience it was though! love the area and it will always have a special place in my heart and memories.

[@bigscrap84]

Honestly there is no better leveling experience then the human starting zones. Is absolutely perfect the story is incredible and it's fun

[@ifritto]

In classic that's absolutely true, big agree.

[@macmac6064]

Barren better

[@441greenleaf]

IF y ou are a pluviophile like me, Teldrassil is the real shit :D..

[@d.s.8227]

That's because they created it first and spent most time on its design. John Staats in his book The WoW Diary mentions that the Kalimdor starting areas were rushedly finished towards the release date, and it shows.

[@JonO387]

Played for many years and have never done it once. For the Horde!

[@BavarianHobbit]

I remember when I was a kid and started playing WoW I created a human warlock. After leveling through Elwynn, Westfall and Redridge I was supposed to go to Duskwood. I entered the area through Westfall, walked my way along the main road and then reached the first camp in the center of the map. I saw a bunch of night watch soldiers ready to fight in the road. Looking towards where I came from. My curiosity had me waiting and in the distance I saw Stitches appear. Creeped the hell out of me, I tell you. I ran out of the zone and leveled to level 30 in Wetlands and Ashenvale xD.

[@Jediwarlock]

That's a great story!! Thank you for sharing :)

[@Ginamy72]

lol, yes great story thanks for sharing. I was so young when I started playing wow “literally less than a year old” I still remember the day WoTLK came out though, so clearly I had been playing before it. I remember my first character was a night elf male Druid with my real full name lol. I remember doing dungeons trying to get to level 55 trying to make my first DK lol. You might not believe I was playing WoW at less than a year old, but… the account that I made had achievements from 2005. I was born 2004

[@eacaraxe]

Stitches never really held much interest to me...I soloed it the first time I ever saw it. It nearly killed me which was the first mob to do so in almost twenty levels, but I got it down. God I miss paladins before the 1.8 nerf, soloing in Burning Steppes/Searing Gorge at level 30 just never stopped being funny. Especially when you're there out-farming max level frost mages in T1-2 gear. Blindly stumbling into the Twilight Grove and seeing a bunch of level 60 elite green dragonkin, on the other hand...now THAT was a sight.

[@tony9099]

@@Ginamy72bro been playing wow before he can walk or talk

[@Ginamy72]

@@tony9099 literally. I had to figure out how to read just so I could figure out wtf to do during the DK storyline lmao

[@RocoPwnage]

I've made so many human alts at this point in my life and still every time I get the quest to go scout through Fargodeep Mine I say out loud to myself "I bet it's called the Fargodeep Mine because it far go deep" and I genuinely cannot ever not do it.

[@Jediwarlock]

It's a required event XD

[@cbuck7267]

we gotta go far and we gotta go deep

[@nakenmil]

Honestly, this sequence - plus the Missing Diplomat and the Onyxia raid - could've been an entire game in its own right.

[@Jediwarlock]

Agreed! When I was a kid I always thought the Human 1-60 quests/zones (or even the 1-30 I talked about) would be a great game for consoles or other platforms... totally disregarding the technological limitations of course, but it's still a great example of a cohesive, seamless story that would work by itself :)

[@nakenmil]

@@Jediwarlock Absolutely, imagine if Blizz had developed their adventure game for Thrall, this could've been a sequel of sorts. Imagine a CRPG like Baldur's Gate but with this storyline!

[@IAmAlorel]

I echo this sentiment. The part of WoW that's passed of earlier Warcraft works is hands down one of the deepest and most immersive fantasy universes ever made into an online game (Cata and onwards is when the game REALLY started feeling more like a game with gamey mechanics and less like a fantasy world to me personally). Even with all the hate Blizzard receive for their decisions (a lot of which I also echo), they still make a damn good MMO; imagine what the likes of Larian or CDPR who've had similar if not more experience in making single player RPGs could do with the same access to and passion for Warcraft IP if they were to make a single player RPG with it.

[@Ryan_hey]

What's interesting is that the reason why this sequence is so great is that these were the first few zones that they fully fleshed out; it took Blizz 11 months, which is why they cut back for all the other zones because they knew they couldn't spend that amount of time per zone. That's why even the initial Horde zones feel more sparse; there wasn't an Ally bias per say at Blizz, it was just that they worked on the early Ally zones first and spent too much time on them from a development perspective.

[@birdup6684]

@@Ryan_hey It's sad, but in one way there was a bias since they imagined that most people would play as humans and thus began with their zones.

[@sucraloss]

The world building they put together in classic WoW is unbelievably good. So many cool little details make it feel like an actual world. Only in the Elder Scrolls games did I ever experience something like this.

[@Jediwarlock]

True! :)

[@zoltanjambrik4028]

What I especially love about these four zones,is that it's clearly visible they were part of the same forest. Westfall was clearcut for farmlands,in Redridge the mountains start,but if you look,you can see that they were all one forest some time ago. And the stories somewhat intertwined,too.I just wished they were more connected.

[@Goldeneye3336]

They are already connected. Are you dumb ?

[@Jediwarlock]

Love that thought! :)

[@ddplzz]

I plated Vanilla wow back when it was relatively new, mid 2005, on the patch where they just released Battlegrounds. My first character was a human mage, and let me tell you, playing through the human zone, on not only a newer server, but when WoW itself was brand new, when every player was playing their first playthrough, when people either choose Alliance OR horde, when people only had 1 class, 1 faction, 1 character. It was a truly magical experience, and doing these zones for the first time, in that environment, was and will always be the absolute peak of gaming. I remember at the time just being completely floored, just dumbfounded at what an amazing experience it was, little did I know that 20 years... two entire decades later, it still would not have been topped. Vanilla questing really starts to fall off in the 45s or so, but man, that 1-30... On Humans... absolute peak..

[@Jediwarlock]

Great memories... thank you for sharing! :)

[@Zyzyx442]

Yeah even other MMO's like Everquest, Anarchy Online, Ultima Online and Dark Age of Camelot didn't have that amazing feeling of easy accessability, easy to learn mechanics and the sense of wonder of the open world that WoW did despite much more deeper and more complex than wow. Only part of that era that was very bad was the lack of switch between game servers, it was always annoying meeting new friends in high school and military that also played wow but couldn't play together because different servers. They did add that option much later, but playing WoW Ascension now on Elune and it's just one server thankfully.

[@alecnelson3000]

I want to go back for just a day. I miss it so bad guys.

[@WodkaManostra]

It really shows the devs ran out of time when developing the higher leveling zones. The 1-30 zones are so much better as questing experience.

[@Jediwarlock]

Yeah! There are differences for sure... at the higher levels you're expected to do more traveling and multi-zone stuff which does break the cohesion of having those single-zone narratives going on.

[@edluke3415]

When it first came out, you had to grind mobs or dungeons from 44-52 because they didn't have many quests at that point. It literally took 12 hours of straight grinding to get half a level back then. It was pretty common for people who played at release in November 2004 to not hit 60 until February 2005.

[@mrlost117]

​@@edluke3415 I remember skinning turtles along the beaches of dustwallow marsh for like 6 levels to get to 40 and afford my first mount

[@edluke3415]

@@mrlost117 lol I played a rogue and solo'd SFK and SM graveyard for stuff to vendor or put on the AH, but man did it feel good to get my raptor even though I was lvl 45.

[@davidshort2818]

​@@edluke3415I was 60 before Xmas grinding dungeons was the way I was a resto druid so getting parties was easy

[@MichaelLoda]

I was just thinking recently how good the story is around the first Alliance zones around the Defias Brotherhood, so good

[@HighTide.Sunset]

Idk you personally but I always remember reading your twitter posts and comments back in the day! Good to see you sir hahaha

[@MichaelLoda]

@@HighTide.Sunset thanks cheers mate

[@noctusowl]

The original scythe of Elune and worgen origin, though fragmented, was also a great one. But you had to play Ashenvale and Duskwood Alliance and Silverpine Horde to get the full picture.

[@hyruler036]

W voice acting in “The Average Asmongold Enjoyer”

[@MichaelLoda]

@@hyruler036 thanks!

[@fantasycraft-forge]

For me, the starting zones in classic WoW + TBC are the core of World of Warcraft. They are so different from each other, which makes them special. The music, scenery, and story are all unique. The human starting zone offers the most classic experience in the RPG genre - it doesn't get better than that. Awesome video!

[@Jediwarlock]

Thanks! I agree with your points... the original trilogy was the best! :D

[@Martell276]

This video resonates with my soul. I played WoW from late 2006 through the end of Cataclysm. Nothing ever felt as good as leveling through Elwynn Forest, Westfall, Redridge and Duskwood. I still remember every single quest in those zones. When Classic Vanilla launched it was a nostalgic, warmly welcomed trip down memory lane.

[@Jediwarlock]

Yeah, I'm so happy Classic lets us re-experience all these awesome quests :)

[@sebytro]

When first playing a human, the first encounter with murlocs is unforgettable.

[@Jediwarlock]

Indeed XD ...even nowadays Crystal Lake really messes me up sometimes!

[@FluxFreeman]

First time I got zerged by the lakeside...

[@ninjastronghold]

Oh, waht a nice little lake, then you hear "A Little bottle of wo'a!" and ur dead xD

[@Solo_Traveling]

This is so great. I started playing in late vanilla and my first character was a huma paladin, so this really brought back memories. And also the missing diplomat is one of my favorite quest chains ever.

[@primary2630]

My first character was a human paladin too on my friends account when I was like 9 in 2004. I got him to level 27 before I got my own account 😅

[@Jediwarlock]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! :D

[@vonhumboldt1985]

My first char too a human paladin in January 2006 and yes the missing diplomat is my fav questline as well!

[@allisonseamiller]

Wow! This is great. Please do more of these. The dwarven experience with the Dark Iron thread would be a great one. From Dun Morogh through through Loch Modan and the Wetlands, finishing with one last quest as you enter Arathi, and then it comes back near max level as you get into the BRM area. There was a real sense of continuity that those were all dwarven lands. Another great one would be that eleven experience from Terdrassil through Ashenvale. Or the undead experience Tirisfal and Silverpine. That one feels like it drops off a bit early, you get past those mages at the end of Silverpine and you're out in the world, but the undead have a lot of late-game lore in the plaguelands so it balances out.

[@thareus20]

Another good one is the Silithid questlines the Horde gets. From first meeting them via quests in Camp Taurajo, to 1k needles, Feralas, Tanaris, Un'Goro and finally Silithus. You learn from these quests about the silithid. In Silithus, with the final quests, you learn about the Qiraji, and finally the Scarab Lord questline + Ahn'Qiraj. Amazing.

[@Jediwarlock]

Very good points! I may make another one someday. :)

[@usemorebrainplz-is7gy]

@@Jediwarlock Would also love Dun Morogh because it was where me and my friends started when we were around 10 years old and its so much nostalgia about killing the boars with the steps in the snow and going up and seeing ironforge for the first time with big eyes :D Because we were non-english speakers back then we just roam around and killing everything without questing but had a blast anyway, doing quests where simply to hard before finding Thottbot(?) to help with the quests, but had to go back several years later before being able to play the game properly with better english understanding

[@herrpdurrp]

The fog of duskwood is so iconic to me. The lack of visibility really ups the aura of horror, and Mor'Ladim can really sneak up on you. Even little details down to the eyes in the bushes.

[@Savress]

yeah, I loved duskwood too. This is a magical place.

[@General12th]

Duskwood was at its best during the night and when it was pouring. I wish we could get an updated game (Cataclysm 2, WoW 2, or maybe just a weather patch) that would introduce all the high-res clouds, rain, and wind effects into the old world.

[@primary2630]

And stitches too lol

[@TankingPriestVideos]

I remember being too afraid as a kid to go to Duskwood would legit avoid the place

[@Jediwarlock]

YES! :D

[@nrm224]

I remember sneaking up to a chest on the riverbank and finding a silver bar inside. It seemed like a massive treasure I had stumbled onto. I was hooked!

[@Jediwarlock]

What a great memory!! :)

[@verynotsuspicious]

I have not watched the video. I literally paused at 0:01 to comment that YES, YES IT IS. I've been musing about these 4 zones and Duskwood especially being PEAK MMO design. Having the quests/lore so well intertwined is just :chefskiss: One of my little hopes for SoD was that they will further the lore of the Scythe of Elune and the Worgen and maybe even play with the idea of reclaiming Stonewatch Keep and the Tower of Ilgalar in Redridge (in the type of world progressing quests like the ones in WOTLK Icecrown zone) Anyway. Already liked and subscribed, peak delulu viewer signing off

[@Jediwarlock]

Thanks so much for those thoughts! I wish SoD had done some stuff like that too!

[@carsoncoley1]

No better feeling than roaming westfall at night at like 2 am.

[@Jediwarlock]

So true! :)

[@omgbulldozer]

One of the few channels where every upload is a must-watch for me. Love the videos, man.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thanks so much! That makes me happy to hear :)

[@selwrynn6702]

So I was recently watching some old interviews with some of the original developers & Mark Kern talked about why these zones were so good, explaining that the developers spent a full year on the Elwynn, Westfall, Redridge, Duskwood zones perfecting that region. They tuned it perfectly, but the time spent on it was obviously too high, so while they took the lessons they learned there and attempted to apply them to the rest of the game they couldn't spend a full year on each level band, so while the Horde zones weren't "rushed" they simply couldn't receive the same level of attention because that would simply take too long. This is also why quests in higher level areas were added in post launch.

[@Jediwarlock]

I just finished The WoW Diary and those claims were echoed in that as well :) If only Blizz could go back and pump out some more quests on the Horde side to make it more complete!

[@Boomken76]

17:35 ah yes, if your a long time player you know the BEER RUN quest. Running to Darkshire at lvl 15

[@TheJbjfan]

Spiders, Wolves, Worgen, Undead waiting all along the way "It's free real estate"

[@DIEGhostfish]

@@TheJbjfan The one where you go from Westfall to Darkshire is even worse, since stitches can spawn on that road.

[@TheJbjfan]

@@DIEGhostfish oh, that little rascal just wants to play

[@Jediwarlock]

A true classic XD

[@danielkleitsch5307]

That quest was so scary as a hardcore player xD. When I was attacked by a wolf in Duskwood almost ten lvls above me I nearly died of a heart attack :D

[@JoshSweetvale]

My first character was a Dwarf Rogue. Cozy basements in cold Dun Morogh, cooking boar. Hunting for rare treasure on the mountaintops. I did go to Redridge eventually though. I should've pushed on and gotten Vancleef's gearset.

[@Jediwarlock]

Ah, good memories :)

[@empire0]

As a Horde player that has never played an Alliance char, I'm jealous of how awesome this story line is

[@sublime1558]

Try it out!!

[@IrisCorven]

Give it a shot on Classic. There's a specific atmosphere to both the Human and Night Elf starting zones/quests that is unrivaled. The closest Horde got - as someone who played since Vanilla on both sides - was that first incursion into Ragefire Chasm. Hell, just roll a Tauren and Orc, and a Human and Night Elf on Classic and take one of them through at a leisurely pace, a couple hours a week. It's such a well written experience for both sides. There was no "OMG GOTTA GET TO MAX LEVEL SO I CAN ENDGAME GRIND". It was about the experience, absorbing the world, etc. Me, my brother, and my dad all played Warcraft 3, and all three bought WoW at launch, and when we finally got to stuff like Stratholme, and LBRS/UBRS, it was mind-blowing getting to experience those places in game for the first time, knowing all the additional lore that WC1-3 setup, plus all the lore the game drip fed you through the levels. A lot of what made WoW so great was that experience, and the push towards endgame and cinematic set-pieces over the years has stolen a lot of that immersive storytelling from the game. No hate towards retail, just that the olden days were a different beast, in how story was presented and "gifted" to you.

[@empire0]

@@IrisCorven I play a troll priest on vanilla classic, I've just never leveled Alliance since I'd rather level an alt i can raid with on my guild

[@Jediwarlock]

It is definitely worth checking out! :)

[@Jonasgp123]

@Jediwarlock as someone who's only played Horde since the release in '04, this was an absolute awesome deep dive into storylines I only read about, but never played myself. Thanks for all the great content you've been releasing!

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy these vids. :)

[@selwrynn6702]

Yeah, I have regularly espoused a similar sentiment & while you didn't bring it up in this video, the fact that this storyline continues in the background as you move on to aiding different groups, culminating in the first raid boss in the history of WoW truly makes this, in my view, the best story ever told in WoW.

[@Jediwarlock]

Great point! :D

[@Ty-douken]

Even back when the game launched you could tell this area got most of the love & attention, prompting my Night Elf Warrior to make the run & start my journey with the humans. Also I've just realized what is missing from WOW as it grew with expansions that drew me in. It was a relaxing adventure with moments of intensity vs the raid & dungeon heavy focus of more current gameplay. Also it's just occurred to me that my backyard is 1000% Duskwood, spiders in the trees & bushes keeping insects in check. Man I love Duskwood.

[@Jediwarlock]

Haha, great thoughts! :)

[@ZapatosVibes]

Absolute masterclass in storytelling, pacing difficulty and player progression in a MMORPG. Compare that to in your face handheld themepark ride of later years where you can't ever fail or die if you tried and oof, how the mighty has fallen. This is a beautiful reminder of more glorious days and why Vanilla WoW is still a masterpiece that holds up to this day.

[@Jediwarlock]

Classic Forever! :)

[@patsy02]

Cataclysm was just one huge enshittification because of this.

[@DisastrousIntentionally]

@@patsy02 This is beyond untrue. People on Cata Classic are learning this firsthand right now.

[@patsy02]

@@DisastrousIntentionally man I remember they turned all redridge into a shit pop culture reference, you can't gaslight me

[@michaelstudeny8848]

@@patsy02 Yeah i loved cataclysm 5 mans and the raids, but the reworked azeroth feels like a fever dream whenever i try to play anything past wotlk.

[@MusicalBasics]

I played undead for my first character and tirisfal glades was similarly a masterpiece. The whole area is designed so well with dark ambience and sad stories. What was really touching was the quests where you had to find the undeads former lovers and return a pendant or something. Then came Silverpine forest. That place was just a house of horrors from start to finish. The zone has very little quests and the mobs there get high level super quickly

[@Jediwarlock]

I always thought Silverpine questing was full of weird stuff! I'll have to investigate how it flows again...

[@darkocakic1488]

I was so enthralled and in love with Warcraft lore from WC3, was playing NE and Humans. Rolling a human mage was such a big and "right" decision as it made WoW so much special to me. To see all those budlings and units from WC3 in "real world" that was WoW, it's a feeling I will remember till I die. The wonder, amazement, the sublime magic of lore meeting life, RTS meeting RPG. And after some 30ish levels, meeting Jaina...in person. With that Theramore/SW Keep music... Thank you, old Blizzard, you have made something that will never be repeated on this world.

[@Jediwarlock]

Great memories! Thank you for sharing :)

[@vallangaard]

Absolutely agree 100% This is what I have replayed on dozens of characters. Perfecting a questing path. Refining it. I have played since 2/2/2005 and I still love it to this day. Great Video

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you! Coming up on 20 years here soon! :D

[@Triscraft]

One of the greatest parts of WoW was going into these zones and having the high level areas nearby.. like seeing duskwood from westfall.. and if you got too close you'd be greated by a high level spider.. was like "Thats cool I cant wait to be able to adventure there".. In redridge walking to the burning steppes and seeing the volcano in the distance and an army of orcs.. Going to duskwood and seeing lethon sleeping in the middle.. The game made you feel like an adventurer and always put "Goals" infront of you.. which they even continued into TBC.. going to hellfirepen and having the felreaver stomping about like "One day.. you're going down".. somewhere down the lines wow just lost that sense of exploration and danger....

[@Jediwarlock]

That's a great point! I love that aspect of the world design. :)

[@mercurydrive9720]

I've often talked to people about how good elwynn > westfall is and thought a video about it would be cool, you've done that and taken it even further, so thank you!

[@Jediwarlock]

You are very welcome! :D

[@spencerstevens2175]

The reason for the pirate theme being used so much in vanilla was that Pirates of the Caribbean was super popular at the time. And the entire game is basically one cultural reference after another.

[@Jediwarlock]

That's fair! I hadn't thought about that before :)

[@Hipsterfoxi]

not the reason but ok lol

[@-Believeinyourself-]

@@Hipsterfoximy mom is a virgin and my dad is gay

[@raider762]

The Paladin class quest to protect the widow in Westfall was fun.

[@thedanishsocialmonarchist7286]

Shes not a widow her husband is in ironforge

[@samwise1790]

@@thedanishsocialmonarchist7286 he just left to get some pipeweed and milk, surely he will come back :p

[@wisniamw]

@@samwise1790 he makes you cool 2h mace later

[@dolamrothknight]

@@wisniamw worst quest line in the game. u can literally lvl 10 lvls by the time u get the mace made. also its replaced by 30 anyways

[@Fulgrim_The_Phoenician]

@@dolamrothknight Worst ?

[@bugsyplays3560]

I've brought characters of other races here just because I really like the questing, it really is such a neat adventure.

[@Jediwarlock]

Yeah! One of the big reasons why the "Wetlands Run" became so popular ;)

[@MissPopuri]

I’m glad someone played classic who actually reads the quest log. You never know what fabulous secrets you find by simply exploring outside a chosen path.

[@Jediwarlock]

It's so true! :)

[@ZanathKariashi]

to this day I have no fucking clue how they expected anyone to find the Sulley Baloo Memorial questline. I mean they MIGHT have intended people to find it like I did, but that was pure chance of missing a jump, just happening to put my cursor over the scroll case and notice it before moving it again, and then re-checking to make sure I wasn't imaging it. (you know, i've never checked to see if Treasure-Tracking would show it.....I think it's considered a container.....so that MIGHT have been the vector of discovery).

[@darkphase7799]

Honestly, by the time I first played human I had played wow long enough that I just skipped quest text so seeing a video like this brings so much context to the things I did. Thank-you. I miss Wow and hope that one that I can call it home again.

[@Jediwarlock]

You are welcome! WoW is a game we can never truly leave behind. :)

[@Toini01]

You can clearly tell that there was so much detail put into these first zones. If I'm not mistaken, they originally did the friends & family alpha on those first four zones and clearly polished it multiple times over. They really thought it through with having certain buildings be used for later levels (e.g. Tower of Azora, returning to Northshire for the iron, asking each town for help, etc.). They still tried to do that to a certain level afterwards, but you could clearly tell that they ran out of time a bit. The dwarven area still has some of this polish, but as you get to Kalimdor and other late game zones (except Blackrock), it becomes clear that the process was a bit more standardized: environments created, mobs/quests placed to fit and less of an "all encompassing" view, except for a few quests. Even in the late game, the most polished quests tended to be those that they thought of from the start like the Onyxia chain. Great video !

[@noctusowl]

If I am not mistaken they had to overhaul everything at some stage because the original idea was not feasible. Then they were left with half of the deadline. I also believe they meant to recapture the original idea with project titan but that too was abandoned and many things planned were implemented in later expansions and many were scrapped.

[@Jediwarlock]

Great points! Thank you! :)

[@doctorgears9358]

The Defias story is great, and it also seeds the meta plot that tangentially connects a lot of the zones in Alliance questing: Onyxia. Something you periodically come back to.

[@Jediwarlock]

You should check out the Part 2 I made! ;)

[@enekonavarro]

Of all the areas they have shown, the one that caught my attention the most was undoubtedly the Twilight Grove. Hidden in that circle of mountains and with a Night Elf theme until at the end you find yourself face to face with the majestic lieutenants of Ysera and the portal to the emerald dream at the foot of the great tree

[@Jediwarlock]

I'd love to have them elaborate on that area in the future in SoD! :D

[@Guuunston]

I've just done ALL OF THIS on Turtle WoW and then saw this video. I was saying all of this during my play through too! Incredible video. When I first played this 20 years ago, my 11 year old brain wasn't adept enough at really understanding the politics behind it, but now it hits so differently!

[@Jediwarlock]

Thanks so much! I totally agree it takes on whole new meanings as you get older. :)

[@etherax4594]

And who could forget the memorable experience of "Huh I wonder what's up with this gigantic ring of mountains taking up the middle third of the zone."

[@Jediwarlock]

TRUE! XD I remember walking in and seeing the dragon as a kid like :o

[@akiyamach]

@@Jediwarlock The first dragon many players would see in the game!. Greatest moment!

[@synthventure]

I’m so glad you covered this phase of the game. My brother and I still talk about it years and years later!

[@Jediwarlock]

It's an unforgettable part of the game :)

[@classicbisco9762]

This is incredible! Thanks for putting this together

[@Jediwarlock]

You are very welcome! :D

[@Homitu]

As soon as I saw this thumbnail, I was pumped to click on this video. I've talked about how perfect the WoW human starting region experience is for 20 years now, and you summarized why perfectly! Very well made video, sir!

[@Jediwarlock]

Thanks so much! :D

[@TheSabotaje]

Zenk u! Next vid: “the dark side of wow quests storylines” Plzzz! Really enjoying your content, and would LOVE to hear about those bitter-sweet or sometimes sad and dark moments of wow

[@Jediwarlock]

Good idea!! I'll put it on my list of future topics. :)

[@OniNaito]

Would love for this adventure to continue. I don't have time to play myself anymore but a truncated walk to lvl 60 in this format would be super enjoyable!

[@Jediwarlock]

Stay tuned... tomorrow! ;)

[@mythbuster43]

The Horde got shafted when it came to the starting zones. The bulk of the Horde would enter the Barrens from either Mulgore or Durotar at level 10, and they'd be in that large zone for quite some time. A zone very heavy in generic kill quests and collect x amount of y item quests and light on immersive storyline quests. The Forsaken had it a bit better. They had a pretty good storyline taking you through Tirisfal Glades, Silverpine Forest, and then Hillsbrad Foothills, where you have to fight off the Scourge and Scarlet Crusade, and then Arugal's Worgen, and then Arugal himself in Shadowfang Keep (pretty much Horde's equivalent of the Deadmines), and then finally doing battle against the Alliance in Hillsbrad. And in all three zones, you help the Royal Apothecary devise a "New Plague," showing that the Forsaken have some pretty scary plans for Azeroth in the future. It's the most immersive of the Horde side starting zones, but even it pales in comparison to the Human starting zones on the Alliance. From the Defias storyline, (which starts before you even leave Northshire, provides the bulk of enemies across both Elywnn Forest and Westfal, takes you through TWO dungeons, and doesn't end until the "Missing Diplomat" quest chain, which takes you across the Great Sea to Theramore), to the Blackrock Orcs storyline in Redridge Mountains, to the many immersive side adventures of Duskwood (the Mor'Ladim quest line, the Sven Yorgen quest line in which you learn about the Scythe of Elune, the Abercrombie questine which ends with a huge abomination named Stitches spawning and making his way towards Darkshire, and my favorite, the long, epic Legend of Stalvan Mistmantle questline), the Human zones in Classic WoW are a masterpiece of immersive storytelling. Much of the nostalgia for Classic WoW comes from the experience of leveling in these zones. Some of these quest chains are long and take you through multiple zones, some even take you halfway around the world, but that was part of the appeal. You really felt like you were exploring a huge world at your own leisure, rather than being guided through a single zone in a strictly linear fashion, which is what leveling in WoW has been from Cataclysm onward. That and as the game went on, they started giving you the ability to just fly or teleport to far off zones easily, without needing to explore them first, which severely diluted the immersion factor in my opinion.

[@General12th]

The Horde in general were shafted compared to the Alliance... with the exception of being able to travel between cities. Compared to getting to Undercity, Darnassus might as well have been on another planet.

[@drgreenthumnb]

@@General12th the tram was originally supposed to go to darn i think. would have made the trip so much easier lol

[@Jediwarlock]

Great thoughts! Thank you for putting all this together. :)

[@stevechristensen8155]

The popularity of the human starting zones helped make the first phase of sod pretty lit

[@IDC45]

The horde leveling zones are complete garbage compared to dwarf and humans.

[@psoffxifan4904]

As someone who's been strictly horde for 20 years and only in the last week has started a hardcore alliance alt to try these four zones, I don't see it. Elwynn started out alright, but an issue cropped up that persisted and got worse in westfall and especially redridge. There are way too many letter/item back and forth deliveries for very little exp. There are way too many quests where you run on foot through half a zone or more, give a letter/paper to someone, get a tiny chunk of exp only to be told to go right back or to another zone. The one that annoyed me the most thinking there was something at the end of it was the mayor? of lakeshire who asks you to go ask for help from other towns. Pick up a letter, go to stormwind, talk to the guy, take response back to mayor, asked to go to westfall, travel all the way to westfall, talk to guy, take response all the way back to mayor, asked to go to darkshire, travel down to darkshire, talk to guy, take response back to mayor and then the chain just ends suddenly and I've gotten maybe slightly more exp from all of this combined than I would have by simply doing one kill/collect quest in redridge, and it took much longer. I'm not overly interested in the story of any of the leveling quests here so looking at these purely from gameplay and leveling, I would honestly take any cluster of horde starting zones over this.

[@Jediwarlock]

That's fair, sometimes there is a little too much walking for it to be enjoyable from an XP perspective!

[@scottmcgraw3749]

Great presentation. I've lived and re-lived this tale on many characters but still really enjoyed this. This was a golden time.

[@Jediwarlock]

I'm so glad you've enjoyed it! :)

[@stewpidasohl]

From what I’ve gathered watching old videos, westfall was one of the first zones “done” with quests and gameplay. So I could see why the human start was the best intro experience overall

[@TheDarkmining]

This was indeed the case as you can read in John Stats WoW diary. These zones were developed first to test the whole gameplay experience and have a demo to showcase internally and externally, to investors etc. They spent more time in these zones as any others.

[@Jonasgp123]

Yup, that is very close to what happened. Another fun fact, was that Molten Core almost didn't make it to the game, the entire raid was made in just a week.

[@aredub1847]

@@Jonasgp123 yeah and it dropped t2 epics for a bit. and that weird artifact.

[@Goldeneye3336]

​@@Jonasgp123not true. Molten Core took 2 months to develop.

[@General12th]

@@aredub1847 I bet Jedi is a cheater too.

[@Timetonut]

I’m about to start again, but as an adult I’ve always been drawn towards the Horde. After watching this the nostalgia is super strong. I guess I’ll head to Stormwind to learn the city by heart.

[@Darksoulsboy69]

Have you played as a human before? Dwarf/gnome zone is great too - especially when you get to Dun Morogh

[@Jediwarlock]

The Horde has some great moments too! Definitely recommend checking out Alliance at some point tho :)

[@SirZotolo]

Being the only time I ever really played WoW, I only had the chance to play through these zones in WoW classic as I did not play in Vanilla. But I already feel such nostalgia for these simple yet gripping story lines. I think this video does an amazing job highlighting exactly how I felt while levelling through these zones and exploring through Stormwind.

[@Jediwarlock]

I agree! :)

[@KennySpace]

Even though im mostly playing horde the elwynn forest, westfall and redridge mountains are just probably the best questing zones ever, soo much nostalgia in these beatuful zones

[@Jediwarlock]

It's true :) Horde zones still have their good moments, though!

[@GiulioRonconi]

I just re-started to play wow 1 week ago and I choose, casually, the human png. This time I said to me that I would love to read all the questline and skip nothing. Now that I'm level 30 and I just finish to explore all the zones that you said I know you are probably right with the caption of this video. I love everything: the story, all the png and ambient. That's the true wow experience.

[@Jediwarlock]

It simply is the best :D

[@Drekulviin]

No matter what race I play, his adventures always start in Elwynn forest since 2010

[@Jediwarlock]

Of course :)

[@glen603]

Started playing Wow at release, and played for many years. All races and classes, and this video is spot on. Nothing captured the Vanilla WoW experience like the human starting zones. It's embedded into my pysche probably even more than my actual childhood.

[@glen603]

Man this was such a great video. All the nostalgia... Sooo many things I almost forgot about.. Hogger, the defias messanger, duskwood completely (I usually went to arathi highlands) but I think my absolute favorite part of WoW in 2004/2005 was taking the boat to Kalimdor for the first time, and then running around the continent to collect FP's, and just taking in not only the beauty of each zone, but the sheer massiveness of it all. It took a LONG time to run around Kalimdor. Like a few hours haha. I'll NEVER forget that experience.

[@Jediwarlock]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!! :)

[@Wayclarke]

I miss this kind of quest writing. There was a time where I thought I had just outgrown WoW's writing (past Cataclysm), but I tried Classic for a day once when it came out just to see what it felt like, going into the Forsaken starter zone. The flavour and tone of the quest writing was just different and way more engaging, just like when I was younger. Then I realised that while the quest blurbs never were works of art, they did try to make an effort in the beginning instead of the step-by-step recipes they are today where they are meant to be condensed instructions first and foremost.

[@General12th]

And even then, it was really only some of the starting experiences that was done so well. Compare the writing here to the random quests in, say, Burning Steppes and you'll see that the later content of classic was nowhere near as developed as the early content.

[@Wayclarke]

@@General12th I guess they ran out of steam, but at least there was an intent. But then again, I remember enjoying Burning Steppes as a child so maybe I just really didn't have any standards after all. X)

[@General12th]

@@Wayclarke They ran out of time.

[@Wayclarke]

@@General12th You know what they say, time is steam.

[@Jediwarlock]

Very true!!

[@vaulus]

cata-era redridge has always had a place in my heart. the bravo company questline really stayed with me and getting to see keeshan again throughout the future expansions (but especially BFA) always brings me right back to the start of it all. such an incredible intro to the game

[@Jediwarlock]

Yeah! They added a lot of cool questlines to Redridge in Cataclysm, from what I've heard :)

[@TankingPriestVideos]

The quest descriptions are intricately designed they knew what they were doing

[@Jediwarlock]

For sure! :)

[@ai_serf]

i tried to get back in after a 15+ year hiatius. the noobie island is incomparable to this, or even the OG night elf run. the devs back then really cared. the feelings of a huge world and the details were amazing... i'm glad I didn't though, as I don't want to get addicted. these videos will suffice for my cravings. thank you.

[@Jediwarlock]

You are welcome! I'm glad you enjoy these :)

[@AT-if8bj]

You have to do the final... The secret of Lady Katrana Prestoer. The really big Marshall Quest, and her "death" by Bolvar Fordragon. That is why I knew him, when he, years later, appears at the Wrath Gate and Ice Thrown. Maybe with a look an the short raid on her with 60.

[@Jediwarlock]

I will definitely consider it! ;)

[@michaellang9154]

What initially hooked me on WoW was the barrens in the US Beta. I did not like the first Orc zone and almost thought that WoW is not for me. And then the barrens came. In the EU Beta I played nightelf and also loved it. With the EU release I played alliance and my friends and I where dwarfs and gnomes. Our guild was Snow Whites fellowship. I only almost only alliance during my WoW career. The first zone that completly took me in with my dwarf was Duskwood. I liked Ironforge and all that but Duskwood was diiferent. The bleak atmosphere with the all encompassing dread was so fitting and so good. As a (defensive) warrior it was dangerous as hell. One pull too much or a trigger of an elite meant certain death. It was amazing. There are not many zones in WoW or other games that managed to take me in with such force. There are other incredible zones but to this day Duskwood holds a special place. Second favourite zone of classic WoW is probably Tanaris.

[@Jediwarlock]

Those are great memories :) Thanks for sharing!

[@barakovdlich6203]

Classic will always be special. A true MMORPG.

[@Jediwarlock]

Agreed :D

[@FullMotionVideos]

This was an EXCELLENT walkthrough and such a fun trip down memory lane. My favorite storyline in any game. Keep up the great work!

[@Jediwarlock]

Thanks so much! It's an unforgettable experience :D

[@TraxisOnTheLines]

As someone who was too young to embrace Vanilla WoW (level 22 was my level cap at 12 years old), who then went back and embraced the full classic experience and did 1-60 as a priest, getting Benediction as my crowning achievement - this game really does have some of the best writing of any game, and it's incredible how many high quality adventures are written into this game. The human starting experience will always be one of the most memorable video game moments for me.

[@Jediwarlock]

Great story, thank you for sharing!! :)

[@wj12p]

Great video. These are some of the best designed zones in the game. I still remember logging into WoW for the first time in 2009 and running around Elwynn Forest, marveling at how big and interconnected the world felt.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thanks! I totally agree! :)

[@TheNudeBrewer]

I was playing another MMO (Asheron's Call) when I got invited to the beta for WoW. A couple of things I'll always remember: 1> Even though I knew I'd never play Alliance, it was the only thing available in Beta. And playing through this intro, up to EVC was some of the best in all of gaming history. It's hard for players to understand that EVC's ship would only have been a backdrop in other games of that time. The fact you actually go ON it and IN it was jaw-dropping!!! 2> Once the game went live and I could finally make a "real" Horde chr, it was obvious that they had worked everything in the game up to a 7-8 state, made it all nice and "playable", and then went back and started perfecting things-- starting with this Human/Stormwind zone. Because the Horde/ Orc beginning is also very good, in fact, it's BETTER in that the culmination of your early play is to meet THRALL!!! Not some unknown NPC new to WoW, but if you played the RTS series, you knew who Thrall was! This was like meeting Luke or Vader in a Star Wars game!!! And you meet Thrall and ... he basically just says "see you later" ... and you never see him again until you're lv60. It was soooooo obvious they meant to further develop these (and other) stories, but they ran out of time. And then, ohhhhh myyyy goodnesss, once Vanilla absolutely **EXPLODED** on the scene, there was NO going back to finish anything. So the Human/Stormwind intro is the only one that truly feels fully developed. And it's not that the others inherently aren't as good, they obviously didn't have time to finish. Which is a shame for how good this zone is. It's a masterpiece in all of gaming, not just WoW.

[@cattysplat]

On the plus side, the horde quests are far more balanced and fair for solo and small group play, being developed later with a changed design. Alliance quests can be brutal and were designed around the intention of grouping with players much of the time, similar to Everquest which the Blizzard designers were originally raiders in (you can't do anything in Everquest without a group).

[@Jediwarlock]

Great thoughts! Thank you for sharing! :)

[@DIEGhostfish]

Westfall-to-Darkshire letter delivery quest is hilarious if taken as soon as it's available, can't leave the road or you die. But then there's a chance Stitches gets behind you.

[@Jediwarlock]

Yep, or a spider wanders across your path! XD

[@Mr_Edwards_1995]

The human starting area is a vanilla ice cream cone, it’s simple…it’s classic. It’s always nice to come back to.

[@Jediwarlock]

Well said! :)

[@Awesomeuserdude]

I 100% agree that the human starting zones were a stellar experience, aside from Undead I really don't think any other race has such a compelling and immersive experience going from 1 to 30. They put so much love and attention to EVERYTHING in these zones, there's little stories to be found everywhere, and the world building is just great.

[@Jediwarlock]

So true! :)

[@azothan1043]

Awh this is so nostalgic! For the last 20 years Ive been wishing for another questing/leveling experience like this! Nothing comes close to what 1-30 human leveling zones offer.

[@Jediwarlock]

Agreed!

[@fen4554]

I played way back in 2004 when it first launched. You have to remember that not only was this the first time most people had ever been in a game with more than half a dozen people (callout to ashron), but it was also the first game with an entire world of seemingly unbroken territory that you could travel. 99% of games at that point would always have a loading screen between interiors and exteriors, and I remember vividly descending inside of a tree in the dark elf zone and thinking it was insane how they had managed to join indoors and outdoors. That's how early we were in gaming when wow came out. It was magic.

[@Jediwarlock]

Ah, great memories! :D Even Lord of the Rings Online in 2007 (one of my other faves!) couldn't muster the No Loading Screen obstacle... WoW was something special :)

[@jdean6873]

NEW JEDIWARLOCK VIDEOOO!!!!!

[@Jediwarlock]

:D

[@Badfunkyj]

First Jediwarlock video; instant sub. Can't wait to pour through all of these awesome videos. Great work, Jedi, thank you!

[@Jediwarlock]

Hey, thanks so much! Welcome to the Jedi Order. :)

[@bt636]

Been playing wow on and off for almost half my life. I think at least a third of that time has been in this exact place on different alts. You are 100% right, the human starting areas just hit different, nothing else like it in the game except for Grizzly Hills in Northrend which is my all time favorite zone.

[@Jediwarlock]

Grizzly Hills was amazing as well! :D

[@JaggedJack1]

Where exactly is the original version of classic wow still going strong today in 2024? Please tell me because I want to play there.

[@Shokisan1]

The closest I know about is turtle wow but it's not exactly the same, just greatly improved in every way.

[@JaggedJack1]

@@Shokisan1 I played on turtle wow for a bit. Fun server, but I want F R E S H.

[@Zeroed415]

Deviate Delight server on classic era NA, I think there's an EU one too. Fresh server, tons of people starting up recently

[@Jediwarlock]

Classic Era servers still have a presence, on Deviate Delight there is a community push to start new players/guilds so that is the closest thing to fresh right now. :) And then there's SoD which is different of course.

[@skiingracer509]

Great video! You compiled and captured with keen insight to why so many people enjoy the Human questline. When I first started playing WoW, I played only Gnomes because I was a teenager; however, as an adult, I have so much appreciation for the human questline and find so much comfort in these start zones. I have rolled 6 humans now and I thoroughly enjoy the beginning quests dearly. Thank you!

[@Jediwarlock]

You are very welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

[@thebigdork8030]

Never played WoW but I did play GW2, and in both games I love the idea of this extended personalized starter adventure for the first few levels, its so cool, and helps make the games less of a blind grind to the end game content.

[@thebigdork8030]

Also side question: Why doesn't Stormwind just turn the kobolds and gnolls into privateers? Like, if the Defias can hire them off, why not offer them some gold and a chance to raid and pillage with Stormwind's backing, so long as they only harrass then other guys. Edit: Nvm just got to the part where he explains the Defias weren't paid by the nobles for rebuilding thier city, cheapskates.

[@Jediwarlock]

For sure! Making your customization options (race, class, etc.) feel like they actually matter and change the game are really important! :)

[@AdenaKaiba]

I sincerely love these areas, they have a special place in my heart. That's why I've been hoping, and looking for such a video for years, thank you so much for your hard work. It's really appreciated 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@Jediwarlock]

I'm so glad you enjoyed this... one of my most worthwhile projects! :)

[@wanred61]

As a Cataclysm-only player Redridge will always be a soft spot for me cause I always remember those quests, especially John J. Keeshan who was the Chuck Norris of WoW for me and freeing his team, convincing him to fight again and finally joining that team of badasses just felt like the coolest thing ever. Seeing him as just Corporal Keeshan stuck behind enemy lines and needing to be rescued is kinda weird after all that but still nice to see my man in classic.

[@Jediwarlock]

That's awesome! :) It's good to hear they did something with his character in Cataclysm!

[@Pickleton]

VanCleef did nothing wrong.

[@apollothefirst]

Genuinely correct

[@Mr_Edwards_1995]

Corrupt noblemen cheating hard working men out of their due reward.

[@BalooSJ]

VanCleef had a completely valid grudge, but he took it out on the farmers and workers of Elwynn Forest and Westfall rather than the nobles who were actually to blame. There's probably a lesson in there about how the working class gets screwed over by capital, and turn on each other rather than the ones actually responsible.

[@Pickleton]

@@BalooSJ Kind of, but I'd argue that the farmers who suffered from his actions were Stormwind loyalists. He was good to the people who followed him.

[@divanbuys1484]

#justiceforvancleef

[@voon1032]

I remember going through this back when I tried WoW out through the free level to 20 demo, what an experience it was.

[@Jediwarlock]

Oh yeah! Gotta do as much as you can to enjoy those 20 levels, haha

[@MangaManifaction]

I love how it's all connected. From killing Defias in Elwyn to taking down Onyxia. All of it connected somehow, it's brilliant

[@Jediwarlock]

Yes!! I really want to make a Part 2 on the latter half of the human storyline ;)

[@TheZackofSpades]

The Everyman (literally) experience of WoW was just so timeless. You knew the world out there was bigger and more “epic” but the density of action around you locked you in on the lore bit by bit. Absolutely thrilling.

[@Jediwarlock]

So true! :)

[@TheZackofSpades]

@@Jediwarlock oh to be young and low leveled…and fearing Murloc aggro again

[@frostysnowman5033]

This video was incredible! Well done, very much enjoyed it. I've played horde for a while now, but this makes me want to swap back to play out these questlines!

[@Jediwarlock]

Thanks so much! :) Horde has plenty of good moments too... but nothing tops Elwynn for me :)

[@Medicae131]

The Human early leveling experience in WOW is Peak RPG level design and story telling. The through plots, atmosphere created even with limited graphics, music, the way the world opens up to you as you play, I am not a WOW OG, I didn't start until BFA and never played seriously until Classic first launched, but even coming to the party late, I could tell that WOW really had something special going on.

[@Jediwarlock]

Great points! Thank you :)

[@CarlosCanelaCinn]

Under Zangar?

[@KamillMalta]

I'm guessing that's a teaser for his next vid :)

[@CarlosCanelaCinn]

@@KamillMalta we might never know

[@rathenn6959]

Really awesome video. Old school WoW brings waves of nostalgia. The soundtrack i have heard countless times still reminds me of being a young teen excitedly having my turn on the PC to get completely absorbed by this once great game.

[@Jediwarlock]

It is truly the best game ever! :)

[@thunderboy6681]

i love these classic wow story exploration vids. Human 1-30 is definitely a CLASSIC experience!

[@Jediwarlock]

You know it! :D I'm glad you enjoyed it!!

[@alexmercer4642]

Nice vid! I've glazed the vanilla Alliance starting experience for years. I also include Loch Modan and Wetlands in this, because realistically you'll be visiting those areas once the quests are turning orange in the human areas. The Alliance experience is just so nice to have a 1- mid 30s experience so contained. Hordes gotta ride that zeppelin WAY too much imo

[@Jediwarlock]

That is a good point! There is a little bit of zone hopping that is required to stay on pace. :)

[@jhman8254]

Hey mate, new to the channel. This was an excellent video. As someone who didn't get to play WoW in its heyday but really enjoy the lore and world, this video was a treat. Would love more in this style.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you! Hopefully I'll make more in the future ;)

[@mirr0rmask341]

Heyo

[@Jediwarlock]

Hey!

[@CheeseTriangles]

This was my first leveling experience with wow ever. It’s seared into my memory until the day I die.

[@Jediwarlock]

Same! :)

[@miguelcamaragallego1140]

I'm currently playing SoD and this made me want to go back to a humble human mage. That was a wonderfully detailed and nuanced analysis. Thank you

[@Jediwarlock]

Thanks so much! :) I always get the itch to start up a new Human every so often ;)

[@NorthshireGaming]

The closest Horde equivalent questing zone for beginners has to be the Undead starting zones. The story, in my opinion, is very close in lore and structure. When the events of the Wrath Gate occurred, I remember my friends were like, "I can't believe the Foresaken would let something like that happen". But the Forsaken campaign starts with you making plagues to poison various groups, including Humans and Dwarves. It's a running theme all the way through the first few Forsaken zones. Great lore and character establishment for what comes down the line for them and Sylvanis especially in later expansions.

[@Jediwarlock]

So true! Thank you for those details :)

[@hadhunar]

No! Levelling is just an obstacle to the real game which is end game! You MUST use heirlooms or xp boosts to skip this horrendous experience…

[@Jediwarlock]

XD

[@BalooSJ]

Most of the leveling experiences in WoW are amazing... once. But when you're on your 10th alt, it tends to get repetitive. And as I recall, heirlooms were added in Wrath, and by then people had already played through these quests a bunch of times. Plus, as I recall, Classic leveling could use a little boost, because just questing wouldn't get you enough XP to match the storyline, so you kind of needed to supplement it with either grinding or hopping between zones (mixing Westfall quests with either Darkshore or Loch Modan).

[@hadhunar]

@@BalooSJ I disagree. The experience doesn’t go bad because you’ve done it once. It’s almost the opposite, at least for me. I enjoyed finding more efficient paths. I enjoyed finding more obscure quests. I also enjoyed the travelling because you always happened upon some kind of adventure. If questing didn’t give enough XP, I did a few dungeons. Or just farmed something that also made some gold. Wraths levelling was ok but a bit too linear for my taste.

[@BalooSJ]

@@hadhunar Two, maybe three times, perhaps. But I wouldn't want to do it more than that. It's different in a well-designed single-player RPG where you have multiple paths, but WOW questing tends to be very linear (even if it was a series of shorter lines back in the day than in modern WOW). For example, Westfall doesn't offer the option of siding with the Defias and overthrow the corrupt House of Nobles, or getting them to redirect their efforts toward something more productive than extorting farmers. That's something a single-player (or limited multi-player) RPG could have done. But for something like WoW, that effort needs to go toward creating multiple parallel paths instead (Darkshore, Barrens, Silverpine Forest, Ghostlands, Bloodmyst Isle).

[@LiamBuehler]

Man playing this for the 1st time was actually magical. I’ll be chasing this OG WOW high for the rest of my life lol.

[@Jediwarlock]

It's true! Can't be beat :D