Project Lore

I've had a ton to keep my busy in WoW since dinging level 80 a couple of weeks ago. There's rep to grind, daily heroics to run and farming of the ToC to be had (building up my purple collection FTW). But on the side when I have a few moments (or hours) to spare, I've taken up exploring Azeroth. Perhaps it's not something that most players would have at the top of their priority list after hitting 80, but so far for me it's been a bit of a nostalgic way to re-visit the old world, run through parts I've never seen before, and earn some achievements in the process. Plus, now we have an even more compelling reason. With the imminent destruction of Azeroth in the Cataclysm, this could be the last time I see some of these zones before they are changed forever. Sure, I'll likely visit Orgrimmar and UC, but the surrounding areas? Probably not. And we still don't know what the expansion will mean for exploration achievements - if a zone is completely altered to the point of being split in two (I'm thinking Barrens), will the old exploration achievements be locked? The same could be said for questing in the Old World, but that's for a later conquest. Maybe there will be some middle ground on the issues, but I'd rather not take my chances. Anyhow, back on point. I started out in Kalimdor, from good ol' Durotar, where I had neglected to uncover Kolkar Crag. Then it was west to the grasslands of the Barrens, where my Zhevra visited her long-lost cousin. I worked my way west and then to the north, finishing off a couple of uncovered areas in each zone of Thousand Needles, Feralas, Mulgore, Desolace, Azshara, Stonetalon Mountains, Ashenvale, Felwood and Winterspring (and /love-ing every critter I see along the way). One of the high points: running into a pack of Worgen hiding out in Ashenvale and beating up on a few of them (good practice for future PvP fun). There also was Moonglade and Dark Shore, neither of which I had stepped foot in before. So far, I've finished up 14 of the 20 zones in Kalimdor, but I've still got a long ways to go before hitting that coveted Explorer title. It's easy to forget, when hidden away in the deep corners of Northrend, how vast and diverse Azeroth is. My secret pleasure - I've really enjoyed running into some of those humanoid tribes that you don't see too much of anymore: The Centaurs, Ogres, Furbolgs, Harpies and Wildkin of the world. I suppose Murlocs still are a pretty common sight, but I also made a point to run over top of every single murloc I came across, just to hear their gurgling battle cry while I galloped away. And more fun is yet to be had. I still have more nostalgia to come as I finish up Kalimdor, then head to the Eastern Kingdoms. Has anyone else taken to exploring lately? What about any other achievements that you want to get before the expansion? Don't worry if not - it seems that we'll still have quite a while before it comes out.

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The Dusty Lands Of Tanaris It's been a long time since I went traversing Azeroth, and the Outlands.  Normally we players are just trying to get from point A to point B in the fastest way possible.  We could be in a rush for a heroic run, trying to clean up our dailies, farming or even heading to a raid.  Outside pissing off the party or raid group, a few extra seconds don't matter.  Yet I, and probably we, race to each destination with reckless abandon, and a pair of blinders on.  A secondary effect of the just completed Midsummer Fire Festival was the removal of those blinders, and a re-discovered appreciation of the world I spend so much time in. In my continued obsession with non-combat pets I spent the better part of last week flying around Kalimdor, Northrend and Outland (and a little Eastern Kingdoms) in search of flames to urinate on and praise.  In doing so I was reintroduced to the scope of the Old World, something that was lost upon me after flying around Outland, and later Northrend.  If there's anything that can impress upon you the vastness of the old continents it is the inability to fly on your own.  If you thought flying around Northrend for the Argent Tournament dailies was bad, image a five, seven, even eleven minute flights.  Flights that you can't abandon when your mini map shows a precious mining/herbalism node.  Oh the pain. A Midsummer's Desecration I'm not hear to talk about the pain though, it's just hard to forget.  What we are here to talk about is the lush locales, the cohesive zones and traversing landscapes.  Traveling through all four continents back-to-back is something I have never done, and likely wouldn't have if it wasn't for the Midsummer Fire Festival's second pet (that little bugger is the only reason I collected Burning Blossoms, and I am glad I did).  The trip down memory lane wasn't all bright spots though, it reminded me just how much I hated The Burning Crusade's zones.  The zones are so self-contained, so drastically different from those adjacent to themselves as to make one wonder how they could ever come together.  Then it hit me, the realization that my dislike for the Orc's homeland is misplaced. I don't see how I didn't come to this realization before, but the disjointed menagerie makes perfect sense.  After all, the Outland is a collection of fragments of Draenor's former glory.  It isn't a continent in the normal sense, it is what's left of a ruined world.  A stew of lands if you will.  I could be rationalizing, but it's a perfect explanation and something I should have seen long ago. After being steamrolled by blatantly overlooking a key piece of lore I headed to the lands of Northrend for additional easy blossoms.  Unlike Outland, Northrend reminded me a lot of the original continents and is likely why I was so drawn to the territories.  Blizzard did a wonderful job creating a barren wasteland for many of the zones, but the artists blended those expected areas with some diverse starting territories.  Only after getting used to the chill were we thrown into the cold, wind-shaped lands of Dragonblight and Icecrown. Swamp of Emo After collecting nearly enough flowers from the two expansions Solidsamm ported to Darnassus and began his trek through the Old World.  The little gnome trotted the streets of Astranaar, a former favorite raiding area of the Horde, clambered through the snow of Winterspring and sweat his body weight in Gadgetzan.  He even climbed aboard a boat to Feathermoon Stronghold in the lush oasis of Feralas.   Although the goal was getting to the fires, taking in the sites and sounds of the lands, all of them, were a nice flashback.  Even if it was a lot of wasted time.  Hopefully the upcoming expansion can pick up were the old world left off, vast, flowing, yet diverse, lands full of unassuming and aggressive beings. I never did get my drop off Ahune, but with my Captured Flame in the pet bag, and some nostalgia in my mind, I consider this year's Midsummer Fire Festival a small victory.  How many got the title and continue on your way to your Proto Drake?  Did anyone have their streak broken?  Enjoy the flights?

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