Category Archives: super serious search studies

Super Serious Search Studies: “TBC or Wrath”

Recently someone got to my blog via the search term “TBC or Wrath.”  As it turns out, these are the two expansions I played the most, and they are also perennial fan favorites.  The really interesting thing about these two expansions is that they kind of straddle a paradigm shift in the game.  Let me explain:

Login_screen_The_Burning_CrusadeAlthough at the time Burning Crusade was seen as a huge quality of life leap over vanilla World of Warcraft, looking back on it now, it was still very, well… vanilla.  Lest you forgot, here are some of the attributes of TBC:

  • A 1-60 leveling nerf did not happen until at least halfway through the life of the expansion.  To compare, it’s now fairly standard to get a nerf to experience rates through previous content with the release of a new expansion.
  • Mounts, mini pets, and so on were carried in your bag (or your bank).
  • Attunements.  Attuments everywhere.  At least at the beginning.
  • 60 minute long hearthstone cooldown.
  • You didn’t get your first mount until level 40 (a patch at the very end of TBC did reduce this down to 30.)
  • Not only was it normal that there were certain buffs only one class could provide… but there were certain buffs only one spec could provide.
  • There was no dungeon finder.  Finding a PuG dungeon meant sitting in the LFG channel for a long time.
  • There was of course no LFR and no real gear catchup mechanic aside from a little bit of badge gear so people were running the expansion’s first raid– Karazhan– until the night before WotLK’s release.  Literally.

And so on.  This was the most player-friendly MMO for its time, for sure, but it was still very much a retro, old-school type of experience.

Now then, we make the jump to WotLK.

Login_screen_Wrath_of_the_Lich_KingAs I said earlier, Wrath was very much a sort of paradigm shift for WoW.  The QoL improvements were just immense.  Off the top of my head, we got:

  • Shorter hearthstone cooldown
  • Mounts at level 20 and 40 (partway through the expac)
  • Dungeon Finder (about halfway through the expac)
  • Mounts and pets as spells rather than items (the bagspace, you guys!)
  • Buffs provided by more than one spec
  • Easier gear catchup for alts via a solid badge system that gave us new stuff every patch
  • Few to no attunements

And so forth.  This was definitely an expansion that established a new zeitgeist for WoW: one that was less focused on hardcore raiding and endgame (although raiding was still huge throughout Wrath) and was more focused on a streamlined experience.

So: TBC or Wrath?

That depends on what side of the MMO coin you preferred.

To use a silly analogy, TBC was to Vanilla what Pokemon LeafGreen/FireRed were to the original Pokemon games.  So if you prefer your MMOs more… unrefined, then TBC was probably the high point.

Wrath is a lot more like the newer expansions.  It was streamlined.  Why is it more popular, then, than basically all of the newer and even more streamlined expansions? For me, it was the atmosphere, the raids (which were very good, almost without exception,) and in the huge playerbase.  WoW was everywhere back in 2009, being played by basically everyone, and it was a fertile ground for fan creations and dumb pop culture references alike.  It was easy to love the game, because everyone loved it.

(I like this video because I recognize like all the gear in it)

So there you go.  That’s my absurdly long, 600-word essay about Wrath and TBC.

And no I’m not gonna choose.

Okay, fine, I’ll choose TBC.  Because of blood elves.

Let’s Talk About Felo’melorn For Two Minutes

You know what part of the upcoming expansion I’m most excited about?

I’ll tell you what: Felo’melorn.

I don’t even main a mage and this is the most exciting tidbit of WoW info I’ve heard in forever.

So lemme tell you guys about this weapon.

Felo’melorn

 

WoW_Legion_Felo'melornThis weapon was originally wielded by a guy named Dath’remar Sunstrider, who was a Highborne night elf.  He was kind of a weird night elf, though.  For starters, the name “Sunstrider” was really strange for a night elf name.  Also his hair was golden.  Ever seen a night elf with gold hair?  I didn’t think so!

The Highborne eventually got kicked out of Night Elf World for magic tomfoolery, and they ended up far away where they founded Quel’Thalas and became the high elves.  Anyways, Dath’remar had a weapon called Felo’melorn, which is Thalassian for Flamestrike.  This was handed down through his family to his grandson, Anasterian Sunstrider, and eventually ended up in the hands of his great-grandson, Kael’thas Sunstrider.

Kael

Reborn from the Ashes

See, during the Scourge Invasion in the Third War, Anasterian Sunstrider wielded this legendary artifact against Arthas in one-on-one battle, but unfortunately the blade could not withstand the might of Frostmourne, and it was sliced in half.  Kael’thas took the two pieces, reforged the blade himself, and guess what?  When he went to fight Arthas with it himself, the blade held. Felo’melorn was stronger when re-forged than it was originally… just like the elves themselves.

That’s the weapon that fire mages are gonna get in the expansion.  That whole story and legacy of at least ten thousand years.  And boy am I stoked that I’m leveling a blood elf fire mage right now.

So yeah.  Have a fire mage?  GET HYPED.

Not gonna lie, I’ve kind of been in love with this thing for a while.  Just a little bit.

phoenix petOne Last Thing

Someone got to my blog via the search term “how long ago was it that kaelthas went to outland?”  The correct answer is: lore-wise, it was about ten years ago.  Specifically, it was 22 years after the First War.  Hope that helps!

Super Serious Search Studies #1: Kael’thas Withdrawal

So today someone got to my blog by searching for “Kael’thas Withdrawal”.  Do not fear, my friend– I, too, occasionally suffer from Kael’thas withdrawal.  But do not worry!  I am here, to help you sate your desire for images of Azeroth’s most beautiful, gorgeous, and stylish elf.

Starting with some Stormpunk Kael.

FELPUNK KAELAnd moving on to Kael’thas being a sexy beast in this loading screen:

Wrath_of_the_Lich_King_3.3_Outland_loading_screen(Disregard Illidan, we all know that Kael is the real center of attention here.)

He got ripped in three weeks thanks to Heroes of the Storm!

tumblr_nn4ru8JMUh1qjwo0uo1_500And now we move on to Pike, aka yours truly, sitting on his head.

CIoOzObUsAAl5ueKael and I go back a ways, you see.

Next up it’s time for some amazing work from Jian Guo (aka breathing2004).  If you haven’t yet, take a peruse through their stuff on the official WoW site.  I’ll wait.

Anyways, our beloved Sun King drank a bit too much fel energy…

fanart-0414-fullBringing the blood elves to a cursed state.  But do not fret; we shall rise from the ashes as we always do…

(This, by the way, is the greatest WoW fanart in the history of WoW fanart.  Every little thing here is symbolic!)
(This, by the way, is the greatest WoW fanart in the history of WoW fanart. Every little thing here is symbolic!)

How ya’ll doing on the Kael’thas Withdrawal?  Have you gotten your fix yet?  Not quite?

(artwork by yy6242)
(artwork by yy6242)

Stormpunk Kael is Best Kael.

holy omgAlrighty, will that do it for now?  I think that’ll do it for now.  Dear friends and readers, let me know if you ever suffer from Kael’thas Withdrawal in the future, and I shall come to the rescue.

…and as for a serious answer to your query, Kael’thas went to Outland to try to find a cure for the blood elves’ magic withdrawals (caused by the destruction of the Sunwell).  If you want more information, or if you want me to NERD OUT about blood elf lore in general, you know what to do! *points to comment box*