My baby warlock (of the hijinx the other day, in fact) took on the heavy job of strolling through Stormwind and reminding me just how the hell different it is from the one I know best! LOL
Quick back story. First character was Julienne. She didn't go to Stormwind until she was about level 11 because a friend offered to give me money and then had me run to him. LOL He suggested it was good to get there and look around. I did. I got 10 gold OMFG and a confusing and a little scary (I fell into the canals and freaked out because the breath bar appeared and I thought was going to be stuck or die in there and he had to get me to chill my tits and look around for a dock or a ramp because I was certainly not even the 1,000th player to fall into the canals and feel like I might die there so the developers gave us a way out.) Anyway... It was July 2008. Burning Crusades was almost done. And changes had already apparently taken place in Stormwind before I got there.
So... Mazzikim the Warlock heads off through Stormwind with her Imp on a tour for us all...
No kidding... the statuary and grand theme still makes my heart thrill. I have a warm fondness for Undercity. I have a full on goosebump sense of pride when I get to Stormwind.
These covered hallways of stone that limit the ability to surge into the city as an invading army remind me of Stratholme and the dungeon in Wrath of the Lich King in the retail game that took us there before it was destroyed. Why did Blizzard decide to open Stormwind up so much in the redesign?
Trade District... there's an inn and many types of general goods vendors as well as your city bank.
Taking selfies in Classic is like taking them in real life. The trolls will troll. LOL I dont' know what spell effects you're seeing, I was just glad the Druid bear stopped tea bagging my head.
Here is the Auction House, anyway.
And a meeting stone for Stockades, which I don't believe actually works? Like it's here but you can't summon your friends to this dungeon. I've had a sort of love/hate relationship with the Looking For Group feature since it was "perfected" in Cataclysm and beyond for the retail game. I don't like it.
Annnnnd... for a dungeon IN A CAPITAL CITY SURROUNDED BY GUARDS, honestly, Blizz... just add Stocks and Ragefire Chasm to the LFG button or put their summoning stones INSIDE THE INSTANCE. It just feels... crappy on PvE servers to make it such a dangerous run. Isn't Deadmines enough?
Top of the ramp into the Mage Tower in the Mage's Quarter. In view are an inn, the alchemy trainer and a small shop that sells some tailoring supplies but is more just part of a quest chain in another Stormwind. Annnnd...
A little shop where mages (and polite people who ask mages for favors) and other casters get their reagents so that they can do the fantastic tricks they do for everyone in their party or raid. I ALWAYS carry a few Runes of Portals and Teleportation. They're the perfect tip for POOR lowbies to give friendly helpful mages of any level willing to pop a window into another place for you.
I'd forgotten The Park was buried inside of a bunch of stone buildings and contained only 1 actual interactive shop and otherwise a bunch of empty spots where you should perhaps presume the Druids are out flying around being birds or something? LOL It's a lovely and totally Night Elven neighborhood.
The Cathedral shares it's Square with the City Hall, some other official looking buildings and...
the Orphanage. Which was the only other building I remembered actually having anything going on in the whole of the Cathedral Square. I do miss the warmth of the cemetary.
No, really... the plants and benches and LAKE were a lovely addition to what is otherwise a really austere gray and white stone city with a few tress and plants stuck in stone planters or waving from over the top of really high solid stone walls.
Again, why was the decision made to make the city LESS defensible if not so we can have peace?
From the bridge over the canal between the Cathedral Square area and the Dwarven District where a high wall on the seaward side of Stormwind keeps us safe and secure. I'm not sure anyone in the city knew there was any water or shipping or a dock or anything out there, though. The trees would have suggested an entirely different habitat. *snort*
Standing on the steps of a Dwarven assembly building of some sort.
A building that would be delegated much less important as it becomes a bank soon.
The Stable Master in Dwarven District who is still there to help you find lost pets and to stable your hunter pets... and A WHOLE ASS HUNTER TRAINING CENTER IN THE BUILDING. That's what I get for leveling MY hunter on the Horde side in Eversong.
VERY IMPORTANT REMINDER: Classic really sold the concept of a hunter and their pet being lifelong partners... you mostly train other pets to get them to teach fun shit to your best friend. This Dwarven lady is REALLY here so you can be forced to park your best friend to get out the pet the raid group wants you to bring for specific raid type buffs and abilities. LOL
The fountain in Old Town square. There's lots of leather and chainmail and weapon shops nearby. The barracks for the Stormwind Guard are also nearby.
Warrior Training, SI:7 (the actual Rogue Trainer is standing to the left of Mazzikim) and off to my unseen Right there's a PvP area for "KNIGHTS ONLY"
Onyxia (whose head was on the front gates, actually) and Fordragon as reagents for our poor abandoned Princeling, Anduin. Overnight he's going to go from being this lovely and very polite little boy, "Hello citizen." To a "real boy" with his father back. And then... well... shit happens. I'm curious to see what lateral story telling we'll get in the new old world that we're told might or might not have the same history as things may happen in different ways. :D I'm really excited about it. That's not sarcasm.
And what you can't really see here because I hate playing with nameplates on because they break my immersion... there are 3 or 4 fully geared level 60's with Marshal and Knight titles just sort of roaming the room... don't know if I missed a local channel "so and such is under attack" message or if it's just common on the weekends to have attacks on the Prince of Stormwind. There were more outside of the throne room and one standing around a corner in the hallway leading in from outside. Nice to know that security wasn't just built in at this level of Stormwind, it was trained into her hero players as well.
I had to look up this grate at the end of the canal here between Old Town and the Trade District next to the little flower shop because it has a swirly instance gate inside it.
And now I'm actually peeved past the point of speech.
THIS WAS GOING TO BE PLAYER HOUSING. ON LAUNCH. FROM DAY ONE.
(note to those who do not know: we just got player housing in 2026... 20 years later)
This city is my home town. It is my home base. It is the place where Julienne walks the stones every time before I log out and await the new hysteria and mayhem of a new expansion and what launch day brings. This is the space that will be my first home in Forever as well. No meta gaming, no serious spoilers and... a whole lot of hope for some really fabulous new memories to go with the ones that I've been recalling every 2 years for 16 years.
Man I love this game. LOL
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