All the World's a Stage: Top 10 RP hot spots in Cataclysm

by Dawn Moore Oct 17th 2010 at 8:00PM

Mr. Gray isn't here today. I heard some sort of rumor that he was competing in a chili cook-off, but that could be entirely fictitious when you consider the sources (he who shall not be named ...). As such, I jumped on the opportunity to cover his column for the weekend so that I could return to my RP roots. Taking over WoW Insider for a good four hours on a Sunday is also pretty fun.

Anyway, I jumped on the chance to write this column today because I actually used to type out an emote or two on my old server, Sentinels. Oh, the good old days of being a tyrannical cult leader; how I miss them! These days, though, I don't do much RP other than a little bit to weird out my fellow guildies (you must make an offering to the god of raiding before you pull a boss!). Despite this, I still feel very inclined to RP, and as I travel around the Cataclysm beta I often found myself thinking, "Wow! This would be a great place to RP!" So I've written this article with my top 10 picks for new RP hot spots in Cataclysm.

10. Hyjal

Do you ever notice that night elves don't RP in Darnassus? Sure, maybe a handful of them do, but not many of them. I blame it on the communal housing in their capital city and the fact that said capital city is about as far away from everything else as it could be. Fortunately, we now have Hyjal, which is just about as far away as Darnassus, but it's a hell of a lot cooler.

Obviously a quest zone, especially a high-level one, won't be a great hang-out spot, but I could definitely foresee its being used as a destination for many pilgrimages. Traveling to see the great tree of Nordrassil would be a big deal to any night elf or historian. Blood elves (especially magisters) may also find the spot significant, seeing as the Well of Eternity (from which the Sunwell originated -- Edit: Or not. Read this comment here for details) sits just under the tree. The druid burrows are also nearby, as well as a night elf prison similar to the one where Illidan Stormrage was once locked up. There are even night elf wardens, dressed in the same garb we previously saw on Maiev. The very beautiful Ysera is also there.

To top it off, Nordrassil is huge. You could live up there and do Avatar RP if you wanted to. Dawn cringes. There are a ton of branches you can fly up to and have a picnic on if you like, and if you wanted to go further from there, have at it.

9. Azshara waterfalls

The addition of flying mounts in the old world has given us access to so many new things, and these falls are just the start. These waterfalls are located along the mountainous borders of Azshara, close to Winterspring, and they're quite a marvel to look at. I encourage you to try standing in the mist at the base of them; it's beautiful.

Now, I may be dead wrong on this, but don't people like to RP next to waterfalls? Back in the days of AOL chat room RP, I know that one of the most popular RP hang-outs was the waterfalls of Rhydin. You could find all sorts of people just lounging about, taking in the view and barging into each others' storylines. I don't quite see that happening in WoW, but at the very least, I could see this being the spot for a romantic getaway or vacation with a few friends.

8. Orgrimmar: Valley of Wisdom

Orgrimmar got a major facelift this expansion, and the Valley of Wisdom is definitely the most different compared to what it once was. This is now basically the tauren district, which I think is wonderful for the handful of tauren RPers who (at least in my opinion) have the most trouble fitting into the Horde RP scene. The changes to the city now make Orgrimmar the epitome of diversity, and with so many races having a reason to be here, I hope tauren will be able to RP more in tune with their race's lore, rather than finding a way to fit themselves into that patch of grass in Silvermoon City.

The other good thing is that the Valley of Wisdom is tucked off away from the main traffic areas of Orgrimmar. You'll be able to avoid the non-RPers pretty easily over here, while still enjoying an interesting area in the capital city.

7. Dwarven hovels (The Wetlands)

Do you remember flying up to Ironforge from Menethil Harbor and seeing all those little hovels? Well, now you can finally get to them, and they're a lot more expansive than I realized. There are a few structures up here, plus some paths and farms, and there is a locked gate that leads to what I assume is Ironforge. Each home is stocked with the typical dwarven fair: weapons, booze and more booze.

I'm not sure how much farmer RP exists on the typical RP server. I have a fondness for it, but it usually turns into recluse RP so I guess it will just depend on what you're into. Even with a handful of NPCs around, I think these hovels are definitely nice locations for player housing; they're close enough to a city to be convenient, but far enough for them to be a little more private than that one house. You know what I mean -- that one house in a city that has no NPCs in it, and every RPer from Gilneas to Tanaris claims it as his own. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about.

6. Orgrimmar: Valley of Spirits

Orgrimmar again, but this time it's the Valley of Spirits, which is now awesome. The whole valley got overhauled so that it now not only has some really amazing troll architecture but also a goblin slum (not pictured) nearby. Just like the Valley of Wisdom, the troll district and goblin slums are far enough away from the main stomping areas of Orgrimmar to keep the RP mood intact. The whole thing has an amazing ambiance and I think troll (and goblin) RPers might really dig it here.

Overall, I have high hopes for Orgrimmar as an RP spot in Cataclysm, but it's really hard to tell what people are going to be into. I oftentimes find that people want to RP their own stories and just use WoW as a medium, rather than wanting to RP as characters that fit into the existing world and lore. There isn't anything wrong with that, granted, but I think that kind of trending is what has left Orgrimmar so dry up until now. It's also possible that it's just harder or less interesting for the average RPer to play a character who is so vastly different from himself, and the tribal and communal life that many Horde races exhibit is pretty far from the life of the average WoW player. Still, maybe these new areas will inspire players to try playing some of the lesser RPed races in Azeroth. Let's hope!

Tags: cataclysm-rp, featured, guide, guide-to-lore, hot-spots, hotspots, lore, lore-guide, role-play, role-playing-guide, rp-guide, world-of-warcraft-lore, wow-guide, wow-lore, wow-role-playing, wow-role-playing-guide, wow-rp, wow-rp-guide, wow-rping

Filed under: RP, All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

View the original article here

All the World's a Stage: Top 10 RP hot spots in Cataclysm

by Dawn Moore Oct 17th 2010 at 8:00PM

Mr. Gray isn't here today. I heard some sort of rumor that he was competing in a chili cook-off, but that could be entirely fictitious when you consider the sources (he who shall not be named ...). As such, I jumped on the opportunity to cover his column for the weekend so that I could return to my RP roots. Taking over WoW Insider for a good four hours on a Sunday is also pretty fun.

Anyway, I jumped on the chance to write this column today because I actually used to type out an emote or two on my old server, Sentinels. Oh, the good old days of being a tyrannical cult leader; how I miss them! These days, though, I don't do much RP other than a little bit to weird out my fellow guildies (you must make an offering to the god of raiding before you pull a boss!). Despite this, I still feel very inclined to RP, and as I travel around the Cataclysm beta I often found myself thinking, "Wow! This would be a great place to RP!" So I've written this article with my top 10 picks for new RP hot spots in Cataclysm.

10. Hyjal

Do you ever notice that night elves don't RP in Darnassus? Sure, maybe a handful of them do, but not many of them. I blame it on the communal housing in their capital city and the fact that said capital city is about as far away from everything else as it could be. Fortunately, we now have Hyjal, which is just about as far away as Darnassus, but it's a hell of a lot cooler.

Obviously a quest zone, especially a high-level one, won't be a great hang-out spot, but I could definitely foresee its being used as a destination for many pilgrimages. Traveling to see the great tree of Nordrassil would be a big deal to any night elf or historian. Blood elves (especially magisters) may also find the spot significant, seeing as the Well of Eternity (from which the Sunwell originated -- Edit: Or not. Read this comment here for details) sits just under the tree. The druid burrows are also nearby, as well as a night elf prison similar to the one where Illidan Stormrage was once locked up. There are even night elf wardens, dressed in the same garb we previously saw on Maiev. The very beautiful Ysera is also there.

To top it off, Nordrassil is huge. You could live up there and do Avatar RP if you wanted to. Dawn cringes. There are a ton of branches you can fly up to and have a picnic on if you like, and if you wanted to go further from there, have at it.

9. Azshara waterfalls

The addition of flying mounts in the old world has given us access to so many new things, and these falls are just the start. These waterfalls are located along the mountainous borders of Azshara, close to Winterspring, and they're quite a marvel to look at. I encourage you to try standing in the mist at the base of them; it's beautiful.

Now, I may be dead wrong on this, but don't people like to RP next to waterfalls? Back in the days of AOL chat room RP, I know that one of the most popular RP hang-outs was the waterfalls of Rhydin. You could find all sorts of people just lounging about, taking in the view and barging into each others' storylines. I don't quite see that happening in WoW, but at the very least, I could see this being the spot for a romantic getaway or vacation with a few friends.

8. Orgrimmar: Valley of Wisdom

Orgrimmar got a major facelift this expansion, and the Valley of Wisdom is definitely the most different compared to what it once was. This is now basically the tauren district, which I think is wonderful for the handful of tauren RPers who (at least in my opinion) have the most trouble fitting into the Horde RP scene. The changes to the city now make Orgrimmar the epitome of diversity, and with so many races having a reason to be here, I hope tauren will be able to RP more in tune with their race's lore, rather than finding a way to fit themselves into that patch of grass in Silvermoon City.

The other good thing is that the Valley of Wisdom is tucked off away from the main traffic areas of Orgrimmar. You'll be able to avoid the non-RPers pretty easily over here, while still enjoying an interesting area in the capital city.

7. Dwarven hovels (The Wetlands)

Do you remember flying up to Ironforge from Menethil Harbor and seeing all those little hovels? Well, now you can finally get to them, and they're a lot more expansive than I realized. There are a few structures up here, plus some paths and farms, and there is a locked gate that leads to what I assume is Ironforge. Each home is stocked with the typical dwarven fair: weapons, booze and more booze.

I'm not sure how much farmer RP exists on the typical RP server. I have a fondness for it, but it usually turns into recluse RP so I guess it will just depend on what you're into. Even with a handful of NPCs around, I think these hovels are definitely nice locations for player housing; they're close enough to a city to be convenient, but far enough for them to be a little more private than that one house. You know what I mean -- that one house in a city that has no NPCs in it, and every RPer from Gilneas to Tanaris claims it as his own. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about.
6. Orgrimmar: Valley of Spirits

Orgrimmar again, but this time it's the Valley of Spirits, which is now awesome. The whole valley got overhauled so that it now not only has some really amazing troll architecture but also a goblin slum (not pictured) nearby. Just like the Valley of Wisdom, the troll district and goblin slums are far enough away from the main stomping areas of Orgrimmar to keep the RP mood intact. The whole thing has an amazing ambiance and I think troll (and goblin) RPers might really dig it here.

Overall, I have high hopes for Orgrimmar as an RP spot in Cataclysm, but it's really hard to tell what people are going to be into. I oftentimes find that people want to RP their own stories and just use WoW as a medium, rather than wanting to RP as characters that fit into the existing world and lore. There isn't anything wrong with that, granted, but I think that kind of trending is what has left Orgrimmar so dry up until now. It's also possible that it's just harder or less interesting for the average RPer to play a character who is so vastly different from himself, and the tribal and communal life that many Horde races exhibit is pretty far from the life of the average WoW player. Still, maybe these new areas will inspire players to try playing some of the lesser RPed races in Azeroth. Let's hope!

Tags: cataclysm-rp, featured, guide, guide-to-lore, hot-spots, hotspots, lore, lore-guide, role-play, role-playing-guide, rp-guide, world-of-warcraft-lore, wow-guide, wow-lore, wow-role-playing, wow-role-playing-guide, wow-rp, wow-rp-guide, wow-rping

Filed under: RP, All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

View the original article here

WoW Insider reviews The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, by Christie Golden

Translate Request has too much data Parameter name: request by Michael Sacco  Oct 18th 2010 at 7:00PM

The Warcraft universe has incredibly rich lore supporting it, and it's natural that, like many IPs, it would expand outside of the game world. Warcraft novels have historically been hit-or-miss, largely due to the strengths and weaknesses of the various commissioned authors who write them. Some novels feature out-of-place characters invented by the author specifically for those particular stories; some struggle with the characterization of beloved characters. But there have been some bright spots: Rise of the Horde was a fantastic look into the birth of the Horde on Draenor and Arthas: Rise of the Lich King provided insight into the man who would become the Lich King.

These books have something in common besides their IP: Christie Golden wrote them. In Arthas, she gave Blizzard their first New York Times bestselling novel. Now, her latest offering is the Warcraft universe's newest novel, a tie-in to the upcoming Cataclysm expansion. We present to you our review of The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm.

The war in Northrend has taken its toll on both the Horde and the Alliance. Both sides lost tens of thousand of soldiers and citizens in the year-long battle against the Scourge and the Lich King, but some losses cut deeper than others. Varian Wrynn lost a father figure in Highlord Bolvar Fordragon, and the Horde lost one of their finest up-and-coming heroes, Saurfang the Younger. And it's not just people that were lost -- the war was costly in terms of money and supplies, leaving Stormwind and Orgrimmar in dire financial straits. Orgrimmar has also suffered unnatural droughts, causing Durotar's already-slim resources to dry up.
Things are so bad in, fact, that the Alliance and Horde have actually agreed to a truce, ending all hostilities on all three continents. Not everyone is happy about it, including the Horde's favored son, the Hero of Northrend, Garrosh Hellscream.

What drives The Shattering is politics and personal relationships between Alliance and Horde, teacher and student, tauren and orc, father and son, even Azeroth and Draenor. Golden wisely spares us the introduction of super-powered characters we've never met before, instead relying on strong characterization of lore figures we've grown to know and love over the game's six years.

Garrosh Hellscream, who's been the subject of much vitriol from some Horde players (and Alliance players alike), is given a fair shake in this novel, which finally sheds light on events that have been rumored for some time to occur pre-Cataclysm. But beyond that, we also learn what drives Garrosh, sometimes from inside his own head. He's presented as an individual, not a caricature; he's fiercely loyal to the Horde and an excellent warrior, even if his decisions aren't the correct ones 100% of the time. He really does want what's best for the Horde -- the issue being that perhaps his Horde isn't today's Horde, but the juggernaut his father could have built were he alive today and Warchief.

It's that dream, and that attitude, that worries tauren chieftain Cairne Bloodhoof, who is constantly at odds with the young orc. Cairne is given extended screen time in The Shattering, showing us what we've always known about him -- that he's an honorable, wise, and old-fashioned old bull. It's because of these qualities that he can speak his mind to Thrall, who is faced with some very tough decisions after a fire rages through Orgrimmar.

Thrall is given his own story, mostly separate from the intertwined events that take place throughout the novel. He's depicted as world-weary; he realizes that many of his decisions in running the Horde may not have been the right ones, and Eitrigg notes that Thrall has done little for himself since becoming Warchief. He has no mate, no child, no one to take his place should he "return to the ancestors." The mag'har of Draenor end up providing him with more than just knowledge of the elements, and Thrall emerges from the book as a much stronger and fleshed-out character than he has been previously.

Dealing with sabotage from within and without, and losing their venerable Warchief even temporarily, causes ripples throughout the Horde that turn into tidal waves, sometimes literally, while the shadow of the Cataclysm looms overhead.

But the Alliance also gets plenty of time in The Shattering. The Alliance storyline almost exclusively follows Anduin Wrynn, crown prince of Stormwind, as he interacts with notable leaders on both sides of the world (and of the Horde-Alliance conflict). His father, Varian, has been struggling with his dual nature, the result of the ritual that originally fused his warlike and kingly sides back together following his run-in with Onyxia. He lashes out at those around him, from Anduin to Jaina Proudmoore, and wisely suggests that Anduin spend some time outside of Stormwind Keep.

It's through this suggestion that Anduin gets to know "Aunt" Jaina and "Uncle" Magni Bronzebeard better, spending time both in Theramore and Ironforge. Jaina serves an important role in the novel as Anduin's surrogate mother; Anduin is an uncommonly well-behaved and mature kid, but he's still a kid with no mother and only half a father. Through tutelage from both, he discovers a side of himself that he always knew existed, far removed from the warrior his father wished he would become. And it may be that side of him that keeps his father from making a huge mistake.

The theme of father and child is present in another part of the Alliance story, focusing on Magni Bronzebeard as he desperately tries to determine what's causing the elemental upheaval that threatens his people. Throughout this process we learn the nature of his relationship with his estranged daughter Moira, and some shocking events, both elemental and political, occur that threaten to destabilize one of the oldest pillars of the Alliance.

What's interesting about this book is its focus. As stated previously, Golden deals almost exclusively with existing lore characters, which is a wonderful departure from books like Stormrage and the War of the Ancients trilogy. But for a book that acts as a prequel to Cataclysm, there's little (if any) discussion of Deathwing, or of the goblins and worgen. Even races like the blood elves, Forsaken, and draenei have little to no face time with readers. The book deals mainly with orcs, tauren, humans, and dwarves. Those who were expecting some exposition regarding other races might walk away disappointed, but not for lack of information on the aforementioned races.

The Shattering thrives in much the same way Rise of the Horde did -- on its characters, not its plot. That's not to say that the plot isn't well-crafted or interesting, but the nature of the novel as necessary, not ancillary, material to fill in gaps between Wrath and Cataclysm means that it follows a particular structure. Despite that, or possibly because of it, the book moves very quickly, making it an incredibly brisk read. There are plenty of action sequences amidst the dialogue and intrigue, so those who, like Garrosh, would rather bust heads than drink tea and chat, will appreciate the book too.

Avid players will appreciate appearances by minor NPCs they've met in the game, and small details in descriptions of action, environments, and spells will keep sticklers happy as well. You're right, Anduin, that is what dropping a totem sounds like.

My only real complaint with The Shattering, and it's a very minor one, has to do with the dialogue. Understand: I don't mean that the dialogue is bad in anyway. Characters are treated with all due reverence and the dialogue is rarely cheesy or ham-fisted, and never out of character, as it could be in previous novels. In fact, the dialogue tends to do a great job bringing out sides of characters we haven't seen before -- Cairne's angry side, for example.

Rather, it's small things that caught my eye; for example, characters' full names (and titles) are repeated a lot in speech, and I'm unsure if this is to make sure that readers new to Warcraft lore will be able to follow the multitude of characters or whether this is actually how people address each other on Azeroth. I'm willing to give Golden the benefit of the doubt on this one.

All told, The Shattering is one of the finest, if not the finest, Warcraft novel to date. Those hoping to bridge the gap between Wrath and Cataclysm will need it, and those stinging from the poorly-received Stormrage will appreciate the heart and soul that Golden, a WoW player herself, has given their favorite heroes and antagonists.

Verdict: Any Warcraft fan would be remiss not to read this book, both for its respectful treatment of the Warcraft universe and for its wealth of lore information.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion (available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion. Tags: aggra, anduin-wrynn, breaking, cairne, cairne-bloodhoof, cataclysm-game, cataclysm-guide, cataclysm-news, christie-golden, expansion, expansion-three, featured, garrosh, garrosh-hellscream, jaina-proudmoore, king-varian-wrynn, king-wrynn, magni-bronzebeard, moira-bronzebeard, next-xpac, the-shattering, the-shattering-prelude-to-cataclysm, third-expansion, thrall, world-of-warcraft-cataclysm, wow-4.0, wow-4.0.2, wow-cataclysm, wow-expansion, wow-guide, wow-third-expansion