Wild Family Adventures: Northrend Adventures

Northrend Adventures

The continent of Northrend started off great. Java had a lot of quests, plenty of things to kill, and a back story that kept things moving forward. That was the Borean Tundra. Then Java moved on to Crystalsong Forest and everything unraveled. Questing was a mixed bag. There were a few quests, but many of the threads were broken. Java's frustration grew when she knew she was in the right place but what should be there wasn't. I'm not sure when Blizz started using scenarios (basically, independent quest threads that existed only in that scenario). There is a term for it which I can't recall. Basically, you had to have completed certain things before other things would appear or not appear, or something. Frustrating. She's now moved on to Shalazar Basin which entails a lot of critter killing. Java lost some skinning leveling when she realized that pre-Draenor, she still had to go see the skinning profession person every time you reached a new level. Oh, and she reached Level 77.

Sholazar Basin - When Wild and the rest of the horde family were leveling to 80, Sholazar Basin was always our last stop. This is the place where Level 80 always arrived. The Nessingway Base is loaded with quests and a great many of them are kill quests that require nothing more than staying awake and hammering buttons and watching things die. Most of the time it was late at night with only a couple of guildies on vent to talk to. The Basin was never fully explored by the horde family because they were never that far from level 80 that they needed the extra XP.

For Java, though, she has the longer view - she can mine the quests and stories of all of Sholazar Basin - there is no reason to leave while quests and experience can still be had. Java was in awe of all the things that she is encountering that none of the Wild family ever saw. The Lost Lands, Powering the Waygate, and numberless others. Even Java started feeling like hitting level 80 was somehow special, not just the next jump to another expansion grind. So she took her time.

After getting in some work, she had to fly back to a real town, instead of the jungle basin, to clean out a completely full set of bags. She could have hearthed back to the Borean Tundra but took a shortcut to Fordragon Hold at Dragonblight. Yes, this is in Crystalsong Forest. That was a mistake. There is NO INN THERE! In fact, the hold has nothing but a barn. Why is there a flight path? She'd thought to save some time, but was forced to take the hearthstone all the way back to Borean Tundra anyway, and then take the boat to Stormwind.

Java refuses to complain. Sholazar Basin still has prizes to be had. More quests went down but eventually even Sholazar Basin was tapped out. But not before Java reached Level 78.

Now to Icecrown and the Argent Tournament. The tournament was kind of a bust. Java could have entered the tournament and gotten some experience, learning to joust and what not, but Wild's memory of that was drudgery to get it over with so he could do things that were more fun.

Scourgeholme is where Java spent most of her time killing beasts and beings by the hundreds and getting in a lot of quests that the Wild family had never seen. Java biggest conquests were a trio of level 79 elites. The battles were epic for young Java, and she needed all her skill. She persevered, and reached Level 79.

There is too much to show everything, but below are just a smattering of pics taken during this long grind.