BA Shared Topic: The Best of Wrath

So the Shared Topic over on Blog Azeroth this week is to talk about our favorite _____ in Wrath.

No, seriously. It was that open-ended. Relevart suggested that we talk about our favorite ______ in Wrath.

I wasn't originally going to participate in this one. It was way too open-ended for my brain.

Oh my god! My favorite something? Of all the somethings in Wrath I have to pick my favorite one?

But then I read Windsoar's post on the topic and I really liked the way she handled it. So I'm going to play this the same way.

Favorite Armor Set:

Shaman, Tier 10

This was a close race. I also really liked the Tier 8 Warlock set (especially on male Orcs) and the Tier 8 Priest set (especially on Night Elves).

I think what put this set ahead for me is all the little details. The tusks and antlers. All the little icicles hanging off of it. The skull mask. And the shoulder effect is awesome.

Every bit of this set screams Northrend. Not just Icecrown. Not just the Lich King and the Scourge. But Northrend. I love it.

Favorite Mount

Ironbound Proto-Drake (not mine)

Like I said a couple posts ago, this is the mount I've coveted most in this expansion. Similar to the Shaman armor above, there's just something about it that represents a little bit of everything that's been a part of Wrath.

Just looking at it reminds me of questing out in Storm Peaks, raiding through Ulduar, the eerie blue necromatic glow that's in so much of the undead.

I really, really want to find a way to get this mount.

Favorite Dungeon

Ahn'Kahet: The Old Kingdom

This is probably where a lot of you start assuming that I'm off my rocker. And you might be right. (Oculus was a close second, for what it's worth.)

Regardless, this really is my favorite instance in Wrath. Not only does the dungeon itself look impressive (especially in the area around Taldaram, where it stretches on forever) but there's a ton of lore going on in here.

At the top of the dungeon you're fighting the undead Nerubians. Further down you find the cultists trying to cement their power. And then, at the end, the Faceless ones. Minions of Yogg-Saron.

And Herald Volazj gets my vote for most awesome (at wtf) moment the first time you encounter him and have no idea what you're about to get into.

AK gives a glimpse of how amazing the promised Nerubian raid would have been, had Blizz delivered it.

Also, it's the only dungeon in NR I can think of (off the top of my head) that could wipe your group endlessly if you didn't stop to pay attention to what the trash was doing (Shadowcasters).

Favorite Raid

Ulduar

It was tempting to put Icecrown Citadel here. Really, really tempting. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized Ulduar was just a little bit better.

I love the lore of the zone. And I love the monstrosity. A giant prison, built by the titans to contain an Old God. Seat of the watchers and summoning place of the herald of the titans.

There's the giant furnace where Ignis hammers out Iron constructs. The train that leads out to Mimiron's lab, where new creations are born. The grand atrium with all the planetary models.

The building is ancient, but the knowledge it contains is centuries beyond the collective civilizations of Azeroth.

I love that you know many of the bosses heading in there and why they're there. Razorscale, Thorim, Hodir, Freya, and Mimiron...tricked by Loken and twisted by Yogg.

I love Auriaya's scream when she dies. (I know, but I do.)

And that first trip down into the Descent into Madness is still one of the most awe-inspiring moments in the game to date. I get chills just thinking about it.

Favorite Zone

Howling Fjord

I've leveled 4 characters through Northrend now, and this is the one zone that is continually the most fun for me. Part of it is the thrill of finally being into current content, but mostly it's just the design.

I love flying around the zone and just taking everything in. It's stunning.

I love that I can fly around Utgarde keep and pick out the ramparts and platforms that we run across and fight on while actually in the dungeon.

I love that the terrain is vibrant and varied.

And of all the zones in NR, it just feels bigger. I don't mean in terms of land area. Just in terms of...being larger than life. Epic.

Favorite Quest Chain

Crusader Bridenbrad

I almost put the Wrathgate questline here. Almost.

Then I realized that it's not the questline that I'm enamored with, just the cinematic at the end.

Icecrown is filled with amazing quest chains. The entire zone is made of them. The retaking of the Argent Vanguard. The battle with the Scarlet Onslaught. The revenge of the Bone Witch. Matthias Lehner.

But the most compelling is the salvation of Crusader Bridenbrad.

If you haven't done this quest chain, you absolutely need to. It starts once you're recaptured Crusader's Pinnacle. Tirion Fordring gives you the quest A Tale of Valor and tasks you with locating Bridenbrad.

I won't spoil what happens next. If you've done it, you know. If you haven't, you should. And if you're not going to...follow the link to Wowhead and read about it.

Seriously, though. This is probably the most epic quest chain in the entire game. The end of it is deeply moving.

And that's before you even know the story behind it...