Northrend feels awesome nowFollow

Have you been back there lately?

I was standing by a cliff in Twin Storm Peaks. Not a person around in the zone. You could almost sense the isolation and the wind chill. The lonesomeness of the crumbling ruins seemed more appropriate now. You really got the feel that you were on the edge of the world, on some isolated continent, chasing after a hidden evil.

It's a feeling I just didn't get with 20 other people in the zone racing after your nodes. It's not the same feeling I get when I return to Outlands, and get nostalgic there. Somehow Outlands feels to me like it should be full of people. Northrend on the other hand, well it seems quite appropriate it's deserted, almost better that way. Almost like it's been waiting for the moment everyone moved on, for everything to finally be right again. Dalaran is empty now too of course, and that doesn't quite seem right. Then again Dalaran is out of place there anyway, so no big surprise.

So, have you been back lately? What did you think?



Edited, Jan 24th 2011 9:58am by someproteinguy

Where's that?

I haven't been back there lately, but I know what you mean. I guess Outlands (mainly Hellfire peninsula) feels like it should be full because of the whole 'warfare' theme going on there, both in horde vs alliance and players vs fel orcs. It felt at its best when there were tons of people fighting for their respective faction, attempting to gain superiority in the zone and tackle down the huge fel Orc numbers. That point doesn't come across when there's one guy questing along the path of glory, in between an army of 200+ fel Orcs.

Cataclysm has its good and bad for me. A lot of ppl say they don't like Orgrimmar now, but compared to the old pleasant town it was, the New Orgrimmar is At War. It feels like it, looks like it. As a horde, going to Dalaran is almost like visiting civilization, talking to npc's with manners, and staying at agreeable, comfortable inns with hot dancing barmaids.
...ahem, I digress.
NR is almost empty tho, I was in Scholazar skinning on my rogue, and didn't see another person for over an hour. The jungle noises seemed louder for some reason.

I think a lot of the 'lot's of people' vs solitude thing has to do with the zone itself, not the continent. Some of Northrend feels lonely but hardly all of it does. Storm Peaks gives off this feeling that you're alone at the edge of the world vibe but Icecrown and Zul'drak are bustling battlefields where it would feel odd if there weren't a lot of people around, even if those people are just random Argent Crusade soldier NPCs.

A bright floating city in the middle of a desolate wasteland is out of place?
And here I thought the purples and golds fit in perfectly with the white and the grey of the scenery

My 84 DK still hearths in Dal as he has NR herbing and glyoh book needs still and has an port to the Eastern Kingdoms so travel is easy mode still.

As far as SW goes, all my toons stay based out of the dwarven section. Way less busy and a lot more convenient. They have better booze and crazier parties to boot.

Northrend being empty does give it more of an epic feel. Just me versus the hordes of undead now as I farm herb and Books of Glyph Mastery. No one ever around to help or hinder, just coldness and death all around, draped about the landscape like the unfeeling snow.

Also it is very peaceful in Dal now and I think that is how it was meant to be. The hustle and bustle from the throngs of adventurers don't lend as well to scholarly pursuits as the calm peaceful reflection of a frozen landscape.