Where do you kick back and relax, catch a few fish, admire the scenery or just listen to the music?
I’ve found a few of these zones in past expansions.
- Vanilla still has some of my favourite zones of all time, including Ashenvale, Feralas, Westfall, and Dun Morough. But it’s so old at this point, the magic is beginning to fade.
- The Burning Crusade was a bit “out there”, but I still remember the original Nagrand fondly.
- Wrath of the Lich King of course gave us Grizzly Hills, and Scholazar Basin wasn’t at all bad, either.
- Mists of Pandaria is an old favourite, and both Kun-Lai and the Jade Forest are just superb.
- Warlords of Draenor had a few great ones, like Nagrand (especially the forested area). There’s also Shadowmoon Valley, which was a unique (albeit a bit alien) experience.
- In Legion, Highmountain (particularly Trueshot Lodge) was fantastic.
- Battle for Azeroth had Stormsong Valley, which is just a delight.
- Shadowlands wasn’t my cup of tea, but I did initially quite enjoy hanging out in Ardenweald and Bastion.
So that takes us to Dragonflight.
I’m a bit disappointed with the Ohn’ahran Plains. I’m not really feeling the music, or the Centaur theme. The Emerald Dream and Green Dragonflight bits are really nice, but they feel a bit forced, sitting right on the edge of the zone like an afterthought.
The Azure Span is lovely, but with it being designed with Dragonriding in mind, I feel like it lost some of its potential as an alpine, mountainous zone. There’s no real sense of movement as you move up the mountain, because you dart across it in the blink of an eye. This is also noticeable in the layout of the zone. The coast feels almost Vanilla-like in its design, with a simple mountain range bordering the sea with hardly any detail.
Thaldraszus is probably my least favourite. It has too much verticality and way too many buildings. The colour palette isn’t up my alley, eiher.
The Waking Shores, though, is fantastic. I just love the way the horizon becomes all layered in different nuances as you view it from a distance. Music feels nice and immersive, like a simple fantasy setting. I only wish half the zone wasn’t occupied by lava. Instead, the northern coast could have offered some variety by including an archipelago, playing further into its almost Mediterranean theme. Warm and cosy little islands, underwater content, etc. But alas.
Anyway, I’m rambling. Do you have any favourite spots you’d like to share?
