My voyage to Tanaan yesterday was undertaken after a whole day of anticipation. The realms opened when I just started my workday, and I had to wait until evening to log in with my main.
Luckily I got one more proof that planning a vacation or a day off at the day of new xpac or patch launch is silly. It will ALWAYS bring some drawbacks and fails on the release date, so while people were struggling with multiple mistakes and couldn’t login, I was working and waiting for the evening. By the time I arrived home (and not without visiting supermarket with my wife and cooking some dinner together after), all login troubles were fixed by Blizzard and I was able to play smooth like always :=)
NO SPOILERS COMING.
QUESTING
Micromantica, my Gnome Frost Mage, was immediately loaded with tasks both from Khadgar and His Highness Wrynn. Then I had this flight to Iron Docks – it’s the first time I saw Foundry from above, and I saw it as a good sign, a flight preview! I was extremely happy to meet Yrel on my arrival. I love the character, I enjoy questing with her and for her, and I hope we will bond after Draenor ends. I would definitely bring her back to Azeroth, along with Grommash and Drek’Thar. Pity these three seem too involved into local communities and local business, so they probably stay.
Run through Iron Docks was tough. I’ve completed the grind mission for small reward, and it wasn’t a piece of cake. I ended up eating conjured meals after every fight to recover. Guess I won’t do it again with alts. But the main quest is very straightforward and fast: get bombs, blow a train, kill a bastard.
SHIPYARD
Then I completed the shipyard part. It’s not easy. Guys are scattered around the place, so it was tough to find them. I was also confused with the idea that I have so little ships (5) until next upgrade to tier 2. And it won’t be until few weeks.
The guides say that you build 3 Destroyers and 2 Transports until next Tier, and when you’re able to build more and better boats, you go for submarines, carriers and battleships. So that’s what I’m gonna do. Also there’s a big deal that you send your ships only to 100% chance missions, because it’s easy to fail them (it’s even in Tutorial questing). You upgrade these ships much like followers.
Shipyard is fun (yet), but I hope they add a flight path there too, although it’s 10 seconds drive from new Garrison exit.
QUESTING AGAIN
After you do your shipyard, you’re able to go to Tanaan. Now you bond with Yrel until you build a base. It’s a small and easy run, and you spend like 5-10 minutes from your shipyard to establishing your new outpost.
Then you’re overwhelmed with dailies!
They are intertwined with normal “campaign” questing, so it goes very smoothly. I must say that introduction questing is great, as when you finish to learn the intelligence reports who tell you what is going on, you’ll have opened 80% of the zone map, killed some rares and probably did some dailies too.
It’s like a mix of Pandarian dailies and Garrison campaign/missions table. I checked the achievement lists, and was glad to learn that you will unveil the main storyline as you progress through reputations. So dailies do make sense and you will unveil more plot. It’s crucial that you do! Actually it was expressed in many blogs, including mine, and I’m very glad Blizzard did it. Giving away small portions of the story arcs is what makes you come back and get busy with dailies. Perfect.
EXPLORATION
I put my nose in most corners of the map. The toughest would be saberon and Throne of KilJaeden zones: swarmed with elites, it takes my mage a big effort to kill at least one, save many. Not without a group I’m going there.
I did dailies at Iron Horde harbour, near the blasted gate at Talador and some pits right under Citadel. Swarming with mobs, died several times, but both easy and challenging enough.
I liked the part near harbour – there’s a dungeon/fortification which swarms with orcs and pales fighting each other. It’s a treasure hunt there, giving some apexis for Arrakoa quest. And pale orcs are crawling in the ceiling and jump on you! Appeared to be very fun. Also not far from there is a Bleeding Hollow ancestor grave pit. Gives you chills, a great place as well.
The Grey Elites do drop nice things and easy to kill, so I feel they’re balanced good. Got myself a 670 stave and a 670 shoulder cloth which I immediately put on. Six 650s which were disenchanted at once. Actually you have a chance to get good loot from any mob, so it feels like styled as Timeless Isle. Encourages exploration.
Tanaan itself is dark and tricky. It’s very dangerous and grim even without green fel slime, and creatures successfully hide there. Expect many surprise attacks. I wonder if we get tired of the eternal darkness after 1? 2? 6? months?
REPUTATIONS
Got myself 3000 for Arakkoa (yellow -> green) and even more with Draenei. Would be moderately annoying. Pain in the ass might be saberons, as it suggests killing elite mobs. We’ll see how it goes after I check out this area properly.
CONCLUSION
I’m going to close the Epic Ring quest for alts in Blackrock Foundry – with the only difference that they will spend their time in Tanaan rather than Garrison. Worked good for Chitsuro in the morning!
All in all Tanaan seems a place where I will spend many time.I’m overwhelmed by amounts of zones and things to do, let it sort out a bit. In fact, it’s gonna be my priority: coping with loads of information about new stuff.
Gnomecore 