It’s been exactly like this. Yesterday I played 8 p.m. -> midnight, and I didn’t even set foot in Stormwind Keep to answer Anduin’s call! My hands were quite busy with more important and pressing matters: allied races access, new toons and goblin heritage armor. I also completed a small side quest concerning Jaina, Derek and Calia before going to bed.
*spoiler alert: allied races and goblin questline spoilers incoming, so beware!
VULPERA
Vulpera were a natural attraction, kinda highlight of the launch day, so that’s where I came first. The questline is long enough and requires a lot of travel around the world!
First, Kiro the caravan leader approaches Baine in Grommash Hold and asks for a favor to join the Horde. Funny enough, Baine refuses! Motivation: attending to yet another race problems will stretch the Horde thin even more. It’s not the best time to take on new responsibilities – not when the devastating war has just ended. Kiro then asks hero to prove that vulpera would be of aid rather than an extra nuisance.
Three Horde commanders are standing right there and haunt Baine to help with their matters, so his response is actually justified. First we travel with Kiro to Twilight Highlands. A construction of an outpost is delayed there, because peons left their workplaces. We attend to their problems: making them feel important with ‘promotion’ (that was very cool and funny!), organizing a feast in their honor in the name of the Horde (involves a small and hilarious beast grind), and mine some ore to improve their ruined tools. Cherry on top, we subjugate their foreman, because he dreams of becoming the next warchief and needs a couple of bumps on the head.
Second, we attend the issue of a naga attack in southern Zuldazar (a problem of a Zandalari commander). Nisha the fighter vulpera accompanies us, and it’s naturally a guerilla mission: slay some for weapons, blow up javelins, disrupt the shield, execute naga commander.
The final task is wine production in Suramar (Nightborne commander). The issue is making a sort of arcwine which will suit not only Highborne, but the whole Horde. Turns out, Horde members were given the wrong tasks – not their strong sides, so Meerah and hero need to reassign them. I shivered when I learned that one of those guys was Nomi! Yet nothing bad happened, he proved to be quite capable this time. Wine done and approved, problem was solved.
With all three commanders gone from the Hold, Baine is ashamed and accepts vulpera into the fold. Next stop – character creation screen!
First thing first, I’ve payed for the race swap – btw, it’s 30% discount for reroll services until February 11 – and changed my BE warrior to the vulpera named Rikkit!
Transmogs are yet a subject of change, but I mean it to be a dune scavenger type, so no bright colors.
Funny thing is, this may not have been the best idea after all :) It’s ok with rogues and shaman wielding their weapons on hips, but vulpera fury warriors tend to wield maces and axes like this…
See, the maces’ and axes’ heads seem glued between shoulderblades, and handles double vulperas’ height! The model has to deal not only with small folk issues, where many weapons would be oversized, but also their tails, and that’s the design decision. It looks extremely weird and out of balance, physics dismissed, especially when the character is on the move. I had no such problem with goblin warrior – maces were fixed properly then.
Frankly I don’t know what to do now :) My options include: addressing the issue with the developers (doing that anyway), using other weapons – swords, swapping spec between orc warrior and vulpera warrior (Arms <-> Fury), and finally, another race swap from vulpera to another race. We will have to play and see.
At least I don’t have this problem with my fresh vulpera mage Jakti! She’s due leveling for Shadowlands – someday – and her transmogs are fine. Again, the scavenger/arabian type:
MECHAGNOMES
Mechagnome questline is much more straightforward and signififcantly shorter. Kelsey Steelspark informs us that High Tinker in his coma in escape pod starts collapsing, so we have to act quickly.
We actually sneak the escape pod from Boralus on our own risk – an action NOT approved by Alliance authorities, and drive it to Mechagon as a last resort. The questline involves running around the island, collecting several gadgets and parts and clearing the chaotic remnants of the mad King’s forces on the way.
High Tinker is successfully revived in Rustbolt, and we proceed into the Mechagon facilities. There is a small cutscene where gnomes and mechagnomes are reunited as one folk, with High Tinker in charge and Prince Erazmin his closest friend and counsellor. The amount of syrup in their communication would make all shippers cry – Anduin/Wrathion pairing tension is nothing compared to that!
There, we can proceed to character creation screen. I was never excited with the idea of prosthetics on my toon, and seeing them in reality didn’t change that. So the death knight Kadabro is just a heritage armor project:
By the way,
THE NEW DEATH KNIGHT STARTING QUESTLINE
- Pledge your loyalty to the Lich King Bolvar (action button);
- Get the new blade transmogs from Highlord Mograine;
- Teleport to Stormwind/Orgrimmar and start leveling!
That’s all, folks!
GOBLIN HERITAGE ARMOR
The goblin heritage armor quest is nowhere short. I enjoyed it very much, cause it addresses how the goblin community ticks, and also involves an important lore keypoint.
For starters, we go to Stranglethorn Valley – the goblin camp of Kezan refugees. Our associate sends us to Kezan – more specifically, a special instanced part of it called Crapopolis, design assets borrowed from Motherlode dungeon. Hobart Grapllehammer, a genious inventor, is in the process of creating a power suit, so we’re to help.
On our arrival we hail to the engineering lab, where Gallywix bullies the inventor. His henchmen will even knock you back if you try to enter before he finishes the conversation! Gallywix gone, we’re helping the inventor to finish his armor.
Testing is goblin-style: we incinerate and freeze the subjects in the said armor, when it comes to explosives test, the last survivor just flees. Then we get a number of extra parts from another goblin in exchange for acquiring some debts from local thugs, and deliver them to Hobart. And else there is a mine field Storm Peaks-style for explosive test – good luck reaching the middle while uncontrolled landmines send you flying in random directions…
Then comes the harder part: we equip this battle armor and try to defeat the pummeler mecha. It is insanely hard, most of his abilities will incinerate you in your tracks, so you have to keep moving. I died at least 4 times before I pulled it off, and you have to start over if you die. Can’t imagine what it’s like with movement-restrained, slow casting classes without self-heals…
With armor ready, we go to arrange an auction (without Gallywix). For that, we fly half of Kalimdor: starting from Caverns of Time, we visit Gadgetzan’s leader in Tanaris, Pozzik on his gnome/goblin time-share barge in Thousand Needles, and finally Gazlowe in Ratchet. From Ratchet, we take a ship to Stranglethorn only to learn that Gallywix has taken over Crapopolis! All the bidders arrive to the island to help us, but actually we have to do all the work ourselves. First we free the lab from 8 thugs, and then chase Gallywix.
Pummeler mecha where you died previously? How about a pummeler mecha on steroids – the G.M.O.D. piloted by Gallywix? It does the very same lethal stuff, only you have limited area to run (landmines!), and it also heals itself to 30% 2 times, when you bring him to zero. I’ve died another 5 times before winning, luckily you don’t start over and may proceed after death.
With azerite power out, the G.M.O.D. is unable to repair itself, and it jams Gallywix inside (a tongue in cheek to after-Mekkatorque dialogue in Dazar’Alor raid about escape pods). Goblin bosses arrive and tell the incapacitated Gallywix that contract with him will be re-negotiated. In goblin terms, this means his downfall – finally! And as we will see later in peace treaty cutscene, Gazlowe becomes the goblin representative in the Horde. Down with the annoying fatcat!
Oh, and the power armor suit? Turns out it’s used all its powers to defeat the G.M.O.D., and they give it to us for our efforts. It has no tactical combat value anymore, but at least it’s stylish :) Hey, that’s what we came for!
No head piece on this shot, but there are actually two: a pilot helm with goggles either on the eyes or on the forehead!
***
This was a great streak of adventures with the small folk of Warcraft, and I’m very happy with my first gaming session in patch 8.3.!
Coming next: major questline of the Visions (now in progress).
Gnomecore 