Sunstrider Isle to the Ghostlands

[MongoJerry]

THE ADVENTURES OF NERIAD: Entering the Ghostlands

With only one day left until the Burning Crusade is released, there's no possible way I can do The Ghostlands justice. However, I'll do what I can do show you a few highlights and some new things that will be introduced to the game. Maybe next time Blizzard will know to give me a beta key more than a couple weeks before the release of a game. Regarding the Ghostlands, I will simply say that it was the best level 12-19ish zone in the game -- and that includes the new Dreanei starting zone. Hopefully, what I show you here will give you some desire to go explore it for yourself.

The first person Neriad met when she crossed into the Ghostlands was Apothecary Thedra, a Forsaken, who told Neriad that the blood elf courier at her feet was infected with the plague and would be consumed by it if Neriad did not get her some plagued blood samples from some of the infected beasts nearby.



Neriad dutifully returned with the samples, and I received a shock. Neriad had gained 1000 reputation points with some group called Tranquillien. Who the heck were these people, and what was a reputation grind doing in a starting zone?

Well, the first part of the question would be answered quickly. The courier asked Neriad to carry a letter down to the town of Tranquillien, which apparently was the main blood elf enclave in The Ghostlands.



Not far down the road, Neriad found Tranquillien nestled in some hills in a state thoroughly surrounded by enemies. Neriad found Arcanist Vandril and delivered the letter. He explained that the Forsaken have been aiding the blood elves in the Ghostlands and even says, "Trust me when I say this, without them the Ghostlands would be lost and the Scourge would already have overrun all of Eversong Woods!" He then sent Neriad to speak to the local leaders -- Dame Auriferous, the lead blood elf, and High Executor Mavren, the lead Forsaken.



High Executor Mavren explained the reason for the Forsaken being here -- besides the usual desire to thwart the Scourge. He explained that Dar'Khan, a blood elf traitor, is leading the Scourge in the Ghostlands and Lady Sylvanas Windrunner, who was once a blood elf, wants revenge on him for his treachery. This desire to defeat the Scourge and kill Dar'Khan is a theme that runs through nearly all the quests in the Ghostlands. Even when you are seemingly fighting another group, it's always with the aim that this way troops would be spared for the final assault on Dar'Khan.



But what was the purpose of the reputation grind with Tranquillien? It turns out that as one earns reputation with Tranquillien, you get to purchase some fine magical equipment from a local vendor named, Provisioner Vredigar. As you can see, compared to Neriad's white Satin Lined Boots, those green Apprentice Boots one can purchase with merely Friendly reputation are quite an improvement. This reputation system gives a reason to complete the quests in the area, because the only way to earn reputation with Tranquillien is to do the quests.

Incidentally, the Dreanei starting zone doesn't use this system. I, for one, loved it.

The town had a few of the usual hunt and kill quests plus the requisite quest to have you deliver orders and/or supplies via the bat -- which only connects Silvermoon and Tranquillien. I don't think there are any plans to have blood elf flight points connect to other flight points, because Blizzard doesn't want people who don't own the expansion to be able to get to blood elf lands.



The first main quest Neriad was sent on was to head over to the ruins of Suncrown Village to check up on some blood elves who had been sent there to drive out some crypt fiends that had settled into the place. Once Neriad got there, though, she learned from a dying blood elf that the crypt fiends had a boss leading them named Anok'suten that the blood elves hadn't counted on. As you can see, one of the new features in the expansion is hints in the quest log suggesting the number of players one should have in one's party in order to complete a certain quest. Usually, you can get by with less than the number that the quest suggests, however.



Just in case, though, Neriad teamed up with a nearby paladin by the name of Devilwolf. While Neriad probably could have killed Anok'suten herself, it was probably a good thing that she had grouped up, because Anok'suten called for help from nearby Nerubis Guards. Teaming up made what would have been a difficult fight easy.



Completing that quest seemed to open up a lot of other quests. (Admittedly, in the beta, there was a bug that made it so that the !'s and ?'s sometimes didn't appear over quest givers' heads, so it was hard to tell whether some quests had just opened up or whether some of them might have been available all along).

There was the quest to collect Crystalized Essences from the arcane creatures that spawned from the ruins of the Sanctum of the Moon.



There was the quest to investigate a camp of night elves and find out what they were up to. Neriad killed lots of night elves, but there was no helpful information given about what they were up to.