267: Gnomeward Bound

[Brendan Main]

Gnomeward Bound

In Cataclysm, it's a sort of Gnomecoming for the smallest race in World of Warcraft as the gnomes fight to retake their irradiated capital. While all of the hullaballoo of the big changes in the latest expansion captures attention, Brendan Main is more interested in the little guys.

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[oathblade]

I could never get into playing a gnome because of how their treated as jokes. But I knew they were a serious race. Lordaeron may be consigned to the dust bin of history (The Crusade doesnt even acknowledge them as a nation) but the gnomes fight on. Im really happy their getting a moment in the sun.

 

[AngryMongoose]

For Gnomeregan!


It's a shame that even what we capture will be little more than a starter zone. I want an actual gnome city

 

[GoodApprentice]

I guess something Gnome-related can be beautiful. By far, the best piece of writing I've come across all day. What a pleasant surprise!

 

[Blackjack 222]

Canadian Gnomes are weird.


ARE YOU READY TO PUNT SOME GNOOOOOOOOMES!

 

[Anacortian]

I first got into Gnomes as a perfect PvP character. What's more humiliating to the dirty, dirty horde than falling to folk that might not come to your knee? Now I love the intrepid, little bastards. I did find myself getting a little thrill when the BG horn would sound and I had even odds of crying "For Gnomeregan!"

Oh, and Gnomer is one of my favorite instances because it is buggy, hard, and a little weird. I would, however, give-up that awesome dungeon of my newbth that the Gnomes might have more than a borough of Ironforge.

 

[Lawyer105]

I loved the gnomes. And as much as I'm glad they're getting home back, I (personally) can't bear the changes that are taking place in the world.

It's one thing to completely change the world (which I have no inherent problem with). But they're ALSO destroying the old one... when the potential already exists to maintain it (through CoT). And I'll never be able to run the Barrens again with my Tauren druid. Or sit on the docks in the rain fishing in Aubderdine. Or cheer on the racers on the Shimmering Flats.

Account has been cancelled and Cataclysm will not be purchased. But WoW is still powerful enough to keep me watching the news on everything that happens in the world.

 

[Sartan0]

Man I remember that one long ramp more then half way through the instance where if you walked down the right side you pulled 100 baddies from below. That was demoralizing but also amusing if you were a bit off or sleep deprived.

 

[Billion Backs]

I used to LOVE running gnomeregan back in the day when it was new.

New players who just get run through content by level 80s don't know what they're missing...

It's really among my top 10 favorite instances in WoW, thanks to it's atmosphere and fond memories.

And I don't actually remember fucking up too much in it... Nor any bugs. Monsters aggroing from those train tracks is just how aggro works, that's why you hug the walls. And bombs, both the running and the regular on-the-ground type dropped by those dark iron dwarves, were pretty annoying that's for sure.

And roleplaying a gnomish protection-centered warrior was a blast. Engineering offers the best explanation for Shockwave... Or Thunder Clap.

 

[Alar]

"Who says you can gnever go home."

That was great.

For the longest time I've enjoyed Gnomeregan. While everyone else touts their dislike or hatred for it, I find it a decent place to go. I've memorized practically the entire instance, and am the first willing to volunteer to help run someone's alt through it.

One of my favorite characters to play in PvP is a gnome rogue. She's small, hard to notice, and extremely deadly. Being an avid roleplayer, I decided to have fun with her and name her Gloomy, a name completely opposite of her happy, bubbly, and always energetic attitude. How can you not love the cute giggling?

For Gnomeregan!

 

[Fr]anc[is]

I really like gnomes too, they're the only alliance race I like (Dwarves too, but they are copy/paste out of every fantasy setting ever). The mech theme is awesome. But come on, We've got freaking goblins now. Those who's original purpose was to be a greener mirror of gnomes, and have grown to be more explosive, more greedy, and more awesome. So... FOR THE HORDE! (BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!)

 

[Sartan0]

New players who just get run through content by level 80s don't know what they're missing...

It's really among my top 10 favorite instances in WoW, thanks to it's atmosphere and fond memories.

Haha, yes they are missing the fact that it could wipe a decently geared (for the time) level 60 trying to help 30's get through. That said I did not hate it like many seem too or did.

 

[BlindChance]

I love the gnomes. They've the best mood whiplash in the game.

Oh, they're so cute! So tiny! Such funny little comic relief. Oh hey 80% of my family and friends and anyone I ever knew died in a single horrific event. Their voices are so squeaky...

My only level 80 is a gnome. Gnomes will always have a place in my heart, and you'd better believe she'll be there to retake Gnomeregan.

(Also, there is more Gnome content after 30. Wrath of the Lich King did a good job going into pre-gnome history.)

 

[Earthbound]

The first character I ever made in WoW was a Gnome Warlock. The first character I got to 80 was a Gnome Warlock (completely different characters). I loved everything about the race. The Alliance is rather vanilla in terms of fantasy tropes. You have the expansive Humans; drunk, Scottish Dwarves; limber and haughty Night Elves; and (admittedly unique) space goat Draenei. Gnomes are just so much different than the rest. They aren't forefront in world politics or holding a race-wide grudge against any foreign power. They're just kind of drifting along, making cool stuff with the knowledge that they one day may go back home. No other Alliance race compares to that.

Admittedly, I'm For the Horde now. Their side was just so much more interesting in every way (though I will curse the Blood Elves with my dying breath). Still, as I rush around with my bloodthirsty Orc Warrior and slip through the shadows on my Forsaken Rogue, I cannot deny respect for all Gnomes that I see. It takes a special kind of person to be able to play a Gnome with pride. I'll definitely dust my Warlock off to bring him back home, even if I could never stand being there with four other people.

 

[Azabondiia]

I suppose I could say that I'm on the apposing faction to the writer here. I love the sprawling dungeons from Vanilla, which took some exploration, and are not just a long corridor of monsters (worst culprit by far in Shattered Halls, which doesn't even attempt the illusion of non linearity).

Vanilla dungeons, are complicated and I love them for it. Blizzard have perfected dungeon design for the masses, by making it really easy. I love the concept of getting lost in a dungeon - my favorite suggestion for wow is and always has been the concept of a random dungeon creator - where you have a different layout each time, with different traps, and monsters and bosses. (Built out of generic templates).

So each experience would be unique, and also the ability to hold over the lockup IP for the dungeon so you could return with friends to tackle it some more if you run out of time.

Wow at the moment is the Fast Food of the RPG MMO genre - which is awesome in its own way, but I cannot complain about the old style dungeons, because I have a HUGE love of them.

The Blackrock Mountain dungeons are the very best - though upper spire is linear, it doesn't feel linear, probably because lower spire is so open.

And Black Rock Deeps, is the work of a genius. - Try doing that in 15mins (the majority of LK heroics take 15mins now - and people moan about the 5 minute timed event in halls of stone).

If TBC and LK dungeons are the fast food of wow, Vanilla's dungeons are the evening dinner. (or the Sunday Roast).

So my view is that the older dungeons have their place, and we could sure do with some more of them for varieties sake in the expansion. (But I doubt we will get it).

As for Gomer. I love the place, and I love that the Gnomes are getting to attempt to recapture. Maybe in a future patch - they will get a city of their own.

But the problem with cities (up until now), is they become ghost towns quite quickly - at the moment Dalaran is a Low framerate hell, and all the other cities are hardly even visited. So I can understand why Blizzard don't want to invest too much time in a new city.

But - with Northrend now dropping from peoples focus - then maybe the major cities will begin to play a larger role again - Maybe all the cities will begin to fill up, because any place is a good base.

 

[Fetzenfisch]

wow that was SOOOOOOOOO |----| close from bringing me back to WOW before Cataclysm, seriously, but then i remembered that i would be bored again after the damn long installation and about 2 hours of playing.
But i will be back, already secured my Goblin's name on the server.

 

[Jake Martinez]

If Gnomes are an a-typical race selection for WOW, then I was by far the most a-typical of the bunch with my raid leading gnome warrior. I played on a PVP server and there is just something down right *magical* about your tiny little gnome with his hand of rag pwning face in world pvp or on the BG's. I could almost imagine the screams of frustration as my diminutive homicidal maniac pwnt another angst ridden teenage tauren or orc player ;-)

I'm not sad that I quit WOW in general (hey, I got married and so far I'm really enjoying it!) but I do have to admit that every now and then I get the longing to go... "FOR GNOMEREGON!"

Things like this are almost enough to make me give it another whirl... almost. Sadly I think the game has changed too much from it's pre-BC roots for an old hard-core player like me to feel satisfied with what it has to offer. Even more sadly, it appears every major MMORPG is following this trend... I can't blame them, it does seem to draw in the subscriptions (money) but I'll always cherish my memories of long nights working on a 40 man raid. Yes, sometimes it felt like work, but now looking back on it, it felt like I was part of something *epic*

I just don't get that vibe anymore at all.

 

[okitana]

It cool to see the gnomes are as excited as us Trolls horde side are about retaking the echo isles... i was kinda =/ when i read how quickly you brushed off how much of an event this is for us too though.. so heres a history lesson from wow wiki about us Darkspear

"As tribal rivalries erupted throughout the former Gurubashi Empire, the Darkspear tribe found themselves driven from their homeland in Stranglethorn Vale. Having settled in what are believed today to be the Broken Isles, the tribe soon found themselves entangled in a conflict with a band of murlocs. Their fate seemed sealed until the orcish Warchief Thrall and his band of newly freed orcs took shelter on their island home. Controlled by a Sea Witch, a group of rampaging murlocs captured the Darkspears' leader Sen'jin, along with Thrall and several other orcs and trolls. Thrall managed to free himself and others, but was ultimately unable to save the trolls' leader. Although Sen'jin was sacrificed to the Sea Witch, he was able to reveal a vision he had in which Thrall would lead the Darkspear from the island.

After returning to the island, Thrall and his followers managed to fend off further attacks by the Sea Witch and her murloc minions, and set sail for Kalimdor once again. Under the new leadership of Vol'jin, the Darkspear swore allegiance to Thrall's Horde and followed him to Kalimdor. Now considered enemies by all other trolls except the Revantusk and the Zandalari, the Darkspear are held in contempt to this day. Yet, the Darkspear have not forgotten being driven from their ancestral homes and this animosity is eagerly returned, especially towards the other jungle trolls. Having reached the orc's new homeland, Durotar, the trolls carved out another home for themselves ? this time among the Echo Isles on the eastern shores of the new orc kingdom.

However, with the coming of Kul Tiras and its navy, the Darkspear were forced to retreat inland under the onslaught of the misguided commander Daelin Proudmoore. The trolls, fighting alongside their Horde brethren, defeated the enemy and reclaimed their new homeland. Shortly thereafter, a witch doctor by the name of Zalazane began using dark magic to take the minds of his fellow Darkspear. As his army of mindless followers grew, Vol'jin ordered the free trolls to evacuate, and Zalazane took control of the Echo Isles. The Darkspear have since settled on the nearby shore, naming their new village after their old leader, Sen'jin. From Sen'jin Village they, along with their allies, send forces to battle Zalazane and his enslaved army.] "


i'm looking forward to being a part of the darkspear completeing their journey from what has been forever since Sen'jins vision

 

[narwhalman218]

My first character was a gnome mage. I remember going into gnomer very cockey, and getting my ass kicked so hard i was wearing it as a hat. Since starting the game, I have pretty much only made gnome characters because they are probably (with the exception of trolls) the most interesting races in the game. Also I think the reason the gnome canon ends at level 30 is because they are the comic relief race. Nobody wants to hear a tragic story about the abandonment of a lost city from a gnome.