Boomdeyada, boomdeyada!

It’s so easy to get bogged down by negativity when it comes to WoW, especially lately. Boredom and burnout are rearing their heads, and it seems like every other PuG that I step into leaves me wondering how people are smart enough to even function. Sometimes I forget about the things that keep me playing: little things that I enjoy about the game and that have kept me engaged for over a year now.

Crusty Bob – Every single one of my characters takes a screenshot with this turtle who hangs out with the hunter trainer outside of The Exodar. Guys, HE SMILES. A TURTLE WHO SMILES.

Azshara – by far my favorite zone, I’ve always like that it feels deserted and ruinous. The autumn setting is gorgeous, and the lack of quests and people in the zone just adds to that atmosphere of emptiness. If you’ve ever done laps of the zone for herbs or mining, you know it’s a huge place, and there’s something peaceful about having it all to yourself (a few naga aside). The night elf ruins with the toppled Ravencrest Monument are a wonderful illustration of what the elves lost in the Sundering. Since Up (my favorite movie, words just cannot express) came out, I’ve started associating Azshara with the scene when Ellie and Carl lie under the tree watching the clouds – it just has that feeling for me.

Sheddle Glossgleam – Head upstairs in The Threads of Fate, plop yourself down in the Shoeshine Seat, and if you’re as in love with sparkly things as I am, prepare to be thrilled.

Windle Sparkshine – When it gets dark in Dalaran, he turns on the streetlamps, then sells Wendle’s Lighter, which lets you turn on any that he’s missed. :3 Dalaran in general is just a dynamic zone, and it was amazing to explore when Wrath hit and people were slowly trickling into the city.

Naxx doodad – the door in the arachnid quarter doesn’t say this any more, but it used to send me into thralls of glee, making it the only part of Naxx to do so. Doodad nerf ’09, never forget!

Karazhan – I’m a BC baby and this was my first raid. I’ll always remember it fondly for that alone, but the lore and the way that a manor full of sinister spirits speaks to me are what make Karazhan special. The encounters were interesting in ways that other raids have yet to top for me. How freaking amazing was the Opera event? In a similar vein, Duskwood is my favorite Azerothian questing zone. I love spooky undead!

Dorfus Alphamage – I didn’t play in vanilla WoW, but that doesn’t stop me from loving this shout out in Dalaran to a time when dwarves could be mages. How awesome is that spinny braid female dwarf animation going to be on mages in Cataclysm?

Flame Leviathan choppers – I squeal like a little girl when I get to ride around beeping my horn. BEEP BEEP. o/

Lady Sylvanas Windrunner – Her story and the Lament of the Highborne are hauntingly beautiful. She is by far my favorite faction leader, and I miss being Horde because it means that I’ll never be doing my auctioning and hear her begin to sing. The only appropriate response to her song is to rush to the Royal Quarter and bow in reverence at her feet. People who don’t stay to listen to her sing are heathens!

Downing a boss for the first time – It feels amazing. Congratulations to everyone in Brotherhood of Oblivion for our first Anub’arak 25 kill! I logged off feeling giddy and remembering why I love raiding, that feeling of finally coming together and besting a boss who’s given you trouble in the past is nothing short of euphoric.

That’s just a few things that I can think of, and I know there’s more that I’m missing. My poor boyfriend can attest to the fact that every now and then I just start flapping my hands and squealing over some little exciting thing. The details are part of what makes the game enjoyable for me, and Blizzard does not skimp. So tell me, what do you love about World of Warcraft?