After a week of leave, I returned to the Patch 2.1 Test Realm to see what was new. I downloaded a 34mb patch and another of nearly 5mb. Once I logged in, I found out Mount Hyjal is open for Testing.
This is what Blizzard Developer Jeff “Tigole” Kaplan informed:
Tigole: “We’re placing an attunement NPC in Shattrath on the PTR’s next to the Black Temple NPC to expedite entry into Mount Hyjal. We just pushed a new PTR build with updated Black Temple changes. More changes to come next week.
We’re eager to hear your feedback.”
So I went to the Terrace of Light in Shattrath City, by A’dal and Khadgar, to talk to Jimmy McWeaksauce. The temporary NPC attuned me to enter Mount Hyjal, and nicely gave me an option to teleport me right in front of the Mount Hyjal dungeon zone-in at Caverns of Time.
Naturally, I ventured inside to explore. There is a white giant tauren named Flaskataur who sells different assortments of Flasks and reagents. And two bronze dragons disguised as High Elves serving as Quartermasters. The female, Indormi (Keeper of Ancient Gem Lore), sells 24 Jewelcrafting recipes which you may acquire by reaching Honored, Revered and Exalted with the Scales of the Sand; and the male NPC named Tydormu (Keeper of Lost Artifacts) sells Tier 6 gear.
)) |
)) |
)) |
)) |
)) |
)) |
)) |
)) |
)) |
)) |
)) |
)) |
)) |
)) |
)) |
)) |
)) |
It caught my attention to see three dungeon portals inside. Each portal leads to one of the following bases: Alliance, Horde, Night Elves. You can’t go to the Horde base portal unless you finish the Alliance base event. Same for the Night Elf base, you require to finish the Horde base event to gain access to the Night Elf base portal. I suppose the three-portal hub is there to save time for players. There is a good three or five minutes journey between the Alliance base and the Horde base on an epic mount. Caverns of Time: Mount Hyjal is a representation of the three groups that fought Archimonde at Mount Hyjal four years before World of Warcraft takes place.
Outside the Alliance base following the road to the right is the Undead Scourge base. You can’t go further down the road as a invisible wall stops you. On the back of the Alliance base is another road. This one takes you up Mount Hyjal toward the Orcish Horde Base. There you can see Shamans, Witch Doctors, Orc Grunts and Warchief Thrall. The buildings are pretty nice including the spiked burrows. On the back of the Horde base are Tauren Tents like those in Thunderbluff. Further up Mount Hyjal you reach Nordrassil and some Night Elf buildings. There you can find Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind mounting her white tiger, surrounded by Huntresses, Dryads, Druids of the Talon and Druids of the Claw.
To start the event you have to talk to Lady Jaina Proudmoore by clicking “My companions and I are with you, Lady Proudmoore”. Jaina will proceed saying: “Thank you, (Race). Now prepare yourselves. Archimonde is on the march, and we must hold off the inevitable for as long as we can.”
The Alliance base has towers, houses, blacksmith shop, a stable and other known Warcraft Human buildings, but their doors are sealed and you can’t walk in into the buildings. There are peasants gathering wood. The event starts with five Footman, two Knights, three High Elven Priests, three High Elven Sorceress, and six Dwarven Rifleman and Lady Jaina Proudmoore in the front line of defense. On the back, there are three more Knights, two footman and five Rifleman.
The Undead Scourge base has a Slaughterhouse, Crypt, Cauldron, Ziggurats and among its units are Ghouls, Shadowy Necromancers, Abominations, and Crypt Fiends. When Jaina gives the queue to start the event you get a few waves of Ghouls and Crypt Fiends. They are level 71 (Elite) and hit like a truck. At this time I entered with another player, alone. This is a 25-players dungeon. My guess is you will get waves of mobs with increments of different types of units, and harder waves as time goes. By the looks of what I saw in the initial wave, things will be very challenging for Harcore guilds. Even with the help of the NPCs. Below is a video of the Alliance and Undead Scourge bases. The second video, showing the Horde and Night Elf bases will be added soon.
Post a comment at our Warcraft Lore Forum.
