Warcraft Less Traveled : A World of Warcraft Podcast

Episode #68: Gillijim’s Isle was an original subzone that existed during the alpha-testing of WoW. Along with the Island of Doctor Lapidis, this small tropical island was never officially released into Azeroth. Although the island’s name may have been a playful reference to the popular tv show called Gilligan’s Island, the Blizzard developers may have initially planned this Gillijim Isle to be the starting zone for the Troll race. All reference to this forgotten island was removed with patch 4.0.1a, yet until that time, it was possible to travel to the open-water location and see the island’s subzone title appear. This Warcraft Less Traveled episode can also be heard as part of the All Things Azeroth Podcast from Dawnforge Productions. [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #67: The Island of Doctor Lapidis and Gillijim’s Isle are two forgotten subzones that never made it past the early alpha-testing of World of Warcraft. Found in the fatigue waters off the southwestern Stranglethorn Vale coast, the Island of Doctor Lapidis may have been an early attempt for Troll-specific leveling (originally marked for levels 10-22). Appearing on a few official game maps, Doctor Lapidis island shared the standard STV landscape and environmental textures. Although never activated with quests, the NPCs found on the island included Forest Trolls, Jungle Trolls, Ice Trolls, Humans, and Naga. The Island of Doctor Lapidis was removed from the official release of WoW, yet until patch 4.0.1a, it was possible to travel to the open-water location and have the island’s subzone title appear… even though the island was nowhere to be found! [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #66 Lost Adventurers Journal: Found in the Duskwood village of Raven Hill, a number of invisible specters haunt the shadows. The ghostly creatures, called The Unseen, are unknown to most players in Azeroth today. Only explorers who use detect invisibility (or similar) spells will have the opportunity to witness this hidden NPC in game. The Unseen live up to their name and make the old houses in Raven Hill truly haunted. This Warcraft Less Traveled episode was produced for the Darkmoon Herald Podcast. The Darkmoon Herald is a WoW podcast hosted by my great friends Kevin, Apsana, and Walsh. I highly recommend you take a listen and subscribe to their full show on iTunes or at DarkmoonHerald.com [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #65: A handful of very rare Damp Diary Pages (Day 4, Day 87, Day 512) can be found by an avid Azeroth fisherman. Contained inside a mundane Message In A Bottle, each Damp Diary Page strings together a colorful story of a castaway, shipwrecked on an island filled with bananas. Curious explorers may question whether there is a connection between the banana island mentioned in the diary and the mysterious Tel’Abim Island. Because it appears on very few official Blizzard development maps, there is little known about the south seas island of Tel’Abim. Although we cannot know for certain, these three Damp Diary Pages may be our only glimpse into Tel’Abim, the inaccessible WoW island zone where the popular Tel’Abim banana gets its name. [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #64 Lost Adventurers Journal: A number of mysterious things are found throughout the Darkmoon Faire. Yet, explorers of all levels can acquire a pair of souvenirs that share a common theme… ponies! Learn how to earn the I Was Promised a Pony achievement for riding a special faire pony and how to fish up a rare Darkmoon Sea Pony from the boardwalk. This Warcraft Less Traveled episode was produced for the Darkmoon Herald Podcast. The Darkmoon Herald is a WoW podcast hosted by my great friends Kevin, Apsana, and Walsh. I highly recommend you take a listen and subscribe to their full show at DarkmoonHerald.com [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #63 Timecapsule: Above the present-day Undercity, the Ruins of Lordaeron have preserved its tragic history for all to discover. Years earlier, a corrupted Arthas returned home to murder his father, King Terenas. Instead of being their hero, upon his return, the celebration presented by the Lordaeron citizens was turned to sorrow. Explorers of the Ruins of Lordaeron can hear the hidden sounds of the day Arthas betrayed the Kingdom. By listening very closely to the ambient sounds, visitors here can hear haunting sound files. In the abandoned bell tower, the bell sounds can be faintly heard. In the empty walkway leading to the throne room: the cheering crowd welcomes Arthas. Yet, in the throne room, explorers will find the echoes of the final confrontation between father and son. Command line script to hear the throne room echoes anywhere in game: /script PlaySoundFile(“Sound\Ambience\WMOAmbience\UnderCityThorneRoom.wav”) [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #62 Timecapsule: A long-forgotten quest, found off the coast of Stanglethorn Vale, offers explorers a chance to rescue a level 42 Tauren Princess. Yet, this won’t be easy. Courageous heroes must first find a Message In A Bottle – buried somewhere along the sandy beach. Once in hand, the message will lead adventurers on a quest to free Princess Poobah from King Mukla, a dangerous gorilla found on Juguero Isle. If you are brave enough to complete this secret quest-line, an uncommon mail armor bracer called Poobah’s Nose Ring will be your reward! [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #61 Timecapsule: A pair of solitary destinations can be easily overlooked in the beautiful zone of Nagrand. High up on one of its floating islands, a lone apple tree and skeleton are often considered a “Blizzard tribute” to Sir Isaac Newton. Requiring a flying mount (found southwest of the Throne of Elements), the Newton Apple Tree was one of the last-discovered secret places in all of the Outlands. The Nagrand Tomb is a second scene that fills the WoW explorer with a sense of wonder. This tranquil location has no known backstory in the existing Warcraft lore, yet its remote location in the far western mountains will reward the visitor with a stunning view. [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #60 Timecapsule: A bizarre destination is hidden high in the hills of northern Nagrand. Found at coordinates (51,14), the Nagrand Orphanage is home to an NPC troll named Challe. Visitors to this remote vista will discover that Challe is watching over a great number of babies from both factions – orc, night elf, troll, and tauren. The camp is setup with a furnished troll house, large sandbox, and a unique circular-swing (currently occupied by riding tauren infants). A closer look at this cheery haven for children may reveal a darker underbelly… small bones scattered around the camp, a large cooking stew, and various cages containing tiny childlike skeletons inside. [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #59 Timecapsule: The journey continues in this second part of Skolnick’s travel to Blizzcon 2011. Companionship is discovered with friends from both factions: Hasteur and Apsana from the Alliance, Cow and OldScratch from the Horde. The quest to find the Grand Archmage Morhaime within the Blizzcon convention center was a difficult one. Inside the enormous Anaheim Convention Center, all explorers encounter a sensory overload. The Blizzcon event was incredible and breath-taking. However, does Skolnick finally meet Morheime? Or will he need to return next year to search out the famed paladin named Ghostcrawler? Be sure to listen to Joe and Kevin on the PowWoW Podcast , an outstanding World of Warcraft Podcast Author Richard A. Knaak has written excellent books for WoW, as well as other novels set in The Dragonrealm and the new Knight in Shadow Trilogy. His Warcraft novels ‘Stormrage’ and ‘Wolfheart’ are available in Audiobook format through Audible! [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #58 Timecapsule: Having the opportunity to visit Blizzcon this year, Skolnick the Lost prepared this whimsical travel summary of his initial findings. The Anaheim “zone” had the perfect weather and gathering of gamers for the event. The initial night of the trip was spent with the wonderful crew at the WoW Insider live party at the Anabella hotel. It was the perfect way to start out the Blizzcon celebration… and the quest to find the Grand Arch-mage calling himself “Morhaime”. [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #57 Timecapsule: Lake Dumont is a secret subzone hidden in the mountains of northern Feralas. Appearing only after the Cataclysm, explorers of this area will need a flying mount to get over the high mountain ridge to reach this valley. In the center of Lake Dumont, an unnamed island is found. A few of the mysterious features on the island include the burning ruins of a mage’s watchtower, a number of Feralas-style trees, a small hut, and a special grave marked with ‘IVAN’. The truly interesting part of Lake Dumont island are its NPC inhabitants. Twelve level 85 NPCs are seen on this island, each busy in activity. It appears that the NPCs are named after real-life employees of Blizzard games. For example, NPC draenei Jake Patton, works as a Blizzard editor; while Lich King production assistant Larissa Bussell is found here as a NPC worgen. Lake Dumont is another well crafted location that makes great use of the lonely areas between the various Azeroth zones. Lake Dumont Exploration Blog Sources: – Syrco Moonkin Blog- World of Warcraft Secrets: Lake Dumont, – Ironyca Stood In The Fire: Lake Dumont [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #56 Timecapsule: Orgrimmar has a handful of secret and obscure features that may not be known to a casual WoW player. Beneath the playable floor of the main bank, an unseen goblin named Mezlik is found organizing the city gold and treasure. In addition, an icon of Disney – a hidden Mickey Mouse symbol – is camouflaged within the ground cover in the Valley of Honor. Lastly, the most mysterious secret in Orgrimmar may also be one of the most difficult to reach in all of Azeroth. Inside the giant boulder, hoisted up on the tall pillar of rock, a strange memorial exists inside a small stone room. A single candle illuminates the wall, displaying a stone carving of the letters “WKM”. It is currently unknown what or who the WKM Memorial Room stands for in Orgrimmar, yet this concealed location exists for the craftiest explorers to find. [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #55 Timecapsule: Introduced in the southern mountains of Feralas with patch 4.1, the Gadgetzan Goblins have founded a hidden “vacation” destination called The Steam Pools Resort. Run by gobin Resort Director Lasha Gearwheel, the Steam Pools is a well designed subzone @(70,73) that is formed around a number of warm mountain lakes. The resort is made up a numerous NPC vacation houses, a Head Chef NPC named Gordon Tramsay, an NPC named Johnny Awesome, a large sandy beach, and dozens of horde/alliance NPC races found relaxing near the lakeshore. There are no current quests/achievements associated with the Steam Pools Resort – aside from this sub-zone’s use during the Mysterious Grey Camel Figurine event. The Steam Pools is a fun, in-game destination that showcases dwarves, humans, blood elves, and Tauran NPC clad in swimsuits and bikinis… whether you were prepared to see them, or not. [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #54 Timecapsule: Found in a secluded valley below the snow-capped mountains, explorers can discover the location of the “Dun Morogh Tree”. Situated not far from this unique Dun Morogh Tree, at coordinates (30.7, 25.7), a dwarven campsite has been overrun by a family of black bear. These black bear, a type found only in this frosty mountain valley, have chased two dwarves out of this camp and up the Dun Morogh Tree. The dwarves, named Jermaine Buckey and Anton Buckey, have found themselves hopelessly trapped in the tree by the attacking bears. Their humorous banter, concerning their predicament, highlights another secret location found in WoW that adds character and charm to Azeroth. Images: – Dun Morogh Black Bear Camp #1, – Dun Morogh Black Bear Camp #2, – Jermaine Buckey in the Dun Morogh Tree, – Anton Buckey in the Dun Morogh Tree [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]