Warcraft Less Traveled : A World of Warcraft Podcast

Episode #53 Timecapsule: Besides the bizarre Faerie Mushroom Circle found in its center, the subzone of Whispering Forest contains a handful of other mysterious things that all Azeroth explorers should make time to investigate. These include a solitary Tirisfal Bear patrolling the southern mountain range, an abandoned fishing camp on the lake’s small island, and a submerged airplane-wreck or gnomish design. Additional Faerie Circle Event Reading: – Syrco Moonkin Blog- World of Warcraft Secrets: The Whispering Forest, – WoW Insider Whispering Forest Post [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #52 Timecapsule: The subzone of Whispering Forest, in the Tirisfal Glades zone, holds a mysterious destination and in-game event. A strange ring of glowing mushrooms can be found on the forest floor at coordinates @(17,68). At this location, seven Fey-Drunk Darters (Faerie Dragons) occasionally appear outside the ring of mushrooms. Patient explorers are given a special surprise event by the Faerie Dragons if they watch long enough. Approximately every 6 hours, the Fey Darter Dragons face into the center of the mushroom ring and begin projecting a magical golden light of magic (or song) into the center. In the center of the mushroom ring, an NPC appears called the Faerie Circle. The in-game music changes to a unique song that is heard nowhere else in Azeroth. As the music plays, golden musical ‘notes’ appear over the heads of each of the Faerie Dragons… almost as if the Faerie Dragons were singing the song. The special Faerie event here ends in 3 minutes time – the Faerie Circle disappears, the Fey-Drunk Darters vanish, and the music fades away. At the time of this recording, there is no known reason or in-game lore tie to explain this amazing event. Fey-Drunk Darter Music Event (Faerie Dragon Song) Location: Tirisfal Glade zone coordinates (17, 68); Whispering Forest subzone NPCs: – Faerie Circle (51966), – Fey-Drunk Darter ‘Faerie Dragon’ (51963), – Tirisfal Stag (51961), – Tirisfal Doe (51964), – Tirisfal Fawn (51965). Event Spawn Timers: – Faerie Circle music event occurs approximately every 5-6 hours. – Tirisfal Stag/Doe/Fawn spawn & despawn continuously, yet all disappear for 15 minutes after the event completes. – The Faerie Circle can be targeted at all times (even though invisible) by using the command /target Faerie Circle. Faerie Circle only is ‘visible’ during the event. – Approximately 2 hours before the event, the Fey-Drunk Darters spawn one at a time every 2 to 15 minutes. After the first Darter appears, all seven appear within 40 minutes. Music: – The in-game music during the Faerie Circle event is titled as “Faerie Dragon“. It can be played at any time within WoW by typing in the following text into the command/chat line in-game: /script PlaySoundFile(“Sound\Music\Cataclysm\MUS_41_faeriedragon_UE01.mp3″) Images: – Faerie Circle Mushroom Ring Before the Event, – Faerie Circle Event In Progress #1, – Faerie Circle Event In Progress #2, – Faerie Dragon (Fey-Drunk Darter) Singing, – Faerie Circle Event Ended, – Enchanted Tirisfal Stag Video of Event: – Video Capture by Event Plazma Listen to the Podcast Episode: [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #51 Timecapsule: The Northrend zone of Grizzly Hills is rich in beauty and design. Two hidden, interesting scenes can be found deep in this rustic forest. The first curious thing explorers can discover is the Azeroth version of the popular story of “Bambi”. Near the Alliance Brigade Encampment, a group of forest friends patrols a small clearing – including a young fawn named Bambina. Visitors to this area of the Grizzly Hills will get the opportunity to witness Bambina avenge the death of its mother. In addition, a second lesser known NPC is Hugh Glass. This human hunter was placed in game by Blizzard designers to represents the real-life, 19th century pioneer of the same name. Found here with his pet grizzly bear, Griselda, he is the only vendor in all of Azeroth that sells the unique item, Silvercoat Stag Meat. Amazing artwork design for the Warcraft Less Traveled website by the generous talents of Nevik James! Visit Nevik’s interesting writings of WoW and other video game geekdom at Nevik’s Notebook or follow him on Twitter @NevikJames [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #50 Timecapsule: One of Cataclysm’s rarest flying mounts in game can only be found from Aeonaxx, a rare elite drake that spawns in the zone of Deepholm. When brave adventurers defeat Aeonaxx, their hard work is rewarded with the Reins to the Phosphorescent Stone Drake. So rare is Aeonaxx, players who desire this mount must face long hours between spawn times and battle an onslaught of Young Stone Drakes. The epic and unique nature of this riding mount has not been seen in Azeroth since the hunt for the Time-Lost Proto Drake. Deepholm Spawn Coordinates: (43,47), (46,43), (52,43), (43,60), (47,58), (53,63) NPC Scan IDs: Friendly Aeonaxx (50062), Engaged Aeonaxx (51236) Helpful resources links: The Aeonaxx Resource – Comprehensive site detailing the facts, how-to instructions, encounter notes, videos, and targeting tips. Find Aeonaxx – Blog outlining the spawn timers, phasing questions, and use of NPC Scan [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #49 Timecapsule: After the Shattering of Azeroth, an interesting change occurred at the hidden gravesite of Beggar’s Haunt. Found in northeastern Duskwood (at coordinates 90,30), explorers will find an elite NPC spawn called The Unknown Soldier. With no known quest or lore ties in Azeroth, this mysterious creature may be a symbol of all brave loved ones who have fallen in battle. [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #48 Timecapsule: Introduced in a recent patch, Stendel’s Bane is a very rare catfish found in the zone of Westfall. Swallowed by this giant fish, two possible rewards found inside Stendel’s Bane are the Aquadynamic Fish Lens and Reinforced Fishing Line. This catfish is the only remaining place that these two rewards can be obtained in game today. However, the truly unique find here at Stendel Pond is the very low percentage chance that inside the belly of the catfish, fishermen can loot a ring called Stendel’s Wedding Band. It appears that years ago, this bloated catfish swallowed Stendel’s wedding ring and became the bane of poor Stendel ever since. [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #47 Timecapsule: The large goblin statue at Janeiro’s Point island has been a fixture in the Booty Bay lagoon for years. Created in his own likeness, Baron Revilgaz built the statue to enhance his place as ‘ruler’ over the pirate port city. The recent WoW Shattering of Azeroth has revealed an interesting surprise inside the Revilgaz statue – a hollow interior filled with treasure! Casual explorers who find Janeiro’s Point treasure may not realize that the key to earning this Shiny Reward is by completing the newest questline inside the Zul’Gurub instance. Completing the quest and looting the treasure inside the Janeiro’s Point statue will reward adventurers handsomely… including a unique Black Ice ring. [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #46 Timecapsule: Named after Hermit Ortell, the secret mountain cave in eastern Dun Morogh was once titled Ortell’s Hideout. Not to be confused with WoW’s original “Ortell’s Hideout” cave found in Silithus, this mysterious Dun Morogh location was seen by very few players before the Cataclysm. Since the Shattering, the cave still exists in game – at coordinates 95,42 – but has been renamed “The Mountain Den”. Not only was this destination a difficult place for explorers to find before flying mounts, but entering Ortell’s Hideout in Dun Morogh used to automatically ‘zone’ you into the general chat channel of Silithus… strange magic indeed… [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #45 Timecapsule: Aside from hosting a single low-level quest and providing an inexpensive way to travel between Ironforge and Stormwind, the Deeprun Tram is also home to a few rarely seen creatures. In the subterranean-lake portion of the tunnel, the water hides a Naga Siren, a Basking Shark, a gnomish Deeprun Diver, and a sunken treasure chest. Yet, the most elusive resident is Nessy – the boss-level Thesher sea monster. Nessy, a clear reference to the famous creature of Loch Ness, lives a secretive life. Here in Azeroth, Nessy happily hides deep in the watery depths of the Deeprun Tram, waiting to be discovered by a brave explorer! [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #44 Timecapsule: Deep under Ironforge, would you believe that the goblins have constructed a carnival and amusement park? Only today, do I feel comfortable enough to share one of these least seen destinations in Azeroth. The only access point down into this goblin amusement park is through a wild waterslide that starts in the Forelorn Cavern. If an explorer can access this magical Goblin World Amusement Park, the opportunity exists to win a Swift Zulian Tiger Mount and Epic Vulture Mount – simply by playing exciting carnival games! Crazy, you might say? Listen to today’s special, first of April episode to learn more about this unbelievable hidden destination… [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #43 Timecapsule: A journey into the original Old Ironforge subzone is an unforgettable experience. The large, circular cavern contains a majestic, purple-jeweled ceiling… its crystals glowing and pulsing from an unknown source. Beautifully carved stone bridges and natural gray pathways span the lava-filled cave floor. A high platform in the center of the Old Ironforge cavern stands empty and forgotten, however its ornate decorations hint that it may have been originally designed for a more important purpose. This second look into Old Ironforge describes what interesting features existed deep under Ironforge City, before Patch 4.1 removes these ‘vanilla world’ secrets forever. [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #42 Timecapsule: Old Ironforge is one of the most mysterious ‘closed’ sub-zones in the world of Azeroth. Although never officially part of the playable game of WoW, Old Ironforge was released in the ‘vanilla’ game world in 2004. Through the years, the hidden cavern of Old Ironforge has been the target for many curious explorers. Located three levels below the current city of Ironforge, Old Ironforge is all that remains of an early design concept to build additional tunnels and caverns inside Ironforge Mountain. [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #41 Timecapsule: In the earliest days of WoW, a fiery NPC named Mountaineer Pebblebitty @(18,84) used to start explorers down the road to discovering a prized shortcut through the southern Loch Modan mountains. This long forgotten quest chain allowed explorers the chance to battle an elite thunder lizard named Margol the Rager. Only after this classic quest-line was complete were you respected enough by Pebblebitty to earn a special Key to the Searing Gorge. The unique key not only unlocked the gated passageway between Loch Modan and the Searing Gorge, but having it in your possession meant that you faced the the ‘challenging’ personality of Pebblebitty… and won. [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #40 Timecapsule: Found in the zone of Westfall, a rare treasure map can lead an eager explorer on a quest to find Captain Sander’s buried treasure chest. For many, the Captain Sander’s Shirt is the ultimate swashbuckling prize found at the end of this entertaining quest chain. [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]

Episode #39 Timecapsule: Alicia’s Poem is another hidden quest that pays tribute to the memory of a real-life player, Dak Krause. Designed in his honor, this poem is based on ‘Do not stand at my grave and weep’, written by Mary Elizabeth Frye. During Valentines week, no time is better for visiting Alicia in Stormwind Keep (81, 28) to appreciate love, loss, and hope. [ Direct MP3 Download ] [ iTunes Feed ] [ Subscribe to the RSS Feed! ]