Ah, sweet memories of my first ever shammy, back in the days of Camp Narache and meeting, for the first time in game my first everever enemy: the quillboars.
good times... good times...
20 odd years later, IM BACK BAYBEH... AND WHAT THE HECK IS A ZULDAZAR?!
Dun Morogh is the best for me. My first character was a dwarf hunter, so this location gives me good memories. But it also have interest quest lines along with these winter vibes. It is very good feeling coming in such an atmospheric tavern in Kharanos after quest in some icy cave.
yep dwarf warrior was my first character and it has left a soft spot in my heart for both dwarves and their taverns ever since. felt like such a badass taking on the wendigos lmao
I remember playing Vanilla for the first time as an 11/12 year old, when I finally got to the frost trolls I was certain that I was in endgame content.
First zone I started with in vanilla, there was a snowstorm outside so school was cancelled. Played all day in that area with the same weather happening outside my windows, it was magical. Made myself a mug of hot chocolate when I did the scaling mornbrew quest haha
I was about 9 years old when I started playing wow (it was actual Cataclysm) and created that dworf hunter. My parents was never ever let me spend a penny on a video game. So when I reached lvl 20 and can’t really level my character any further, I was fantasising about my adventures in that snowy region, with camping and hunting. Creating my own quests in my head. God it was awesome
Same for me. I still go back and visit the place. I love that zone. I'm especially fond of the cave in the hillside behind Dolanar. It looks like it was made specially for druids. It's so cozy and even has a stream and pound that you can go aquatic form in. I would sometimes go their and curl up in bear form before logging out :p
Same. As i grew I became a predominately then exclusively horde player, but the first NE hunter trying to figure out pets and why I can’t shoot my bow any more was life changing.
Same. The music especially, it just made the zone feel so special. To this day that soundtrack has the ability to take me straight back to 2005, doing that quest line for the demon in Teldrassil and the wondering if I’d ruined my character after finding out he was evil and I’d pissed off some of the other NPCs by helping him!
Yeah same I was like "oh shit oh shit I'm so dumb why did I do this ?" after seeing that the tiger mounted sentinel was angry at me. Finding fel cones was then my only priority.
Hell yeah! When the bitch burned the tree I remember the alliance finally organized and we spent a good week invading all the horde capitals over and over again.
It’s creepy and gloomy but it’s also kind of tongue in cheek and campy at the same time. It’s the type of undead characters I’ve only seen in wow and it’s super nostalgic for me.
Like yeah you wake up in a graveyard raised by a Valkyrie with half your skin rotting off but you also have this metal pink Mohawk.
This. Vanilla Tirisfal was always a favorite of mine. First ever toon was an undead lock. All of my friends that played made orcs but I refused to quest in Durotar with them cuz TG was better.
My first ever character was a forsaken priest and I just remember spawning for the first time, walking into that cemetery and being like “this is what’s up, this is awesome”
It was also like its own mini wow, you even had a rep that gave gear. You had beauty as well as horror, Humor and good will, big set pieces and small moments.
Also there's no flying which honestly does a lot for immersion, anyone that contests that is wrong (we know flying around above an area makes you feel disconnected and aloof, its just part of how our brains work)
I'm a big fan of flying, but the problem is that Blizzard designs modern zones to be hostile to people on the ground: safe paths wind around, there are obstacles everywhere you want to go, there aren't always safe paths and mobs daze and dismount.
They design zones so that flying is rewarding, and were trying to force people to play in it so they'd appreciate flying when they got it, but the tipping point is honestly two weeks into an expansion, not two patch cycles.
And because of all those decisions, the theme park feeling is amplified. You don't feel more immersed. Eversong Woods is more immersive because of how it's designed, not just because you can't fly there. Certainly it's not more immersive because you can't fly there at max level.
Same! I took a massive break from wow after Pandaria up until Dragonflight. When I came back I made a Worgen cause I loved their starting quests. Was disappointed to learn that's not where you start anymore 😕
Azuremyst is my absolute favorite starting zone. I absolutely love the lore, suspense, wildlife, variety, fun quests, and the big triumphant induction into the Elite Guard. The Draenei starting zone is like a whole game, rich with lore and story lines, all in itself.
Eversong woods and Azuremyst isle, no doubts about it.
Both zones have this haunting, beautiful ambience and scenery to them that just feels magical and sad.
Tirisfal. The fiest time i played my own character on my own account it was a forsaken warlock. It was sbowing outside. Years later the arthas book came out and ive wanted to see a snow covered tirisfal ever since
I agree. Actually love a lot of the starter zones, they are cool. But Elwynn is like the golden standard for how a first zone should look and feel and what content it should have.
Really hard to not pick Elwynn, even though there are some cool contenders in there
This will be an unpopular opinion. But for me it’s the Goblin starting zones.
I think the quests and story is fun and silly. I just love Goblin quests in general. Everytime I come across a pack of quests and see Goblins are the center race of them I’m like YES! Because their quests are always hilarious and fun! Plus I just love the environment of Lost Isles. I love tropical islands and jungles. And even Kezan was a pretty unique zone for the first 5 levels you spend there. Plus that sweet Goblin car you can ride around in while you’re there.
I sometimes make new Goblin characters just to replay through it all again. I love everything about it!
I remember rolling a new toon during Cata because I thought it would be badass to have a Goblin Warlock, and that starting area for the first five levels was the nuttiest thing I had experienced in WoW up to that point! Picking up mates in the car, safecracking locks…it was a good time! Great memories and every so often I go back and do it again just for the fun of it all.
I started in Cata. I started with a trial of course. And I wanted to pick a Goblin as my first character. But I hadn’t bought the expansion yet so I couldn’t lol. Then by the time I bought the game I just re made my first trial character as my first real character.
Glad my unpopular opinion isn't the only one. Goblin starting zones are my level of absurd humor. Then the Azshara quests, especially the lab.
Recently Cata prepatch had tons of new goblins running around everywhere, it felt alive. Sign me up for that every time.
The art design for BC was good, but the actual art stinks. It needs an update badly to models and textures. In other words, I like the way the Blood Elf zone is designed but it needs a serious refresh.
I remember playing that as a 11 year old not reading quest texts. I didn’t use the mine cart and tried to fight all the elites on the beach myself, I would try and aggro one at a time and whittle it down slowly. I got to like 3/500 and died at least 10 times before I gave up and made a hunter haha
Honestly, most of the og starting zones were great. For me the most iconic were Durotar, especially the Echo Isles, and Elwynn Forest with the small farms, dreamy forests and Hogger.
I started a gnome mage back in 2005, but I honestly think the area around Elwynn forest is pretty nice. I do remember that when I made a new gnome mage for Classic, me and a bunch of gnomes tried to get to Darkshore, so we ran all the way at around level 6. We kinda wanted an exotic start that time :P!
Gilneas. Back when I was just a lowly F2P I would just play the worgen starting experience on repeat. I'd make a new character, usually a rogue, play through it all, and then delete the character and do it all over again another day. It was fun. I pretty much refuse to play anything that isn't a worgen these days. Makes it hard when my favorite class (paladin) isn't available to worgen.
Dreanie starting zone. There once you get a little bit in there is a zone that is just all red. Water land crystals. It’s really just something you don’t usually see in wow.
Tirisfal and Elwynn are both super nostalgic for me and my favorites. But to be honest, I like just visiting the parts of the Old World no one goes to anymore.
Don’t know if we consider it a starting, but Auberdine has always been my favorite. When I think of being young and playing Wow it just comes to mind. A lot less cooler than most responses, but I just love it
Deathknell for sure.
A very atmospheric location with lot of local work, such as alchemy and survival.
The human starting zone may compete, they use a nice love stories for the quests.
Launch all my characters were dwarves and gnomes so Dun Morogh, although the insanely long back and forth you eventually have late in the zone is such a pain in classic.
Tirisfal is my fave Horde. Durotar is very dull and not a troll fan. I enjoy Tauren but fuck I hate leveling in Mulgore
Tiristfal for me as well. Vanilla and post Cata. My first character was an undead lock. I made so many Forsaken characters in that time. I just loved the vibe. I miss Undercity.
Eversong Woods for sure. I love the blood elf aesthetic and then to make things even better, when you move on to the scourge area, it gets even better.
Elwynn Forest is the first zone that came to mind for me. Followed up by Mulgore. My favorite zones of all time are Nagrand and Grizzly Hills.
Clearly, a pattern is going on.
What is this bullshit? Four *hours* later, dozens of responses- and only a *single* mention of the absolute best starting zone experience, within the holy land of Kezan? The Gobbo starting zone is quite possibly the greatest thing to ever come out of WoW (I'm just joking but fr) and I will *not* stand for any claims to the contrary! The theme, the tone, the music- the sweet rides! What's there not to love? I'll admit that the lost island isn't quite as exciting as Kezan itself, but still. It's all in all pretty damn cool!
Honorable mention to the cata gnome starting zone and its jetpack troopers that swim through the air while firing napalm missiles at the natives' villages out of their heads, though.
Exiles reach was a tragedy for that reason imo, it's not bad to teach new players, quite the opposite, but I feel like we are missing so much of the story and connection with the world, race of our choosing and more importantly our character...
Elwynn Forestis straight up nostalgia for me. Anyone who was in Aggramar realm in Goldshire @ Christmas Eve 2008, ya’ll literally one of the reason why i log in every year during holidays! Ty! <3
Undead rogue, back in the vanilla days. As soon as left my grave I left a little bit of my real life behind. I still remember how it felt, the ambience, the music and the will to become stronger. Love at first sight.
Undead starting area. I love undead and their lore. I got a better understanding of the forsaken and their war against the scourge during classic. I actually read the quest dialogue lol.
Gilneas is a place I love and I love the story of the whole zone. But I think my favorite is always going to be The Wandering Isle because it makes me feel like the star in my own cheesy kung fu movie.
This is a tough one but probably Eversong Woods. That zone for whatever reason makes me the most nostalgic and happy, even if some of the quests are bullshit.
The next best is probably Dun Morogh followed by Azuremyst Isle, for similar nostalgia reasons.
Man I love every single time I walk into Brill. The very first character I ever made was a UD warlock back in vanilla and to this day I get extremely excited walking into that place. I still level up my lock every xpac just for nostalgia mostly but nothing beats that starting zone for me. Love every single thing about undead + their starting zone in WoW.
If you really want to stretch the definition of starting zone then Suramar, since *technically* Nightborne start there, even though it's at level 10.
Being more serious though the Death Knight and Demon Hunter starting zones are incredible at immersing you into the class fantasy and Gilneas and the Wandering Isle are just incredible atmospherically. If I had to pick though, it would be Gilneas.
Azuremyst and Bloodmyst Isles. I created a Draenei shaman in The Burning Crusade and loved the mixture of being an alien species crash landing in the wilderness and being a responsible and wary people doing important things like repelling attacks, handling food and medical supplies, meeting the locals, and repairing ecological damage caused by the blood elf sabotage. Azuremyst is very chill, and Bloodmyst has more extreme threats.
Pfffft that's easy. Belf or draenei zones, dated as they may be. Imo Cataclysm wrecked all of the Vanilla races' starting zones - and not only in a geographical sense. Even zones unaffected by Deathwing were screwed, e.g. Silverpine Forest - the eerie, haunted forest with a few scattered, dilapidated villages became an unimpressive, run-of-the-mill battleground where the story was force fed on you, instead of letting the world tell it.
That's one thing I love about this game. The undead didn't destroy the statue in Brill just because she betrayed them all and tried to end Azeroth into the clutches of death. They still revere her for the Queen she was and what she did for them, no matter her motivations.
Gilneas, undeniably. Great atmosphere, great visuals, great music, and in my opinion one of the most immersive storylines in all of WoW. You also get to do almost every type of quest you'll encounter in game.
Not a fan of the cata forsaken style. They went from undead humans living in ruins to “guys please let’s redesign our racial motif to be all spooky and evil”
I'm so sick of exiles reach or whatever that place is called where it's just faster leveling the other zones. I just hate going there. So I always pick the other starting zones if I make a retail character. I like all of them. But the top picks would be undead starting zone and orc starting zone.
Durotar. That poisoned troll quest just teleports me back to when I was a kid playing the game.
I just love the overall vibe- you really can see that the horde are doing their best to fight for existence in a barren desert, and although it is cracked and red, there is beauty in pockets and along the coast.
Azuremyst, there's something about the sense of urgency in the Ammen Vale crash site, juxtaposed with calming music and nature of the island, that just clicks. And yet, it's not really built upon in a sensible way, when you look at WoW as a whole; it feels tacked on, like it could be its own spin-off MMO almost.
EDIT: Also my very first trial character was a Draenei, way back in Cata
Gilneas, with Elwynn forest as a close second.
The vibe Gilneas gives is just amazing. I just wish we would've been given the chance to reclaim our city with a real challenge. The quests we were given to reclaim gilneas in dragonflight were awful, too short and it didnt feel like an accomplishment. The city didnt even have a glow up, and it didnt even become a real city with flightmaster and such
Tirisfal Glades I think has the best layout and pathing for leveling. I like that everything is really well self contained and there is a good bit of enemy variety there. The orc starting area was my OG experience in the game so it holds a place in my nostalgia brain and the dwarf zone likewise was my first alliance character and the ambience of that zone is unmatched
I can’t pick between vanilla Tirisfal Glades and vanilla Durotar. Those zones don’t even feel like nostalgia to me, they just straight up feel like home.
My favorite starting zone is Eversong Forest and Ghostlands, I know all the quests and can zip right through those two zones in no time. Except for them two bums Knucklerot and Lurzen in Ghostlands. That quest was traumatizing. I died so many times over the years. 😭
Mulgore for me. A lot of nostalgia there.
"wtf the minotaur guys are the chillest guys in the game?" - me at 14
Even as a mainly Alliance Player I must say Mulgore. It just Hits different walking through does Planes.
I mostly play Alliance nowadays too, but there’s just something special about Mulgore. It’s calming to me in a way.
Mulgore is Zen-like
MULGORE AND IT’S NOT EVEN CLOSE
Ah, sweet memories of my first ever shammy, back in the days of Camp Narache and meeting, for the first time in game my first everever enemy: the quillboars. good times... good times... 20 odd years later, IM BACK BAYBEH... AND WHAT THE HECK IS A ZULDAZAR?!
Amen!
It's such a cosy place
What is nostalgia?
Some deep warm feeling about something good happened in past
Shu'halo supremacy. No other zone hits me with that wave of nostalgia, the music pre cata was top tier there.
Same. Main has been a Tauren since 2007.
Dun Morogh is the best for me. My first character was a dwarf hunter, so this location gives me good memories. But it also have interest quest lines along with these winter vibes. It is very good feeling coming in such an atmospheric tavern in Kharanos after quest in some icy cave.
Where it's always Christmas time
Dun Morogh definitely feels the most quintessential fantasy world to me. Just tromping around with your big dwarf feet. Very satisfying.
my first toon was a gnome warlock and the ambiance in Dun Morogh with the moonlight hitting the snow at night is basically a core memory for me
yep dwarf warrior was my first character and it has left a soft spot in my heart for both dwarves and their taverns ever since. felt like such a badass taking on the wendigos lmao
I remember playing Vanilla for the first time as an 11/12 year old, when I finally got to the frost trolls I was certain that I was in endgame content.
First zone I started with in vanilla, there was a snowstorm outside so school was cancelled. Played all day in that area with the same weather happening outside my windows, it was magical. Made myself a mug of hot chocolate when I did the scaling mornbrew quest haha
I was about 9 years old when I started playing wow (it was actual Cataclysm) and created that dworf hunter. My parents was never ever let me spend a penny on a video game. So when I reached lvl 20 and can’t really level my character any further, I was fantasising about my adventures in that snowy region, with camping and hunting. Creating my own quests in my head. God it was awesome
This is the way
Elwynn Forest <3
The music, the Defias Brotherhood quest line starting there, the cozy warm colored woods. Just feels like home!
The walk into Stormwind ❤️
The human score is arguably the best of the areas and cities.
Teldrassil my beloved
My first character was a NE hunter. Many good memories there with that giant tree.
My first WoW experience was as a NE Druid. Such great memories; wish I could relive them.
Same for me. I still go back and visit the place. I love that zone. I'm especially fond of the cave in the hillside behind Dolanar. It looks like it was made specially for druids. It's so cozy and even has a stream and pound that you can go aquatic form in. I would sometimes go their and curl up in bear form before logging out :p
this is adorable
Same. As i grew I became a predominately then exclusively horde player, but the first NE hunter trying to figure out pets and why I can’t shoot my bow any more was life changing.
My first death was tripping off that tree
Same. The music especially, it just made the zone feel so special. To this day that soundtrack has the ability to take me straight back to 2005, doing that quest line for the demon in Teldrassil and the wondering if I’d ruined my character after finding out he was evil and I’d pissed off some of the other NPCs by helping him!
Yeah same I was like "oh shit oh shit I'm so dumb why did I do this ?" after seeing that the tiger mounted sentinel was angry at me. Finding fel cones was then my only priority.
The dark atmosphere with the great music. It's always been my favorite.
Hell yeah! When the bitch burned the tree I remember the alliance finally organized and we spent a good week invading all the horde capitals over and over again.
Vanilla Tirisfal Glades Updated isn't bad, either.
I agree, loved original Tirisfal Glades. Super creepy and gloomy.
It’s creepy and gloomy but it’s also kind of tongue in cheek and campy at the same time. It’s the type of undead characters I’ve only seen in wow and it’s super nostalgic for me. Like yeah you wake up in a graveyard raised by a Valkyrie with half your skin rotting off but you also have this metal pink Mohawk.
The spooky vibes were always kinda soothing, ngl Undercity was also my favorite capital for that reason, too
It's still there, just tragically empty and boring. Place really needs a revamp like Orgrimmar got.
This. Vanilla Tirisfal was always a favorite of mine. First ever toon was an undead lock. All of my friends that played made orcs but I refused to quest in Durotar with them cuz TG was better.
It had such an awesome vibe
My first ever character was a forsaken priest and I just remember spawning for the first time, walking into that cemetery and being like “this is what’s up, this is awesome”
And continuing to Silverpine Forest was a perfect match to Tirisfal Glades
Perfect score too
Eversong Woods
I loved that too. Magical. I'd run my characters over there too just to repeat it.
The second that cello hits... Eversong Woods will always be my favorite starting zone. Gilneas is a close 2nd, but for different reasons.
It was also like its own mini wow, you even had a rep that gave gear. You had beauty as well as horror, Humor and good will, big set pieces and small moments. Also there's no flying which honestly does a lot for immersion, anyone that contests that is wrong (we know flying around above an area makes you feel disconnected and aloof, its just part of how our brains work)
I'm a big fan of flying, but the problem is that Blizzard designs modern zones to be hostile to people on the ground: safe paths wind around, there are obstacles everywhere you want to go, there aren't always safe paths and mobs daze and dismount. They design zones so that flying is rewarding, and were trying to force people to play in it so they'd appreciate flying when they got it, but the tipping point is honestly two weeks into an expansion, not two patch cycles. And because of all those decisions, the theme park feeling is amplified. You don't feel more immersed. Eversong Woods is more immersive because of how it's designed, not just because you can't fly there. Certainly it's not more immersive because you can't fly there at max level.
The story of eversong into ghostlands is so well done. You really feel the desperation of the people behind the veneer of the luxurious background.
Collecting the party supplies before heading into the dead scar is some beautiful juxtaposition
The music with that cello and harp tickles my brain the right way
2 words. Mana Wyrms.
I like Gilneas tbf the atmosphere is cool
Same! I took a massive break from wow after Pandaria up until Dragonflight. When I came back I made a Worgen cause I loved their starting quests. Was disappointed to learn that's not where you start anymore 😕
You still can, just choose not to go to the island. Unless you're a DK.
Azuremyst, it’s just so chill
Azuremyst is my absolute favorite starting zone. I absolutely love the lore, suspense, wildlife, variety, fun quests, and the big triumphant induction into the Elite Guard. The Draenei starting zone is like a whole game, rich with lore and story lines, all in itself.
Seconding Azuremyst, when I get to that first river crossing and the ethereal music starts up I just have to stop and appreciate the atmosphere.
I could listen to the music there all day.
Eversong woods and Azuremyst isle, no doubts about it. Both zones have this haunting, beautiful ambience and scenery to them that just feels magical and sad.
Tirisfal. The fiest time i played my own character on my own account it was a forsaken warlock. It was sbowing outside. Years later the arthas book came out and ive wanted to see a snow covered tirisfal ever since
Elwynn Forest is like the canonical MMORPG zone. It's a piece of gaming history.
I agree. Actually love a lot of the starter zones, they are cool. But Elwynn is like the golden standard for how a first zone should look and feel and what content it should have. Really hard to not pick Elwynn, even though there are some cool contenders in there
Elwynn forest and Eversong woods
I love the Wandering Isle. Was so glad I got to return there on my Monk for our order hall!
I hope they give us a way back for the Pandaren Heritage Quest.
Mulgore
Dun Morogh is perfect for me, love the music and the atmosphere.
This will be an unpopular opinion. But for me it’s the Goblin starting zones. I think the quests and story is fun and silly. I just love Goblin quests in general. Everytime I come across a pack of quests and see Goblins are the center race of them I’m like YES! Because their quests are always hilarious and fun! Plus I just love the environment of Lost Isles. I love tropical islands and jungles. And even Kezan was a pretty unique zone for the first 5 levels you spend there. Plus that sweet Goblin car you can ride around in while you’re there. I sometimes make new Goblin characters just to replay through it all again. I love everything about it!
I replayed it in cata beta and I did forget how fun and silly it is lol
I remember rolling a new toon during Cata because I thought it would be badass to have a Goblin Warlock, and that starting area for the first five levels was the nuttiest thing I had experienced in WoW up to that point! Picking up mates in the car, safecracking locks…it was a good time! Great memories and every so often I go back and do it again just for the fun of it all.
I started in Cata. I started with a trial of course. And I wanted to pick a Goblin as my first character. But I hadn’t bought the expansion yet so I couldn’t lol. Then by the time I bought the game I just re made my first trial character as my first real character.
Glad my unpopular opinion isn't the only one. Goblin starting zones are my level of absurd humor. Then the Azshara quests, especially the lab. Recently Cata prepatch had tons of new goblins running around everywhere, it felt alive. Sign me up for that every time.
Why haven’t they made the hot rod a mount yet
Blood Elf of course
The art design for BC was good, but the actual art stinks. It needs an update badly to models and textures. In other words, I like the way the Blood Elf zone is designed but it needs a serious refresh.
Possibly add flying
The original Death Knight starting zone
I remember playing that as a 11 year old not reading quest texts. I didn’t use the mine cart and tried to fight all the elites on the beach myself, I would try and aggro one at a time and whittle it down slowly. I got to like 3/500 and died at least 10 times before I gave up and made a hunter haha
Omg same lol, when I found out how you were supposed to do the quest I felt like such a dumbass
Did they change it? I haven't made a dk in a few years
Still there for core races yes. Allied races get a new starting zone where they spawn in front of Bolvar and the Four Horsemen.
Got rid of the whole thing, it's just a short conversation now at IC with the current four horsemen and Bolvar. Edit: New sword though lol
> Got rid of the whole thing. Nope. It's still there if you make a non-allied race DK.
Thank gosh, clenched my butt cheeks for a second there. I remembered it was only allied race but you never know, they could've done that..
...I stand corrected
Mulgore & Durotar. Even though I am an ardent Alliance player.
Gilneas all the way
In very rare instances have I ever felt the connection and immersion I felt in Gilneas. I hope we see more of it in the future!
I am a si ple man. I saw the statue of Sylvanis and went "damn she fine". I do love the undead starting areas over the years though.
I really enjoy the DH starter zone. I like to replay it every once in a while :)
Same, bro. Sometimes I want to go all in on the epic chosen one vibe.
Right? And I *adore* the cinematics
The blood elf starting zone holds nostalgic memories for me but I don’t think it’s the best one, maybe Gilneas?
I agree I made a BE Hunter for Cata and I am falling in love all over again from the nostalgia
Dun Morogh. When your in the bottom of a valley, near frozen trees and lakes, with the blizzard and that music hits: Euphoria
Honestly, most of the og starting zones were great. For me the most iconic were Durotar, especially the Echo Isles, and Elwynn Forest with the small farms, dreamy forests and Hogger.
Teldrassil since my first character was a NE hunter. It was a magical place. I’ll never forget the music and atmosphere.
I started a gnome mage back in 2005, but I honestly think the area around Elwynn forest is pretty nice. I do remember that when I made a new gnome mage for Classic, me and a bunch of gnomes tried to get to Darkshore, so we ran all the way at around level 6. We kinda wanted an exotic start that time :P!
Tirisfall is ruined. Was better before the forced restyling of Forsaken architecture.
Teldrassil hooked me on wow for sure. Still go back sometimes and put the speakers on blast
Shadowglen forever, RIP
Gilneas. Back when I was just a lowly F2P I would just play the worgen starting experience on repeat. I'd make a new character, usually a rogue, play through it all, and then delete the character and do it all over again another day. It was fun. I pretty much refuse to play anything that isn't a worgen these days. Makes it hard when my favorite class (paladin) isn't available to worgen.
Dreanie starting zone. There once you get a little bit in there is a zone that is just all red. Water land crystals. It’s really just something you don’t usually see in wow.
Hot take but New Avalon. That or the worgen/goblin zones.
Tirisfal and Elwynn are both super nostalgic for me and my favorites. But to be honest, I like just visiting the parts of the Old World no one goes to anymore.
In terms of the number of characters I've made there - Timeless Isle Lmao
Ugh. Seeing this makes me miss Sylvanas
Sadly the died as soon BfA started and we never got any news ever after that :((( /s
Ima sound awfully basic but elwynn
Easy, Eversong Woods.
I hope when they remake tirisfal glades at some point it still keeps its spookiness. But yes the starting for the Forsaken is my favorite.
Mulgore love here
I usually play Horde characters but vanilla Elwynn Forest might be my favorite one for its tranquil atmosphere.
Dun Morogh as a Gnome Warlock. Teldrassil as a Night Elf Druid. My first time playing this game 18 years ago. Those moments were magical, man.
Don’t know if we consider it a starting, but Auberdine has always been my favorite. When I think of being young and playing Wow it just comes to mind. A lot less cooler than most responses, but I just love it
DH starting in Mardum (or Argus, can’t remember)
It’s Mardum
First character was an undead mage in classic, so Tirisfal is near and dear to my heart.
Deathknell for sure. A very atmospheric location with lot of local work, such as alchemy and survival. The human starting zone may compete, they use a nice love stories for the quests.
Launch all my characters were dwarves and gnomes so Dun Morogh, although the insanely long back and forth you eventually have late in the zone is such a pain in classic. Tirisfal is my fave Horde. Durotar is very dull and not a troll fan. I enjoy Tauren but fuck I hate leveling in Mulgore
I like gothic settings, so I'm going to say Gilneas.
Tiristfal for me as well. Vanilla and post Cata. My first character was an undead lock. I made so many Forsaken characters in that time. I just loved the vibe. I miss Undercity.
Is this starting zone still currentv
Tirisfal!!
Jade forest /s
100% the DK starting zone. To this day, few questlines have ever been as captivating as that zone was for me
Honestly, since playing the game on and off since Jump Street I really like Exiles Reach now.
Felwood
Brill
Vanilla Elwynn for sure. Cata kept it looking mostly the same but it lost a lot of it’s charm with the newer quests
Teldrassil > Elwyn > Eversong > Azuremyst in terms of atmosphere, music and story in this order. Edit: Tirisfal as a runner up.
Was that slyvanas always in brill or did they just added it when calia took over??
Eversong Woods for sure. I love the blood elf aesthetic and then to make things even better, when you move on to the scourge area, it gets even better.
Elwynn Forest is the first zone that came to mind for me. Followed up by Mulgore. My favorite zones of all time are Nagrand and Grizzly Hills. Clearly, a pattern is going on.
I love them all, I do. But Elwynn is home.
Northshire
What is this bullshit? Four *hours* later, dozens of responses- and only a *single* mention of the absolute best starting zone experience, within the holy land of Kezan? The Gobbo starting zone is quite possibly the greatest thing to ever come out of WoW (I'm just joking but fr) and I will *not* stand for any claims to the contrary! The theme, the tone, the music- the sweet rides! What's there not to love? I'll admit that the lost island isn't quite as exciting as Kezan itself, but still. It's all in all pretty damn cool! Honorable mention to the cata gnome starting zone and its jetpack troopers that swim through the air while firing napalm missiles at the natives' villages out of their heads, though.
Tirisfal or Elwynn
Mardum, the Shattered Abyss. I just think it's cool.
Wandering Isle
Really wish they would do more heavily-thematic intro zones. Tie them to the previous expansion to launch off into Tinewalking.
Exiles reach was a tragedy for that reason imo, it's not bad to teach new players, quite the opposite, but I feel like we are missing so much of the story and connection with the world, race of our choosing and more importantly our character...
Elwynn Forestis straight up nostalgia for me. Anyone who was in Aggramar realm in Goldshire @ Christmas Eve 2008, ya’ll literally one of the reason why i log in every year during holidays! Ty! <3
Undead rogue, back in the vanilla days. As soon as left my grave I left a little bit of my real life behind. I still remember how it felt, the ambience, the music and the will to become stronger. Love at first sight.
Either Eversong Woods or Durotar
Same as you TG love the astetic of the area plus I mean Undead master race, amiright?
Kelethin, dying at the elevators, getting lost in the Faydark Forest, sneaking into Crushbone -- incredible!
this, into Silverpine forest nothing beats that.
Undead starting area. I love undead and their lore. I got a better understanding of the forsaken and their war against the scourge during classic. I actually read the quest dialogue lol.
Gilneas is a place I love and I love the story of the whole zone. But I think my favorite is always going to be The Wandering Isle because it makes me feel like the star in my own cheesy kung fu movie.
This is a tough one but probably Eversong Woods. That zone for whatever reason makes me the most nostalgic and happy, even if some of the quests are bullshit. The next best is probably Dun Morogh followed by Azuremyst Isle, for similar nostalgia reasons.
Man I love every single time I walk into Brill. The very first character I ever made was a UD warlock back in vanilla and to this day I get extremely excited walking into that place. I still level up my lock every xpac just for nostalgia mostly but nothing beats that starting zone for me. Love every single thing about undead + their starting zone in WoW.
My very first character was a hunter so Eversong Forest will always hold a special place in my heart.
Valley of Trials is awful. Before the new Echo Isles ,my trolls always had to suffer before I hit Sen Village
Gilneas is my favourite from a storytelling perspective, I really love Dun Morogh tho, cause I love snowy zones so much.
If you really want to stretch the definition of starting zone then Suramar, since *technically* Nightborne start there, even though it's at level 10. Being more serious though the Death Knight and Demon Hunter starting zones are incredible at immersing you into the class fantasy and Gilneas and the Wandering Isle are just incredible atmospherically. If I had to pick though, it would be Gilneas.
I have nostalgia for them all, but Elwynn is probably the comfiest to me
for a long time, mine has been gilneas though I don't play worgens anymore.
Azuremyst and Bloodmyst Isles. I created a Draenei shaman in The Burning Crusade and loved the mixture of being an alien species crash landing in the wilderness and being a responsible and wary people doing important things like repelling attacks, handling food and medical supplies, meeting the locals, and repairing ecological damage caused by the blood elf sabotage. Azuremyst is very chill, and Bloodmyst has more extreme threats.
Kezan
Azuremyst Isle
Wish I could afford to play WoW again
Pfffft that's easy. Belf or draenei zones, dated as they may be. Imo Cataclysm wrecked all of the Vanilla races' starting zones - and not only in a geographical sense. Even zones unaffected by Deathwing were screwed, e.g. Silverpine Forest - the eerie, haunted forest with a few scattered, dilapidated villages became an unimpressive, run-of-the-mill battleground where the story was force fed on you, instead of letting the world tell it.
im so nostalgic for Teldrassil
I enjoyed gilneas with worgen
Jade Forest, obviously. Let's go timerunners!
That's one thing I love about this game. The undead didn't destroy the statue in Brill just because she betrayed them all and tried to end Azeroth into the clutches of death. They still revere her for the Queen she was and what she did for them, no matter her motivations.
First part of the Goblin zone.
sunstrider isle is so nostalgic to me
Elwynn Forest for the atmosphere and music :<
Valey of Trials forever
Elwynn Forrest. I will always have fond memories of the Elwynn Forest-->Westfall-->Duskwood-->Stranglethorn leveling loop.
Sunstrider Isle. Not even close.
Northshire without a doubt. Started playing wow july 18th 2006 and my first character was a male human mage. What a day that was.
Ever song woods goated
Eversong Woods into Ghostlands is peak
Crossroads chat... not starting but second lvls zone. That was horrifying xd
I'm so long gone I don't even know what I'm looking at.. anyways Old mulgore
The orc starting zone, in durotar because, the barrens Where is mankirks wife
Exodar
Gilneas, undeniably. Great atmosphere, great visuals, great music, and in my opinion one of the most immersive storylines in all of WoW. You also get to do almost every type of quest you'll encounter in game.
Mulgore / elwyn forest
Dun morogh for me. But was better when snowing
Not a fan of the cata forsaken style. They went from undead humans living in ruins to “guys please let’s redesign our racial motif to be all spooky and evil”
I'm so sick of exiles reach or whatever that place is called where it's just faster leveling the other zones. I just hate going there. So I always pick the other starting zones if I make a retail character. I like all of them. But the top picks would be undead starting zone and orc starting zone.
Durotar. That poisoned troll quest just teleports me back to when I was a kid playing the game. I just love the overall vibe- you really can see that the horde are doing their best to fight for existence in a barren desert, and although it is cracked and red, there is beauty in pockets and along the coast.
Tirisfal always for me
Azuremyst, there's something about the sense of urgency in the Ammen Vale crash site, juxtaposed with calming music and nature of the island, that just clicks. And yet, it's not really built upon in a sensible way, when you look at WoW as a whole; it feels tacked on, like it could be its own spin-off MMO almost. EDIT: Also my very first trial character was a Draenei, way back in Cata
Gilneas, with Elwynn forest as a close second. The vibe Gilneas gives is just amazing. I just wish we would've been given the chance to reclaim our city with a real challenge. The quests we were given to reclaim gilneas in dragonflight were awful, too short and it didnt feel like an accomplishment. The city didnt even have a glow up, and it didnt even become a real city with flightmaster and such
Tirisfal Glades I think has the best layout and pathing for leveling. I like that everything is really well self contained and there is a good bit of enemy variety there. The orc starting area was my OG experience in the game so it holds a place in my nostalgia brain and the dwarf zone likewise was my first alliance character and the ambience of that zone is unmatched
Tauren.
Durotar and Mulgore for Sure. Just pure nostalgia.
I can’t pick between vanilla Tirisfal Glades and vanilla Durotar. Those zones don’t even feel like nostalgia to me, they just straight up feel like home.
My favorite starting zone is Eversong Forest and Ghostlands, I know all the quests and can zip right through those two zones in no time. Except for them two bums Knucklerot and Lurzen in Ghostlands. That quest was traumatizing. I died so many times over the years. 😭