 Apart
from the gigantic world of Azeroth above ground, World of Warcraft will feature
intricate caves and tunnels underground, as well as sunken ships that are known
as dungeons. These dungeons will give the world of Azeroth more than one layer
to its already gigantic landmass. Like many other online role-playing games,
these dungeons usually make up key parts of your characters life. The rarest
items usually drop in dungeons, as well as most of the best experience is received
while down there.
You will come across two types of dungeons while playing World of Warcraft:
micro dungeons and world dungeons. There are more than a hundred micro dungeons
throughout the world of Azeroth, ranging in relative size from small to quite
big. Micro-dungeon locations will include tombs, haunted mines, ice caves, and
sunken ships to name a few. The transition into and out of these dungeons will
be seamless, and you'll be able to run into other players anywhere along the
way.
 World
dungeons, which are grander in scale than micro dungeons, are specifically designed
for more epic encounters. World dungeons include places such as Medivh's Tower,
the Westfall Deadmines, and the Scarlet Monastery. All these locations have
common areas where players can meet up and fight together. But, deeper in the
dungeons are areas set up specifically for more private group (or sometimes
guild) adventures. These private dungeon areas, called "instance zones,"
allow you and a group of friends to have a more personal experience, exploring,
adventuring, or completing quests in your own private dungeon. You also have
the ability to invite others into your instance zone to join you. This relieves
many of the camping, kill-stealing, and farming issues that other online role-playing
games sometimes face (::cough:: EverQuest ::cough::). The monsters in instance
zones are typically more powerful, so groups of players will have to work together
to defeat them, but with greater dangers come greater rewards!
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Allegedly, the Deadmines are a network of tunnels
and caverns that have been taken over by the Defias Brotherhood
and transformed into a complex base of operations. No one knows
if the underground complex really even exists, and if it does, specifically
what is contained there, but rumor has it that the way into the
Deadmines lies through Moonbrook.
One of the Dwarves finds the rare Blood Ring and graciously awards
it to one of his comrades.
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The Defias have quite an operation here. In the background is the
gateway to the instanced area. Up to that point, many players can
fight together without being in the same group. |
The Ogre foreman Rhahk'Zor guards the door. Perhaps he also has the
key. |
The Dwarves allow themselves a short break to toss back a few pints
and pose for a group picture. The sods back in Ironforge will never
believe this! |
What are Goblins doing in Alliance lands? They've converted this
room into a colossal woodworking shop, where they carve and saw
giant timbers that come in from the surface. They do not seem pleased
at the intrusion. |
This isn't a simple mine, it's an engineering operation! Huge, constantly
burning furnaces are at work melting an iron ore mixture into a
molten hot alloy. This metal is then moved to the molding area of
the refinery by huge iron cauldrons suspended on adamantium chains.
Hordes of Goblin workers scurry about, tooling their iron and monitoring
all of their outlandish machinery. |
This door is guarded by one of the Elder Defias - a wizard of great
arcane power and cunning. Why is the cannon pointed at the door?
Perhaps if you had some gun powder... |
What are the Defias really up to? Why have Ogres and Goblins allied
themselves with thieves? What true purpose lies within the depths
of the Deadmines? Will our heroic Dwarves ever make it back to the
surface? Can Dwarf females have beards? If so, what styles and accessories
are available? The answers to (some of) these questions and more
await you in the dungeons of Azeroth... |
