There, on the northwestern horizon, do you see it? Daggers of lightning spear clusters of dark clouds, filling the air with electricity you can almost feel crackling on your skin. An ominous sensation floats that permeates you, and something else ...
Act I: The premise
Let me tell you a story. To put you in the situation, patch 5.2, The Thunder King, is live and we've been discovering the new content for a week. It is a typical Saturday afternoon and as I turn on the computer I feel my body begin to relax as my mind ponders the many things I hope to achieve in the game.
Act II: Adventure is not just anything
I'm dying to go to the Isle of Thunder, but I know I have time to do a few more daily tasks and quests. Since I am a farm nut, I first want to take care of the crops that I have underway.
The Valley of the Four Winds has always seemed to me a place of wonderful harmony. The first time I came to the area, it didn't take long for me to befriend the Valley Laborers, and right away I went to work to get to Exaltado. Having achieved this with the Labradors and with all four storylines unlocked, I was able to acquire the farm, which I now consider my home (not to mention where I put my Hearthstone!).
Well, first things first: to style they play! The crops I planted yesterday are ready for harvest, and I want to make sure I plant a few more today before I go. With the plot, you can now accept orders from various factions, allowing you to gain reputation simply by planting crops! I begin by plowing my field and, to my delight, each pass of the plow brings the squatting women out of the occupied land stunned and damaged. Well! This is when I realize I'm dancing with joy and force myself to stop out of embarrassment. No wonder Luna looks at me suspiciously and Hairy snorts at me.
After quickly planting my remaining seeds and removing obstacles to my plants' growth, I hop on my pandaren jade kite and head to Shado-Pan Barracks. The portal to the new island is near him, and since I still want a Shado-Pan tiger of my own, it's time to get revenge on the watchers on the wall! With Red Smoke Tenwu at my side and the advantage of stealth, we swiftly passed the Sra'thik, leaving a trail of corpses in our wake.
As I head to the portal, the members of my brotherhood chat about the band scheduled for tomorrow at Heart of Fear. While we've made a few forays into Throne of Thunder on normal difficulty, we all take it quite casually and still have a bit of gear left to do before taking on the new bosses seriously. A couple of players share tactical ideas with one of our gang leaders. I just make sure I drive really hard, don't put myself in bad places and launch a resurrection in combat if the worst happens. But those plan with such passion that they make me think: "Tomorrow, Un'sok ... your time will come tomorrow." (You have to imagine me with a GRRR face and waving my clenched fist in the air to make everything more dramatic).
Act III: That Lesson About Being Prepared
After a few moments of silence, and while I put in order the tasks of the Shado-Pan that remain for today, a large group begins to form to enter the Isle of Thunder. We cannot ignore the haunting calls of the mogu, the Zandalari, and the terrifying Thunder King. Most importantly, progress in the quest area requires our help as the entire kingdom works together to conquer the stronghold of Lei Shen. Thus, carried away by our patriotism, we left. When we arrive at the armada, off the coast, we are greeted by the leaders of the Kirin Tor and the Sunreaver Onslaught, both giving instructions on the materials they need and the creatures to be decimated. If we want to move towards the Throne of Thunder, it is time to get to it with enthusiasm! We introduce ourselves to Lor'themar and he gives us the option to help in the PvE or PvP missions of the day, and once completed we will receive a chest full of useful items. Today we chose PvE, although it is clear that many of those who are there have chosen the PvP route, as can be seen from the yellow flags in their names.
We all know each other pretty well, so there shouldn't be too many downsides. Moving together like a pride of lions, we avoid obstacles and leave a trail of destruction in our wake. A few of us gain some green items from kills, which would otherwise be fragmented or auctioned, but these are of specific importance. Some of the green items that drop on this island use the appearances of the items from the old Zul'Aman gang, which is perfect for transmogrification. We complete one of our tasks, then another, and this is when we finally pause. A little further down the road is the Saurok cave, and something is a bad thing. In the past we have come together to face the most fearsome enemies, but for some reason this island gives us chills that we are not very used to. Resolute and determined, we press on with our attacks.
Problems! As we deal with a group of creatures, a rare apparition arrives that puts our gang in a tight spot. Luckily, a little further on there is another group of adventurers who join us to help us take down the beast. Phew! We wipe the sweat from our foreheads, satisfied that we have finally completed all of our missions. It is time to savor it and finally catch your breath. Our druid tank breaks the soothing silence by noticing a few mysterious items in its inventory. They are called Shan'ze Ritual Stones, and apparently they can be used to summon a powerful and rare creature. Here I imagine us all with the same expression: narrowing our eyes with determination, we all look around and nod in unison: let's do it!
Nestled on one side of the island is a small clearing. Here we understand that we can start with the invocation ritual. Faced with the possibility of earning mounts, items and badges that give reputation, the talk of the group is filled with hope for the next death. Suddenly, emerging from what can only be described as hell, a fierce brute named Kor'dok appears before us. Before we have time to examine our opponent, the fight has already begun, and after an epic battle it is concluded. A couple of us get bags full of gems and materials to enchant, while the tank achieves the unimaginable and gains a mount, a three-horned dinosaur from the darkest crystal, and the guild chat explodes when it binds its bounty.
As we head back to the army, I notice a strange key in my inventory. Upon careful examination, I discover that it belongs to the Shado-Pan. The rest of my group are moving on without me to go on their own adventures tonight, and after a brief conversation with one of the Shado-Pan leaders I slip away to a secret location. It's a single-player quest, and it's full of treasures! Lavish and ornate, the room is a sight to behold. Scattered before me are chests overflowing with gold and rare antiques, but I only have a short time to grab as much as I can, and the traps that protect the chests are designed to slow my progress. I leave this alive and with my arms full of objects and wealth.
Eager to continue my evening, I queue for the first wing of Thunder's Throne Raid Finder: The Charge of the Zandalari Brigade. These new encounters put our group to the test fearlessly, and the experience is unbearable for some. As we fight, new and brave adventurers join us, and we keep fighting until there is nothing left to face. My experience ends with an item level 502 trinket, and I find myself performing the same painful dance as before.
The truth is that nothing I say will do justice to this experience, so I will leave you saying goodbye with these words:
Rumors float on this island about a fearsome reptile, about a celestial spirit that protects an entrance, and about a legend that will weigh on the minds of triumphant heroes. And although each of these rumors has its intrigue, what I have shared is but a day in Pandaria, a day that barely scratches the surface of what is to come. I feel my heart race just thinking about the adventures I will have and how much I will explore as soon as Patch 5.2 arrives. And while this story is fiction for now, it will soon come true, and the mysteries of the Isle of Thunder will be revealed!
Chad "Crithto" Wingerd is one of the World of Warcraft Community Managers, and in real life he is not a pug