The New Feralas.

[Soaringbiscuit]

The Future of Feralas

Changes to the Feralas/Dire Maul in the Cataclysm.

Hello there, folks. I was looking at Retrogames' excellent speculation threads on the changes coming to Stratholme and the previously undeveloped area of North Lordaeron. If you're interested, you can find the links to those threads at the links section at the bottom of this massively long post. But anyway, I got to thinking. And I remembered my first questing trip to 60, and going through Feralas. I spent a lot of time in that zone, and its attached dungeon, Dire Maul...and I have a lot of ideas about how it could/should look and feel in Cataclysm. Hey, if I'm lucky, maybe this post will end up in that hallowed Sticky Compendium *COUGH.* Anyways, let's get to work.


LORE: Once part of the great expansion of Night Elf power, the forest of Feralas holds many ancient ruins as well as the great city now known as Dire Maul that have long since been overgrown by the native plant life. One possible explanation for its abundant flora and fauna could lie in the fact that Kalimdor was once nothing but lush forests prior to the Great Sundering. It is likely that the high mountains that surround the area served as a protective barrier from such outside factors. (Taken From WoWWiki)

So, what do we know? Well, we know that Feralas is of high importance to the Night Elves, and that the high mountain ranges protected it from most of the horrible effects of the First Sundering. That last bit is pretty important, because it means that in all likelihood, Feralas won't be affected loads by the upheaval of Deathwing's arrival. However, I'm not an expert on the Elemental Planes and Azeroth's topography, so feel free to correct me on that.


DENIZENS/MAJOR SETTLEMENTS: In Feralas, the main races that make their home there are...

1. Night Elves (Feathermoon Stronghold and Thalanaar)
2. Tauren (Camp Mojache and the Grimtotem Compound)
3. Ogres (Dire Maul and the Gordunni Outpost)
4. Naga (The Isle of Dread)
5. Green Dragonflight/Dragons of Nightmare (The Dream Bough)
6. Harpies (Frayfeather Highlands/High Wilderness)
7. Gnolls (Woodpaw Hills)
8. Sea Giants (The Forgotten Coast shoreline)
9. Yetis (The High Wilderness)

So, that gives us eight different parties to deal with. Now, for the....


CHANGES:

Alrighty then, let's go ahead and list them.

1. The Cataclysm hits the Isle of Dread and it hits it hard. So hard, in fact, that it's not even one island anymore, but a scattered mess of about a dozen different spits of land. The Naga, not content with living on such a wrecked piece of land, decide to gather their forces and mount an attack on Feathermoon Stronghold, to take it as their own. Which leads to our second change...

2. The Night Elves are driven out of Feathermoon Stronghold and forced to relocate. While the Elves are still recuperating from the shock of the Cataclysm, the Naga mount a surprise attack, and lay a massive siege to the fortified compound. Gathering their supplies and evacuating the island...

3. The Night Elves build a New Town on the Forgotten Coast, which turns out to be about as big as Feathermoon was. It's situated in the area surrounding where that one Goblin was on the Coastline, and stretches for a good distance on that island there and the surrounding land, with a tower or two built around the edges of the town. This gives the Night Elves a very strategic place to mount attacks on the Naga and onto Dire Maul. The finishing of this town happens through phasing as the player completes quests to help resupply the city and fend off attackers.

4. Flooding from the Thousand Needles flows through the Eastern end of Feralas, totally wiping out Thalanaar (not that it was much use anyway) and half-submerging Camp Mojache. The Tauren travel North and recuperate there, even as the flooding continues to spread through a series of rivers and lakes. Through Terrain Phasing, the Tauren can draw water out of their town and restore some of it in quests. The Night Elves, not wishing to have any of the water seep into their area, have created a makeshift dam. A certain entertaining quest allows the Horde to break down parts of the dam with siege bombs.

5. The Furbolgs that reside south of Camp Muchacho have pretty much been completely wrecked by the encroaching water, allowing the Silithid that formerly were confined to the Writhing Deep to move North and ravage their former camp. The part of Feralas South of the main road has become infested with Silithid, and is now quite the nasty place.

6. The Night Elves set up forward camps in the High Wilderness. These are designed to act as smaller bases in an attack on the Harpies in the Frayfeather Highland. The main goal of this attack is an attempt to reclaim the ruins of the Temple of Isildien, to give the Night Elves another outpost in the zone. They also exterminate the yeti threat in the process.

7. Alerted by the distress calls of the flooded Tauren, the Goblins and other Tauren travel from Desolace down through the Twin Colossals, clearing an open path. When they come to Dire Maul, they pretty much blow the mountains behind it up, obliterating one wing of the dungeon (To make the dungeon shorter and less of a Blackrock Mountain-style 8 hour commitment) and connecting to the makeshift Tauren settlement. This doesn't happen right away, though. Once Horde and Alliance players complete a certain quest, they'll hear an abrupt boom and the road will be there.

8. Nothing at all happens to the Dream Bough. After all, gotta keep that World Boss there for a soft reminder of the days of yore.


My redone map (Made on paint, sigh) can be found at... http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z-vTciQDP7...ap-Feralas.jpg


DIRE MAUL: While I may not be the most qualified person to write this section on Dire Maul (my knowledge of the dungeon extends to 2 wings of a run and a quick read up on WoWWiki) I figured that given Blizzard's current design philosophy of shorter dungeons in Wrath and the new LFG system, they'll probably trim Dire Maul down from the expansive dungeon it is now. The Goblins would eliminate the wing dominated by Ghosts of the Highborne, leaving adventurers only to deal with the Satyrs and the Ogres. Paladins and Warlocks will have their Epic Mount quest moved elsewhere.


IN CONCLUSION: Feralas in Cataclysm would be a simplified romp through five levels (35-40 come Cataclysm, confirmed by Blizzard) with an underlying theme of establishing new territory and recuperating from the Cataclysm. It's listed as having a Moderate amount of changes, which means that maybe not all of the changes I listed would occur. The Goblin path would be the most likely to be forgone in favor of just leaving Dire Maul and Northern Feralas as they are.

Let me know what you think/thought! ;D



LINKS:

http://wow.gamepressure.com/map.asp?ID=31
http://www.wowwiki.com/Dire_Maul
http://www.wowwiki.com/Feralas
http://www.mmo-champion.com/general-...on-stratholme/
http://www.mmo-champion.com/general-...rth-lordaeron/

[Markluzz]

definately something that could be pretty good with this area, expecially with the fact i hated taking that stupid boat back and forth continuesly when i quested here.

[The Core]

What's the point of all this speculation? Will you be happy if you're right or what?

[Soaringbiscuit]

What's the point of all this speculation? Will you be happy if you're right or what?

To share one's ideas with other members of the forum and exchange ideas/comments on the stuff. I was also pretty damn bored. But to be honest I don't see the necessity of having a fine point to doing this. I made it for your speculating/viewing pleasure, not so you can dissect my motives for making it.

[Scunosi]

I saw you said you haven't run much of Dire Maul, so that probably explains this, but: I would think the High Elves would be another faction you'd have to take into consideration. There's a small contingent inside Dire Maul (I forget which wing), they even have a rep bar (Shendralar or something). What with Night Elves gaining access to the Mage class I think this would be somewhat important as to whether or not they reconnect with these guys or what.

[Fortunado]

What's the point of all this speculation? Will you be happy if you're right or what?

Probably the same reason as fan fiction. Some people just enjoy sharing their ideas with other people with constructive criticism, but analyzing his motives are more pointless than actually writing any sort of speculation.

[Soaringbiscuit]

I saw you said you haven't run much of Dire Maul, so that probably explains this, but: I would think the High Elves would be another faction you'd have to take into consideration. There's a small contingent inside Dire Maul (I forget which wing), they even have a rep bar (Shendralar or something). What with Night Elves gaining access to the Mage class I think this would be somewhat important as to whether or not they reconnect with these guys or what.

Aha, I see. Perhaps their section would be expanded and turned into a sort of "Clean Zone" ala Gnomeregan.

[Soaringbiscuit]

Probably the same reason as fan fiction. Some people just enjoy sharing their ideas with other people with constructive criticism, but analyzing his motives are more pointless than actually writing any sort of speculation.

Nothing to say about the quote except for the fact that I have a deep respect for your username. The cask of Amontillado.

[Scunosi]

Oh yeah another thing, those aren't furbolgs, their gnolls. Little Hogger guys.
Not sure if Yetis are a 'race' either, but then you did include harpies.

[Zonas]

For DM i could see them puting more into the Elfs there with the fact you kill their immortality and then their leader. But itd affect the rep their and people would QQ about it :-\

For Ogre DM id say keep the same not much of it needs to change ( sept make the damn tanin non bop!!! /nerdrage)

And for demon DM You could allow more of a cleansed area with the felvine destroyd and most of the corupting demons kill. Less evil plants/demons and a nicer look to it.

[Soaringbiscuit]

Oh yeah another thing, those aren't furbolgs, their gnolls. Little Hogger guys.
Not sure if Yetis are a 'race' either, but then you did include harpies.

Indeed, good points. Edited the OP to include both of those corrections. Thanks you.

[Mindipedia]

I saw you said you haven't run much of Dire Maul, so that probably explains this, but: I would think the High Elves would be another faction you'd have to take into consideration. There's a small contingent inside Dire Maul (I forget which wing), they even have a rep bar (Shendralar or something). What with Night Elves gaining access to the Mage class I think this would be somewhat important as to whether or not they reconnect with these guys or what.

Then Shen'Drelar are Highbourne, similar to High Elves (in that they share the same name - Quel'Dorei. Go look up wowwiki how High Elves evolved from the exiled Highbourne). Their small contingent are in the Library, which is accessable from both DM:North and DM:West.

Indeed, good points. Edited the OP to include both of those corrections. Thanks you.

I still see furbolgs instead of gnolls. Was gunna point that out but I read comments and saw this.


All in all - good speculation and the only bone i have is that I think blizz mentioned removing the DM instance and making the area a subzone for quests and whatnot.

[Doctadrew]

I was intrigued by your entire post and then laughed my ass off at the picture. Looks like a lot of thought and effort into the whole thing but no matter how amazing your changes are the paint will get to me :P.

[Jurazz-Blammymatazz]

I love this! ;D (Especially the part where Goblins take out an entire wing of the ancient city...beautiful.)

[Lotena]

What's the point of all this speculation? Will you be happy if you're right or what?

Eh, it's creative thinking. Sometimes people get kicks out of being creative and playing out different scenarios to their conclusion. *shrug*

[Northem]

It is very interesting and I support your proposal. I love this type of projects, but as I said to Retrogames, it must follow the logic and lore at all times, so if I see something that is not right, I'll tell you.

_________________________________________________
PD. Please, do not call to the north of Lordaeron as ‘North Lordaeron’; it has its specific name: Northeron.

[prochy]

Really nice post I like your ideas with nagas, flooding the tauren city and nelves retaking those ruins for themselves.

On the other hand, I would like to see DM get ridden of it's intance status (as someone mentioned). Make there two outposts - highbourne for the alliance and let's say blood elven for the horde (Blood elves wanted to welcome Highbourne in their own ranks since Highbourne are their ancestors, but they refused because they senced taint of demonic energies from them, etc, then blood elves got angry Highbourne allied with Night elves and regard them with distrust and settled there to show them that they're the one who are the masters of arcane, or maybe tauren since they're already in Feralas and nearby locations). There could be quests for retaking DM - killing demons, ogres and ghosts and also involving some PvP quests.

[Highlord Hanibuhl]

Sounds good, but even though I'm alliance, I do think the horde players don't have to go through a large ally-town just to get from Desolace to their city.

[Soaringbiscuit]

Really nice post I like your ideas with nagas, flooding the tauren city and nelves retaking those ruins for themselves.

On the other hand, I would like to see DM get ridden of it's intance status (as someone mentioned). Make there two outposts - highbourne for the alliance and let's say blood elven for the horde (Blood elves wanted to welcome Highbourne in their own ranks since Highbourne are their ancestors, but they refused because they senced taint of demonic energies from them, etc, then blood elves got angry Highbourne allied with Night elves and regard them with distrust and settled there to show them that they're the one who are the masters of arcane, or maybe tauren since they're already in Feralas and nearby locations). There could be quests for retaking DM - killing demons, ogres and ghosts and also involving some PvP quests.

That....is a very good idea. I still think the Goblins should cut a hole through the mountains though. I remember trying to get through that zone and having to travel all the way around the curve from Mojache to the Twin Colossals, and it got really annoying.

[Soaringbiscuit]

ahem.