The "Arathi Treatment"

[Antidrama]

If you could pick any 3 vanilla zones to receive the "Arathi Treatment" (updated textures, music, environment detail, mobs etc.), which would you pick and why? It doesn't have to be for any story or lore related reason. It could just be wanting to see that zone in HD, or re-imagined now that the art team has more resources to work with.

My picks:

1. Stranglethorn Vale - After seeing the vibrancy of jungle climates in Gorgrond, Tanaan, and Zuldazar, Stranglethorn just looks... stale and flat. Especially now with new troll assets, new exotic creatures, as well as new environmental detail, it would benefit greatly. Also; potential Grom'gol warfront with jungle-warfare anyone?

2. The Barrens- Although seemingly a boring savanna, the barrens has a lot of diverse sub regions (several oasis, the razorfen, the goblin port of Ratchet, etc.). Arathi too, was once a mundane plain, but has been elevated beyond that. The southern barrens was also the site of a former "warfront", albeit in cataclysm, and if ever that conflict were to reappear, now is the time.

3. Searing Gorge - Now that dark irons have joined the alliance and are prominent contributors, I feel as though one of their strongest holdings should receive a facelift. I would be interested to see what the art team could do in a volcanic climate, as well as with new dark iron models and infrastructure, which clashes against the original vanilla art populating the zone.

I was talking about this with some friends during a Warfront, that I wish they'd go in and rework more zones like Arathi because I think they did a bang-up job on it.

Having said that, my choices would be:

Duskwoods
Redridge
Eastern Plaguelands

[rogoth]

here's my thinking, they should 'redo, redo' westfall again, and make use of the actual stronghold built there during cataclysm, and have that be the area that is sieged by the horde as they draw close to SW, and have azshara redone as the alliance equivalent as the staging area for a set of warfront areas, as far as any other old world areas that could be updated as a result of this, maybe they could take a look at eversong woods as another staging ground for a warfront as the alliance rally in northern EK and siege silvermoon, it would finally give them the damn excuse they need to add the zones to the world map properly since they have added in invisible walls to all the old areas of outland so you can't actually go visit the 'original' versions anymore which i find a bit weird when you consider how long they have been open for so many years.could also do one in loch modan, sadly as much as it needs it they can't touch dun morogh, due to how it is set up for new players but loch modan is a good alternative since it was almost entirely drained thanks to deathwing shattering the dam in cata.

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I was talking about this with some friends during a Warfront, that I wish they'd go in and rework more zones like Arathi because I think they did a bang-up job on it.

Having said that, my choices would be:

Duskwoods
Redridge
Eastern Plaguelands

they will never touch EPL until they sort out how the zones above it function.

[UltimateMystery]

The Barrens.

Felwood.

Ashenvale.

[Alkizon]

Then I would return Arathi to its original state, since what they did with zone is terrible. And in many ways this isn't even much related to "graphic component" as to zone organization. In fact, they destroyed zone for the sake of useless (and sometimes harmful) innovation.

Another thing. While the graphic remake of Arathi is very solid, they did nothing similar for Darkshore even though they plan to use it as a warfront.

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Go play classic. Also, use the bronze dragon to return it to the oh so better look.

I will, man, I will.

--- Edit ---
It's just because this message had to be here, since there is nothing good in fact that world is broken. No one should forget about this and first of these people are developers.

[Panquake]

Loch Modan (rebuild that dam)

Hinterlands (Forest Troll & Wildhammer Dwarf allied races please)

Ashenvale

[Kynario]

STV, because it's the best zone ever made

I assume you mean Pre-Cataclysm though

My votes are:
1. Stranglethorn Vale
2. Winterspring
3. Feralas
4. Ashenvale

[Deleted]

I'd love both Western and Eastern Plaguelands to be updated - lorewise, it should almost be fully purified of scourge. Also STV!

[Tyrilion]

The whole world should be updated.

Not again takes away too many resources from the current expac

Also STV Plaguelands and Tanaris

[Coconut]

I thought the Barrens was pretty much confirmed as a warfront this expansion, so I'm not going to bring it up.

I'm really pulling for Ashenvale, although they might not do it now that they made a Night Elf warfront in Darkshore. The Burning Steppes would be interesting to see updated, it's such a basic zone right now, but it could be fleshed out a lot with Frostfire/Gorgrond assets and an Orc (Mag'har?) vs Dark Iron theme; fire elementals duking it out with gronn. Stonetalon is another good candidate, it needs its story updated, it's one of the clunkier zones, and they already have the appropriate assets (it should look pretty much like Highmountain).

There are a lot of other zones that only need a minor face lift. Mulgore for example only needs new trees and it would look fine. With Westfall it's more a matter of quests and maybe updating some of the buildings and plantations. Others I'd like to see updated, but not around a warfront - Un'goro, Thousand Needles, Stranglethorn, Desolace, etc. I'd like to see the new Gadgetzan from Hearthstone, but otherwise I think that Tanaris looks great.

I would also like to see an updated Quel'thalas, complete with a Belf vs Velf warfront in the Ghostlands, as well as a revived and completely revamped Teldrassil further down the line.

[Arainie]

I'd like personally like to see a texture & lighting upgrade for our capitals (including Ironforge pretty please) ahead of any zones. Not a redesign of any sort, just a purely graphical update.

[Coconut]

Darkshore was not actually reworked though, was it? I mean I'm flying over it in the PTR and it looks pretty much the same.

I'm not sure if the changes were implemented in the actual world zone yet, but from what I've seen on youtube, the northern part is updated in the warfront and the scenario. Most of the trees are high def now (at least the branches, the trunks might have remained unchanged since they worked fairly well) and Ruins of Auberdine got some new Legion assets.

[Deleted]

I pick everyzone cause everyzone need to be upgrade to HD

[Kraddark]

Duskwood. All my favorite leveling memories were made in Duskwood. The atmosphere is great and a lot of the quests are iconic.

[Shinrael]

1. Mulgore
2. Hillsbrad Foothills
3. Ashenvale

[draynay]

Duskwood of course.

[Coconut]

Hmm, well Arathi is switched naturally when you enter it, in Darkshore you see the War of Thorns version instead of the Warfront version (you see the burning tree skybox, not the dark moon one. Maybe they have not implemented it yet?

That would be my bet. They still need to work on the southern part and add all the rares. Iirc the open world version of Arathi wasn't implemented from in start either back in Beta.

[cparle87]

Yet your argument doesn't hold up whatsoever. Teldrassil was burned to a crisp, there's barely anything for the Night Elves to go back to. Darkshore holds no strategic value to launch an attack on Orgrimmar or Thunder Bluff. Arathi is in the same boat, Stromgarde doesn't have a harbor and it's ages away from the Undercity and Quel'thalas. A Gilneas, Plaguelands or Barrens warfront would've actually made sense in strategic regard.
Blizzard updated Arathi because it was a forgotten zone, same as Darkshore. Not to mention both being relatively easy to redo seeing as there's nothing but trees and grass.

Gilneas has been an active BG since Cata. The neutral Argent Crusade holds most of the Plaguelands now and they won't put up with faction conflict. Barrens wouldn't make sense now that Theramore is gone, their closest stronghold is Feralas now. Whereas we have Stromgarde, a recently recaptured Alliance stronghold commanded by its returned leader, which is the closest large Alliance point to Undercity besides Aerie Peak.

[Deleted]

Gilneas has been an active BG since Cata. The neutral Argent Crusade holds most of the Plaguelands now and they won't put up with faction conflict. Barrens wouldn't make sense now that Theramore is gone, their closest stronghold is Feralas now. Whereas we have Stromgarde, a recently recaptured Alliance stronghold commanded by its returned leader, which is the closest large Alliance point to Undercity besides Aerie Peak.

Exactly, so why aren't we in Gilneas putting an end to it? Whoever controls it actually has a strategically sound foothold in Lordaeron and can properly invade the EK.
Since when did factions care about others not putting up with their fighting? The Alliance and Horde are the world's two superpowers. You really think non-nazi Germans actually had a say when the US and Soviet Union determined the fate of their country? The Argent Crusade not permitting shit is hardly something that bothers Sylvanas.
The highway from Theramore is still there. Taking the Barrens means having direct access to Thunder Bluff and Orgrimmar. It's the entire reason Varian ordered the construction of a highway from Theramore in the first place.
And then we have Arathi, which is only somewhat desirable for the Horde because the dwarves can't move their forces through Thandol Span efficiently.

So again, what arguments?

[sam86]

calling them vanilla zones in first place is bullsh8t, they were revamped already and my memories/attachment to them is already very low
they can revamp them for all i care, just don't touch belfs starting zone

[Powerogue]

Ultimately I think it playing a part in the story matters the most there, so I'd say Durotar (make the rockiness match the sort of rocks around Orgrimmar, which currently don't match at all, much brighter orange), Eversong Woods (would look so much better with a nice coat of VOOIIIIID >: D) and the Exodar (let's finally repair that darn thing and have a proper mobile capital!)