We are coming to the end of Wrath Classic. Not today or next week, but soon enough… or maybe not soon enough, given the roadmap that came out this week.
But we’re getting there. The Icecrown Citadel update has dropped, the end of content updates save for Ruby Sanctum, which is coming out on January 11, 2024, and we are on the road to Cataclysm Classic some time next year.
It is also the end of the year, which is a time for reflection for some. So, after a long run through Northrend, it is time to rank the zones of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.
All of Northrend Laid Out
I did a similar post for Outland at the end of Burning Crusade Classic and… that was a lot easier. There are no Blades Edge Mountain zones that just annoy me. The WoW team learned from their experiences and delivered something of a more even experience. So there is not a huge gap between the top pick and, say, a mid-pack pick the way there was with Outland, where I love Nagrand and am kind of down on nearly everything else.
Still, there are zones I love and zones I only like… and a couple that never quite clicked with me… and two zones that barely count as zones. I am going to stack rank them based mostly on emotion.
1 – Icecrown
Icecrown, the final zone of the expansion, the one where you likely spend the most time.
Icecrown Map
This is where the expansion wrap up, where you have raids and dungeons, where there a lot of the story unfold, and where you screw around doing the Argent Tournament. What else would I pick for first place?
It is also a zone that 100% requires you to have flying and yet makes you feel like you’re getting away with something by having flying. I am not sure how that works, but it always makes me feel like I am winning harder than I should.
2- Howling Fjord
This is where Wrath of the Lich King starts to strut its stuff as an expansion.
Howling Fjord Map
It starts off a little rough, and all the more so if you show up here at level 68 rather than in Borean Tundra, but even the entrance to the zone, when you sail in from Menethil Harbor down the fjord with the flaming wreck suspended above the chasm, is epic. And as you go down the quest lines the zone is keen to show you all the new mechanics added in with the expansion. You pilot things, drive things, shoot things, and ride a flaming harpoon across the fjord. Also, you meet the Kalu’ak for the first time. We need them to be a playable race with their own special class.
3 – Sholazar Basin
This zone sometimes gets dismissed as a remake of Ungoro Crater, and the similarities are apparent.
Sholazar Basin Map
But Sholazar stands out with its multiple faction story line, the traditional Hemit Nessingwary quests, and being the place you want to go if you need to harvest saronite, skins, herbs, or gas clouds. It is a go-to location for that and a fishing daily quest as well. Accept no substitute.
4 – Storm Peaks
The first of the flying required zones, it has some interesting and innovative… for the game… quest mechanics.
The Storm Peaks Map
It also has an important faction, the Sons of Hodir, which have the best shoulder enchants for a few classes, and it is the place where you can rent the “I’m poor and cannot afford cold weather flying” cheap and slow ass flying mount. I am also pretty sure that Dun Nifflem is a reference to Dunder Mifflin. Snowy, with that fun minefield achievement, but a zone you pass through quickly enough on your way to Icecrown.
5 – Borean Tundra
Borean Tundra is probably the zone I have run through the most in Northrend.
Borean Tundra Map
It is the starting point for level 68 characters, being a bit easier than Howling Fjord. It is also called the “Boring” Tundra at times, and not just because of the achievement. It is an intro zone, designed to get you into the expansion while bridging the gap between the old content and the new. As such, it is rather formulaic. It doesn’t go all in on any new mechanics the way Howling Fjord does.
On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with the zone. It tells some stories, introduces early changes to the game, and has some fun moments. It also has a lot of flight points, as many as Icecrown if I am counting right. For purposes of this list it was my baseline. My first question was “Is this zone, overall, better or worse than Borean Tundra?”
6 – Dragonblight
The middle child zone, stuck between Boran Tundra and Howling Fjord and not as smart or as fun as either.
Dragonblight Map
Dragonblight falls below Borean Tundra because the quest chain there… it is kind of awkward. There are a few quests in there that are easy to screw up and end up having to walk back across the zone to get things sorted out. There are annoyances and quests that I have found less than clear.
On the other hand, the Kalu’ak live in their harbor village at the south end of the zone, and I am a fan of theirs, so that redeems the zone a bit.
7 – Grizzly Hills
Somebody is going to call me out on this because I know that Grizzly Hills is a favorite zone of many. Just not me.
Grizzly Hills Map
I mean, it looks pretty. It is the nice woodsy zone in the mix. But I am not a fan of the quests. They are an odd muddle of kill and fetch and find quests that always make me feeling like I am covering the same ground over and over. If it wasn’t for Harrison Jones I might rank this lower… or maybe not. The gap between this and Dragonblight is fairly small.
8 – Zul’Drak
This is a zone that just never clicked with me.
Zul’Drak Map
If it wasn’t for the Troll Patrol daily, which you need sometimes for a bit of a rep boost, I might skip this zone altogether. It is squeezed in the middle and if you had some accumulated blue bar you can end up going straight to Sholazar Basin rather than spending time here. Also, that one of the quests in the Troll Partol dailies pretty much needs a special addon to keep you sane is a mark against it.
9 – Lake Wintergrasp
I like the battleground. The zone itself… there isn’t much “there” there. Just look at the map.
Lake Wintergrasp Map
There is a fishing daily that sends you there and one of the Wintergrasp Fortress weekly quests has you go out and kill mobs for drops. But other than that and harvesting fire clouds in the south east corner, it doesn’t do anything for me. Also, Blizz refers to it as Wintergrasp and Lake Wintergrasp at different spots. Make up your mind.
10 – Crystalsong Forest
I would argue that this is more of a zone than Wintergrasp, which is why it ranks below that because I find it an annoying zone. Just big enough to be annoying, just small enough to not have much going on.
Crystalsong Forest
It mostly exists as a place for Dalaran to be. There are flight points and small camps for Horde and Alliance in the zone, but the only things you do in it are quests from other zones or the cooking daily from Dalaran. I suppose, technically, I should blame Icecrown for sending me to Crystalsong Forest, but it isn’t Icecrown’s fault that the place is so bland. Also, every single time I screw up that one quest where you need to get a skeleton bone and bonk the one mob with it… I just run up and kill him, don’t get my drop, then have to go back and read the quest text then do it right. I know, that is my fault and it is an Icecrown quest again… but I blame Crystalline Forest all the same!
Summary
As I noted at the top, the gaps between the top eight zones on this list are pretty small and I might, on a different day, in a different mood, sort them in a different way. I think Icecrown would always be in the top two, fighting with Howling Fjord and its majestic opening.
This is also more of an emotional response to the zones. I didn’t bring into consideration quests, rewards, dungeons, or raids that might be in the zone.
So I won’t be upset if you disagree with my ranking… unless you put Icecrown at the bottom or Crystalsong at the top. Then we might have words.
The Ancient Gaming Noob 