In the most northern region of Kalimdor there is a zone called Winterspring and I don’t think I’ve ever been here before. That’s the beautiful thing about playing classic, you find tons of things you’ve never seen before or maybe just forgotten. I played World of Warcraft when it first launched back in 2004 and I have vivid memories of lots of the zones but this one I just don’t think I’ve ever visited. How could that be? Well, I could just be misremembering but more likely the reason is WoW doesn’t have a linear leveling path. There are multiple zones for the same level range and if all else fails you can just grind out levels. That’s why I really believe I’ve never visited here before.
I’ve always been fond of snow landscapes and so when I first saw Winterspring while exiting a cave I was very happy. It was a new world to explore, a new adventure, and that felt refreshing. It’s the world that really makes an MMO feel alive and WoW did a great job at that back in 2004 and it still holds up. Once entering the zone I saw a hot spring, a little ways down the path I found an small tent with an NPC named Donova standing out there with a torch and I could only imagine how they found themselves out here to begin with. I also encountered a new mob I’d never seen, a Fledgling Chillwind which is always exciting.
I kept on walking down the road to get to the town and coming across the hill and laying eyes on Everlook for the first time I was amazed. Without even going inside the city I knew I was staring at a goblin town. It is a signature goblin design and I not to long ago I was down south in the town of Gadgetzan located in Tanaris which look very similar to Everlook. The differences though were a perfect fit for the snow covered environment. Everlook has the signature goblin architecture towering out of the town, the walls with the sliding gates, and the roofs here were like ice blocks that perfectly meet the snow covered theme.
As I approached the town the music changed too. Goblin towns are very distinct in many ways and the first one was the building architecture, another one is their music. I really don’t know how to describe it and I tried looking for a short clip on YouTube but couldn’t find one. The music is great and very goblin. Other than that the big thing is wallpaper! Yes, the goblins love their wallpaper and it’s always fantastic. In the snowy mountains of Winterspring they went with penguins. Seeing this for the first time was just a delight because of course there are penguins.
To the designers who made Everlook and all the towns and zones I want to say thank you. You brought Azeroth to life and it’s a fun place to explore. Now it’s time to jump back into adventure, until next time.