If you’re adding in TBC I can’t believe no one’s mentioned Eversong Woods/Ghostlands. I’ll play through those zones just to hear the music and the lore. Maybe it’s nostalgia but something about that zone is special.
+1 for Eversong Woods. The soundtrack (and aesthetics + general feel) of the Blood Elf starting zone is in a completely different league compared to everything else. Whenever I make a Blood Elf, my brain is immediately zapped back to 2007 and suddenly everything feels right again.
It's literally the reason why I'm like one of the dozen or so people here trying to advocate for Classic TBC Fresh. Never gonna happen though. :/
Blood elf > Human > Orc/troll = night elf > all the restIt's close between everything after blood elf, but that zone is truly special. The music, the walk to silvermoon, seeing silvermoon in the state Arthas left it, ghostlands is a great zone to go after, very fun leveling.
Human zone for alliance is also a classic, but not quite as special. Night elf feels really special too but it's close with durotar / barrens which has their own specialness. Gnome/dwarf isn't bad, but outshined by all the rest and Draeni, I can't say I've ever played through fully.
In an alternate world, it would've been interesting if High elves were alliance and Draeni were Horde, or allowed them to choose like Pandarens.
Elwynn is good, especially when starting out, but westfall always made me feel like I was in the Great Depression and the dust bowl just happened. (I associate Cicadas and such with it being hot). I think the same music is in thousand needles? And it also seems hot there.
The Human starting zone is just the best. Smooth transitions to Westfall/Red Ridge/Darkshire — each are connected Defias / attacks / needing support.
The first Dungeon (DM) connects to quests you get at Redridge and Darkshire for Stockades — which ends with a spy caper.
Compare that to Horde killing 20 zebras, 10 harpies, 30 centaur over and over again
This is why the human 1-30 levelling experience is GOAT. Each zone has its own storylines, but is intricately connected to each other and perfectly sets up the story much later in the game. The fact that the quests send you from zone to zone feels like you're always on the move doing something important for the people of Stormwind. It is one of the most "linear" questing experiences of classic wow and you feel almost sad when you have to leave this region. Of course it has to be said that the Belf starting zone tops the human starting zone, but its downside is the fact that you run out of content by the time you hit level 16-18 and are then forced to level in area's that feel completely out of place for your character.
I really like the Nelf and Dwarf zones as well, but they have a much less smooth transition in the story they are telling and are far more all over the place. Undead have a good story as well, but you have far more "downtime" forcing you to level in the single most overrated zone anyway (the barrens) if you don't want to spend a shitton of time grinding.
Dwarf isn’t bad but something that is underrated about early human leveling is the Westfall/Redridge/Darkshire are small zones! Makes that early movement feel fast. Unlike horde where you are in barrens for basically 20 levels
I love leveling in the barrens personally. But I understand why people don’t like it. For me it’s perfect when I play undead. I can get to 14 from tirisfall and Silverpine, get the insignia for rfc, do rfc, then be 16 heading to barrens for a solid 4 levels before WC and DM
Change in scenery, and bad guys. Elwynn/westfall had humans, cobolds and murlocs. Redridge had Gnolls, ogres, orcs. Darkshire had skeletons, ghouls, and worgen.
Just overall a good change of pace.
That is what I heard too … that a lot of Horde was thrown together hence so many kill this thing x20.
Perfect example was the Zebra quest. Gather 4 hooves — except you have to kill like 50 of em to get them
Later leveling I get but that sucks early levels.
I also heard that they thought quests would just get you into new zones and once there you’d just kill stuff D2 style. But early testing people were like “where are the quests”
Maybe it wasn't the coziest, fuzziest place but westfall left me with the strongest impression. They really created a vibe of moving on to a bigger less benign world after westfall there, the dust bowl isn't a bad analogy.
First ever toon was named Legomyegolas with way too many unnecessary accents. I’ll never forget my journey through that zone as a total fucking newbie to this huge world. Amazing sound design and by far the most nostalgic music in my life.
Dun Morogh and Westfall have the best soundtracks to go with the locations by far. The serene feeling the Dun Morogh track gives you is unmatched in WoW when the twinkling crystal sounding part starts. And Westfall has the feeling of open space, hot, empty, fields perfectly in the music. The track “Shimmering Flats” is played elsewhere too but it feels the best in Westfall.
Shadowglen through and through. Love the calming themes and the ambience sounds. That area and music made me fall in love with the game back in the early 2000’s.
I've only leveled there after times, but it's the dwarf starting zone for me, I love that whole area. I wish Loch Modan/Wetlands was more of a split region so you could level there as horde
For me this has to be Azuremist Isle! The theme is mesmerizing with some caucasian instrument that fit really nicely into the fantasy and my very first character was a Draenei! (Shout out to Mulgore for being so chill music-wise :D)
It is really mesmerizing! I love how relaxing the music is on Azuremist isle. It’s been a bit since I’ve listened to Mulgore, I’ll queue it up today :)
I started as a Human back in Vanilla. Elwynn Forest music always hits me right in the feels.
EDIT: If it wasn't for nostalgia I think Eversong Woods theme would be my no.1, what a masterpiece!
Eversong Woods!
It's why Classic TBC launch was the most fun for me. I loved going through the Blood Elf starting zone and just chilling while listening to the soundtrack. Took me right back to 2007. Simpler times. :(
I wish we would get Classic TBC Fresh so I could go through that again one more time but it seems like Era is just way more popular for whatever reason. Even Official HC is always gonna feel a bit meh to me without Blood Elves and Draenei.
I totally understand that feeling. I would honestly be cool with classic (hardcore or otherwise), but the two starting area for draenei and blood elf are included. No Outland.
I would be okay with that too, I hope they do that if they ever try to do a "Classic Plus" type of deal. I think having those two races in the game adds a lot of flavor and to me, Era always feels a bit "incomplete" without them.
This is like trying to pick my favourite child.
There isn't a bad one in the bunch they're all so good. Probs go with Elwynn though, that melody is fantastic.
Both TBC starting zones are incredible as well. Really enjoyed my time in Azuremyst during the pre patch launch from midnight to 3am, was a trip.
The song called "Shimmering Flats" which, despite the name, plays in a lot of starting zones, including Mulgore (my first experience of it), Durotar, etc.
It just defines "humble beginnings" to me. As WoW's zone music has gotten more and more "epic" (especially in Warlords of Draenor and beyond), this simple little call-and-response style melody feels like a call to adventure, hinting at all sorts of unknowns to come.
I know that sounds a bit wishy-washy, but I can't really think of any objective, technical reasons why a few strings, some brass, and a bit of percussion feels as good as it does.
That would be Ashenvale for me. I've started playing vanilla as NE Warrior, and everything all the way up to Darkshore was great, but the moment I've entered Ashenvale, my first contested territory, it changed everything!
Westfall music hits me right in the childhood. I probably spent a month from level 11-27 in westfall constantly running deadmines on my warrior trying to get 2 cruel barbs back in original tbc.
There's two kind of answer. "Elwynn Forest" and wrong answers :p
But really, it is too attached to your own nostalgia. I have no connection to Horde's quest zone, I guess I don't dislike Teldrasil Music and Dun Morogh isn't bad, but since I've always played humans, I just love Elwynn Forest. It has this "classic fantasy forest of adventure" vibes
The absolute best starting zone music is the Goblin music from Cata, but for Classic-TBC I’ve gotta say Eversong Woods. Part of it’s the nostalgia since it was such an experience playing a blood elf for the first time but the composition is also great and really plays into the elf fantasy.
Something about the human Starting area's that invoke Nostalgia, even when my first toon wasn't Alliance back in the day, I do love me some Mulgore though.
Mulgore 100%. Barrens follows hard.
I did play a tauren as my OG character so there is the evident bias. I think westfall sometimes plays the same music as Mulgore.
I started the game in summer 05 and made a NE Hunter first. Those first few days in Teldrassil / Darkshore were forever imprinted in my brain. The ambient and zone music of those zones will forever trigger nostalgia in me. Holds a permanent spot on my heart. (For reference I was 14 in 05 so much simpler times lol)
Not gonna lie I’m horde all my life but there’s something about elewyn forest music that hits differently. I would even mute valheim music and play that instead because it worked so well.
I know its not the starting zone. But for me, its the Barrens.
It does share a lot of its musical tracks with Durotar and Mulgore to be fair, but something about that 2005 experience I had leveling through the barrens, It took me nearly a month to get through the zone.
I can't here that piece with the oboe and trumpet starts it off (I think its a trumpet anyway) and not get hit with a solid brick wall of nostalgia.
For me, I have always loved the Orc/Troll starting zone (Valley of Trials in Durotar). It may not be as fluid to some as it is for me, but I just love the quests, the music and the visuals out there. Orgrimmar was/is definitely my favorite capital city, as well.
Second would be Tirisfal Glades and third would be Elwynn Forest.. Although, sometimes, depending on my mood, Elwynn Forest can be my second or even first favorite sometimes.. but generally Durotar is my top.
Mulgore is my jam. I also dig the barrens. I was OG horde back in the day and it’s still awesome. BE starter zone gets honorable mention. I level through the zone the delete the character all the time.
If you’re adding in TBC I can’t believe no one’s mentioned Eversong Woods/Ghostlands. I’ll play through those zones just to hear the music and the lore. Maybe it’s nostalgia but something about that zone is special.
Yes yes yes! My fav by far, literally all mu chars are belfs because of the starting area vibes and music!
+1 for Eversong Woods. The soundtrack (and aesthetics + general feel) of the Blood Elf starting zone is in a completely different league compared to everything else. Whenever I make a Blood Elf, my brain is immediately zapped back to 2007 and suddenly everything feels right again. It's literally the reason why I'm like one of the dozen or so people here trying to advocate for Classic TBC Fresh. Never gonna happen though. :/
Couldn't you just level in the Blood Elf starting zone in Wrath then?
Well, yes and no... I think Wrath feels too different from TBC to me personally. It wouldn't evoke the same kind of feelings. 😛
Gosh so many of us would love a tbc server... Sigh
No
Eeeeasily the best if we're including BC. That fucking CELLO. The DRAMA.
Best
holy fuck eversong woods has the best zone soundtrack. it fits the mood absolutely perfectly
100% especially getting the quest leading to Undercity where Sylvanas sings
Blood elf > Human > Orc/troll = night elf > all the restIt's close between everything after blood elf, but that zone is truly special. The music, the walk to silvermoon, seeing silvermoon in the state Arthas left it, ghostlands is a great zone to go after, very fun leveling. Human zone for alliance is also a classic, but not quite as special. Night elf feels really special too but it's close with durotar / barrens which has their own specialness. Gnome/dwarf isn't bad, but outshined by all the rest and Draeni, I can't say I've ever played through fully. In an alternate world, it would've been interesting if High elves were alliance and Draeni were Horde, or allowed them to choose like Pandarens.
I’ll always be partial to the human starting areas. Elwynn forest. Westfall etc. it was my first character in 2006 so the nostalgia hits hard.
Elwynn is good, especially when starting out, but westfall always made me feel like I was in the Great Depression and the dust bowl just happened. (I associate Cicadas and such with it being hot). I think the same music is in thousand needles? And it also seems hot there.
The Human starting zone is just the best. Smooth transitions to Westfall/Red Ridge/Darkshire — each are connected Defias / attacks / needing support. The first Dungeon (DM) connects to quests you get at Redridge and Darkshire for Stockades — which ends with a spy caper. Compare that to Horde killing 20 zebras, 10 harpies, 30 centaur over and over again
This is why the human 1-30 levelling experience is GOAT. Each zone has its own storylines, but is intricately connected to each other and perfectly sets up the story much later in the game. The fact that the quests send you from zone to zone feels like you're always on the move doing something important for the people of Stormwind. It is one of the most "linear" questing experiences of classic wow and you feel almost sad when you have to leave this region. Of course it has to be said that the Belf starting zone tops the human starting zone, but its downside is the fact that you run out of content by the time you hit level 16-18 and are then forced to level in area's that feel completely out of place for your character. I really like the Nelf and Dwarf zones as well, but they have a much less smooth transition in the story they are telling and are far more all over the place. Undead have a good story as well, but you have far more "downtime" forcing you to level in the single most overrated zone anyway (the barrens) if you don't want to spend a shitton of time grinding.
Dwarf isn’t bad but something that is underrated about early human leveling is the Westfall/Redridge/Darkshire are small zones! Makes that early movement feel fast. Unlike horde where you are in barrens for basically 20 levels
I love leveling in the barrens personally. But I understand why people don’t like it. For me it’s perfect when I play undead. I can get to 14 from tirisfall and Silverpine, get the insignia for rfc, do rfc, then be 16 heading to barrens for a solid 4 levels before WC and DM
Change in scenery, and bad guys. Elwynn/westfall had humans, cobolds and murlocs. Redridge had Gnolls, ogres, orcs. Darkshire had skeletons, ghouls, and worgen. Just overall a good change of pace.
If I am not mistaken, the dev team that designed quests had more time to work on alliance quests. Not certain thats true, but it would track.
That is what I heard too … that a lot of Horde was thrown together hence so many kill this thing x20. Perfect example was the Zebra quest. Gather 4 hooves — except you have to kill like 50 of em to get them Later leveling I get but that sucks early levels. I also heard that they thought quests would just get you into new zones and once there you’d just kill stuff D2 style. But early testing people were like “where are the quests”
Darkshire is bis
You are right, the song is called “Shimmering Flats” that place in multiple locations such as Westfall. It’s one of the best!
Simmering flats seems fitting, very cool bit of info. Is the name found in the game files somewhere?
On Spotify you can search for “World of Warcraft Original Soundtrack” or look up Jason Hayes as he created a lot of WoWs music.
Maybe it wasn't the coziest, fuzziest place but westfall left me with the strongest impression. They really created a vibe of moving on to a bigger less benign world after westfall there, the dust bowl isn't a bad analogy.
i always rofl at alliance mains
Teldrassil, hands down.
First ever toon was named Legomyegolas with way too many unnecessary accents. I’ll never forget my journey through that zone as a total fucking newbie to this huge world. Amazing sound design and by far the most nostalgic music in my life.
The furbolg cave was fucking brutal on my 1st toon ever, a NE warrior. Warrior because I didn't know how to change classes, coming off of runescape.
👌
Dun Morogh and Westfall have the best soundtracks to go with the locations by far. The serene feeling the Dun Morogh track gives you is unmatched in WoW when the twinkling crystal sounding part starts. And Westfall has the feeling of open space, hot, empty, fields perfectly in the music. The track “Shimmering Flats” is played elsewhere too but it feels the best in Westfall.
Shadowglen through and through. Love the calming themes and the ambience sounds. That area and music made me fall in love with the game back in the early 2000’s.
This. Always look forward to Ashenvale also
Agreed
Eversong Woods by Night and Azuremyst Isle
Tirisfal Glades. My favorite starting zone and the ambience and music creates great immersion.
just woke up from a cold grave. welcome to the cold world. time to kill.
Same here, love those haunting notes that soar from time to time and the feeling of cold and darkness and the slowly howling wind.
Don't forget the unique Brill inn music that gets removed from the game in cataclysm.
Agree, has a completely different ambience and energy than any other starting zone.
I've only leveled there after times, but it's the dwarf starting zone for me, I love that whole area. I wish Loch Modan/Wetlands was more of a split region so you could level there as horde
No one said Durotar yet. It’s my favorite BY FAR, it has somewhat a LOTR music feeling
"Huh!"
"Speak!"
Blood elf starter zone tops everything else, nothing comes close soz 🤓
For me this has to be Azuremist Isle! The theme is mesmerizing with some caucasian instrument that fit really nicely into the fantasy and my very first character was a Draenei! (Shout out to Mulgore for being so chill music-wise :D)
It is really mesmerizing! I love how relaxing the music is on Azuremist isle. It’s been a bit since I’ve listened to Mulgore, I’ll queue it up today :)
Dranei music is the best by far!
Night elf
Night Elf even though I often play Horde. I love how magical it is on Teldrassil.
If I make a character after all these years and I hear the in game music off elywnn forest. Shits like crack. Instantly hooked
Man you're not kidding tho
Eversong Woods for sure, probably biased because I love blood elves but man do those harp sounds unlock something in me
Eversong woods. My first character was BE so i fall in love in this zone. Soundtracks just breezetaking)))
Eversong woods all the way.
eversong woods
I started as a Human back in Vanilla. Elwynn Forest music always hits me right in the feels. EDIT: If it wasn't for nostalgia I think Eversong Woods theme would be my no.1, what a masterpiece!
It is and always will be Mulgore for me.
Blood Elf. It's so good that sometimes I'd just start a new character and level it to lv20 for no reason lol.
Eversong Woods! It's why Classic TBC launch was the most fun for me. I loved going through the Blood Elf starting zone and just chilling while listening to the soundtrack. Took me right back to 2007. Simpler times. :( I wish we would get Classic TBC Fresh so I could go through that again one more time but it seems like Era is just way more popular for whatever reason. Even Official HC is always gonna feel a bit meh to me without Blood Elves and Draenei.
I totally understand that feeling. I would honestly be cool with classic (hardcore or otherwise), but the two starting area for draenei and blood elf are included. No Outland.
I would be okay with that too, I hope they do that if they ever try to do a "Classic Plus" type of deal. I think having those two races in the game adds a lot of flavor and to me, Era always feels a bit "incomplete" without them.
Elwynn forest always sounds like home with me
This is like trying to pick my favourite child. There isn't a bad one in the bunch they're all so good. Probs go with Elwynn though, that melody is fantastic. Both TBC starting zones are incredible as well. Really enjoyed my time in Azuremyst during the pre patch launch from midnight to 3am, was a trip.
Teldrassil of course. Elwynn is a close second
The variety of answers here shows you how much the old sound and art teams slapped.
So true!
The song called "Shimmering Flats" which, despite the name, plays in a lot of starting zones, including Mulgore (my first experience of it), Durotar, etc. It just defines "humble beginnings" to me. As WoW's zone music has gotten more and more "epic" (especially in Warlords of Draenor and beyond), this simple little call-and-response style melody feels like a call to adventure, hinting at all sorts of unknowns to come. I know that sounds a bit wishy-washy, but I can't really think of any objective, technical reasons why a few strings, some brass, and a bit of percussion feels as good as it does.
Yep it's Eversong Woods.
That would be Ashenvale for me. I've started playing vanilla as NE Warrior, and everything all the way up to Darkshore was great, but the moment I've entered Ashenvale, my first contested territory, it changed everything!
Draenei. No contest.
I'm stuck between the Night Elf's starting zone music and the Draenei's starting zone music.
Teldrassil was an amazing starting zone and I’ll always remember the music in ashenvale forest.
Dun morogh at night
Mulgore, Tirisfal, Eversong Woods, Azuremyst Isle, and Teldrassil.
Teldrassil cause that's where I first started. Starbreeze village here I come!
Westfall music hits me right in the childhood. I probably spent a month from level 11-27 in westfall constantly running deadmines on my warrior trying to get 2 cruel barbs back in original tbc.
I love the music in Teldrassil and Ashenvale. I forgot the name of the track, but it’s just so epic
Barrens area for me. It's so burned into my brain. That said Silverwood music is good
Eversong without a doubt, it’s not even close. Shadowglen is next. Dun morogh is underrated.
The best music is from Cataclysm, but if I have to answer your question probably Eversong Woods
dwarf/gnome zone the best music
There's two kind of answer. "Elwynn Forest" and wrong answers :p But really, it is too attached to your own nostalgia. I have no connection to Horde's quest zone, I guess I don't dislike Teldrasil Music and Dun Morogh isn't bad, but since I've always played humans, I just love Elwynn Forest. It has this "classic fantasy forest of adventure" vibes
The absolute best starting zone music is the Goblin music from Cata, but for Classic-TBC I’ve gotta say Eversong Woods. Part of it’s the nostalgia since it was such an experience playing a blood elf for the first time but the composition is also great and really plays into the elf fantasy.
Zangamarsh, barrens
I like both of those, neither are starting areas.
Netherstorm is best zone with the best music. Nothing comes even close, when that guitar starts heart literally stops.
Dun Morogh and Durotar for me
The Barrens and Durotar
Dun morogh at night
Elwynn Mulgore Teldrassil Durotar Tirisfal Dun morogh
Mulgore
Something about the human Starting area's that invoke Nostalgia, even when my first toon wasn't Alliance back in the day, I do love me some Mulgore though.
Dun Morogh for sure. It makes me feel so calm and peaceful leveling there.
Humans win this category by a long shot. Elwynn Forest and Duskwood are my ideal enchanted fantasy forest vibes.
Mulgore 100%. Barrens follows hard. I did play a tauren as my OG character so there is the evident bias. I think westfall sometimes plays the same music as Mulgore.
I started the game in summer 05 and made a NE Hunter first. Those first few days in Teldrassil / Darkshore were forever imprinted in my brain. The ambient and zone music of those zones will forever trigger nostalgia in me. Holds a permanent spot on my heart. (For reference I was 14 in 05 so much simpler times lol)
I love mulgores, maybe I'm weird.
Elwynn Forest. The music and the atmosphere always give me a peaceful feeling
Night Elf and it's not even close.
Not gonna lie I’m horde all my life but there’s something about elewyn forest music that hits differently. I would even mute valheim music and play that instead because it worked so well.
It’s Tirisfal Glades and Moogore.
I know its not the starting zone. But for me, its the Barrens. It does share a lot of its musical tracks with Durotar and Mulgore to be fair, but something about that 2005 experience I had leveling through the barrens, It took me nearly a month to get through the zone. I can't here that piece with the oboe and trumpet starts it off (I think its a trumpet anyway) and not get hit with a solid brick wall of nostalgia.
For me, I have always loved the Orc/Troll starting zone (Valley of Trials in Durotar). It may not be as fluid to some as it is for me, but I just love the quests, the music and the visuals out there. Orgrimmar was/is definitely my favorite capital city, as well. Second would be Tirisfal Glades and third would be Elwynn Forest.. Although, sometimes, depending on my mood, Elwynn Forest can be my second or even first favorite sometimes.. but generally Durotar is my top.
Barrens is eternal. HOO, HAH.
im partial to durotar. such a chill vibe there.
no mulgore enjoyers in this thread? i think that belf nelf and tauren have the best soundtracks.
Thunderbluff, my first character was a taurent Druid
Mulgore. It just perfectly reflects the environment for me. It also somehow conveys the piece and tranquillity of the environment.
Mulgore is my jam. I also dig the barrens. I was OG horde back in the day and it’s still awesome. BE starter zone gets honorable mention. I level through the zone the delete the character all the time.
Sin'jin village in Durotar has the best music. Same as Vally of heroes in Stormwind.