I know I’m somewhat late to the party in terms of experiencing the new content added in the new World of Warcraft patch, Rise of Azshara. The patch was released on June 25th, and I’ve only just gotten around to experiencing some of what it has to offer. That’s mainly because I didn’t really want to play the new content immediately after it released.

That is because I knew there would be a massive influx of players competing for the same resources around the time the patch initially launched; however, another main reason I’ve delayed writing this article as long as I have is because I simply didn’t feel like playing the new content right away.

After the patch went live, I was more interested in leveling my allied race characters on my secondary account. I knew I would have to experience the new content eventually, though, so I finally decided to jump in headfirst and see what the patch has to offer. I must say, I’m quite glad I decided to dive into the patch’s content, and here’s why.

Before I begin discussing my thoughts on the patch, however, I feel I should include some disclaimers. I’ll be covering Patch 8.2’s content from an Alliance point of view; I haven’t decided when I’m going to play through the content with a Horde character’s perspective.

This article may very well contain spoilers for the Alliance’s side of any recent content beyond this point.

I know the cinematic that takes place after players complete the new Azshara’s Eternal Palace raid has been released. Fret not, dear reader; I have elected not to spoil that cinematic for myself, so I won’t spoil it for you, either. With all of that out of the way, let’s begin. As soon as I logged in a couple of days ago, a window popped up which told me I could start the quest to travel to Nazjatar, one of the two new zones added in Patch 8.2. I accepted that quest, and was then instructed to meet with King Genn Greymane “with all haste” on the Alliance’s flagship, the Wind’s Redemption, which is docked in Boralus Harbor.

Once aboard the ship, Greymane informed me that Spymaster Mathias Shaw has learned that the few remaining Horde ships were about to depart from Zuldazar; it is the Alliance’s intention to give chase and wipe them out. Greymane instructed me to speak with Boralus’ harbormaster, Cyrus Crestfall. Upon informing Cyrus that the fleet was ready, I joined the Alliance fleet to chase the Horde and possibly end the war in a single strike.

Unfortunately for both factions, it seems someone else has other plans. The scene transitions to show Queen Azshara instructing one of her underlings to “set the Tidestone.” This is, of course, in reference to the Tidestone of Golganneth, one of the five Pillars of Creation which players were tasked with retrieving throughout Legion.

It appears that because the Tidestone was somehow left unguarded, Azshara was able to retrieve it once more and use it for her nefarious intentions.

Ominously, Azshara is then seen talking to what appears to be a black fog of some description. She says to whomever (or whatever) constitutes this phenomenon that it must be “so frustrating” for the fog’s creator to be “still locked away.” Azshara acknowledges that both she and her “guest” have “waited so long,” and then proceeds to demonstrate that which she “does best.”

With the power of the Tidestone, Azshara proceeds to part the seas, creating a hole into which all the Alliance’s vessels fall (as well as those of the Horde, presumably). I then found myself in Nazjatar alongside Greymane. We soon met up with Jaina Proudmoore and Shandris Feathermoon; at this point, my instructions were essentially to kill any naga in my immediate vicinity until we could figure out exactly where we were and what the heck was going on.

A short time later, players are introduced to the faction with whom they’ll gain reputation within Nazjatar. The Alliance and Horde gain reputation with one faction unique to them within Nazjatar. The faction specific to the Alliance is known as the Waveblade Ankoan, a race of fish-like creatures who are somewhat similar to the jinyu in Mists of Pandaria.

A few quests after you’re initially introduced to the Waveblade Ankoan, you unlock the ability to complete world quests for that faction throughout Nazjatar. Sometime after this point, you’ll receive a message from the Speaker of Azeroth, Magni Bronzebeard; he makes an appearance at a rather inopportune time, as he is wont to do.

Magni realizes you’re dealing with a naga problem when he reaches out to you, but explains that he’s got something to tell you which he thinks is at least temporarily more important; he consequently requests that you return to the Chamber of Heart in Silithus at your earliest convenience.

Thankfully, to expedite the process of your travel to Silithus, you’ll find a portal directly to Magni’s location outside the Chamber of Heart inside the Sanctum of the Sages within Boralus Harbor. I honestly have no idea how long that portal has existed, or whether it was recently added in Patch 8.2; regardless, I certainly won’t complain about its presence.

Upon arriving in the Chamber of Heart, Magni informs you that he and the titan watcher MOTHER (whom you may remember fighting as a boss in the Uldir raid) have finished some crucial calculations which have led to the discovery of new ways to heal Azeroth’s wounds.

You come to learn that certain essences can be placed within your Heart of Azeroth in order to increase its power; in MOTHER’s words, these essences will fortify both the Heart of Azeroth and you, its wielder. Magni and MOTHER tell you they’ve got a lead on where the first essences can be found. The essence in question is located deep within Neltharion’s Lair in Highmountain.

MOTHER transports you to Highmountain, where you’ll work with Spiritwalker Ebonhorn and Navarogg, both of whom you likely remember from Legion; to obtain the essence. The essence is in the possession of a stone lord from Deepholm, who immediately dislikes Ebonhorn based on the fact that Ebonhorn’s true form is that of a black dragon.

You’re forced to face the stone lord in combat to prove your worthiness to possess the essence. Assuming you prove victorious, the stone lord surrenders the essence to you. You and Spiritwalker Ebonhorn then return to the Chamber of Heart, as Ebonhorn wishes to aid Magni and MOTHER in healing Azeroth’s wounds as best he can.

At this point, with MOTHER’s help, you unlock something called the Heart Forge. This is where you can slot essences into your Heart of Azeroth, and presumably upgrade them as well. I’m not sure if this is the case for every class and/or specialization, but my main character (a retribution paladin) received a power from this essence known as the Crucible of Flame.

Around this point, you gain access to the main currency in Nazjatar. If you’ll indulge me for a moment, dear reader, I’d like to ask you to cast your mind back to the patches near the end of Legion. You might remember the presence of an ethereal vendor who sold his wares initially at Deliverance Point on the Broken Shore, and then onboard the Vindicaar once players gained access to Argus.

This vendor sold decently-upgraded gear specific to your class and specialization in exchange for a special currency known as Nethershards. I bring that up because there’s another ethereal vendor in Mezzamere (the Alliance’s “home base” in Nazjatar) who sells what’s called Benthic gear.

Benthic gear works in virtually the exact same way that the aforementioned vendor’s wares work. Upon purchasing a piece of gear for a specific slot, you must right-click it and channel for a couple seconds to identify it before you can equip it. In order to purchase any gear, you’ll need the aforementioned new currency, known as Prismatic Manapearls.

You can also visit a different ethereal NPC in Mezzamere who can upgrade any Benthic gear you acquire, also in exchange for Prismatic Manapearls. The game is even gracious enough to tell you exactly how much better (or at least different) a piece of Benthic gear will be once you invest in upgrading it.

Soon after you’ve gotten relatively comfortable in Mezzamere, you’ll be contacted by a gnome by the name of Gila Crosswires, who serves as an assistant to Tinkmaster Overspark. Ms. Crosswires requests that you meet Tinkmaster Overspark in Boralus at your earliest convenience, as he has discovered the presence of an ancient gnomish vault and requests your assistance in exploring it.

Upon meeting Overspark, the gnome explains that one of the last kings of the gnomes, King Mechagon, once led his followers in search of a land of technology, for lack of a better description. According to Tinkmaster Overspark, Mechagon left no hints as to where this land was located, but the aforementioned vault supposedly contains the coordinates which lead to the land known as Mechagon.

This may sound ridiculous, but I discovered that the most difficult part of the entire Mechagon introductory quest chain was finding the darned vault itself. This may have only been the case for me, but my quest log told me that the vault was within Boralus itself. As you can imagine, I grew increasingly frustrated when I couldn’t find it despite standing exactly where my minimap said it was.

Perhaps I should’ve known to look at my actual map first rather than relying on the game’s built-in quest helper, but I openly admit that it took me far too long to find this vault. In case it helps any of our readers who are exploring Patch 8.2’s content, the vault is actually located in a zone known as the “Abandoned Junkheap,” east of Vigil Hill in Tiragarde Sound.

Upon entering the vault, you’re tasked with repairing an ancient gnomish communication array. After you manage that, you’re greeted with a holographic message from King Mechagon in which he states that he seeks to return “gnomanity” to its original titan-forged design so as to eliminate the “curse of flesh.”

The projection of King Mechagon then proceeds to vaporize the members of your group which it deems unworthy, which mostly includes a handful of night elves. After that rather traumatic experience, you’re tasked with once again meeting Gila Crosswires in Boralus. You’re then sent to recruit a few gnomes who are most likely to survive a trip to Mechagon without being deemed “unworthy.”

Afterwards, you fly to the land of Mechagon, you and your party are soon greeted by artillery fire; as it seems King Mechagon’s forces aren’t too fond of newcomers. Once you and your team of gnomes establish a base camp, you proceed forward. You’re soon introduced to Prince Erazmin, son of King Mechagon and leader of the opposition to the king’s forces.

The resistance movement led by Prince Erazmin is known as the “Rustbolt Resistance.” Throughout your time in Mechagon, you’ll assist the Rustbolt Resistance in bolstering its forces leading up to an assault on King Mechagon’s domain.

Although I haven’t gotten very far in terms of questing in Mechagon, I feel I can reasonably assume that the final assault is what takes place within the “mega-dungeon” known as Operation: Mechagon. In all honesty, I probably won’t go near that dungeon for quite a while, regardless of how far I’m able to progress in Mechagon’s quest lines or how much reputation I accumulate with the Rustbolt Resistance.

That’s mainly because Operation: Mechagon will only be available on Mythic difficulty for the foreseeable future, with Heroic difficulty presumably coming in a later patch. I say that because I frankly don’t have the fortitude to do normal-difficulty Battle for Azeroth dungeons unless I’m in a group with at least one of my friends.

In light of that, there’s likely no way I’d manage to make it through a Mythic-difficulty “mega-dungeon” without panicking to a significant degree. That’s not even considering the fact that I also don’t have the fortitude to volunteer as a tank or healer, even in dungeons I know well.

I’ve been unjustly kicked out of dungeon groups in the past for such ridiculous reasons as “only trying on bosses,” and I have a feeling that reasoning might be justified if I were to attempt Operation: Mechagon. Perhaps I’ll work up the courage to attempt it once my main paladin is a bit more geared. That’s one reason I’m grateful for the existence of Benthic gear.

There you have it, folks! I’ve always enjoyed detailing my initial thoughts on a considerably large World of Warcraft update, and Patch 8.2 is no exception. Granted, I really don’t understand why some players are referring to Patch 8.2 as a “filler patch;” I can’t help but wonder if those players felt the same way when the patch that contained the Argus quest line was released.

I suppose Blizzard can’t please everyone, but for what it’s worth, I have a feeling I’m really going to enjoy the rest of what Rise of Azshara has to offer.

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