The final stress test for World of Warcraft Classic has been postponed until further notice, but that won’t stop us from bringing you another batch of images from a signature area of the original WoW this weekend: Desolace. Have fun in the Dark Zone, which looked very different before Cataclysm!
In World of Warcraft Classic, Desolace is a large, arid region on the west coast of Kalimdor, nestled between the Stonetalon Mountains to the north and the jungles of Feralas to the south. The rocky wasteland, littered with bones and skulls, seems to be steeped in a curse; the skies are ravaged by storms, and there are few sources of water among the many small, poisoned lakes. Four barbarian clans of centaurs wage war here, while the orc clan of the Burning Blade worships demons. Desolace hosts the Maraudon instance with the final boss Theradras, intended for players of levels 36-46.
1,100 years before the opening of the Dark Portal, Desolace, then known as Mashan’she (“Loom of the Earth Mother” in Taur-ahe), was a fertile grassland frequented by the shamans of the nomadic tauren tribes. The Tauren were convinced that somewhere beneath the grasslands dwelt the Earth Mother herself. After decades of unsuccessful attempts, the shamans finally awoke her from her slumber, but to their horror they had awakened not the benevolent Earth Mother, but the giant princess Theradras, daughter of the earthen elemental ruler Therazane. The just-awakened Theradras reached out to the green surroundings for sustenance, expending all her energy to regenerate her weakened form. The Tauren later named the now barren land “Desolace”.
The following gallery contains images from 2005 and 2006 showing Desolace before it was “greened” again in Cataclysm. Included are the centaurs, the demons and of course the legendary Rexxar and the no less prominent Gizelton Caravan. Enjoy!
What is WoW Classic?
World of Warcraft Classic is a true recreation of the original WoW as you know it from 2006. All parts of the game – from combat mechanics and talent trees to character models and zones – have been recreated, contributing to the authentic experience.
Getting Started
All players with an active World of Warcraft subscription or game time on their accounts have access toWoW Classic at no additional cost.
- Open the Blizzard Battle.net Desktop App and select World of Warcraft from the menu.
- Select World of Warcraft Classic from the Version menu. If you have more than one World of Warcraft account, you’ll see a second Account drop-down list. In this column, select the active account you want to play with.
- Click the Install button. The progress bar will tell you when your game is ready to play.
- Click the Play button when the installation is complete.
You will need to select the realm you want to play on from several different realm types. Make sure you choose the same realm as your friends – in World of Warcraft Classic, you can only group with characters that are on the same realm as you!
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