Patch 6.2 was one of the biggest content patches for Warlords of Draenor. But it might be the last major content patch prior to the expansion. At this point, rumor has it that we’re around 10 months out from Legion, which means we’ll be stuck doing either Tanaan Jungle, Hellfire Citadel or PVP for the rest of the expansion in terms of major end game content. For PVE’rs like myself, we’ll be jammed running dailies over and over in the Tanaan Jungle until our eyes bleed. So let’s go over what this area has done right and wrong.
Tanaan Jungle pretty much is the catch up zone similar to the Timeless Isle. However, it feels far bigger as an area, even with flying. The sheer size and number of mobs, elites, treasures, etc. definitely exceed what was on the Timeless Isle. Even with flying, Tanaan Jungle just feels huge. Color-wise, if you’re not adverse to verdant, you’ll be engulfed in various shades of green. The area is quite dark though and without flying, you’ll feel somewhat depressed by the negative tones.
For myself, I feel that without flying the zone perhaps is too overwhelming. One of the most annoying thing is trying to find elites or deal with the elites that drop mounts. Trying to get from one spot to the next is impossible on the ground and the flight paths never take you close enough to where you need to be. So you just have to be lucky if you make it in time. Probably, this was done intentionally to create more incentive to do the achievements leading to flying.
Another thing is that the zone is really unbalanced. Some of the questing areas are incredibly easy and can be done in no time. Other spots are a horribly tedious where rewards for killing mobs provide a meager 1% towards the quest objective or have items that provide 2-3% and are unevenly distributed. Not to mention the mobs are practically impossible to solo for a fresh 100 without using Artillery Strike (which is the only ability that should be used in the zone). So combining dense mob placement with difficult to navigate areas, the initial experience of entering Tanaan for a fresh 100 without flying is mind boggling frustrating.
Next, while 7 areas for doing the bonus objectives might seem like a lot, over time they become mind numbing, especially the stingy zones. As far as I’m concerned the only two areas I actually enjoy running are the Iron Front and the Ironhold Harbor. The rest mostly make me want to shoot baby bunnies. The worst by far is the Temple of Sha’naar because there’s really just two sections that can be solo’d within reason. The cavern either is too dense or has inexplicable elite packs while the upper area near Vengeance has more inexplicable elite packs. More than that the Temple of Sha’naar only gives limited amount of points towards the bonus objective. If you’re unlucky enough to have the daily quest that wants you to collect crystals in the cavern, don’t even bother finishing up the Temple because it’s a complete waste of time.
Ruins of Kra’nak almost is nearly as bad because once again difficult mobs provide meager points towards the bonus objectives. But the real problem is that the items that provide decent points are sparse. If that’s one of the dailies, then you’ll face heavy competition from other players trying to get the items. The only positive is that the area density isn’t too horrid so you won’t mispull that often outside of being spotted by an easily killable bird.
The Throne of Kil’jaeden would be much higher on my list since I dislike group quests because, while not feeling mandatory, still makes you feel you’re missing out on something critical. But fortunately this is an optional one and there are no other group quests outside of possibly the Fang’rila weekly. If people run a group for this quest, it’s actually not bad because group quests feel faster overall. But if you’re like me and on a server where there’s a major time difference or are on a low population server, you probably won’t be as lucky getting into a group.
Zeth’gol and the Fel Forge swing like a pendulum in terms of my hatred for either. Zeth’gol is just flat out boring and the mob respawn rate, while good, still provides so little points. Pretty much the entire time you’ll find yourself running up and down this one particular aisle in killing 1% mobs that drop garbage loot and popping red orbs. That’s not fun at all nor creative to me. The Fel Forge is better because the zone has a little more variety, especially if you’re at a time when no one is on. Then you can just kill warlocks and blow up cannons for a large number of percentage points. But most likely you won’t be such a favorable condition and will end up dealing with dense mobs that hit hard and spawn right on top of you.
That only leaves the Iron Front and Ironhold Harbor as places I enjoy. The Iron Front goes by pretty fast because it’s spaced out nicely and pretty open. Horde and Alliance NPCs can help out too, which is something the other areas lack. Also, colorwise you don’t feel like you’re choking on that god awful green color that permeates most of the jungle. The Ironhold Harbor became my ultimate favorite when I discovered a trick to make the area very quick to do. I won’t give away my secret because it’s something Blizzard might try to nerf but it pretty much makes that zone the only one I really look forward to just because of the trick.
What about the rest of the zones? Honestly, they’re god awful. The little swamp area I did once just because I was ignorant and desperate for gear. After that, I promptly gave up and only return when I might need a Fel crystal or two. But it mystifies me that such an expansive area really serves no purpose at the end of the day. Some might argue that it’s a good area for doing the teeth quests or for skinners. But the little spot right behind Vol’mar is much better for that quest (or the demon quest)
That’s the thing though. Why weren’t there more dailies rather than the 7? It feels rushed still. I wouldn’t mind doing other areas and would actually welcome them if they had more of a purpose. Instead, we’re relegated to 7 boring dailies where no matter what, you’ll find one that just sucks the life out of you.
What about gear? One thing that Tanaan Jungle did differently from the Timeless Isle is putting more specific gear all over the zone or on rare mobs. Some are okay for just a quick boost but once you get a Baleful Armament and add the upgrade item to it, then these pieces become instantly useless. You can’t boost them and it’s a waste to use valor points on them. Also, some are ridiculously easy to obtain while others for whatever reason are tucked away in the most impossible of places. I prefer the Timeless Isle method for gear where you can just find any BoA piece. The stats still are garbage but most gear in the game has become garbage due to randomization and the addition of more worthless stats.
I am glad that you can buy your weapon this time around. Probably, the worst part about the Timeless Isle is the lack of weapons. On top of that the weapons you could purchase were ridiculously expensive and poor in comparison to LFR weapons. At least now, if you’re lucky and manage to get a Baleful Armament, it does have the potential to be better than an LFR Hellfire Citadel weapon after being upgraded.
Overall, I think what Blizzard attempted to do was put more focus into the initial design of the Timeless Isle by returning to initial model they used in Mist of Panderia’s end game dailies. The problem with this model is that it just becomes horribly monotonous, especially since only seven spots were provided where you can complete these dailies. I liked the Timeless Isle in the more open style of doing the grind. I could switch from one spot to another depending on my toon. The difficulty scaled with gear so I could see a noticeable improvement as my toons accumulated gear. Right now, you can see an improvement but there’s something else lacking. Or perhaps it’s just the soul sucking experience of dealing with dailies once again.