So I'm Playing "World of Warcraft" Again... Quiz

Answer: "Cataclysm"

While Thousand Needles, a zone for levels in the thirties and forties, was originally a barren canyon characterized by large, needle-like cliffs and pillars jutting from the ground, it has since flooded during the major Cataclysm event, transforming it into a horribly-flooded zone home not only to the original outposts on their high outcroppings, but floating towns, boats, and aquatic life.

While travel in the area is a bit easier with watercraft (which go at the same speed as a mount), things have changed.

Originally, the area was home to The Great Lift-- a Tauren-made elevator used to get from Southern Barrens into the canyon below-- and the Shimmering Flats raceway. Neither remains, except as ruins.

Answer: Archaeology

Archaeology became the fourth secondary profession with the addition of the "Cataclysm" expansion. When the cataclysm occurred, reshaping the world of Azeroth, it ended up unearthing goodies from the past lives of old races. Now, it's almost a hobby. Players can survey the land, search from artifact fragments, and reconstruct history before their very eyes, eventually attaining a high enough level to sell their findings for worthwhile amounts. Along with the profession comes (of course) a slew of achievements for the Indiana Jones type.

Answer: "Mists of Pandaria"

With every new expansion comes new ways to enhance your character's strengths, and a raising of the level cap is often the answer. While vanilla "WoW" players ended up capping out at level 50, by the time "Warlords of Draenor" became an expansion, level 100 had become the max. Level 85 was the max in "Cataclysm" making "The Mists of Pandaria" the first occasion in which you could level up to 86 (through 90). Of course, reaching certain levels unlocks new spells, dungeons, and usable items.

Answer: 280%

While regular flight would allow your character to travel at 150% fly speed, Swift Flight was added during the "Mists of Pandaria" expansion, allowing you and your mounts to travel significantly faster in applicable areas. Upon its introduction, Swift Flight had a price tag of five thousand gold at your Flight Trainer to be accessed, making it potentially steep for the typical player. Nonetheless, the investment often outweighs the initial cost as many later zones in the game are larger than vanilla locales.

Answer: Vashj'ir

Vashj'ir, a zone introduced when the cataclysm occurred in Azeroth, was made for players around level 80 as one of the early locations to travel to in "Cataclysm". Here, the first encounters with Twilight foes can occur as you swim, stroke, and paddle your way from Kelp'thar Forest to the Shimmering Expanse and then further along to the Abyssal Depths. Upon your arrival, a quick quest chain should lead you to a point where underwater travel is a bit easier. Gaining your Sea Legs, for instance, will allow you to run on the sea floor; underwater breathing is also a plus...if you don't already have it, that is.

Answer: Monk

While Death Knight was introduced to the game as an 'Elite Class' in "Wrath of the Lich King", Monk became a new starter class in "Mists of Pandaria", tying in to the Asian-inspired theme of the Pandaria region. This class is typically a hand-to-hand fighter but is not averse to using weapons when the time calls for it. Available to almost every race, the Monk became a fairly popular melee class upon its introduction.

As a Monk you can take the Brewmaster, Mistweaver, or Windwalker specialization; each comes with its own perks.

Answer: Mythic Raids

While Heroic Dungeons were actually around since the "Burning Crusade" era, acting as a step up from the regular dungeon difficulty for more advanced players with better gear and coordination, Mythic Raids were introduced in "Warlords of Draenor as a one-up not only to regular Raids in 10 and 25-Man forms, but Heroic ones as well. Effectively adding a third tier to the system (though not the Dungeon system, it truly forced the hands of the top guilds and raid groups across all realms.

It was introduced with Highmaul at the start of the "Warlords of Draenor" expansion in 2014.

Answer: Frostwall

Garrisons are, effectively, a home base for characters in Draenor and, as such, have their own Hearthstones (so they must be important, right?). Starting from scratch, players can actually build up the area with resources they see fit including a barracks, a lumber yard, an herb garden, a storehouse, and more. From the town hall, players can send their followers on missions or commence their own major quests for loot and items necessary to advance in the "Warlords of Draenor" expansion.

The Alliance base, Lunarfall, is in Draenor's Shadowmoon Valley; the Horde base, Frostwall, is in Frostfire Ridge.

Answer: Complete a Heroic Dungeon

Zul'Gurub, originally a raid instance in the north end of Stranglethorn Vale in the southernmost reach of the Eastern Provinces, was first introduced in Vanilla "WoW" as one of the first-ever twenty-man raids. Upon the arrival of "Cataclysm", the raid was closed to players and it was subsequently transformed into a five-man Heroic Dungeon instance for players at the level 85 "Cataclysm" cap.

This isn't the first restructuring that's been done to a dungeon though-- Upper Blackrock Spire was reconstructed for "Warlords of Draenor" while Naxxaramas was closed, then reopened for "Wrath of the Lich King". Onyxia's Lair, while removed from the game in its original form, was also later re-added as a major raid found in Dustwallow Marsh.

Answer: "Cataclysm"

While Nesingwary and his band were known as early as Vanilla "WoW" (specifically in Stranglethorn Vale) his influence became more apparent throughout he expansions, especially with the introduction of quest achievements. Appearing in Stranglethorn Vale, Nagrand (in "Burning Crusade"), Sholazar Basin (in "Wrath of the Lich King"), and Valley of the Four Winds (in "Mists of Pandaria"), he does not make any new advances with his hunting party in "Cataclysm", likely because his followers' spot in the Eastern Kingdoms, while compromised a bit more than would be expected, doesn't really change.