Welcome to .... Thunder Bluff

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Location: Thunder Bluff
Level: 11
Latest Achievements: "Journeyman Cook"
Total Quests Completed: 35

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Our first capital city of the game is Thunder Bluff, Home to our brother and sister Tauren and a resting place for any other Horde race in the game. This is the first place in the game to find almost anything you could need.

More experienced players, notice this is a *New to WoW?*: heavy post. In fact, it's a first timer's visit and guided tour.

Thunder Bluff is divided into several different areas. You have 'lower rise', 'middle rise' and 'higher rise' (I believe) which are all found in the center and accessible via the round totem stair case at the center of town or by ramped paths that circle the entire area. Around the outsides you have 'Hunter's Rise', 'Spirit's Rise' and 'Elder Rise', accessible via bridge from the main area.

I'll be giving a guided tour ;) so hand or pick up any quests you see along the way.

When you first arrive in Thunder Bluff as level 10, you are standing in Lower Rise. On this level you will find the Guild Master (not something you need to worry about at the moment), as well as different vendors, trainers and the bank and auction house.

If you are planning to be a blacksmith or miner your trainer is here on this level. The weapons master is also on this level if, in the future, you wish to train in using something other than your staff and Mace.

While standing at the elevator, you will see an inn to your distant right. Inside is the inn keeper. I've set my home point here. I don't anticipate the need to return to Bloodhoof Village and, if I do, I'll walk from here.

The bridge to hunter's rise is inside this inn. Hunter's Rise is where all the battle masters are located. This is far from our minds right now... Battles are for end game players, not level 10's, but it's nice to know where to find it if you need. There are other class trainers here, but not ours, and no craft trainer, so I don't believe we'll be seeing a lot of Hunter's Rise.

From the Bridge we arrived on, follow the left path to the next. Once across, we find ourselves in Upper Rise. Upper Rise has more vendors, and a Cooking Trainer. There is also a Fishing Trainer. Fishing is one of the open skills you can learn. If you're interested, pick up your first training and then speak to the Fishing Supply vendor to buy a fishing rod.... you need one if you want to fish.

From the Inn Building that brought us into Upper Rise, We see the Totem Stairs to our distant Left and another Inn Building to our right. After you've taken a look around take the Inn Bridge into Elder Rise.

Elder Rise is Druid Home! Our trainer is located inside the round building to our distant right. I am going to look around some more before I set off on that adventure. Take the last bridge into Middle Rise.

Have you found the pattern yet? Most Capital Cities have a very well laid out patter.

Middle Rise has a back entrance to Thunder Bluff to your close right, the bridge to Spirit Rise to your far right and the Totem Stairs to your far left. We also find the trainer for herbalism, alchemy, enchanting, skinning, tailoring and leather work as well as independent vendors and vendors devoted to the crafts. You might have noticed that most trainers have their vendors nearby for simplicity.

Take the bridge over to Spirit Rise but stop half way across the bridge and look down to your left. Tunnel! You would not believe how long it took me to find that tunnel. Just thought I'd point that out. My first time here I did not have a good look around.... it ended up costing me lots of time.

Spirit Rise, the top part, has a first aid trainer and a shaman trainer. If we take the path down to the tunnels into what they call the "Pools of Vision" we find the Inscription trainer, priest trainer and Mage trainer. Aside from the First Aid, we will not be spending a lot of time in Spirit Rise either.

Exit the tunnel and take the bridge, which brings you right back into Lower rise.

There is one last thing we need to see before we've completed the tour, so find the totem stairs and climb as high as you can. The man standing at the top is your Thunder Bluff Flight Master. To Orcs, Trolls, Blood Elves and Undead, this NPC would have a '!' above his head. For Tauren, because he is our capital's Flight Master, we already have this flight path location. In many of the villages you visit you will see a fellow with the '!' and speaking to them will unlock another flight location. At the moment we only have one, but should we speak to another NPC flight master elsewhere, we could then fly to know locations. It's not free, but it's a heck of a lot better than walking.

Thus concludes our guided tour of Thunder Bluff. Now go explore!

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Current Statistics:

Stave, Mace and Defence skill: 55 each (max)
Unarmed skill: 54 (that elusive last point was killing me)
Cooking: 59/150
First Aid: 39/75

Strength: 31
Agility: 20
Stamina: 28
Intellect: 26
Spirit: 35
Armor: 214