Welcome to .... Undercity

It has been a long while since I've done a city guided tour. By this point, I'm currently level 35, you might have already ventured here and found your way around. I'd still like to give a guided tour though, because I seem to learn a lot more about the city when I do.

Undercity is, well, confusing! It took me a long, long time to figure it out. After a while though, Undercity, like all other cities, starts to develop it's own pattern. To find Undercity, you first need to find Ruins of Lordaeron and navigate it's courtyard and entrance way. It's not hard, there is only one way to do it. You'll know you've found the right place when you see two undercity guards around a doorway, the elevator.

The elevator lets you off into a circular room. At its center, and down one set of stairs, is the bank. Around the top row, you find the Inn Keeper, barber, and flight master, as well as various other vendors, for weapons, armor and misc. items.

Around the bank on the lower level, you find guild masters and cooking trainers, one on either side. Notice the pattern of steps and how between each there is an entrance to the second ring.

The second ring holds only auctioneers. Not much to say about that.

Continuing on to the third ring, and this is where it gets tricky. I'll be jumping back and forth between what I consider third and forth ring. As you can see by your map, blizzard has divided undercity into quarters. Each quarter has the river running through it. For simplicities sake, I consider the other side of the river ring 4.

So, starting on the northern connection and heading clockwise we enter the Magic Quarter. In magic quarter ring 3 you have trainers for tailoring and vendors for warlocks and mages (cloth armor and wand vendors). In magic quarter ring 4 are their trainers (warlocks and mages), but not much else.

The next quarter is rouge quarters. Here, in the 3rd ring, are the first aid, leather work and skinning trainer, as well as their vendors, various rouge centric vendors and the bag vendor. In rogue quarter, ring 4, you have the rouge trainers. Finding the pattern yet? The Engineer trainer is also in this area.

The next quarter is the Apothecary with Enchanting, Inscription and Herbalism trainers and vendors in ring 3. Ring 4 is a bit of a maze. Downstairs you find the Alchemy trainer and mainfloor is the alchemy supplies vendor. Yes, you do hear crying. This area is a big gruesome.

In the center of Apothecary ring 4 is a raised area which leads to a long tunnel leading to the battlemasters area.

Last area, the War Quarter, ring 3, finds us with the mining trainer and blacksmith trainer, and their vendors, as well as various ranged and fist weapons vendors. Ring 4 has a mage, priest and warrior trainer.

As you can see, no Druid trainer here in Undercity. This is much the same as Orgrimmar. Only Thunder Bluff has a Druid trainer because only Tauren are able to roll a Druid. For some reason there is also no hunter trainer here. Possibly undead cannot be hunters.

I think that's all for the tour. If there's something I've missed, let me know please.

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Welcome to .... Orgrimmar

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Location: Crossroads

Level: 14
Latest Achievements: "Journeyman in First Aid" + "Professional Journeyman" + "Complete 50 quests"
Total Quests Completed: 53

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Before leaving Thunder Bluff, I picked up two quests that requested me to go into Ragefire Chasm, which is in Orgrimmar. The quests were level 15D so I decided to get some help and run them before they moved into green experience.

But before I ran the dungeon, I had to get myself to Orgrimmar.

Leaving from Crossroads (Don't forget to set your hearthstone), you travel north along the path, taking a right when the path allows. You come to a bridge into Durotar. Continue east until you come to Razor Hill. From there, turn left and continue north until to come to the gates.

Welcome to Orgrimmar and your guided tour.

Orgrimmar is much more spread out than Thunder Bluff. It is also much more of a maze. Before we enter, take a moment to notice that to the left and right of the gates there are paths. If you were to take the path traveling east, you would come to the Zeppelin tower for travel to Tristfall Glades: Undercity, and Stranglethorn Vale: Grom'gol, both in the Eastern Kingdom. If you were to take the path traveling west, you would come to the Zeppelin tower for travel to Borean Tundra: Warsong Hold in Northrend.... though that Zeppelin isn't something we'll need to use until at least level 68.

Like Thunder Bluff, Orgrimmar has two entrances. We are at the main gate and enter into the area known as Valley of Strength. Here we find, in the center, the bank and flight path tower. Around the outside ring we find the Auction House, The Inn, the guild master and vendors for different armor and weapons.

Head to the east, our right when standing at the entrance, and you come to a path leading into the area known as the drag. The drag has more vendors, and trainers for cooking, leatherworks, skinning, Herbalism, Inscription, and alchemy.

For this tour, continue to our right and find the Valley of Honor. To the far east is the Hall of the Brave, where the battlemasters are located and the Ring of Valor, where the arena is found. Valley of Honor also has many vendors, and trainers for mining, engineering, blacksmith and fishing. The weapons trainer is here as well.

We have to leave Valley of Honor the way we came, so go out into the Drag, hang a right, and then your first left and immediate right. You'll find cleft of shadows. There are a few vendors in the Cleft of Shadows, but for a Druid, the only real point of interest is the entrance to Ragefire Chasm. It is at the bottom of the ramps past what looks like a swirling field.

Take the west ramp out of the Cleft and re-enter the Valley of Strength. Have a turn right and walk into the Valley of Wisdom. There is only one vendor house here in the Valley of Wisdom, and no trainers. What is here is the seat of the war chief. If you're looking for the head of the Orc race, and pretty much of all of the Horde, he's here.

Rather than continue into the Drag, turn around and make your way back to the entrance of the Cleft. From here, the path continues to the Valley of Spirits. Soon, on your left, there is a rope bridge, it goes across to the Flight Master and down into the Valley of Strength. We'll keep going into Spirit where we find the Hall of Legends, a quartermaster set up (again, more end game). There are a few class trainers here, but other than First Aid, nothing much for a druid. If we were to continue down, there is a long path and the second entrance to Orgrimmar. Nothing much else though.

Head back the way you came, cross the rope bridge and don't forget to talk to the flight master.

As you can see, Orgrimmar is a tricky place to navigate. There are little nooks and crannies everywhere. Take a look around and find the places that are important to you, for your training and weapon and armor needs. If you are ever lost, stop and ask one of the guards, They will know where you need to go.

Druid readers... if you're like me, you're always looking for your trainer. Guess what, No Druid Trainers exist in Orgrimmar. That's because only Tauren can be Druids and this is an Orc capital. We have to get ourselves back to Thunder Bluff for our training. I have yet to explore Undercity and Silvermoon for a Druid Trainer. No matter where in the world you are though, you can always orb to Moonglade and then fly back to Thunder Bluff. That would sure beat waiting for the Zeppelin. ;)

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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

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