Stories of Vanilla WoW - Share yours with us!

[saraghtera 0]

I'm here to share funny/weird/memorable stories of our vanilla experiences! Anything goes as we're here to vent and preparing for the mood of getting into our old world again!

 

This story falls into the weird category with a drop of hilarious in it:

 

I met this Finnish girl (allegedly) and we role played a lot together in Goldshire (on Moonglade RP realm). It was fun and games until she offered to boost me through SM with her hunter. I was hyped for easy XP and items so we made our way there (remember the run through aaaaall the way across the world and through the Plaguelands to get there as an Alliance player?).

 

Little did I know that her spec was survival hunter with no ranged weapon or pet. Having made friends with her I found it hard to tell her that she could be more.. err... "efficient" with her build, so we mustered through (and died on every pack). In the end she somehow managed to pull us through a wing (forget which one) with a hell of a raptor strike spam. I guess that's an achievement in itself.

 

Having no courage to tell her how could she play more efficiently, she kept going through the game as a hunter main, with no pet and only using axe with AAs and raptor strike. That must take some serious patience to do but hey, who am I to tell how to play a game. I run through all the Dark Souls and Bloodborne games with sub-optimal builds just for challenge and shiet n' giggles.

 

Peace! 

 

Joona

[Shayss 43]

Reminds me of a tauren druid I met back in vanilla who leveled to atleast 53, because I met him in Western Plaguelands, using only auto attack with 2 hander.

 

That was insane. He was convinced that forms were worthless.

 

One of my most memorable moments in vanilla was outside of Zulfarrak, lvl 45, saw a UD mage and loads of dead alliance around him including skeletons. Asked him what he was doing, he say "Farming", I looked around and saw only sandtroll elites, so I ask "Farming what?" he says "Farming Farmers". Apparently the chineese had been farming sandtrolls with bots and this guy was just killing them over and over.

 

I still have him on my friendslist to this day. xD

[Darion Mograine 0]

I still remember my very first character. A Human Warlock - and when I got the quest to visit my trainer I immediately noticed the pattern of new spells each 2'nd level.

After that I reached the end of Northshire Valley but I was legit TOO scared to leave the gates of the safe starting zone just yet so I grinded it out on Defias mobs until I hit level 8, then I realized that my trainer here would not teach me more spells and I had to leave the starting zone to get them. Safe to say I was then about 2-3 levels above the intended level rate and Fargodeep Mine was not that hard.

What this lead too was me thinking that I could now take on the world! Until I hit the Jasperold Mine and got wreckt by the Caster Kobolds.

It may not sound as funny but looking BACK on that now as what was my first ever experience and the first real adventure I had with my first day of WoW I can't help but to laugh a bit as looking forward to how I will approach the game now when the new server is set up: I belive it will be a whole "new" experience but with that "Good ol'd" feel that I so sorely miss.

[Rugrats 0]

My first character a human rogue, having come from DAOC I didn't quest much and basically grinded to 40 when a friend finally told me questing was faster, I was pretty peeved at my stupidity. But was a good memory, I also gave someone 20 gold instead of 2 by accident while getting help in a quest. (I acted all cool about it but was really pissed off again at my stupidity). 

[Lipidus1 0]

just remember the great PvP times at the beginning in STV, was great.

 

 

My first character a human rogue, having come from DAOC I didn't quest much and basically grinded to 40 when a friend finally told me questing was faster, I was pretty peeved at my stupidity. But was a good memory, I also gave someone 20 gold instead of 2 by accident while getting help in a quest. (I acted all cool about it but was really pissed off again at my stupidity). 

 

yeah DAOC, i went back to DAOC after 3-4 month playing WoW

Edited November 27, 2016 by Lipidus1

[Kharodin 0]

My first character, or main (Can't remember), was a troll hunter. I started WoW in 2006-2007, a year before TBC I think. I was pretty nooby, and had leveled my character to around level 50 before rerolling. What I faintly remember is how I neglected my class trainer, so my hunter was level 50 with spells from around level 20-30. I also remember grinding mobs in Tanaris to pay for my level 40 mount. That was... an experience that I'm sure I could repeat but with better efficiency.

 

I remember my first guild, and its dissolution, back in vanilla wow, as well as leading my very own guild right before I left retail in WotLK. But the nostalgia is remembering how I had zero clue about WoW when I first started, and everything felt like a new adventure. Private servers, especially GM servers, over the years have destroyed the mystery behind WoW for me. Nothing really surprises me anymore from the game. Which is upsetting, because the thing I enjoyed most from WoW was learning about it.

 

I'm kind of hoping that my memory of the game has faded over the years so I can re-experience the game I first fell in love with.

[Xom 8]

My very first character was a Night Elf Druid. I had come from playing Diablo 2 and really enjoyed the way they could deal damage and had healing as well.

 

But I had absolutely no idea about MMOs. Keybindings were about a year of play away from being used regularly, and Min/Maxing? That was even further away. But who cared? It was a new game and people were so engaged with the story, the new fresh world, and unknown frightening challenges on the horizon. We were all so gleeful and willing to try new things, happily ignorant of cookie-cutter specs or Questie. I remember logging into the game a week before NYE 2005 on my young Druid in Darkshore to see a few Horde and people just losing their фекал. This was a PvP server, and people were roleplaying as if our quiet little home was being attacked by the terrible Horde with shouts of "FOR TELDRASSIL" and so forth. During those first months I remember once many of us were of sufficient level there was attempts to raid the Barrens/Crossroads and I will never forget the feeling of dread and excitement when I first entered The Barrens.

 

I was mostly just tossing buffs on people and healing, since I barely understood how mechanics worked. Oh and I also had mostly Agi/Stam gear because it kept me alive longer - in Bear form. My talents? Almost full Resto.... but of course I had to get Natures Grasp for running away from gankers! Omen of Clarity? What's that? hah, man I was so helpless back then. Of course I was leveling slowly and only made it up to about 50~ before I stopped playing.

 

Then I met a friend IRL who was playing and I watched him and his roommate play. Totally mindblowing to go from playing a game where you're just "getting by" to when you actually understand and look into spells and talents and synergies. And what .. where are you now... a dungeon?! what? Yea.. I leveled up to about 50 in Bear form with mostly Resto talents but I never saw the inside of a dungeon unto ZF.

 

Tired of killing stuff so slowly, I quickly made a Fire Mage on my friend's server and never looked back. But my resistance for fully min/maxing remained for a while. I would spec Fire for PvP and then go Raid in MC casting un-specced Frostbolt resulting in dismal DPS. I spent most of my time burning things in PvP and 5 man dungeons, so I would only respec for really tough progression fights like Nef or Rag. I would even wear items that just "looked better" even though they made my DPS worse. But it's tough to argue against wearing the Circle of Flame on your Fire Mage when you're one of the best known Fire Mages and you've never seen anyone else on your Realm wearing it. When I had that drop for me in BRD just before reaching 60 was my first Epic, and the mesmerizing flames dazzled me for years do come.

Edited November 27, 2016 by Xom

[fructi 0]

I first saw WoW when my nephew was playing it. The first thing I saw was his char flying on a gryphon over Elwynn Forest to Ironforge.

Then entering IF and walking around there... From then on I knew I had to start playing it too!

 

I bought my own copy and started a human mage, joining my nephew on EU-Ravencrest. My nephew (who had a gnome rogue in blue's and epics from MC) helped me level and boosted me through instances.

At 60 I got so fed up with all the horrible tanks I came across, that I decided to roll a tank myself, and show others that there are also good tanks around.

 

I decided to switch everything around, and rerolled Horde on a new realm: EU-Xavius. There I leveled a Tauren warrior, and to make it more fun for myself *cough* I specced prot while leveling

As you can imagine my damage output while questing was horrible, but I was on the friendslist of many people, and they all wanted me to tank for them. Thats how I leveled to 60, being in groups constantly. During my grind to 60 I met some guys from Serbia, they were all real life friends and just formed a guild <R I S E>. They asked me to join them as one of their tanks, and <R I S E> was my home ever since

In vanilla I raided ZG, MC, BWL and AQ20. But sadly never got to experience AQ40 or Naxx.

 

Then TBC came around, and I rerolled as a Blood Elf paladin, again leveling as protection, but this time it was awesome. I specced and geared for max aoe damage. Easily grinding my way to 70. Prot paladin was the most fun I ever had while playing.

 

Next to that I had way too many alts, all got them to the max level: shaman, mage, priest and deadknight.

And my younger brother had a warlock, hunter, druid and rogue.

 

The things that I still remember are the little things, going into instances for the first time and being amazed by everything. Playing AV's that lasted the whole day (joining before shool and after school being able to join that same AV battle). Raiding MC and having a 'Serbia Disconnect' hearing all the guys disconnect from TS and then also from the game, since ~10 of them were playing in the same internet cafe).

And the horrible money grind before I got my mount... thats what I hated most about playing a prot warrior...

[gregory1989 0]

I think I was a level 42 warlock back in vanilla where me and 2 of my friends in real life used to play every day.

 

I was always amazing at grinding and saving gold. My friends were a hunter and a rogue so we had no healer in our questing party. 

 

One day we were all round playing at one of our houses when in the Auction House I saw a trinket called the Ankar of Life. Instantly heal yourself +spell damage (or something like that) I had around 62g on me at the time and the trinket was 50g. I can remember being egged on by the guys to get it as I was a warlock I could help to heal in dungeons and quests by using this instantly and how it was the best trinket in the game.

 

Safe to say I tried it out and it healed me for 120 and had a 10 minute cool down :/ .. Instant regret and mocking ever since.

 

Cant wait to return to this vanilla project! wont be making this mistake again! 

[LAMBDA471 2]

Just for the record, I never played retail, well I tried it when CATA came out to see the changes in the world, but never bought the game or paid subscription, yet my first exprience was on Vanilla private server and it was my most memorable.

 

My first exprence was in an internet cafe and I don't know what server it was, was it retail or not, I had no idea. I made a NElf Warrior and died from an Owl after leaving Shadowglen. When I had to do a corpse run I saw the icon with the coffin and it looked like a door to me, I didn't even knew that's where I had to go.

After that I had a few more attempts at home on some servers I found.

I was selling junk to vendors by dragging each item from my bag to the vendor's window, I was selecting mobs with the mouse click.

 

Some friends who I played Diablo II with had quit and went to WoW and I was the only one still left in Diablo II, so they begged me to go play with them and so I did, but I had no idea how to play. Had a troll Mage at level 13 with spells from level 5 and I was wondering why I was getting my попа kicked in The Barrens and I never found other trainers as I haven't gone to Orgrimmar. Then I quit. A few months later (late spring 2007) I triet a tauren Shaman and subsequently quit at level 14, don't remember why. A few months later (summer 2007) I was thinking about WoW and why I quit and I came to the conclusion that I suck at it, so I got mad and wiped all my characters and made NElf Hunter, then I started reading carefully everything and trying to comprehend it as best as possible (English is not native to me so back then it took some effort). And with this NElf Hunter, I learned the basics of WoW and how to level up properly and efficiently and had an awesome time, but...

 

 

 

... due to the fact that I didn't have constant internet connection and this was some server on a local network that I could access without a internet connection...

 

 

... it was a server with population peaks of ~25 people. So I couldn't experience PvP or anything, in fact when you saw someone, even if enemy, you had to wave, because it was a rare encounter.

 

 

A year later on when I got constant internet connection I could play more and get better, but I kinda ruined my experience with stupid fun servers and only after years of playing WoTLK, and later expansions, I got so disgusted with what crap WoW had become, I started pursuing the original experience and that's how I ended up looking for quality Vanilla servers.


If Blizzard ever made a Vanilla server, I'd probably not pay because I find it a waste of money, as well as they have proven to be greedy, arrogant assholes in the last couple of years.

[tercenya 0]

I rolled a female, human paladin. I was minding my own business in Northshire when a guy ran up to me and asked, "do you want to be my girlfriend?". I replied "no, I don't even know you". The guy fell silent for a moment and then said "do you wanna go for a walk?".

[Lifealert 19]

It's been too long to remember actual stories, but there are particular moments that stick out in my mind.

 

Like the first time I made a character and the Darkmoon Faire was open. I went there with my friend and people were just hanging out and talking as if it was a real carnival. 

 

Or the first time I went to STV and instantly died on the road below the rebel camp to a group of horde and then saw a couple of alliance fight them. That would forever set the tone of the zone for me. A wild wild west vietnam like place.

 

Of course ganking Hillsbrad fields as a rogue was a major highlight for me. Doing Deadmines for the first time was very special. 

[fructi 0]

I rolled a female, human paladin. I was minding my own business in Northshire when a guy ran up to me and asked, "do you want to be my girlfriend?". I replied "no, I don't even know you". The guy fell silent for a moment and then said "do you wanna go for a walk?".

so, did you?

[Ellipsea 36]

so, did you?

I think I know how this story goes.  He says something like, "There's this nice little Inn in Goldshire where we can get a cup of coffee."

 

Emhm.

[cryofsorrow 5]

And continues like this "Wanna go upstairs?" Btw, coffee in a medieval inn... What?

[saraghtera 0]

Ahhahaa I love these stories and gosh how long some of them are!! Thanks for sharing I was cracking multiple times when reading these through.

[Draegon 1]

I decided to switch everything around, and rerolled Horde on a new realm: EU-Xavius. There I leveled a Tauren warrior, and to make it more fun for myself *cough* I specced prot while leveling

 

I rolled on EU-Xavius when it just released. Played a 60 Undead mage called Mordero there. Perhaps we have met there at some point?

Edited November 28, 2016 by Draegon

[Aekae 0]

OH so many to choose from, i'd be here typing for days.

 

But my very first memory of playing was starting my night elf hunter, i had leveled to about 8 or 9 and remember going to the area where the lake is in Dolanaar and swimming for the first time, it seems silly but it was such a magical feeling watching the ripples turn into wakes and then disappearing will always be my favorite memory of wow.

 

-but others include ZG/MC/BWL raids (and wipes) 

-the connection you had with people and horde on the realm before cross realm ruined that

-tauren mill pvp/ world pvp in general

-the time spent and energy you had to put in to get an item or piece of gear that clearly is no longer in the game

 

but most of all the real friendships made through climbing to the top of IF and drinking 20x noggenfoggers to get slow fall and jumping off just to do it again!

I cannot wait to experience those adventures all over again!

[darklordsauron 0]

I was a very young Guy, only 13 Years old. First time i played a MMORPG was 2001 at the Age of 10 it was DaoC...

I was pretty young yeah but i felt early in love with MMORGs.

I also knowed Warcraft 3 very well and heared about that a MMORG is on the Way.

On my 13th Birthday i was very happy because i got a Beta Key in Mid 2004. 

 

My First Character was a Undead Mage and sticked with it. When the Game came out i already felt in love with the Undead Race and their Starting Zone a created a Undead Mage again. I remember the exact same Hair style, Colour until today and still create every UD Mage like that.

 

I was also on a RP Server and on lvl 7 i talked to other Players for the first Time. It was very epic we made our Guild in the Brill Tarvern and i signed up. Guild was called "Bonelegion" and we were a only Undead Guild.

The Guild made very epic RP Events and the Highlight was in Mid 2005. We had a rivalry Story with a other Guild. Our Guild Leader called "The King of Lordaeron" and the Enemy Guilds Guild Leader did a Epic 1 on 1 Battle in the Stranglethorn Arena. There were 300+ people who watched that, also Alliance Players. I will never forget this. 

 

Sadly the Guild and many Players went off from the Game with the Start of BC. With the Guild Leader i have contact until today.

 

I can't wait to play Vanilla again on Elysium. Hope you enjoyed my little Story.

Edited November 29, 2016 by darklordsauron

[Malifore 0]

Well... I guess if I'm going to share a story it'll be the story of my first kill. 

 

Way back in the halcyon days of 2006 I was struggling my way through World of Warcraft as only a solo leveling warrior could. I found myself in Ashenvale and was absolutely awestruck by the color and music. The ambiance of it had me wandering around, not even questing. Then I found it; a tunnel carved into a mountain. I forget what it was called but I believe it was "Talondeep Pass".

 

As I moved through it I felt excited; there wasn't much in the way of a road so I felt like it was some kind of secret. I popped into the arid mountains on the other side, the Venture Co deforestation littering the valley. I started making my way down the slopes to the valley below. As I was fighting off a mob I got back stabbed by an Orc Rogue. He was a couple levels lower then I was - and I had a health potion on my hot bar. When the fight wasn't going his way he tried to run but I hamstrung him and laid down the execute. 

 

I turned around and went back to Ashenvale after that. I was sure he was going to call friends and take his vengeance if I didn't book it. 

[Undertanker 88]

In 2005, I mained a mage with Freezing Band x2 (we were not in BWL and everybody was DKP hording for mage blade / ring of spell power).  

 

Fighting Rag, he hit me with his pyro shot or w/e it is, and it caused my freezing band to proc on him creating the biggest ice block I've ever seen.  The majority of us were shatter spec and all the mages got a huge jump in DPS as all of our next 2 frost bolts crit.

 

Team Speak blew the hell up with confusion when it procced, after they argued for 5 minutes on what caused that I linked my rings.

[Ellipsea 36]

In 2005, I mained a mage with Freezing Band x2 (we were not in BWL and everybody was DKP hording for mage blade / ring of spell power).  

 

Fighting Rag, he hit me with his pyro shot or w/e it is, and it caused my freezing band to proc on him creating the biggest ice block I've ever seen.  The majority of us were shatter spec and all the mages got a huge jump in DPS as all of our next 2 frost bolts crit.

 

Team Speak blew the hell up with confusion when it procced, after they argued for 5 minutes on what caused that I linked my rings.

: )

[grid_65 0]

Human rogue was my first toon when we did not know much about gearing or specing. Ubrs was 15 man and brd was 10 man. The crazy specs we tried to find out what worked with pvp and pve. Dueling everyone we could to find out how to kill a certain spec of character. 

then later on....

 

I would say my good memories of vanilla were getting the druids and rogues together in my guild and doing stealth runs in lbrs and brd. 2 druids and 3 rogue stealth just to the bosses we needed and taking them down with evasion tanking. The feeling of sneaking around the knowing that at any point you could get killed if you got to close to one mob.

 

The stealth teams working together in AV to take out one tower in the back to split the forces from the front line to summon the tree npc after hours of collecting items.  

 

Those feelings left after vanilla.  

 

I miss most is learning the game with everyone else , when it did feel like a community because everyone was in the same boat. Knowing nothing, and figuring it out as we went. 

[chedca 0]

58 HU priest,
60 HU paly
me, 24 NE hunter - would resurrect inside Horde zep hiding on the lower floor rear balcony ; as a hunter I would eagle eye towards the topside of the zepplin and select a target for the priest, who would copy my target and mind-control some poor Horde, throwing him into the middle of the ocean.

we would see the same Tauren once an hour and single him out to throw him overboard again and again we were such rotten kids

 

they made a few attempts to find us but would usually fail or be overpowered by the 60 pally lurking in the ship. usually the Horde that survived the trip would just get off at their destination and leave us alone. good times.

[Xykaru 1]

I just remember hitting rank 12 and getting my 15% movement speed pvp gear on my feral druid. I remember screwing around in Duskwood, ganking, waiting for them to bring in some 60's for me to kill. Funny enough, a HWL feral druid came out. We fought on the road by the bridge in Duskwood. After literally 30 minutes of 1 v 1 and masses of low levels showing up and watching (back when poly/fear/hibernate had no duration caps), I finally beat her. I /roared, and all the low levels scattered. Needless to say I chased as many down as possible lol.  I was on a roll. I went to Org later that day to pvp outside, came across another HWL feral druid, dueled him, and WON. He was so angry. that one only took maybe 5 minutes though.

 

  I also remember seeing this NE Rogue named Yuni literally EVERYWHERE I went. If I was in Duskwood, he was in Duskwood. If I was in Hillsbrad, he was in Hillsbrad. He couldn't beat me, so we'd just hang out together and kill lowbies as a team. I know it's cruel but, I'd offer free gold in chat, just to lure lowbies to me so that he could kill them xD.

 

  First char was a NE druid. The ambience of the NE starting zone on top of the spell sounds,  bags, UI, all the other players, the HUGE zones, ohh man I was immediately sucked in. Sadly my PC was junk and I'd get 5-20 fps. Couldn't even enter any cities aside from the first 2 starter towns.

 

  I remember going to Ashenvale on my 27 troll shaman. I accepted a quest and a 32 dwarf rogue came out and killed me. At that moment I knew my purpose was to kill as many other players mercilessly as possible.  I'd run along that road between Splintertree Post and Astranaar for hours ganking anybody in sight.

 

  On Nost, before it shut down, I had a 60 resto druid and I'd go into Redridge and make rounds. I'd kill every single player possible. I couldn't really beat any 60's 1v1, so I'd farm low level kills via moonfire spam. If a 60 came, I'd just run and run and run. I'd spend hours making rounds all over Redridge killing over a 100 people per hour.  When Nost comes back up, the first thing I'm going to do is go troll Redridge.