Rank 3: The Burning Crusade
The Burning Crusade was the first real expansion for World of Warcraft and has likely remained in my memory for that reason.
That was also during my “golden age” when I could pour all my free time into World of Warcraft.
Here, Blizzard also implemented heroic dungeons for the first time, which posed a new, hard challenge.
I still vividly remember that you were not allowed to interrupt certain spell-casting enemies in specific dungeons, as they would then hit in melee, sending every player in the group to the afterlife with a single blow. Back then, such “bugs” were funny and led to the emergence of complex strategies, even if they were probably not a deliberate game design.
Additionally, professions in Burning Crusade felt significantly rewarding. I remember farming fire elementals on the Elemental Plateau for days to craft a great robe from the fire essences.
Such long “farming efforts” that you could work on solo are something I really miss today – even if realistically speaking, I probably wouldn’t have time for it anymore.
Objectively, one must say that The Burning Crusade brought only a few real “innovations”, but mainly delivered “more of the tried and true”. However, that was exactly what I wanted back then. The right expansion with the right content at the right time.
The highlight from The Burning Crusade: Unlocking flying and the nether dragons. I remember being the first person on my server to obtain and unlock one of the coveted nether dragons.
I remember well the constant farming and “camping” the spawn points of nether dragon eggs to quickly raise my reputation. Finally owning the dragon was incredibly satisfying and a personal achievement that few other virtual feats overshadow.
