Has World of Warcraft lost its horror? We remember zones that did this better!
Although World of Warcraft is a game that thrives on a loving comic style, not everything is rosy in Azeroth. There are plenty of cruel quests, terrible events, and horrible war crimes. However, the game has hardly dared to approach a thematic horror in the latest expansions: horror and spooky elements are only represented in very small amounts.
But that was different once. Especially the classic zones often had a oppressive atmosphere. Not oppressively bleak like the Broken Shore, which was simply overrun by demons. But oppressive in the sense of a not quite clearly defined danger lurking somewhere in the depths of a forest.
The Duskwood – Classic Horror-Mix
Let’s take Duskwood as an example. The whole zone practically smelled of despair and fear. The villagers from Darkshire hated the place and wanted to leave – but they couldn’t. Worgen, zombies, huge spiders and worse creatures roamed the forests everywhere. At every corner, dark eyes blinked from the bushes and the trees formed such a dense canopy that the sun was dimmed.
The area even had a small “mini-dungeon” in the graveyard of Ravenhill. The catacombs go deep underground and anyone who quested here was certainly traveling in the underground vault for 10-15 minutes. You were surrounded by zombies, with their creepy moaning, ghostly necromancers, and other gruesome creatures.
In addition, there were quest lines that often resembled detective stories. Who exactly is responsible for the horrors in Duskwood? Who are the dark riders? What is the deal with Mor’ladim?
And that was still not all. Duskwood had plenty of places that you could “just explore”. There were no quests leading there. There is a creepy grave surrounded by statues like those known only from the altars of storms. Or the portal to the Emerald Dream, which sits in a “crater” in the middle of the area. Also the many abandoned cabins, all the graves – hundreds of spooky scenarios immediately played out in your head without anything being explicitly mentioned.
Other zones also captured this mood. In Tirisfal, the starting area of the Forsaken, there was always a gloomy atmosphere. After all, you had just died and were now forcibly dragged back into unlife, with all the perverted forms and their dark alchemy that were once humans. This continues into the Silverwood and only loses strength in the hills of the Hillsbrad.
Legion and Warlords – No Room for Scary Horror?
All of this could not be achieved by the zones of World of Warcraft Legion and Warlords of Draenor. Sure, Shadowmoon Valley was atmospheric and beautiful – but not scary. Val’Sharah has been tainted by the Emerald Nightmare, but also not scary because all the facts were on the table from the beginning.
The areas of Legion are varied and in the case of Argus and the Broken Shore truly “oppressive” – but not scary. With the new creatures like the Ur’zul, demons formed from the souls and bodies of fallen Draenei into new demons, a good step was already taken.
But I am worried, because the “Void” that was portrayed as really scary at the beginning by the Blade of Xal’atath is already losing its shock factor. When I look at the black splashes in the west of Mac’Aree, I do not fear the Void.
If the rumors and speculations about the next expansion are true, and it looks like they currently are, then the upcoming addon will be about the Old Gods. And where could one better incorporate spooky influence through whispers and eerie secrets, in the best style of Lovecraft?
I at least hope that WoW will become a bit scarier and more mysterious again. But what do you think? Do you want more creepy moments? Or would you prefer cuddly feel-good zones?
Related: Have you visited the 5 strangest places in World of Warcraft?
