Long, exceptional, or hidden questlines
From WoWWiki
Long quests are questlines that are more than 10-15 steps long. Exceptional quests are quests that were memorable for folks while playing the game, or contain a significant amount of lore or world-related information that is interesting for players interested in the world of WoW. Hidden questlines are those that are hard enough to come by that most players never come across them in normal play.
The list was spawned from a discussion on the Elitist Jerks forum, called Long, Hidden, or Exceptional Questlines.
Note that items are listed under the first category in which they appear. If a questline is both long and hidden, it appears under "long."
Contents |
Long Quests
Covert Ops - Alpha and Beta
A long chain which begins off Sentinel Thenysil in Ashenvale which requires checking up on a night elf sentinel in Stonetalon Mountains, eventually it leads to killing, material gathering, explosions, distractions and item retrieval for the gnome quest giver Gaxim Rustfizzle.
You Are Rakh'likh, Demon
- Main article: You Are Rakh'likh, Demon
Also known as the "Fallen Hero" questline, or simply as the "Blasted Lands" questline, this is an exceptionally long set of quests in which the player is tasked with quelling some of the evil demons that have been causing trouble in the Blasted Lands.
The questline starts at the Fallen Hero of the Horde in the Swamp of Sorrows, and continues for many steps. It takes you all around the world, from Azshara to Stranglethorn Vale, and has you entering areas that seem to serve no purpose except as a piece of this quest. This is an exceptionally detailed, well-thought-out quest, with a coherent story and good rewards. The chain may require a full group to complete, as it also involves killing four different elites/bosses.
Linken's Quests
A gnome NPC named Linken in Un'Goro gives a rather long questline with some very decent rewards. It, again, takes you all over the world, from Winterspring to Tanaris, and has you helping Linken recover his sword. It's a tribute to the Legend of Zelda games. It begins with It's a Secret to Everybody.
The Onyxia Key
- Main article: Onyxia's Lair attunement
The quest to get the Drakefire Amulet necessary for gaining entrance into Onyxia's lair is a long, difficult, elite questline, designed to be completed by a group of 5 players of level 60. The rewards are mediocre, but the questline itself is an excellent example of storytelling and world-building, as it reveals the details of the Dragonflights for the first time, and continues the quests that both factions can do in Dustwallow Marsh.
Moreover, the quests themselves are rather unique. There are a few of the typical, "Go here, kill this"-style quests, but there are also unique events, like disguising your character as a member of the Dragonflight and speaking with a dragon. Overall, this questline is worth doing just for the story, even if you never plan to raid Onyxia.
- See also:
The Great Masquerade
The Missing Diplomat
- Main article: The Missing Diplomat quest chain
A long questline for the Alliance that has you running all around the world trying to find the King of Stormwind. Though the questline used to end anti-climatically, it has been continued in Patch 2.3.0. The line is well worth doing if you're looking for some excellent lore about the Human race in WoW. The line starts here, and provides Jaina's Signet Ring.
The Shady Rest Inn
- Main article: The Shady Rest Inn quest chain
This is a long questline to discover the perpetrators of a hideous act. The second half of the questline was not added until Patch 2.3.0, so the end remained long hidden, in the spirit of most crime stories. The plot shows a rare example of cooperation between Horde and Alliance to solve a tragic mystery, though the factions characteristically end up getting in each other's way.
Hero of the Mag'har
- Main article: Hero of the Mag'har quest chain
An exceptional addition to the lore of the Orcs, particularly of Thrall himself, in The Burning Crusade. This questline has you running errands for Thrall's grandmother, Geyah. It's exceptionally long, the rewards are excellent, and the storyline reminds you why you love video games.
Attunement to the Eye
- Main article: The Hand of Gul'dan quest chain
A 25 part quest chain that ends with the player being attuned to the Eye in the Netherstorm. This quest line no longer needs to be completed to enter the eye but now awards the title "Champion of the Naaru". The quest line begins with The Hand of Gul'dan.
Exceptional Quests
Only One May Rise
Rated one of the most interesting and difficult quest chains pre-the burning crusade, this adventure begins at Baristolth of the Shifting Sands and takes people all around Azeroth, exploring unexpected areas and dangerous zones, talking with quiet folk and legends. This is the quest about the War of the Shifting Sands between the Ahn'qiraj, the Cenarion Circle and the Bronze Dragonflight and is hailed to be the most lore-packed chain in World of Warcraft. Though the quest is not for the everyday quester as it requires effort put into it, players would be tasked with "unusual" quests and eventually a focused raid group would have to be formed to battle through the tough Blackrock Mountain, Onyxia's Lair, Stormwind Keep, Undercity, The Tainted Scar, Darkwhisper Gorge, Alcaz Island and the Isle of Dread as well as combat World Bosses beyond the difficulty of the four Nightmare Dragons of Azeroth!
Tirion Fordring
Widely hailed as one of the best questlines in the game, Tirion Fordring in the Western Plaguelands starts a line of quests that reveals his relationship with the Scarlet Crusade, and explains a large portion of the story behind the army in red. The line begins with Redemption, and completes with In Dreams. If you level in the Plaguelands, it's definitely worth pursuing this quest line.
Screecher Spirits
Added in a later patch, Screecher Spirits is basically an introduction to the lore that surrounds the god Hakkar, the master of Zul'Gurub. It has several pieces that span Zul'Farrak and The Sunken Temple, and the rewards are excellent for their level.
The Scythe of Elune
This is an interesting bit of game. It concerns itself with the lore of Duskwood, though it takes characters around to various places in that area. It also explains the power of Arugal from Shadowfang Keep. The ending to the quest is rather anti-climactic. The intended ending was probably for Alliance characters to go to Shadowfang Keep and retrieve the Scythe of Elune from Arugal, but that never really panned out. The questlines also contains a few bits of cross-faction lore, which is rare in WoW.
The Lady's Necklace
This brief quest has a huge payoff: You give Lady Sylvanas her necklace, and she sings an elven ballad that she remembers from before she was undead. It's absolutely worth spending 30 minutes to complete as a level 70 for this.
Commander Gor'shak
This questline, is an excellent way to guide exploration of Blackrock Depths, and to get a general sense for the stories and trials that the Badlands, Searing Gorge, and Burning Steppes are dealing with. The rewards are excellent and the storyline is a great introduction to Blackrock Mountain.
Archmage Vargoth
This series of 8 or so quests has you running errands and finding out about the Archmage Vargoth. One of the better additions to The Burning Crusade, the line sports a good story and excellent rewards. See also Malevolent Remnants, available after you finish this line.
Sprite Darter Egg
This Alliance-only quest has you running all around the world in pursuit of the final reward: A non-combat Sprite Darter pet. The above links to the quest chain page, but an external guide is available here, and the line is recommend to all players just because it's extremely fun.
Hidden Quests
Awbee's Scale
While not hidden before The Burning Crusade, this questline starts in Upper Blackrock Spire with The Matron Protectorate, making it relatively hidden for the majority of the post-expansion crowd. It explains a small piece of lore dealing with the dragonflights, and has a unique teleportation gimmick in Winterspring that is rather fun. You pick it up from Awbee in the dungeon.
Cortello's Riddle
This quest starts from a letter that you pick up inside one of the ships in southern Stranglethorn Vale. The line itself ends with a rather simple reward (a 14-slot bag), but the quest texts are riddles, making the line unlike anything else in the game. Don't spoil this for yourself -- try to figure out the riddles without resorting to the wowhead spoilers!
Hilary's Necklace
Not a hidden quest to the Alliance, but one of the few true cross-faction quests in the game. Horde players can do this quest, but it can rather difficult due to over zealous guards.
Message in a Bottle
Also known as the King Kong quest, this gem of a task starts on the southern beach of STV, where some of the bottles on the beach contain a scroll with a message. The reward is relatively mediocre, but the experience of finding a giant gorilla (King Mukla) on an island is pretty outstanding.
Sully Balloo's Letter
Picked up from a letter hidden underwater underneath the Thandol Span.
Sweet Amber
This starts in Westfall, but the level requirement is such that most players will never know it's there. It has you running a small set of errands, and concludes with a nice little trinket reward.
External links
- The Gamespy List - A list of several major questlines (most of which are covered above) compiled by Gamespy.
