An Elven Exodus: As WoW Players Look Forward to Lich King, Some Say Goodbye to Dying Dungeons

The town is quiet. Not a monster is stirring. The villagers stare straight ahead, painted faces frozen, waiting for someone to talk to. Nobody ever comes.

Nothing is more sad than an empty MMO. What was once a bustling crossroad of virtual activity becomes a dead, static mountain of data. Without human players to fill in the roles, whole continents can be reduced to lonely collections of unused backdrops. Even mindless gold farmers can become a welcome sight.

Sometimes an entire world becomes a barren wasteland as the popularity of an online game declines. In the case of Blizzard's immensely popular World of Warcraft, older territories are simply abandoned for bigger zones and better raids, left behind like worthless, ethereal loot. And while many accept the cycle and look forward to new expansions, other players aren't always entirely happy to see their old haunts transform into ghost towns.

Mounted Migration

"I will miss Nagrand," says WoW forum member Xinzethik of the lush Burning Crusade expansion zone. "Oh glorious Nagrand."

Blizzard has set a high bar with the quality of World of Warcraft's zones and dungeons, but the need for fresh environments to play in has naturally caused many memorable areas to become obsolete. The upcoming Wrath of the Lich King expansion is expected to continue the cycle, leading some players to pine over the soon-to-be neglected content in advance.

"To see my favorite areas of Azeroth (capital cities, raids, Winterspring for that matter) turn into ghost towns really sucks," writes SA Games member overshottoast on the subject of the imminent immigration from Outland to Northrend. "I know what's coming."

What's coming might not be as drastic a shift as in the past. With the starting level of Lich King's new Death Knight hero class set to 55, Outland--a level 58 to 70 area--will still serve as an important stop for up-and-coming unholy magicians.

However, as the release of The Burning Crusade made the original Warcraft's dungeons largely obsolete, Lich King is expected to do the same. And though Blizzard may be devising a few ways to extend its older content, the focus is still squarely on forward momentum. World of Warcraft is a linear game, and requires a constant stream of new content to keep customers interested--and paying.

Feralas Forsaken

Even if it may mean the death of favorite raids and resting spots, with its varied landscape and diverse lineup of dungeons, Wrath of the Lich King's Northrend continent is at least shaping up to be a welcome change of scenery for the game's inhabitants.

"I've been waiting for the franchise to return to Northrend since the end of the Frozen Throne," writes hampig. "Outland just felt like a stepping stone."

And while the continental sprawl continues, many hope this new land--set in the same world as the original World of Warcraft--will recapture the spirit of the old.

"I miss a lot of Azeroth like Winterspring and Hillsbrad, with the 'wars' that went on there," says WoW forum member Failtrainer. "Northrend seems to be bringing the feel back of what I miss. I can't wait."