TheWorld of Warcraft: Mists of Pandariahave finally come to Azeroth, and theWorld of Warcrafthas now expanded by a whole new continent. The new zone of Pandaria is designed mainly for characters at the max level of 85, and offers new quests and dungeons to help them grind up to the new cap of level 90.
Getting to Pandaria is part of a larger storyline that begins in each faction’s major city. The heavy mists that obscured the continent are lifting, and at this point, it’s unknown as to why. This is the beginning of the quest chain that revealsthe lore of the new expansionand eventually leads deep into the heart of Pandaria.
Characters at level 85 will automatically be offered a quest as soon as they ride, fly, or port into either Orgrimmer or Stormwind. They will be instructed to seek out a prominent leader of their faction, who recruits them for a quest in the newly discovered continent.
Horde
Travel Via Hellscream’s Fist
Grom Hellcream isn’t interested in any noble pursuits, like friendship or exploration. The Horde’s new leader just wants to loot and pillage the best of Pandaria and crush the Alliance in the process. This is what leads the Horde to seek out Pandaria and make contact with its elusive but wise and powerful residents.
The quest chain that leads to Pandaria continues after players reach the continent andcomplete a series of missionsto help their faction get a foothold by building settlements and making contact with locals.
The Art Of War
Horde players will be offered a quest called “The Art of War” when they arrive in Ogrimmar, which leads them to speak with General Nazgrim in Grommash Hold. Speaking to him completes the initial quest and starts a cutscene that explains how the Horde discovered Pandaria whilechasing the Alliance forces.
All Aboard
Nazgrim then informs the player that they’re part of the crew of the Hellscream’s Fist, the flying gunship waiting to fly to Pandaria to reinforce the Horde army. The player can use their own flying mount to reach the ship and speak to Nazgrim again, which starts the journey to Pandaria.
Into The Mists
Hellscream’s Fist is caught in a firefight with the Alliance forces as they approach the lost continent. Speak to Nazgrimto trigger another cinematicand to move to the next quest.
Paint It Red!
Players have to use one of the gunship’s turrets to destroy the Alliance forces below as the airship burns around them. Complete this quest to get a class-specific reward and continue.
Touching Ground
Rivett Clutchpop directs the player to ropes near the gun turrets that they can use to safely rappel to the ground, where Nazgrim is waiting with further orders.
If players miss the initial quest, they can check the bulletin board outside Grommash Hold and grab the next one in the chain, “All Aboard,” which also leads to the waiting gunship. Alliance players can check the bulletin boards outside Stormwind Keep.
Alliance
All Aboard The Skyfire
The Alliance has a more noble excuse to infiltrate Pandaria, or at least that’s what they say. Their expedition leads into dangerous and unknown territory, and loyal adventurers are needed to help with an important mission.
The King’s Command
Speak to Grand Admiral Jes-Tereth, who iswaiting in the War Roomof Stormwind Keep. This leads to a briefing with the king himself, Varian Wrynn. He’ll tell the story of Admiral Taylor’s last message, sent from deep in the southern seas from an unknown location. The sensitive part of this message is that Prince Anduin was on the mission and is also missing.
The Mission
The player will be directed to report to Admiral Rogers on The Skyfire, which is floating above Elwynn Forest just south of the city’s main gate. Characters are instructed to keep their eyes open for any sign of surviving Alliance forces, especially the prince, also known as The White Pawn.
Unleash Hell
Players are instructed to use a gyrocopter to destroy Horde soldiers, shredders, and sink two of the Horde ships. The reward for this quest, like the Horde equivalent, is a class-specific weapon.
Alliance players use a parachute as opposed to a rope to reach the Jade Forest. Sky Admiral Rogers sends the player into the Jade Forest to meet with Sully “The Pickle” McLeary and continue the mission.
Pandaria is for characterslevel 85 and up, but there’s also the starting area for new Pandaren to train. For those who wantto start a new characterand get a look at the starting area on the new continent, a level one Pandaren is one way to see a limited portion of it. The Pandaren stout as a neutral race, and can be found at the very bottom of the selections on the character creation screen.
