New Adventures to discover & Old mysteries resolved
The new additions to Dustwallow Marsh not only lead players on new adventures from new NPCs added, but also answer longtime mysteries and stories that were left unfinished in Classic! The town of Mudsprocket takes adventurers on the new story of Brogg and his quest for vengeance against Onyxia and the Black Dragonflight. Brogg, a former member of the Ogres in Brackenwall Village, exiled himself from the Horde camp when Overlord Mok'Morokk decided against leading the remaining Ogres of Stonemaul Village to battle against the Black Dragonflight after their successful pillage of the former home of the Dustwallow Marsh Ogres.
The new hub of Mudsprocket in Dustwallow Marsh
Players can pick up the starting quest, Bloodfen Feathers, from Brogg, starting a journey of saving the lost spirits of Ogres still trapped in the Stonemaul ruins, to eventually challenging one of Onyxia's higher-ups, Smolderwing, quenching Brogg's thirst for the blood of the Black Dragonflight.
Smolderwing, burning the Stonemaul Banner created by Brogg
In Classic, players of both the Horde and Alliance who quested in Dustwalllow Marsh would eventually find their way to the Shady Rest Inn, located right by the entrance to the Barrens. Unfortunately, the Inn had been burnt down to its base. However, curious adventurers who explored the burnt building would discover three interactable items, each sparking clues that led to who or what could've been responsible.
The charred remains of the Shady Rest Inn
Unfortunately, the ending of this quest chain would be extremely anticlimactic, as it would come to a hard stop with no answer to the cause and no justice served. Until, however, Patch 2.3, where we would get not only a continuation of the mystery added, but the finish as well! Players can pick up A Grim Connection after completing the previous quests to learn that it was the doing of the Grimtotem, and with the aid of Tabetha, can finally bring to justice the arcenists of the marsh, and reap some nice rewards for doing so!
A Blueprint for Classic+?
Dustwallow Marsh is such a unique zone in that it was one of the only zones in Azeroth to receive such major additions prior to the Cataclysm caused by Deathwing. Some players ask, "Is this the blueprint for how zones should be treated in Classic+?" The zone did not get a complete rework, but it did get significantly more content added to it.
Dustwallow Marsh's Map prior to Patch 2.3
As we just mentioned, most zones received major revamps due to the Shattering by the leader of the Black Dragonflight, either being totally destroyed or invaded by the Elements. These reworks are often seen as too much alteration, and take away what these zones originally brought in their Classic version. However, the additions to Dustwallow more or less completed the zone where it felt empty, and continued upon itself, answering cliffhanger questlines and adding new stories to the environment and ecosystem that already existed.
If you asked twenty people what their ideal Classic+ would be, you'd get twenty different answers. But perhaps, when referring to zone development, this would be something most players would agree on. How would this treatment of Dustwallow Marsh look if applied to zones like Silithus, Desolace, or Azshara? It should also be noted that we have only touched a fraction of the additions that were added in Dustwallow Marsh in Patch 2.3, as there were over 50 quests put into this zone in The Burning Crusade! This kind of revamp would be greatly appreciated for the three zones mentioned earlier, as they are known for being barren, with a couple only providing very niche uses.
Tethyr the Kraken, terrorizing the citizens of Theramore
What do you think of these new additions to Dustwallow Marsh in The Burning Crusade? What zone do you think could use this treatment in Classic+? Let us know in the comments down below!
