Stormwind
City, proud capital of city of the kingdom of Stormwind,
located in Elwynn Forest is the largest human city in all of Azeroth.
Being one of the last great human cities in the world, one can only
wonder what damage Cataclysm has brought to this fair city by the sea.


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Walking across the grand drawbridge in the Valley of Heros leading into
the city proper players will immediately notice that one of the
statues, namely the statue of Danath Trollbane, has been destroyed.
Only the feet remain standing in place, while the rest of the statue
fell into the water. It has however since been retrieved and looks like
it’s making it’s way back to it’s
original home.


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Moving further up the walkway players will be greeted with a familiar
and promising site; General Marcus Jonathan still stands guard just
before the entrance to the city, sitting proudly on his horse in front
the thankfully still intact statue of General Turalyon.


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Nearing the end of the tunnel leading into the Trade District players
will get their first inkling that perhaps all is not well within
Stormwind. At the end of the tunnel two level 85 elite guards are
visible, instead of just one level 75, but this is not however the
disturbing part of the scene. The guards appear to be affected by some
unknown affliction. A yellow-orange aura surrounds them and the guards
appear to be dazed. They can amazingly enough still manage to point you
in the right direction for any of your needs in Stormwind. This strange
aura can be found on guards and several NPCs all over the city.


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The main square in the Trade District has a new look, the quaint
trading wagon is gone, the tree inside the square shows signs of
obvious growth, and the decorative stone holder that once surrounded
the tree is gone, replaced by a smaller more rounded wooden version. In
front of the tree now stands two guards with their sickly glow and the
Hero’s Call Board.


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The Hero’s Call board gives players of high enough level
quests to venture into the new zones of Vashj’ir and Mount
Hyjal. If this board will provide more quest options after completing
the first two remains to be seen.


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While here players may notice that the door to the Auction House is now
firmly closed with a grizzled old man named Ian Drake standing in front
of it.


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Don’t panic. The Auction House is still in the Trade
District, just at a new location. The entrance to the Auction House can
be found directly across from Stormwind’s bank. To better fit
its posh new location the Auction House has been given a serious visual
upgrade.


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The bank has also been given a new look complete with heightened
security and several new bankers have been added to better fulfill all
your banking needs.


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Outside the Bank and Auction House players will be pleased to see that
the fountain here has been revamped and repaired and is once again
spewing forth crystal clear waters.


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It appears that the people of Stormwind no longer approve of
Gryphon’s on their streets as the one normally sitting near
the ramp leading to the flight master has been removed. Despite this
the Flight Master remains in his usual place, and to make things a bit
easier a riding instructor for flying mounts has been added as well.


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In Old Town the changes are more minor and perhaps a bit harder to
spot. The walls around the SI:7 Headquarters and Command Center have
been given a new, less rough, look and appear to have been lowered
slightly. The imposing looking gates have been removed from each
doorway as well as the walls beyond, giving the section a much more
open look, and allowing access to either building regardless of the
doorway you use. You may also have noticed that both buildings appear
to have switched places.


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Another welcome change to the area is the addition of a Stable Master
and Riding Trainer to the area near the new Command Center.


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The fountain in Old Town has also been renewed and is now fully
functional.


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The streets of Old
Town are much darker, although it’s a toss up between whether
they are just very dirty or if all the streets of Old Town have been
redone with a new look.


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Moving out of Old Town to Stormwind Keep, the pinnacle of power inside
Stormwind, more changes can be seen almost immediately. The entrance of
Stormwind keep has been opened up giving it a more airy and light
feeling.


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The path leading to the throne room has also been partially opened to
the fresh air and sunshine and has been completely redesigned from the
rather dreary closed in hallway it once was.

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The throne room itself has also gotten a makeover. The platform that
King Varian and his son stand upon has been moved out of the center of
the room and been pushed back into an alcove near the back. Genn
Greymane is also now present in the throne room, taking up the spot
directly to King Varian’s right. The most interesting change
here is that Anduin Wyrnn has finally grown up, at least a little. Once
an awkward looking child Anduin is now a much better looking teenager.


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Not many big changes in the Dwarven District, although while
I’m not sure the air did look a bit less smoky.


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The well near the back of the district has been removed and a fountain
has been put in it’s place. Shoni the Shilent still stands
here but she now shares the area with a convenient Priest trainer.


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An inn has opened up for business here in the vacant building close to
Shoni, and the Engineer Trainers have acquired a brand new cart, moving
them out of their ramshackle tent. Where the tent once was now sits
another Hero’s Call Board.


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No longer will players need to visit the Trade District to conduct
their banking as the Dwarven District now has it’s very own
bank in the large stone building, near the Engineering trainers, that
once only contained some tables and chairs.


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To finish rounding out the district it has been provided with
it’s very own Auction House, which can be found directly
across the street from the new bank. This new Auction House is done in
the same design as the one that can be found in the Trade District.


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The center of Cathedral Square is of course the grand cathedral located
in the center of the zone. It’s not surprising then that the
changes to this section of Stormwind all pertain to the great
cathedral. Out front, like several of the other parts of the city, the
fountain has been restored and is now shooting forth bright streams of
water. It’s also gotten a new statue on top, that of a dwarf
instead of a human.

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The Cathedral itself looks the same from the outside, however, there
has been some changes inside the building. All the clergy (two of which
were once quest givers) on the main dais inside the cathedral have been
stricken with whatever affliction haunts many other NPCs in Stormwind.
The only one in the main room unaffected appears to be a small alter
boy. Once inside players will also notice that there are no longer two
side rooms on either side of the main hallway. Instead all trainers
have been moved into one single room on the right side.


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Heading back outside the cathedral there are several more changes to
this section to be found. A path leading behind the cathedral has been
opened allowing players to take a very scenic walk leading them to a
beautiful gazebo and view of a small lake. Moving further along the
path players will also notice that a rather large cemetery has sprung
up, giving the citizens of Stormwind a proper place to bury their dead.



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Visitors to the Park will see one of the greatest and saddest changes
to Stormwind. The Park has been utterly and totally destroyed.
Literally nothing remains. One lone druid trainer did manage to escape
and has taken up residence in the Dwarven District.


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While the Worgen district in Stormwind was nixed, after the devastation
seen at the Park players can take a small comfort in knowing that the
rest of Stormwind remains much the same if not even better than before.
There are even crabs in the canals!  Join us on our forums to
share your thoughts on the changes that have come to Stormwind.


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Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

Amunet, also fondly known as Memtron, is an organic life form best known for its ongoing obsession with Blizzard Entertainment's numerous properties. To that end, Amu has authored hundreds (thousands?) of the most popular World of Warcraft guides, editorials, and Top 10 lists on the planet. When not gaming and writing, Amu is busy chasing after her three children in a perpetual loop of ongoing disaster.

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