by David Piner on Jun 24, 2006
Elwynn Forest is a vast sprawling woodland inhibited by the bulk of the Human population. The forest itself is home to many wild creatures ranging from boards and wolves to the strange kobolds and murlocs. Elwynn Forest enjoys the security of the Stormwind guard, but that security is only reserved for the roads and towns. Many places are overrun by the Defias staging camps or one of the many strange creatures that have taken up residence in this land. The majestic city of Stormwind lies in the northwest of the forest, looking over the last remaining cities of the Human empire.
Elwynn Forest hasn’t always been near this peaceful. During the first war, Elwynn forest was a major staging ground for the war against Orcs. While Stormwind was razed and the forest burned, the noble Alliance of Lordaeron liberated the area. This allowed for the great city of Stormwind to be rebuilt and the forest to once again grow lush and green.
World of Warcraft is a game designed to give you plenty of freedom in how you choose to progress your character. That doesn’t necessarily mean that all options are viable and speedy. The quickest way to get through Elwynn forest is to complete all of the available quests within the zone. This takes about five-seven hours and lands you at level ten, ready to head to the neighbouring zone of Westfall. Grinding away enemies (basically slaying the same group of enemies over and over) is always an option, but with the lack of skills and decent gear it just will be much slower then doing quests.
The progression of the zone is to first complete all of the quests in Northshire Abbey. This leads to the town of Goldshire, where you have several quests that involve combating the local Kobolds nestled deep in the nearby mines. From Goldshire, your assistance will be needed to help a feuding farming family. With that out of your way, you’ll then end up travelling to the local logging camp and helping take out bandits, bears, and help locate several missing soldiers. From the logging camp, it’ll be back to Goldshire and then to the local military barracks to help with a Gnoll problem. After that’s taken care of, you’ll be headed off on much more daring adventures in distance (or nearby) lands.
If you plan on crafting then it’s best to pick up a gathering trade as fast as possible. If you plan to do Alchemy, then pick up Herbalism. If you want to take up Blacksmithing or Engineering then you’ll want to take up mining. If you plan on working the Leatherworking trade then pick up skinning. If you don’t really want to craft then pick up two gathering trades! Extra income is always welcome while you progress through the world.
Starting out in Nortshire Abbey
After a brief cutscene you will find yourself outside of Northshire Abbey. Now would be a great time to adjust your settings (I highly suggest turning on “Instant Quest Text” in the interface options) and get comfortable with movement. Directly in front of where you start should be a guard known as Deputy Willems.
Walk up to Deputy Willems and right click him on him (notice the golden ! above his head, this means he has a quest for you). He’ll give you the quest A Threat Within. Simply walk inside of the abbey and speak with Marshal McBride. He’ll be a yellow dot on your minimap if you can’t find him. He’ll reward you for reporting to him and give you the quest called Kobold Camp Cleanup. Head outside and talk to Deputy Willems once more. He’ll offer the quest Eagen Peltskinner. Head around to the northwest side of the abbey and speak with Eagen Peltskinner (look for a yellow dot on your mini-map). He’ll offer a new quest Wolves Across the Border. Now it’s time to get to the fun stuff, actual combat!
Right near our good friend Mr. Peltskinner you will find plenty of Young Wolves. You’ll need to slay these wolves in order to obtain the item [Tough Wolf Meat]. After you have gained 8 pieces of wolf meat, turn your attention towards the Kobolds to the north. <!-- function ShowHide(id) { obj = document.getElementsByTagName("div"); if (obj[id].style.visibility == 'visible'){ obj[id].style.visibility = 'hidden'; obj[id].style.display = 'none'; } else { obj[id].style.visibility = 'visible'; obj[id].style.display = 'block'; } } -->
Quick Tip: Combat (Click to View)Inside of the little camp you’ll notice two types of Kobolds. They are “Kobold Workers” and “Kobold Vermin”. For this quest you’ll need to slay the “Kobold Vermin” in order to continue. They are slightly more difficult then the wolves, but at the same time any level one of any class should have no problem with them. Take out 10 of them and head back towards Northshire Abbey.
Quick Tip: Sharing the World (Click to View)By now you should be level two, congratulations are in order! Turn in the wolf meat to our good friend Eagen Peltskinner. He’ll offer you two different rewards and you will have to pick which one is right for you. If you are a Mage, Warlock, or Priest then pick the Soft Fur-line Shoes. If you are a Warrior, Rogue, or Paladin then pick up the Wolfskin Bracers. Any item that you can not equip will be highlighted in red.
With the wolves taken care of, return to Marshal Mcbride inside of the abbey. Turn in the Kobold quest which should put you at or near level three! Marshal Mcbride will now offer two new quests, one of them is Investigate Echo Ridge and the other is to deliver a letter to your class trainer. Pick them both up and head for your class trainer to purchase skills. If you can’t find your trainer, have a look at the letter he gave you. It’ll tell you where to look. Remember to buy any skill you can afford, since they will give you a good advantage in the upcoming fights.
Head to outside entrance of the abbey and speak with Deputy Willem again. He’ll offer the quest Brotherhood of Thieves, which we will do in a few minutes. Right now there are more Kobolds that need to be slain! Head back to the Kobold camp that was near Mr. Peltskinner and this time take out the Kobold Workers. After you have slain ten of them, return to the abbey and turn the quest in. You’ll be offered a new quest called Skirmish at Echo Ridge. We’ll worry with that quest later, right now the vineyards are under the control of a rogue group of thieves!
Quick Tip: Aggresive Enemies (Click to View)The Defias Thugs have the vineyard under their control, but this can not stand! Begin the assault and claim 12 [Red Burlap Bandanas] from your fallen foes. They drop quite often and should be no problem to collect in a jiffy. While you are launching the assault on the Defias you should hit level four. Every two levels you (generally) have new skills you can purchase, so next time in town remember to stop by your class trainer!
After you’ve shown the Defias who is boss, head back to Deputy Willem and claim your just rewards! You’ll be given an option of various weapons, pick one that best suits your play style and a new quest to seek out Milly Osworth and Bounty on Garrick Padfoot. Equip your new weapon and head to the Echo Ridge Mine and slay twelve Kobold Laborers. They are more difficult then regular Kobolds, but should be no problem for you.
Head back to the abbey once again and visit Marshal McBride. You should now be very close to level five (if not level five). Pick up the quest Report to Goldshire. Now head to the back of the Northshire Abbey and speak with Milly Osworth. She’ll offer you the quest Milly’s Harvest.
It’s time to act like a ninja! Cross the river and sneak around the edge of where all of the Defias are until you reach a shack where Garrick Padfoot resides. By sneaking around the Defias encampment you can avoid unnecessary battle with the bad Defias people who do not like you. It’s faster to skip all of the nobodies and head right to the somebody. Besides, you’ll be fighting a ton of them soon.
Quick Tip: Garrick Padfoot Boss Fight Hints (Click to View)With Garrick Padfoot out of your way, head towards the fenced in vineyard. There are baskets of apples scattered all around and you need to pick them up (right click on the basket). The only problem is that the nearby Defias will interrupt you if they attack while you are picking up the baskets. So be sure to clear out any nearby Defias and claim your shiny red morsels of tasty quest completion.
Quick Tip: Inventory Space (Click to View)Return to Milley Osworth and turn in Milly’s Harvest. She’ll give you the quest Grape Manifest. Head for the abbey and turn in the Bounty of Garrick Padfoot quest. Do not get the cloak if you can not wear mail armor (there is a reason for this). After you’ve handled that, head inside of the abbey to find Brother Neals. He’s at the top, so you’ll have to climb a few sets of stairs. Pick up the reward (you have a choice between mail gloves and a cloak). You are now officially finished with the Northsire Abbey and it’s time to head out towards Goldshire!