World of Warcraft Wednesday: The Exodar
If you ever thought that the World of Warcraft needed a giant fucking spaceship somewhere in there, you got your wish with the launch of the Burning Crusade and the crashing of the Exodar way the hell off the coast of Kalimdor.
And I have to admit, the first time I saw it, I was really impressed. The crystal formations that make up the “buildings” inside the ship, the cool little features dotting the landscape, and it doesn’t hurt that the questlines surrounding the place (if you’re a Draenei, anyway) are still some of the best of the game.
But…um…Everything else is pretty damn horrible. In an effort to make people have to buy the expansion to see the Exodar, they put it way the hell in the middle of nowhere, so now? Nobody ever goes there.
Convenience: F
The only way to get to Exodar is by boat, which means waiting around by the docks in Auberdine and never AFKing, because you know that the second you do the next time you look the boat will be moving away from the dock. Heaven forbid they put in a flight path (like they did with Silvermoon even!) to make things relatively useful. Not that that would help, because even if there was, Azuremyst Isle is right up by Teldrassil anyway.
And even after the boat ride, it’s a stretch run down the road, down one of two ramps, and into the heart of the “city” before you can do anything. Not to mention that the ramps are both oddly placed and finding your way out can be a hassle the first few times you try.
For what it’s worth, generally things are fairly well placed. There’s a traders section for all your shops, a section for class trainers (though some of them are tiered off from one another), and a section for plot development. The inn is weirdly tiered above everything else, but the bank and auction house are right next to each other and centrally located, at least.
Ambiance: B+
It’s all old news now, but during Burning Crusade, Exodar was a great place to go and kind of soak up the expansion. The whole place is basically dedicated to telling the story of the game to that point, even explaining away old plot points.
It’s also a rather lovely little city. Like I said earlier, the crystalline structures and the little pond areas around the Shaman center are really pleasant, and the whole city does a good job of giving off the vibe that these are people using a ship for something other than it’s intended purpose and just trying to eke out a living.
Special Features: B
There are tons of little ambient things that go on in Exodar, crazily so, in fact. Teachers walking around the training centers with their students, workers chipping away at damaged crystal (and they must be union because they’re going on three years with no progress), and tons of other random occurrences. The best thing of all though, if you have a ton of time on your hands, is a guided tour that happens constantly in one are of the city, that shows off every enemy from the Outlands part of the expansion. It’s a cool little feature that a lot of people miss, but gives you a great overview of the expansion as a whole.
Key Stats
Average Population: Very low
Class Trainers: Warrior, Hunter, Priest, Paladin, Rogue, Mage, Druid
Best Feature: Does a great job relating the story of Burning Crusade
Worst Feature In the middle of friggin’ nowhere.
Recommended Hearth for Levels: 1-5
I really wanted to love Exodar, I really did. And there’s parts of it I do like. To be fair, if you’re a Draenei, it probably should be your hearth until you’ve finished the whole huge questline around here (level 20ish), but other than that there is literally no reason to visit but a couple times a year to do holiday quests, or to raid it for the For the Horde achievement.