Elwynn Waterfalls
Difficulty rating: ** (out of 4)
2.0 Status:
Open (but not confirmed)
"Hardcore ..."
"Extreme ..."
"Very difficult ..."
So when am I going to get around to the easy stuff that doesn't require laborious hours of banging on the keyboard? Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you: Elwynn Waterfalls.
Unless you routinely leave your keyboard during your gryphon flights, you will surely have noticed the Elwynn Waterfalls when traveling between Stormwind and Ironforge. The falls start just after the Northshire Abbey and end just before the Burning Steeples. Since I am sure you know them, I won't waste time describing them here. But I am sure you will agree they are breathtakingly beautiful. However, when in flight our glimpse of them is fleeting - there is only a few seconds to look them over before we are carried away on the rest of our journey. It is an entirely different experience to stand at the base of the falls and soak in the magnificence of its massive cascade of water. For that reason, if none other, you should make a trip to see the falls. Another incentive is that the route you will take to get there will first pass on a ridge above the falls. It is here you will find a friendly band of lightly armed dwarves belonging to the Dwarven Explorer League. Also keeping them company on the ridge is a fierce Rogue Black Drake, which ambushes the party and slaughters several of them before the rest of the group take him down. Whether you choose to assist them (the Drake is attackable but carries no loot or silver) or decide to sit back and watch the carnage, the scene is memorable and wildly fun.
The Elwynn Falls make up type of explorable content called flight path scenery. Other examples of this are the Goblin Lumber Camp in the Stonetalon Mountains and the Dancing Troll Village in Darkshore. As I have previously stated, there are many behind the scenes areas in the game where vast swaths of the land is unfinished, simply because the designers had no need to complete it if no one would be seeing it. But in some cases, flight paths need to travel through these areas, so flight path scenery is used to help develop those areas and add content to zones which are otherwise devoid of it.
I have been fascinated by the Elwynn Falls from the moment I took my first flight from Stormwind to Ironforge. However, it wasn't until I begin exploring that I considered the possibility of being able to travel there. My first journey there, which was tutored to me by a video, involved a long trip through the mountains from Dun Morogh to Elwynn Forest via the Searing Gorge. Along the way, I faced dangerous heights, invisible walls, and at least two drops that required the use of slow fall. The journey was also time consuming, taking around 45 minutes to finally reach the falls.
For a time I thought this was the only way to reach the falls. Then one day I happened to see a proof-of-concept video that showed someone where the dwarven league and the Rogue Black Drake was. Since my current method did not take me up that way but instead involved a slow fall from a plateau behind Stormwind to the western stream arm, I knew there had to be another way there. So I went to work probing the hills in both the Searing Gorge and the Burning Steeples and found the method after a bit of searching.
So, where do you gain access? Let me give you some hints. It's in south-east Burning Steeples and it involves a single (yes, SINGLE) jump and once done you will be on the hills which will take you up to the ridge where the dwarves are and from there it's simple to drop down to see the falls. Getting onto the hills does not involve slow fall, so you do not need to be very high for this jump. However, you will need to climb a little ways up but you will still be in the Steeples before the jump, as mobs will be nearby.
A word of warning ... Since both the falls and the dwarven ridge are directly under a flight path, I don't recommend lingering in full view for too long. Blizzard generally leaves explorers alone but if they receive complaints from other players then there's the possibly they could act on them. So I would recommend for you to do this in the late hours of the evening or early hours of the morning.
Once you have gained access to the falls, in addition to admiring them, you can sleep in the tent that is provided, explore up and down the streams and optionally jump over the smaller fall into the Northshire Abby. There is a curious easter egg here, where if you are in front of the tent that is at the bottom of the falls, you will see a fishing pool in the water simply called "School of Fish". If you cast your fishing rod into this pool, after a few seconds the line will jerk and you will pull up a batch of peacebloom. Amusingly, your second and third and all other attempts will also bring up peacebloom. It is reported to be bottomless and will never run out. However, in keeping with the ethics of exploring, be sure to discard the herbs after you are done so you are not profiting from the trip.
When you are done fishing, be sure to swim along the western arm of the stream, as the water comically stops abruptly at the end of the arm. There is a small bowl below where the water ends and a large curved ridge above it, beyond which lies the area north of Stormwind and allows access to underneath the city. This is where I used to slow fall to drop down to the falls on my original route. However, the ridge is too steep to be scaled and if you enter the bowl, you will be trapped and you will not be able to climb back to the falls, so do not enter unless you are completely finished with exploring the falls.
In closing, I think the Elwynn Falls are very worthy of exploration and hope you'll consider a visit to your own little paradise.
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Exploration Update:
Breaking news:
During my partial exploration of the interior of the Stranglethorn Mountains along the eastern coast, I have unexpectantly found some unreleased content which is behind the scenes and is normally inaccessible. I am still exploring this area, so I will withhold the details for now. However, I have never seen this content in any exploration video, so am thinking that I might make a frapps of it myself. More details to come.
Upcoming exploits:
On top of and underneath the Stranglethorn Vale Arena.
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(view as slideshow)
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"I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum ... And I'M ALL OUTTA GUM!" |
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A convenient little fishing spot |
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Ok, tent, check, boat, check, fire check... wait! Where's the dwaven ale? |
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"Nobody scorches my armour ... and LIVES!" |
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(with Duke Nukem accent) "Looks like it's time for me to go POSTAL!" |
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Ah... Paradise! |
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Overlooking the Northshire Abbey |
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This is what you would see if you were on the the other side of the ridge. But that's for another day... |
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The dwarven team seems to make up different classes -- some fight ranged, others appear to heal and some tank |
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A close up of the mysterious house at the top of the falls using my spyglass. Unfortunately, there's no way to reach it |
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Ok, quick, who brought the abestoes suits? |
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The end of western arm, where the water stops |
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Just down from the camp, you can overlook the smaller falls above Northshire |
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Guys! PATROL! |
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Above the dwarven ridge before the falls |
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A view from up above the southern ridge |
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Following the combat, on this trip I decided to go higher up to overlook the falls |
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There's another camp down the river to the south if the first is occupied |
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Once above the Burning Steeples, you are treated to some spectacular views |
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Peacebloom? But I'm hungry... |
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Elsheindra
