The Blog Azeroth Shared Topic for August 9-14 asks us what “mount achievements” (ala the raiding protodrakes) would Classic WoW contain if it had had those achievements (this concept was proposed in Ryyus’ post, on the blog I Gem Crit).
In his post, Ryyus referred mostly to “old-school” vanilla WoW raids, as that would be where the extra rewards would come from. Unfortunately, I started playing WoW only a few months before BC, so I don’t have any level 60 raiding experience.
But what I have done is run a lot of lower-level dungeons, thanks to LFD, and the fact that most of my toons are 40 and below. And since I remember these lower dungeons well (since I’ve run them repeatedly), I thought I’d make up achievements for them instead of raid instances. After all, it would be fun to get more achievements in a dungeon for stuff besides the ‘last’ boss!
I used this tool to create all of these achievement images. It allows you to put in a custom image, but my laziness (and wedding planning) got the better of me, so they all have the same image. I’ll let you use your imagination as to what kind of icon would be best.
And now, I present to you my first dungeon achievement makeover in…
RFC
Good ol’ Ragefire Chasm. I have run through this many, many times, even before the LFD system came out. In those days, most groups would actually clear the whole place to complete quests, something that very few LFD groups ever do anymore, what with the ‘final boss’ usually being the first boss most groups kill. And then the drop the group, even with that perfectly good boss right over there!
That’s why the first achievements I would add are these:
Yes, ‘kill the boss’ achievements, for the poor forgotten bosses of RFC. It’s a sad world (of warcraft) that we live in when one of the shortest instances in the game cannot even get a full boss clear by PuGs. It would help immensely if all dungeons had a ‘kill the boss’ achievement for each boss; at least some people would want to try to kill the other bosses then!
As for who these bosses are… Ogglflint is usually killed by horde players completing a quest, where they need to investigate a dead Tauren, who, presumably, Ogglflint killed. He’s up the pathway no one takes anymore, but I assume more horde LFD groups may kill him.
Jergosh is the other ‘true-boss’ in the instance, besides Ogglflint and Taragaman. He drops blues and isn’t too far away from Taragaman, which makes it extra frustrating when people drop group as soon as they get their bag.
Bazzalan isn’t technically a boss, but he is the object of a quest for horde players, so it would be nice to get an achievement letting everyone know you killed him. Also, I totally vote for him to become a boss who drops nice things.
Not all the achievements are about bosses, though. Here’s one about a quest:
That quest line always annoyed me, as I got lost in the cave. I died in there a lot. But I think I’ve completed it on several of my horde characters, and I think it’s a worthwhile experience, especially if you do it at level.
I think this is a fun one. Usually groups I’ve been in will pull the rock elemental room recklessly, so why not make it an achievement? The numbers could be tweaked to make it more completable by at-level characters – I’m unsure how many elementals could be killed at once with the limited aoe at 15, so maybe 10 is too many.
Groups often always get the patrols in the center area to add at the most inopportune times. Why not give an achievement for getting them all?
Bonus achievement: Getting all the patrols without pulling the boss, or only pull X many groups. *evil grin*
Wailing Caverns
This is one of the longest early dungeons. The sprawling zone requires you to pretty much kill everyone and everything on your way to the final boss, Mutanus. For those of you scratching your head at the name, that’s the murloc at the end of the instance. You know, the one you summon after you kill all the bosses*. Before LFD, I had only done a full run of WC twice before, and those were when I outleveled the place! So yes, it’s pretty tough for a random dungeon.
Since there are so many bosses, I decided not to make achievements for each of them. Just pretend I did. 😀
Here are a couple that have to deal with movement throughout the instance:
Alternate title for “The Eastern Gulph”: Leap of Faith.
(Also, I apparently used a really old spelling of the word “Gulf”. I would like to say it was on purpose but…)
When you go down the ‘left side’ (when coming from the entrance, facing the end cave. It may not actually be east on the map, but I equate ‘left’ with ‘east’ apparently), along that path is a gap. You must jump across this gap. If you just walk off, you will fall down, and it will take forever to get back up. Trust me. Therefore, it makes sense you to get an achievement for making the jump — it reinforces your behavior there, plus it’s existence tips you off that there is, in fact, a gap there.
As for the gully, well, it’s the fastest way down when you’re done with that side. Why not add an achievement for it?
Next are some achievement based on events in the instance:
Okay, okay, maybe the second one isn’t actually related to any events. But at least you’ll know there is someone named Naralex who’s sleeping, right?
The first one encourages people to get the buff from the Tauren. You wouldn’t believe the number of people in LFD groups that don’t talk to him to get it.
These last two achievements are based on one of the most annoying mechanics you’ll come across in Wailing Caverns…
Yup, that mechanic is sleep. Being put to sleep three times would be easy, based on my experiences. But staying awake while fighting the Fanglords? Much more tricky! You’d have to, like, interrupt stuff or something!
*Technically, you only need to kill the four Serpent Lords. However, on your way to all the Serpent Lords, you have to kill the majority of all the mobs on the way, and all the extra bosses are either on your way there or back, so it makes sense to kill them instead of skip them when they’re ten feet away or blocking your path.
Deadmines
Deadmines is another long instance, though not as long as Wailing Caverns, I think. Either way, I couldn’t think of too many achievements. The ones I do have are based more on various events in the mines.
I don’t think I’ve ever had the chance to blow up the doors. This achievement will encourage competition to do so. I’m sure Deadmines would be even more fun with people clamoring “Give me the gunpowder so I can get achievement pls!”
Of course, that achievement leads directly into this one…
The Tauren in me is cringing, yet it still makes me giggle. Plus it encourages toons to learn cooking!
This one could use some tweaking, I’m sure, but that water wheel has saved many a group (usually not me, because I never remember about it until too late). This is key for rezzers, as you can save the group a run back if you hop on during an inevitable wipe.
BWHAHAHAHA. I’d like to see anyone do THAT at level.
Gnomeregan
I’m skipping a few instances (because I haven’t run them recently) to write about Gnomeregan, i.e. that instance everyone hates. But what achievements besides the end boss should be added? How about this one:
Yes, all of those mini-bosses everyone skips. There are actually quite a few bosses in Gnomer (as there should be, given its size and maze-like qualities):
- Mekgineer Thermaplugg
- Viscous Fallout
- Grubbis and Chomper
- Electrocutioner 6000
- Crowd Pummeler 9-60
- Dark Iron Ambassador
I’ve killed all but the Crowd Pummeler 9-60 and the Dark Iron Ambassador (who I have seen once, since he’s a rare spawn). An achievement like this would encourage LFD group to kill more than just Viscous Fallout, Electrocutioner 6000 (sometimes), and Thermaplugg — a fairly small number of bosses for such a large instance.
Speaking of large instances…
It’s a shame that groups will ignore large section of this instance just to get it done sooner, and so will perform wipe-inducing jumps to skip a level, or quickly skirt down a hallway to avoid pulling more mobs. I know it’s a long instance, but it would be nice to explore the whole thing while still getting experience to be in there. Though I’m unsure if people would embrace achievements ‘forcing’ them to wander the halls of Gnomeregan, killing everything in their path…
What achievements would you add?
Are there any achievements you would add to these instances? How about other instances and old end-game raids?
Me, Myself... And All Of Them 
Minor note: Oggleflint and Bazzalan aren’t bosses, they’re just horde-only quest mobs. No special loot, no special abilities or increased health, nothing but named mobs.
I really like jumping the path in WC though, particularly because there are actually two jumps over there, the one you’re not talking about just typically gets skipped by most parties. Also, if you have any movement increasing abilities or enchants at all you actually can walk off and not fall. All of my toons start off with white boots with the Minor Speed enchant on them, so it’s fun to walk off and make it and then see other people that don’t know about it walk off and fall. It’s mean, I know.
For new achievements, I think you should get one for completing the escort quest in RFK since the final boss is right before the quest so it’s never done in LFG now.
There should be one in RFD for completing the escort quest without starting it before everyone in your party has a chance to get the quest, and another for having no deaths during the boss that’s surrounded by all of the skeletons.
SM:GY should have one for killing any of the rarespawns, and one for killing all of them.
SM:Arm should have one for killing the elite guard, which is a group of mobs that only spawn when you agro Herod and despawn after you kill him unless they’ve already been engaged. They’re right outside his door, but very few people know about them. Also, one for looting and equipping the Scarlet Tabard.
SM:Lib should have one for reading all of the available books, and for having nobody take damage from his…whatever his AoE is. And one for looting Deadman’s Hand since the drop rate on that thing is insanely low.
SM:Cath needs one for killing High Inq. Fairbanks.
BRD needs one for not pissing off all the mobs in the tavern, and one for opening all of the vaults. And for saving the princess instead of killing her. Also one for killing the boss spawns as almost every boss in there spawns additional mobs in the hallway that leads up to them similar to Herod, the mobs spawn on agro and then despawn when he’s killed, unless you’ve already engaged them. It could use a rare spawn achievement similar to SM:GY as well, counting only the actual rares.
It’s been so long since I killed Ogglflint that I didn’t remember if he dropped anything! I’m all for them becoming ‘real bosses’ though, just to beef up the instance a bit! Plus, I remember the disappointment getting the book off Bazzalan… and that gray trash item.
Yeah – I only recall one jump in WC since… well… I’m with most parties that skip the other one, I think. 😀 It makes me a little nervous when I’m the only one in the group who has a vague idea of where they’re going in WC, because my memory of the place is still pretty vague. Long instance is long. (And yes, that is mean, walking off with your speed increase. XD )
I agree with all the new achievements you list. XD I like the rare spawn and escort quest ones, because it’s true that not many can do them. I’ve yet to have a group that can do the RFD escort quest all at once – I think it maaaay be that you can’t actually have a group do it, but that seems a little silly.
SM:Arm – So, this one time? We pull Herod and then a whole bunch of mobs come and almost wipe the group? Thanks for letting me know why that happens. XD Also, I’ve been lucky enough to win the Scarlet Tabard… three times now? And that’s with fair and square rolls, no rolling need after seeing everyone roll greed (silly PuG members).
SM:Lib – I feel very lucky to have seen the Deadman’s Hand drop not once, but twice. I won it the first time I got it (on my hunter), and I wore that sucker until I was 60 or so. It’s in the bank now. Didn’t win it the second time though. XD
I would love to see RFC get more bosses in it, and despite the demon guy whose name I completely forget right now being the main boss, I don’t think you should get the satchel or the achievement until every boss is dead.
The escort quest in RFD can be done by everyone at once, but only if you all get to the same step. He gives you a quest to talk to him again and then another quest that’s the escort, and if anybody is on that first quest then they get screwed out of the escort. It’s annoying and stupid, but it is what it is.
That elite guard in SM:Arm gets pulled a lot by hunters that don’t actively control their pets, and by shaman healers whose totems typically end up pulling them for some reason. Or by tanks who rush in while the rest of the party is still in the hallway and run into them along the way.
I’ve seen Deadman’s hand 4 times now, won it twice. But considering I used to farm all of SM for silk cloth back when it could actually sell for decent amounts, that’s not a very high drop rate. I used it on my Prot Pally for his humanoid AoE grinding until his late 50’s as well. It’s an awesome ring, especially deadly on a Frost Mage with extra crit and damage against frozen targets, and for casters or hunters that like to keep their distance.
Deadman’s hand confuses people in PvP when it’s not a mage wearing it, that’s for sure.
Warrior: Bwhaha! I close in the kill!
My hunter: I’m going to try to run away!
{warrior hits my hunter, gets frozen in place}
Warrior: Abuh!?!?
{Hunter runs away, shooting madly}
Unfortunately it doesn’t make up enough for my inherit suckiness at pvp. They usually recover quickly. XD
These are brilliant! You put some quality thought into these. I may have to ry my hand at it as well. I particularly like The Eastern Gulph! I cant tell ya how many times Ive been on runs where either myself ro somebody else misses that damn gap!
In my most recent run of WC, I spent a good amount of time warning the group that there was a gap. Fortunately we all made it across once we finally got to it!