What's your favorite place on Earth... eh Azeroth?

Most of us (who play WoW) have a favorite place we like to visit now and then, maybe just to remember what it felt like when running around there for the first time, the music, the people, the quests, the mobs. Just to re-experience whatever made us love it so much the first time.

I actually have two favorite areas in WoW, one on the alliance side and one on the horde side. It is Tirisfal Glades and Duskwood. And although they both being really dark and gloomy with the feeling of imminent danger always present might say something about my personality, I actually think there's a simpler reason for me loving it so much (other than me being dark, gloomy and dangerous, which of course also is true). Tirisfal Glades was the very first area I experienced myself in WoW. I had seen some of the game before when I watched my brother play, but my very first char was an undead priest (not the one I am playing now though). And Duskwood is the area that resembles Tirisfal the most on the alliance side.

The reasons for this were simple; first of all my brother had told me that everyone wanted healers. So I thought that if I chose to play a healer people wouldn't recognize the fact that I knew nothing of the game as quickly. Maybe I could mask my noobiness by playing a loved class? This actually turned out be quite true, but not until way later. It is a fact that you will have more patience with the flaws of a tank or healer, simply because they're not as easily replaced as a dps.
Secondly, I had heard some of the different mobs and races of WoW and what I dreaded most was having to play against undead creatures, since I really hated (and still do) zombies. It's a kind of love-hate though, because I really love zombie movies. But when I'm out late and walking somewhere where it's dark, I don't fear being robbed or raped, I fear being chased by a zombie. Never said I was rational :P But I had the perfect counter measure for this, by playing an undead creature myself, I thought I would fear the undead mobs less. That actually worked very well.

I instantly fell in love with Tirisfal Glades, despite all the undeadness and horror that actually surrounds it. This being my first experience with WoW I probably attribute alot of happy feelings of discovery and joy and whatnot to this particular place, and this contributes of course greatly to the comfy feeling I get whenever I think about or revisit Tirisfal.

The starting area is one of the best in my opinion. You meet these grumpy undead guys who tell you they need help with killing some spiders, scarlet crusade people (a nuisance of all of Tirisfal) and collect items that are scattered around, much like anywhere else in the world really. The story of Tirisfal is one of the plague having killed of most of the original population. These were then risen again as undead slaves known as the Scourge for the Lich King. Sylvanas, the queen of the forsaken, who freed herself from the grasp of the Lich King now helps whoever is strong enough to free themselves and join her forces as one of the Forsaken (rather than the Scourge).

You start out in a crypt of Deathknell which is a little village which was abandoned when the plague struck. Undead former citizens ramble around in the remains of the village and are among the very first mobs you will encounter. Like mentioned alot of the fights will be against the Scarlet Crusade, who are there to wipe out all and any undead.

"My scouts have reported that a detachment of the Scarlet Crusade is setting up a camp southeast of here. The Scarlet Crusade is a despicable organization that hunts us, and they will not rest until every undead--Lich King's Scourge or no--is destroyed. We must strike first! Be careful, their unholy zeal makes them dangerous adversaries. "

When running past Deathknell you'll get to some farm areas. One is overrun by Scarlet farmers who try to recultivate the land amongst all the undead people (kinda crazy when you think about it) and further north are the Agamand Mills. Formerly run by Agamand family, but now completely overrun (as the rest of Tirisfal) by undead people. The old Agamand family, Gregor, Nissa, Devlin and Thurman also roam the area and some quests include killing them and collecting their family heirlooms for one of their servants who blames them for dying in the plague.

"The Agamand family was the most prosperous family in Tirisfal Glades. I used to work their mills...before the Plague. When the Scourge first came, the Agamands fortified their home and convinced those in their employ to remain and help them defend. We were fools, but at least we were loyal fools. The Agamands, in their pride, doomed us to undeath. And now they are minions of the Scourge! Serve the Forsaken by defeating the Agamands who fell to the Plague. Serve me by bringing me their remains."

The central area of Tirisfal is Brill, a small town of Forsaken who keep busy by fighting off Scourge and Scarlet Crusade people. All these Scarlet Crusade come, among other places, from the close lying Scarlet Cathedral, which lies in the northern most part of Tirisfal. All the undead and dead have also attracted Gnoll Graverobbers who dig the corpses up to bring the into the ranks of the Scourge armies.

"The Mass Graves, southwest of Garren's Haunt to the north, were made to accommodate the...impressive...number of deaths Tirisfal suffered when the Plague first came. The bodies in these graves have so far been spared an undeath, but the Scourge now send Rot Hide Gnolls to gather the corpses and use them to bolster their armies. This cannot be allowed! Your task is twofold: slay the Rot Hides at the Mass Grave and Garren's Haunt, and gather from them the Embalming Ichor that gives them life."

The northern shores are inhabited by some of the most dangerous creatures in all of Tirisfal, the murlocs. They don't seem to have been affected by the plague at this particular area although they are at many other places.

All this together makes a lovely starting area with just the right feeling and introduction to the undead world of the Forsaken. You really get to understand that as an undead you might be part of the horde, but you also have alot of own agendas. Fighting the undead and the scarlets are re- occurring themes throughout the entire game, so you definitely get the feel that even the very first quest is actually an important one (unlike the first quests for humans and night elfs and some others which are to collect some meat and kill some kobolds/gnells and stuff like that... lame).

Courtesy to Wowhead.com for quotes.