Townlong Steppes: Taotieroth

The content of this post and names are entirely made up. Some of the demon names are related to the Four Fiends in Chinese Mythology and what they were known for, but that is as far as I took them. Not all of the information in these posts may be correct so please take them with some imagination.

Quest: Townlong Steppes: Taotieroth



Image from Warcraft RPG books & Wowpedia

Quest Introduction:

Questgiver: “I see that you were able to make it through the troublesome mantid. However there is another problem that has afflicted us for many years in the Townlong Steppes. To the north there is a gorge. In this gorge there lives a creature which preys on our livestock and destroys the landscape wherever it sets foot.”

Warlock: “How is it that I can specifically help you? This sounds like something your warriors should be able to handle.”

Questgiver: We have tried.... but this beast is able to cause massive damage to anyone who gets close to it. If this wasn’t enough, the beast calls forth minions to help him, demonic manipulations of the Mantid which he links to his soul. All of our efforts to hurt this beast pass off to his demonic minions, making it impossible to kill him.

Warlock: What does this creature look like?

Questgiver: The creature walks on four legs but also has massive shoulders and arms. Tusks grow from his head that are larger than any of the ox in our herds. It has wings yet I have never seen it fly and I imagine it cannot because of his massive size.

Warlock: I know this creature that you speak of. It is a Pit Lord, a race within the Annihilan species. Most of the time they were generals of the Burning Legion and would lead their minions into battle. But they do have their weaknesses and I will dispose of this demon for you.

Questgiver: We would be grateful if you did. The demon’s name is Taotieroth. You should be able to find him in the gorge that is located in the northern region of Townlong Steppes. When you complete this task please return to us.

Quest Objectives:

Travel north to the gorge in Townlong Steppes.

Quest Description: (Shows up upon entering the gorge in Townlong Steppes)

The Black Ox Clan’s description of Taotieroth lays heavy on your mind and you know that you do not want to be close to this demon when you go to kill him. Your voidwalker should easily be able to keep this creature at a distance from you while you find out how to kill him. As you enter into the gorge a deep throated laughter echo across the walls.

Taotieroth: “Ah, a visitor..... But it has been awhile since I have seen a visitor such as yourself, warlock.

Warlock: I could same the same to you Pit Lord..... Not many of your kind are seen on this world. How is it that you came to this area?

Taotieroth: “My goal here was to recruit for the Burning Legion. I found a particular liking to these Mantid creatures and was able to recruit some of them. They drank of my blood and so became linked to my will. Unfortunately this area was shrouded from the rest of the world before I could use these minions in the fight with the Burning Legion. But that has not stopped me from using them against the Pandaren. Let us see how well they help in dealing with you....

Fight Strategy:

Shortly after the fight begins Taotieroth will summon a demonic Mantid to assist him. Taotieroth will cast Soul Link on the Mantid, causing all damage done to transfer to the Mantid. Should the Mantid be killed, Taotieroth will summon another Mantid to his aid. In order to counter this ability, you must banish the demonic Mantid. Banishing the minion will interrupt the Soul Link, allowing you to damage Taotieroth.

In order to keep Taotieroth at a distance you must use your voidwalker to tank him. Taotieroth will channel every 30 seconds his Ground Stop ability, decreasing movement speed by 90% and dealing massive amounts of damage to all players within 15 yards for 8 seconds. If you are within 15 yards it is likely that this ability will kill you. Your voidwalker though, will be able to survive this ability due to Avoidance.

Every 20 seconds Taotieroth will charge the warlock, dropping all threat. Players must use the voidwalker ability Suffering in order to taunt him back to the voidwalker. They then will have 10 seconds to move away from the boss before he beings to cast Ground Stop.

Every 60 seconds Taotieroth will throw his weapon at the player. This ability will deal 50% of the warlock’s health and interrupt all spellcasting. To counter this ability the warlock should use Sacrifice. This ability keep the warlock from being interrupted and will absorb the damage done by the weapon.

In order to defeat Taotieroth you must control the summoned minion with banish, as well as monitor your threat with your voidwalker. If done correctly this fight should take about 5 minutes to complete.

Completion:

Once Taotieroth is killed you will be able to loot his corpse. On the corpse are the Tusks of Taotieroth. Return this item to the Black Ox clan for your reward.

Questgiver: “We are in your debt warlock. With Taotieroth defeated we can now focus our attention more on the Mantid invasion.”

After completing the quest for the Black Ox Clan they will direct your to the Kun-Lai Summit and the White Tiger Clan. A demon in this region also terrorizes the inhabitants of the land.

Rewards:

For helping the Black Ox Clan they craft you shoulder made from the tusks of Taotieroth:

Shoulders of Taotieroth:
Shoulder - Cloth
+Stamina
+Intellect
+Mastery
+Haste
Red Socket
Blue Socket

Set (2): Increases the damage done by your pet by x%
Set (4): Periodic damage from your Immolate or Unstable Affliction has a chance to spawn a mirror image of your currently summoned pet for 30 seconds. (2 min cooldown)

Thoughts on this Questline:

My hope for this questline is that it will teach the warlock aggro management as well as how to maintain banish on a target. It should also teach the warlock the different abilities that the voidwalker has and how to use them effectively.

Valley of the Four Winds: Qiog'niq

The content of this post and names are entirely made up. Some of the demon names are related to the Four Fiends in Chinese mythology and what they were known for, but that is as far as I took them. Not all of the information in these posts may be correct so please take them with some imagination.

Quest: Valley of the Four Winds: Qiog’niq


Imp Lord Pinprick, Artwork by: Matt Cavotta

Quest Introduction:

Questgiver: “Welcome warlock, word of your ability to deal with demons and of your battle with Hun’dan has reached us. The Pandaren of the Red Crane Clan have also been annoyed by a demon. Perhaps you can help us?”

Warlock: “Hun’dan was a demon easily disposed of and controlled, much like all demons. I am willing to help.”

Questgiver: “Controlled you say? Mmmm.... Our demon, while not as lethal, is more of a nuisance to us and uncontrollable. He has proved to be very elusive and devious. Our farmlands and brewery survive on the river which runs through the middle of the Valley of the Four Winds and this demon constantly messes with our waterways. Rather than run, he hops along, always with an evil cackle and laughter.”

Warlock: “This demon sounds as though it is an Imp, a creature known for being mischievous. They are thought to be evolved from Grell; twisted by the Burning Legion to store tremendous amounts of fel energy.”

Questgiver: “You sound as though you know much about this type of demon. If you can deal with this creature we would be in your debt. His name is Qiog’niq or at least that is what the demon calls himself when our farmers hear him sing his riddles. He is thought to live near the center of the Valley of the Four Winds where the rivers meet. Please return to us when you have completed your task.”

Quest Objectives:

Travel to the middle of the Valley of the Four Winds where the rivers of the valley come together.

Quest Description: (Shows up upon entering the area where the rivers meet in the Valley of the Four Winds)

Traveling to the center of the Valley of the Four Winds you see signs of the havoc done by Qiog’niq. Here and there, waterways have been diverted, causing sinkholes in the ground. Upon reaching the intersection of the main rivers of the Valley of the Four Winds you notice a small hand pump and go to it to try and get a drink of water.

As soon as you touch the hand pump a sink hole forms behind you casting you down into a pit that you cannot get out of. After your body comes to rest in the middle of the sinkhole, you stand up and your feet immediately sink into the soil, making you unable to move. You look up to see a blueish colored imp, with small wings and an evil grin on it face, standing next to the hand pump.

Qiog’niq: “Tsk, Tsk, It seems that I have caught another spellcaster. Although you are a bit different looking than the round bears that are my usual prey.”

Warlock: “I am no mere spellcaster, but a warlock. Demons like you I summon at my command.”

Qiog’niq: “A warlock you say? I once was under contract with warlock.... We had a lot of fun together, but I thought it was time to see other warlocks. You see I just needed my space. Lucky for me I found this place and have been having fun without you warlocks ever since.”

Warlock: “It sounds like the previous warlock was not up to the task of keeping his minion under control. I will show you what a warlock it truly capable of.”

Qiog’nig: “I think not. I enjoy my fun here. I hope that you enjoy drowning warlock!”

Fight Strategy:

Qiog’niq immediately will put Qiog’niq’s Chill on you; a magic debuff which reduces your cast time by 90%. In order to to counter this debuff you will need utilize you Imp’s ability: Singe Magic.

After casting his magic debuff, Qiog’niq will start to use the hand pump to slowly fill the sinkhole with water. The speed in which the hole will fill increases exponentially the longer he is on the pump.  In order to prevent him from using the hand pump you must Fear him as he will cast a shield around himself which will make him immune to all magic damage done. Once feared you will be able to use direct damage spells on the water pump in order to destroy it. The pump is immune to any debuffs or damage over time effects.

Underwater breathing will not allow you to survive drowning as Qiog’niq will remove this buff from you.

Lesser imps will come to the aid of Qiog’niq and focus on killing your imp. These adds appear every 25 seconds. They first will cast Qiog’niq’s Chill on you and then will pull your imp to them; rooting your imp in place and making your imp unable to cast spells. To counter this you must use Flee and remove the debuff from yourself with Singe Magic. Use direct damage spells on them quickly in order to defeat them.

Once the Water Pump is destroyed the anti-magic shell protecting Qiog’niq will break. Qiog’niq will jump into the pit and begin to attack you. He still will cast Qiog’niq’s Chill but will no longer summon imps to aid him. He also will gain the ability to remove magical debuffs from himself. Any magical buffs that you have on yourself (i.e. Unending Breath) will be removed by Qiog’niq. If enough water was allowed to fill into the sinkhole to put you under water, than it is likely that you will die from drowning before being able to kill Qiog’niq. Upon killing Qiog’niq the spell which held your feet in the ground will release you.

The intent of the this encounter is to utilize your imp as well as a crowd control. If done correctly this fight will take about 6 minutes to complete.

Completion:

Once Qiog’niq is defeated you will be able to loot his corpse. On his corpse is a collection of jewels and Glyph of Felbolt. Return the collection of jewels to the Red Crane Clan to receive your reward.

Questgiver: “Thank you warlock. Now that our waterways are free from this nuisance, our farmlands and brewery will be able to produce more than they ever have before.”

After completing the quest for the Red Crane Clan they will direct you to the Townlong Steppes and the Black Ox Clan. They too have a demon which has afflicted them, although this demon is much different than the ones you have faced so far. (See Townlong Steppes: Taotieroth)

Rewards:

For helping the Red Crane clan they craft you a chest made from the jewelry of Qiog’niq:

Chest of Qiog’niq:
Chest - Cloth
+Stamina
+Intellect
+Mastery
+Haste
Yellow Socket
Red Socket
Blue Socket

Set (2): Increases the damage done by your pet by x%
Set (4): Periodic damage from your Immolate or Unstable Affliction has a chance to spawn a mirror image of your currently summoned pet for 30 seconds. (2 min cooldown)


Side Reward: Glyph of Felbolt: Replaces your Imp’s Firebolt with Felbolt. Felbolt reduces run speed by 40% and spell casting speed by 40% for 9 seconds.

Thoughts on this Questline:

My hope for this questline is that it will teach the warlock how to utilize the warlock’s main form of crowd control: Fear. Being able to manage a mob with Fear and continue to do damage to a target is a key trait that all warlocks should be familiar with.

Along with learning to crowd control, the warlock will become familiar with the abilities of his Imp. Singe Magic & Flee are two spells that many warlocks may not even know about. This quest should help them learn these abilities and what they can do.

I also feel that the rewards are worthwhile for a leveling character. The helm reward is similar to the dungeon sets that were given back in the Burning Crusade and can serve as starter raiding gear for a fresh level 90 character.

The Imp is an underused pet in PvP and having a the Glyph of Felbolt is an opportunity to make the Imp more useful in PvP. It’s also my feeling that having a reward different from just your normal gear, gold and experience is a nice change of pace and perhaps something that could be used in future questlines.

The Jade Forest: Hun'dan

The content of this post and names are entirely made up. Some of the demon names are related to the Four Fiends in Chinese mythology and what they were known for, but that is as far as I took them. Not all of the information in these posts may be correct so please take them with some imagination.

Quest: The Jade Forest: Hun’dan


Concept art of a Warp Stalker from Blizzard Entertainment & Wowpedia (Warp Stalker)

Quest Introduction:

Questgiver: “Welcome warlock, your arrival to our village is met with some hesitation. Rumors of the capabilities of warlock’s have reached our ears and your abilities with demons is what most intrigues us. We are wondering if maybe you might help us?”

Warlock: “My knowledge of demons is immense. If there is something for me to gain I would be glad to help you.”

Questgiver: “In the Jade forest, there lives a creature which has caused many problems amongst our clan. Everywhere this creature strikes causes complete chaos and our spells against this creature seem to only cause it to multiply and create more havoc. The creature walks on four legs and has the head of a lizard. It shares the same skin like appearance of the serpents of our region and preys on our magic users, feeding off their magical energy.”

Warlock: “This creature you speak of is called a Warp stalker. They were used by the Burning Legion as mounts and have similar abilities to a creature that I control called a felhunter.”

Questgiver: “Perhaps then you would know how to deal with this creature. It lives in the center of the Jade Forest in the area north of the Green Dragon Temple. Please return to us when you have completed this task as it would please our clan greatly to know of this creature’s demise.”

Quest Objectives:

Travel to the center of the Jade Forest just north of the Green Dragon Temple.

Quest Description (Shows up upon entering the area north of the Green Dragon Temple)

As you search the area north of the Green Dragon Temple you notice an area which reeks of demonic energy. Perhaps with your felhunter you can better find the creature called Hun’dan.
Once your felhunter is summoned he gets the scent of Hun’dan and immediately begins to search out the demon. He leads you to a clearing in the forest and at the center of the clearing is a demonic circle of power. Upon entering the circle the creature Hun’dan appears:

Hun’dan: “So a warlock,... I have not seen one of you in over 10,000 years. Weaklings, as I recall, and mere servants to the Burning Legion.”

Warlock: “As I recall, you Warp stalkers were more servants than we to the Burning legion. At least we did not carry the legion upon our back like beasts of burden.”

Hun’dan: “A beast of burden I am no longer. Here I have become powerful and strong, feeding upon the magic users of this area. Never again will I be a servant.”

Warlock: “We will see about that. Let me show you what we warlocks have become.”

Fight Strategy:

At the beginning of the fight Hun’dan begins to cast Chaos Bolt of Hun’dan. This spell will hit you for 90% of your health should the spell not be interrupted. To counter this, use your felhunter to Spell Lock Hun’dan. This spell will be cast every 30 seconds.

Upon being spell locked, Hun’dan will split into two creatures called Images of Hun’dan. In order to do damage to Hun’dan you must use your damage over time effects on him. You damage over time effects must be on each and every image of Hun’dan in order to do damage to him. Any direct damage spell used against Hun’dan will create an additional Image of Hun’dan.

Hun’dan will also cast a poison spit at you which will do minimal damage. This damage should be easily countered with Fel Armor and your damage over time effects. However if you do not successfully put damage over time effects on each of the images then you will slowly be killed by Hun’dan.

Hun’dan will cast spell lock on any channeled abilities such as Drain Soul or Drain Life.

Every 30 seconds one of the images will begin to cast Chaos Bolt of Hun’dan. You must single target this add and then spell lock it before the spell can be completed. After spell locking this image, it will spawn another image of Hun’dan, at the same health, which will then need to have damage over time effects applied to it.

The fight is intended to be chaotic with multiple images of Hun’dan spawning. The idea is to spread your damage over time effects to each of the targets and slowly whittle away the health of Hun’dan. Ideally the fight should last for 3 minutes meaning that about 7 or 8 Images of Hun’dan will spawn in total. Done correctly means that all of the images will die at about the same time and your warlock will have a better understanding of how to spread and maintain your damage over time effects around to multiple targets.

Quest Completion:

Once Hun’dan is defeated you are able to loot the corpse. On the corpse is the head of Hun’dan and a book. The book teaches you how to summon a rideable warp stalker similar to the officers of the Burning Legion. Return the head to the Jade Serpent clan for your reward.

Questgiver: “Thank you warlock. At first our clan was skeptical of you warlocks and your abilities. We understand now the benefit you bring to the Horde/Alliance and we welcome you as allies. The Jade Forest will be a better place now that this demon has been defeated.”

Once you have completed the quest for the Jade Serpent Clan they will send you to the Red Crane Clan in the Valley of the Four Winds as it is rumored that they too have a demon which has caused them problems. (See Valley of the Four Winds: Qiog’niq)

Rewards:

For helping the Jade Serpent Clan they craft you a helm made from the skull of Hun’dan:

Skull of Hun’dan:
Head - Cloth
+Stamina
+Intellect
+Mastery
+Haste
-- Meta Socket
-- Red Socket

Set (2): Increases the damage done by your pet by x%
Set (4): Periodic damage from your Immolate or Unstable Affliction has a chance to spawn a mirror image of your currently summoned pet for 30 seconds. (2 min cooldown)

Side Reward: You now have control over the Warp stalker demon, giving you the ability to ride this creature into combat.

Summon Warpstalker
    - Summons and dismisses a rideable Warp Stalker.

Thoughts on this Questline:

My hope for this questline is that it will teach the warlock how to spread their damage over time effects around to multiple mobs while also teaching them how to Spell Lock a casting mob. I also feel that the rewards are worthwhile for a leveling character. The helm reward is similar to the dungeon sets that were given back in the Burning Crusade and can serve as starter raiding gear for a fresh level 90 character.

In Mists of Pandaria you will not be able to use a flying mount until level 90 and being rewarded with a land mount at the beginning of the warlock quest line gives you something new to ride around on for the next 5 levels. If specific questlines were done for all of the classes I feel that each of the classes should get a land mount that they can call their own.

Mists of Pandaria: Warlock Quest Line

Getting back to class quest lines have been a topic a lot of people have been talking about recently. So I thought, “Well what would a warlock quest line involve?” Lets get some creative juices flowing.

The first thing we need to look at is what defines a warlock. The Blizzard website site describes warlocks as:

Warlock

Warlocks burn and destroy weakened foes with a combination of crippling illnesses and dark magic. While their demon pets protect and enhance them, warlocks strike at their enemies from a distance. As physically weak spellcasters bereft of heavy armor, cunning warlocks allow their minions to take the brunt of enemy attacks in order to save their own skin.

Warlocks can ignite distant enemies in searing flame, send them fleeing in terror and pain, or afflict them with corrupting diseases and curses that steal the victim’s vitality. These practitioners of the profane are feared across Azeroth, and many who have felt their wrath now prefer to fight alongside a warlock than against one.

So now that we have this, lets list what a warlock quest line should involve:

1. Combine crippling illness and dark magic.

2. Utilize our demons to protect and enhance us.

3. Ignite with searing flame.

4. Send them fleeing in terror.

5. Afflict them with corruption & disease which steal the victims vitality.

So it seems like we will be needing to use all of our warlock spell abilities along with our demons. Our demons are something that I feel are the defining characteristic of our class. So I think some quest which involved the use of each of our basic demons are in order.

Mist of Pandaria and what is brings to the table

Now that we know what our class does, lets take a look at what Mist of Pandaria has to offer. We know a little about what is going on in Mists of Pandaria from Blizzcon. And with a tinfoil hat I think that we can come up with something to fit in with our warlock quest line. Here are some things that I noted about the new expansion:

1. We are traveling to a new continent which has been separated from the rest of the world for over 10,000 years.

2. The island is inhabited by Pandaren. They have four major clans:

        a. Jade Serpent Clan

        b. Red Crane Clan

        c. Black Ox Clan

        d. White Tiger Clan

3. Pandaria is made up of 5 zones (4 of which are inhabited by the 4 different clans):

        a. Jade Forest (Jade Serpent Clan)

        b. Valley of the Four Winds (Red Crane Clan)

        c. Townlong Steppes (Black Ox Clan)

        d. Kun-Lai Summit (White Tiger Clan)

Criteria for the Quest Line

Now here is a list of the things which I think an epic quest line should entail:

1. The quest line should span the full 85 - 90 leveling experience.

2. The quest line should require visiting all of the different zones in Pandaria.

3. The quest line should require specific skills unique to the warlock class.

4. The quest line should involve warlock lore or expand on the current knowledge of the warlock class.

5. The quest line should be difficult unless completed using certain warlock abilities or demons.

Putting it all together

So there we have it. Now we need to put it all together. One thing I notice is that we have 4 basic demons we can summon and there are 4 different Pandaren clans. I think we can make a connection here and it perhaps allows us to create an overall theme. Here is what I came up with:

As Azeroth was invaded by demons and the world was torn asunder the last emperor made a deal with fate to surround Pandaria in mist, separating it from the rest of the world for 10,000 years. However the emperor was not able to keep all the demons out from his land. A few demons have taken up residence in Pandaria and for 10,000 years they have afflicted the clans of Pandaria. Try as they might, the Pandaren have been unsuccessful in ridding themselves of their demon menace. With the introduction of the horde and alliance to Pandaria comes the introduction of warlocks to the Pandarens. Rumors of your demonic knowledge have reached the different clans and their hope is that you will be able to rid them of the demonic presence that has tormented them for 10,000 years.

With this overarching theme I think we can come up with some quests. Look forward to future posts on each of these quests and what I think they might be. They all of course are purely hypothetical and require a big tinfoil hat, but I think that they will be fun. Maybe, just maybe, we might see something like this come in the future. I sure hope so.