Where in the world (of Warcraft) do you find the most nostalgia?

World of Warcraft has now been out for over 20 years (ow, my bones), which means there’s a lot of areas in the game that people could be nostalgic about. Making that first human character and running through Northshire, being murdered by Hogger, then seeing the streets of Stormwind for the first time is, I’m sure, many players’ introduction to the world of Azeroth.

This morning I was leveling another Earthen (I’m committed to a bit, you can thank Phil) and as I hit Eversong Woods I was struck with an immediate sense of nostalgia. Suddenly I was there on launch night, running through the golden Eversong Woods and finding rares, questing through the Dead Scar, and heading into Ghostlands. I can still faintly remember the smell of rain outside my window while playing, late nights on Ventrillo while we all tried to figure out what new things were out there.

Even coming back to the zone now, years later, and with all of the changes among the world, I still find a lot to love in some of these older zones. Sure, I look forward to the changes to Eversong/Ghostlands/Silvermoon come the release of Midnight, but for now, I can continue to bask in the golden-orange hues of the woods where my Blood Elf first called home. Sure, the foliage on the trees is two dimensional, and the lack of flying really hurts in 2024 Warcraft, but it just has this aesthetic that few places in the game world have (arguably, Suramar may be my second favorite zone, but I’m a sucker for elves and their architecture).

I imagine I can’t be the only one with a story like this. So I ask you, Watchers — what zone gives you absolute nostalgia when you hit it, and what’s your fondest memory/memories?