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Nostalgic World of Warcraft Soundtracks from zones and why they always hit us right in the emotions.

Music is an essential part of the atmosphere of a game and World of Warcraft is not an exception to that. We all remember creating our first character, logging into an immense open world, waiting for us to explore it. It was overwhelming, we did not know what to expect but most importantly- we were excited to dive and discover all of its glory. Through out our journey in that the vast, diverse and thrilling world, music played a huge role subconsciously without us realising it. Music helped us immerse into the atmosphere of the game and whatever zone/dungeon/raid/city we were in, it always made us feel present at that moment and to appreciate all of the environment around us. Now, when we hear a soundtrack of a particular zone or raid, memories instantly hit us and we remember all of the fun what we had in that particular place. This list is exactly about that- music themes which bring back instant nostalgia and to which all of us proud World of Warcraft players can relate to. As different zones have sentimental feeling for different players and it will not be fair to rank them.

1. Eversong Woods

Without a doubt, Burning Crusade is one of the best expansions ever (if not the best!?) and with Burning Crusade, we were introduced to new races with their own zones- Blood Elves(Eversong Woods) and Draenei (Azuremyst Isle). Both of the zones are extremely aesthetically pleasing, with a captivating storyline and lore and magnificent capital cities- Silvermoon City and Exodar. But what separated Eversong Woods from Azuremyst Isle was the music. The music is graceful, mysterious, uneasing, beautiful, calming and it fits perfectly with the Blood Elf theme. Blood Elves naturally are the pretty and elegant race and their architecture definitely confirms that and their music theme emphasises that fact even more. The harp and cello perfectly captures the graceful, beautiful and mysterious feeling that zone has. It gives you a feeling of superiority, proudness, beauty, power- and that’s how you know you are truly a Blood Elf. But the music theme gives you a hint- behind all of that perfection you can sense that something is horribly wrong. You wonder a little bit and you finally stumble yourself upon the Dead Scar and it all makes sense now. All of those unsettling chords and tones were preparing you for this sight and for you to understand how scarred are the Blood Elves. That path of destruction will always be there to remind them of The Third War, the Scourge and close ones they lost. Through out our real lifes, we are always dealing with difficult moments and experience the full range of emotions. The music theme of Eversong Woods is exactly that: complex, beautiful, nostalgic, with a pinch of hope and something as frightening as the Dead Scar will constantly remind us to be humble, appreciate everything that we have and to be graceful in defeat!

2. Stranglethorn Vale

If you ask a vanilla player where their most fun/frustrasting experience has been, almost all of them will answer Stranglethron Vale. For many players, this was the first time encountering with a player from the opposite faction. In this territory, the foundation of every players PvP skills has been laid. There are so many magical moments, quests and places related to that zone it is unbelievable. For a starter, this was the zone where most players would hit level 40 and enjoy that moving faster by 60%. It was like starting to to play a completely new game. The zone was just packed with players because of places like Gurubashi Arena, Booty Bay, Zul Gurub, Horde camps and so many more. So many level 60s hanged out in Stranglethorn Vale because of Gurubashi Arena and how popular twinks had become. We all remember how insane that trinket was. Also, how many of us are guilty into bringing their unsuspecting friends into the arena and killing them? I know I am. Stranglethorn Vale is the definition of a zone being alive. Full with players, animals, pirates, goblins, memories… There was just something mesmerising levelling in the jungle under the moonlight. And all of that is emphasised by the ambiance and music of the zone. You can constantly hear different animal sounds, the movement of the nature surrounding you, the river, the rain, etc. In the composition for the theme music for Stranglethron Vale lots of percussion instruments were used, in order for us the players, to feel that jungle/tribe aesthetic and to emerge us deeper into the zone. All of that combined with the occasional use of a flute, vocal chants and many more. The music there is taking us on a journey, like we are on a safari through the jungle. It was exciting, dangerous, we did not know what to expect but were thrilled to explore absolutely everything this zone had to offer us. 

3. Grizzly Hills

This is it… The soundtrack of this zone is what makes World of Warcraft special for so many players and that is why this game will always have a place in everyone’s heart. The main instrument used in the theme of Grizzly Hills is called Nyckelharpa and that helps captivate that cold and for whatever reason cosy Nordic feeling. The perfect way to the describe the music in this zone is by simply calling it home. You are surrounded by wildlife, green forests, cold rivers running through the whole zone, deers drinking water from them peacefully and all of that surrounded by a collosal mountain. After all of the undead and scourge you have battled, it feels nice to be home and finally come back to the “real” world and enjoy the simple things (like fishing for example). And that is exactly why the nostalgic feeling in this zone is so strong and it makes you emotional- you are finally back where you thought you would feel happy again and you do feel up to a certain point. But something is not quiet right- you went back to your home but no one is there… you had so much great memories of this place but you will never be able to relive them again and that is alright, the important thing is to appreciate that they have happened!
It is a warm and unique feeling that the music in Grizzly Hills creates and it keeps hooked- you go there from time to time to simply rest and appreciate all of the great details and pause life for a moment- it’s moving too fast and such calm moments are rare nowadays.

4. Jade Forest

Like Master Oogway said: “Who knows the ways of the universe? Accident? Or destiny? That is the secret.” and to this day we wonder- was the success of MoP an accident or it was destined to happen? For us, the answer was written in the stars. Mist of Pandaria is the most beautiful expansion to be designed and released and it is definetely an achievement Blizzard should be proud of. Here is just a short description of the magical lands of Jade Forest, taken from the official art book “The Art of World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria”:
This land of cloud-ringed mountains and hidden bamboo thickets runs along Pandaria’s eastern shore. Horde and Alliance forces have spread out into this extraordinary locale, hoping to gain support from the ferocious hozen and industrious jinyu races that dwell throughout the Jade Forest.
And there is no better way to describe your first encounter with the zone. It is really a breath of fresh air after all of the damage, The Cataclysm has done to Azeroth. We, the players, are so used to the never ending war in World of Warcraft that it really catches us off guard when we encounter the peace and harmony of the pandaren for the first time. All of those feelings, The Jade Forest manages to catch perfectly. The Blizzard team who is responsible for the music really outdid themselves here as they talked about how they have combined the western soundtrack techniques with asian inspired motives which are further emphasized by the traditional and folk asian instruments used in the soundtrack.
Everything about Jade Forest is simply a masterpiece. It takes you on a journey you have not experienced up until now and it takes you on a wildride of a rollercoaster of emotions. It makes you think about life and truly appreciate our surroundings and blessings. And it poses the most important question for the pandaren- What is worth fighting for?
It is a warm and unique feeling that the music in Grizzly Hills creates and it keeps hooked- you go there from time to time to simply rest and appreciate all of the great details and pause life for a moment- it’s moving too fast and such calm moments are rare nowadays.

5. The Barrens

If I had to pick an iconic zone, it would be The Barrens! As a player, experienced so many things at once there, its unimaginable. The Barrens is home to many core memories for us: The Barrens chat, The Wailling Caverns, The Crossroads, your first neutral city- Ratchet, iconic quests (Mankrik’s wife), goblins and many, many more. The Barrens truly lives up to its name- a huge, unfriendly and desolate peace of land, it soil dry, filled with exotic beasts, different races and all of that under the scourging Sun. You understood from the beginning that surviving in that territory would be a challenge but you were up for it! The main motive in the soundtrack perfectly describes a player’s journey through this territory. The melody, played by a based horn, is full of ups and downs, constantly asking us questions and then providing us with the answer- it is making a perfect use of the call and response technique. It loops itself perfectly and seamlessly and without you realising it, the music was guiding you and telling you what to expect. And that is the perfect description of a player’s journey through the zone: finally reaching The Crossroads and you get to meet players from different races for the first time, thrilled that you want to prove yourself as a Horde Warrior, so many new quests, stories, etc. (that being the up-going notes). But then you face the harsh reality and you quickly realise that proving yourself into that desolate place won’t be so easy- beasts lurking everywhere, low drop chances of many quest items, long and monotonous walks, constantly being low on health and mana are just a few of the difficulties that you encounter and you learn them the hard way (that being the down-going notes). But you persevere, conquer those challenges just to face a greater one- The Wailing Caverns! Oooh my, you really had no idea what was about to happen… You teamed up with 4 complete strangers and you shared one simple goal- to conquer your first dungeon. The composers made a really clever user of some primitive percussion instruments to sunken you even deeper into the atmosphere of The Barrens. The shaker, which resembles to a rattle snake, is panned from your left ear to your right and it constantly reminds you that you are always in danger and it can come when you least expect it. The Barrens was your first challenge and from there it was only going to get more difficult. But it wasn’t an easy one. You were thrown directly in the deep from your friendly starting zone and the contrast was enormous. You learnt so much, discovered exotic creatures and beasts, upgraded your gear but most importantly- made new friends and memories. The Barrens and its flawless music theme will be forever in our hearts and it was everyone’s very own sentimental journey!
This land of cloud-ringed mountains and hidden bamboo thickets runs along Pandaria’s eastern shore. Horde and Alliance forces have spread out into this extraordinary locale, hoping to gain support from the ferocious hozen and industrious jinyu races that dwell throughout the Jade Forest.
And there is no better way to describe your first encounter with the zone. It is really a breath of fresh air after all of the damage, The Cataclysm has done to Azeroth. We, the players, are so used to the never ending war in World of Warcraft that it really catches us off guard when we encounter the peace and harmony of the pandaren for the first time. All of those feelings, The Jade Forest manages to catch perfectly. The Blizzard team who is responsible for the music really outdid themselves here as they talked about how they have combined the western soundtrack techniques with asian inspired motives which are further emphasized by the traditional and folk asian instruments used in the soundtrack.
Everything about Jade Forest is simply a masterpiece. It takes you on a journey you have not experienced up until now and it takes you on a wildride of a rollercoaster of emotions. It makes you think about life and truly appreciate our surroundings and blessings. And it poses the most important question for the pandaren- What is worth fighting for?
It is a warm and unique feeling that the music in Grizzly Hills creates and it keeps hooked- you go there from time to time to simply rest and appreciate all of the great details and pause life for a moment- it’s moving too fast and such calm moments are rare nowadays.

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