Episode #78: Off the coast of the Dreadwastes zone, an enormous NPC, named Gokk’lok, conceals a secret. This neutral, elite rare clam is found in the subzone titled the Gokk’lok Shallows at coordinates (27, 16). Although Gokk’lok shows no signs of aggression, any adventurer who attempts to attack this creature will need to defend off several waves of lvl 90 protectors. Once defeated, Gokk’lok presents a hidden quest called Promises of Gold. Unlike other quest reward items, this special vanity item – Gokk’lok’s Shell – contains unlimited charges. This bind on pickup item will cause a 2-minute buff that does two interesting things: 1) A giant clam shell materializes around your character, 2) While inside this shell, your toon appears *without* any of your clothes. The Gokk’lok Shell may be one of Pandaria’s most interesting (and conversation starting) items to ever appear in game.

• Read more from Cymre’s visit to Gokk’lok at Bubbles of Mischief

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Episode #77: Tales of wicked seduction exist in the lands of Azeroth. With each expansion in WoW, various Steamy Romance Novels have been introduced for players to find. With a total of 7 different volumes in all, the Steamy Romance Novels are readable, gray-quality books with very… um.. risque topics. For many years, most novels were only obtainable through pickpocketing certain high-level mobs. For this reason, these lesser-known items were rarely seen by players outside of rogues. This all changed with Mists of Pandaria! At appears that a certain rare elite NPC has become a big fan of the Steamy Romance Novels. Explorers can find a lvl 86 gnoll NPC, named Martar the Not-So-Smart, in north-eastern Jade Forest @(56.7, 33.1). When defeated, Martar has a chance to drop 1 of 6 Steamy Romance Novels. Adventurers who wish to complete their book collection must find help from an engineer to create a Blingtron 4000. The seventh novel, I’m In Love With a Robot, can only be found as a quest reward from Blingtron. The best part of collecting these once hard-to-find books is reading them for yourself… each offering a new perspective of their title character, Marcus.

• Steamy Romance Novel
• Steamy Romance Novel: Forbidden Love
• Steamy Romance Novel: Northern Exposure
• Steamy Romance Novel: Blue Moon
• Steamy Romance Novel: Big Brass Bombs
• Steamy Romance Novel: I’m In Love With a Robot
• Steamy Romance Novel: Hot and Misty

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Episode #76: On a small island (coordinates 18,70), off the southwestern coast of Krasarang Wilds, a mighty guardian NPC elite named Cro’akan protects the defenseless critters that live upon the island. Located west of the Cradle of Chi-Ji, this island is empty of quests, NPCs, or known achievements. However, this emerald island is populated by over 75 frog critters… allowing any lost adventurer to understand this destination’s unofficial name: Frog Island. Multiple small wooden signs are posted around Frog Island’s shoreline. Each sign depicts a drawing of an ominous-looking frog diving down into the water. Previous visitors to it’s shores may have attempted to warn all travelers to beware of disturbing the peaceful critter population living here. The three varieties of frog critters – Krasarang Frogs, Krasarang Tideskirters, Krasarang Croakers – all share the same respawn pool. Due to the quick & nearly-immediate respawn nature of these frogs, this destination provides the ideal place to earn the guild achievement, Critter Kill Squad. But beware! With each critter killed on Frog Island, there is a small chance of summoning their protector, Cro’akan!

• Location Map: Frog Island of Krasarang Wilds
• Cro’akan is a level 92 Gold Dragon Elite Critter – 8,431,000 Hit Points
• Casts a single spell called Frog Justice resulting in instant-kill
• Very low % spawn chance tied to critters killed on the island (calculated as .0002% spawn chance per critter killed, 1 in 5000 from personal experience)
• Cro’akan spawn rate does not sppear to be time dependent & not impacted by server reboots
• Loot table unknown

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Episode #75: Found off the southern Krasarang Wilds coast, atop a rocky hill on Marista Island, a strange scene awaits every Pandaren explorer. Surrounded by seven small skeletons, a large metal hatch can be discovered (coordinates 52,73). Hidden next to the hatch, a special gray-quality item called Stack of Papers, can be looted from the ground. With a vendor price of 15g, the flavor text of the Stack of Papers offers the lost adventurer a puzzle to explain the scene: “It looks like a journal of some kind. The last entry: ’05151212:01 SYSTEM FAILURE’. What could it mean?”. This unique item may be a combination of fun references to the Diablo 3 launch failures from May 15, 2012 AND the log printout message from the TV series Lost.

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Episode #74: Over the years, Azeroth fisherman have reeled in a great number of interesting items… mostly trash, yet sometimes treasure. The crowning jewel for any angler is the incredibly elusive, ultra-rare item called The 5 Ring. This ring follows in a line of similar fishing-only discoveries: The 1 Ring and The 2 Ring. The 5 Ring can only be obtained as a reward from the Dalaran fishing dailies (Marcia Chase). Amazingly rare, The 5 Ring will only appear 3%-4% of the time inside a Tiny Titanium Lockbox, that only appears inside the Bag of Fishing Treasures 0.2% of the time.
My friends, get comfortable. If you choose to try your luck at obtaining The 5 Ring, chances of getting it are as good as 1 in 46 years.
Protip: Pack a hearty lunch… it may be awhile.

• Catching The 1 Ring (El’s Extreme Anglin’)
• Catching The 2 Ring (El’s Extreme Anglin’)
• Catching The 5 Ring (El’s Extreme Anglin’)

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Episode #73: Ezra “Phoenix” Chatterton, at the age of 10, was a heroic boy who fulfilled his dream of becoming a Blizzard game developer through the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 2007. During his magical day at Blizzard, Ezra helped design the Merciless Gladiators Crossbow of the Phoenix. Although originally appearing in game with the Season 2 Arena Set, this crossbow vanished from game with the launch of Cataclysm. However, the Merciless Gladiators Crossbow of the Phoenix reappeared in game with patch 4.3 – available from Area 52 vendor Kezzik The Striker. My friends, we should all take time to remember the life of the brave young man, Ezra, who would have turned 16 this summer.

• Ezra’s Father Thanks The WoW Community (article)

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Episode #72: Submerged under the Fizzle and Pozzik Steambarge in Thousand Needles, explorers of Azeroth can discover a very secluded goblin hideout. Complete with table, chairs, bubbling beverages, floating seahorse raft, and pinup calendar – this hidden room may have once been used by relaxing goblin boat-builders. Although this secret location (coordinates 77,74) has no current quest, lore connection, or NPCs; it serves as an fun hideaway for those who are lucky enough to find it.

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Episode #71: Throughout the history of WoW, many legendary items have existed in game for players to acquire from epic quests and achievements. However, a small number of Blizzard GM (game master) items have been uncovered and prove to be the most elusive of all. Discovered in the WoW Armory, Crafty’s Pole grants the Azeroth fisherman +1000 to their fishing skill. Peep the Outland Phoenix was one of the original 310% flight speed mounts used by GMs back during the Burning Crusade days. When it comes to the legendary weapon of choice, there is a good chance that the wielded item equipped by a materializing GM was an Artifact called Martin’s Thunder. Sadly Martin’s Thunder was removed from game with patch 3.3 – replaced with the self-destructive Martin’s Broken Staff.

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Episode #70: Isolated on a small island in the middle of Bittertide Lake, explorers can discover a mysterious glowing hatch. Found at Sholazar Basin coordinates 38,37 – this metallic trap door is not tied to a quest chain or achievements. Closer inspection, using a mouse-over, reveals the numbers “5 9 16 17 24 43″ etched on its surface. This strange hatch is a fun reference to the American TV drama called “Lost”. On the TV show about stranded island survivors, a similar sequence of six numbers (all 1 digit off) appear on a hatch they find: 4 8 15 16 23 42.

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Episode #69 Lost Adventurers Journal: The Citizens of Lordaeron were betrayed by their Crowned Prince, Arthas. Years later, the empty courtyard of the Ruins of Lordaeron still hold their tortured souls. Explorers who venture into this dark courtyard, found above the present day Undercity, have the opportunity to find the hidden NPCs called the Lordaeron Citizens. The Lordaeron Citizen NPCs, who are invisible from view without the use of an Detect Invisibity spell, haunt these ruins for all eternity.

• This Warcraft Less Traveled episode was produced for the Darkmoon Herald Podcast. The Darkmoon Herald is a WoW podcast hosted by my great friends Kevin, Apsana, and Walsh. I highly recommend you take a listen and subscribe to their full show on iTunes or at DarkmoonHerald.com

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Episode #68: Gillijim’s Isle was an original subzone that existed during the alpha-testing of WoW. Along with the Island of Doctor Lapidis, this small tropical island was never officially released into Azeroth. Although the island’s name may have been a playful reference to the popular tv show called Gilligan’s Island, the Blizzard developers may have initially planned this Gillijim Isle to be the starting zone for the Troll race. All reference to this forgotten island was removed with patch 4.0.1a, yet until that time, it was possible to travel to the open-water location and see the island’s subzone title appear.

• This Warcraft Less Traveled episode can also be heard as part of the All Things Azeroth Podcast from Dawnforge Productions.

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Episode #67: The Island of Doctor Lapidis and Gillijim’s Isle are two forgotten subzones that never made it past the early alpha-testing of World of Warcraft. Found in the fatigue waters off the southwestern Stranglethorn Vale coast, the Island of Doctor Lapidis may have been an early attempt for Troll-specific leveling (originally marked for levels 10-22). Appearing on a few official game maps, Doctor Lapidis island shared the standard STV landscape and environmental textures. Although never activated with quests, the NPCs found on the island included Forest Trolls, Jungle Trolls, Ice Trolls, Humans, and Naga. The Island of Doctor Lapidis was removed from the official release of WoW, yet until patch 4.0.1a, it was possible to travel to the open-water location and have the island’s subzone title appear… even though the island was nowhere to be found!

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Episode #66 Lost Adventurers Journal: Found in the Duskwood village of Raven Hill, a number of invisible specters haunt the shadows. The ghostly creatures, called The Unseen, are unknown to most players in Azeroth today. Only explorers who use detect invisibility (or similar) spells will have the opportunity to witness this hidden NPC in game. The Unseen live up to their name and make the old houses in Raven Hill truly haunted.

• This Warcraft Less Traveled episode was produced for the Darkmoon Herald Podcast. The Darkmoon Herald is a WoW podcast hosted by my great friends Kevin, Apsana, and Walsh. I highly recommend you take a listen and subscribe to their full show on iTunes or at DarkmoonHerald.com

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Episode #65: A handful of very rare Damp Diary Pages (Day 4, Day 87, Day 512) can be found by an avid Azeroth fisherman. Contained inside a mundane Message In A Bottle, each Damp Diary Page strings together a colorful story of a castaway, shipwrecked on an island filled with bananas. Curious explorers may question whether there is a connection between the banana island mentioned in the diary and the mysterious Tel’Abim Island. Because it appears on very few official Blizzard development maps, there is little known about the south seas island of Tel’Abim. Although we cannot know for certain, these three Damp Diary Pages may be our only glimpse into Tel’Abim, the inaccessible WoW island zone where the popular Tel’Abim banana gets its name.

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Episode #64 Lost Adventurers Journal: A number of mysterious things are found throughout the Darkmoon Faire. Yet, explorers of all levels can acquire a pair of souvenirs that share a common theme… ponies! Learn how to earn the I Was Promised a Pony achievement for riding a special faire pony and how to fish up a rare Darkmoon Sea Pony from the boardwalk.

• This Warcraft Less Traveled episode was produced for the Darkmoon Herald Podcast. The Darkmoon Herald is a WoW podcast hosted by my great friends Kevin, Apsana, and Walsh. I highly recommend you take a listen and subscribe to their full show at DarkmoonHerald.com

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Episode #63 Timecapsule: Above the present-day Undercity, the Ruins of Lordaeron have preserved its tragic history for all to discover. Years earlier, a corrupted Arthas returned home to murder his father, King Terenas. Instead of being their hero, upon his return, the celebration presented by the Lordaeron citizens was turned to sorrow. Explorers of the Ruins of Lordaeron can hear the hidden sounds of the day Arthas betrayed the Kingdom. By listening very closely to the ambient sounds, visitors here can hear haunting sound files. In the abandoned bell tower, the bell sounds can be faintly heard. In the empty walkway leading to the throne room: the cheering crowd welcomes Arthas. Yet, in the throne room, explorers will find the echoes of the final confrontation between father and son.

• Command line script to hear the throne room echoes anywhere in game:
• /script PlaySoundFile(“Sound\\Ambience\\WMOAmbience\\UnderCityThorneRoom.wav”)

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Episode #62 Timecapsule: A long-forgotten quest, found off the coast of Stanglethorn Vale, offers explorers a chance to rescue a level 42 Tauren Princess. Yet, this won’t be easy. Courageous heroes must first find a Message In A Bottle – buried somewhere along the sandy beach. Once in hand, the message will lead adventurers on a quest to free Princess Poobah from King Mukla, a dangerous gorilla found on Juguero Isle. If you are brave enough to complete this secret quest-line, an uncommon mail armor bracer called Poobah’s Nose Ring will be your reward!

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Episode #61 Timecapsule: A pair of solitary destinations can be easily overlooked in the beautiful zone of Nagrand. High up on one of its floating islands, a lone apple tree and skeleton are often considered a “Blizzard tribute” to Sir Isaac Newton. Requiring a flying mount (found southwest of the Throne of Elements), the Newton Apple Tree was one of the last-discovered secret places in all of the Outlands. The Nagrand Tomb is a second scene that fills the WoW explorer with a sense of wonder. This tranquil location has no known backstory in the existing Warcraft lore, yet its remote location in the far western mountains will reward the visitor with a stunning view.

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Episode #60 Timecapsule: A bizarre destination is hidden high in the hills of northern Nagrand. Found at coordinates (51,14), the Nagrand Orphanage is home to an NPC troll named Challe. Visitors to this remote vista will discover that Challe is watching over a great number of babies from both factions – orc, night elf, troll, and tauren. The camp is setup with a furnished troll house, large sandbox, and a unique circular-swing (currently occupied by riding tauren infants). A closer look at this cheery haven for children may reveal a darker underbelly… small bones scattered around the camp, a large cooking stew, and various cages containing tiny childlike skeletons inside.

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Episode #59 Timecapsule: The journey continues in this second part of Skolnick’s travel to Blizzcon 2011. Companionship is discovered with friends from both factions: Hasteur and Apsana from the Alliance, Cow and OldScratch from the Horde. The quest to find the Grand Archmage Morhaime within the Blizzcon convention center was a difficult one. Inside the enormous Anaheim Convention Center, all explorers encounter a sensory overload. The Blizzcon event was incredible and breath-taking. However, does Skolnick finally meet Morheime? Or will he need to return next year to search out the famed paladin named Ghostcrawler?

• Be sure to listen to Joe and Kevin on the PowWoW Podcast , an outstanding World of Warcraft Podcast
• Author Richard A. Knaak has written excellent books for WoW, as well as other novels set in The Dragonrealm and the new Knight in Shadow Trilogy. His Warcraft novels ‘Stormrage’ and ‘Wolfheart’ are available in Audiobook format through Audible!
  
  
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