Legendaries have been a part of the game since the first raid (though they might have been added in a patch - I wasn't playing at launch.) Historically, Legendaries have always been weapons. Molten Core introduced Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros, and everyone's favorite Trade Chat spam: Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker. Later on, Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian was made available to casters after battling through the original Naxxramas (again, if there are errors here, it's because I don't remember this era very well.)
Burning Crusade changed Legendaries to simply be ultra-rare drops off of very difficult end-game bosses - the Twinblades of Azzinoth and Thor'idal, the Stars' Fury (at the time, Thor'idal's self-generated ammo was what made it truly Legendary, which seems quaint now.)
Wrath brought back the epic Legendary quest chains with Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings and Shadowmourne (the closest we were allowed to get to wielding Frostmourne.) Likewise, Cataclysm's Legendaries involved very elaborate quest chains with many unique experiences and plot developments, granting casters of all sorts Dragonswrath, Tarecgosa's Rest and the Blades of the Father, the latter of which of course introduced us to Wrathion.
Legendaries varied in accessibility. Wrath limited them to 25-man mode (which was tuned harder those days and rewarded better gear) while Cataclysm made starting the chains relatively easy (as long as one was working on normal-mode raids at least) but required diligent clearing of the raids with great frequency.
The thing is that Legendaries have always been for specific classes or roles, and they've always been a single item (or dual-wielded set.) Admittedly, some of these items take on different forms, growing more powerful as you progress through the chain, but it was always focused on that one, shiny weapon.
Mists has absolutely redefined what Legendary means. For one, it is far more accessible. Legendaries in Mists are for everyone, and starting the quest chain requires only that you hit 90 and speak with Wrathion.
The rewards are also quite different. Completing the first leg of the chain grants you your first item - a Sha-Touched gem, for use in specific weapons that drop from Heart of Fear and Terrace of Eternal Spring. We've never had a Legendary gem before, but there you have it. Likewise, 5.2 will be bringing us Legendary Meta Gems, with the ability to give your helmet a socket to hold it (not tied to a specific helmet the way it is for weapons.)
While there has not been, so far, the kind of world-trekking story-based quest chain one sees with some of the older quests, the theme of Wrathion's chain is about exploring Pandaria and basically participating in all aspects of the expansion.
As of yet, we don't really know what the subsequent parts of the chain will involve. Will we get super-fancy weapons, like the Legendaries of old? How will it all come to a head?
The other interesting question is this: how many of us are expected to complete the chain? Currently, you can get the Sigils for the first part even from LFR, and while the droprate is very low, many have been able to get all 20 (on Oterro, who's farthest along, I've got 8 Power and 2 Wisdom.) Other requirements have tended to require diligence more than anything else, like gaining rep while working on daily quests or gaining a certain amount of Valor.
Legendaries used to be a sign of being one of the elite, but perhaps the goal of the Legendary has shifted. Rather than simply showing who's in a top raiding guild, now the Legendary quest chain is about telling the story of the expansion.
I'm still far away from finishing even the first part of the chain (I think I need to make peace with the fact that I need to spend more time in the Raid Finder than the Dungeon Finder,) but it would be quite awesome indeed to be able to complete a Legendary quest.
No comments:
Post a Comment