Chapter 630: Northshire Valley (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

After two long weeks of anticipation, the time for “World of Warcraft” to launch was finally upon them, amidst the excited emotions of countless players.

Major game communities, forums, and private player chat groups were all buzzing with news about “World of Warcraft.”

“Why isn’t it open yet?”

“Only 15 minutes left, what’s the rush?”

“Almost there, almost there! The ‘World of Warcraft’ entrance has already appeared in Nebula World!”

“Are you guys choosing Alliance or Horde?”

“Horde, for sure! For the Tauren!”

“Still Tauren? Still Tauren! My Alliance Pure Love Dwarf Hunter will one-shot every Tauren!”

The players were discussing with fervent enthusiasm.

There were those who liked the Alliance, and those who preferred the Horde.

After all, players had already learned enough from the official “World of Warcraft” website.

In “World of Warcraft,” players had to choose a faction.

Compared to its previous life, Chen Xu had made many changes, starting with the character models.

When players were unaware of racial traits or gameplay content, their choice of race was primarily driven by first impressions, most commonly based on a character’s aesthetic appeal.

Moreover, it's important to know that “World of Warcraft” is an MMORPG, where the gameplay involves developing a character and exploring the world of Azeroth. If one faction was entirely filled with unattractive characters and another with beautiful ones, it would inevitably disrupt the balance of factions in the early stages. For example, the Blood Elf race in its previous life looked quite out of place compared to other races. And once one faction had too many players, breaking the balance, it would lead to a vicious cycle, as PVP elements are a crucial part of “World of Warcraft”’s gameplay. Therefore, faction balance, including character aesthetics, was handled by a dedicated team at Nebula Games.

………………

“I’m in, I’m already in!”

“Are you in? Hey… I’m in too!”

Inside Nebula World, Song Ren kept trying to open “World of Warcraft.” Hearing his good friend Zhang Yi’s voice, Song Ren excitedly said as he watched the screen turn black.

There was an opening cinematic CG animation, which was the promotional video Nebula Games had released earlier. So Song Ren didn’t wait to finish watching it; he directly skipped it, wanting to create a character and jump into the game to experience it. That was what he most wanted to do right now.

Skipping the CG animation, Song Ren was presented with two different factions.

On the left half, an Alliance banner displayed different races: Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves, Gnomes.

On the right half, a Horde banner showed: Orcs, Undead, Tauren, Trolls.

By clicking on them, he could see that these races weren’t just for show. Each race had its own unique racial talents. Obviously, these racial talents would have a significant impact on different classes.

For instance, for Hunters, the racial talents of Elves and Dwarves would lead to different playstyles, and there were also differences in weapon specializations for different classes, which meant there would be variations in actual gameplay later on.

However, Song Ren, who had just entered the game, had primarily gained his understanding of “World of Warcraft” from the official website and Nebula World’s content. Additionally, although he had played many games, he hadn't played too many MMORPGs.

And this “World of Warcraft” seemed to be quite different from some MMORPGs he was familiar with before. At least, the classes and races were making him a bit dizzy.

But it didn't matter, because before playing, Song Ren had already decided what class he wanted to play.

In VR Immersive Mode, Song Ren used a controller combined with brainwave control.

He chose Human as his race, and quickly scanned the descriptions on the interface. He looked but felt like he hadn't seen anything.

Song Ren didn't think too much and directly chose Warrior.

As for why?

Because Song Ren felt that Warrior was a relatively versatile character. In his gaming experience, the Warrior class would have a very comfortable early game, making it especially easy to level up. For a game, one should be good to oneself. If it wasn’t powerful later, he’d deal with it then; at least he would make sure he was comfortable in the early stages.

“Old Song, Joey, what classes are you planning to pick? Wang Han and I are both going for Dwarves; a Rogue and a Paladin would be awesome,” Zhang Yi said in the voice chat.

“By the way, aren’t you guys playing Hunter? They were the poster child in the first promotional video!” Song Ren asked curiously.

“This is where you don’t understand, Old Song. Many players will probably think like you, so if too many people play Dwarf Hunters, won’t the demand for gear go up? And Hunters also have to tame pets, which makes the competition even fiercer, a real rat race. On the other hand, if we play other classes, we can get a head start!” Zhang Yi’s reasoning was sound.

“That sounds quite reasonable.” Song Ren thought about it, and indeed, it was true!

“I’m planning to play a Gnome Mage. Joey is going for an Elf Priest. What about you, Old Song?” Wang Yifan replied.

“Perfect! We have the ideal setup! I’m going to play a Human Warrior; I’ll show you all how powerful my Warrior is!” Song Ren said with a chuckle.

While chatting, Song Ren typed in his game ID: [Ares], but unfortunately, it was already taken. As a second choice, [Valkyrie], but that too was already registered. Clearly, such well-known names were long gone by the time he got around to it. After failing to come up with two names, Song Ren simply gave up and defaulted to his Nebula Games Platform name: [Brave Tough Guy].

After confirming the name, he entered the character customization interface. This interface was similar to those in “Monster Hunter: World” and “Bloodborne.” However, there was one difference: Song Ren noticed that he couldn't make finer adjustments. He figured Nebula Games had specifically limited it.

“Mr. Chen is stifling my creative talent!”

Song Ren couldn’t help but exclaim, because the character he sculpted, no matter how he looked at it, appeared utterly human. He couldn’t find any trace of the Eldritch vibe he once had. Of course, he hadn't actually intended to create an Eldritch face. After all, this wasn’t a first-person game; seeing an Eldritch face all the time would be disgusting for himself.

After a brief adjustment, and satisfied with his creation, Song Ren officially entered the game. Following a short screen blackout, light gradually appeared before his eyes.

Stormwind City, the magnificent capital, appeared before him. In front lay the Valley of Heroes, built in memory of Stormwind’s valiant warriors, with heroic statues standing on both sides of the road leading to the city gates. In the center stood the breathtaking Cathedral of Light, the bustling Trade District filled with people, and the Arcane Academy, towering like a castle.

At the same time, a narration echoed in Song Ren’s ears, and the camera slowly panned.

‘The Humans of Stormwind are a glorious and resilient race.’

‘Though the invasion of the Burning Legion destroyed their sister kingdom, Lordaeron, the defenders of Stormwind still stand, repelling all evil forces that dare threaten their home.’

‘Nestled at the foot of Elwynn Forest, Stormwind is the last bastion of human civilization.’

‘With the strong support of their allies, Stormwind’s forces fight the savage Horde on distant battlefields.’

‘As these forces depart, the heavy responsibility of defending Stormwind falls upon its people.’

‘You must help the kingdom resist invading enemies and uncover the traitors who seek to divide the Kingdom of Stormwind from within.’

‘Now is an age of heroes, and the greatest chapter of human civilization will be written by you…’

As the narration slowly concluded, Song Ren’s perspective shifted from the main city of Stormwind, finally settling into the valley in front of Northshire Abbey, the human starting zone.

(End of Chapter) <>