Crash Bandicoot village meets Mayan temple–that’s how I’d describe the new troll town soon to rise in the Echo Isles.
In the Cataclysm expansion, the Darkspear trolls led by Vol’jin will reclaim the Echo Isles from the necromancer Zalazane after orc faction leader Garrosh Hellscream forces them out of Orgrimmar. It’s still unclear what caused the rift, but troll players who have long been dismayed at having to squat on the orcish capital will be glad to have a new home to call their own.
A new Cataclysm preview of Echo Isles reveals the new troll town is also the race’s level 1-5 quest hub. Blizzard said introductory quests will include “protecting the local Bloodtalon raptors and hatchlings from the sorcery of a nearby sea witch, slaying beasts that feast upon the Darkspears’ primary food sources, and assaulting the naga who’ve overrun the northern isle.”
It’s all about baby steps; once your young troll toon succeeds in the starter missions, he or she will earn the trust of Vol’jin and learn about the “political struggles” plaguing the Horde and the rest of the tribe. Bring on the backstabbing and power squabbles! A return to Horde-Alliance drama is just what we need to pump our blood after freezing to death in Northrend.
What’s disappointing though is that this Echo Isles town will not be the long-awaited troll capital city. Blizzard Poster Zarhym has confirmed in the official forums that:
It’s not a capital city. It’s a new starting area better fleshed out after years of fine-tuning questing and introductory leveling experiences. We’re looking to improve and update the introductory experiences for all races, not just gnomes and trolls.
This leads us to conclude that Gnomeregan will also lack auction houses and banks after it’s been retaken from the deranged Mekgineer Thermaplugg. The decision isn’t surprising given how desolated Silvermoon City and Exodar have become. Blizz might have opted to spend more time on other things than to build another pair of unvisited capital cities. Oh well, what’s another five more years of waiting for trolls and gnomes right?