January 2011 started off with liquor, chicken wings, fireworks and running around the Goblin starting zone while listening to my drunk guildies on vent talk about how much they loved each other. Seriously. Good times! Patch 4.0.3a is still current, though a month old.
January 1, 2011 - To date the Goblin starting zone is still the most fun and enjoyable starting zone in the game. If you somehow haven't ever made a Goblin, do it.
January 1, 2011 - Airplanes, volcanoes and explosions, oh my.
January 1, 2011 - Phasing technology was used heavily in both the Goblin and Worgen starting zones.
January 1, 2011 - Last day of Winter Veil in Orgrimmar.
January 7, 2011 - Holy.... what are they growing in the Twilight Highlands?
January 11, 2011 - Though scarcely remembered these days and not making too many peoples' top lists, Throne of the Four Winds was definitely one of the more unique raids.
January 15, 2011 - Until Cataclysm, my Warrior had always been my main and first to max level. This time around I leveled my Mage first because it seemed like we'd need DPS more than Tanks. Then we needed healers so I leveled my Paladin. In the end we really needed a Tank, so my third level 85 was my trusty warrior who quickly became my main again.
January 19, 2011 - The Wildhammer Dwarves throw a hell of a wedding. Fun quest line and event and pretty cool seeing your own character in an ingame cutscene.
January 26, 2011 - Well that's going to leave a mark. Until the end Cataclysm, Deathwing would roam around the world burning people to a crisp. If the sky turned red and you heard a roar, you'd run like hell.
January 28, 2011 - Halls of Origin and Uldum had a wonderful Egyptian-style to them. With many generous nods to Indiana Jones.
January 28, 2011 - Thandrenn posing over Stormwind.
February 2, 2011 - Crusin' over Stormwind.
February 9, 2011 - Little glitch caused the water in Thousand Needles to take a while to display.
February 15, 2011 - Yowza.
February 15, 2011 - The Horde ride to Twilight Highlands was a lot more fun than as Alliance. Though some might question trusting our invasion force to Goblin technology.
February 16, 2011 - The original Dragonmaw Port. It looks this way when you first arrive as Horde.
February 16, 2011 - And then after completing a quest chain, it gets a huge upgrade.
February 22, 2011 - Playing through the Gilnean starting zone.
February 22, 2011 - Phasing Technology. This is before you go into the cellar and turn in a big quest.
February 22, 2011 - And then after an earthquake, you come back upstairs to find things significantly different.
March 26, 2011 - Space Invaders have taken over the Exile guild bank!
April 13, 2011 - Gah!! Don't eat my gnome!
April 24, 2011 - Though these days this RP event seems to happen every 3 minutes in Dalaran, back in 2011 this was still pretty cool. Though not current content by far, not too many people bothered yet.
April 26, 2011 - Patch 4.1 - "Rise of the Zandalari" was released.
May 1, 2011 - Occasionally we'd run a Classic Raid Night and do stuff like this. Always fun.
May 1, 2011 - Especially when you get a cool new mount out of it.
May 1, 2011 - Poor Magni.
May 2, 2011 - Exile defeats Cho'gall for the first time.
May 7, 2011 - For years I never ventured into the tunnels beneath Oshu'gun in Nagrand. During BC it was filled with elites and I had no reason to go down there, so I just never did. Later on I forgot about it. Until Cataclysm when I learned the story and the Horde quest I never completed about a dying Naaru. Years later and still learning new things about old places.
May 17, 2011 - Friends and I leveling new toons with new racial and class combinations. Gnome Priest, Night Elf Mage and a Dwarf Shaman.
June 8, 2011 - In Northrend you had Baby Murlocs. Now Baby Naga. What's next?
June 26, 2011 - What perfectly normal looking trees. Nothing suspicious here at all.
June 27, 2011 - Exile finally defeats Nefarion 10-man. One night before Patch 4.2 would arrive.
June 28, 2011 - Patch 4.2 - "Rage of the Firelands" was released.
June 28, 2011 - Patch 4.2 arrives bringing the Firelands, Molten Front and Tier 12. The Keyring, having been around since the original game release was removed and some paltry gold mailed in place of your keys.
July 4, 2011 - Twins separated at birth?
September 15, 2011 - Delasin working on the Legendary Staff questline.
September 15, 2011 - Ah, Bolvar Fordragon. We still remember.
September 18, 2011 - My new posse. Beware the penguins.
September 19, 2011 - Exile defeats Ragnaros.
September 20, 2011 - Selfie with the Dark Lady.
October 26, 2011 - Even the Forsaken decorate for Hallow's End.
November 29, 2011 - Patch 4.3 - "Hour of Twilight" was released.
December 4, 2011 - A week prior, Patch 4.3 arrived bringing the Dragon Soul raid, Tier 13 armor and a completely revamped Darkmoon Faire. Now instead of taking place in Elwynn Forest, Mulgore and outside Shattrath City, the Faire would take place on its own island. Also added were a number of mini games and achievements.
December 8, 2011 - The new patch also added tool called Looking For Raid, which could be used to group with random people to do the new raid, Dragon Soul.
December 8, 2011 - Part of the Rogue Legendary Daggers questline. Sadly the second option does not actually work.
December 12, 2011 - Egbert and I chillin with Thrall.
December 16, 2011 - You're a Mean One, Mr. Greench.
December 29, 2011 - After barely a month, Exile defeats Deathwing. Progression through Dragon Soul normal went very fast as compared to other raids, especially end of expansion raids like Sunwell and Icecrown Citadel.
In the course of a year, The Cataclysm expansion had pretty much run its course. In just 12 months, we'd seen the release of patches 4.1.0 with the Troll raids Zul'Gurub and Zul'Aman revamped as 5 man Heroic Dungeons, 4.2.0 with The Firelands and 4.3.0 with the Dragon Soul. In retrospect, that seems pretty fast. Next up, year 2012. The year the world was supposed to end.
