Druids are my Bane

I just had a bad experience in WoW that has deepened my disdain for druids. I initially became apprehensive of them as Lug, my Tauren hunter, when I’d pass their training areas in Mulgore and they’d be filled with hippie-style beads. Now, since hitting the 40s as Gav, I’ve had two less then stellar encounters with druids. My first meeting came when the innkeeper at the Gilded Rose in in Stormwind’s Trade District sent me to Darnassus on a quest to speak to Arch Druid Staghelm. This dude is a crack-pot, no two ways about it. He whined and moaned about me being there, and then told me to go get Un’Goro soil. I was in the mid-40s, Un’Goro Crater is for around level 50 players, and I’m supposed to go there to get dirt?? Hell no, I said, and went to the auction house and bought up more then 50 units of soil. I figured I’d sell back whatever he didn’t need. Well, next thing I know I’m trying to cultivate seeds with it to get 10 units of Morrowgrain. I use up all my soil, get four pieces of morrowgrain, buy more soil, get everything BUT morrowgrain, and then finally give up and buy the stupid morrowgrain straight out to satisfy him. In the end, I spent over 30 gold to make this turkey happy (if you count the 2 gold I paid a mage to port my to Darnassus in the first place). I was mad as heck, but I was done with him.

Fast forward to today. I’m level 54 now, and I talk to the town crier in Ironforge who sends me back to Darnassus to speak to someone who wants me. I don’t pay attention to who, so much, just that I need to get to Darnassus and look for a yellow question mark. I get to the Cenarion area of Darnassus and I’ll be damned if I didn’t recognize the building I was headed towards. I was en route to another oh-so-happy meeting with my friend Arch Dunce Staghelm. Needless to say, he welcomed me with closed arms and hostile words, and sent me off to see his subordinate. His subordinate sent me to Moonglade. Now, Gav had never been there before, but I knew about it. It’s the training ground for druids, and since I’d played a Night Elf druid up to level 14, I knew that druids teleported there. So how was I supposed to get there on foot? By going through Timbermaw Hold, evidently. I’d seen while reading the achievement list that came with the new patch that there was an achievement to be had by befriending Timbermaw Hold, so I thought I’d get a start on that while I was there. I walked in, and the first furbolg I encountered was happy to see me – I think he was hungry. What I’m trying to say is that he tried to KILL ME! I defended myself with no problem, but I was instantly Hostile with the Hold. Great. Now I’m running through, trying not to hurt anyone else, and I come across a hub room. I take the easiest path out, and when I exit the Hold, I’m in snow. Dammit! I apparently took a wrong turn and ended up in Winterspring, which is a little too tough a place for me to hang out in. So I turn to run back and try the other path and what do I see but 5,000 teddy bears charging out of the tunnel! I’d apparently aggro’d the entire freaking Hold on my way through. I burst through them and ran towards to tunnel I’d passed and guess what? There were even more Winnie-the-Pooh wannabe’s in that tunnel! I’m down to under 500 HP now from over 3,400, and I keep getting hit with movement impeding debuffs, so I drink a potion, use my Divine Shield spell, and keep running. I make it out of the tunnel with a little under 1,000 HP remaining after the potion and the spell wore off. I HATE furbolgs now, and I’m mad at Staghelm for sending me through that hellhole.

Well, I’m in Moonglade now. I find my way to the person I’m supposed to see, complete the quest, but pass on the new chain that would lead me to Silithus, because I’m not going there any time soon. I head to the nearest flight masters, where I’m told I can’t catch a flight there because – what else? – I’m not a druid! No ****ing duh! C’mon, people, I just want to get HOME! I finally find my way to Stormrage Barrow Dens, where I caught a flight back to Darkshore, at which point I took the boat to Stormwind.

Did I mention that I hate druids?