Hands-On: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Visual Tour
Awakening
I open my eyes to find myself standing on a stony path, surrounded by my kin. Some pass to and fro on matters that I can only assume are of importance from the determined look in their eyes. Others rest comfortably, gazing about at the sights and perking their long ears towards the various sounds of the world around us. Their thoughts, no doubt, parallel my own -- Sunstrider Isle is breathtaking, and it is nigh impossible to let its beauty pass by without a second glance.
The terraces of Sunstrider Isle. The valley is, hands-down, the most beautiful starting area in the game.
That the Blood Elf starting location is jaw-droppingly gorgeous is putting it mildly; the terraced valley is a jewel beyond comparison. Lush green fields, golden-leaved trees, sculpted bushes highlighting low, swooping wooden fences; the vale is a harmonious blending of emerald and amber, with ruby highlights thrown in for good measure. The impression it gives is of a sort of morning sunset, as though the sky cannot decide how to shine upon such a land.
The Blood Elf guards' armor is the quintessential example of the race's blending of aesthetics and functionality.
The Blood Elf clothing is just as striking. Every class's starting garb is spun from a deep, rich cloth, and is trimmed with gold filigree. NPCs are just as finely dressed, wearing ornate robes or skin-tight body armor. The Isle's guards are decked in red and gold plate, wielding long glaives with embedded gemstones.
In front of me, the Sunspire towers overhead, ringed with platforms floating magically on the air currents. I walk up to the tower's arched entrance and pass through it into a wide greeting hall. To my right, an enchanted broom quite literally sweeps by, some mage's spell guiding it in its endless rounds about the hall. Its movements pull my gaze to the walls, where various trainers pass on their skills to budding enthusiasts of their respective arts. Plants in floating pots bob up and down around a table in the center of the room, while high above, a bewitched chandelier provides plentiful illumination.
Aside from being the first Blood Elf building you'll see, the Sunspire is the hub of activity for a player's first five levels in the game.
Magic is the lifeblood of the Blood Elves, and its use can be found everywhere. Their architecture relies upon spells of levitation to support floating halls. Their books are stacked on spinning shelves that rotate magically about pivot points barely touching the ground. Even their fountains and decorative waterfalls are magical, the water fed back up to its starting points, not through feats of engineering, but through arcane portals.
This magical fountain is certainly stunning, but the Sunspire's towering form in the background is just as majestic.
Of course, magic is also an intrinsic part of playing Blood Elves, who have two racial abilities they can use regardless of class. The first, called Mana Tap, drains mana from targets that have it and charges the caster with 'arcane energy'. That charge can then be used with the Arcane Torrent ability, which both regenerates mana (or energy) and temporarily silences all enemies within a certain radius (silencing enemies prevents them from casting spells).
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