Gnomes are up in extremely small, teeny weeny arms about the Black Morass instance in the Caverns of Time.
As anyone who has done the Black Morass knows, the dungeon consists of eighteen waves of mobs coming from portals that spawn randomly in the area. There are five waves of normal mobs and then a boss one. This all takes place in an area that looks like Swamp of Sorrows -- it's very wet and full of angry swamp mobs that you really should clear before starting the event. If you don't keep the mobs away from Medivh, who is standing in the middle of all this, his shield begins to fail and you "lose" the event if his shield drops to zero. Thus, speed is important in getting around. And there we have the gnomes.
Gnomes are the only race short enough to have to swim in the watery areas of Black Morass, which really slows them down. They also get dismounted trying to cross it on their mounts. Since a lot of gnomes are mages and warlocks, who usually end up AOEing non-elite mobs to keep them from Medivh, this is majorly annoying for them. Winterfall Firewater is a solution, but wow is that thing a pain to farm (take it from a raiding rogue.)
A couple of gnomes have started humorous forum threads asking for some sort of change to this. Gnomes are usually an easygoing, fun-loving bunch, so they haven't started the Angry Fix This Or I'll Quit threads, which is quite a relief compared to the rest of the WoW forums.
Personally, I like gnomes. They're very much like my race, the trolls -- we're both homeless, underpopulated, and usually played by people who are more into fun and less into drama. I'm sure there's a way to fix the Black Morass that would fit into the spirit of the gnome lifestyle -- perhaps an engineering device at the beginning of the instance that either increases your size by 25 percent or turns you into an ogre. Still, it's hilarious picturing the little gnome tank swimming for his life as he's chased by crocodiles. Or, as Meejoe of Staghelm points out, perhaps it's just karmic payback for all the times gnomes hid under wagons in Naxxramas.
What do you think? Is it an oversight by Blizzard, an intentional slight, or just really freaking funny?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2-27-2007 @ 12:22PM
Zuuler said...
I think its funny, and I say make no changes. I hate gnomes. They're short. And they talk funny. And those mounts are just rediculous if you ask me.
Make em swim.
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2-27-2007 @ 12:22PM
Tigraine said...
They don't get dismounted.
They can ride through the water without any problem. Once they dismount they are swimming, but they can ride in there.
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2-27-2007 @ 12:24PM
Quaddw said...
L2Swim
:P
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2-27-2007 @ 12:24PM
MadCow said...
What? They don't drown? ... bummer.
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2-27-2007 @ 12:26PM
Prauche said...
Poor Widdle Gnomies.....
Gotta pick 'em outta my Tauren hooves as I stomp through the marsh.
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2-27-2007 @ 12:31PM
Krianna said...
Ah, the sweet, sweet bile that waited for post one to show racisim--or is that specisim?
Just another charmin' face ah de human type people, mon....
I be t'inkin' dat some kind of NPC dat'll make de gnomies a bit bigger an' only works der would be fun! De un-fun way would be ta jus change de rules so dat de wata's a little shallower.
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2-27-2007 @ 12:41PM
James said...
The only good gnome is a dead gnome.
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2-27-2007 @ 12:45PM
tyger said...
give them a sea horse form.
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2-27-2007 @ 12:47PM
John said...
Make gnomes socketable into tank armours.
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2-27-2007 @ 12:48PM
multikast said...
until they fix the WSG exploit (well, it's been a few weeks since i've seen it done, so i don't know the current status) where gnomes can leave the FR from the top and go straight through the 'fence' between ramp and GY, I say that black morass should stay as it is.
screw gnomes and the horse... err, mechanostrider they rode in on!
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2-27-2007 @ 1:15PM
Burning Adrenaline said...
Not the perfect solution as taking damage removes it, but why not have a Shaman cast water walking on you so you can keep moving, and eat/drink in those "deep" waters? Bring some reagents for him to be nice.
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2-27-2007 @ 1:39PM
Yippster said...
Your just jealous gnomes are the coolest race and we can't not make a robe look good.
Original poster:
...Personally, I like gnomes. They're very much like my race, the trolls -- we're both homeless, underpopulated, and usually played by people who are more into fun and less into drama...
Exactly!
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2-27-2007 @ 1:41PM
Mervo said...
I play 2 gnomes who will be doing that in the next month or so and all I can say is:
WTB Stilts PST
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2-27-2007 @ 1:42PM
Gnomercy said...
You can't mount while swimming, but my kitty runs through it all just fine.
And I have done the black morass 10 times and have yet to do battle against a single rift lord or whatever the bossish mobs are for the portals. I am the ideal grinder for the elites and such that come nonstop. Stand on medivh's island, dot dot dot fear drain tap tap repeat. over. and over. and over. and over. and over. One of these days I'm going to go and insist on being mobile dps. make someone else do the scut work I always do =)
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2-27-2007 @ 1:51PM
Heymish said...
Why the Gnome hatin? I've always wondered. Even the game is programed to hate. I've pickpoketed plenty of Gnome Effigies from ogres, but have never seen a dwarven, Night Elf, or even a human one. What gives? What did Gnomes ever do except invent amazing gadgets to make your life easier? Is it because they are short? Ghandi was short. So was Albert Einstein.
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2-27-2007 @ 2:16PM
James said...
@15
Its not because gnomes are short. It is because they taste delicious.
Seriously though, the race in general is annoying. The gnome males, in particular, creep me out. Most of them have beards and combovers, and the result is they kind of look like some creepy child-molesting high school English teacher. The females are funny, and I don't mind them too much--the males though--creepy little bastards.
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2-27-2007 @ 2:52PM
Heymish said...
@16
Hmm. You just described my main. I'm always tryin to cover that combover though. Makes him look old. Lol! I love my gnome rogue, but I will admit that while mashing the sinister strike button, the "I don't have enough energy" gets annoying.
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2-27-2007 @ 3:02PM
Krystian J said...
I just plain hate that race.
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2-27-2007 @ 3:13PM
KitKatDruid said...
I love gnomes, they're amazing. I think there should be something done about it. And so other races don't get jealous, you could make the "turn into an ogre" thing accessible to all players, not just gnomes.
Seriously, why the gnome hate? If any race is deserving of hatred, it's Blood Elves.
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2-27-2007 @ 3:22PM
Prauche said...
Three words: Savory Deviate Delight. Cheap and easy way for a gnome to deal with this problem. (Sorry for my previously non-helpful gnome-hating post.....who am I kidding, NO I'M NOT!!!)
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