WoW Moviewatch: Mount Hyjal

by Dan O'Halloran Nov 12th 2007 at 12:00PM

Raid videos can be monotonous. Most are one long shot of the same spell effects hitting the boss mobs for 20 minutes straight. Then there are videos like this one. Let's list all the things that sets this video apart:

A 2 minute story-based intro with (are you sitting down?) excellent voice acting
Dynamic editing synched to the soundtrack that keeps the fights interesting
Many different types of music to give each encounter its own flavor

For 98% of the WoW population that will never see the Mount Hyjal raid instance, this is video is a gift from the gods.

Previously on Moviewatch...

Tags: anetheron, archimonde, azgalor, jaina-proudmore, kaz-rogal, malfurion-stormrage, mount-hyjal, rage-winterchill, thrall, tyrande-whisperwind, well-of-eternity

Filed under: Machinima, Raiding, WoW Moviewatch, Lore

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Verit Nov 12th 2007 12:25PM

Gift from the gods comment is disturbing. The fact that a good chunk of the really interesting content in the game is out of reach of a good amount of paying customers is rather unfortunate. For some reason I keep playing anyhow.

I still find it amusing you can sign up for a mount hyjal pug (or any other raid) in looking for group tool.

Hevn Nov 12th 2007 12:25PM

Id rather get a chance to see it in person, but im one of the 98% who cant do effort to raid places like hyjal, naxx and etc. I know, I should quit my jobs and work more on raiding.

Ricque Nov 12th 2007 12:26PM

A swedish song in the end :P Must be swedes then. Fantastiskt :D

vildmule Nov 12th 2007 12:32PM

The Gods comment is what it is, but the video itself is pretty poor. It might have been worth watching if it's makers hadn't added a ton of horrible effecs. It might make what is shown fith to the music, but it sure ruined the video for me.

plixer Nov 12th 2007 12:40PM

'Gift of the Gods' is too generous..

and the part with the undead talking literally made me say out loud, "What the fuck?"

but... it was still a nice vid. 3 3/4 stars :)

Verit Nov 12th 2007 12:44PM

@2 - If you're like me you probably spend as much effort at the game as most serious raiders. I still believe that its all about coordination and player skill - problem is most of us are in guilds where it takes 10-15 wipes on the same encounter before everyone seemingly understands it.

Nails Nov 12th 2007 12:51PM

the video quality and framerate were horrible

2/10

Duco Nov 12th 2007 1:05PM

Also, the intro voices were taken from Warcraft III game.

NCteacher Nov 12th 2007 1:08PM

I think this was a fantastic video. I have seen many raid videos over the years and this one actually keeps you interested and tells the story of the whole encounter in a way that even blizzard could learn from with cut scenes and so fort. I am with the Dan on this one as I feel this was lots of fun to watch and the fact that ill probably never see Mount Hyj. maybe for another year, makes it worth watching as well.

Raider Nov 12th 2007 1:10PM

Do you really find Hyjal that hard to get into? I would think more than 2% will get to see it. Attunments will just get lifted around the Sunwell release anyway.

ninjasuperspy Nov 12th 2007 1:12PM

Interesting video. A little heavy on the effects, but I'm guessing the music video feel is what the guy was going for. That's sad too, because the opener was actually really interesting. As are some of the "split screen" bits, eg The intros to the various bosses. I'd like to see a raid video like this taken to the cinematic extreme, though the game mechanics don't really support that.

@6: You know, I'd believe that. The guild I'm in is a small, informal sort of organization, and I've been playing alt since the start of BC, so my poor 60 paladin is only now hitting 67. If I used the Getting Things Done method and actually got her geared and 70, then got some early morning raids going on the weekends I don't see why a person with a "normal" life would be stopped from seeing the top of MH. It is just 25 well geared players who know what they are doing.

Sohanstag Nov 12th 2007 1:39PM

@9 - Actually the voice-over stuff is from Warcraft III, as 8 pointed out, so I don't think the video makers get much credit for the story. I enjoyed the video, though!

Regarding 2% getting into Hyjal and #10 - I don't think attunement is really the problem. It's a tough raid and I doubt that 200k people worldwide will see that raid first-hand. I'm on a decent-sized server and our top guilds are still working through or farming SSC and TK.

Krishan Nov 12th 2007 1:47PM

2% only will see Hyjal?
Doubtful...it's not really that hard, maximum a few months progressing through ssc/tk. First 2 bosses are easier than the Kael'Thas encounter fo'sho!
Nice vid though, although the Curse one on BT pwns!

Raider Nov 12th 2007 1:47PM

@12 I guess I don't really know what its like on other servers.. Mine is only ranked like 50th in the US and we have 8 guilds in MH/BT - mine included.

Sohanstag Nov 12th 2007 2:01PM

Regarding guild/server rankings: Can anyone recommend a good site for this or comment on the accuracy of such sites? I do a lot of WoW internet reading but I've never had a recommendation on this. Sorry for the off-topic post but I'd love some feedback...

Thraine Nov 12th 2007 2:03PM

Any chance of adding a Stage6 stream to this?
Nice anyhow:)

KaonNemesis Nov 12th 2007 2:06PM

Very nice and impressively put together... but a little too artistic to actually show of the raid well, unfortunately.

Jess Nov 12th 2007 2:50PM

For those who care about numbers, according to wowjutsu in the US/Eu player base of WOW, about 5% of players have loot from Hyjal and The Black Temple. However this 5% is only from polling armory profiles of players who are in guilds that have at least killed one boss in Karazhan. So the absolute number is closer to 2%.