I spent a pleasant evening running around Duskwood with my warrior doing all the (what used to be) elite quests.   Things have changed since the early days, when the names Mor’Ladim, Morbent Fel and Stalvan Mistmantle struck terror in our hearts.  I’m sure that those all used to be group quests.   I think I did them all with my first character, even thought it meant waiting for groups, then finding that nobody had read the instructions and so forgot to use Morbent’s bane.    I think I have one final challenge there – the bride of the embalmer.  I’m waiting to find out just how easy that is these days.   I’m hoping that Stitches is still as scary as he used to be.

I can see why the quests need to be easier.   I suppose that after a few years, the large majority of players in Duskwood are no longer new players.   These are alts, in a hurry to get to level cap, and they don’t have the time to wait for groups.   Making the quests easier means we can still have the fun of the quest storyline (and the experience and quest rewards) even if we’re running our way through solo.    There were a few things I hated about Duskwood – the long runs, the competition over the skeletal fiends, being killed by Mor’Ladim.   But the quest storylines were some of the best.   And there was Stitches.  Who can forget the first time they saw the abomination lumber towards Darkshire, shaking the ground with each step, leaving corpses in his wake, and the whole town running out to try to kill him?

I miss the old days.   But it was fun seeing off Mor’Ladim in the gloomy cemetery, after he’d killed my first character so many times.    That showed him.