Although I have a few Burning Crusade level characters, it is the lowbies I have been playing, and so I have been trekking about in all those low-level areas that the great mass of players left behind many months hence.

As a result, it *has* felt nostalgic … and even a bit sad. Much has changed. My toons run around in once-thriving towns and villages that at one time were busy with player activity. Thelsamar … vacant. Menethil … hardly breathing … Southshore … where did everyone go? Even the major cities can seem rather quiet and still.

On the plus side, I have been reminded of how much I like this game, how much fun I had leveling up toons in times past. And now, with recent patch changes, this process has greatly changed. My level 39 hunter was able to SOLO all of the Stromgarde quests (now that Blizzard has “de-elitized” the entire place), including the dreaded Otto and Falconcrest mission. Where once you had to wait and wait and WAIT to find a group for these quests, now you can just do them on your own. They are challenging, yes, but doable.

This, as a largely solo player, has left me feeling warmly toward Blizzard, because it means that now virtually only the instances are “player group necessary”. From a sense of nostalgia, though, I have to say that places such as Dun Morough, Elwynn Forest, and the rest are heavy with nostalgia for me. Even Ironforge. I can recall the first time one of my toons got there. I was so … awed by the place. In a way, it all awes me still. Well done, Blizzard!