So based on a post from Turkeycat, I wanted to add to his initial post about reimplementing the Scepter of the Shifting Sands Questline, a truly fun & legendary quest line. I’ll break this down, section by section, and add what’s missing, what needs to be fixed, and my honest suggestion on how to fix it.
What Tomorrow Brings
Baristolth of the Shifting Sands is at the Cenarion Hold in Silithus. His NPC ID may match the original but that can also be fixed if it isn’t, otherwise he just needs to allow one to take up the quest again.
Only One May Rise
Anachronos NPC is still there, his NPC ID seems to be the same. A minor change may be needed if it looks at his location or just the NPC in the zone. Broodlord Lashlayer is still in the game, I do not believe his NPC ID has changed, he’d only need to drop his head once more. It can still be an epic drop for those on the quest or made a common quest drop.
The Path of the Righteous/Hand of the Righteous
Shockingly, if you have your “Agent of Nozdormu” or were made a “Proxy of Nozdormu”, you can still collect the Silithid Carapace Fragments from the Silithid in the past version of Silithus. These shockingly still sell for a VERY high amount, I’m not sure why but it’s a nice gold farm.
Anachronos
No changes are needed here, assuming this quest looks at the NPC ID and not the NPC location.
Long Forgotten Memories
The Crystalline Tear is only visible on the quest and thus has been removed from the game. This simply needs to be reimplemented in The Fallen Kingdom of Ahn’Qiraj area of the map, just outside The Scarab Wall.
A Pawn on the Eternal Board
Anachronos would need to allow the questline to be reimplemented. No changes here.
The Charge of the Dragonflights
Anachronos would need to allow the questline to be reimplemented. No changes here. However, Eranikus, Vaelastrasz, and Azuregos are different stories.
Green Scepter Shard
Eranikus, Tyrant of the Dream: Shade of Eranikus is still in the Sunken Temple, however, Malfurion Stormrage has been removed. This part would need to be reimplemented. Teldrassil still exists in the past version of Darkshore, however, the NPC Malurion is no longer in the game here.
Tyrande & Remulos: Both the Forest Wisp and Keeper Remulos are still in the game shockingly enough. Their NPC Ids could be the same or they could be different. This is a simple fix if it’s changed.
The Nightmare’s Corruption: So here’s what I’ve noticed along with Turkeycat.
A.) Ashenvale: The Emeraldon mobs are still in Retail, shockingly enough. The Fragment of Nightmare’s Corruption would need to be readded to their drop tables.
B.) Hinterlands: As Turkeycat said, the Verdantine Oracles, Verdantine Tree Warders, and Verdantine Boughguards are not in the game, however, they do share the same model as the Jadmir Echospawn. Simply reusing the models with the appropriate names is the solution here.
C.) Feralas: As Turkeycat said, the Jademir Echospawn resemble the Jademir Oracles, Jademir Tree Warders, Jademire Boughguards, and Jademir Dragonspawn well enough. Simply adding the Fragment to its loot table would suffice.
D.) Duskwood: The Twilight Corrupter is not currently in Retail. Simply reimplementing him with his loot table & gold is the answer. The Legashi Satyr in Azshara looks like an inverted pallet swap, however, the Wildspawn Satyrs in Dire Maul resemble him greatly, so reusing their model and making it the reuse as an elite that spawns here is also a viable choice that can save time and effort.
The Nightmare Manifests: Eranikus, Tyrant of the Dream doesn’t seem to be removed from the game. However, with the quest’s removal, one can only assume he’s been removed from Moonglade, along with the ads he spawns. As this is no longer a leveling area for druids, there’s little to no risk of newbies dying. I know when I completed the quest, I was unaware of the leveling up Druids, in my defense, I made call-outs for the leveling up Druids to come to my raid and we’d protect them.
The Champion Returns: Nothing needs to be changed outside ensure Anachronos inside the Caverns of Time and Anachronos outside the Caverns of Time are the same NPC IP needed for the quest.
Red Scepter Shard
This one is simple: Allow Vaelastrasz to talk about the Red Scepter Shard again with person or persons on the quest, and allow Nefarian to drop the Red Scepter Shard upon his death.
Blue Scepter Shard
Azuregos’s Magical Ledger
As Azuregos isn’t currently located in Azshara, this can easily be rectified. Create a Zidormi that you can talk to in which he is still alive, he can be made to drop very little gold and none of his Anniversary gear if worried about farming his transmog, or simply make him a neutral mob who cannot be attacked by either Alliance or Horde. If creating a Zidormi zone is too much effort, with the Classic/Vanilla/Original model ID, put him back in Azshara and once more: Remove his loot table and drop his value in gold OR make it so he cannot be attacked by Alliance or Horde. Narain Soothtooth is still in the game. I’m not sure if his NPC ID is still the same, but this is an easy minor fix by developers to have his NPC ID match him, if it has changed from Retail & Classic/Vanilla.
Translating the Ledger.
1.) Narain’s Scrying Goggles: Stewvul, is TECHNICALLY still in the game as Turkeycat pointed out, however, you get phased into the instanced version of Gilneas. There are two solutions here: Have Zidormi in Silverpine Forest who takes you to the past before the walls of Gilneas were torn down so there’s a crate with Stewvul in it. Otherwise, making the crate with Stewvul in both the instanced versions of Gilneas & Silverpine Forest are available at all times. As for the goggles themselves, allow the goggles to drop off any Molten Core mob, either 100% like it was during Wrath or 2%-5% as it was originally.
2.) 500 Pound Chicken: Dirge Quikcleave is still in the game. Hopefully, his NPC ID is still the same, if not, minor changes can be made there. The Isle of Dread is not available any longer. This can be rectified by making an instanced version of Feralas that goes back to the past, or once more: Zidormi allows a time travel to the past. The easiest solution is Prince Lakma, the Last Chimaerok should drop the Lakmaeran’s Carcass as he still drops A LOT of Chimaerok Tenderloin, even the AH has a lot for sale for reasonable prices. Goblin Rocket Fuel and Deeprock Salt are also still in the game. The recipe can still be Bind on Use or if you want to keep it special, make it BoP now but I’d suggest against that.
3.) Draconic for Dummies: Volume II, here comes the long one.
A.) Draconic for Dummies & Love Song for Narain: The islands south of Land’s End Beach are removed from the game. Creating an NPC to take you to the instanced version of Land’s End Beach for the quest could suffice, another would be adding a Zidormi to take you to the past. If this is implemented, Meridith the Mermaiden is currently not in retail, however since flying is allowed, having her here would be a wink and nod for people who happen to be in the area that did the quest or simply give Siren’s Song buff as she once did for no special reason. The dirt also is removed from the game. This can be fixed simply by returning the missing islands far south of Land’s End Beach or moving the dirt to Land’s End Beach, which would nullify the need to make Zidormi or an Instanced version for the quest as well as Meridith the Mermaiden’s return.
B.) rAnS0m: Simply needs to be reimplemented as the Freshly Dug Dirt in either Land’s End Beach or the islands far south.
C.) Decoy!: Ensure Narain Soothfancy will give Narain’s Special Kit and its provided items to the player, along with the Number Two’s fight during this specific quest making their return as well. Number Two’s model looks kind of like Icehowl from Northrend Beasts encounter, but not enough. Importing his model from Classic should be easy enough. Uhk’loc also looks very similar, which may be easier to reuse.
D.) The Only Prescription: There’s more currently in retain than one would think. Dr. Weavil is still in the game, along with Onyxia, and Ragnaros. Pages 1, 6, and 8, respectively, would simply need to be readded to their respective loot tables. Stormwind, Undercity, and Blackwing Lair are still in the game, UC is accessible either before advancing the story so far or doing a questline to unlock the Zidormi in Tirisfal Glades. I cannot remember if the books are still there and you’re unable to interact with them, however, this is easily fixed by putting them back in their respective locations and making them interactable to get pages 4, 5, and 7. Pages 2 and 3 are the difficult ones, as both Doomguard Commanders and Felguard Elites in Blasted Lands have been removed from the game, as well as the Hederine Slayers and Hederine Initiates in Winterspring. You can simply put the ads in, but there are some alternatives. The Doomguard Destroyers look like the Doomguard Commanders, albeit having a sword, are in The Tainted Scar and Tainted Forest. As for the Hederine Slayers & Initiates, nothing took their place. There are no mobs that look similar to the Succubi or Felguards, the easiest answer would be to put them back. However, another simple answer is that page 5 drops from the Ice Avatars or Frostmaul mobs from the area. Having a rare spawn elite for pages 2 and 3 is another answer, assuming they’d look like the Doomguard Commander and Hederline Initiates respectively.
Maws
A.) The Good News and The Bad News: All the items: Arcanite Bar, Blue Sapphire, Azerothian Diamond, and Elementium Ingot, are still available and obtainable. So the Arcanite Bouy can still be obtained if reimplemented with Narain.
B.) The Wrath of Neptulon: Maws has been removed from the game. Along with the Arcanite Bouy and Blue Scepter Shard. This is easily fixed by reimplementing them with their proper in-game ID codes in their locations, I.E. Maws in the Bay of Storms in Azshara as well as Narain giving the Arcanite Bouy with Maws having his drop table of Blue Scepter Shard being put back, along with any gold and/or other world drop uncommon/rares/epics from the appropriate loot table.
The Might of Kalmindor & Bang A Gong
The Scarab Gong is still in Silithus. There won’t be a 10-hour war of course, even in the Zidormi version of Silithus. Although, the idea of them being 70+ elites that are on par with Mythic Amirdrassil trash would be kind of fun for the sadists who think they can solo them.
Treasure of the Timeless One
I feel that during the January event, those who have the scepter should be allowed to bang the gang in Silithus and get the mount at the very least. Even if it’s ONLY to the faction that wins the right to fly their banner over Ahn’Qiraj. That part of the quest can be open for the first ten hours afterward. The title can still belong to the few, the proud, the elite who did it during the 10-hour war, or whoever originally opened the gates.