World Of Warcraft Patch 3.2 Adds Quest Markers

Every major patch for World of Warcraft contains at least a few things that piss off hardcore gamers. Patch 3.2 is no exception.

When players accept a quest, they'll now receive visual prompts on where to go. The system's explained here in the patch notes (via CVG):

User Interface: Quest creatures and objects will now show on the player's world map.

  • A skull graphic will be placed on the map in the general area where creatures players must kill can be found.
  • A glowing skull graphic will be placed on the map in the general area where creatures can be found that drop quest objects.
  • A gear graphic will be placed on the map in the general area where players must loot objects found in the world.
  • A chat bubble graphic will be placed on the map in the general area where players must interact with a specific NPC.
  • X marks the spot on the map where players must reach, discover or explore a designated area.
  • A yellow question mark graphic will show on the map to provide the location of a NPC whose quest the player has completed.

While this new feature might rankle of "teh hardcorez", this is Blizzard's way of admitting that players need/want these quest aids. There are a number of popular, user-created add-ons and websites that provide this exact information. You can argue that these aids remove exploration or challenge from the game but there's a wide segment of people who just want to blaze through quests as quickly as possible to get to max level and don't feel like searching for some hidden NPC.

Pete Haas

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend.