On This Day - Patch 1.3: Ruins of the Dire Maul Launched Seventeen Years Ago on March 7th, 2005

On this day, March 7th, 2005, Patch 1.3.0: Ruins of the Dire Maul was released. World of Warcraft hadn't even had an expansion yet, and the game was very different than the one we know now. Here are a few things that changed with Patch 1.3 as the game started to find its feet.

Trailer for Classic Dire Maul by Nostralus

New Dungeon: Dire Maul Cautiously, I crept through the verdant growth of Feralas, edging ever-closer to the towering walls peering through the trees. I remained hidden, careful to keep the horns of my feline shape from tangling in the undergrowth. There, dusky skin stark against the lush green of the woods, stood the Gordok ogres.

I had been sent here by the Sage to discover what happened to Eldre'Thalas, the once-formidable night elven vault of arcane secrets. The forest eventually reclaims everything built within its clutches, and the crumbling, vine-draped walls were simple proof that the same was happening here. Still, despite the green's steady encroachment, the stonework in many places was largely untouched — evidence of the skill that went into building this place.

The night elves expended a great deal of effort to preserve the knowledge within its walls, and greater energy still to keep it there. As I stalked the edge of Eldre'Thalas, watching the Gordok squatting on the ancient ruins, remembering the whispers of ghostly Highborn haunting the locked passages, and smelling the stench of demonic magic in the air, it was certain to me that bringing to light the long-lost treasures of what is now Dire Maul would no doubt be a challenge for even the most skilled of adventurers. My scouting done, I turned away, heading back to camp to prepare my companions..

Read more on wowhead.com