Here's a spoiler for how this post will end: I'm going to tell you that ultimately which of these two zones you choose as the beginning of your adventures in Northrend depends entirely upon your own tastes. My opinions are just that, and you may not share them. That said, if you don't share them, frankly, you're a dumb dumb head.
So, let's take a look at the two zones and weigh their pros and cons individually. We'll start with...
Borean Tundra
Borean Tundra is situated on the west side of the continent, accessible by zeppelin from Orgrimmar if you're Horde or ship from Stormwind if you're Alliance. The terrain is rather varied - the tundra areas themselves are true to the name, barren and rather lifeless looking, stained with the color of lichen and moss. Further east, there are snowfields and an extensive hot springs area. To the west lies the subzone of Coldarra, a snow-filled bowl of arctic conditions.
In terms of quests, there is a LOT to do here. Warsong Hold itself has plenty of lines both in and around it, and once those are complete you have your choice of several different locations to head to next. Taunka'le Village in the east is another major quest hub, and there are several other locations dotted here and there - the D.H.E.T.A. camp and Bor'Gorok Outpost to name two. Moreover, the Amber Ledge just north of Warsong Hold will lead you to Coldarra, where there are plenty more quests to do, a lot of them leading to dungeon quests inside The Nexus. Definitely not to be missed.
Borean Tundra is very reminiscent of Hellfire Peninsula, both positively and negatively. The environs are far more desolate and, well, bland than Howling Fjord, and the music tends toward subtle and atmospheric, making it not especially noteworthy. That said, the feeling of being dropped into a warzone is there just as it was upon arriving through the Dark Portal for the first time - the Nerubians have Warsong Hold under siege, and your first tasks are to break this by any means necessary.
There's also excellent flow-through to the next zone, Dragonblight. Assuming you complete everything in Taunka'le Village, the quest line there will take you directly on to Icemist Village in Dragonblight, and eventually to the Horde settlement there, Agmar's Hammer. In terms of rewards, not including Nexus quests, you'll walk out of the zone with two blues for your trouble - the earlier of the two will be a weapon that lesser geared players and alts will definitely not want to miss.
Howling Fjord
Howling Fjord, by comparison, comprises the eastern edge of Northrend. Travel to and from the Fjord is accomplished via zeppelin from Undercity for Horde or by ship from Menethil Harbor for Alliance. The terrain here is much less varied than in Borean Tundra, but what IS here is spectacular. Stark cliffs, pine forests, lots of rivers and streams, and the northern mountains all make for a very picturesque zone. There's definitely a Nordic/Northern European feel here, and that's only enhanced by the presence of the vrykul.
It should be noted that there are less quests overall in the Fjord. Going purely on the quest achievements for each zone (which seem to comprise about 95% of available quests), Borean Tundra has Howling Fjord beat 130 to 105. Plus, things are more spread out at first - a couple quests here, one or two there, and so on. It's only once you reach Kamagua and Scalawag Point, or Camp Winterhoof up north, that you really start to find several quests you can chain together logically. Despite having fewer quests, however, it's worth pointing out that no matter which zone you start with, unless you do no instances whatsoever and kill only the minimum number of creatures required per quest, you're going to hit 80 with plenty to spare, just like in TBC.
One advantage the Fjord has over the Tundra is that the zone's main instance, Utgarde Keep, is quite a bit more easily accessible (both geographically and quest-wise) than The Nexus. Two of the dungeon's three quests lie right on the other side of the instance portal, and the trip here from Vengeance Landing is only about three minutes if you know where you're going. That said, The Nexus might net you slightly more and better loot, and has more quest support and thus more XP. You can check out my reviews for The Nexus
and Utgarde Keep at those links for more info.
The flow from this zone to the next (at least in terms of proximity), Grizzly Hills, isn't quite as good. Assuming you do only Howling Fjord, maybe tossing in some Utgarde Keep AND Nexus runs along the way, you should be around 72 by the time you're finished, which leaves you a level or two short of Grizzly Hills' optimum. However, a quest from New Agamand will send you on a free flight to Venomspite in Dragonblight, where you can pick up questing there. You'll just have to remember to turn around and come back slightly to the Grizzly Hills once you've gained a couple more levels.
So, when all is said and done, what's the verdict? Like I said at the top, that's up to you. Borean Tundra is a little more bland, but there's tons of quests. Howling Fjord is prettier but a bit lighter in that department, and more spread out.
Ultimately, though, I think the best way to do it is to simply alternate between the two zones. Hit up Coldarra, but make sure you also check out Kamagua. Camp Winterhoof's quests into Gjalerbron in the Fjord are definitely a must see, but then so are the quests from Taunka'le Village that take you into the Temple City of En'kilah.
Both zones are done well enough that you really can't go wrong.
Read more!
