World of Warcraft is no stranger to extending the time players spend in-game through artificial means, to say the least. One of the ways Blizzard accomplished this in World of Warcraft Classic (or rather, in the Vanilla WoW experience) was through incredibly long quest chains that dragged players all across the world. These quests often took hours, if not days, to complete – and sometimes the reward just wasn't worth it.

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Unfortunately, some of these lengthy quests are unavoidable in the World of Warcraft Classic experience. If the player wants to get to max level and experience end-game content, they will have to endure some of the most patience-testing parts of Azeroth.

5 The Three Mechanical Chicken Escorts (Both Factions)

Mechanical Chicken OOX Escort World of Warcraft Classic Long Quest Chains

Escort missions in video games are generally considered time-consuming, painful messes that only pad out the game. When World of Warcraft was initially released, though, this wasn't a very common sentiment. Just about every zone in the game has some form of escort quest, but when it comes to suffering, the three Rescue OOX quests take the cake.

These quests, located in Tanaris, Feralas, and the Hinterlands, are available to both Horde and Alliance. Keep in mind, though, that they are almost impossible to complete on a PvP server, and even then often require the player to form a group with others for any chance of completing the quest.

The three mechanical chicken escort missions are technically only a three-part quest chain, but nonetheless takes just as long as some of the most time-consuming quests in the game. Complete them all, then talk to Oglethorpe in Booty Bay and the player will receive a mechanical chicken pet.

4 The Legend of Stalvan (Alliance)

Legend of Stalvan World of Warcraft Classic Long Quest Chains

The Legend of Stalvan is simultaneously one of the best-written quests in World of Warcraft Classic and one of the most lengthy. It's a quest that forces the player to travel all across the Eastern Kingdoms tracking down information about an enigmatic figure named Stalvan – and it has 13 steps total.

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This quest starts in Duskwood in the Darkshire Town Hall, and in truth, most of the quest chain is pretty simple. One part involves rifling through some papers to find out information, the next involves talking to someone nearby, but the majority of the time spent finishing this quest is simply traveling from place to place.

The Legend of Stalvan takes the player through Duskwood, Westfall, Elwynn Forest, and even the Redridge Mountains. The best way to prepare for this quest is to visit all of these locations and pick up the flight paths ahead of time.

3 The Missing Diplomat (Alliance)

The Missing Diplomat World of Warcraft Classic Long Quest Chains

The Missing Diplomat is a quest available to Alliance adventurers and, like The Legend of Stalvan, takes the player all over the place over a long series of small quests. To finish The Missing Diplomat, the player will need to slog through 16 separate quests that take them through the Wetlands, Duskwod, Elwynn Forest, and Dustwallow Marsh.

This quest is worth doing for the powerful ring given as a reward for completion: Jaina's Signet Ring, which grants +3 Strength and +7 Stamina. While the quest is lengthy, the ring and the massive experience gain from the various parts of the quest chain make it worth spending a few hours on.

It should be said, though, that this quest sometimes glitches and won't let players progress past Mikhail, the tavern keeper in Menethil Harbor. If the player finds themselves unable to talk to Mikhail, simply log off and log in and the problem should be fixed. If anything, it's just another reason this quest is one of the most tedious in the game.

2 Onyxia Attunement Questline (Horde)

Onyxia Onyxias Lair World of Warcraft Classic Long Quest Chains

The Alliance Onyxia Attunement, The Great Masquerade, is a long quest chain to be sure. But at 14 steps that are each more difficult and tedious than the last, the Horde's Onyxia Attunement quest chain takes the cake for being among the most time-consuming quests in World of Warcraft. The quest begins simply enough, with the player tasked to slay a few enemies within Blackrock Mountain, but quickly becomes something far greater.

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The player is then tasked to gather Dragonkin eggs in a quest that can't be completed without a large group of people – likely all on the same quest. Then, the player must defeat several special bosses who, again, can't be killed without a group. Then, the player is tasked to travel to Desolace, Feralas, and Stonetalon all as part of a single part of the quest chain, after which the player will be almost ready to take on Onyxia.

It's almost insane how long this quest chain takes to complete, especially now that most max-level characters have it completed and players will have a harder time finding a group.

1 Scepter of the Shifting Sands (Both Factions)

AhnQiraj The Fallen Kingdom World of Warcraft Classic Long Quest Chains

The Scepter of the Shifting Sands quest chain, otherwise known as the Opening of Ahn'Qiraj, is easily the longest quest chain in World of Warcraft, let alone Classic. At 32 steps, and only one person per server ultimately allowed to open the gates, it was a huge undertaking no matter how prepared the player thought they were.

This quest chain takes the player quite literally all across the world. Silverpine Forest,  Ashenvale, Winterspring, the Blasted Lands, Hillsbrad Foothills, and Feralas are only about half of the zones players will need to visit to complete this quest.

While the Gates of Ahn'Giraj opened on July 28 and the initial war efforts were completed in a mere 14 hours (compared to the weeks and months in the original Vanilla launch) most of the quest is still available to play – although, there isn't much of a point anymore, as the associated 40 man raid has been available for the better part of half a year now.

NEXT: WoW Classic: Must-Play Questlines Before The End