tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13213742730351046532023-11-16T00:44:46.685-07:00Symptoms of AltitisHave you ever been killed by the flight master while innocently trying to get out of Booty Bay? Do you answer "yes" when someone asks what class/race you play in game? Do you know that Barrens Chat is the same on every server from personal experience? World of Warcraft is full of endless possibilities. Why limit yourself?Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-60465331248678643642016-10-13T21:12:00.001-07:002016-10-13T21:12:26.621-07:00Nope, nope, nope! (Weapon woes, pt. 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
This tip popped up for me yesterday, in the twenty minutes I actually spent logged in. My job has me on mandatory OT now, which makes alting at all pretty hard.<br />
<br />
I was going to talk about my paladin or my mage last week, but that flew out the window. There was Timear's weekly quest to do the world quests, so most of my meager game time last week was spent grinding out the same world quests I've already done a few times.<br />
<br />
So...trying to level alts is probably a terrible idea this early in the expansion.<br />
<br />
Then again, I love to entertain terrible ideas.<br />
<br />
So...<br />
<br />
I have two mages. One night elf, one blood elf. On my night elf, I already got the frost and fire weapons. (Felo'melorn and Ebonchill, for those who don't play a mage but love lore and want to know.) Those were somewhat easy, with a little bit of a challenge factor, for someone who didn't bother gearing up and isn't used to playing a mage.<br />
<br />
And then there's the arcane weapon.<br />
<br />
Oh God.<br />
<br />
The arcane weapon.<br />
<br />
I'm going after that on my blood elf mage right now. I died until my gear went a little broken around the edges. Went outside the scenario to repair, optimistic because I thought I almost had it...but the whole thing reset.<br />
<br />
Oh hell no!<br />
<br />
So, I'm in the middle of that quest.<br />
<br />
Screw it! I'm doing the death knight weapons next. And my night elf can never go arcane, ever, as far as I'm concerned.<br />
<br />
Any mages out there want to tell me how it's done? I already got the idea that I want to stay as far away from the guy as possible, but other than that I'm at a loss. My blood elf got leveled in a hurry from the Legion invasion events, so I don't have any buffs of any sort. No food, no flasks, no potions. Should I stock up? Any spells really help?<br />
<br />
Anyone else have any weapons they've gone after that just made them nope the hell out? Or has it all been smooth sailing for you so far?Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-80909543219655493502016-09-29T20:35:00.000-07:002016-09-29T20:38:46.939-07:00Shaman-ing for the win!So, the other day I had this conversation.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTZ8ziqvYq5dm66hvwd0GVp0Wo29RLPCu5vHy4z9ajfYF39H9Rf6UxozM58Av6Vm_6L9IGM-fSk6s4VCg0je3yAn1m4_3NRWGI7aoPqnZHQEPriafUx-RrxqhJzvUcSn4QvZBDt1qUqUr/s1600/Maelstrom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTZ8ziqvYq5dm66hvwd0GVp0Wo29RLPCu5vHy4z9ajfYF39H9Rf6UxozM58Av6Vm_6L9IGM-fSk6s4VCg0je3yAn1m4_3NRWGI7aoPqnZHQEPriafUx-RrxqhJzvUcSn4QvZBDt1qUqUr/s320/Maelstrom.jpg" width="320" /></a>me: Okay, DH is all leveled up. What next?<br />
<br />
guildie: Shavvy.<br />
<br />
me: Yes?<br />
<br />
guildie: No! Shavvy! Shavra! Level your shaman next!<br />
<br />
me: OH! Duh...<br />
<br />
It should have been a no-brainer. In my guild I'm still called Shavra after my first main ever.<br />
<br />
However, it isn't always so cut and dry. There have been a few expansions where I just can't get into the shaman play style, no matter what spec we're talking about. I learned to play a shaman in BC, and the class was a whole different animal back then.<br />
<br />
Resto in BC: Earth shield on the tank. Little heal, little heal, little heal, OHSHITINSTANTBIGHEAL, little heal, little heal, done.<br />
<br />
Elemental in BC: Lightning bolt x 5000, flame shock on cool down. Forget you have earth shock unless you're watching Omen like a hawk. Chain lightning if there was more than one thing and you trusted your tank until you ran out of mana. Get yelled at for putting down a mana totem.<br />
<br />
All shamans in BC: Listen to everyone tell you which totems to throw down, be told you're a scrub no matter which ones you plant because someone didn't get the buff that would help them the most. Watch your totem timers like a hawk.<br />
<br />
I didn't touch enhancement in BC, but I gather it was auto attack a lot, cast a couple of things, watch your totem timers, and pray to the windfury RNG gods. Oh, and interrupt shit, which is why I avoided that spec. It sounded like too much responsibility to me.<br />
<br />
Holy crap, Legion is different! It happened gradually, sure, but where'd my totems go? What do all these extra buttons do? If I were a time traveler and went from BC to today I'd be so lost. Thrilled, but lost.<br />
<br />
I gave up playing elemental and resto in Wrath, because in Hyjal I saw Thrall call forth his ghost wolves, and when I heard I would be able to do that to it was my greatest goal in the game. (Temporarily, of course. Seeing Arthas for myself eclipsed it pretty fast, since I was devouring lore at the time.)<br />
<br />
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All that is to say, Legion hit me in the shaman feels pretty hard and super fast. Shavra is up to level 104 currently, and I'm awed by the state of the lore as well as how playable the class is. I have totem laments, since I was proud of how often people complemented me on my totem-slinging skills. However, the class is more streamlined now. I don't feel paralyzed by too many choices that ultimately finish in a wash on the DPS meters. I'm not juggling six or more timers all the time. I'm just playing.<br />
<br />
I haven't grouped up with my shaman much yet. No instances, no raids, just solo questing and conducting missions for my minions. So, I don't know how it feels to be the shaman without being told, "Lay me down some of that sweet windfury love!" It was a request I got even though I didn't have access to that totem until I switched specs in Wrath. I've quested as both elemental and enhancement so far in Legion, though, and I just can't decide which I enjoy more. They're both fun in their own ways.<br />
<br />
Part of me wishes I still had my original Tauren shaman around so I could do a contrast/compare on the Horde/Alliance feel of just how epic it is to wield Doomhammer. Going back to the Exodar on my Draenei and seeing the Legion trashing my home was a punch in the gut in ways it's hard to describe. Either you're an oddball like me and sympathize with your characters, too, or you don't. I like to go for immersion in the story to a point. Not to the point of joining an RP server, just to the point of looking at events unfold and imagining the "what if" of the moment. I've done the event on four different characters now, and my shaman was the only one I got emotional about. So, there's that.<br />
<br />
I'm sure I'll get to the resto weapon quest one of these days. I haven't even toyed with the idea of healing on my shaman since BC, even though that's where my roots are. Perhaps that's why I haven't. It's a feeling I'll never have back, a feeling I can never capture again. Resto is my shaman's past, not her future. I'm open to persuasion, however. But if you try, make it good.<br />
<br />
Next week I'll have a few things to say either about my paladin or my mage. They've both been loads of fun in their own ways. I've spent more time than I expected on gearing up my DH, though, so I might put those off if something amazing happens.<br />
<br />
Happy leveling!Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-68288624164956431292016-09-22T20:23:00.003-07:002016-09-22T20:23:53.339-07:00So I pick a new "main" each expansion...haha<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm6j9nANP-n5_8duM2fmh7preKpmDuv-dN7VzMDZRDyZsqw0dtsFGNhT-FXkHyWzhMeLLu7dcAI3ly-R8buRTUEVXS5jk_pRlZv4wLxZYTudRtYzEVkTrkOJQUd7dlQu9S2XPZdy5sILt/s1600/kala_and_akama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm6j9nANP-n5_8duM2fmh7preKpmDuv-dN7VzMDZRDyZsqw0dtsFGNhT-FXkHyWzhMeLLu7dcAI3ly-R8buRTUEVXS5jk_pRlZv4wLxZYTudRtYzEVkTrkOJQUd7dlQu9S2XPZdy5sILt/s400/kala_and_akama.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I feel like the title of this post is a setup for a joke. I don't have a punchline, sorry. Or, perhaps I am the punchline.<br />
<br />
The thing is, I didn't plan to race to 110 with my new Demon Hunter first. I was going to go full circle back to my shaman, or perhaps finally tank with my paladin like I'd always wanted to do. I'd had so many ideas of what I wanted to do.<br />
<br />
I didn't want to fall in love with another hero class. I'd done that once already, and fell out of love just as quickly. I wanted to raid, and I thought the only way I'd get a guaranteed spot at the time was to be a healer. So, in Wrath, I healed instead of playing the Death Knight I'd so loved. It's probably a good thing. I wasn't a very good DK. There were just some tricks I never got the hang of, and I lost track of class changes fairly quickly with that one. Once Arthas was dead my fascination simply waned.<br />
<br />
So, I had a feeling that the DH would be more of the same. I'd love the tragic darkness of the backstory, but I'd move on fairly fast.<br />
<br />
The problem is, I love the mechanics of playing my DH. Kalalin, pictured above, is a Vengeance DH, the tanking spec for anyone who hasn't kept up. When I tried tanking on my DK in Wrath I did a poor job of it. I didn't want to keep track of what abilities would do what to help, and when to use them best, and blah blah blah. I was impatient. I wanted to smash stuff and never die.<br />
<br />
(Come to think of it, that's something I love about my DH. Oh, and my Paladin that I leveled prot. Oh, and my shaman that I leveled resto. Um...)<br />
<br />
The DH class is really rather intuitive for me, though. Leaping into the fray and face smashing things gives me an unholy glee, to be sure, but the mechanics are smooth and actually kinda pretty to look at. I don't have macros and keybinds set up yet, but if I tank more I'll be doing that. I've never really been willing to do that for any other class, because I was always afraid it wouldn't be enough reward to justify the time investment, especially trying to learn a new thing and keep it straight in my mind. I think this would be worth the time investment, though, even if all I'm doing is instances and not raids.<br />
<br />
The story, of course, is captivating. If you haven't tried a DH yet, I recommend at least getting through the starting zone once. Delete after that if you must, but give it a try if you're even at least a little bit interested in WoW lore. I have a Night Elf DH I went with Altruis on, and being the RP nut that I am (even though I'm not on an RP server), I have a budding backstory that explains why she chose him. I have a Blood Elf Havoc DH, too, and I chose Kayn there so I can compare and contrast the experience. I expect it to be an interesting diversion when I have time to get to my Belf.<br />
<br />
Also, I leveled my first DH as Vengeance all the way to 110, only going into an instance once. It was a lot less painful than I expected, especially after the experience of leveling a Prot Paladin through BC. The leveling experience in this expansion has greatly improved over previous ones, for sure!<br />
<br />
I've got three alts on deck to be my next 110. I plan on talking about the leveling experience with each class as I go, so I suppose I'd better decide on one soon.<br />
<br />
Nobody said having Altitis was easy...Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-37588069232255049812016-09-16T17:49:00.001-07:002016-09-16T17:49:15.691-07:00A Damn Good Story.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2EznV85rnqS8wH617Rc7p7VnEUhdGyDVmmX7nyDoRIvjnYCDtm5kNnBaK-2WpzTwRfyp5mjs_19FO8yGm4I7h_WZB9tqgVH1EW-wi4t3_rkxjs74uBtfkoO4JF_g031qEBjepKnar7lS/s1600/WoWScrnShot_011507_164627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2EznV85rnqS8wH617Rc7p7VnEUhdGyDVmmX7nyDoRIvjnYCDtm5kNnBaK-2WpzTwRfyp5mjs_19FO8yGm4I7h_WZB9tqgVH1EW-wi4t3_rkxjs74uBtfkoO4JF_g031qEBjepKnar7lS/s320/WoWScrnShot_011507_164627.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
None of these characters exist anymore. They were all characters I didn't stick with, for one reason or another. Mostly it was visual appeal, though sometimes it was just that I didn't know what I liked yet. It wasn't until a couple weeks later, when BC had launched, that I found a character that resonated with me. Shavra, a Draenei shaman with white pigtails and a cute face. I'd made a Tauren shaman on Perenolde before that that was *almost* what I was looking for, but Shavra had that visual appeal and is still one of my favorite characters.<br />
<br />
Why am I telling you this?<br />
<br />
When I started playing (this screen shot was taken 1/15/07, when I first learned that I *could*), I didn't follow the story. There were dragons, and naked gnome races, and I wanted to slay dragons and run across a continent woefully underleveled and undergeared through peril as part of a great group of people doing the same thing. I eventually did those things, but along the way I started reading the quests, then the books, then the *BOOKS*, and finally I devoured every scrap of lore I could find.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_arnzAzu3RO04X2BHntNYVjRlkkChLl_ld5s9tV65CpLQpAfMKhtOPEqEc4jfeazjJoFSYDlWurU_oiewcwBn_OApAh3qfolsFsAyVn4wlB7PccADP3kFCvPZPHT5XteJvB_4UubelCeT/s1600/warcraft+archive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_arnzAzu3RO04X2BHntNYVjRlkkChLl_ld5s9tV65CpLQpAfMKhtOPEqEc4jfeazjJoFSYDlWurU_oiewcwBn_OApAh3qfolsFsAyVn4wlB7PccADP3kFCvPZPHT5XteJvB_4UubelCeT/s320/warcraft+archive.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My copy of the book in question</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I started raiding like I'd wanted, walking into the gatehouse of Karazhan without knowing a thing about who Midivh was, or why he was cheating at chess, or what the hell had Aran's ghost so upset. It wasn't even on farm anymore when I finally got curious about what my new guild mates were talking about and read "The Last Guardian". It was part of this huge omnibus of stories, and I really liked them all despite what I thought I'd think. And, tucked away in the back, was "Of Blood and Honor".<br />
<br />
Paladins? Ugh. I hated paladins. And what the hell? It's written by some guy they named a reindeer after? Who is this Chris Metzen person, and why did they let him write a story with these other authors I've actually heard of before?<br />
<br />
But I read it. And then I went back to Eastern Plaguelands on my alt so I could do Tirion Fordring's quests and know what I was doing and who I was helping, because I was so moved. It wasn't the smoothest narrative in the book, but it was one of the better stories, I thought. I wanted to know more, and I started loving these characters, the more I read.<br />
<br />
The first time I saw a Blizzcon, I smiled to myself. Ah, so this was that Chris Metzen person, the kidnapped reindeer, the puppetmaster behind Warcraft. Hm. I thought he was a little too California for my tastes, but other than that he seemed cool. But, with each Blizzcon I streamed after, I gained a huge respect for him and his enthusiasm. I became a huge fan of his stories. I wanted to know more and more. And I was nearly moved to tears by his "Geek is!" speech in 2010. I'll NEVER forget it. I felt like this was someone who understood me. This was a member of my tribe.<br />
<br />
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<br />
I've been wanting to brush off this blog and start anew since I started playing the build up quests leading to Legion. The problem has been that I've been too busy PLAYING in my spare time to sit down and write. I've loved every minute of it. Every damn moment.<br />
<br />
But Varian's death, and Thrall...my old shaman, Shavra, taking up the Doomhammer sent a chill down my spine. What the hell? And my paladin, Jerasha, now has the Ashbringer, and while I was thrilled I was also concerned.<br />
<br />
Metzen announcing his retirement a few days ago finally set the gears turning. I had a dream that night that I won a chance to meet him and pick his brain for an hour, and say thanks for all the good stories. Sure, this blog has just as much a chance of reaching him to express my thanks as that dream did, but I knew when I woke up that it was time to get my words of appreciation out there.<br />
<br />
I'm shocked, but I'm not surprised. He was already saying goodbye with the stories he was writing. I mean...yeah, I want more. This is a guy I'd love to have the chance to play D&D with or talk books with, or just hang out with for an hour. But I already got that with all the video games he's been behind the stories for. He doesn't need to hear my voice, because he's heard the voice of our tribe. All of us. And we're all thanking him for the stories he's given us.<br />
<br />
It's going to be a very different world. I'm looking at my virtual ticket for this year's Blizzcon with a bit of trepidation...what will Blizzcon be without Metzen? It's going to be weird to find out. But he's got a family to enjoy, and as a mom who stayed at home for ten years to be with my own kid, I get it. I can't begrudge him this chance. And Legion is a hell of a note to step down with. Damn...Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-42658224469081668762014-10-02T10:53:00.004-07:002014-10-02T10:53:53.007-07:00Slow Fade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbSWqudACdJRnEywGqUmdfRKV1fib3VBlAaAy_U059W-AkRFrA_tsh0LsfgI6bMqNNY5K1KyJZe-ijwVSTn8XSKEM06kZud98ZeJ1MxuiaZPhdq62nd5EMkBc31oun3FdxIggn4YmocVD/s1600/world+on+fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbSWqudACdJRnEywGqUmdfRKV1fib3VBlAaAy_U059W-AkRFrA_tsh0LsfgI6bMqNNY5K1KyJZe-ijwVSTn8XSKEM06kZud98ZeJ1MxuiaZPhdq62nd5EMkBc31oun3FdxIggn4YmocVD/s1600/world+on+fire.jpg" height="233" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Okay, it's not a picturesque sunset. It almost seems to fade to black, but we all know that's not what's going on here.<br />
<br />
So it's a pet battle! Yes, I'm playing PokeWoW. Shut up! That's not ALL I've been doing the last few years.<br />
<br />
Is it?<br />
<br />
It might as well be.<br />
<br />
Somewhere along the line life got in the way of blogging.<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong! I didn't stop playing WoW! A girl must have her priorities.<br />
<br />
The problem came when I stopped doing anything interesting.<br />
<br />
So, everyone lost interest in this blog.<br />
<br />
Okay, okay, <i><b>I</b></i> lost interest in this blog.<br />
<br />
It happened somewhere about the time I got engaged to a non-WoW-player. Guys, men, a lot of you know what I'm talking about. You love this game, and then you find The One and this mythical creature of absolute perfection who actually gives you sex...is just not interested in the game you enjoy most. Woe. But, you know, the sex kinda trumps the game.<br />
<br />
I never thought I'd be one of those players, of course. I'm a girl! I'm the one with the power! Right? Uh, no. Equality works both ways, I'm happy to say.<br />
<br />
I thought I'd give it time. Getting engaged and planning a wedding out of state is a HUGE time sink. It's like...winter saber grinding, the old fashioned way. You know, before they turned it into a few dailies that take a week or so if you're lazy.<br />
<br />
So, after the wedding I figured I'd have time to get back to raiding at least occasionally.<br />
<br />
It was not meant to be.<br />
<br />
Just a couple of months after the wedding my father-in-law got sick. He walked away from it with a weird and lingering case of laryngitis that just wouldn't go away. A few doctor visits later and they came back with a paralyzed vocal cord that probably wouldn't be too hard to fix, but they had to do a few other things first. Even the prostate cancer they said could have killed him in the next ten years was a low, low, low priority. He pretty much had cancer of the...everything. Possible skin cancer, but they never actually got that far. Esophagus, stomach...I'd go on, but I can't even remember. It was a tumor in his liver that finally killed him the day after my first wedding anniversary.<br />
<br />
I did my job. When I had time off while my husband was still at work, I played WoW or Diablo 3. I played a lot. The novel I'd been poking at for years? No. I couldn't concentrate for that long. Rep grinding, pet battles, leveling, questing...that's about all I had in me. There were plenty of short and sweet Facebook posts here and there, but anything longer than a paragraph was beyond my powers of concentration for a very long time.<br />
<br />
End result: Shavra, draenei shaman, level 90; Ceraan, night elf druid, level 90; Tsarat, night elf mage, level 90; Jerasha, human paladin, level 90; Hiiro, pandaran warrior, level 90; Shaelek, pandaran monk, level 90; Ebraere, night elf priest, level 90; Yosaphbridge, human rogue, level 90; Weeinsanity, gnome death knight, level 90; Aislen, draenei hunter, level 90; Ahrianna, worgen warlock, level 90; Romanaii, blood elf hunter, level 90; Bivran, undead priest, level 90. Hell, I won't even count Aranisera, Joulaim, Oddbit, Frale, or any of my other low level alts. I'm not even looking at any server other than Moonrunner.<br />
<br />
That's 13 level 90s, and not a real preference for any one of them.<br />
<br />
My altitis had grown worse.<br />
<br />
And after we'd grieved, after we'd started to feel like life might even out and give us some sense of balance or peace, my husband lost his job. He found a new one that cut his pay by a few dollars. And then it was announced that my hours would have to be cut down to 30/week. And...I decided to stop.<br />
<br />
I can't play WoW like this.<br />
<br />
I just can't.<br />
<br />
I don't think this is the end, but it's coming after a long and painful fade to black.<br />
<br />
The second draft of my novel is done, and I'm going to try to do more with the drive I had put into this game.<br />
<br />
I don't know if this is goodbye. If it is, it can't be unexpected considering how long it's been since I posted a thing.<br />
<br />
It was great fun while it lasted. I met some wonderful people. The game time on my primary account has already lapsed, and my second account will follow soon. I might indulge in a one month for my birthday/WoW's 10th anniversary, but I might not be able to afford it. (How sad is that?)<br />
<br />
Safe travels, friend. Time is money. Keep your feet on the ground. Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-27251622772014625342010-07-27T16:42:00.002-07:002010-07-27T17:15:53.422-07:00Days of YoreOnce upon a time, there was guild that did 25-man content in BC. They were an okay guild, but they'd been founded upon ideals of friendship and loyalty. There simply weren't enough raiders on the server who upheld those ideals, or if there were they were already loyal to other guilds. Recruitment brought in more and more people who saw a chance to raid in TK and SSC, but who didn't particularly care about the core values that had formed the guild in the first place. These newcomers, by and large, came and accepted their loot and then they moved on.<br /><br />A few of these new raiders stuck around. Some of them learned from their new companions, and formed loyal bonds of their own. It wasn't enough to fill a 25-man raid when Wrath came out, but by and large the guild was content with that, and the guild leader said, "I don't care about loot. I care about content. We don't need the headache of larger raids."<br /><br />The guild leader had a loyal cadre of friends that he filled his 10-man raids with, and this left a lot of the newer people to envy. Some of them left the guild in a blazing fit of guild drama. Others sought pugs and thought that this would be their lot in life. A few weeks after the first group was formed, however, a new raid group was formed from the leftovers and alts.<br /><br />There were difficulties. People couldn't be sure they'd be able to show up. Some people were more serious about attendance than others. Some people just had different obligations pop up, and couldn't always make it. Wrath had just come out, and some people just couldn't find the time to level up to 80 as fast as the others.<br /><br />The "leftovers" group started with a DK and a warrior tanking. There was a warlock in the raid who more often than not brought his shaman to heal because it was so hard to find healers. There was a paladin healing by his side, and his real life friend who played a rogue. There was a boomkin reroll who wanted to bring her DK to dps, but ended up respeccing to tree because there was always a shortage of healers and she REALLY wanted to raid and never have to sit out and feel like a sidelined reject again. Nobody likes to feel left out, after all. And there were more dps who came in and out, but the group had fun no matter who was doing what. There was a bit of drama and frustration because people couldn't always play the roles they wanted, but for the most part it was fun.<br /><br />People came and went. Our tanks didn't want to have to always be the tanks, so new tanks were brought in at times. By the time Ulduar came out we'd pretty much settled on two paladin tanks. The warlock and the boomkin/dk became the shaman and the tree healers with a parade of other healers until a priest finally stuck around. The dk tank became a mage, the warrior tank became a hunter, and slowly the other dps positions filled with people who could show up regularly.<br /><br />Finally the core had formed, and the group solidified until it surpassed the guild leader's group. And, having met that unspoken imaginary goal, and having beat the final boss in the game, their competitive spirits had nothing to unify them any longer. The many and various dps replacements had taken a toll on this group, and changed the personality of the group, and finally turned the group against each other. They did not know it, but that day a great darkness came.<br /><br />The darkness is growing. It's feeding. And it's here.<br /><br />Cataclysm can't come soon enough.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-830928180527780322010-05-19T21:17:00.003-07:002010-05-19T22:08:40.951-07:00A Night to Celebrate<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRuXIQOLDucNRlF11I0pOUqobJaiWe31w5dp_gDuvxgp4GaMof0CSFXRLKEfy0wbSxq2wVoHDpxuS_2FfZYkeeoyZ5roiB4ApYu3HWVe09z_y3GEbrWqoat4X2IpqS-bNO7DwOuWZBgUp6/s1600/WoWScrnShot_051910_181607.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRuXIQOLDucNRlF11I0pOUqobJaiWe31w5dp_gDuvxgp4GaMof0CSFXRLKEfy0wbSxq2wVoHDpxuS_2FfZYkeeoyZ5roiB4ApYu3HWVe09z_y3GEbrWqoat4X2IpqS-bNO7DwOuWZBgUp6/s400/WoWScrnShot_051910_181607.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473203036921683234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0F5hRe2NHx0UMYkj1UbqZGnbv9GpTv1Y55gNOdvmaQnyHmmpCMcE0DFtpZdgUKr3ZSiGwnK6jPNsGpsW52FJSSRO4CtFqao8vaTb5dVuE5NIdMI0-B0px7nY9sPk9x2tfrjO98RvKVfo/s1600/WoWScrnShot_051910_182344.jpg"><br /></a>In the midst of a much needed week off from school, this finally happened.<br /><br />I can't even begin to say how excited that made me. Tears came to my eyes at about 20%. So close, but two of our dps were down. 15% and another dps died. We had used both our battle rezzes earlier in phase three. It was so close. There was panic in the air, and over vent someone called out, "We just need to get that last three percent." What? We were at 13% already?<br /><br />12%<br /><br />11% and I knew we were going to make it.<br /><br />10% and the rest of us died in a single careless blast from Arthas.<br /><br />It was epic.<br /><br />This fight took all we had and then some. We 0nly raid two nights a week, as I've mentioned before. A total of eight hours a week, not counting afk's and people trickling on as much as half an hour late. We're a casual raiding guild, after all. Just 10-mans, and we don't min-max or anything. Okay, we do take it pretty seriously in that we don't want to let each other down, but one of our highest dps doesn't even flask on a regular basis (you know who you are).<br /><br />For a few weeks now our MO has been to clear ICC on Tuesday and spend all Wednesday on Lich King. The first couple of weeks we hit our heads against the brick wall of phase one over and over. The disease is tricky to manage and took a while to master. Aggro is touchy in phase one, too. A couple of our wipes those first few weeks happened from over-eager dps grabbing aggro at the wrong time. Mostly though? The fault was in us healers who just couldn't keep up.<br /><br />Our priest went from disc to holy, and that made a HUGE difference. We've seen a lot of guides that encourage disc priests to bubble everyone before infest, but that was time consuming and didn't work well since only two of our healers can cleanse the disease. We had a few bumps on the transition phase, and then phase two kicked our collective asses.<br /><br />Phase two you have infest, defile, and a val'kyr carrying a random raid member off the edge.<br /><br />Phase three you trade the val'kyr for being drawn inside Frostmourne...and lemme tell you, that was fun. My first time in there I wiped us because I was trying to remember what a strat video had said about going in there as a tree. Something about interrupting something-or-other. Forget that. Just heal. Trust me, unless you're undergeared that's safer. And if you're undergeared you probably would have died in the process anyway.<br /><br />The fight is badass. There are a million and one things going on at once, and anything can go wrong. It's about the most fun I've had playing WoW since my first trip into Kara. I'm a little sad that it's behind us now...it makes me want to go back to Ulduar and defeat Algalon. Pretty sure we could, and I want one more shiny title to add to all the rest.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-56034079099653662402010-03-29T03:02:00.002-07:002010-03-29T03:06:58.756-07:00State of the MeI'll get back to this. I swear.<br /><br />Going to school. Have a job. Losing ground on the whole "being able to raid" thing, though. Work schedule conflicts. I'll be able to raid the next two weeks, but I'll have another dry spell a while after that unless the raiding schedule changes.<br /><br />Sindragosa is kicking our ass in phase three, and I've only had one night of attempts on her ass. This makes me SAD! But I hope I'll see her at my feet (roots) this week. They deserve that much, and I want to help them get there. I never disconnect in the middle of a long night of attempts because I'm bored. I might get cranky. I might get pissy as all hell. But I don't EVER give up.<br /><br />In real life.<br /><br />In WoW.<br /><br />Don't EVER give up.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-74380529668359665882010-02-03T12:30:00.003-07:002010-02-03T14:41:54.867-07:00Well it's fun for me!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAz6c2wNBe3_kGhv3Y3mwD8MqhBmviuX6dgcFrZMUDRkzP1xcjZenoSZjygUfBIUnWc7Mxs0mxIQbl4rlOxE4r67aBCEWuG8C2f6x2d9cLunzEdRtUJ54MvSJm6I1nZSpzRo-vyjYzD8a0/s1600-h/WoWScrnShot_012610_211808.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAz6c2wNBe3_kGhv3Y3mwD8MqhBmviuX6dgcFrZMUDRkzP1xcjZenoSZjygUfBIUnWc7Mxs0mxIQbl4rlOxE4r67aBCEWuG8C2f6x2d9cLunzEdRtUJ54MvSJm6I1nZSpzRo-vyjYzD8a0/s400/WoWScrnShot_012610_211808.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434104557578758370" border="0" /></a><br />Good news, everyone! The slime is flowing again!<br /><br />It's pretty easy to tell from his voice that Professor Putricide is having loads of fun while trying to kill you and your team. He's not the only one enjoying his job, until we introduce them to the floor.<br /><br />But we're the players, not the NPCs. What about us?<br /><br />Imagine, if you will, walking into Marrowgar's room and finding a pile of bones and some loot. What if the Princes declared their undying love to every pretty female toon in the party and showered them with gifts (and sparkles) every week? I don't even want to think about walking up to the Frozen Throne and having Arthas ask if it's comfy and if you'd like to hold Frostmourne and try on his armor a while.<br /><br />It might seem cool to those less experienced with games for a while. <br /><br />My nine-year-old would love it.<br /><br />But after the first week, after the first month, after a year of having everything handed to you...would you still be playing? Would it still be fun?<br /><br />To have a reward be worth the effort, there must be a challenge. If you don't feel like you've earned it, it's just not rewarding. It's just as true in writing as it is in games. If the reader or the player don't feel that the end was challenge enough, there's no satisfaction in the happily ever after.<br /><br />Next time you start wondering if it's worth all the flasks, fish feasts, and repair bills, try to remember what the alternative is.<br /><br />Big smiles everyone! This is fun!<br /><br />Good news, everyone! <span class="text-yell">I think I perfected a plague that will destroy all life on Azeroth!</span>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-51330798663055798462010-01-29T07:02:00.003-07:002010-01-29T07:58:44.291-07:00The hardest thing...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslKbeFnJNDyMvvMUcmKlQUWQQ4x4cS5ON2pwv5UEmnLM_goG0vCpme7drlM9bFFfKxko6j3aLaoMfi2hU0ncmfZ4_-yYZtD2FLYqByLLNn-F16K-ecdkuk85f2PwJ9w6Ca8zn-v9JAOXx/s1600-h/alone+in+ICC.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 322px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslKbeFnJNDyMvvMUcmKlQUWQQ4x4cS5ON2pwv5UEmnLM_goG0vCpme7drlM9bFFfKxko6j3aLaoMfi2hU0ncmfZ4_-yYZtD2FLYqByLLNn-F16K-ecdkuk85f2PwJ9w6Ca8zn-v9JAOXx/s200/alone+in+ICC.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432169641235282274" border="0" /></a>You know one thing that sucks about having so many alts? When the time comes to leave your guild, especially in a huff/to make a point, it's awkward trying to pull the rest of your characters out.<br /><br />"I'm leaving!"<br /><br />Log out, log back in on another character.<br /><br />"And this one, too!"<br /><br />Log out, log back in on another character.<br /><br />"And this one."<br /><br />Log out, log back in on another character.<br /><br />"And..."<br /><br />After the first one, it's not dramatic anymore. It's awkward.<br /><br />After the third one, it starts to get humorous for those not directly involved in the drama. Your message that you may have thought you were drilling home is now being mocked. Thoroughly mocked.<br /><br />I've seen it too many times, and my solution was to make my dramatic exit on my main and just wait until the middle of the night to pull the rest.<br /><br />Yes, I left my awesome guild full of awesome people over the actions of a few. The drama doesn't need to continue so I won't go into it here, but I will say I still feel totally justified. I also feel like I learned a great deal from the experience, and if I'm ever the leader of a large/raiding guild I'll make completely different decisions from those that were made by my previous guild leader.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><br />In other news, I deleted my blood elf rogue and changed to a human. I'll be leveling her as soon as I'm done with my mage (who hit 74 last night). (What? I've been busy lately.)<br /><br />Last night I had a dream that I was playing a rogue. We were in new content (not ICC, but you know how dreams are) and we were facing a giant of some sort. I was doing 215 dps by brushing his hair, and laughing about it with everyone there.<br /><br />I mean, who doesn't want to brag about their poor dps while doing something completely silly? And by the time the giant went down, he had NICE hair.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-49862470206081128362009-12-24T10:16:00.002-07:002009-12-24T11:04:59.265-07:00Polite AltingSadly, I've let all the time I used to spend on this blog get bumped by going back to school. I'm sure people have stopped checking in here, so I'll probably have to build up my reader base again. To anyone who stuck around, thank you! I can't blame anyone who didn't, however. When I started playing, there was a rule in my first guild that was repeated often and I still stick to it. Real life comes first. It sucks sometimes, and it's not much fun, but it's something we've all got to keep in mind.<br /><br />By the time I finish my assignments, I'm itching to play the game! Not write about it. However, I've missed my little corner of the internet. I don't want my blog to die. To that end, I'm working on inviting another author who knows more about altitis than I do. He's got two accounts full of characters, and more 80s than I can keep track of some days. I'll let him introduce himself when he starts on later.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><br />Enough about me. How about something worth talking about? <br /><br />If you have multiple characters at max level, you've probably heard some grumbles from others. I've been accused of having no life, or being selfish because I want more loot for more characters. I've had it pointed out that that's why I can't make gold in game, and other things. <br /><br />It's true. I've got epic and cold weather flying on six characters, and I'm saving up for my seventh. I've got the <a class="q3" href="http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44841">Little Fawn's Salt Lick</a> on my druid and I'm always looking for more pets. I'm close to maxed on all available professions, and some of them I didn't pat an eye at dropping ridiculous amounts of gold to level. I'm usually out of gold or saving toward a huge purchase.<br /><br />I love spending that gold on alts, usually for convenience. The day I don't have a goal in game is the day I'll probably stop playing. It might leave me with less on my "main" than other people have on their one and only, but I'm okay with that. This is how I enjoy the game. However, as I said before, there are grumbles.<br /><br />In order to keep the grumbles to a minimum, I've got some guidelines I like to stick to based on conventions in my guild.<br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Pick a main</span>. This one was HARD after I retired my shaman. Sometimes you get to enjoy the game however you want to. Sometimes your main gets picked for you due to circumstances and raid composition. I fought against having my druid be my main for a very long time, because she was only healing so that we wouldn't have to bench our new group a year ago. Now I couldn't imagine seeing ICC without her going in first.</li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Mains get priority.</span> Don't be selfish. If it's an upgrade for your alt, awesome. If it's an upgrade for someone's main, even if it's less of an upgrade, pass. If an ilevel 245 item drops and you're set to replace your last blue, but someone's main is replacing a 232, respect that person's main. Please.</li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Gems and enchants over extras.</span> Yes, yes. You're 200g away from epic flying on your 27th character, and you can taste that speed boost! But, you won a new staff and bought your t9 legs and they're an upgrade even without gems, enchants, or a spellthread. Take care of your main's gear first, please. New mounts, pets, or increased speed only benefit you, while increasing your main's stats will benefit your friends.</li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Don't be obnoxious.</span> It's fine to ask for people to run you through lowbie instances, or to carry you through heroics when you first hit 80. It's not okay to demand, or expect others to drop everything to help you out right this very second or else. Your alt may be your new favorite, but you'll be everyone's least favorite if you expect everyone to drop everything for your flavor of the month.</li></ul>Those are the things I can think of off the top of my head. If you have any suggestions of ideas for polite alting, leave a comment!Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-10792146713020370552009-09-14T08:47:00.003-07:002009-09-14T09:40:52.031-07:00Guild Activities<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje910eiPFcyPPKx99ifizopx1EKioLNgpvtwq3y5VslkkR8t5JmA2uZ_O6xPdr1YfNUv4N2zUfXKgh2cc-A8WMAPJz9bRD84WlsQ22WN9oUKKGikwwlJcS1frMGyqZe37FmCQGrXjOGSFc/s1600-h/WoWScrnShot_012608_214148.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje910eiPFcyPPKx99ifizopx1EKioLNgpvtwq3y5VslkkR8t5JmA2uZ_O6xPdr1YfNUv4N2zUfXKgh2cc-A8WMAPJz9bRD84WlsQ22WN9oUKKGikwwlJcS1frMGyqZe37FmCQGrXjOGSFc/s200/WoWScrnShot_012608_214148.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381359478369711314" border="0" /></a><br />Into every guild some blah must fall. Blah seems to have hit my guild pretty hard lately, and a friend of mine started talking about guild activities. Years ago, when I first joined HE, someone had asked for suggestions for guild activities, and I remember I jumped at the idea to suggest a few, but it just never happened. I didn't think through all the ins and outs of my ideas, and they weren't viable, or they'd take too much effort to organize.<br /><br />When I think of large guild activities for fun, I usually think of naked gnome races, or similar things. The one put together and filmed by the guild Sting years ago is one of the things that interested me in the game in the first place. A swarm of naked gnomes, all starting at level one, running from Ironforge to Stormwind. They died a lot, but it still looked like a lot of fun. And, about a year after that, I got to participate in something similar on Moon Guard. This time, though, we raided Hogger as a warmup, and then we took on Orgrimmar. Our goal? Give Thrall a hug.<br /><br />I've never done so many corpse runs in my life.<br /><br />It was fun, though! But, it's all been done, and not many people in HE want to create a level one character for that kind of abuse. I've run out of character slots for something like that, too. So, what else?<br /><br />I've seen a lot of ideas thrown around over the years. Amazing Race across Azeroth. Scavenger hunts of all shapes and sizes. Retro raids. Gift exchanges. Duel championships. All sorts of things can be done.<br /><br />I was going through old screenshots, though, and remembered an idea I had a LONG time ago. Screenshot hide and seek. Take a screencap of yourself somewhere strange and out of the way, and the first person to submit a shot of their character in the same place wins and gets to pick the next spot. I think that with a few simple rules, like no shots of places you have to exploit to get to, it could make for a fun sort of competition.<br /><br />At this point I have no idea if anyone in my guild would go for something like that, but if it doesn't happen there I might start doing something like it here. We'll see. I just think it could be a lot of fun.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-12145599426733505122009-08-18T08:43:00.002-07:002009-08-18T08:49:25.949-07:00How many is too much?As my warlock inches closer to 78, it occurs to me that six characters at level 80 might be too much.<br /><br />No, really.<br /><br />I was dreaming about getting soul shards off of target dummies, and how I'd get duds that wouldn't go in my soul pouch because they didn't have actual souls, or they were too low of a level...or even too high of a level!<br /><br />Top that off with wondering when I'll ever get a chance to dps anyway, when my "main" is a healer...so what's the point in having so many characters at max level?<br /><br />Oh well, I'm doing it anyway. I've got the heirloom shoulders and chest to boost me on my way, so I might as well see how fast I can go. Even if she does sit at 80 and collect dust.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-75447112433778876542009-08-17T11:32:00.002-07:002009-08-17T12:44:03.956-07:00Fear the ToC!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69c-_jxL2zdNcKiC5v7pc1R6pkM-o317Icbg86FNoBFq8gWBmjrpEIBnOd4nkJcFbj_r6PBvktK2ctGVUeBRsL4yXebijs8EIviTvsdPQ6Tugyynv7wMBWsFPKhs717TpHECW217zEywC/s1600-h/feartheToC.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 514px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69c-_jxL2zdNcKiC5v7pc1R6pkM-o317Icbg86FNoBFq8gWBmjrpEIBnOd4nkJcFbj_r6PBvktK2ctGVUeBRsL4yXebijs8EIviTvsdPQ6Tugyynv7wMBWsFPKhs717TpHECW217zEywC/s320/feartheToC.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371002749170132050" border="0" /></a><br />Be afraid.<br /><br />Be very afraid.<br /><br />I was, the first time I realized we'd have to joust in the new 5-man instance, Trial of the Champion. I hate the jousting mechanic, and I have yet to unlock all the Argent Tournament dailies simply because jousting annoys me too much to pay for the dubious pleasure of participating.<br /><br />But, like so many things in life, jousting is made better by having friends. Or, at least by having a meat sack distracting the riders while you get clear to charge the NPCs. (My friend John, who insisted I mention him here, makes a good meat sack. hahaha Well, what else are you going to do with a gnome warrior?)<br /><br />So, strap on your lance, hop on a horse, and be thankful you're only doing this for half of the first fight! You can switch horses in mid-fight if your horse gets low on health. Just remember to keep your shield up at all times, and charge as much as possible, because that takes the most health away from your opponent. While charge is on cooldown it's a good idea to knock their shields off, but you don't have to make that your priority. When you get to the named mobs, have someone stand on any that have fallen so that they don't make a dash toward new mounts and prolong the fight!<br /><br />While your jousting the named mobs, keep in mind your strategy. Are you going to fight them as you dismount? Or are you going to make a mad dash toward the door to reset the encounter? (You only have to joust once, thank goodness. Once you've beaten that part you're done, even if you wipe.) Both have disadvantages, especially for squishy members of your party. I've been killed a few times while running for the door. Either way, you'll want to try your best to dismount your opponents close together! If you're running for the door, dismount them near the door so you can run for it faster and have less chance of getting killed. If you're standing your ground, make sure your tank can grab all three right away. These guys munch clothies in about two hits, even if you're decently geared. (I haven't been oneshot by them, but I haven't brought in a fresh 80 yet, either.) Bring someone who can cleanse poisons, interrupt the healer, and if you get the hunter make sure they don't make a pincushion of your healer while you're focused on something else. Those arrows hit HARD, especially on heroic.<br /><br />The second encounter is fun. You get three sets of three trash packs. Watch out, they MC! Kill the lightwells when they pop up, and kill the priestesses first. If you have a priest in your party, they can mass dispel the monk effect on heroic. Also, all three types of trash mobs can be stunned, unlike the bosses you face.<br /><br />You'll face either Paletress or Eadric. Paletress is fun, if you enjoy the nostalgia of old bosses but don't want to deal with any of their old and annoying abilities. She will call a shadow of the past, a boss from the nightmares of your memory, to terrorize you while she sits back and hits you with her holy spells. Healers have to be on the ball, since her smite hits for an annoying amount and badly timed holy fire can kill someone if they're feared. Did I mention the fears? Apparently your character is still deeply afraid of Hogger, or Onyxia, or one of any bosses she'll summon from the depths of your subconscious to battle you. You'll thank your friendly neighborhood tremor totem, if have the luck to have a shaman along.<br /><br />Eadric is a lot less interesting to heal through. When he emotes, turn your back on him. (On my healer, I just keep my character turned the other way.) When he throws his hammer, remove the stun if you have someone in the party who can. If not, the target will get pretty banged up! I've heard of clothies getting oneshot by his hammer, but so far I haven't seen that happen for myself. Other than that, he's a pretty simple fight.<br /><br />After you've fought over the contents of the chest, it's time for the return of the Black Knight. (Or, it might be the first time you face him, like it was for me.) You have to kill him three times. He's got some fancy versions of DK abilities. The first time he'll have a ghoul. The second time he'll hit you with Army of the Dead and the occasional ground effect to dance out of. The third time...is where I usually run into trouble healing. He does fairly steady damage to everyone in the party, and a great deal of damage to one member of the party. It can be hard to keep up on, so DPS needs to burn into him with everything they've got in the third phase. At least there's no adds!<br /><br />At any point in the fights, you can run back into the instance. The graveyard is nice and close, and since it's in Icecrown you'll be able to fly back. Every boss drop is a Naxx or better quality epic, even on regular, so if you've got well geared friends you can gear up an alt or a fresh-faced main pretty quickly. I wouldn't recommend bringing a whole group in blues into the instance, however. It's tuned for people who have been at least grinding Naxx, and I've even run into problems and had wipes with people who have been doing Ulduar a while. (Okay, we may have been underestimating the fights a little, since it's just a 5-man...but still!)<br /><br />ToC is fun, and it's pretty fast. It's NOT your usual instance, though. It's tough. It reminds me of MgT, when that first came out and the trash mobs would roflstomp your face with their glowy purple bubbles and their annoying glaive throws. Thankfully it's not nearly the same time investment as MgT was. It's over and done with in about 15 minutes, making it the easiest and fastest loot in the game, if you've got the group for it.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-26580027201447634542009-08-16T09:59:00.003-07:002009-08-16T11:16:35.563-07:00/roll for blame<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipC4Iqjv7eX27PsZ3H_olSevNaymtMbD4bagP_HSODSV1MSnK1NjEQXPgTAwzvmlRHxJVZfuuiv9XcmFMM2KkW92VYaETVCUNBqySS0yGazWXCT0Dn5z8Ln3yToVeygvsToetSGQ5wEtF6/s1600-h/pwnedbymim.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipC4Iqjv7eX27PsZ3H_olSevNaymtMbD4bagP_HSODSV1MSnK1NjEQXPgTAwzvmlRHxJVZfuuiv9XcmFMM2KkW92VYaETVCUNBqySS0yGazWXCT0Dn5z8Ln3yToVeygvsToetSGQ5wEtF6/s400/pwnedbymim.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370610802883273634" border="0" /></a><br />It's been a while since I updated this. First I had issues with my eyesight, then roommate troubles, and finally the relationship I've been in for the last 10 years came to an end. It's been rough, and I've had a hard time finding motivation to write in my blog. I feel like I've been completely pwned by real life, and that has sapped all of my energy.<br /><br />I'm going to make every effort to return to this, however. I enjoy my little corner of the WoW blog arena. So, I'm going to ramble about some of my oldest friends in the game, and how I got where I am.<br /><br />See, I'm terribly shy. IRL I have sneaking suspicions I have social anxiety disorder, from what I've read about it. That is reflected somewhat in game, mostly in that I go out of my way not to initiate prolonged social contact. I'll throw out the occasional one-liners in trade or in a group attempting the door boss, but that's the extent of it. I have never joined LFG on my own accord. I don't PuG unless someone I know asks me to join the group.<br /><br />So, how's a girl like me get into a raiding guild? Well...it took a while. I did it one person at a time. First, by going along with my ex when he would find a group, and then making friends with those people and so on and so forth. And, my first step in raiding was the guild The Night Crew. They're a bawdy bunch, and they believe that a raid without beer just isn't a raid. They taught me the basics, like the first rule of healing. "Stay with your tank." If my tank is around the corner, I have to be AT the corner, or he just might die and take the rest of us with him! I'd spent many an instance just hanging back, waiting for the tank to get in range...<br /><br />We were a Kara raiding guild, but with half our members at least tipsy or sleep deprived (late night means calling the raid at 2 am most nights) a lot of mistakes happened. Nobody took this raiding thing exactly seriously...we were friends who wanted to do something online together. In order to keep things drama free, to keep friendships despite dumb mistakes and stuff, they started rolling for blame long before I joined their group. It kept the momentum going, and nobody had to suffer through the humiliation of a screaming tirade a la the Onyxia Wipe video.<br /><br />Through NC, I met the guild leader of Honored Exiles, and a few other members of the guild. Nervously, I applied to this group that dared to move beyond the halls of Kara to TK and SSC. I followed my ex to Dont Panic for a few months on my main, but I'd found a home in HE, despite my shyness. They were good people, and good players, and there were other women around to talk to without the whole guild imploding in drama. (I'm referring to my attempt at a guild on an RP server. I think now that the RP part was at least 75% of the problem...the other 25% being one girl in particular who is still wondering why all her guilds implode in a huge mass of drama.)<br /><br />Still, the guys in NC are some of my favorite people on earth. I can't stay up to raid with them often, since I'm on a more normal sleep schedule these days, but whenever I get the chance to I love every minute. They make me feel good about myself. They're generous, they're fun, and I owe them everything I am in game these days.<br /><br />I was having an absolutely rotten day yesterday, and I was just about to give up when I was invited to a regular ToC with them. I dusted off my shaman and went with them, getting a couple of upgrades, and just having fun. ToC lead to heroics, which lead to 10-man OS on my paladin, which lead to Naxx, and since the other tank on the run already had Ulduar gear (he runs with my HE group most weeks) I ended up with a lot of gear, a lot of confidence in my tanking ability, and a complete turn-around of my day. I went to bed feeling good about myself, instead of next to tears.<br /><br />I'm so glad those guys have been a part of my life, even if it's only a virtual life. They've had an impact on my real life as well.<br /><br />No matter how much people say "It's just a game," there are real people behind the avatars. You affect them. You have an effect on their lives.<br /><br />Never burn your bridges behind you. Even if something is "in the past" it can still have value to your future.<br /><br />Don't underestimate the value of a good friend, even if you've never met.<br /><br />And always, always, ALWAYS blame Ciandros when you can't roll for blame.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-7448500396093008112009-06-05T20:52:00.002-07:002009-06-05T20:59:32.327-07:00The Snows of IcecrownSo...fanfic. Because I've run out of interesting things to write. It was just thrown together this evening, but it was fun to write. I'm sure I'll be writing more, but feel free to skip them since it's all about me and my characters and other characters I know in game.<br /><br />Wee, Ceraan, and Shavra are all mine. Borin is used by permission. Yay!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Something To Prove<br /><br />Part One - The Snows of Icecrown</span><br /><br />"We shall triumph!"<br /><br />It was a phrase Auregwyn heard more than once used by Tirion Fordring, while doing various missions at his command. The words gave her a thrill, as if he were talking specifically to her, proclaiming her eventual success.<br /><br />"It's because of my nickname," she explained, wrapping tiny hands around flint and striking sparks into the kindling. She was adept at making camp fires by now, though setting one up in the cold clime of Icecrown, where she was hard pressed to find a spot without snow, provided a new challenge.<br /><br />"You have a nickname?" One of her companions stirred, showing interest.<br /><br />"Yes. It's Wee Insanity. I thought you knew that by now, Shavra."<br /><br />Shavra turned a deeper shade of blue, ducking her head. "I thought that was your real name," the draenei said. "What? I still don't know that much about gnomes. Or death knights. I heard that some had lost their memories is all."<br /><br />She shut up when the druid dropped a blanket over her head. "Her name is Auregwyn."<br /><br />Wee nodded, smiling a bit. "That's right, Ceraan. My mother named me after Magna Aegwynn. Though, not exact, of course. If I walked around named Aegwynn it would have been confusing at the time, and presumptuous, and a lot to live up to. Too much to live up to, really, since I didn't inherit a shred of my mother's abilities with magic."<br /><br />"You met Magna Aegwynn?" asked the druid Ceraan in her soft voice. "What an honor that must have been."<br /><br />"No, no," Wee shook her head quickly. "A lot of my mother's colleagues did though. See, I grew up in Dalaran."<br /><br />"You?" Both of her companions expressed their shock. It seemed like the least likely origin for a gnomish death knight.<br /><br />"My mother was one of their most talented mages, before the war." She smiled triumphantly, finally building the fire up enough to warm them and their supper. "Hand me that fish."<br /><br />"I'll cook it," Ceraan insisted, sitting down next to the fire and opening her pack.<br /><br />"Nuh-uh!" the gnome protested. "I've seen how some of you druids fish!"<br /><br />"I'm the one who did the fishing," Shavra said, shaking her head in amusement, long white pigtails brushing her shoulders.<br /><br />"Shaman shapeshift too," Wee said, crossing her arms.<br /><br />"You're half dead," Ceraan pointed out. "Now let me cook, since I've the most talent at it."<br /><br />"I do my best," Wee said. Still, she backed away and let the druid prepare the meal, watching and learning from what she did. "Not all of us can be billions of years old."<br /><br />"Only a few thousand," Ceraan said. "Not that it matters. Shavra is older."<br /><br />"I am not!" the draenei stood quickly, holding her hands out in protest. "I'm a very young draenei. See the pigtails? Young!"<br /><br />"Right," Wee snorted, holding back a giggle. "You talk about Argus in your sleep. When I walked around that crashed ship of yours, they said your people fled that place way over 20,000 years ago. You're ancient. Your hair isn't white, it's totally gray."<br /><br />"And I don't even remember the Sundering," Ceraan added, flipping the fish over.<br /><br />"My grandmother, before she was viciously slaughtered by orcs, told me of the homeworld. She gave me visions of what it was like. I may, possibly, be a bit older than Ceraan. I do not remember how old I am, however. Time, day and night, the length of a year; these things are all different from planet to planet. And I was not born on Draenor."<br /><br />The trio fell into silence. Shavra was brooding, Ceraan was making sure the food was thoroughly cooked, and Wee was trying to calculate just how many Azerothian years it had been since the draenei arrived on Draenor so she could start actually figuring out how old Shavra was. "My uncle Gyrofob said he could figure out the original circumference of Draenor if he could measure the curvature of the horizon, and the distance from the--"<br /><br />"Let it go, Wee. I don't need to know," Shavra said softly, putting a hand on on the gnome's frigid shoulder. "We should eat quickly and sleep soundly, for tomorrow's journey shall be long and arduous in the terrain ahead."<br /><br />"I don't understand why we can't just fly," Wee muttered.<br /><br />"With that noisy contraption you built?" Ceraan shuddered, handing out portions of the meal she'd prepared, setting one aside. "Just thinking about it, I can hear it all over again."<br /><br />"What?" Wee perked up, looking up toward the sky. "That's not mine, and that's not a memory." She jumped to her feet and started waving. "It's him! I'll bet he's got news!"<br /><br />The propeller of the mechanical contraption nearly extinguished the fire as it landed. A dwarf climbed out, grabbing his mace and shield from beside the seat as his feet touched the ground. He left his heavy pack in his vehicle though, and hurried over. Ceraan silently handed him a portion of food.<br /><br />"What news, Borin?" Shavra brightened a bit.<br /><br />"Been all over the place, playing messenger," he grumbled, sitting down and resting his shield and weapon handily at his side. "It's as we feared." He took a large bite of his food and then looked around expectantly. "What? None of ye lasses have some brew to spare? If we're stormin' Ulduar on the morrow, I'll not spend tonight sober."<br /><br />"It seems I'll be taking first watch," Ceraan sighed, pouring Borin a mug of mulled mead. It's what she had on her, and what she'd had heated for herself to aid her sleep that night.<br /><br />Wee pouted. "Blightbender, or whatever I'm calling him today, can handle it. He's not all that bright, but he's loyal and he can warn us if anything foul is afoot."<br /><br />"I won't be havin' a blasted undead as our only protection against, well, the undead!" Borin shook his head, scowling. "Light bless it, but I don't know a paladin alive that will stand for that. I keep better watch with a drink or two in me anyhow. Any dwarf worth his salt does."<br /><br />"Aw, but he's so cute and all alone out there. Poor little guy, bits of him freezing to the ground...."<br /><br />Shavra cringed, setting her food down for a moment. "He is far from little. You reanimated him from that vrykul we killed earlier. He is five times as tall as you, at least. How is that little, I ask you?"<br /><br />"Whatever," Wee said around the last bite of her fish. "He's loyal, he doesn't need sleep any more than I do, and the three of you DO need sleep. I've been dead once, just like him, and that's quite enough sleep for me."<br /><br />"You still need rest, though," Ceraan tried to forestall an argument between death knight and paladin. "Call it sleep or no, we all work better with rest and we'll all of us need rest if we're to be of any use to your guild tomorrow."<br /><br />"Aye, that's as true as any," Borin said. "I'll take the first watch, 'an wake Wee in a few hours. And ye' best be stayin' awake so ye can wake Ceraan for watch. None of us'll be happy if we wake up to Bonenibbler--"<br /><br />"Blightbender," Wee corrected.<br /><br />"Whatever. None of us want the ghoul invitin' a few friends o' your old master in for a light snack."<br /><br />Wee sighed and crawled into her tent.<br /><br />"Thank you," Ceraan murmured.<br /><br />"I hope I din't offend the wee lass. Better her and her friend on our side than <span style="font-style: italic;">his</span> after all. Her and her kind are about the toughest fighters, an' I know it's not a life they chose, but I--"<br /><br />"I know what you mean," Shavra agreed. "It's like there is an absence of Light, where they stand. They've proven their worth, and their loyalty, many times over. Still, there's something about the death knights."<br /><br />Wee rolled over in her sleeping bag, tuning out the voices outside. She knew they were right. She knew it more than they did. But, it seemed that the death knights would always have something to prove.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-20745754258279976272009-06-01T07:58:00.003-07:002009-06-01T08:28:06.027-07:00It's Monday......so I think I'll start this up again. My eyesight is still a bit fuzzy, but I'm not sick anymore!<br /><br />What have I been doing this whole time? Mostly busywork, and until last week all my game time was spent soloing. I couldn't see well enough to heal, and mostly did some leveling on my paladin by remembering quests or squinting at the screen for five minutes.<br /><br />Remember. Don't mess around when it comes to your eyes. Learn from my mistake.<br /><br />Anyway! Before I start sounding like a public service announcement, I had some exciting times in Ulduar last week! We skipped Ignius entirely and tried to make a mad dash toward Mimiron for some actual progression. Thursday we tore through the place and left a scant few bosses behind. We rocked Flame Leviathan with one tower up, and we're planning on hitting him harder next time. We took longer than we wanted to on Thorim and Hodir, so we finished off Iron Council and left Freya as a warm up act for Saturday.<br /><br />Saturday went well, too. I'm still not in top form, and our favorite pally tank was gone for the day, but despite that we poked our head in on Mimiron and made some good progress. First phase is a healer's nightmare, though I got the easy part with healing through napalm. Second phase we started out with a few too many people clumped together, so we'd be targeted too long to heal through. That was fixed by moving one of our healers between the two ranged groups all by himself, and that got us through to phase three.<br /><br />Phase three Mimiron sucks. The adds hated us. The bomb bots loved to oneshot me. We ended up moving further away and had a ret pally grab the bomb bots. Something tells me that'll be my job when we're finally able to bring Wee in there for more than just Flame Leviathan. But, if the adds get taken care of right, we've got phase three.<br /><br />Not so much phase four. We got to phase four with eight people up on our last attempt, and that's where we lost it. Oh boy, did we ever lose it. It was glorious, though! All three healers were still up, and we did our best. But, at that point it was just total chaos as everyone was just so happy to be to phase four that we weren't sure what to do next.<br /><br />I'm worried about this week, though. Our main tank was away, so we had a DK tank. His cooldowns were a bit more forgiving than our pally tank's cooldowns, for mitigating the instakill in phase one. I'm sure we'll work something out, but we're a bit worried that we're going to have a bit of trouble with it. We need more dps before that's not an issue, I think. And, since I got all of Freya's loot Saturday that means we didn't get dps upgrades from her. Yeah, I was excited about that, but embarrassed, but we need more dps upgrades now for people who will be here every raid day.<br /><br />Maybe I'm worrying about nothing. Maybe we've got this in the bag, and the loot from the other bosses, as well as the loot we'll get this week, will be enough. Maybe our tank will get upgrades so he isn't going to die horribly in a oneshot of doom. Or, maybe it'll take us a few more weeks as we continue to get the same shaman drops every week that are getting sharded.<br /><br />Enough speculation for now. Mimiron will go down, and we'll move on to the real meat and potatoes of the raid. Yoggy must die. And then? More hard modes than just Flame Leviathan.<br /><br />So, I'll leave you with a banner. Hope springs eternal, and I want to win some of the drawings they've got going on. Specifically the trip to Blizzcon, because that would just rock.<br /><br /><a href='http://www.mountaindewgamefuel.com/wow/incoming_earn.php?e=51&r=914286270225' target='_blank' onclick='http://www.mountaindewgamefuel.com/wow/incoming_earn.php?e=51&r=914286270225'><img src='http://a405.g.akamai.net/f/405/11649/1h/pepsicoinc.download.akamai.com/11649/sites/game_fuel/downloads/faction_flags/banner_mtn_dew_game_fuel_alliance_52.jpg' width='458' height='103'alt='Mountain Dew Game Fuel Alliance Banner' /></a>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-85437435992770170262009-05-18T21:53:00.003-07:002009-05-18T21:59:30.089-07:00Attack of the Real LifeI'm so sorry for abandoning my blog for so long. It's not that I haven't had anything to write about. Far from it! I've just had a hard time mustering the energy.<br /><br />I've been sick for the last couple of weeks, and life is conspiring to keep me in just enough of a stressed out state that recovering is taking forever and ever and ever. The details are unimportant, stupid, and anticlimactic, but they're still kicking my ass.<br /><br />I will be back, but that time is not now. <a href="http://www.wowwiki.com/Soon">It is hopefully "soon" and I mean that in as non-Blizzard a way as possible. </a><br /><br />In the mean time, go give extra hugs to your loved ones, and take care of yourself. You never know when the little things will pile up and pull you down. And you never know what new disasters tomorrow may bring.<br /><br />Good luck to you all.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-7317817433382584242009-05-05T07:57:00.004-07:002009-05-05T08:15:21.116-07:00For the Alliance!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktGdX8w7HytVVrIqBguj_qThl3CpmzMJS_ojEd_BvgknUV8nTz_znaySOEMD8D5PINZ_3w5yIdn9BU-r6DxW_wP_4YNLBtOQWByTOqb3hi0ZPMk0bIjxEAp4oG2DdhOAEGrovzp-jR2gM/s1600-h/WoWScrnShot_050409_230437.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktGdX8w7HytVVrIqBguj_qThl3CpmzMJS_ojEd_BvgknUV8nTz_znaySOEMD8D5PINZ_3w5yIdn9BU-r6DxW_wP_4YNLBtOQWByTOqb3hi0ZPMk0bIjxEAp4oG2DdhOAEGrovzp-jR2gM/s320/WoWScrnShot_050409_230437.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332354564557163106" border="0" /></a><br />Actually, at 9:30 pm on a Monday night, it was more like, "Give us our bears, now."<br /><br />The Night Crew, Honored Exiles, and a few of our friends finally got tired of trying to PuG this achievement with random strangers, so we banded together and tore through the Horde leaders like they were made of tissue paper. We're all experienced PvPers and raiders, so any resistance we met was easily dealt with and crushed. We suffered a handful of deaths in the process, but for the most part it was easy as pie.<br /><br />Mmmm...pie....<br /><br />It was hilarious, afterward. <a href="http://sindorella.blogspot.com/">Sindorella</a> had a horde guildie defending, and when she came back from playing her DK with us I watched over her shoulder as she apologized to him for ganking him. They both laughed it up, and a good time was had by all. I hope he gets his 10 more Alliance kills for City Defender soon. Good luck to him!<br /><br />p.s.<br />The screenshot above only shows a few of us who were there for our city raids. Some of our group had logged off immediately, one stayed in UC to kill more hordies, and some just didn't want to bother. Also, some people who ARE in the screenie just happened to be there and couldn't resist showing off their bears for no other reason than to show off.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-68818391460070764452009-05-02T20:47:00.002-07:002009-05-02T21:37:44.203-07:00Down they go...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgNCZHIH9-gFRm0b-hdmBIddDryr3a2Ru5z9tdnp_9CFjVTrQJVka6nlS4tacK-L2Tr4SG53O4rWWSvJB0Uhvd4xcGLLf-ZUPs2OmVHavRVP11588VINvBCrHAgHDYpCL4TeJVqPlmWj7/s1600-h/very+good+saturday.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgNCZHIH9-gFRm0b-hdmBIddDryr3a2Ru5z9tdnp_9CFjVTrQJVka6nlS4tacK-L2Tr4SG53O4rWWSvJB0Uhvd4xcGLLf-ZUPs2OmVHavRVP11588VINvBCrHAgHDYpCL4TeJVqPlmWj7/s400/very+good+saturday.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331443020110672082" border="0" /></a>So, I don't think I mentioned it before. Our group raids on Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons. So, today was our second day of the week...and boy did we get some progression done!<br /><br />First we went after Ignius on a vengeance run. It felt good, smacking him around. We got him killed after a few tries, and all was right in the world. I got the hot pocket achievement, too. Thank goodness I can heal myself in that thing!<br /><br />Next we went on to Auriaya and hit her with a grand oneshot, and a leather healer helm dropped. (It's shaped like a moon. My druid is mooning the raid, now. haha) The next bosses were a bit on the tougher side, though. Thorim was a bit tricky for our stay behind group. I did the gauntlet, and it was pretty easy to heal, but that doesn't matter when the other group doesn't stay alive. We finally got it sorted out, though. Something about dispelling something that was making our shaman healer cast times ridiculous. It was a pretty fun enounter. I won the roll for the T8 shoulders, but since I'd already won something I happily passed on it for our mage. I'm just stoked I would have won it. We then went in and said hi to Freya...and took her down on our third attempt. The trash in that room is, uh, interesting. But, I got to sleep things for the first time since Sunken Temple! Go go druid CC!<br /><br />Freya's room is full of herbs, including two near the door that aren't pickable. They're underground or something. It would have been all well and good, but the rogue kept getting all the herbs before me or the mage could get to them! And, instead of handling it like an adult, I went all passive-aggressive and snarky. I was just so exasperated! It's not even that I needed the herbs that bad, I was just frustrated that I wasn't taken into consideration. So, we need to find a better way to handle that.<br /><br />I won the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/?item=46110">Alchemists's Cache</a> tonight, and we were all a bit surprised by what it all contained. I sent some of the potions and mixtures on to other members of the raid, because it really seems like a ridiculous amount of stuff to go to one person. I kept the herbs and the vials and the eternals, though. I hope we all bring the same characters each week, so the other two alchemists in the raid get the bag in turns. We'd probably guild bank the items, but the three alchemists in the raid a) aren't in the guild on these characters, and b) nobody ever gets stuff like that out of the guild bank anyway. It's like this black hole or something. There's a few things in the first tab that the common folk like me can take one of each day, but I have yet to learn the secret to gaining access to any of the rest of the stuff. Even asking for a heart of darkness for Shavra to make new shoulders way back when was a bit of an ordeal. Sure, we've been burned before, but at the same time if we can't do anything useful with the useful stuff, what's the point in having the guild bank? I don't even want the shit in there, but it feels a little off that it's ALL off limits.<br /><br />Meh. That's a rant for a different day.<br /><br />All in all, today's trip to Ulduar was a raving success! I think we need to iron out some kinks and stuff, both in the raiding and in the picking of the herbs, but we got the job done and we learned a lot. Barring disaster, next week will go a lot faster and we'll get to see more bosses! Yay!Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-79356873833330237112009-05-01T14:11:00.004-07:002009-05-01T15:16:03.842-07:00Mostly rambles<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYewJV1inlfPAcw0W3-G6nXw0EO_3wlMWFzAoYFKPNrc9aketpG-l9yhz1Dhyw7B-zGy16FQYJI_zADty9C2JesC4DmItkos1ByAdmt4k1xJAZ7hleJ6K0hYtve8uFxAF1lJB99rugV8Q3/s1600-h/shadow+priest.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYewJV1inlfPAcw0W3-G6nXw0EO_3wlMWFzAoYFKPNrc9aketpG-l9yhz1Dhyw7B-zGy16FQYJI_zADty9C2JesC4DmItkos1ByAdmt4k1xJAZ7hleJ6K0hYtve8uFxAF1lJB99rugV8Q3/s400/shadow+priest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330972120638121762" border="0" /></a><br />First topic on the table. Does my priest want to heal you?<br /><br />I don't know. Let me mind flay you and see how well that works.<br /><br />For the last year and a half, my priest has been a pretty dedicated shadow priest. I have other healers. I MIGHT dual spec her at some point in the future, but I doubt it. I'm just not all that great at priesting these days. I brush her off about once a week, do the jewelcrafting daily, and fly around Icecrown looking for saronite.<br /><br />It's not that I hate holy or disc, I just never got the hang of them. I "grew up" a three-button healer, so all the options on my priest gave me the centipede's dilemma in the worst way. Now that I'm used to healing on a druid, with many more healing options than I thought I'd ever get used to, I might give priest heals a try. I might not. But, no matter what, no. I don't want to heal your PuG.<br /><br /><hr /><br />Secondly, yesterday morning I helped my sis-in-law get her baby mage her "the Noble" title. At level 10. Well, okay, she wasn't 10 when she got the title, and that makes us all sad. She made a discovery ding before she got the actual title, but she did all of the work at 10, so we think it counts.<br /><br />It was pretty fun, escorting her on my paladin while my brother escorted her on his hunter. He'd hit things that might be a problem, and I saved her life more than once from something that had snuck up on her. We got her all the way through Tanaris, Un'goro Crater, and Silithus without a single death. Go team us!<br /><br />I've seen a screenshot of a tauren actually at level 10 with the title, and that made me a bit sad. We could have done it, if we hadn't insisted on killing things while she was in our party! Oh well. I'm still pleased with my level 38 hunter with the title, so I'm sure she's happy with her level 11 as well.<br /><br /><hr /><br />And, on the raiding front, XT nerfs saved the day. In one night we downed Flame Leviathan (duh), Razorscale (oneshot), XT (twoshot), Assembly (took forever, but we got them down), and the bridge boss (oneshot on our first attempt). We're not hardcore, so we're all pretty pleased with this, but I know I'm not the only one who feels a bit cheated that we couldn't get this far without the XT nerfs. I really like a good challenge. The tantrums were a bitch to heal through, but we had it if our dps had just been a bit better geared and we'd all known what we were doing.<br /><br />Oh well. I beat the other healers on dps when XT dropped his heart. That gives me a lot more smug satisfaction than perhaps it should.<br /><br />Also, finally, I enjoyed healing last night for the first time in a long time. I felt like I was on my game for once. I'm looking forward to healing tomorrow. It's back to being my comfort zone, and I need my comfort zone more than I need things changed up. I go back and forth, and I'm sorry to anyone who has to put up with me like this, but that's just how I am sometimes.<br /><br />I'm taking a bit of a break from the game today, but I can't play all the time! Next up, leveling my paladin from 70-80. Maybe I'll try to see just how fast I can go. Wish me luck!Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-39233239333293223872009-04-29T10:12:00.001-07:002009-04-29T10:19:04.269-07:00This just in!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk56s8BmoGtB4fcRbT1olRY_deY8nfFC0f5CB9gQGfUwP7DMyw8YokpE0PCdm9-vCOifMZzEQaLuIf3FYVFJn5AZT9uB6EJeiMqBhZ2RUUQap-QE76MiyM2wnccE47n0kBkkkyf_bGA0dr/s1600-h/only+dk+in+pug.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 82px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk56s8BmoGtB4fcRbT1olRY_deY8nfFC0f5CB9gQGfUwP7DMyw8YokpE0PCdm9-vCOifMZzEQaLuIf3FYVFJn5AZT9uB6EJeiMqBhZ2RUUQap-QE76MiyM2wnccE47n0kBkkkyf_bGA0dr/s320/only+dk+in+pug.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330162875160973410" border="0" /></a><br />Yesterday, I was the only DK in a 25-man PuG of Emalon!<br /><br />Actually, considering how we ended up in a wipefest after replacing too many people, that may not make me the smartest DK in the world. Our first three attempts were awesome, but one person after another dropped for one reason or another...and finally the attempts became total crapola. We ended up replacing about 10 people from what I'd stepped in on, and the last attempt showed it totally wasn't worth it.<br /><br />Wee's string of bad luck continues. I think I'm afraid to touch her for a while. It's because I got the Super Simian Sphere, isn't it? Curses!Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-78362400484570098332009-04-28T07:15:00.002-07:002009-04-28T07:40:09.316-07:00So...Noblegarden<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MhJO8p0-iC4PYXP2eZqfJf1t877UnPw2GPS232KfEjEB3KZEk3Ge1PHr74qwE3_k_a5ZPAE1k2qGU6dGE30dy1Nz5rRoueNfYl_5FWsezaORr2yUOJVmsMOsPqGi4wPnXD0YJ41nUJn_/s1600-h/ngbunny.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 114px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MhJO8p0-iC4PYXP2eZqfJf1t877UnPw2GPS232KfEjEB3KZEk3Ge1PHr74qwE3_k_a5ZPAE1k2qGU6dGE30dy1Nz5rRoueNfYl_5FWsezaORr2yUOJVmsMOsPqGi4wPnXD0YJ41nUJn_/s320/ngbunny.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329749129970875362" border="0" /></a>All my blog time yesterday was spent hunting eggs.<br /><br />In fact, all my WoW time yesterday was spent hunting eggs.<br /><br />My shaman and my druid both have their holiday titles, and I still have my horde hunter to go. I kinda doubt she'll get the title, since she's level 37 and the mobs in Un'goro will make her a light snack, but that doesn't mean I won't get as much done as I can.<br /><br />On Shavra, my shaman, I had all of the items I needed drop within my first 100 eggs. I ended up with three of the pets, and it made me sad to have to delete two of them.<br /><br />On Ceraan, my druid, my luck was a bit worse. I had to buy a few things, and I ended up not bothering with 50 more chocolates for the circlet since I didn't need it for the achievement. A nice death knight went to the starting zones with me so our bunnies could get their spring fever out of the way together.<br /><br />I might or might not do any of it on my death knight. She's having a bad week, with Maly bugging on her and not being able to find a spot to grab eggs every time I've taken her to a hunting spot. I'm also leaning toward being just sick and tired of clicking on eggs right now.<br /><br />If anything amazing or amazingly frustrating happens, I'll mention it. Otherwise, I'm just waiting for Children's Week. I've always had a soft spot for that particular holiday, and it'll be just that much more fun with the achievements in place.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-23063254155064567932009-04-24T10:14:00.002-07:002009-04-24T10:30:36.531-07:00For reals, this time...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE6sNea3CsY1qiD7fON5M3uWtt7gWfISm18aOvtc_lyJhgL0nZVqggjhe88g6w6IEobzyvLV809qYImLBT4DPOWAncme93t5vGELGqS2ON-sWljBWx7bGmSsXTa4NiuPwzRNF4SbpG_H0/s1600-h/starting+ulduar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE6sNea3CsY1qiD7fON5M3uWtt7gWfISm18aOvtc_lyJhgL0nZVqggjhe88g6w6IEobzyvLV809qYImLBT4DPOWAncme93t5vGELGqS2ON-sWljBWx7bGmSsXTa4NiuPwzRNF4SbpG_H0/s320/starting+ulduar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328307536296164050" border="0" /></a><br />Now that's more like it.<br /><br />We've got Flame Leviathan and Razorscale down, on our first regular week. (Our raid leader was gone last week, so we didn't put in any real effort into Ulduar. Or anything, for that matter.)<br /><br />Not bad for the "B" group, but I'm not sure I'm entirely happy. We just plain didn't have the dps for XT-002. With three healers, we hit the enrage timer. With two healers, we died too much. I was second on dps when I brought in Wee, but Wee's dps doesn't matter when the rest of the dps are taking dirt naps from bad tantrums. We've got the mechanics of the fight down. We just need better geared people tagging along. I think we'd have started with more of our better geared regulars if we hadn't switched to Thursdays...but that's another tale entirely.<br /><br />We two-shotted Razorscale. Again, the first wipe could be pretty much attributed to me. I was the first healer down, because I didn't notice I was standing in a patch of pretty blue flames until it was too late, and instead of getting out of it like a normal person would, I hit the wrong button and died. Trees really don't like fire. Our second attempt was pretty messy, too. Both of our tanks were dead at the end, a third dps had just gotten munched, and we barely killed it before I was next on the menu.<br /><br />That was NOTHING next to the chaos and confusion we faced trying to take a screenshot of our kill, though! We couldn't agree which end was the tail and which was the head. I was jumping up and down, pointing out that I was in her dead mouth and there were teeth and her glowing blue eyes, and people were still insisting we were at the wrong end.<br /><br />Can I say we got roflpwned by the screenshot boss? Our raid leader had to finally tell everyone it doesn't matter what THEY see, get over here and stand where the screenie will look right on his computer. (Which, incidentally, agreed with mine.)<br /><br />Trying to juggle two characters in Ulduar is giving me a headache. The rust is flaking off my healing skill, but I'm still not at the top of my game. I was third on heals, out of our three healers. I was second on dps, when I brought Wee. You can kinda tell where my heart is, in all this. But, I can't complain. Bringing Ceraan is VASTLY more fun than sitting at the summoning stone and then calling it a night because nobody wants to heal.<br /><br />So, that's Ulduar in a nutshell. And, since I don't want to be wiping to that stupid whiny robot every week for the next ten years, everybody had better bring their A game tomorrow. Either that, or we should get our asses back in Naxx.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321374273035104653.post-21254539904498547382009-04-23T07:20:00.003-07:002009-04-23T07:47:35.340-07:00When I grow up...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbJ3n0et_o5HaWGW-zCWViBLpT4ddOmcPXxmVazM3Ts0I_jr1hDmyvFn4UBOZahFJstSUlFaHYRVEdtSbtWr6WnTtA1G_d6MV_GX9mizf0Me9yhMbF17oxJL7nHPcj2dBMx8dQdmCUf1g/s1600-h/total+shaman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbJ3n0et_o5HaWGW-zCWViBLpT4ddOmcPXxmVazM3Ts0I_jr1hDmyvFn4UBOZahFJstSUlFaHYRVEdtSbtWr6WnTtA1G_d6MV_GX9mizf0Me9yhMbF17oxJL7nHPcj2dBMx8dQdmCUf1g/s320/total+shaman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327894518739413458" border="0" /></a>I was at a loss about what to write about today. I came across the <a href="http://www.twistednether.net/2009/04/22/shared-topic-what-class-would-you-be-in-real-life/#comments">Shared Topic: What Class Would You Be in Real Life</a> and my brain started working on it.<br /><br />Before coffee. It's a miracle.<br /><br />I've stumbled upon a few interesting ideas. Mages sound awesome at first glance, but it's just not for me. Sure, I love the idea of teleporting wherever I want, whenever I want. But, think of all the scenery you'll miss.<br /><br />Priests and paladins appeal to me in their own ways, but I'm just not a religious person. That, and I realized many years ago that if undead were real, and I had the faith-based skills to combat them, then I'd kinda be forced to, you know, combat them. Ew.<br /><br />When all is said and done, there's a reason that first tauren of mine will never be deleted. There's a reason Shavra was my main for so very long. If there's a class in the game I'd truly want to be, it's shaman.<br /><br />Like I said, I'm not religious, but I'm very deeply spiritual. I don't agree with shoving my beliefs in anyone's face, but I do think that people could do well to show a little more respect for nature and the world we live in.<br /><br />I love the idea of tapping into the earth directly for support, and setting up helpful totems as I go. I've had dreams where I'm up against someone truly vile, and I turn the raw energy of lightning upon them, and it feels great. The raw coursing energy of the wild, or the gentle nurturing growth...<br /><br />Most of all, there's the ghost wolf dance. Who wouldn't want to do that in real life???Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970504002076201260noreply@blogger.com0