Pandaria Professions! (Pt1)

This title is no secret to you if you are a WoW player or at least a gamer who keeps up with industry news. For those of us who are the former(casual or chronic), there's something to be said about the amount of work that's going to be going into this expansion, from questing and enjoying the lore to leveling mains, alts, and everyone's professions in the process. For those of us like me who have EVERYTHING in terms of professions, this is probably something you've been pondering, trying to decide what takes priority over all else, what will be the most beneficial.

This post is going to revolve around all of that, and I'm going to make myself sound like I know what I'm doing. I... what? Oh... the voices in my head say I do, so...!

And to note, I'm waiting 'til day 3 or 4 to touch the monk or panda leveling.

Nice thing about end-of-expansion raiding has been getting gear that'll make leveling much easier. Enchantments have a minimum iLevel of 372 while jewelcrafting's minimum is 417, something that really won't make a difference unless you're a blacksmith, as leveling gear doesn't really have gemslots. Blacksmiths can add them to their own gloves and bracers, but you won't get 417+ gear 'til well into 86 at least. Most of my gear when I hit 90 on my premade monk was between 414 and 442, and not a single gemslot, and that's questing and some dungeon gear.

Anyway, getting back on track, my whole point is you won't need most quest reward gear 'til it out-stats your gemmable Cata gear, 397 and 410 gear alike. Enchanting will prop it up a little longer, but gems won't do you any good. For this reason, Jewelcrafting will wait a little to get my attention. I may poke at it if the rings and necks are worth grinding for, but the gems will happen when the market has a need for it. Enchanting, though, will be one of my focuses. My first though will actually be a bit split as my druid will be the first I work to level, his professions being alchemy and herbalism. The split comes in the fact inscription will provide shoulder enchants in Pandaria, so I'll be sending herbs off to my death knight. If I have to work on him, I'll be able to gather ore for my Paladin and Priest, my blacksmith, especially, and jewelcrafter, respectively.

Blacksmithing, on tat note, will be another focus of mine, seeing that I have 3 plate wearers who will need things from it, guaranteed. Windwool cloth is abundant, so my mage will be swimming in it like he has been with embersilk. My hunter will probably have the hardest time as his guild is a hanger-on that doesn't have a high level, and therefore doesn't have Bountiful Bags. All that's left is engineering, and that really won't be a huge worry for me as my warrior also has mining like my DK and Paladin, though my Priest is also engy along with being my jewelcrafter.

Sound like a mess? It is, kinda. Long story short, Alchy and Inscription, Blacksmith, Enchanting, and Leatherworking. Tailoring will progress naturally, while Engineering and Jewelcrafting will come along when I feel like grinding them. There's a good amount of logic going into the decisions, but it also hinges on my own personal procrastination problem.

I would go into secondary professions, but it's time for racing on Speed. I'll touch on them later on. Ciao!

Re: Dear Vanilla Players, I'm Sorry...

I’m sorry you wasted 40 hours a week of your life so your Rogue can wield an axe (Weapon Proficiency).
Im sorry you had to grind 40 hours a week to get a mount.
Im sorry you had to grind 40 hours a week to gain one level.
And most of all, I’m sorry you were misled into believing that a long winded BORING grind made you feel like a special snowflake.

Get over it...move on, Wow is better now then it ever was.

;P

Dear High and Mighty...

Don't need your pity for something that was enjoyable for me. I never got epic riding, but I was fine with that. I got to raid UBRS while it was still a legit raid and got to see ZG. Would love to have gotten to do MC and BWL and such when they were current content, but then that's my problem because I started late in Vanilla. People say I didn't miss much, but I say I missed something I'd have enjoyed. And even if I hadn't enjoyed them in the end, at least I'd have gotten to try them. It took me months to level my first character to 60, and I enjoyed it. Now I level characters when I'm bored(and dang have I been bored without too much to do). When I leveled my first character, getting gear and working on professions were important and actually gave me something to do. Now when I level, I do it so I can keep up with others and not have someone go "u suk l2p" or such derpy derivatives or because if I skip doing them they'll be a pain to go back and do later. Back when things were slow, the game was an adventure and a challenge. Now it's all just go go go, rush rush rush. That isn't fun. I miss classic AV where there was some strategy and mobs to kill that mattered and calling Lokholar and so on. Now it's a zergfest, to see who can kill the other side faster. Frankly, if they did have Vanilla or BC servers, I would play on those more than current servers and leave all you entitlers behind.

And one thing to note... I consider myself a casual. I don't raid like it's all that matters to me, nor do I don't like hard modes and have no absolute need to do them and feel like I'm an awesome player. I don't really do arenas either, really, though I have two characters that I'd heal in arenas with if I had folks to be steady and PvP with. Simple as that. I can tank, I can heal, I can DPS, I have done all but one class up to full level, though my warlock's close. My point is I know what I'm talking about, and I have every right to feel the way I feel. Do I still play? You bet. Have I ever taken breaks? Maybe a week or two at a time, or cut back on my time in game, either because I was busy with life or I just needed to deal with some burnout. Am I going to keep playing? You already know I am because I enjoy the game for what it is. If this is too hard for you to understand, that's fine, I don't care. I'm gonna keep right on playin'.

And for the sake of saying, you ARE right that WoW is better now than it ever was, but was it bad then? Not from my point of view. You are entitled to your opinions about things, as I am about mine, but for me, I have my own personal facts that your opinions will never, EVER change. I'm not sorry for that, either. I'm not the only one who feels this way either, so it's your turn to get over it and move on. Good day.

Original post on the forums that was too full to respond to - http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/6308661972

Patch 4.2 - Firelands, or "Too soon, Executus!"

(Note, I started writing this back in December or just before, so this will be well out of date, but I wanna finish it and get it done.)

So yes, I know we're into patch 4.3 now, yet I've been lax about tossing in my two cents about patch 4.2. Well, I'm going to fix this. Patch 4.2 saw some very big events come into play. First, the Firelands invasion, which consisted of the Molten Front and the dailies it gave, a compelling story that, for some of us, encouraged us to get involved on the basis of just retribution. Second, the Elemental Bonds questline which consisted of Thrall, Aggra, learning more about our beloved Warchief. Third, "The Firelands" raid.

Admittedly, Patch 4.2 holds some bittersweet memories for me, but for what it is, I enjoyed it. The Molten Front has some very nice upgrades for folks like Blacksmiths and Tailors and a couple of plans for Engineers that they really shouldn't pass up if they're close to getting them, even now, though to be honest, the quest grind, after days and days and days of unlocking does get old. If you did the Shattered Sun Offensive on Quel'Danas in BC, in prep for Sunwell, you understand.

If you haven't done Thrall's questline, I won't spoil it for you. For your first time, you'll do it for the story. Anytime after that, chances are it'll just be for the cape. I actually get a little sad when I do it because I'm a pseudo pacifist, and 'cause I miss certain characters. But I'm sure you'll know what I mean if you've seen it.

And finally, The Firelands. It was a fun raid for me, though I didn't get to see the end 'til after the nerf happened. Ragnaros was a fun fight for me, Fandral was a wuss, Alysrazor always causes amusement 'cause someone derps, it never fails, and then there's Beth and Rhyolith and Shannox too. Beth'tillac finally gave me her shiny shield. Twice! I love the model of the Ward. I still want a set of shoulders. Someday.

It was during 4.2 that I actually started my transition back to Bloodhoof from Silver Hand in terms of server preference. Things happened, won't go into 'em, but I learned my lessons, and that's why I still play this blasted game. Heh. Next post will be about Dragon Soul, patch 4.3.

Quickie: Y'ever Notice...?

It's no secret I read MMO-Champion often, keeping up on the news and rumors and such, plus finding out what's going on in the wacky World of Warcraft playerbase as a bonus. Some things I've noticed...

PvP servers and primarily-PvP players have horrible spelling habits and a lack of PvE knowledge, something I've discovered in great detail when I group with them of course, but reading their posts on MMO just make me shake my head. Note, I do PvP, but it's not why I play the game, and I don't care if you play the game to PvP, the game is based in a PvE universe. PvP is only an added bonus component, meaning you will always be second class, especially to me.

It's funny to read most blue posts being tracked. A great majority of them that have been locked have been started by an Alliance player who can't seem to spell/capitalize/punctuate/etc, and when I try to read them I get a headache because they're so horribly written, not to mention the fact the topic tends to be inane and pointless if thought about for 5 seconds with the use of common sense. Shoo, stupid Alliance players, and you too you Alliance transfers who can't form a complete thought. You can even take our bad Horde players with you. The Alliance transfers that legit-ly realized they started out on the wrong faction and have brain cells + maturity can stay.

And before this turns into a complete Alliance bash, as it's too easy to do as such, I'm going to stop here.

Okay, I lied. One small note - I don't mind if you're Alliance, if you don't want to kill me and don't have completely skewed thoughts and unfair bias against my faction's races. I can co-exist with a Nelf just fine, heck I'd like to chat with one, assuming they didn't hate my guts needlessly. I'd make my Draenei Horde if I could, considering I want to play him but can't stand Alliance. Hate the faction, not the races.

Edit 8-20 : I do realize that there are a lot of bad Horde spellers and such, don't get me wrong there. I guess when I read those posts from those Alliance folks I fat-finger-pointed out, the ol' stereotype pops into my head, about how only kids play Alliance, how they're usually underage and such, because we all know kids are the ones who netspeak liek dis and use 4 instead of for and go out of their way to skip using one or two vowels or consonants to make a word and so on. I kid you not when I say it tends to be Alliance folks that start a thread only to have it locked. 

4.1, the Return of the Trolls

(Yes, this is way past relevancy, but I may as well touch on it.)

So for those of us who played back in Vanilla and BC, chances are you got to experience good ol' Zul'Gurub and Zul'Aman. The Cataclysm hit though, and ZG was abandoned by the Gurubashi, while the Amani stayed holed up in the Ghostlands.

Until the Zandalar tribe, the highest of Troll empires, decided the time had come to bring all the Troll empires together with the belief that to survive, they had to work together, but not only that - to retake what other races had taken from them, they so believed. Only the Darkspear, led by Vol'jin, rejected this notion, this offer. Why? They had separated themselves from the other tribes because they didn't follow or accept the traditions and bad habits that had been taken up, and despite recent events, they were still loyal to the Horde. That said, they couldn't stand by and let the Zandalari simply do as they pleased. Alerting the Horde and the Alliance alike, Vol'jin spearheaded the efforts in ZA while Darkspear and Booty Bay members went to ZG. Only you know if those efforts were a success or a failure...

Personally, how do I feel about these instances, redone as they've been? I think ZA didn't change a whole lot, which is fine, though the Zandalar mobs added new challenge to it, and being someone who wasn't able to get a bear in the day, it's nice to have a chance to get another one. No, I still haven't gotten one, but it WILL happen... someday. Now ZG? That's another story. Completely redone, and in a lot of cases, tough, very tough, if you're not used to it OR are just having a clumsy off-night. It's also a good idea to have a good Archaeologist in the party to do the Cache of Madness, not unlike needing an Alchemist to make Gurubashi Mojo Madness in the old ZG.

The redone gear isn't too shabby either. If it wasn't for the gear, I wouldn't have found out Enhancement is MUCH better than Elemental for me, which makes my solo and Tol Barad questing efforts MUCH easier. Heh heh.

Unfortunately, doing either as a random tends to be... tricky at best. Sometimes it's smooth as silk. Sometimes it's like grinding yer face on a brick wall. A few nights ago, myself and a good friend were the DKs in a 2 DK, 3 Druid run, and despite the complete lack of CC and dispels, it was nearly a faceroll. It would have been completely, but Malacrass got to have fun with all those stolen Lifeblooms. We 2 shot him, no matter the case.

In short, it's a nice slice of the good ol' days. And along with the new Bear, there's also a new Raptor mount off Mandokir, and there's a new Panther mount to replace the beloved and often-farmed Tiger. So, if you have the patience, relive the old days, but if you're a new player, welcome to a crash course in how you REALLY do an instance. CC, patience, and situational awareness.

And with that, another post comes to a close.

Semi-OT but related - Rift

Alright, so, chances are that you have seen something about Rift, the latest MMO to hit the market, be it a banner ad, review, or what have you. One of the banner ads that I've seen on both Wowhead and Curse Client says "We're not in Azeroth anymore!" which obviously means to say "We're gunning for World of Warcraft, fear us, rawr." If you believe the mini movies and the banner ads and such, you might just believe they have a chance.

Honestly? They're not taking down Deathwing anytime soon. Does it mean they've got nothing? Hardly.

First thing to note, if you can trial run it, do so, both to see how you like it and to see if you can run the beast. In my case, my Dell Dimension 5150 with a Pentium D, 2 gigs of generic ram, and 7600 GT 256 meg video card ran it on the lowest settings. I didn't try to hike 'em up 'cause I had the second half of a weekend trial run, if that. Have 10 gigs free on your hard drive too. My DSL took around 16 hours supposedly, at around 140k a second for download speeds. And don't pause or stop it either if you don't have more than 10 gigs to work with. If you pause it and restart it, it will look at your current hard drive space, and if you are over its space requirement, it'll restart fine. If you're under, it won't, even if you have, let's say, 5 gigs finished downloading. Start with 12, pause with 7 gigs still free, nope, won't resume, gotta get past that minimum install threshold again. Lesson learned, have a free space buffer on your hard drive if you happen to be like me and have a stuffed drive.

So what about gameplay, anyway? What I really say? For the computer I played it on, the graphics were good, the gameplay was, I felt, a little numb, a little groping to get the proper things done, not unlike City of Heroes and Champions Online. Was it bad gameplay? Certainly not. If you get used to it, you're gonna be just fine. As far as things like gear and stats go, it's the typical, familiar stuff, a few vague stats and a few obvious good stats. One thing I did love was the talent trees. It was fun to figure out which combos work the best. In my case, I played a shaman, and I was makin' a mess of baddies. I forget which combo I was using, but I know druid was part of the trio. Since I started writing this a couple of months ago on my phone, the game has come down in price, extremely so. I'm seeing $20 prices in general, and I've actually got a price of $5 because of my former trial period. Since then, the friends I know have played the game have stopped or aren't playing at the moment, save for one, and those friends are still playing good ol' WoW. That said, it's not bad, but it's no WoW killer. I would play it again, but I don't really wanna pay to play when I play WoW and don't plan on stopping for the obvious immediate future.

The PuG, or, Why I Hate Randoms

*Blows the dust off his blog, and sneezes!* Ach, 'scuse me. *Pulls out an extra-strength Goblin hankie, and turns away, blowing his nose good and hard*

Eech, so yeah, long time no post, huh. I know, I know, sorry for being lazy. Lots has happened in my corner of Azeroth, heh.

So, like the title says, this is gonna focus on something we either suck up and deal with, or we avoid however possible - the PuG, or pick-up group for those who aren't familiar with the term. As of last night, there's another change coming, presumably with patch 4.1, called Call to Arms. In short, DPS is throwing fits 'cause they have to wait a half hour or more, most times, to do randoms, usually to do with tanks in short supply, so Blizzard's throwing the tank types(they say it's good for all classes, but...) a bone to get them to run randoms - a goodie bag with things like gold, flasks, maybe a rare combat pet, or even a super rare mount of some kind.

Where have I heard this before? Oh yeah. Remember The Oculus? The place in Wrath where you had to ride dragons, do sections of the instance, and so on? Back in Wrath, they put a goodie bag in the Cache after you beat Ley-Guardian Eregos. It had rare-quality gems, money, I think 2 extra badges, and a chance at a blue drake normally gotten from Malygos 10. The reason? People were whiny and lazy group-droppers because they didn't have the patience to do the place. Personally, it didn't bother me, but that's just me. So yeah, now it's happening again.

I'll be frank, it bugs the heck out of me. Why?

Lemme give you a short run-down of things that tend to happen in PuG groups, most often because of, who else, but tanks.

Example 1: Disconnects or abrupt group drops. Most often either a DPS or a tank, the latter especially as a pull happens, leaving the DPS to die, or after a boss fight where they're looking for something to drop and it doesn't. Personal admission, I've dropped group when looking for a particular item to drop and it didn't, but I politely said I was sorry for dropping and wished them luck, most recently as my Shammy.

Example 2: Rudeness. Ask a question or note something is needed from a particular boss, get flat out ignored, no response. DPS pulling mobs when they shouldn't be. Tanks or heals or DPS getting flippant with another party member or members. Tanks and healers from the same guild getting an attitude or simply trolling because they can. Parts of example 1 also fit into this, as do parts of the next example.

Example 3: Drops. Tank needs a tank item, DPS needs too, and wins over the tank. Or the DPS loses a DPS item to a tank. Or a healer rolls need on Tear of Blood, loses it to a Boomkin. Note, that happened to my shammy, heh. Or, getting an item, and then dropping group, whether it was needed, or a complete ninja. Or it's the hunter winning a strength ring. Don't laugh. I'm not kidding here.

And so on. You get my point now about this, I hope. The long and short of it is the fact that I am tired of PuGs being so God-awful, in attitude and in build. I don't want to deal with big-shot tanks acting like they're too good to tank for the rest of us, more than they already do. Don't give them rewards they don't deserve. I don't believe it'll improve anything. The 30 minute drop penalty doesn't avert anything these days, especially for the fact it only works if there's a drop before the first boss fight.

In short, this is simply a band-aid for a gushing wound. I will simply continue to prefer guild runs over randoms. If a call to arms needs heals, maybe I'll try it, but currently, it's always the tanks in short supply. And let's face it, people still complained about Oculus. It's such a vivid memory, I know that if folks were forced to kill every boss in Halls of Origination, they'd drop from it too. I hate skipping bosses most times, I really do. But naturally, I'm not the tank, so who cares what I think? If I play stubborn, I'll just get vote kicked.

Why yes, yes I do have some bitterness over random groups. Wait 30 minutes as deeps, get in, people drop, group fails, waste of my time. Go in and kill bosses, piece I want drops, someone else needs on it and doesn't deserve it, gets it, runs off. Advise CC targets or say "Mana, one sec", and get ignored. Clue by four, tanks, you're not the only one that gets hurt by Neferset Plaguebearers. And it isn't hard to clear the other pack by General Husam either, don't be lazy.

Seriously, Blizz, stop giving the trolls(not the blue two-toed Rastamen) more reasons to troll. Thanks.

And now, I feel my soapbox giving way. Getting this all out feels good though. And now... deep breath.

~RJ

Testing out something new...

So, it seems that I either missed the Blogger app on the Android Market, or it's a new thing that just came out since the last time I looked, a couple of months ago. Either way, I find myself using my phone these days for a lot of little tasks instead of my computer, most notably e-mails and Twitter through Seesmic, and I always find myself having little streams of inspiration, so from now on, I'm going to use my phone to get out my RP moments and post little entries from my different characters, or just get out random OOC lore thoughts or what have you. And yes, this entry is being written all with my Intercept.

/block of text

One Clarification to Make

I've been reading some posts from WoW.com this morning, and something I felt needed saying just kinda popped into my head, and it really does kinda put everything into perspective when you think about it.

It's not the people that make the Alliance bad, to me, it's the Alliance that makes the people bad.

Truth be told, I know the Alliance follows the lead of their King *spit* just like we follow the lead of Garrosh, for better or worse. Calling on the thought of that third faction deal... if I could, I would co-exist with folks traditionally Alliance, if they could do the same with me. Members of the Alliance that do me harm? They'll get what's coming to them. Folks that actually realize that skewed perspective breeds ill-fueled hatred and want no part of it? That's who I want to be around. I'm quite sure tensions would exist for awhile, and there WOULD be folks who end up trying to stir up trouble, but... ultimately, I could see myself hangin' out with Dwarves, Night Elves, and so on. How is this possible? My Shaman, in my mind, is an extended member of the Earthen Ring. You see Dwarves and Draenei in there. And Druids? Cenarion proves that Tauren, Night Elves, and even Trolls at some point, can also cohabitate.

There will always be mutual hatred, and there will always be mutual respect. Humans and Orcs will never completely get along. In comparison, members of the Earthen Ring respect and care about each other because they have a mutual respect and care for things involving the world and the elements. When you gravitate on a central goal, you learn that prejudice is nothing more than a fabricated hindrance.

Thrall says it right at the beginning of Cataclysm. "Cast aside your prejudices." Frankly, I would love nothing more than to do that.

The Cataclysm Survival Guide

Alright, so, Cataclysm, the expansion where everything you know and do changes so drastically, you may find yourself lost with where to go, what to do, what spec to choose, which factions to get exalted with first, ad nauseum. Well, having leveled three 85s so far and getting ready to do more of them in my spare time, here’s a few handy recommendations, because hey, I did the hard work already. Someone had to.

1. Pick a character you’re going to enjoy raiding with or focusing your time most on. 2 of the three I leveled were because I enjoyed the characters. The third was less fun, but still fun no less, but it was also because I needed a Blacksmith who could do things for the first of those three.

2. Set your Hearth to Orgrimmar, or have an easy way to get back if you forget. Bilgewater Harbor for Kalimdor makes flights back from Hyjal a reality, and the Sandy Beach is your only choice in Vashj’ir.

3. If you can be spec flexible and have the gear, do it. Got a decent tank set and have around 60k buffed? Go ahead and try Blackrock Caverns. Got a decent amount of epics from Icecrown Citadel and could heal Rotface and Festergut decently? Feel free to give it a try early on. You don’t have to, necessarily, but it may cut down on your queue times and you may find yourself better than you expected.

4. Check your add-ons and try new ones out. Personally, my main addons consist of Perl Classic, SexyMap, RatingsBuster, Omen, DBM, Bartender4 and Dominos(depending on my class), Auctioneer(still has bugs with the buffs and right-clicking for whatever reason), Flototem Bar, Itemrack, Identity2, Mik’s Scrolling Battle Text, or MSBT, Gatherer, Ackis Recipe List, and for healing, Grid + Clique. Experiment with what’s out there.

5. When you hit the Twilight Highlands, have a buddy to help you out with the quests. I don’t know what you Alliance folks will have to breeze through with, but doing the Wildhammer quests at 84 is a pain, even as a plate wearer. Doing it as my Shaman was murder, so I’m scared to think of clothies.

6. RESEARCH the different factions to maximize your rewards and get in the habit of dailies. Level 12 and higher guild members will have a much easier time with the 10% Mr. Popularity perk(250 base, 275 with 10%, on average), but even then it’s still annoying. Hyjal has something for everybody and has the caster head enchant, Dragonmaw has your strength head enchant, Earthen Ring has healer and caster gear and the tanking head enchant, Therazane takes a bit to unlock but they’re your shoulder enchant faction, and if you do enough of a certain daily, you’ll get Pebble. What’s Pebble? You’ll find out. There’s also Hellscream’s Reach, and Ramkahen, which has the agility head enchant.

7. This correlates with #2, but be careful when choosing your starting zone. I started in Hyjal. Sure, Vashj’ir is pretty nice and has a bit of lore to it involving the Naga and all, but Hyjal has a lot more lore, a lot more drama, a lot more Ysera, a lot more Hamuul, bear cub tossing and trampoline bouncing, and the best example of when phasing is amazing.

8. Bagspace. This speaks for itself. Heck, make sure your quest log isn’t stuffed.

9. Put on that Bilgewater tabard ‘til you start running things like Halls of Origination, Grim Batol, and Lost City of the Tol’Vir, when you’ll be able to get rep for the Cataclysm factions that matter.

10. Make a Wowhead account, and install the Wowhead Looter. Pet tracking, quest tracking, gear searches, mount tracking, and so on.

11. Chaos Orbs – if you see them on your need/greed, need on them. Crafters who can or will be able to use them will be the only ones able to see them, and they are Bind-on-Pickup, plus they are non-tradable. I was personally scolded by guildies for passing TO them, so yes, just need the things. Sometimes you’ll be the only one.

12. Finally… Uldum. Do the zone. Don’t skip anything. Why? I’m not telling, just do as I say.

I’m sure there are plenty more tips to be listed here, but the simple fact is, trial and error. These are just good things to keep in mind.

And now, bed.

~RJ

Cataclysm, after the first month, and a week or so...

Been awhile since I've written in here... a couple weeks or so, yep. Been a tad busy in-game, getting raid prepped and all sorts of lovely things like that. I've been wanting to get back to writing in here, but hey, when life keeps you busy, or you keep busy with life, be it real, Azerothian, or what have you, things get pushed back. Either way, I think I'm going to take the time to write up some suggestions on what to do and how to survive in this new world, at some point here in the next few days, but for now... on with the commentary.

Well, I can definitely say at this point, with the exception of archaeology and the 50-60 grind, I have seen most of what can and will be seen by the casual player. As for the deep end of the raiding pool, raiding is a bit on the tough side right now, to be sure.

Just starting out in Cata, it was required you had to do every zone, and just about every quest, to get yourself to 85, but not only that, you've got something else you're leveling - your guild. Right now, most guild should be sitting on Mobile Banking as their newest perk, with the next being Mr. Popularity, yay more rep gains. With the current guild perks that've already been earned along with the new instances you may find yourself grinding to get new gear, leveling has gotten much easier and lets you be a bit more flexible with your alts on where and how you want to level, though your options are still somewhat limited. Without looking over my older posts, I don't recall if I said this, but a 6th zone would have been helpful to be honest. Either way, the leveling process is thankfully less of a grind than it was at the start, especially if you have alts or guildies who can toss you cheap gear or tradeskill supplies to help you get ahead of the curve.

Speaking of professions... holy frig they're painful this time around, so far. I've mostly been focused on Blacksmithing, as nt Paladin is one and the fact I play a lot of plate wearers, but now that I've gotten to the steep end of it, with those BoP, untradable Chaos Orbs and whatnot, I've started to work on my Death Knight's Inscription and my Priest's Jewelcrafting. On another server, I've been trying to work on Leatherworking, something that just seems to get rougher with every expansion to level. I never hit 450 in Wrath, and even at 85, my Shaman's only just gotten to 490 or so, and that was after I took some time and just went skinning and buying leather from the Auction House. With a few stacks of herbs from friends and some ink trading, my DK's Inscrption is up to 500, letting me make use of those wonderful shoulder enchants when needed, and my Priest's JC is somewhere over 475 just from cutting green gems and making a few rings and necks. My next goal is my Druid's Alchemy, which will be a bit easier with him also being an Herbalist. Truegold is becoming a much-needed commodity for my Blacksmithing, so it's a smart thing to get to that point, though it'll be a task and a half, considering, unless I'm mistaken, you need 525.

One definite bonus in this expansion is the money that rolls in. It's not hard to get a big pile of gold, though it also has a profound effect on the economy. if you're on a server where there's a good faction ratio, you won't be completely screwed over. And in the case of quest earnings, I've been able to do things I'd have never done in Wrath, particularly getting a Mechano-Hog, getting 280% flight on a couple of characters, and definitely planning to do so with a couple of others who still need it.

In the end though, to be perfectly honest, in terms of content added for the 80-85 crowd, aside from all the old world changes, there isn't a whole heck of a lot to do, and I've found myself bored at times with the current stuff. I've leveled my alts a bit, with three 85s at this point, though it's been tough to focus sometimes because of the simple fact it can, and will, get monotonous sometimes for folks like myself. If there is one flaw with Cataclysm, this is it - for those who hate to level new characters, they will not see the new old world content, and they won't get to see the new zones, the new lore... all they will see is the new 80-85 content, and they will get bored with things quickly. Of course, if they're motivated enough, they'll level something new and get an eyeful of the new content for 1-60.

My brain's been a bit scattered tonight, so I'm not satisfied with this post, but eh. Soon, I'm gonna post that survival guide and make a few observations... but for now, I'm gonna simply scamper back on out and get to work on that Shaman of mine.

~RJ

Diplomacy - The Alliance, the Horde, or The Good, The Bad, and The Butt-Ugly

"Respect is the first rule of diplomacy." - Hamuul Runetotem, from my stories.

So yeah, I've already commented about this in the past in a few different ways in passing, but today, I'm gonna get down to honesty - the Alliance is a hypocrisy and the Horde is giving it the excuse to be as such. This is what I see when I look at things between the Alliance and the Horde at first glance. Mind you, I started in on the Warcraft universe when Warcraft 3 was semi-new. I've learned a lot about the lore since then, and while I still don't know everything without the help of Wowwiki and such like that at times, I know enough off the top of my head to form a decently biased opinion.

And I warn you, this may make you tl;dr, but eh.

Simply put, at first glance, the Alliance, especially Varian Wrynn, holds a grudge against the Horde based on what happened while the Horde of old was corrupted and evil. What the old Horde did was bad, yes, I know that, and you can blame monsters like Gul'dan for this. What Varian believes is... Horde is Horde. It doesn't matter how much they redeem themselves, and it never will. If you are Horde, you will be deemed evil. Thrall has tried to be respectful and diplomatic in the past, and by hook or by crook, one of two things has sabotaged this - Varian's skewed perspective. In the comics, there's a meeting between Varian, Magni, Thrall, and Garrosh in Theramore. Thrall is respectful and considerate, Garrosh is hothead Garrosh, Varian is passive-aggressive, and if I recall right Magni simply backs Varian's opinion, whatever it may be. At one point, Varian is actually starting to rethink his opinions and maybe try to lessen the tensions and be a bit more friendly. Naturally though, something comes along and ruins it all, and in this case, it's Garona, the murderer of King Llane, which was witnessed by none other than our good King Varian. Note, Garona was not in her own mind in Theramore, but she was being controlled by Cho'gall. This was later found out, but of course, the damage had already been done. Varian believed it to be a Horde-orchestrated assassination attempt and threw out all attempts to listen to reason and be diplomatic.

And for all it's worth, I'm sure there's plenty who know what happened at the Wrathgate, and who know how things went down in The Undercity.

And now we come to the events which have been taking place in Cataclysm.

I want to touch on 4 key points which I see as being factors in what will shape things to come, or have already done so and galvanized opinions one way or another, for better or worse. I'm gonna try and not give too much away because there are some events that really need to be experienced personally.

1. Stonetalon Mountains - this is the main one I don't want to give away, but I will say this... the Horde war machine veers into some real badness, and innocents do suffer in the process, but while the ending is positive, it will still leave you feeling apprehensive, and a bit angry. If Varian is predictable, he WILL latch onto this, and unfortunately, so will the Night Elves.

2. Southshore - anyone who's seen my writing and knows me well enough knows I will not and do not have any interest in Forsaken affairs, and I see them, in general, turning down an evil path. I don't condone what has happened in Hillsbrad. I haven't seen Southshore yet, and I honestly haven't done any questing for the Forsaken besides one simple set of quests in the Barrens and the meeting between Garrosh and Sylvanas. The last quest made me look like *I* was being a bad guy, and that alone put my bias against the Undead, right at the start. Garrosh and Sylvanas put a cap on it. I truly believe that if he were still leading, Thrall would have had something to say about this, but because we're talking about Garrosh and his loosened views on battle, on the war, it'll slide. Tied into this thought is...

3. Taurajo - and anyone who knows me even reasonably knows this puts me into a righteous rage. I haven't gone reading into why the heck the Alliance, namely the humans, have gone attacking a peaceful Tauren settlement and then prepped themselves to attack Mulgore. Of all the races least likely or deserving to be attacked, they attack and slaughter innocent Tauren. If they had any motivation to do so based on Southshore's destruction, why not attack the Forsaken, the ones responsible for the atrocity in the first place? I wholeheartedly support that. What I don't agree with is the attack on Honor's Stand and the attack on Taurajo. It's dishonorable to kick someone when they're down, and this was simply a vicious attack taking advantage of staging point that already has plenty of hardships around it - The Overgrowth, the chasm that splits the Barrens in half, the Quillboar, and the recovery efforts in Mulgore after the loss of their leader and the Grimtotem's treachery. It was a cheap shot. Throw in the fighting in Thousand Needles to the south, and it's really just an area that exemplifies the simple phrase I've used plenty of times, "Nothing is sacred anymore." I know it's asking too much, but if some Alliance actually spoke up and apologized on behalf of their faction, I might have a sliver of respect. This will not happen though, and because of this, I have no desire to play the Alliance.

4. Garrosh - frankly, this is the one that gives me the most doubt that the Alliance and Horde tensions will ever truly be resolved. Yes, he has intense charisma, yes, he is a smart player in the strategies of war, but when it comes to that key focus I made - diplomacy - he's a bull in a china shop(moo). In The Shattering, he makes a brazen move based on a key point in the tenuous treaty made between the Alliance and the Horde at that time, not long after Arthas' defeat. In truth, yes he had the right to do so, but it was not a move made on wisdom and mercy, but rather made with the intent to instill fear and respect based on that fear, and it was actually a cruel move because of the circumstances. In the Twilight Highlands' initial fly-in, he makes another one of these decisions. All it does is cause more tension, and probably makes everyone's jobs that much harder. There is one other surprise to be had in that little scene, but I'll keep that to myself. In any case, Garrosh, for all intents and purposes, represents something that is both rallying and dangerous - The Old Horde's ferocity with the New Horde's unity, which, to be frank, is its own sort of tenuous. Relations between Garrosh and Baine and Vol'jin are tolerant to amicable at best, leaving Sylvanas to shoot herself in the foot with her own devious choices. The Goblins... well, they know how to scheme their way into things, make their money, and make things go boom. Garrosh will favor them because of the simple fact that they will get him the supplies and weapons he needs to wage war with the Alliance. Both he and Varian have a score to settle, and Varian's split persona as Lo'Gosh + Garrosh's pride as a warrior and the son of Grom(not to mention an unhealthy desire to prove himself worthy of more than his father's shadow) will make for lots of big, angry fireworks, guaranteed.

One thing I wanted to touch on as well, as it came to mind... Silverwind Refuge. Yes, it was attacked by the Orcs, and yes, Night Elves died. The Night Elves have also attacked Splintertree Post and the logging camps in and around Ashenvale. Frankly, this is a contained fight and I feel the back and forth is honorable. I haven't finished the parts that involve Astranaar, assuming there are as such, BUT... losses on both sides dictate fairness. Do I find them acceptable? No, war is never truly acceptable. It just is what it will be - cruel, unforgiving, and a necessary evil. That said, I will give Garrosh this - he's also acting based on the desire to see his people survive and flourish. Varian doesn't want to see this happen because of his past prejudices, and therefore, Garrosh will respond accordingly and then some. Issac Newton's laws of motion apply here.

At this moment, there is an immense amount of chaos going on in Azeroth, and the vision of good and evil is blurred. Baine's quote really does fit in this case. If anything, I would like to see the good races in the world get together and make a stand between the two angry tyrants - Tauren, Trolls, Draenei, and... heh, MAYBE Gnomes(really?) should get together and try to be the voice of reason. They all have their reasons to be on the side of neutral. Less likely but also possibly Blood Elves and Dwarves should be in this mix. Why all these races? Shamanistic roots and traits, all have a side of honor to them even with the struggles they've faced and their own personal demons(Draenei + Eredar, Trolls with their savagery, Kael'thas and his twisted mind, Dwarves being forced to 'allow' the Dark Irons a voice, the Grimtotem, uhm... Thermaplugg(!?) going wacko...).

Heh, I started on this almost two hours ago. I guess I had a LOT to say about all this that's been building up. If you made it this far, you deserve a gold star. Now close your eyes for 5 minutes and just give 'em a break.

~RJ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfLZpW2XL0E

Just a quick note...

Happy holidays and hope your Christmas, Winter's Veil, or whatever it is you celebrate is a fun and fulfilling time, and hopefully you got some awesome swag.

*Pulls out a remote control, thankfully built to be held by Tauren mitts, and he flies his lil' remote control zep around random folks with one of those grins you see on a mischievous calf*

Favorite Characters and Characterized Motivations

This morning, I left a comment on WoW.com that I know will probably never be read, as the article is a couple of weeks old and the newest comment besides mine is from the 17th. For brevity, I'm posting it here to share, and admittedly, it touches on a topic I've got an itch to dig in about - Taurajo, and Alliance loyalty after the fact. I'll probably do that later after I get back home from some stuff to do around town. But anyway, on with the comment.

From WoW.com - Who is Your Favorite Character?

"I almost went into an off-topic gripe about a lot of things about Cata in general right now, particularly the state of The Barrens, Alliance there, Camp Taurajo, and so on, but if you read the Shattering and you've played for enough time, you'll understand in this one statement, with the first part being a simple truth.

Cairne's unquestionably my favorite, and I miss the guy.

I know Magatha *spit* is to blame, but so is Garrosh *spit* for being such a hotheaded jerk most times and making himself an easy target for people to blame, not to mention easily manipulated. Anduin's about the only respectable Alliance guy these days, aside from Jaina. Screw Wrynn. Sylvanas is turning into a creep too. Good on Vol'jin for sticking to his feelings and choosing to not be around the arseface. And then there's Thrall. I see him as the everyman, really. He's a smart orc. He's not driven simply by instinct, he's down to Earth(no pun intended), and he's honorable. I never kept an orc because the starting area stuff felt boring and lame to me. Now they've redone stuff, now I won't make an orc because of Garrosh *spit*. I frankly can't wait to see what Baine becomes in the years to come. He's his father's son, and he has my unquestioned loyalty. He wants Tauren to be the shining example of the good of the Horde, and I'm with him all the way. I don't like the way the Horde has swerved in a way, but I certainly won't touch the Alliance. Not anymore. I have a Draenei hunter sitting on Moon Guard, and I have no interest in him anymore. Why? Taurajo. I'll even state this challenge - play a Tauren, play the new zones, particularly Stonetalon and the Southern Barrens. If you don't feel your loyalties challenged when you deal with Taurajo, well... *Headshake*

Anyway, yeah, still turned into a ramble and a fanrant, but for what it's worth, Cataclysm's brought back the lore fire in a big way.

So yeah, long story short, Cairne, Baine, Thrall, Anduin. Those are the characters I'm going to favor, and with the exception of our dearly departed High Chieftan, I'm gonna be watching to see what happens in the days ahead."

~RJ

"For honor!"

Off-topic - Phone Geekery!

So, taking a moment from our Tauren lore-fanism a moment, I have this itch to talk about something that I use in my everyday life just about as much as WoW - my cellphone. It's no secret I've a thing for Twitter, I have a couple of WoW apps, and then there's Pandora, Angry Birds... yeah. This is not exactly the place to talk about it, but I figure it's better than Twitterspam, so hey.

Friends know that about 3 months ago I picked up the Samsung Intercept from Sprint, and while's it's been a nice piece more than not, it's had a few hiccups that made me take back one and swap it for another in the first few weeks. The replacement has been much better than the first, though it's acted cranky a time or two, plus the sound had had a habit of going out for whatever reason, thanks to software.

One of the reasons I got it was because it was going to have lots of good support for awhile, unlike the HTC Hero and the Samsung Moment, which are older models. Since I bought it, there's been talk of the updated Android OS, Froyo, coming to the Intercept. It kept getting pushed back though(the latest I'd heard being Q1 of 2011), and as time went on, I was kinda getting annoyed, especially because I wanted to see if it would make my phone work much better, particularly the haptic buttons and the sound issue. A few days ago, Froyo hit. So far, no sound problems, and the haptic buttons have been responsive, my two big issues. Battery life seems a bit more limited to around 12 hours, which doesn't bother me much considering how much I use it. On top of the performance issues being resolved, there's a new UI layout, one I'm familiar with from using ADW.Launcher, works rather well. Browser and phone buttons flank a new app button that replaces the pullout tab, and there are 5 screens instead of 3. There's even a new Task Manager.

So, long story short, my good phone just got turned into a great phone, and whereas I couldn't completely recommend it before, I can now.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled MOO.

~RJ

The Tauren Mentality....

So, a friend sent me a copy of The Shattering after he was done with it. I read it in a day's time, mostly while I was staying awake in attempt to fix my sleep schedule. I won't go into details about the story, but there is one thing I know for a fact - in the face of adversity, you see one's true character. Tauren, by and large, are the most sane race in Azeroth. Deeply spiritual, gentle and considerate, thinking before acting, determined to see things through to the end, fiercely loyal to those they value...

Of any race I could trust in Azeroth, they are without a doubt the only one that I could simply not feel any concern about. One could argue for the case of the Alliance races, and one could argue against the Horde races for the same reasons I don't consider the Alliance. Of course, those who know me know I have other factors to consider in my choice, but coming from my own personal viewpoint of the lore standard, Tauren are the only race I can see in Azeroth that truly know the meaning of the words mercy and compassion. Garrosh, Magatha... had it been any other race to deal with either of them, much less both, and the things that happened, the results would have been much different. Why am I proud to be a Tauren? Because unlike any other races at this moment, I see the Tauren with no ulterior motive, and no willingness to encourage the negative tendencies surrounding the other races. They are who they are. And as strange as it might sound, every one of them is extended family. There's a deep connection for each and every one of them, and losing one is a great loss. I look at each one, hear what they say, and I wonder who could truly hate a Tauren? If someone did, truly, I'd pity them.

I know this is a rambler from me, but I see what they've went through, I know how it makes me feel personally, and quite frankly, it gives me pride to know I'm on the right team.

"Much has changed outside of Mulgore. The world is torn, and our Horde allies have turned down dark paths. We must guide them. Even in the darkest hour, we will bravely hold our heads high, and honor the Earth Mother in all we do." - Baine Bloodhoof

The word I was searching for that says it all? Integrity.

~RJ

Cataclysm, after the first week.

Yes, I know the world changed before the expansion came out. Shush. *Grin*

Ahem... anyway. So the last time I wrote in here, I was waiting for things to install and then for the switch to flip so I could get into this new World and see what was waiting for me. 20 minutes after 2 central, the login servers stopped being stupid and I got in. After a couple of character hops, I finally got to work using my Death Knight, and my first stop was Hyjal.

Oh. My God. The crowds. Alliance was flagging and camping on the NPCs, lots of kill stealing, and mass confusion, All the hallmarks of a release party, wouldn't you agree? The mass craziness honestly made things disjointed and disconnected for me, and I didn't get to really enjoy that first hour or so. It wasn't til I got to the Shrine of Goldrinn that I had my first real thrill. Lo'Gosh statue, so awesome. Heh heh.

Since then, I've managed to finally get to 85 with him, and his gear's progressing... not as smoothly as I'd hoped, but that's just because I haven't chain ran instances, and I haven't gotten any significant upgrades 'til yesterday and the day before(I'm a dual wielder at heart, and I was stuck with a 2h because it was better). I'm STILL using some tank greens because they were better than what I'd had, and of course I repurposed stats like Parry for things I need like Hit, thank you reforger man.

Considering I haven't signed into the game yet, today, I'm gonna cut this short and give a better zone comment later on, but this is what I have to say, in short.

Hyjal - Lorefest, slow to start, but when it gets interesting, it really hooks you. Lots of familiar names here, and really, though I'm not always a fan of Night Elves, the Guardians of Hyjal, Cenarion, and so on... they are THE shining example what happens when Alliance and Horde races set aside their factions and work together. Druid co-existence goes above and beyond faction leaders, and if anyone smart took a look at them for two seconds, they might stop being so hard against the other factions, in ways. I would rather not hate the Alliance, but they make it pretty difficult.

Vashj'ir - beautiful zone, lots of madness to the left and right, and definitely more action-oriented. I'm sorry to say though, it's confusing sometimes, and what's worse, it's buggy. I keep hearing people say Defending the Rift is a bugged quest, but I'm still stuck at Full Circle. Still, the Earthen Ring is another good example of co-existence. Oh and phasing is used, extensively, partly why it might be buggy, but when they iron it all out, it'll be amazing, more than it already is.

Deepholm - graphically amazing, lots to keep you busy, lots of work to unlock Therazine, and a miner's paradise. Before they nerfed the amount of ore you could farm there, it was insane. I leveled my mining in no time. It was shocking, and I'm still saving up elementium for my Paladin when I get to work on his Blacksmithing, and it's only gonna stay that way when I get my JC and engineering done on my priest. Sooooo yeah. Oh and... keep eyebleach handy when you meet the Queen. Strategically-placed purple locks, that is all.

Uldum - I've only done about half the zone at this point, haven't touched Harrison Jones, but the world behind the doors, behind the Tanaris mountains...? Oh God. And I'll just say this - there will have already been a few cutscenes you've dealt with in Vashj'ir and Hyjal at this point, but you haven't seen anything 'til you get into Uldum. It starts with a cutscene that sets the tone for everything else. Oh yeah, the Tol'vir are <3. They did a really good job of the Egyptian theme here, and things really don't disappoint. The only time I got annoyed was being killed by a mob underwater, and trying to get back to my body, only to get disconnected the moment I ghosted underwater. Hopefully that's been hotfixed since then.

Twilight Highlands - Another zone I've only done about halfway so far, but the drama factor's high here right at the start. It slows down later on, but it's still a really well-done area, and I'm looking forward to keep working on it. There are plenty of familiar faces here, including but not limited to Gurgthok and Wodin the Troll-Servant, which can only mean one thing - deathmatch! This time, it's the Crucible of Carnage. Frankly, this one is a little buggy too. People can tap your targets, there can be two bosses up at once... in my case, I got feared a step too far out of the door and was failed on the first boss, so I had to redo him. Ugh. In the end, there wasn't an immediate upgrade off this one, but I did take the 2h sword just in case.

The only annoyance I can state about dungeons right now is the fact you have to find each one before you can queue for them. Blackrock's a given, Throne of Tides is a shade of impossible(get summoned, believe me), Vortex Pinnacle isn't horrible, Stonecore is sneaky,  Lost City of the Tol'vir is another gimme, Grim Batol isn't horrible, and Halls of Origination isn't tough if yer paying attention, unlike me.

20 minutes later, I finally finish once I say one simple fact - Blizzard took their knowledge from Wrath, and then set the bar a few stories higher. Say what you will, Cataclysm IS a whole new world. There will always be a foible here and there, but as a whole, there is always a new element to find to things in the next quest you do. If they can outdo this feat of gaming, I won't stop being impressed. I have high expectations for even the next patch, nevermind the next expansion(update the dang models!), and knowing Blizzard, they're gonna keep their money machine rollin' right on.

And now, if you'll excuse me...

~RJ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiEgOljqB1g

A snippet - Betrayal and the Path to Redemption, part two

As I think back on it, I wonder what I could have done different, what I should have done different, and if things would have turned out much differently if I hadn't slept a little longer, or if I hadn't have waited to talk to Cairne.

When I got to Bloodhoof, Baine wasn't around, and the village was quiet. I thought it was early morning and there might be something going on in Thunder Bluff. I headed on, only to find Thunder Bluff was bustling, a lot of gossip, a lot of alarmed faces. I saw Skorn in the crowd, and I waved him down. "What's going on?"

"Cairne's gone to Orgrimmar, along with Baine and Magatha. Hamuul's in Splintertree Post, barely alive and recovering. They were ambushed... they..." his face twisted, and then he saw what I imagine to be my eyes flaring.

The air went cold. I remember telling him to take care of my Mammoth, and I ran up the tower to the Flight Master. Tal gave me his best rider, and I flew.

Why? Why didn't I tell him? Why did I have to be so afraid? Somewhere deep inside, I felt two sensations that I had not felt in a long time. My heart was racing, and of all things, a chill went up my spine. Pretty strange thing, feeling a chill when you're a Death Knight that specialized himself in all things cold.

I jumped off the wyvern, and found no one around except a few guards. Then I heard a cheer. "What's going on?" I asked one of them. "Go to the Valley of Honor. There's a Mak'gora going on. Cairne's challenged Garrosh for leadership of the Horde, and from what I hear, it's a deathmatch."

"WHAT!?" I pushed that guard out of my way in a mad rush, and made my way to the stadium. The cheers were getting louder, louder... I wanted to stop what was going on in there, I didn't care about honor or dishonor. I didn't care about the Horde. I just wanted Cairne alive, and if I had to kill Hellscream to make sure he stayed that way, I would do it.

A snippet - Betrayal and the Path to Redemption

Thunder Bluff came into view in the distance, and as I crossed the rocky mountainside, I was hit by a blinding storm. It was a torrential downpour. The winds whipped. The wyvern was exhausted. I patted its head in comfort and silently reassured it, that it could make the last mile.

I saw the flight tower. I saw the portal they had for evacuees. I saw a young female struggling to cross the bridge.

"Go! Save her!" I yelled out, and then looked down to see the Third Rise covered in wind and water elementals. I looked to see where Cairne was, and saw him in the thick of the fight. I brought both my biggest sword, a trophy from a fight with the guard of Icecrown's first level, Lord Marrowgar, and I knew I would need it. Just as I drew it, I saw an elemental getting ready to attack. Instinct took over. I leapt from the wyvern(who I found out flew and caught the young female before she fell to her death), and yelled out, "ChieftaaAAAAAAN!" to warn him of what was going to happen. He turned in surprise, and saw the elemental swing. He barely dodged, and saw my sword sink right into the watery creature. Ice began to form. I was freezing it from the inside out.

"Quick! Attack it now!"

He drew his Runespear, and swung, the frozen elemental shattering to pieces. There was a moment of deep breathing as the elementals scattered, a group of adventurers running in and taking up the fight, just after hearing Hamuul's voice declare the Elder Rise was safe. I tossed him a small vial, a potion, and said, "Be strong, High Chief," before downing one of my own. He looked at me, and I heard him ask, "Do I know you...?" before he tackled me and saved me from an air elemental almost obliterating me, just before the mob overtook it. We rolled a few feet, and when we stopped, he looked at me with those eyes.

"Tell me who..."

I placed a finger to his lips and shook my head, "Not right now. Later. We have a sanctuary to protect."

The End of The Lich King

Here I am, thinking again, heh.

18 hours.

18 hours away from waiting for a game to install on my system, and with it, the end of the Lich King expansion. I wonder to myself, is there anything I didn't do? Anything I should have done? Anything I'll regret not doing in this expansion while it was here?

In the end, it doesn't matter. Things have changed, there's no turning back now. I have this odd, lonesome, empty feeling inside of me, and I don't know exactly why. I imagine it's mostly because I'm a sentimental fool.

It's been a long two years though. Change isn't so bad.

So let's see... personal most annoying bosses? Thaddius, Auriaya, Faction Champs, and Rotface, with Sindragosa coming in second for Icecrown. Gear I wish I had but won't be getting? Corpse-Impaling Spike, Crushing Coldwraith Belt, and ooooh mah God, the Bloodvenom Blade x2. Fraggin'... augh.

I still say, part of me WILL be sad to leave Northrend behind, but it's all been conquered.

Another thing on my mind tonight is when ti leave ET. I have to do it today. Part of me hates to, but things have changed, just like in Azeroth. So... time to get on with it.