Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The top 5 things I am doing to prepare for WotLK

Wrath of the Lich King Launches TOMORROW! 1.) Rushing my alts as high as they can get before expansion. A little practice never hurts, and this is especially true about the level grind. Even though DKs start out at 55, a leveling refresher never hurts to carefully plan, and smooth out “Xxlegolasephirothxx’s” journey to 80, AND produce some alts that can earn you gold later through a variety of trade skills. Plus, if you can grind all of your alts through their rested experience, park them in the inn until your main (and your DK if you so choose) reach 80. That way they’ll be fully rested and ready to go when you come back to visit them in a few weeks. (I actually try not to level on my alts unless they are rested – it may not be the fastest way to level, but if you are working on multiple alts you can level through 1-2 levels quickly, and by the time you come back to your last alt, they should be pretty rested. Granted this works better if you play your alts casually…)

2.) Leveling inscription. Even though this new profession is relatively underwhelming (reducing mana cost on ritual of souls anyone?), there are perks. It has the potential to be a real moneymaker once people get used to the idea of swapping out runes. If it catches on anything like Jewel Crafting, then my Jewel Crafter / Insciber is going to be in for quite a treat. Plus in the meantime there are some fun aesthetic runes to sell in the AH, like glyph of penguin. (He’s so cute!)

3.) Saving gold. Not that there is going to be any lack of the yellow stuff in Northrend, (just don’t eat yellow snow…) it never hurts to have extra. Having a nice stash tucked away somewhere can really help give you a head start over other players. Do dailies while they are still available, sell low level gems, play the AH – do something to get ahead of the gold game. Whether it is buying your Mammoth first, or getting ice flying – that extra gold can give you a real competitive advantage during the early stages of the expansion when the playing field is more level, even above most hardcore players.

What race will your DK be?4.) Pimping out my bank alt. Let’s face it – my bank alt is sexy. Brewfest boots, a red silk jumper interlaced with gold dragons, and a freakin’ monocle to boot! Yes life as the noble steward of your account is good. (If only your characters gained weight as a result of inactivity…) I’ve found that having my bank alt also serve as the GM of [Banko de Morior]has been awesome. I have more bag slots, more room for stuff I may need in the future, and more importantly a place to store mid level trade goods. Why is this important? When the AH is completely void of… Runecloth for example, that is a great time to jump into your storehouse of goods, and sell it for 35g a stack. (So delicious) Now this might not work all the time, as the quantity of things like Runecloth has a tendency to rebound, but it’s still nice to have it as an option, and it will help free up bag space on your other characters. In addition, if you are one of those people who has a hard time not spending every little bit of gold you acquire, you can mail your excess gold to your bank, and set goals for yourself, making that seemingly impossible 15,000g grind just a little more bearable. (Just a little)

5.) Pick out your spec. You’ve selected a race for your DK, named it, gone through the tutorial, plotted out your course through Outland, and Northrend, and are now ready to grind away – right? Maybe, but there is nothing wrong with pre-selecting a spec and referencing it next time you ding. Before you put that hard-earned skill point into “Interpretive Dance: Your /dance now moves other players within a 5 yard radius to bump and grind,” find out which skills will help you reach 80 quicker, and stick with them! There’s nothing worse than accidentally spending a skill point on something you don’t need, running back to the city trainer and spending 15g to retrain. Not only is it a motivation killer, even if it’s just 15g, it starts to add up and can really destroy your momentum.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Elephants never forget...

...their first time. Omg, just watch...



Sunday, September 7, 2008

The Cure for BG's (and Sunburn)

Look familiar?Well, the break from WoW is over - and actually quite refreshing. I read a book, started writing again, renewed my interest in playing the piano and the guitar, and went to a concert! I also did a lot of thinking while on the subject of Battle Grounds.

Why are we still playing the same ones? I'm not still running Stratholme because I'm stoked about the possibility of getting my Dreadmist legs, or finally finishing that 45 minute Baron run. I'm not still running MC to get my Felheart leggings (although I could stil be, since those seemed to have a lower drop rate than true love...), yet I'm still running WSG, AV, and AB. EOTS doesn't even have a faction to grind rep with, or get mediocre items from.

WoW is all about the rep grind, the honor grind, the grind to impress complete strangers with your new uber [Old Crafty], or the grind to make yourself less, and infinately less appealing to your spouse, friends, and loved ones.

Don't even say arenas are the "new BG's" because they're not. You want to see class balance atA BG this is not...(Notice the rogue?) its penultimate worst just go to the armory and look up druid / warrior or rogue teams. I know for me anyways, BG's have always been a fun, mindless way to blow off some steam, listen to your favorite, most aggressive band, and pretend your bosses face is on every opposing player.

My point is this - I just want new BGs. Just like PvErs want new instances. Blizzard has given the excuse that if they put in more BGs, player populations would be imbalanced and old BGs wouldn't be played anymore. Granted BGs are instanced across your battlegroup, if the same thing were done with PvE it would be a joke. Heck if the LFG function searched across the entire battlegroup and instances took place cross-server like BGs, that'd be a great new implementationi too. (If it's possible)

I for one enjoyed this book... but I'm glad I'm not still reading it... and reading it...Lake Wintergrasp seems an interesting approach to PvP, but my hopes aren't up too high just with world PvP having yet to show it's charm. I guess we'll just have to wait until November 13 and see not only if Lake Wintergrasp is teh suck, or if it's a rewarding new way to enjoy non-arena PvP.

On a side note, the break didn't provide the sunburn I expected, however I did glean some helpful sunburn tips that are sure to make looking like a lobster feel less torturous.
A classic case of too much sun, vs too little sun
Sunburn Tips:
  • Don't Scratch
  • Lots of Aloe
  • Asprin can help with the pain, and swelling
  • Drink lots of water
  • Don't go crazy with soap - it dries out your skin

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Now I see the sun...

...yes now I see it! And it's so freakin' bright! This Metallica lyric is not only apt because their new album Death Magnetic is on the verge of being released to the public, but also because I am trying out a new MMO before a big wave of entertainment-media goodness hits in September (The Office Season 4 on DVD, The Office Season 5, Metallica's new album Death Magnetic, Lost Season 4 on DVD, Spore, and many, many more) - it's called World of Earth.

Platinum V.I.P. New Features:
  • Interact with your friends in a fully realized 3D world

  • Go bowling

  • Read a book

  • Get a sunburn

  • Celebrate real-time holidays, like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and more!

  • Participate in world events as they happen, like disaster relief, sponsor a child, "Vote or Die," the Iraqi invasion and more!

Amazingly Loyal New Pets:

  • Dog

Productive New Tradeskills:

  • Live-action Fishing

  • Horse Husbandry

  • Pizza Delivery

  • Cashier

  • Organized Crime

  • Full-time Hustlin'

  • Mall Rat

  • Alchemy

Incredible New Boss Encounters:

  • Wife

  • Girlfriend

  • Your Boss

Legendary New 40 Man Raids:

COMING SEPTEMBER 2008!!


(Next time: "Why BG's need a big revamping - and tips for PvPing with a sunburn.")

Friday, August 22, 2008

Raiding "New-to-You" Brings Back the Fun!

Blizzard has a long standing tradition in WoW of truly making the players feel as though they have achieved something when end-game encounters are finally defeated. So much so, in fact, that many players never get the chance to see bosses like Ragnaros, Nefarion, C'thun, Illidan... and so on.

To make a long story longer - a couple of weekends ago I finally got to see Kel'thuzad, and his friend Sapphiron thanks to a weekly Naxxramas run that takes place on Nathrezim!


If you haven't tried this I HIGHLY recommend it! Not only is it a great chance to get your alts some sweet leveling gear (if the raid is big enough), it is also a sweet opportunity to see some new-to-you content. Many shall mock, but I eagerly anticipate taking my Death Knight to kill Kil Jaedin. Lewts to after the jump...


Lots of fun - and afterwords we raided AQ40 and ripped C'thun a new eyehole! My warrior Bessi (see dancing cow movie in the Video Cave section) was 2 points away from winning the roll for [Dark Edge of Insanity]. PLUS a [Vanquished Tentacle of C'thun] dropped. Again, no cigar on that one. I DID win a [Silithid Claw]. however, so it was totally worth it.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Wrath of the Lich King Cinematic

Today Blizzard released the opening cinematic for the Wrath of the Lich king. The dynamic between Arthas and his father makes this particularly compelling. Sorry, no gnomes in this one...