It has been almost a month...

Wow time is going fast.

So is life.

It has been one week shy of a month since I last posted an entry. Since that time I have been able to accomplish my goal of getting all my alts (not including the Druid Army) to 20 (The Druids will achieve that soonish I'm sure), my Priest to level 40 (he's 42), and my Warrior to 50 (51).

Other than that though - I've had a hard time playing Tigersoul or Katryona... Tigersoul reached exalted with the Shattered Sun Offensive, got the awesome tabard and Neck piece, and haven't barely touched my 70s since (other than a few helping runs). I'm tired of dailies, tired of trying to level on a PvP server (with so many 70s it is seriously ridiculous).

Add in the very good "Is WoW Still Your Cheese?" post by BBB, the release of the Age of Conan with NEWness, and the leaving of a bundle of wow bloggers, including the very first WoW blog I ever read, Adventures in Azeroth, and it really makes you think, "Why am I playing WoW" and "Is it worth it?"

I still like WoW. I'm not leaving yet (although that day is definitely inevitable for all of us - WoW will not last forever! I am paid 'til September so we'll see what happens (if anything) with WOTLK until then!) but often I find myself logging in for a half hour or so before wondering what I'm doing and logging out.

As for the status of this blog - It's not dead yet. I just needed a break. And it was a good one I think. I think my wife appreciated it as well, and that's always a good thing!

Eye of the Storm

I very much dislike the Eye of the Storm Battleground.

Yes I already ranted about this. I am in one as I write this trying to get enough marks for my first weapon.

Really though, it CAN be fun... but that is usually only when you are winning. Like I JUST did wow that was great we 4-capped! Funny to be writing about how much I hate this BG I go ahead and join a gropu that wastes the other team. Sweet!

There is a decent strategy posted at WoWWiki that, if followed, can win you all the EotS' you need!

If you can help take (and of course defend) 3 bases you can win! Yay!

Grinding the PvP Epics

So as I wrote in my last post - my REAL goal on my rogue is to get some good PvP gear upgrades.

Last night I started the Battleground Grind. Alterac Valley is definitely still my favorite. Eye of the Storm CAN be fun, but is probably my least favorite because the games can go forEVER if it isn't played smart. (And unfortunately it rarely is) People often say Warsong Gulch is the worst because it really can go on for a ridiculously long time - but I've NEVER been in a WSG battle that has been even half as long as my longest EotS battle.

So you can imagine my chagrin when I took a break from the madness and hopped over to the Hall of Champions to check out my first two shiny purple goals. Weapons!!
Gladiator's Right Ripper - 18,000 Honor, 20 EotS marks
Gladiator's Left Ripper - 9,000 Honor, 20 EotS marks

First: Nobody has convinced my NOT to get the fist weapons yet. And for some reason I really like them. So unless I can get a really good reason NOT to get them I'll plan for them. It's going to take a while because...

Second: WHAT!?!?! 40 EotS marks to get my Main and Off Hand PvP weapons?? That is going to take forever.

40 marks is pretty bad for EotS. Then I decided to look at the armor and other requirements. YIKES! Even MORE EotS required! NOooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

In order to get the two weapons, 4/5 armor pieces (don't need the helm with my current gear being slightly better) along with the boots, belt, bracers, neck, cloak, medallion and rings (Vindicator's AND Veterans);
We have a grand total requirement of:
Honor: 194,196
AV marks: 40
AB marks: 110 (!)
WSG marks: 50
EotS marks: 90 (!)

Welfare Epics? That's actually a LOT of work! I'm not even sure how I got most of these on Tigersoul.

Easy... Almost TOO Easy...

As I've been playing my rogue, creeping ever so slowly to 70 (Dinged 69 this weekend yay!) I've been noticing a few things about questing, farming, and grinding in the World of Warcraft. Playing my level 35 Priest (shadow spec right now) is further cementing my thoughts on this as well.

Basically it all seems a heck of a lot EASIER than it was about 6 months ago when I was in a similar place with Tigersoul.

Tigersoul is my strongest character, one of the reasons he is my "Main Character".

Feral Druid if you were unaware... I kill very fast, I tank fairly well, soloing is a breeze and deaths are far and few between. But when I was questing in Netherstorm (where Katryona the rogue has been questing) at the same level as Kat - even as an early 70 - I died. A lot. Then flash back even further to questing in STV at 35, like Silverthorne my priest. I died. A LOT.

So here's my question. Has the game been made "Easier" in preparation for the new expansion? OR, have I just become a much better player. I think it is a bit of both, but unfortunately - probably more game changes than my own personal improvement.

It HAS been fun to get through areas faster with less deaths (not counting Horde gankings which are RIDICULOUSLY more common now than when Tiger was in the same spots... so I guess the actual death count is about the same. Probably not my rogue though... Subtlety spec is actually quite hard to kill - lots of avoidance and escape possibilities!), but is the game less of a game now with the "nerfing" of questing content?

I think I can appreciate how tough and strong I am now, since I went through a much tougher game a year ago. I sincerely hope that at least SOME of this toughness is because I've improved as a player...

A Thought on PvF

Wow, two posts in one day after a dry spell of over a week?! What's going on?

I've been thinking about "PVF" (Player versus Faction) since The Big Bear Butt posted "I want /PvF!" Then today I read an answer to a different question about Group duels in my feed reader from MMO-Champion. Here's what the Blizzard staffer said (original here):

There are actually in-game locations where such events can be organized. The world arenas in Stranglethorn Vale, Nagrand and Blade's Edge Mountain come to mind as suitable locations for group "duelling" and combat practise. As for a group duel option (such as /groupduel), we have no current plans to add this."

So here's my idea for a possible solution to the problem where you are really ticked off at some jerk of your same faction who stole a node, stole a kill, or even just watched you die when they could have easily healed you with a very low cost spell. Have a big quest line that eventually leads you to discovering flaws within your own faction (i.e. not everybody you think is on your side is actually on your side, kind of like Lady Prestor) - with the reward being a trinket or usable item (like the Everlasting Underspore Frond that makes food for you every day) that will transport you and the targeted same-faction offender to one of the aforementioned Arenas with an invisible fence not allowing the other person to run away or leave. "Two players enter... one leaves..." that sort of thing. THAT would be nice.

Will this ever happen? No way. Too many variables, rules and conditions to consider and implement, not to mention jerks abusing the option just to kill others to show off their epeen.

Kind of like the 70 Gnome Rogue who flew up to Katryona (at the time 65) and challenged me to a duel in the middle of the Firewing Bloodelves. /inspect to find out she has 16 Epics and 1 Blue. For my level I'm fairly well geared - Epic Engo goggles (she also had these) a bunch of blues and a few greens. But still... really what's the point? It's pretty much impossible for a 65 to beat a fully-epicced 70 of the same class. I dueled her because it didn't hurt me any, then before she would duel the 70 rogue I was with (I was actually helping HIM get Firewing signets) she spammed in /say "How Much HP?" "How Much HP?" He ignored her so she went away. But it was interesting to me that she would land on her Netherdrake and immediately challenge me to a duel while I was in the middle of fighting some Bloodelves, but would NOT do that to a 70 Rogue... Sounded to me like she was only interested in dueling if she was sure she would win. Sorry, but that is stupid. Sorry for the sidetrack there - but that type of person would probably abuse the proposed trinket.

On Fantasy

Nothing of real import here...

Like many I'm tired of the "Daily Quest" grind - but I love regular questing. So it's allowed me to get to almost 65. 5 more levels 'til I have my second 70! I'm excited.

I love books. One of the first fantasy series I read (after Lord of the Rings, which while in no way my favorite - got me hooked on Fantasy books and probably reading in general) was the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander.

Good books - if you've never read them you should. Even if you have seen the old Black Cauldron movie! (or maybe ESPECIALLY if you have seen that!) They are "Young Adult" books and fairly easy reading... but don't let that stop you!

Anyway. Mr. Alexander wrote a short little treatise "On Fantasy" that I love. I linked it there for you. Go read it.

I'll write more about books later... pretty much entirely Fantasy books. But being as this is primarily a World of Warcraft Blog... That shouldn't be too far fetched.

On to Azeroth!

Baby Girl and the Sunwell

We had a baby girl on Easter which is why nothing has happened here. Longest break from WoW I've had in a while too, and it was quite nice. She's a gorgeous dark haired little beauty.

We returned home with our new little baby Tuesday afternoon - so I didn't have to wait for the maintenance to be completed. I logged in, installed the patch, and got a quest to go speak with somebody on a boat at the Sunwell offensive. I must say I like the changes to Shattrath. It is definitely a more interesting place now - and I like the Sunwell Tabard! Hopefully I'll be able to get one.

The biggest thing I learned from my first excursion on the Isle was that our server has a ridiculously wide gap in the numbers of alliance players versus the number of horde players. Alliance-side Dragonmaw tops our Battlegroup in Arenas, and our top raiding guilds are quite a bit further than the Horde counterparts. But when there are 40 lvl 70 Horde running around an area where there are 10 lvl 70 Alliance... you will be ganked.

I was able to see some of Magister's Terrace - and I barely made it into the instance because of the mass of horde hanging around the summoning stone.

So. So far I think what I've seen is very cool (although nothing that new if you've played through the Blood Elf starting zones!) - but it's a somewhat small area for the number of lvl 70s running through!

I am ANTI Gold Selling

In the World of Warcraft, Gold is a WONDERFUL thing. It is shiny. It makes me happy. I like it. I have to spend LOTS for even prettier purples and shiny enchantments for those purples.

It gets expensive. What?? 5000g for an epic flier? Almost 5000g to get five tabs in your guild bank? How in the world (of warcraft) can I afford that!?

Maybe I should spend some REAL money for FAKE money...

BAD IDEA. Don't do it. NoGold.org has a great write up of why gold selling is bad.

I personally have never considered buying gold. Was it a pain in the butt to get the five grand required for epic flight? Yes. Was it frustrating? At times, yes, which is even more annoying because this is supposed to be a GAME. Was it worth it? YES! Why? The time spent doing dailies, farming clefthoof and knothide leather, motes, etc etc actually was a lot of fun as long as I made it fun. AND now that I have the epic flight - those dailies that were a grind are actually a LOT more fun with epic flight. So yeah, it was a pain, but it was worth it.

Which brings me back to buying FAKE money, with REAL money. That doesn't make much sense. I mean would you go out and spend a hundred bucks to get 1,000,000 dollars for your Monopoly game? Of course not!

Now if there were a way to LEGALLY sell that fake money for REAL money... I'd be all over that. But it's not legal. You signed the TOS so please have some integrity and keep your word.

Blizzard over the years has been kind of quiet about the issue at first, but now they are much more active about it. Good for them I say!

Thanks to BBR for giving me something to write about today - his article is better. Go read it.