After almost two months, I've barely put a dent in the expansion's new content. I did manage to get my main and another character to 90, but my play style has changed a bit since leaving my regular raiding schedule. Since I didn't have any pressure to "improve" my character, I've been able to pick and choose what I want to do rather than what I "need" to do. I wanted a cloud serpent, so I worked on reaching exalted with that group. I wanted to max out my farm, so I also worked on the Tillers. So far, they are the only two groups that I have worked on. With both of them at exalted, I may move on to the Anglers and Lorewalkers. I'm up to honored with the Klaxxi on my other 90, and once I hit revered I will work on another rep that I don't have on my main. I'm not going to bother with the same rep across characters until 5.1 comes out with the rep boost mechanic - there's just no reason to burn out repeating the same daily quests across all my characters.
Most of my main professions are at or near max across all of my characters, although most of them haven't even set foot in Pandaria yet. In two more months, I may have two more level 90 characters or perhaps a few more level 86 ones. It just be a matter of what I want to do when I logon. I have run a total of 2 scenarios and one heroic on my 90s, so there's that to do yet. LFR hasn't even been on the radar. Oh, and pet battles too!
I'm very happy with the expansion. With more stuff to do than time to do it, I don't see running out of new things to try for quite some time.
My monk has reached the half-way point, mainly waiting for the weekend and playing until the rested XP boost is used up. I've been running pugs using the LFD tool, and that have been pretty good for the most part. The last run I did, however, wasn't as smooth as the rest. I zoned into a live-side Stratholme already in progress. I caught up to the group, and we proceeded to make our way to the canon boss. Somehow, the boss was pulled before the last trash pack was finished, and we ended up wiping on the never ending trash mobs that spawn.
This run had all the signs of a fail pug: joining in progress, wipe to bad pull/mechanics, dps that didn't release and run back, and now an argument between the tank and the healer. A vote kick on the healer came up, and didn't pass. I didn't vote to kick because I hadn't seen enough to make a call. The tank then proceeded to pull the boss and dropped group. So, Snookkums, that makes you the asshole. We managed to down the boss without a tank for most of the fight, keeping him by the cannons and using them to kill off the marksman when they spawned.
With our new tank, we proceeded to the next boss. The tank accidently pulled another group that wandered into the group we were fighting, and we wiped. The healer asked him not to pull such a large group rather rudely, and they started arguing. The healer and lazy DPS from before were still dead and going back and forth with the tank by the time we had released and ran back. I had finally had enough, let them know just what kind of idiots they were, and dropped group. I was almost to 45, so I did the cooking daily in Stormwind to level up. Sigh.
I am going to eventually have all my characters reach 90, but I'm not working on it in the same way as my 10x85 project. I'm just going to play what I want, when I want, and keep track for reference.
11x90
Hunter 90
Death Knight 90
Rogue 85
Priest 85
Mage 86
Druid 85
Warlock 85
Warrior 85
Paladin 85
Shaman 85
Monk 45
Friday, November 23, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Cataclysm in Review
With the launch of the new expansion tomorrow, it seems like a good time to look back on what I have been doing in this expansion. My usual posts are written up during my lunch break, but I haven't been able to get to them over the last month or so due to work.
I completed my 10x85 project, with all but one character getting through at least part of the LFR Dragon Soul raid. I managed to do some "real" raiding on my Hunter main, and even got the legendary first stage daggers on my rogue. The only character I haven't gotten up to raiding level is my Paladin. If I have a chance tonight, I will attempt to get hm geared up enough to at least give it a try.
I haven't logged onto my Warlock since the pre-expansion patch, and that is the only character that hasn't been through the Theramore scenario. I will do that first tonight, as that will be easiest to complete. The new scenario concept is interesting, with some pros and cons. On the plus side, they are fairly short and easy. When the queue is not horrible, it is a nice way to run group content. At the beginning of the week, the queue could be an hour or more. It was around five minutes later in the week. The objectives are spelled out for you with the rolling quest objective system introduced with Cataclysm. There are some "shortcuts" that can be taken by experienced players, but even going through all the trash only adds a few minutes to the run. As long as you don't over-pull, it can be completed without crowd control by three DPS without any healers. That would be the slowest, least efficient method so far although I haven't seen a group with three healers.
On the negative side, the biggest problem is what happens when someone drops out. As far as I can tell, there is no way to get another player like you would in a LFG/LFR run. You can either two-man it, or drop group and requeue. I was able to two-man the last two fights with another caster on my mage, but it was slow going. The demolisher was easy, but the final fight was a lot longer than usual. The other negative was not something specific to the scenario system, but rather the false expectation that this was somehow a pre-expansion event, or designed to take its place. There is no bread trail quest, nor anything in-game other than the queue interface. No lore, no backstory, no follow-up. It just feels like they dropped the ball on this one. I wasn't around for the Burning Crusade event, but I was there for the Wrath and Cataclysm events. It is disappointing that this is all there is.
For most of the last 30 days, I've been working on leveling my personal guild. With level appropriate quests giving 60K guild XP, I took advantage of the $5 sale and started multi-boxing again. I found the most efficient way to level my guild was to run through the human starting area; the quests are all close together and there is only one gathering quest. By the time the characters are headed to Goldshire, I had half a bar of guild XP. In the limited time I had available, I was able to gain several levels by three-boxing. Once I start running my regular alts through the new expansion, I should have no problem maxing out my personal guild.
I also changed up my computer layout a bit, and finally upgraded to a decent graphics card. I still have some rearranging to do, but everything is set for the new expansion. Well, almost everything. My work schedule isn't going to allow me to spend the first few days in Pandaria as I had hoped. In fact, the soonest I will be able to start will most likely be Thursday, if not later. The silver lining is that hopefully most of the people will be out of the starting zones. I didn't take part in the beta, nor have I read very much about the new zones. This is the part of the game I enjoy the most, exploring and taking in the new content. I won't be rushing things just to level, at least on the first few characters. By then I should be well on the way for my 11x90 project!
I completed my 10x85 project, with all but one character getting through at least part of the LFR Dragon Soul raid. I managed to do some "real" raiding on my Hunter main, and even got the legendary first stage daggers on my rogue. The only character I haven't gotten up to raiding level is my Paladin. If I have a chance tonight, I will attempt to get hm geared up enough to at least give it a try.
I haven't logged onto my Warlock since the pre-expansion patch, and that is the only character that hasn't been through the Theramore scenario. I will do that first tonight, as that will be easiest to complete. The new scenario concept is interesting, with some pros and cons. On the plus side, they are fairly short and easy. When the queue is not horrible, it is a nice way to run group content. At the beginning of the week, the queue could be an hour or more. It was around five minutes later in the week. The objectives are spelled out for you with the rolling quest objective system introduced with Cataclysm. There are some "shortcuts" that can be taken by experienced players, but even going through all the trash only adds a few minutes to the run. As long as you don't over-pull, it can be completed without crowd control by three DPS without any healers. That would be the slowest, least efficient method so far although I haven't seen a group with three healers.
On the negative side, the biggest problem is what happens when someone drops out. As far as I can tell, there is no way to get another player like you would in a LFG/LFR run. You can either two-man it, or drop group and requeue. I was able to two-man the last two fights with another caster on my mage, but it was slow going. The demolisher was easy, but the final fight was a lot longer than usual. The other negative was not something specific to the scenario system, but rather the false expectation that this was somehow a pre-expansion event, or designed to take its place. There is no bread trail quest, nor anything in-game other than the queue interface. No lore, no backstory, no follow-up. It just feels like they dropped the ball on this one. I wasn't around for the Burning Crusade event, but I was there for the Wrath and Cataclysm events. It is disappointing that this is all there is.
For most of the last 30 days, I've been working on leveling my personal guild. With level appropriate quests giving 60K guild XP, I took advantage of the $5 sale and started multi-boxing again. I found the most efficient way to level my guild was to run through the human starting area; the quests are all close together and there is only one gathering quest. By the time the characters are headed to Goldshire, I had half a bar of guild XP. In the limited time I had available, I was able to gain several levels by three-boxing. Once I start running my regular alts through the new expansion, I should have no problem maxing out my personal guild.
I also changed up my computer layout a bit, and finally upgraded to a decent graphics card. I still have some rearranging to do, but everything is set for the new expansion. Well, almost everything. My work schedule isn't going to allow me to spend the first few days in Pandaria as I had hoped. In fact, the soonest I will be able to start will most likely be Thursday, if not later. The silver lining is that hopefully most of the people will be out of the starting zones. I didn't take part in the beta, nor have I read very much about the new zones. This is the part of the game I enjoy the most, exploring and taking in the new content. I won't be rushing things just to level, at least on the first few characters. By then I should be well on the way for my 11x90 project!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
The End is Nigh...
For Cataclysm, that is. I'm looking forward to leveling my main again. Over the course of the last month I've spent two weeks traveling for work, and my internet connection was just too laggy to do anything other than a few daily quests. I did manage to get some bucket list stuff done on my main when I was home; I finally finished up those Northrend quests and snagged the Loremaster title. I haven't been in the beta at all, even though I had an invite from the annual pass. I've been reading up on it a little on blogs and WoW Insider, but haven't delved too deeply into the details, so it will be a pretty fresh experience when the patch hits in two weeks.
I also rolled a few more alts over on Stubborn's server. I figured that I would roll a Death Knight, since it would be easier to catch up to his Warrior and help generate a little income to support the slew of alts I was likely to create. After running Wailing Caverns on my Hunter and winning the roll for the pet, I ran through several times on my Death Knight. I sold them on the auction house for 1500 to 2500 gold each, and had more than enough to support any expenses.
After running as DPS through level 75, I decided to pick up a tank spec on my DK. The last few pugs I ran cemented the decision. The first was a Violet hold run where the tank was completely clueless and eventually dropped group. The last was another VH run where the tank dropped group after starting the event. I stepped in to tank while waiting for another one to join us. I started getting a tank kit together after that, and setup a tank spec. I was able to get a nice relic by doing the PVP quests for honor over in Grizzly Hills. The place was deserted, and I had no problems soloing two or more elite mobs to retake the island. After retaking the lighthouse, I had enough honor to pick up the relic and the tanking cloak. I hit the auction house and was able to pick up a few pieces of tanking plate on the cheap.
The first two runs I made were both Violet Hold again, which was nice because the pace of the dungeon is already set. Both runs went smoothly, and I was able to get used to my tanking technique. The following run was Halls of Stone, which got off to a shaky start when one of the DPS stood too close to where the first patrol walks. I was able to quickly round them up, and the remainder of the run went fairly smoothly. I ended the week at 77, slowly catching up to Stubborn's now level 80. I'll make a few more WC runs to get enough gold to pick up some Cata greens, which should help make up the lack of heirloom equipment I have on this server.
I also rolled a few more alts over on Stubborn's server. I figured that I would roll a Death Knight, since it would be easier to catch up to his Warrior and help generate a little income to support the slew of alts I was likely to create. After running Wailing Caverns on my Hunter and winning the roll for the pet, I ran through several times on my Death Knight. I sold them on the auction house for 1500 to 2500 gold each, and had more than enough to support any expenses.
After running as DPS through level 75, I decided to pick up a tank spec on my DK. The last few pugs I ran cemented the decision. The first was a Violet hold run where the tank was completely clueless and eventually dropped group. The last was another VH run where the tank dropped group after starting the event. I stepped in to tank while waiting for another one to join us. I started getting a tank kit together after that, and setup a tank spec. I was able to get a nice relic by doing the PVP quests for honor over in Grizzly Hills. The place was deserted, and I had no problems soloing two or more elite mobs to retake the island. After retaking the lighthouse, I had enough honor to pick up the relic and the tanking cloak. I hit the auction house and was able to pick up a few pieces of tanking plate on the cheap.
The first two runs I made were both Violet Hold again, which was nice because the pace of the dungeon is already set. Both runs went smoothly, and I was able to get used to my tanking technique. The following run was Halls of Stone, which got off to a shaky start when one of the DPS stood too close to where the first patrol walks. I was able to quickly round them up, and the remainder of the run went fairly smoothly. I ended the week at 77, slowly catching up to Stubborn's now level 80. I'll make a few more WC runs to get enough gold to pick up some Cata greens, which should help make up the lack of heirloom equipment I have on this server.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Alts, Pugs, and Trinkets
After finishing my 10x85 project, and getting 9/10 through LFR, I started playing around on some of the other servers that I have characters on. I went back to Medivh, where I had a small personal guild and characters in another guild that belonged to a friend of mine. He hasn't played in over a year, and I've just been logging on there to keep control of the guild if he ever decides to come back. I rolled another druid, and started getting used to leveling while healing pugs without the benefit of any heirloom items. I managed to hook up with a nice level 25 guild, and healed a full clear of Gnomer with a guild group. It went a lot smoother than any pug run I've ever been on.
I had read Stubborn's post about his pugging woes, which gave me another excuse to roll some alts. I haven't rolled an alt on a new server in quite a while, and I had forgotten just how expensive everything can seem when you are just starting out. The first character that I rolled was a hunter. I went with a dwarf this time to check out the changes Cata brought to the low level areas. I was level 15 in very little time, even without heirlooms, and started pugging. Most of the runs seemed to be controlled chaos, where DPS chain pull mobs or "tanks" aren't in a protection spec. On some runs, there were people that would need on everything. Sometimes they would get called out, other times no one said anything. The queue times weren't too bad, about 7 to 8 minutes, which gave me time to work on leveling my professions as I waited.
Only needing on items that were an upgrade for me, I haven't had any issues gearing up. Between dungeon quests, satchels from pugs, and a lucky boss drop or two, I've steadily replaced almost all of my gear with blue items. I even have a pair of mail bracers in my bag for when I hit level 40. The only thing I haven't gotten yet are trinkets. There just aren't any low-level trinkets that either aren't profession specific or from PvP. The first one that drops from a boss is the dog whistle from Houndmaster Loksey. I think I ran that wing four times, and the whistle dropped twice. It isn't anything that would make a significant difference to my DPS, so I only rolled greed on it. When I finally got into Maraudon and killed Noxxion, the other low-level trinket dropped.
While the stats are nice for a tank, it isn't anything that can't be used by another class. As it is the only other trinket in the game that isn't profession specific, PvP, or heirloom, I don't see a problem with anyone rolling need on it. I rolled greed, because if it doesn't increase my DPS I couln't care less. The tank and one of the other DPS rolled need on it. The tank didn't win. The tank proceeded to just stand there. Didn't move, didn't D/C, didn't say anything, just stood there. After a few minutes of this, I initiated a kick. if you want to protest a roll, say something. Don't just sit there and waste my time. Especially for an item that has a 1 in 3 chance of dropping.
I had read Stubborn's post about his pugging woes, which gave me another excuse to roll some alts. I haven't rolled an alt on a new server in quite a while, and I had forgotten just how expensive everything can seem when you are just starting out. The first character that I rolled was a hunter. I went with a dwarf this time to check out the changes Cata brought to the low level areas. I was level 15 in very little time, even without heirlooms, and started pugging. Most of the runs seemed to be controlled chaos, where DPS chain pull mobs or "tanks" aren't in a protection spec. On some runs, there were people that would need on everything. Sometimes they would get called out, other times no one said anything. The queue times weren't too bad, about 7 to 8 minutes, which gave me time to work on leveling my professions as I waited.
Only needing on items that were an upgrade for me, I haven't had any issues gearing up. Between dungeon quests, satchels from pugs, and a lucky boss drop or two, I've steadily replaced almost all of my gear with blue items. I even have a pair of mail bracers in my bag for when I hit level 40. The only thing I haven't gotten yet are trinkets. There just aren't any low-level trinkets that either aren't profession specific or from PvP. The first one that drops from a boss is the dog whistle from Houndmaster Loksey. I think I ran that wing four times, and the whistle dropped twice. It isn't anything that would make a significant difference to my DPS, so I only rolled greed on it. When I finally got into Maraudon and killed Noxxion, the other low-level trinket dropped.
While the stats are nice for a tank, it isn't anything that can't be used by another class. As it is the only other trinket in the game that isn't profession specific, PvP, or heirloom, I don't see a problem with anyone rolling need on it. I rolled greed, because if it doesn't increase my DPS I couln't care less. The tank and one of the other DPS rolled need on it. The tank didn't win. The tank proceeded to just stand there. Didn't move, didn't D/C, didn't say anything, just stood there. After a few minutes of this, I initiated a kick. if you want to protest a roll, say something. Don't just sit there and waste my time. Especially for an item that has a 1 in 3 chance of dropping.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Ding x 3
Over the holiday weekend I finally managed to complete my 10x85 project! My warrior was the first, hitting 85 while questing in the Twilight Highlands. My paladin was next, questing through the same zone on the Horde side. My shaman was the last, running pugs as DPS and questing enough to hit the first level of shoulder enchants from Therazane (my paladin is a scribe, so no need for that grind again).
I hit the auction house and picked up a few items for my shammy, and then ran a regular heroic to pick up enough JPs to get a new relic and a trinket. By augmenting my gear with PVP items, it put my ilevel up high enough to queue for the new heroics. I managed to make it through all three without too much drama. Although I wasn't the best DPS, I know the fights and the trash leading up to the fights. And I can CC and interrupt without being prompted. I did get a few comments from one DPSer, but he spent most of the fights dead from failing to do the fights correctly so I was able to take solace in his fail.
Work is going to be a bear for a few weeks, so my playing and posting is going to be sparse.
10x85:
Hunter 85 i390
Deathknight 85 i387
Rogue 85 i385
Priest 85 i379
Mage 85 i386
Druid 85 i385
Warlock 85 i381
Warrior 85 i322
Paladin 85 i318
Shaman 85 i364
I hit the auction house and picked up a few items for my shammy, and then ran a regular heroic to pick up enough JPs to get a new relic and a trinket. By augmenting my gear with PVP items, it put my ilevel up high enough to queue for the new heroics. I managed to make it through all three without too much drama. Although I wasn't the best DPS, I know the fights and the trash leading up to the fights. And I can CC and interrupt without being prompted. I did get a few comments from one DPSer, but he spent most of the fights dead from failing to do the fights correctly so I was able to take solace in his fail.
Work is going to be a bear for a few weeks, so my playing and posting is going to be sparse.
10x85:
Hunter 85 i390
Deathknight 85 i387
Rogue 85 i385
Priest 85 i379
Mage 85 i386
Druid 85 i385
Warlock 85 i381
Warrior 85 i322
Paladin 85 i318
Shaman 85 i364
Monday, May 14, 2012
Still Kicking
The real world has been a bit of a bear, with the past two weeks being the worst of it. I've been able to play a little in April and May, but not much. I've been on some really good PUGs, and even tanked a few successfully on my paladin. I've been seeing more fail than normal on LFR, most likely because I'm only running it once or twice a week if I'm lucky.
I tried, for the last time, to finish School of Hard Knocks on my hunter. The other players, even those on my side, were being less than helpful. Like going out of their way to make getting the achievement impossible. I have never enjoyed PvP, and this little bit of hell made me hate it even more. With the account-wide changes coming in MoP, I may try again on another character.
I have been getting closer to my 10x85 goal, with all three remaining toons pushing 84.
10x85:
Hunter 85 i390
Deathknight 85 i387
Rogue 85 i385
Priest 85 i379
Mage 85 i386
Druid 85 i385
Warlock 85 i381
Warrior 83
Paladin 83
Shaman 83
I tried, for the last time, to finish School of Hard Knocks on my hunter. The other players, even those on my side, were being less than helpful. Like going out of their way to make getting the achievement impossible. I have never enjoyed PvP, and this little bit of hell made me hate it even more. With the account-wide changes coming in MoP, I may try again on another character.
I have been getting closer to my 10x85 goal, with all three remaining toons pushing 84.
10x85:
Hunter 85 i390
Deathknight 85 i387
Rogue 85 i385
Priest 85 i379
Mage 85 i386
Druid 85 i385
Warlock 85 i381
Warrior 83
Paladin 83
Shaman 83
Friday, March 30, 2012
Reason #129 Why Friday is Better than Monday
I got an invite to help out in a "real" DS raid last week with one of my guildies friend's guild. They still had to PUG a few spots, and one of their guildies had never been in DS before (not even in LFR). The raid leader did a great job explaining the fights for him, which made my life easier as well (I had only done the LFR version). We easily cleared the first four bosses, and scheduled the next half for Monday. I logged in early on Monday to do a few daily quests, and noticed severe lag and had several disconnects. I reset all my equipment, but it didn't make any difference. I checked the forums, and there were multiple posts about the issue. I added my tracert log to the list, and by the time the raid was starting I was still having issues. I let the raid know about my issues, and we still gave it a shot. Even though I could manage the button boss on Ultraxion with the lag, the constant disconnects were killing me. I had to bow out of the raid. Mondays just plain suck.
I'm still running my level 85 alts through DS every week, and the loot drops were a little sparse this week. I also ran a few dungeons on my lowbies over the weekend. I tanked a few on my pally, and then switched to DPS. I just didn't feel like dealing with the idiots while trying to tank. I'm not the only one. I was in DPS mode when our tank dropped group in Halls of Stone because the huntard kept pulling. I was able to pick up the strays and keep it from being a wipe, but this hunter was a total tool. I wasn't able to kick him, but I did put him on ignore. On another run, I was with three people from the same guild. Things were going pretty good until the end of the run. While the other pug and I were trying to turn in the dungeon quests, they kicked us. I guess they wanted to queue up again and didn't want to wait the minute it would take to let us get our quests done. I must have neglected to put them on ignore, because I ended up with them again a few groups later. I made sure that I added them that time.
Another tank cracked, this time in LFR. For some reason, chain pulling and starting fights while buffs and rezzes are happening seems to be getting more and more common. Starting fights while the rest of the raid isn't present is starting to happen as well. When someone called the responsible tank out on it, he pulled a trash pack and dropped group. We easily handled the trash, and went on to finish the raid with no issues. Other than being a dick, the tank who tried to wipe us accomplished nothing. I guess some people are just assholes.
10x85:
Hunter 85 i390
Deathknight 85 i384
Rogue 85 i385
Priest 85 i376
Mage 85 i382
Druid 85 i385
Warlock 85 i380
Warrior 80
Paladin 78
Shaman 77
I'm still running my level 85 alts through DS every week, and the loot drops were a little sparse this week. I also ran a few dungeons on my lowbies over the weekend. I tanked a few on my pally, and then switched to DPS. I just didn't feel like dealing with the idiots while trying to tank. I'm not the only one. I was in DPS mode when our tank dropped group in Halls of Stone because the huntard kept pulling. I was able to pick up the strays and keep it from being a wipe, but this hunter was a total tool. I wasn't able to kick him, but I did put him on ignore. On another run, I was with three people from the same guild. Things were going pretty good until the end of the run. While the other pug and I were trying to turn in the dungeon quests, they kicked us. I guess they wanted to queue up again and didn't want to wait the minute it would take to let us get our quests done. I must have neglected to put them on ignore, because I ended up with them again a few groups later. I made sure that I added them that time.
Another tank cracked, this time in LFR. For some reason, chain pulling and starting fights while buffs and rezzes are happening seems to be getting more and more common. Starting fights while the rest of the raid isn't present is starting to happen as well. When someone called the responsible tank out on it, he pulled a trash pack and dropped group. We easily handled the trash, and went on to finish the raid with no issues. Other than being a dick, the tank who tried to wipe us accomplished nothing. I guess some people are just assholes.
10x85:
Hunter 85 i390
Deathknight 85 i384
Rogue 85 i385
Priest 85 i376
Mage 85 i382
Druid 85 i385
Warlock 85 i380
Warrior 80
Paladin 78
Shaman 77
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