Category: Gaming

It never fails. One character reaches level 70 (warlock) and then I get an itch to play an alt. I’m not sure why this happens, but it does. Last night I spent the evening getting my shaman from 65 to 68 – and it was so much fun. With deadly boss mod encounters are much easier especially for a healer. I find the shaman a little easier to play then the priest, and I’m debating whether or not I want to try to get her to level 80 and continue healing. I know, after I JUST said that I wanted to play my warlock. I’m always so fickle.

I did reach 68, which means again I can start wrath content, and I can fly in Northrend (thanks to the level 80 I already have). So far my duel spec is treating me well. I’ve got a healing spec and I’ve gone down the spell casting spec for damage when I’m out and about soloing. I thought of going down the melee version but I’m really reluctant to have to carry around two sets of gear and weapons. At least with the caster damage I can wear my healing gear.

It’s Friday! I’m off to see Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and enjoy the sunshine.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.

I did it. I have my second level 70+ character in game after uh, well less then a week. Of course it was also a week of me using a recruit-a-friend account up to level 60, but I’m happy to be here none the less. I jumped into a few Wrath dungeons right away and immediately fell in love with deadly boss mod all over again. It was nice to know exactly what was going on in the encounters where as before I could only generalize.

I also decided to move my shaman over to the new server. I’ve always hated having characters spread out, and this time was no exception. The shaman is level 65 which was required in order for me to get my crafting to 450. She’s my jeweler / inscription worker, and it’s nice to be able to make my own glyphs as well as my own gems for sockets. Plus the shaman is just plain fun.

The leveling slows down now and comes mostly from questing rather then dungeon grinding. Not a big deal, I’ve barely touched quests since I created the character. As a change of pace I also decided I wanted to learn how to tank – so I created a paladin. I contemplated a DK but it seems like everyone and their dog has one (although the same could be said for the paladin as well). Whether I will be any good at it I’m not sure, but it was worth a shot I figured. Then I will understand the game from all three perspectives, healer, dps, and tank. Is this important? Not really, but it’s sort of fun.

When I hit 70 my little warlock got a spell called Seed of Destruction which is now my new best friend. I decided to purchase dual spec, and I have one for AoE damage (which is handy in instances, although my single target dps is quite shoddy) and then I have one for questing, which is focused on single target damage. My parse jumped from roughly 800 to 4000 in groups of three or more and I couldn’t be happier. Of course that also comes from me being level 70 now and the mobs being slightly easier to hit.

I’m already starting to save up my tokens for gear. I make sure at these lower levels when the instances are easier that I’m doing my random for the day. It helps that I have an 80 warrior who can queue up with me and thus make tanking a LOT easier (and safer) for me to dps to my little hearts content.

While I don’t personally feel that WoW is as complicated as some other games out there, I also don’t feel that it’s exactly easy-mode either. You still have to pay attention, and you still have to learn tactics for encounters. I think perhaps the ‘cartoony’ (as I have heard others call it) graphics of the game mislead others into thinking that it’s simpler then the games they’re already playing. Aspects of it are certainly easier (like crafting, for one) but dps is dps. It’s spamming the same buttons over and over to maximize your damage, and doing whatever is required per encounter. That doesn’t really change too much no matter what you’re playing.

Happy gaming no matter where you find yourself!

Pictured above, is Perky Pug – a reward for completing heroic dungeons with 100 random people. I want this little cute vanity pet bad. It’s the sweetest little thing I’ve ever seen. With my warlock now at a comfortable 68 I don’t think it’s too far out of reach.

Last night was my first time through the dungeon ‘The Escape from Durnholde‘ – and it was a LOT of fun. You’ve first got to obtain access through a short series of quests in the Caverns of Time. You’re then sent back 7 years to help young Thrall escape Durnholde, and start his journey as ruler. The zone is also where I got the awesome sombrero pictured above. I really wish World of Warcraft had appearance slots.

Afterward I did the zone ‘Opening of the Dark Portal‘ which is a giant 18 step ring event. I was INCREDIBLY thankful for deadly boss mod, which has now become a staple in my WoW mod collection. I don’t know how on earth I ever survived without this particular mod. As a new player experiencing most of these things for the first time it has proven to be invaluable. I have a feeling that had I been using this mod while playing my healer, I may feel differently about the instances I was doing, and able to understand the particulars of the fights a little more.

The warlock picked up some nice upgrades, and I’m really looking forward to hitting 70 which is when I get my first version of seeds of destruction. I plan on getting a 2nd spec then, one is purely AoE damage (ie: instances) and the other will be for soloing or questing where I’m rarely dealing with more then one encounter at a time. Since I already have a level 80 I was also able to purchase the heirloom arctic flying manual, so my little warlock can head to Northrend without having to worry about being able to fly. I’m pretty excited about that.

I’ve queued up for a few dungeons now with the LFD tool – and while it IS longer then having to look on my priest, it’s not horrible at this level. The longest I’ve had to wait is 30 minutes, and I typically spend my time questing in between. I do miss playing the priest some, and I’m looking forward to dipping my toes back into playing her on occasion. I’ve got a 35 druid as well that I’ll eventually level through the ranks.

Happy gaming no matter where you find yourself!

The warlock is 66, and working her way through Burning Crusade. I like this expansion better then the basic game, but less then wrath. I’m eager to hit 68 which is when I’ll be able to head to Wrath areas finally, and since I’ve got a level 80 already I can purchase the heirloom flying manual and fly from the start. After 5+ years I am finally over my fear of WoW PUGs (pick up groups, for those who are not gamers). Just because I’m playing a DPS role doesn’t mean that I’m exactly guilt free. It’s my job to make sure that the healer has a soul stone on them at all times, I also have to watch how much DPS I do so that I don’t gank. I need to make sure I don’t accidentally wipe the group by doing any number of random dumb accidental things. It’s not as involved as a healer or a tank, but I’ve still got things to do.

Now that I’m getting over my fear of running the LFD tool, I think with time I’ll feel more confident playing the healer in instances as well. Having two drastically different classes at level 80 is a nice feeling (even though I’m not 80 yet, it’ll come). When I’m ready for a little excitement I’ll switch back to the healer. Maybe once I learn the zones on a DPS class I’ll feel more confident about doing them on the priest.

Ah yes. Forgot about that EVE post I wanted to do! That’s next on my list..

Happy gaming no matter where you find yourself!