Level 7 - 10

Level 7 - 10 can be done within 30 - 45 minutes. The time-consuming acts at this point is learning your professions. There is usually a fishing, cooking and first-aid trainer in the first town you reach in the starting zone, i.e. Dolanaar, Kharanos, Goldshire, Azure Watch, The Ruins of Silvermoon, Brill etc. Oftentimes there are also a selection of primary profession trainers within the area as well as a class trainer. There are guards around that can be asked for directions to the various trainers in the area. No need to research anything, simply mouse over every guard you pass and if a the tool tip is a scroll, he can be asked for directions.

Hit the following points in town:

1. Pick up all available quests
2. Set your hearth stone to the local inn
3. Locate the fishing, cooking and first aid trainers and learn what you can
4. Locate the primary profession trainers and learn what you can
5. Locate your class trainer at level 8, if there is one, and learn all level 8 spells.
   

I have found no need to grind at this early a level. Simply picking up all the traveling quests from the start-up village to the nearest town and handing them in on arrival, combined by picking up and completing all the quests available in the town provides enough xp to level to 20. The quests are easy as well. You can, but there's no need to research the details on sites such as www.wowhead.com The quests are generally designed to form a circuitous route that may have to be repeated two or three times. Simply check your quest text for directions as the locations are generally given as north, north east, south, west etc. and thus easy to plot into a little circuit to run.

Be patient. At this level, a lot of running is required. Take your time, look around new areas, appreciate the amount of work that has gone into creating Warcraft - that is after all the main the reason why there is so much running early in the game. Alternatively, if you know the area well, it's easy enough to multi-task. In-game: Sort the contents of your bags whilst running, review your quest log, familiarize yourself with your spells and think about the keys you are using and changing those to suit your play style. If you have a laptop sitting next to you, check out the Wow sites and do a little research. Decide which primary professions suit you and your character, begin to look at your character's talent tree and just read up on the general background of the game.

If you are soloing, leave the group quests for last, abandon them altogether if you dislike venturing into dungeons or think about joining up with other players to complete. During the start up phase, it's easy to join up with others by simply standing at the entrance and asking politely when others arrive if they would like to group up. This early in the game, most players would be quite happy to have a little additional help and even if they decline, there's no harm in asking.

On reaching level 10, check that you have done the following:

• Researched the talent tree and decided where you will be spending all your points
• Spent your first talent point
• Learned all three secondary professions
• Learned your two primary professions or know that the trainers for the professions you want to learn are located in the capital city

On reaching level 10, make your way to the capital. Look around, you're done with the start-up area, it's time to move on to bigger and better things...

Professions and Proficiencies

Professions have caps on them:

• Apprentice (1 - 75) require level 5
• Journeyman (75-150) require level 10
• Expert (150 - 225) require level 20
• Artisan (225 - 300) require level 35
• Master (300 - 375) require level 50

The exceptions are gathering professions, it seems. I learned expert skinning before level 20 and artisan herbalism before level 35. It's a nice bonus for keeping gathering professions, which I tend to do.

My First Fourteen Slot Bag

Got my 14 slot bag today. Only had enough tickets for one - so far - and my darling husband decided that I needed it more than he did since I have a gathering profession. Bless him. It's amazing what a different those extra 4 slots make. I'm absolutely smitten, I am. My first very own 14 slot bag.

Foresight is better than hindsight

It's easy to spot patterns, trends, mistakes made or good opportunities when looking back. Everything is so much clearer and less chaotic in the rear view mirror. The universe of the past has been solidified into a single series of chronological events - that which has come to pass. Looking forwards, no such single universe exists. There is a view of an infinite number of universes still to split off as every decision made. Certain decisions will take you to very similar looking places. I doubt the universe in which you chose to have cereal for breakfast will look a whole lot different from the one where you decide to have toast for breakfast. Unless there's a million dollar prize in the cereal box or the bread has been contaminated in a rare fluke and you die in agony whilst waiting for the kettle to boil. You never know, looking forward. The innocuous decisions may turn out to be important and the important decisions may well turn out to be not so crucial after all.

I like to think that I have no problem making decisions. I do not make decisions by taking fluke events into account. Decisions are calculated risks and having a keen interest in mathematics means that I generally tend to know the odds. I cannot foresee every possibility and I try my best not to get bogged down by improbabilities. I also try not to simply blunder through life. I think about the consequences of my actions before I take any action. I am aware of any risks I take before I commit to a specific course. I am aware that there are always unforeseeable consequences, but I'm happy to wing those.

In playing warcraft I find that this type of thinking is encouraged. The game is fraught with decision making. With every possible bonus comes risk. Do I attack the mob that's camped around the piece of ore I want? Will the time it takes me be worth the reward? Will the risk be worth the reward? Is it possible to achieve, or will I simply waste my time whilst I die trying?

It is possible and I suspect a frequent occurrence that players blunder their way to the top when leveling. Particularly younger and inexperienced players. I am pretty sure that I often blunder from one level to the next, simply because it's easier and possible. It's also easier and possible to level up by only seeing the immediate future. I bet plenty of players simply play from one quest to the next. That too, is an option that's available for the taking.

I choose the road less travelled. Or what I see as the road less travelled. I prefer to apply a little foresight. I know where I will be spending all 61 of my talent points by the time I reach level 10. I know which professions go well together and try to keep my professions at the same level as my actual level or slightly ahead. I began thinking about finances my level 40 mount from level 1 and at level 30 started to think about affording my level 60 mount. I like to plan ahead. I love that the game allows me to plan ahead and generally rewards me for it. I love that it doesn't make the decisions for me and isn't lenient towards the mistakes I make. I have spent gold to unlearn talent points.

Azeroth is a great place to learn about foresight and hindsight. It teaches lessons about regret and responsibility. Looking back, there are always things I would have done differently, but I'm proud to say that I stick by every decision I have made with the knowledge available to me at the time. In Azeroth, you cannot have it all. You have to either carve out the road you want to walk from the options available to you, or you have to learn to put up with the road that is shaped by your short sightedness. If you do not choose your road, it will be chosen for you. If you choose, you get to play the odds and be in charge. If you neglect to set a course, you leave the fate of your character in the hands of chance. I'm a master of my fate, captain of my soul kind of person. Foresight is better than hindsight.

The Darkmoon Faire is in Goldshire for the week

I enjoy the seasonal twists even though I don't have a high level character yet who can partake in the really entertaining quests. I have been looking forward to the Darkmoon Faire in particular. Partly because Chris and I both love the non-combat pets and the Faire sells two types of pet frogs and partly since I can retrieve a 14-slot bag if I can manage scraping together 50 tickets. At mid-level, a 14-slot bag is huge.

In order to receive 50 tickets, I have the following strategy:

• 5 tickets from the guy wandering around Ironforge
• 1 ticket from handing in 10 coarse weightstone (I have a level 18 blacksmithing alt)
  
• 1 ticket from handing in the 3 embossed leather boots (I have a level 31 leatherworker)
• 4 tickets from handing in 5 torn bear pelts
• 4 tickets from handing in 3 toughened leather armor
• 16 tickets from handing in 3 barbaric harnesses twice
• 24 tickets from handing in 5 vibrant plumes twice

I know that gives me a total of 55, but there is no way of getting more than 50 and less than 55, unless I simply do not accept the first 5 free tickets. How could I do that? I'll just spend the additional 5 on a minor darkmoon prize. Chris and I have done a little labour division. I will be collecting 1- torn bear pelts and making 20 coarse weightstone, 6 embossed leather boots, 6 toughened leather armor and 12 barbaric harnasses. In turn, he will be collecting 20 vibrant plumes as a Level 34 mage. I think he drew the short stick.

Let the timer begin - a few more days and the Faire will be over - regardless of whether we have our 100 tickets or not...

Why play?

I suffer from a condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. It's a heritable connective tissue disease that most prominently effect the skin and musculoskeletal system, or simply put - it tends to cause stretchy fragile skin and floppy joints. Apart from the obvious problems, i.e. the myriad issues that comes sensitive skin and recurrent joint dislocations - chronic pain and fatigue is a nagging companion.

I'm having one of those weeks, the bad ones I mean. I can't sleep, I can't work, I can't walk very well without falling over and all forms of movement as well as static positions hurt immensely. I can't sit still, lie still, stand still or pace. My cervical spine protests first by making disconcerting crunchy noises and then by pinching a nerve and sending shooting pains down my arms. What a fantastic way to waste away my time.

A few months ago, there was nothing much I could do apart from fidgeting and slowly going insane. Now at least, with the assistance of some trusty splints, there's one thing I can do a little bit. You guessed it - warcraft. And a little bit of writing, ah, blogging. And on days where I can't play, there's still Azeroth. I have a vivid imagination. It comes from a lifetime of chronic migraine headaches. My favourite one - fishing. I think about fishing in the lake just outside of Dolanaar with a gently drizzle soaking everything. The irony of imaging fishing in a computer game does not elude me. There's so many things I could imagine, but real life memories hurt. I always hurt. Always have done. Thinking about strolling or actually fishing creates waves of apprehension of the pain that will inevitably result. However, fishing as a character in a make-believe lake, no pain involved there. Needless to say, my fishing is skill is excellent.

Naughty or Nice?

Actions speak louder than words. I'm still coming to grips with the social aspects of Warcraft and find chatting whilst doing something else a little too much multi-tasking. I know women are suppose to be experts at accomplishing multiple things at once, but unfortunately for me, I don't fit that stereotype. I stick to one thing at a time. A little one track minded, some might say boring, but I enjoy giving my full, undivided attention to one thing at a time. I don't talk whilst I fight monsters, I just fight monsters.

Inevitably, I do run into other players. Most of the time, I stick the rules of surfing. Who gets the wave and all of that. You know, the basic social protocol that makes social interaction pleasant rather than confrontational. I'm mellow. I prefer backing off rather than trying to come to a mutual agreement. After all, monsters respawn, the world is plenty big and I'm happy to kill all monsters, not just a specific type. I am happy to abandon an busy area to find an isolated spot, in fact, I'm keen to do so.

Conversely, I'm also happy to help where I can. I dislike being taken advantage of, but refuse to play with the mindset of suspicion, so I help. I play nice. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. I find being on the other end more disconcerting. Accepting help when offered is hard.

I logged in my Level 3 Gnome Mage which I have started with the eye on specializing in engineering (to make a mechanical squirrel, but that's another post). I need to level her up and the easiest way to do so is through quests. Imagine my surprise when I begin the quest and run into a level 37 hunter. First thought was to back off, but I decided that no, the cave is big enough for the both of us. Until I noticed him take out the bad guy in one fell shot with his mighty bow. I got a little nervous and accidentally handed him all my money. He was nice enough and handed it back. He was even nicer and offered to clear the cave for me so that I can pick up the quest item. I graciously accepted. It seemed wrong not to. He spent five minutes helping me finish the quest and even ran me back to where I needed to hand it in. And then he offered further assistance if I needed any. It was such a magnanimous gesture. I declined, it wouldn't be right to take up any more of his time. But I did spend the rest of the day feeling all magnanimous myself.

What comes around goes around. If you play nice, some players may not play nice back, but some will. And some will pass it on. Azeroth is exactly like the real world. There are nice people and mean ones, friendly and rude, childish and mature. Just like the real world, I try not to be drawn in by mean, immature or rude tricks. I prefer giving others the benefit of the doubt. I log on assuming that people will be nice and friendly and possess a little integrity. Aggression isn't my style - plan for the worst and hope for the best. It's a concept that applies well to social interaction.