I chose the grey Elekk. Not for the grey, but the saddle is blue and green. I like blue and green...
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
It's gray!
I chose the grey Elekk. Not for the grey, but the saddle is blue and green. I like blue and green...
Confused by the dailies?
I've been struggling to get my head around the dailies, particularly the two dozen on the Isle of Quel'Danas and reading up on it seems to be almost more confusing than figuring it on my own. The best guide to dailies I have come across has been the curse.com quest guide.
I did the recommended 11 quests today and struggled a little through the uncertainty of where to go, what to kill and how many to combine, but all in all, a fun play. It took me just under two hours to complete within a round trip from/to Shatt, but the majority of the time was spent on the puzzling and familiarizing myself with the air. Also, a fair amount of time was wasted by habitual clicking on my flying mount only to be told that it doesn't work. What a disappointment. All that saving to get my epic green griffon and now I can't use it in the major level 70 quest hub.
Ever wonder where all the 70's disappear to? I originally thought into raids and the arena, but nope, the Isle is crawling with variously geared 70's earning their gold the stress free way. *sigh* A good chunk of my time was also spent waiting for respawn or fighting someone else's pull. (It seems unsociable to just sit there and if there's not enough for all, then jumping it must be the admirable thing to do). Top cope with the large number of players, respawn is quick. I completed one quest by killing the same NPC five times in succession - it respawn within seconds right on top of me every time. Good thing I wasn't playing a mage...
Needless to say, I don't like the Isle. But I earned enough gold that I'll probably be back tomorrow. And at least it's pretty and I get a little more use out of my epic land mount for which I had to rep grind Darnassus exalted.
I did the recommended 11 quests today and struggled a little through the uncertainty of where to go, what to kill and how many to combine, but all in all, a fun play. It took me just under two hours to complete within a round trip from/to Shatt, but the majority of the time was spent on the puzzling and familiarizing myself with the air. Also, a fair amount of time was wasted by habitual clicking on my flying mount only to be told that it doesn't work. What a disappointment. All that saving to get my epic green griffon and now I can't use it in the major level 70 quest hub.
Ever wonder where all the 70's disappear to? I originally thought into raids and the arena, but nope, the Isle is crawling with variously geared 70's earning their gold the stress free way. *sigh* A good chunk of my time was also spent waiting for respawn or fighting someone else's pull. (It seems unsociable to just sit there and if there's not enough for all, then jumping it must be the admirable thing to do). Top cope with the large number of players, respawn is quick. I completed one quest by killing the same NPC five times in succession - it respawn within seconds right on top of me every time. Good thing I wasn't playing a mage...
Needless to say, I don't like the Isle. But I earned enough gold that I'll probably be back tomorrow. And at least it's pretty and I get a little more use out of my epic land mount for which I had to rep grind Darnassus exalted.
It's Mount Time
Patch 2.4.3 is being installed as I type and in a few hours I'll be logging on my level 37 hunter and be off to The Exodar for an Elekk. Yay! I'm missing out on seven levels of riding, but I'd rather be logging in a level 37 today than a level 30 and it's the last three levels to forty that's a real drag in Dustwallow and STV, so I'm satisfied. Good thing I've the gold in the bank just waiting to be spent.
I have purchased a mechanostrider for my gnome rogue and a kitty for my night elf druid, but although it will not be my first mount, it's my first Elekk. Will it be a brown, gray or purple? I just don't know. Leaning toward the brown, but the gray is pretty and the purple unusual and each has its own appeal. Not that it matters much. I will be trying to level her up as quick as possible to sixty, so the level 60 epic is almost just around the corner. I think I'll toss a coin or draw straws on this one.
I have purchased a mechanostrider for my gnome rogue and a kitty for my night elf druid, but although it will not be my first mount, it's my first Elekk. Will it be a brown, gray or purple? I just don't know. Leaning toward the brown, but the gray is pretty and the purple unusual and each has its own appeal. Not that it matters much. I will be trying to level her up as quick as possible to sixty, so the level 60 epic is almost just around the corner. I think I'll toss a coin or draw straws on this one.
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Dailies from Shattrath City
I find the dailies quite daunting and overwhelming, particularly those attached to the Isle of Quel'Danas. I am not quite ready to let go Outland, it feels as if I've barely arrived, and so I enjoy doing the dailies that start and end in Shatt. I also play in short slots throughout the day as a break and find that I can do on region per slot in 5 - 15 minutes and then place her on a griffon to the next whilst I go back to work.
I start my day by picking up the following quests in Shatt:
I'm sure I can trim play time down to an hour within a week, resulting 100g per hour. Not bad at all. And on to the Isle of Quel'Danas, where everything is close by and I'm sure earning gold will be even quicker and easier...
I start my day by picking up the following quests in Shatt:
- The Multiphase Survey
- Gaining the Advantage
- Sunfury Attack Plans
- Maintaining the Sunwell Portal
- Intercepting the Mana Cells
- The Daily Cooking
- The Daily Fishing
- Daily fishing: Bait Bandits
- Daily cooking (Skettis): Revenge is Tasty
- Sha'tari Skyguard quests x2 (Skettis): Fire over Skettis; Escape from Skettis
- Daily fishing: The one that got away
- Gaining the Advantage (skinning knothide and thick clefthoof leather)
- Daily cooking: Soup for the Soul
- The Multiphase Survey
- Farm Mote of Air and/or Shadow; Fish Mote of Water
- Daily fishing: Shrimpin' Aint Easy
- Daily Cooking (Nr Sylvenaar): Super Hot Stew
- Maintaining the Sunwell Portal
- Intercepting the Mana Cells (Becomes available at SSO Phase 2)
- Farm Mote of Mana
- Sunfury Attack Plans
- Farm Zaxxis Insignia x 10
- Daily Cooking: Manalicious
- The Multiphase Survey
- Gaining the Advantage
- Sunfury Attack Plans
- Maintaining the Sunwell Portal
- Intercepting the Mana Cells
- Daily Cooking
- Daily Fishing
I'm sure I can trim play time down to an hour within a week, resulting 100g per hour. Not bad at all. And on to the Isle of Quel'Danas, where everything is close by and I'm sure earning gold will be even quicker and easier...
Fun,fun, fun
I bought a Guild Wars starter pack yesterday. Not that I'm tired of Wow or annoyed like so many players seem to be because the game isn't what they want it to be, but just because. Well, because it was cheap and I am a naturally curious person who doesn't think the grass is greener on the other side, but would always wonder if it might be if I didn't check it out.
It has sparked off a thought on how much time I spend playing and what do I do in that time. Different people want and enjoy different things and I can understand the frustration for those who play as a break from real life. There is an uncanny sense of verisimilitude when playing. Personally, it's the real life qualities that keeps me interested and entertained. I love the Auction House, even though it's hitting a mini-recession on my server at the moment. I love the level caps and other obstacles thrown it, it makes the game harder and in-game items more difficult to obtain. This means that the rewards are biggest for those who persevere longest. I wouldn't be happy if a level 1 could be a master leatherworker and make the same profit my level 70 make with crafting higher level gear. I wouldn't be happy if a level 1 could transmute primals either. I wouldn't be happy if a level 1 could craft 20-slot bags. And although I have a strong dislike for roaming elites, drinking mages and munching rogues, it adds to the gaming experience rather than subtract. It makes it harder and less fair and therefore the rewards are bigger and more enjoyable.
If I played more, I guess I would complain more. If I had been playing for longer than a few months, I guess I would complain more too. As it is, I am still enjoying the working for the rewards I get. Should it be easier? Maybe. I bought a copy of guild wars because it'll take me at least a month to transmute enough primal might to craft my remaining two primalstrike epic pieces. And then I will only have three. However, the upside is that this does not encourage me to quit, but simply to play less. I am not the incessant grinding type. I will not spend twelve hours a day farming primals and I will not spend a few thousand gold purchasing them from the AH. I will quite happily spend thirty minutes a day completing a daily that will require killing a mob which would also provide motes as loot. I will also quite happily spend 20 minutes a day scanning the AH for bargains, buying mats for crafting and selling crafted items as at a profit. To date, my strategy is earning me 100 - 200 gold an hour which adds up a plenty to buy the odd pattern, piece of gear as well as riding skill and mounts.
The gaming experience isn't wow or epic for me, it's everyday. My life is constant turmoil, I get from the game a sense of reliability and predictability. I can play almost every day. I can fly over Nagrand in my newly acquired epic mount with a sense of growing familiarity that is comforting. I can land where I always land, kill a few Clefthoof Bulls for their leather, a few raging storm things for their mote of air and lounge next to a shallow river or lake with a fishing rod, wearing my lucky fishing hat. I rarely play for the excitement and the glory, I play to relax under the domes in Netherstorm, the mushrooms of Zangermarsh or on the green fields of Nagrand and I make my money on the AH. If you play for the rewards, be prepared for a lot of tedious grinding, but if you play because you enjoy playing, it's just fun, fun, fun.
(Except for the levelling of an alliance toon that is not rested from level 30 - 40, it's the trek that never ends. I can't wait for the level 30 mount in patch 2.4.3. Unfortunately, I didn't wait and now my toon is level 37 and by the time the patch comes out, she'll not be benefiting much. Alas, that is the warcraft that we play).
It has sparked off a thought on how much time I spend playing and what do I do in that time. Different people want and enjoy different things and I can understand the frustration for those who play as a break from real life. There is an uncanny sense of verisimilitude when playing. Personally, it's the real life qualities that keeps me interested and entertained. I love the Auction House, even though it's hitting a mini-recession on my server at the moment. I love the level caps and other obstacles thrown it, it makes the game harder and in-game items more difficult to obtain. This means that the rewards are biggest for those who persevere longest. I wouldn't be happy if a level 1 could be a master leatherworker and make the same profit my level 70 make with crafting higher level gear. I wouldn't be happy if a level 1 could transmute primals either. I wouldn't be happy if a level 1 could craft 20-slot bags. And although I have a strong dislike for roaming elites, drinking mages and munching rogues, it adds to the gaming experience rather than subtract. It makes it harder and less fair and therefore the rewards are bigger and more enjoyable.
If I played more, I guess I would complain more. If I had been playing for longer than a few months, I guess I would complain more too. As it is, I am still enjoying the working for the rewards I get. Should it be easier? Maybe. I bought a copy of guild wars because it'll take me at least a month to transmute enough primal might to craft my remaining two primalstrike epic pieces. And then I will only have three. However, the upside is that this does not encourage me to quit, but simply to play less. I am not the incessant grinding type. I will not spend twelve hours a day farming primals and I will not spend a few thousand gold purchasing them from the AH. I will quite happily spend thirty minutes a day completing a daily that will require killing a mob which would also provide motes as loot. I will also quite happily spend 20 minutes a day scanning the AH for bargains, buying mats for crafting and selling crafted items as at a profit. To date, my strategy is earning me 100 - 200 gold an hour which adds up a plenty to buy the odd pattern, piece of gear as well as riding skill and mounts.
The gaming experience isn't wow or epic for me, it's everyday. My life is constant turmoil, I get from the game a sense of reliability and predictability. I can play almost every day. I can fly over Nagrand in my newly acquired epic mount with a sense of growing familiarity that is comforting. I can land where I always land, kill a few Clefthoof Bulls for their leather, a few raging storm things for their mote of air and lounge next to a shallow river or lake with a fishing rod, wearing my lucky fishing hat. I rarely play for the excitement and the glory, I play to relax under the domes in Netherstorm, the mushrooms of Zangermarsh or on the green fields of Nagrand and I make my money on the AH. If you play for the rewards, be prepared for a lot of tedious grinding, but if you play because you enjoy playing, it's just fun, fun, fun.
(Except for the levelling of an alliance toon that is not rested from level 30 - 40, it's the trek that never ends. I can't wait for the level 30 mount in patch 2.4.3. Unfortunately, I didn't wait and now my toon is level 37 and by the time the patch comes out, she'll not be benefiting much. Alas, that is the warcraft that we play).
Sunday, 13 July 2008
A good day
I finally topped out my fishing at 375 and also hit leatherworking 375. I made a pair of primalstrike bracers, my first ever purple item! I also had a few good drops. A couple of level 65 druid tank staves with + AP in cat/bear form. Fantastic, since my feral druid is about to hit 65 and now have a nice staff to show for it. I also had the Design: Veiled Noble Topaz drop from a mob in Netherstorm and after much delibiration purchased the Pattern: Cloak of the Black Void for 100g from the auction house. It's BoE and the mats are easy to farm, so I'm hoping to make my money back. I had a good play day today.
Saturday, 12 July 2008
PVP vs PVE
I have finally hit 70 with my main main and find that the question foremost in my mind has been which way to gear and spec. I have always maintained that I prefer spending my talent point whilst levelling with leveling in mind and would respec for 70 at 70. As with most things warcraft, the decision of gear and spec depends on the choice of PVP, PVE or at least how both. I am still undecided.
I find myself pondering on the nature of PVP and PVE. For me, it's not so much about facing a person as an opponent or an NPC. Rather, it's about how the game is played. PVE has it's place for soloing via some daily quest as well as grinding. It has space for small group play via instances and large group play via raids. I think I have given up all thoughts of raiding except for the occasional moment of wild fantansy. Raiding simply requires too much mutual dependence. I am dependent on others and they depend on me. I can't see myself quitting in the middle of a raid because in my excitement I hit a key too hard and dislocated a finger. For that matter, I can't see myself leaving an instance group a member short because I am too unreliable to be relied upon. I am enjoying some of the daily quests, but suspect that they will become tedious very quickly. I do enjoy farming, but farming alone does not wet the appetite for warcraft.
PVP is most definitely player versus player. I am hesistant to engage in battlegrounds for the same reasons I am hesitant to commit to raid or instance groups. However, I can see myself stretching to try my hand at it a little. The arena does hold a definite pull, probably the strongest. It's short and brutal, a nice contrast to an afternoon spent fishing and farming. It's short and in a 2v2, of which my other would be the other half, there is no real issue of leaving someone, other than him, in the lurch. And he's gotten used to my quirkiness over the years and will be teaming up knowing very well what he's signing up for.
The next step is to gear up and spec for solo PVE and arena PVP, but first I need to research resilience rating and finish levelling up my professions. I didn't quite realise how much work happens after you hit 70 and before you're ready to truly play at 70. And no, farming and daily cooking quests does not count as real play, it's more play play.
I find myself pondering on the nature of PVP and PVE. For me, it's not so much about facing a person as an opponent or an NPC. Rather, it's about how the game is played. PVE has it's place for soloing via some daily quest as well as grinding. It has space for small group play via instances and large group play via raids. I think I have given up all thoughts of raiding except for the occasional moment of wild fantansy. Raiding simply requires too much mutual dependence. I am dependent on others and they depend on me. I can't see myself quitting in the middle of a raid because in my excitement I hit a key too hard and dislocated a finger. For that matter, I can't see myself leaving an instance group a member short because I am too unreliable to be relied upon. I am enjoying some of the daily quests, but suspect that they will become tedious very quickly. I do enjoy farming, but farming alone does not wet the appetite for warcraft.
PVP is most definitely player versus player. I am hesistant to engage in battlegrounds for the same reasons I am hesitant to commit to raid or instance groups. However, I can see myself stretching to try my hand at it a little. The arena does hold a definite pull, probably the strongest. It's short and brutal, a nice contrast to an afternoon spent fishing and farming. It's short and in a 2v2, of which my other would be the other half, there is no real issue of leaving someone, other than him, in the lurch. And he's gotten used to my quirkiness over the years and will be teaming up knowing very well what he's signing up for.
The next step is to gear up and spec for solo PVE and arena PVP, but first I need to research resilience rating and finish levelling up my professions. I didn't quite realise how much work happens after you hit 70 and before you're ready to truly play at 70. And no, farming and daily cooking quests does not count as real play, it's more play play.
