Mystic Worlds

HELLO WORLD!

I've finally convinced my best friend to give WOW a try.  Not sure I was more convincing as much as she figured "WTF, maybe this will shut her up."  At any rate, she'll be downloading the trail sometime this week and we'll begin a journey on a RP-PVP server.  Yeah, I've got balls. LOL  Not only does she not like the idea of games where you have to kill things to advance, I'm going to drag her into RP when she hates fantasy AND PVP.

If nothing else, this is going to make for some funny shit.  She is brass, vocal and take's no crap.  Seeing her die at the hands of some boar or wolf is going to crack me up because I know she'll get vendictive and want some payback.  It will be interesting to see if her moral delimma and aversion to violence actually holds out.

If she falls in love with this or another MMORPG then we run the risk of ruining our lives.  We're both competitive and compulsive, so having us play these types of games together could be bad news.  Here's hoping we have the problem to worry about.  I really miss playing games with her since we left The Sims Online.  It would be wonderful to see her in a virtual world now that I've moved so far away.

Regardless of how it all works out.  You can plan on hearing about her adventures.  And yes, I said hearing.  I'm going to start a weekly podcast. :-P

Check Out WOW Podcast

In case you missed the link that was several weeks ago.  WOW Podcast is another great podcast that I listen to on a weekly basis.  The offer a nice mix of game commentary, tips, class guides and general news.  I've been asked to join a round table of Women in WOW that will be recorded later on this week.  I'll let you know when it's going to air.  But in the meantime, you should check them out if you haven't done so already.

Not Your Daddy’s Warcraft

I guess I can bend my knees enough to bow down to Blizzard’s glory.  The Burning Crusade is one hell of an expansion.  I’m sure the success of this will only cause their heads to explode and we can expect even more of their often times arrogant behavior.  How’s that for a compliment and slap at the same time? LOL  I can’t help myself.  I simultaneously love and hate Blizzard.

What can I say other than, “Wow!”  My jaw dropped when I walked through the Dark Portal for the first time.  And even though I’d seen my fair share of videos and screenshots from the beta, none of it – absolutely none of it, compares to experiencing it yourself.  The area on the other side of the Portal in Outlands, is the frontlines of the Burning Legion’s incursion.  There’s an on-going battle at the bottom of the staircase being manned by NPCs.  I didn’t know what to do to get passed them the first time and was so flipping anxious catch up with what everyone else had been able to see, that I mistakenly ran forward and was promptly squashed.  Rather than figure out what you’re supposed to do I just rez’d at the Spirit Healer and went about my business.

As I expected, the starter area was packed with players, as was the Alliance starter city, the Honor Hold.  The Hold isn’t much to look at, but as it harkens back to the cities like Hillsbard, Goldshire and Nethergarde, which are among my favorites, I like just being there.  I’ve posted before about my preference for the small human towns so this is no surprise.  Things were a little laggy but not enough to diminish the experience.  It was also fun to be in a populated questing area again.  You don’t see that too much anymore in Azeroth, where most people are tucked into instances and dungeons.

I mounted up to take a tour and I was just stunned by the scenery.  I have to say that the greatest compliment I could give is for the first time ever, I was reminded of roaming the world of Dereth in Asheron’s Call 2.  The graphics are still WOW-stylized but with a more mature tone – not quite so bright, the hues are subtler and the creativity employed to realize these landscapes is amazing.  Everywhere I went there was something astounding to see.  And even though many of the mobs are ones we’ve seen before, they’ve been dropped into a breath-taking landscape. 

I know now that Outlands is a place where I will want to see everything, and from every vantage point.  I’ll include some images but you’ve got to see these places for yourself.  If you’re not level 60 yet, RUN, don’t walk to get there.  Coming from someone who doesn’t race to level, that’s saying a lot.  If you’re lovin’ Azeroth, you have no idea how much fun is waiting on the other side of the Dark Portal.  Role-players and explorers get ready to fall in love with WOW all over again.

I want to say more about game-play, quests, usability changes, etc. and will soon, but right now I just have to get back online! 

P.S. I started a Draenei. Why I don’t know.  I know I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t resist seeing the starter city and that was all she wrote.

Have I Told You Lately...

How much I L-O-V-E all the blogs and podcasts linked on my site?  I've been reading/listening to you all while I've been away, and unable to game myself.  I consume your content regularly anyway, but the past two weeks more than ever, I've appreciated the time you all put into your own gaming blogs and podcasts.  From the pictures, insights, commentary, sights, sounds, jokes and roleplay, it's all good and keeps me stoked on MMOs!

Level 69 and 3/4s

I don't understand people who are racing head-long to level 70, ravenously devouring the content that we've been waiting for all this time.  I get that many are anxious to raid but in a couple of months you'll be on your umptenth time in an instance.  I guess those of you who love raiding will be happy with that situation.  I for one will not.

When I called my son tonight to see how things are going back at home, he told me that he is almost level 70.  I was shocked.  Actually, I said "What the fuck?"  He laughed and said, "Yep I'm 3/4 into level 69 so by the time you get back I'll be 70."  And he proudly announced that he'd be buying the first tier flying mount tonight.  Needless to say, my jaw dropped.

When I commented that with only 2 other 70s in his guild he'd have time to level his Paladin, he replied that he still had a lot to do at 70, like all the reputation for attunements.  It seems that the instances will not produce much XP (so much for that lie), so you'll need to quest for maximum XP effeciency then head into the instances to grind your repuatation.  In addition, he wanted to max the professions this time, since he'd been handed a toon with completed professions - he opted to level the Warlock I'd given him before his own 60s.  Guess he's found that actually being able to supply yourself with something in the way of professions, is actually beneficial.  Go figure.

Lastly, he wondered with some concern how he'd ever amass the money needed for the epic flying mount.  He did confirm that accumulating gold was easier in TBC but he didn't know how so many players had forked over the thousands of gold needed this quickly for their mounts.  According to him, many players are already cruising the skies in Outland.

Guess I'll fall back into the loser crowd as I have NO intention of racing through this content.  The leveling to me was certainly more fun than the view at 60, so I'm going to savior my journey to 70.  I might even take my level 44 Paladin to 70, after my Priest but before I even poke my head into any 25-man raids.  And if I can convince my best friend to give the game a try - been working on a new angle, I might even try one of the new races.

In short, I'm finding that WOW is still the best thing in town for my preferences and although I have every intention of playing other games, I don't want to burn myself out on this one, until I'm certain I've found a new addiction.  Vanguard as it sits at the moment isn't it.  EQ2 will continue to see me but that's not it either.  So in case 70 is the new raid or die 60, I'm in no hurry to get there.  Still there is a part of my that sits in awe of these insane players that are barking at 70's door.

No Items Restored

It's very disappointing after waiting 4 weeks to hear that nothing will be restored to my hacked account.  Ah well, I'm glad that I didnt sit idle the whole time.  Not sure what to think.  I've heard of people having their items restored.  With the increasing number of account hacks going on, I have to wonder if they just didn't have time to bother.

As the letter states, they couldn't determine if the account was hacked so they just dumped some green crap on the toons for my use.  And they did this for all the toons, not just the ones I reported as having been hacked.  This more than anything makes me think that little if anything was done to actually investigate what happened the the toons I specifically reported as having been robbed.  And gotta love the plug for TBC in the midst of what they must realize would be an upsetting event for a player.

Unfortunately, we were unable to verify the loss of the reported character assets. In order to assist you in continuing with normal play, a basic set of Bind on Equip items have been provided for the above listed characters. These items are not bound. They are for you to use, sell or equip as you deem necessary. Visit Outland in the Burning Crusades and find out how the new content will improve your overall gaming experience.

We sincerely apologize for any frustration you may have experienced as a result of this situation, and hope that this will assist you to return to enjoying the game as quickly as possible.

Please remember that restoration is not always guaranteed. While we make every effort to verify your loss there are times where restoration is not possible.

For further information please check our Restoration Policy located at (http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowgm/?id=agm01724p)

Thank you again for contacting us. We hope you continue to enjoy your experience in World of Warcraft!

*** Please do not respond to this email as all conversations on this matter would be best handled online. ***

I'm still out of town working and unable to play, so I return you back to your regular programming.

** Late 30s **

I needed a break from Ariathi, Horde and running back and forth fetching quest items.  Sometimes I’m just in the mood for a good ole fashion mob grind.  I can do it for hours without getting bored.  I especially like it when I can find some place where no one else will come along to disturb my peace and quiet.  At my current level a nice spot for this kind of activity is farming the Murlocs on the islands off of Theramore.

There are three islands where you can mow them down if you’ve got the skill and health to survive them.  Murlocs are very high social aggro so it’s rare that you get to fight them one-on-one.  For cloth wearers it’s probably best to wait until level 38 before venturing into their lair.  My paladin at level 36 sometimes gets into very close calls when 4 or more jump me, other than that it’s fine.

With the rest bonus, the XP is good AND they drop a good amount of coin.  I was first directed to the spot to farm XP and gold on my first toon.  It worked out very nicely then, so I go there on all of my toons.  Another thing that I like is that they don’t drop a lot of vendor trash that I have to sort through.  Two of the islands have a chest that appears in the same spot even after it’s been looted.  That doesn’t happen in other spots.  I wonder if it’s a bug.  Anyway, if you can manage to pick of the 3 mobs that wonder on the perimeter and then deal with the four on the chest, you can loot it repeatedly.  If you’re leveling cooking you can take a break from the Murlocs and slam some turtles for meat.

On occasion you’ll see a Horde player come ashore. I think they’re making the swim around the coast from Rachet.  If they’re alone and I see them first, then they become a nice little diversion. :-P  I skipped STV on my Warlock and first Hunter but included it on my Priest and second hunter.  Strangely, I'm actually looking forward to it on my Paladin.  It's a nice little fallback plan if leveling my Priest in TBC gets old.

First Quarter 2007 Game Line-Up

Not impressed thus far by Vanguard.  I’ll be keeping my pre-order but I won’t be playing in January, even if they are foolish enough to put it on the streets.  That leaves games that I’ve already played for at least the early part of the year.

1. Fate has conspired to get me to the Outlands. Based on my current choices, WOW has the most appeal since it contains game-play that I like and all new leveling content which is to me, the best part of the game.  I’ll be fully focused on my Priest who is spec’d Shadow for maximum leveling efficiency.
2. More WOW awaits as the second choice if I get tired of the Priest in the form of yet another healer – my Paladin.  I’m quite surprised at how much fun she is with the changes in talent specs.  Retribution for the win!
3. My little Faes in EverQuest 2 will be my third choice for MMO diversion.  I’m going to bite the bullet and re-roll on Mistmoore so I can group up with Brent and Brenden.  Only reason it’s not my second choice is that I’ve started the Illusionist twice now and it feels sort of ho-hum to do it yet again.  However, Faydwer is great and in a couple of months it won’t feel like such a do-over.
4. A fourth choice has been floating around in my head – start training a pirate in EVE Online.  MOG Army talks about it so much and I did like it when I played before.  It’s been on my mind lately and since getting all the necessary skill training takes a very long time, I’m seriously considering re-activating my account in advance of returning.

As for the new crop of 2007 games, I think I’ll skip the beta craze.  Vanguard was really a let down so I’ll just cool my heels until they release and I see what people have to say then.  The front runners in the new crop of games are still Vanguard and Spellborn for me, followed by Warhammer and Age of Conan as remote possibilities.

Amazon Cautions Customers about WOW Pre-Orders

I got this in my email today from Amazon...

Greetings from Amazon.com.

We're writing about your recent World Of Warcraft order.

Due to the exceedingly high number of pre-orders we have taken so far,
our systems may incorrectly indicate a ship date for your order far
out in the future.

We wanted to reassure you that your order is being processed, and our
fulfillment centers and carriers are working to ensure that your order
is delivered as close as possible to the release date (January 16th).
We hope you enjoy your order!

Thanks for shopping at Amazon.com.

Sincerely,

Customer Service
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/

I'm not liking the sound of that - "as close as possible to the release date..."  Up until now the expected delivery date has been 1/17 on my order based on overnight shipment.  And what's up with the "recent order" crap.  I pre-ordered BC back when there were still copies of the Collector's Edition.  In fact, my original order was for the CEs then I got pissed off and down graded at least two months ago. 

Ah well, I'll be out of town with no way to get in line any where for my son's copy if they can't deliver.  What a nightmare that's going to be.  He's practically foaming at the mouth.  He's so keyed up that he's even started listening to podcasts and actually reading forums to get his TBC fix.

I'm not even going to mention that there's now a possibility of it not arriving on the 17th and just hope for his sanity's sake, that all goes off as planned.  This kid might actually have a meltdown if this game doesn't arrive on time.

5 Days and Counting – What are you Doing ‘Til Then?

The much anticipated Burning Crusade expansion pack will be coming to a server near you in just a few days.  What are you doing in the mean time?  Are you one of the people trying desperately to hit 60 in time?  Are you doing insane amounts of PVP for a few final pieces of gear?  Kicking back in a few final runs through the soon to be old dungeons?

Me, I’m doing whatever I can to get my priest ready for the race to 70.  Not sure I’ll keep up a head of steam the whole way through, but for now, it’s the only thing in town I’m interested in playing.  Along with trying to get the Grand Marshal’s Warhammer, I decided that I had one too many alchemists in my character line-up, so my priest has been changed to enchanting. Yeah, I hear ya.  Enchanting isn’t known for it’s easy grind.  For now it was the lesser of the evils.  I know I can’t stomach mining and I think there will be too many people doing Jewel Crafting in the beginning, so this was my best bet to have some high level items that I can make for myself.  I’ve seen the new enchanter rings.  They’re all BOPs and I want some!

I’ve done enchanting twice before so it won’t be too bad.  My Paladin is a level 236 tailor which helps immensely.  Today I went from 0 to 156 enchanting in under two hours, and used less than 2 gold.  The key is to have a tailor make cheap items that can be disenchanted for comps.  By having my Pally make Brown Linen Robes and Green Silk Armor, DE’g yielded all the comps I needed to skill past 150 in one sitting.  My goal is 300 tailoring on the Pally and 225 enchanting on the Priest before BC.  When I have a little down time, I’m also trying to get to 300 cooking.  Basically, I’m trying to replace the professions I lost having easy access to by giving my son my Warlock.  I’ll have to forgo the fishing for now.

So what are you doing?  Kicking it up a notch or kicking back?