Mystic Worlds

700+ Player Queues on Illidan

The other night I read on the forums that Arena Season 3 was starting soon.  Knowing that I had a good bit of PVP honor on any of my mains - BGs is about all I did after hitting 70, I decided I'd see what was available for purchase from Season 1.  Wrong!  700+ player queues on Illidan.  WTholyF!  I tried later.  900+ queue.  My jaw dropped and my eyeballs almost popped from their sockets.

Out of Town

It's  not like I've been posting regularly anyway, but I'm leaving for a business trip on Wednesday and will be out of town for 2.5 weeks.  I'm usually a bit more excited about what will be the first leg of my trip, Chicago but not as much this time.  My favorite cohorts are using up the last of their vacation before losing it and are on a month long trip to India to visit family.  *Sigh*

Sims Fairies, WOW Patch 2.3 and a Little QQ

I haven’t played EQ2 in a few days.  When I played last, I spent most of my time using up the reserve of trading materials I’d saved and quickly reached level 22 Artisan/Provisioner.  When it came to the point of leveling some more, I wasn’t looking forward to hitting ButcherBlock for the third time so my attention wandered back to The Sims 2.  I might have to see if can beg, borrow or steal some assistance in power-leveling passed this zone.  I’m soooooooooooo over doing BB again.

Disadvantages of the Horizontal Game Play

The problem with EQ2 being a broader, more horizontally wide game than something like WOW, is that sometimes you don’t know where you’re going.  With every expansion pack adding more levels in the modern MMOs, basing your progress on just reaching the leveling cap isn’t very motivating for someone like me.  Sure, I want to get there.  However, when I’m level one starting in a game with a cap of 80, reaching that goal is very far off.

An Explosive UI and Joined a Guild

I didn't get to take advantage of the second bonus XP gain this past Sunday.  I imploded my UI very late Saturday night and subsequently spent Sunday making it all right again.

Things would have been easier if I'd just reverted to the default UI after removing the offending add-on but no, I wanted something a bit snazzier.  I've been spoiled by the endless options for customizing WOW's UI, in addition to the plethora of gaming mods.

Blizzard Doesn't Have to Care

For the past two nights I’ve been pretty brain dead at the end of the day.  Thousands of people were just laid off, with more to follow between now and the end of the year.  It’s never pretty on either side of the fence.  Many of my co-workers are literally in tears over the losses and the multi-year peer relationships that are quickly coming to an end.

I don’t have that kind of emotion tied up in this particular event, as I only have three peers that crossed over into my personal life this time around.  I left that mass cumbya behavior in the puddle of tears I left at Lucent, over the same type of situation.  Even though I wasn’t on the receiving end there either, doing it to people – some you like, some you don’t, but all have bills to pay, is equally as painful.

First Bonus XP Weekend Leveling Opinion

Leveling in EQ2 clearly takes more time than it does in WOW.  Even with the bonus XP gain of 150%, I only dinged 3 levels this weekend – now level 17.  I really wanted to end the weekend at level 20 and finish the other five minimum next weekend.  Doing so, would leave me just two levels short of the character and content I left on Nagafen.

Conversely, trade skills zoom by at the speed of light.  I think I logged off at level 13.  I decided to stick with my favorite which to date is Provisioner.  I might do a trade only alt later for carpentry which I enjoyed too.  I don’t think I have the patience or interest in the other trades where I’d have to make many items that would be of no use to me and that will sell really low at auction, just to skill up.  I’ve had enough of that doing WOW professions.  The scribe profession, although advantageous and lucrative in the higher levels, smacks too much of the pain and cost of leveling an Enchanter.  Something I’ve been ignorant enough to do twice!  And the EQ2 version of Alchemy doesn’t have the same potency of WOW – must have items.  I’ve yet to bother with potions in the game.  Just seems like a luxury item that I can avoid while leveling.  Perhaps they are needed in raids, but really not so much for leveling.

Extra Experience Points Sunday

I read on the EQ2 Daily website today that this Sunday and next, EQ2 is having bonus experience gain on Sunday.  It seems to apply for both adventuring and crafting.  Guess I know where I'll be! :-)