With the recent announcement that there will be a patch in the next couple of weeks that will put us all on the Wrath client, I got to thinking what I would like to do before the expansion hits.
The biggest thing that I came up with was that I'd really like to do is clear out my quest log. Some people are good at keep them all done. I seem to get stuck with the group quests. Just never find motivation to ask people to do quests they're not even on. Keep in mind though, that I'm only planning on doing this with Leiandra. My other two 70's will just have their quest logs purged before I eventually head to Northrend with them.
Other than that, I don't really have any goals for before the expansion (as far as the individual side). I plan on downing a few bosses, but that's about it as far as outside of instances stuff.
What are you planning on doing or accomplising before the expansion comes out?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
DK's in Beta
So, I had a chance to, umm... "watch" my friend play a Death Knight all the way through the starting area. And while the play style isn't exactly my style, per se, it was fun... umm... for my friend. :) The thing that I noted most was how well carved out the quests are.
Long gone are the days of Northshire of kill lesser npc, kill npc, and then finally kill greater npc. The quests produce an excellent story that's told, not only through the quest text, but also through the actions you're required to do. I've mentioned before how much I enjoy the Dranei and Blood Elf starting areas. And these are along the same high quality... even better in my opinion. So I may play multiple Death Knights just so I can enjoy these great quests.
My only complaint would be that there wasn't a "Go find your trainer" quest. I knew that I should go train at 56 or so, but... umm... my friend didn't know where the trainer was. Good thing for the tracking function, but even then, it wasn't like the trainer was really near anything that I had been to before. The faster running you get in Ebon Hold as a quest reward helped a lot though.
I also noticed the efficiency of quests. I'm a big fan of leveling guides simply because it helps me maximize my xp/hour. I may have to get quests in 3 areas so that I can complete them all in the one place. But if there were multiple quests in one spot, their objective was usually in the same place as well. If the trend continues in Nothrend, we can all be effective... even without using TourGuide.
Long gone are the days of Northshire of kill lesser npc, kill npc, and then finally kill greater npc. The quests produce an excellent story that's told, not only through the quest text, but also through the actions you're required to do. I've mentioned before how much I enjoy the Dranei and Blood Elf starting areas. And these are along the same high quality... even better in my opinion. So I may play multiple Death Knights just so I can enjoy these great quests.
My only complaint would be that there wasn't a "Go find your trainer" quest. I knew that I should go train at 56 or so, but... umm... my friend didn't know where the trainer was. Good thing for the tracking function, but even then, it wasn't like the trainer was really near anything that I had been to before. The faster running you get in Ebon Hold as a quest reward helped a lot though.
I also noticed the efficiency of quests. I'm a big fan of leveling guides simply because it helps me maximize my xp/hour. I may have to get quests in 3 areas so that I can complete them all in the one place. But if there were multiple quests in one spot, their objective was usually in the same place as well. If the trend continues in Nothrend, we can all be effective... even without using TourGuide.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Rawr The Program
So, I really can't believe that I haven't blogged about this before. I feel like I've let down the druid, mage, and many other communities. The information is certainly out there, but why haven't I told you guys about it? Selfish? No. Forgetful? Maybe. But the truth is that I thought I had already blogged about this.
What am I going on about? Today I'm talking about Rawr. Rawr is a program that was originally developed to help Druids figure out gear upgrades for Bear and Cat forms. I know it's been around for at least two years, but know exactly how long. There's been many changes (it's now in Beta 15), and it's come a long way from just supporting Druids. It now supports the following classes/roles:
Likewise, for tanking, you can see how each item stacks up in different areas. For tanks, it's not just how much stamina you have. So, Rawr breaks it down into Mitigation, Survival, and Threat. All of which are important to tanks.
You can also enter all the gear you currently have, and it will optimize it for you. Results may vary. Most of the time it seems to give good suggestions. There's some gear choices that are debatable, but aren't they all?
Now this program is essentially for level 70 toons. You can change your specs and the gear will adjust accordingly as well. If you're looking for gear lists of any of the above classes, go check it out. It's a great program.
What am I going on about? Today I'm talking about Rawr. Rawr is a program that was originally developed to help Druids figure out gear upgrades for Bear and Cat forms. I know it's been around for at least two years, but know exactly how long. There's been many changes (it's now in Beta 15), and it's come a long way from just supporting Druids. It now supports the following classes/roles:
- Bear
- Cat
- DPSWarrior
- Healadin
- HolyPriest
- Mage
- Moonkin
- ProtWarrior
- RestoSham
- Retribution
- Tankadin
- Tree
- Warlock
Likewise, for tanking, you can see how each item stacks up in different areas. For tanks, it's not just how much stamina you have. So, Rawr breaks it down into Mitigation, Survival, and Threat. All of which are important to tanks.
You can also enter all the gear you currently have, and it will optimize it for you. Results may vary. Most of the time it seems to give good suggestions. There's some gear choices that are debatable, but aren't they all?
Now this program is essentially for level 70 toons. You can change your specs and the gear will adjust accordingly as well. If you're looking for gear lists of any of the above classes, go check it out. It's a great program.
RAWR!!!
And I'm back... I think. One of my guildies always whispers me "rawr" when I first log in. It makes me smile. He had to stop raiding due to some RL stuff, but now he's back. That makes me smile too.
We finally got all the computer stuff in to one room last night. I have to go pick up a wireless card, but other than that, the computer's set up and ready to go. That makes me smile. My wife even expected that I would raid last night. I guess life is slowly settling back in to the pattern we're used to. It'll just take some time.
Oh, and getting up at 4:30 to be at work by 6:30 doesn't exactly make me smile.
We finally got all the computer stuff in to one room last night. I have to go pick up a wireless card, but other than that, the computer's set up and ready to go. That makes me smile. My wife even expected that I would raid last night. I guess life is slowly settling back in to the pattern we're used to. It'll just take some time.
Oh, and getting up at 4:30 to be at work by 6:30 doesn't exactly make me smile.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Playing F5
If you've been trying to get Blizzcon tickets, or you've been following other blogs, you may know that there's been a bit of a fiasco trying to get Blizzcon tickets this year. Last year, tickets sold out in 3 days. This year, they increased the space for Blizzcon by 50%. Ever since they went on sale yesterday morning, there's been issues on their web site with the amount of traffic they've had. Store was up, store was down, and then then took it down for maintenance for all of the night, promising to bring it back up this morning.
Well, at 12:50, it went back up. At first, it appeared that they were sold out. And my heart just dropped. I was really excited to go, but then I realized that it wasn't the end of the world, and maybe it was okay that I wasn't going. But, I logged in (just in case it was somehow saved in my shopping cart from yesterday), and then navigated to the page again. And this time, it was avaialbe for purchase. So, I quickly ordered my ticket, and then called a few friends.
They got the Sold Out messages. Now I have tickets and they don't. Kinda bummed about that. Was really hoping to spend the days with some friends. Don't get me wrong, it will still be very cool to see everything, but would really like to see it with people I know.
There's no "official" post that they're sold out, so hopefully they're selling them in waves or something. I'll still be checking the site to see if they become available, but come on, Blizz? Shouldn't you have maybe thought about these traffic issues before Monday? Oh well... guess they're human as well.
But bottom line, Yes, Virginia, I'm going to Blizzcon.
Well, at 12:50, it went back up. At first, it appeared that they were sold out. And my heart just dropped. I was really excited to go, but then I realized that it wasn't the end of the world, and maybe it was okay that I wasn't going. But, I logged in (just in case it was somehow saved in my shopping cart from yesterday), and then navigated to the page again. And this time, it was avaialbe for purchase. So, I quickly ordered my ticket, and then called a few friends.
They got the Sold Out messages. Now I have tickets and they don't. Kinda bummed about that. Was really hoping to spend the days with some friends. Don't get me wrong, it will still be very cool to see everything, but would really like to see it with people I know.
There's no "official" post that they're sold out, so hopefully they're selling them in waves or something. I'll still be checking the site to see if they become available, but come on, Blizz? Shouldn't you have maybe thought about these traffic issues before Monday? Oh well... guess they're human as well.
But bottom line, Yes, Virginia, I'm going to Blizzcon.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Now for Something Different
In World of Warcraft, I'm somewhat of a sight see'er. I enjoy seeing things such as the top of Iron Forge, and then being able to jump from IF all the way to Menethil Bay (via Slow Fall of course). I enjoy seeing things such as the homage to Rio de Janeiro down in Booty Bay and the huge amounts of energy flowing throgh the Mana Forges up in Netherstorm. Blizzard has done a fine job creating breathtanking scenaries in Azeroth, Outlands, and now Northrend.
In looking at the new zones from the official wow site, there are movies for Dragonblight and Grizzly Hills. And while screen shots of Brean Tundra and Howling Fjord are cool, the video experience of these zones is so much more impressive. It almost gives me goose bumps.
It reminds me of when I first saw footage of flying mounts, and how much I got exicted about those. I get some of the same thrill thinking about the new pvp zone, Wintergrasp, and how you'll be able to get in seige engines and transport your friends. Or the double or triple mounts (maybe I don't have to buy an epic mount for my wife afterall).
Or the polished state of many of the dungeons. Walking in to Van Cleef's boat the first time... just Wow!
So today's question that I'll be asking your input in is this: What is your favorite zone for pure asthetics?
Mine is probably Terokkar Forest minus the Auchindoun. I just really love the trees around there. And some of the structures remind me of a mini-Ewok village. Although Nagrand is a close second with all the waterfalls that come out of rocks floating in mid air (I love waterfalls). I'll stray a little bit here and say that my favorite zone to level in is currently Azuremyst Isle. I think the scenery is cool, but they did some really great, fun quests there as well.
In looking at the new zones from the official wow site, there are movies for Dragonblight and Grizzly Hills. And while screen shots of Brean Tundra and Howling Fjord are cool, the video experience of these zones is so much more impressive. It almost gives me goose bumps.
It reminds me of when I first saw footage of flying mounts, and how much I got exicted about those. I get some of the same thrill thinking about the new pvp zone, Wintergrasp, and how you'll be able to get in seige engines and transport your friends. Or the double or triple mounts (maybe I don't have to buy an epic mount for my wife afterall).
Or the polished state of many of the dungeons. Walking in to Van Cleef's boat the first time... just Wow!
So today's question that I'll be asking your input in is this: What is your favorite zone for pure asthetics?
Mine is probably Terokkar Forest minus the Auchindoun. I just really love the trees around there. And some of the structures remind me of a mini-Ewok village. Although Nagrand is a close second with all the waterfalls that come out of rocks floating in mid air (I love waterfalls). I'll stray a little bit here and say that my favorite zone to level in is currently Azuremyst Isle. I think the scenery is cool, but they did some really great, fun quests there as well.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Wrath Preparation - Start Now
I was looking through my personal bank for Leiandra the other day, and I did a pretty good job at cleaning stuff out, but I still have things that have been sitting in there for a few years now. Being that I've had most of these items since before the last expansion went live, I have a feeling that as we get closer to the next expansion release, they'll be even further diminished in their value.
As an prime example of one of the items that lost value, let's look at Mooncloth. It used to have a cooldown of about 4 days (3 days, 20 hours). (As of patch 2.4.3, the cooldown was removed, but that was long after the expansion was released.) With a cooldown of 4 days, there will generally be an inherent supply shortage. While there were a number of high-end, level 60 items that could be made with Mooncloth, Outland drops were far superior. The only reason left to create Mooncloth after the expansion hit was for the 16-slot Mooncloth bags. But even those are "replaced" with Netherweave Bags (although the Mooncloth ones have the advantage of not being BoE).
In Classic Wow (pre-The Burning Crusade expansion), the Essences (Fire, Air, Earth, Undeath, and Water) were a pretty big crafting component. They'd go for a decent amount on the AH, and many areas were farmed for it. I remember spending long periods of time farming the 10 Fire, Air, Earth and Water that I needed for my Robe of Archmage. Again... only to be replaced shortly after entering the Outlands.
So, what can we learn from last expansion to apply to the upcoming one? Start selling now. I'm not saying you need to clear out your 6 tabs in your 1-alt guild vault, but you might want to start thinking about it, and maybe even slowly moving stuff out. I'm guessing that Primals will go the way of Essences, and whatever we're farming in WOTLK may even eventually drop motes as Essences are dropped in farming motes now. So, there's really no need to keep them locked up in your vault. Start to sell the ones you won't need. And do it slowly so you don't flood the market and drop the price.
I'll admit that we don't know a lot about crafting in Wrath of the Lich King, but we can assume that there will be better stuff. You don't use level 30 items to craft level 60 gear. Neither will you use level 70 items (primals) to craft level 80 gear. You might also want to slowly start moving out leather, cloth (Netherweave, Shadoweave, Primal Mooncloth, and Spellcloth), and ore. Don't get rid of all of it; you'll most likely need some for your first skill-ups above 375, but if you have an entire guild vault tab dedicated to Spellcloth for your one level 70, you might want to think about moving that stuff out. Also, the "expected" release date is still 4 or 5 months away. You may still be using some of that stuff for yourself before we all storm Northrend. You know your situation, act accordingly, but don't let the value of those items drop too much as we get closer to Wrath.
Side note: I recognize that a lot of people hold on to lower crafting materials for alts and whatnot. That's fine. Continue to do that if that's your thing. But even as Essences lost value (both monetary and skill up value), so will Primals. Will anyone think of crafting a 400g 20-slot bag when they may be able to do the same bag for considerably less materials from Frostweave?
As an prime example of one of the items that lost value, let's look at Mooncloth. It used to have a cooldown of about 4 days (3 days, 20 hours). (As of patch 2.4.3, the cooldown was removed, but that was long after the expansion was released.) With a cooldown of 4 days, there will generally be an inherent supply shortage. While there were a number of high-end, level 60 items that could be made with Mooncloth, Outland drops were far superior. The only reason left to create Mooncloth after the expansion hit was for the 16-slot Mooncloth bags. But even those are "replaced" with Netherweave Bags (although the Mooncloth ones have the advantage of not being BoE).
In Classic Wow (pre-The Burning Crusade expansion), the Essences (Fire, Air, Earth, Undeath, and Water) were a pretty big crafting component. They'd go for a decent amount on the AH, and many areas were farmed for it. I remember spending long periods of time farming the 10 Fire, Air, Earth and Water that I needed for my Robe of Archmage. Again... only to be replaced shortly after entering the Outlands.
So, what can we learn from last expansion to apply to the upcoming one? Start selling now. I'm not saying you need to clear out your 6 tabs in your 1-alt guild vault, but you might want to start thinking about it, and maybe even slowly moving stuff out. I'm guessing that Primals will go the way of Essences, and whatever we're farming in WOTLK may even eventually drop motes as Essences are dropped in farming motes now. So, there's really no need to keep them locked up in your vault. Start to sell the ones you won't need. And do it slowly so you don't flood the market and drop the price.
I'll admit that we don't know a lot about crafting in Wrath of the Lich King, but we can assume that there will be better stuff. You don't use level 30 items to craft level 60 gear. Neither will you use level 70 items (primals) to craft level 80 gear. You might also want to slowly start moving out leather, cloth (Netherweave, Shadoweave, Primal Mooncloth, and Spellcloth), and ore. Don't get rid of all of it; you'll most likely need some for your first skill-ups above 375, but if you have an entire guild vault tab dedicated to Spellcloth for your one level 70, you might want to think about moving that stuff out. Also, the "expected" release date is still 4 or 5 months away. You may still be using some of that stuff for yourself before we all storm Northrend. You know your situation, act accordingly, but don't let the value of those items drop too much as we get closer to Wrath.
Side note: I recognize that a lot of people hold on to lower crafting materials for alts and whatnot. That's fine. Continue to do that if that's your thing. But even as Essences lost value (both monetary and skill up value), so will Primals. Will anyone think of crafting a 400g 20-slot bag when they may be able to do the same bag for considerably less materials from Frostweave?
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Downtime Expected to Continue
I've actually been busy at work, which is a nice change, but it means that I don't take as much time to do "me" stuff like blogging. Then with moving next week and all the stuff we have to do to close on the house, well... don't expect to see much then either. Hopefully by the week after I'll see the light of day.
It's really not lack of topics. I've got a bunch floating around in my head. It's not you, it's me. lol. (Sorry, just sounded like a bad break-up line.) I'll probably post a quick "I got Blizzcon Tickets" once that happens next Monday. Other than that... I'll just consider this my "dead week"... just like back in High School for sports.
It's really not lack of topics. I've got a bunch floating around in my head. It's not you, it's me. lol. (Sorry, just sounded like a bad break-up line.) I'll probably post a quick "I got Blizzcon Tickets" once that happens next Monday. Other than that... I'll just consider this my "dead week"... just like back in High School for sports.
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