Heading to Guild Level 22…

Our little guild sort of timed out at about 64% of the way to level 21.  OMG!  So close to getting to level 25.  I’ve been trying to beg and rah rah everyone including myself into finding ways to grind out those quests to ease us the rest of the way up.  Thanks to my ever hard working spouse we got level 21 and are now 10% to lvl 22.  We’re going to make it somehow.

Once there I feel like I can relax but…

For me, the CRZ continues to be a horrible annoyance because of one of the realms we share space with (which means anytime you aren’t in Stormwind or Pandaria they inundate you with vileness).  I have actually been doing daily quests this last week or so, now that I think of it, (as a good way to level) and so except in Dalaran I’m not running across them as much. Bliss.  I can almost see the point of view of all of the apologists and bootlickers (couldn’t think of the milder term I needed) who go wild and hit any post on the forum which is anti-CRZ.  If they aren’t matched with a scummy server they aren’t leading The Life.   And I do notice that many times when someone describes the horrors of the CRZ they are matched with our Verminous Scummy Piggie Pals.

World of Warcraft Patch 5.3

You probably thought now that Children’s Week is over I wouldn’t be doing anymore PVP because I’m PUNY and a WEENIE.   That isn’t the way I work.  I know I can get good at this, so my method is to start a new character, toss them in and learn the battlegrounds, learn techniques, and what can help scoot my little beaner along.   Yippee kay ay, boneheads.

That said, this patch is all about the escalation of the war between the Horde and the Alliance!  Yo ho.  Because there is general interest in a couple of new games that will be PVP oriented (Camelot Unchained and Elder Scrolls Online) I think Blizzard decided to ratchet things up a bit.  It is also possible their new game thought to be revealed at Blizzcon this year will be a big PVP fest because first person shooters are so popular.   Whatever.

I’ll have to look at the patch notes in depth to see how they affect my little PVP punching bag.

There are only two things I haven’t tried in the game yet, Raids and Scenarios.  I think scenarios will be easy enough.  I’m reluctant to start Raids just because the time sink of them is so tremendous for what reward?  Have a level 71 Paladin I thought would be a good character to toss into a Raid.  She’s just cooling her heels waiting her chance.  I’ll stick someone else in a scenario and see what I think since apparently scenarios are the flavor favorite of Blizzard developers at this time.

I shall report back when I have gone in.  Glug glug.

Guild Wars2 Worlds

I wanted to kill off my neo-Guild Wars 2 character thinking this would clear the decks so I could make a character on my son’s server.  But nooooo.  Even though you’ve cleared a slot of Server A you are seen as doing a “transfer” to the world of “Server B”.   You’re just stuck with your first choice.  That is such a bad policy I can’t imagine what they were thinking.  Why do games come up with these rigid rules?

 

Tamriel Infinium

I’ve always enjoyed Massively and have a few favorite writers.  One is Larry Everett who has a new column focusing on Elder Scrolls Online called Tamriel Infinium.   He will play and write about the game from his unique point of view.   I enjoy game blogs that focus on a particular game because they give you a bit better feel for what it is like to play and it isn’t all rah rah, play this uber game stuff.

Wil Wheaton’s Table Top

Before there were computer games GASP there were Board Games.  The interaction good and bad across the table from those you know and love cannot be duplicated or trumped.

Games are more complex than when I was playing Supermarket Sweep but how endlessly appealing they are, and how they do activate the imagination.  It is sort of like watching a play, with a few spare props on the stage suddenly being filled in by your imagination to become a world.  Board games transport you right onto some island or time period where you must think and strategize to survive.

I was looking for reviews of a game I’m considering called Forbidden Island when I came across Wil Wheaton on his site reviewing boardgames and a feature called Table Top where he introduces you to a game, tells you how to play, and then brings in some friends to play the game.  Most entertaining!

There’s Treasure Everywhere

I enjoy a game with loads of loot.  I like it when there are tons of places and ways to get rare or interesting objects.  My latest discovery is that there are floating piles of junk along the beaches in Darkmoon Faire which hold crates that have things like Windwool Cloth, Level 70 Health Potions, Black and White Trillium ore, a Sea Pony Pet (Soulbound) and just fun stuff.  Competition can be fierce for these and creepos will come along and fish from your little wreckage pool to get a crate.  I never appreciated those little black vials of potion that let you walk on water.  Invaluable here so you can get to the spawns in the rocks offshore quickly, and maybe get to spawns on the east side of the island that aren’t accessible otherwise.   I have to quit tossing those potions.

Maybe I’m moving up the queue….

Whoa, I got an email ad from Zenimax/Elder Scrolls Online.  This is the first thing I’ve gotten from them since signing up for beta.  Maybe they start sending you Buy Me! Spam when you move up the list close enough to sniff the very idea of beta?

Actually, likely they’re getting caught up on having combed through applications and I’ve been selected for Ye Spamula!

Whine, whine.

School of Hard Knocks: 1 of 4

Despite my efforts I only managed to get Eye of the Storm.  I’m fine with it. I learned a ton. I have a year to learn the battlegrounds and get proper gear so I’m not killed so easily.

I’ve always disliked PVP and have really hated to see any part of the game altered for everyone in order to please the PVP players.  It happens alot, in my opinion.  They’re vocal, they’re hardcore.  Even having spent some time in this environment, I still think that if changes are going to be made to classes and gear or anything at all, the changes should be designed so they only affect players within battlegrounds or arenas.  Don’t let people PVP outside of these places and you can write the rules and shape things to balance things for this type of play without making everyone suffer.  Or if you must, let people PVP outside in the larger world but make anyone doing that have to go with PVE rules.

I don’t use add-ons at all and people who use them in dungeons to say who has done the most damage or to report their quest/objective progress are just annoying.  In PVP, I see that you really can have some big advantages using them.  I was surprised by teammates letting everyone know which enemy players hadn’t any talents yet (when I played a lower level) and there seemed to be one where people could tell what gear everyone had.  I think my son told me once you have to use add ons for PVP.  Still not going to do it, but interesting.

For next year, I should be geared properly and know my way around.  Should have some good tactics and know how my skills and the skills of others work or not in battlegrounds.

I’ll make sure not to take my Orphan out until right before I am going to get an objective.  Having him out seems to inflame both your teammates and the enemy because you’re some weasel PVE player and not worthy to be in their battleground.  We shall see.

Load up on Swiftness and PVP Resilience Potions.

Get a speedier mount.

Arathi Almost…

I enacted my bold run to the mines plan this morning and no teammate dogged me. I thought Victory was MINE!   Suckerbite, five Horde guys got there right when I did.  Hahaha. Dead dog.

I have an all new plan, an even better plan.   I go for the stables, hitting a Swiftness potion at just the right moment to beat my teammie to it. Muahahaha. How can it fail?

 

Eye of the Storm, Yo

After going in these battlegrounds over and over I finally got the achievement for Eye of the Storm “Capture the Flag”.   I should have researched this because I had tried this two times but I had my “fast” War Tiger Mount so I zoomed down, grabbed the flag, waited to hear the ding ding you got it but oops nada.   All the way to it this other player is going “Pleeeaase let me have the flag, its for Children’s Week”.   Hello?  Would I be in this godforsaken place for any other reason myself?   Bozo that I am, I had a second where I had to think I must be supposed to bring the dang flag someplace.  Luckily in dim memory was a time I had run this same battleground with my brother in-law and sister and I recalled sitting in one spot bored, bored and I made for it.  Voila!

Arathi Basin:    It finally dawned on me that I wasn’t going to be able to get this unless I rushed out of the gate and went for a flag.  The stables (?) are right in sight close by but no way you’re getting that I thought after a try or two. So I look at the map and where we start and the Horde start and figure the mines are the best shot.  Orphan out, I ruthlessly ran for it (mounted on my “speedy” mount).  One of my “teammates” ran right along side me and got there first.  There is a juncture where you could go there or the blacksmith and I think he was going to beat me to whichever one I picked.  Nice.  But what do you expect from the crowd who spend all their time whooping and getting whooped?  Suckers.

Warsong Gulch:  It is going to be pure chance that I have the opportunity to grab the flag and put it back after it drops or is attacked.

Alterac Valley:  Pure chaos with up to forty players on either side.  Unlikely.

On the plus side I’m gaining points and am going to try to aquire pvp gear because I hate to say I am having fun and I always have something to prove as a gamer being female and ancient.  Yipee kay ay, buds, I am pretty sure I can get better.  I am  looking at the leaderboards after each battle and I’m moving up all the time.  Whap, whap!

 

Things I’ve learned.  I need those faster riding skills that cost moola.

Don’t take the Orphan out till right before you need him because his presence marks you as a helpless noob, and when you try to stealth the little bozoid runs clunkily right beside you giving you away.