Battle for Azeroth Beta: Voice Chat

In an interesting turn, I dug out my headset and set it up to try Voice Chat in the beta. It is easy to get ready, but it seems no one is using it.

There was, for the first time “one other person in the channel” last night. I was doing the Battle of Lordaeron with my Paladin, and there was a decent sized group–at least ten people. Though I’ve been dying to try it out, I did not connect because in the chat a couple of people were discussing Anduin and Jaina and boning. Yup, it would be my luck that the only person also testing Voice would be Boneman.

As opposed as I usually am to Voice from previous experiences, I think, and hope in the situations like dungeons, Island Adventures, maybe Warfronts (tested only once so far and I missed it) and yo, even raids, it would be really useful to communicate information and strategy related to the game. Ideally no opportunity for politics or other unrelated blah blah blah jabber could slide in.

Will let you know if I get a “live” one.

It’s All About The Gnome

I had a great couple of weeks in BFA running a simulacrum of my live Druid. I’d have been in sooner, but didn’t see the invite. So close! I got her to 117 and in a day or so would have maxed the character, but an update sidelined her, and she was mostly unplayable.

So I made characters matching the “Fabulous Five” who are 110s on live working on reputation and ilevels. Then I thought I should bring in a Discipline Priest like my live character. She’s my jeweler and the only crafter not leveled up.

I played her through the Lordaeron scenario and she did really well, no deaths! Then I sent her out into Tiragarde Sound to see how she did solo. No problems!

Boom! Alpha is done and it’s beta time. Character copy from live is on the way. I could just work on one character solo to kill time. Or, I could recreate the characters I’d made for alpha and let those be my characters who worked through this content, so it is still all new for my live folks.

So they’re all back! I’ve run my Druid, Fire Mage and Discipline Priest through Lordaeron, and will get everyone else though. Most are playing pretty identically to my live characters. I liked a couple of them so much I made “copies” of them on live, name, class, race, professions.

I previously didn’t have a reason to pre-order Battle for Azeroth, but now that I love the way my Priest plays, I pre-ordered today so she has plenty of time to work on ilevels.

She’s boosted from 83 to 110 and has really beautiful armor and is ready to take on anything.

Love my gnomes.

New Out Of This Realm Podcasts

I’ve updated the Out of This Realm Podcasts list. New podcasts just keep cropping up.

I particularly like The Starting Zone, about World of Warcraft.

Cane and Rinse a team that talks about games they’ve decided to cover for the podcast, and everyone plays through it and has an opinion.

The AIAS Podcast with in depth interviews with developers.

Wow Dreaming

I’ve been playing waaay too much for a couple of weeks now, and it has gotten into my dreams.

So two characters who have a long history and might be lovers or might be enemies agree to meet in a big cave. Thinking the current video with Anduin and Sylvanas got in my head. I overhear their conversation, as you do in a game. I decided/was compelled to go to the meeting place, hide, and see what occurs between them.

The female ports in not far from me. The male comes riding in on a low rider motorcycle, down the precarious cave path.

They look like EQ2 Halflings once they’re standing next to each other, though I would have thought one an elf and one a dwarf prior to this meeting.

Suddenly they begin talking and I see things are going to go south. I need to get out of there quick before I’m discovered.

In my purse!!!! is my toolbar of skills on little tabs of paper. I look desperately for the Flight Master’s whistle which will get me out of there fast. Bonk! There’s a missing piece of paper right where it should be. I have to use my Hearthstone instead which has a looong channel. The fight nearby intensifies, I’m running out of time and one or the other will be over very soon to kill me!!!

Luckily I woke up.

The end

Legion Dungeons in (My) Nutshell

Happiness is…questing while queued for dungeons. Late in the game I’ve discovered I really like pretty much all of the Legion Dungeons. A lot. As soon as I bring up a character, I queue them right up.

I’m only missing Cathedral of Eternal Night, which my druid could get but never comes up as random. Seat of the Triumvirate which I’d need to slog further into Argus to get.

One morning, swilling my coffee, small summations of all the Legion dungeons popped into my head. I wrote them down, or they’d be floating around in the brainless nether with all my other posts. Not dungeon reviews, no, sort free association. There are just a few screenshots, but I’m usually trying to keep moving and stay alive so, no time for picture taking.

Darkheart Thicket What’s with the keyhole???