Monthly Archives: December 2018

Atheren’s Adventures The Year In Review 2018

World of Warcraft

The bulk of this year was spent playing World of Warcraft. Right after Blizzcon 2017, I started leveling characters so that they’d be at max level when Battle for Azeroth arrived. I found as I was doing this that I enjoyed the Class quests more than I would have guessed.

I stuck in my toe in some LFR’s, and they weren’t bad at all. I didn’t feel like there was much of a reward for participating in them, which I suppose is the point. You’re supposed to be in a Raid Guild that only let’s you go along if they’re desperate, and they sure aren’t going to let you have any gear drops, because those are for the real raiders. Pretty icky, in my opinion. At least if something is available as LFR you can just leap in there, and experience the content, since many story lines conclude in Raids, apparently. If that’s actually the case, you might want to tweak that so everyone can complete quest story lines start to finish on their own.

Only seven characters were ready when the expansion arrived, and I sent them through each area in kind of a little conga line. It was good, and then it became grindy, particularly in Stormsong Valley (which I’m still not over).

After taking a break in November/December I’ve gone back in with a new plan, an even better plan (Start the Revolution Without Me). I’m going to run characters to 120 one at a time, leading this time around with my Demon Hunter.

I didn’t realize how much I missed bouncing around on my characters on other servers, and creating new characters on new servers. Sometimes I like to drop back to simpler times in the game world. I killed off four characters I never play (still very hard to do). Whoo hoo! I now have six open character slots for creating new characters on realms unknown.

Once again I have to comment on the awful new character models. It would be more palatable if there were barbershop options to change eye size and color, and many more hairstyles and colors available.

Everquest 2

I was really enjoying Everquest 2 earlier this year, and subscribed for a time. Somehow I got caught up in trying to work on crafting for each character, and while it was interesting, it felt onerous after a bit, so I drifted away. I’m certain to return to this game in 2019 as I have some really enjoyable characters there, I like the world, I love the quests.

Blaugust

I participated for the first time. I was really pleased to reach my goal of posting every day, and I liked my content. What started off as a pretty convivial atmosphere among bloggers soon seemed rather clique-y to me. It also seemed to me that there was some unneeded competitiveness and bloggers taking shots at others. No need for that.

On the plus side, I looked at some games in my Steam Library, and really liked them, but need to go back and finish them.

As part of Blaugust, I dipped back into some games I hadn’t played in awhile, Lord of The Rings Online, Wildstar, and Rift and Secret World. I enjoyed my time in all of them, and was sad to see the announcement that Wildstar would close. I will try to make time for the remaining games again in 2019.

Elder Scrolls Online

I started playing this more regularly in September, logging in each day for the Reward. By October, I was playing longer sessions, had truly fallen for the game, and I subscribed. I hope to write about it more, it is so deep and rich.

Star Wars Galaxies (Emu) The other game I’ve played at almost Live Game Levels this year is Star Wars Galaxies, the Pre-Combat Upgrade version. The game remains the most absorbing, live your life in an alternate world experience ever. I’ve always hoped someone would make a game with all of it’s features, but there is still nothing like it.

Return of the The Last Chapter Blog as my Game Blog

It has been a good thing, moving back to my earlier blog. The blog was originally created to share World of Warcraft tips as I was learning them with my guild mates/family. They’re a rowdy bunch, though, and only my spouse always read it. I do like the Pages option at the top for linking to my favorite games and the sites that give guides for playing. That will need quite a bit of work.

I’ve found a bunch of new podcasts to try out, and will work on getting a updated list on the sidebar.

I miss my nice pictures to break up headings on the sidebar, so I’m going to get around that by sticking any picture I want to use on the sidebar in some selected post. Once you do that, it seems to become part of some nice picture archive you can always draw from. Work around solutions ftw.

Steam’s 100 Best Selling Games Of 2018

It’s convenient to see a list of this year’s best sellers during Steam’s Winter Sale.

There are a couple of titles I’d consider that have sounded intriguing when played by others over the course of the year. In most years in the past my list would be small because I already had the top games released. That isn’t the case here, where there simply isn’t much that looks good. Luckily a New Year with new possibilities is almost upon us.

XCom 2

Dark Souls Remastered

The Outer Worlds from Obsidian

via PC Gamer, take a look at a new science fictional world created by the original developers of Fallout 1 and 2.

It promises multiple pathways through the game world with choices that don’t let you pick the good guy or bad guy role easily. They really want to twist you, it seems. Never fear, playing ESO with its sometimes ambiguous moral choices is toughening me up. Sort of.

https://www.pcgamer.com/obsidians-the-outer-worlds-blends-firefly-and-fallout-into-a-bold-open-ended-sci-fi-rpg/

December Gaming Goals

It’s another month with not much time to play.

In November, I did make most of my game goals, getting my poor World of Warcraft characters out of Stormsong Valley. They’re mostly cooling their heels in Boralus, while the first character does the Winterdeep (?) Mine area in Tiragarde. During Legion, any character who had a garrison went there to rest by the fire when it wasn’t their turn, now they hang out in a tavern in Boralus waiting their turn. I think mostly it is because it’s no quick jump to get to Kul Tiras from Draenor as it was when I could just port to Dalaran from anywhere. Why they didn’t give a Boralus Hearthstone this time around (unless people complained it took bagspace) I don’t know. Cause they didn’t want me snuggling down in Draenor, right?

Mostly I played Elder Scrolls Online, getting six of my eight characters to level 20 and above. The other two are in the teens. I’m loving the game and can’t help but compare the vast riches you get in the Elder Scrolls World to the miserly bits allowed you in World of Warcraft.

In fact, when I logged into Wow the other day, I found myself listing all the things that I thought might make me not so eager to play it right now.

Emphasis on Mythic Dungeons kind of ruining the whole game, the crafting game specifically. Different crowd. Don’t sausage everyone into your endgame content.
Island Expeditions I could be doing these now, but they were advertised as a cool exploration/adventure feature and they’re just not.
The Warfronts Would have to try them, have not. Put off by what seems an imbalance between Horde and Alliance opportunities, unless they fixed that.
Darkmoon Part of the Ruination/Drought/Demise of the Crafting game the last three expansions. Un less they fixed it while I wasn’t paying attention. Have not done it at all the last three months. Incomprehensible for a Darkmoon fan like myself.
The next Update is all about the Battle for Azeroth grr grr we hate each other stuff. Just not interested. Love is the answer, not hate. Bad dogs. Unless there’s a redemption arc in the making. Then I’m all interested.

As far as ESO for this month. Getting the last two to 20, moving the others up to 25 at the least. My first character to move forward is a Nightblade Dual Wielder with Bow. She’s had trouble right away moving on to Grahtwood. Haven…ouch ouch. Three guys in clumps everywhere, and I can manage two with her. I did some other quests, but she definitely needs gear and weapon upgrades and they just aren’t dropping for her.

Not Quick Enough

I’ve taken tons of screenshots in ESO but just haven’t had time to post, so I won’t make the goal of 50 for IntPiPoMo.   Agh 14 mins till midnite, here’s a few…

Didn’t see that coming!

My Psijic Manor

One of the great plants you can set in your home

If you ever see a bit of food anywhere GRAB IT!

Whoo hoo, four pictures more for IntPiPoMo, and IBTL!