Crafting, Dungeoneering and Wandering

Even More Elder Scrolls

I worked on Crafting Writs for my Khajiit today.  The Clothier ones went well, but I’m out of Moonstones for her motifs, and no other character has more.  I’m stuck till I find more.

Still and all, it’s fun to be able to pick up everything I come across again, except…a few inventory problems, and the bank runneth over.  It is 6, 800 gold to buy new bank slots and you only get TEN for that.  Yowza.  And the cost just goes up for each set of ten you buy.

None of my characters has that, so I set another character to learning the Alchemy/Enchanting/Provisioning set of crafts and I’ll have her use the many plants I’ve picked up to make potions.  I’m hoping that eases the bank space.

The Khajiit is still the one who will have all the crafts, so she can make furniture.   I’m impressed by the money and XP, just actual XP that is getting her bow skills upgraded as she crafts, for instance.

Now that the others are in the mix, I need to really look at good builds for them.  I’m not quite happy with anyone but the Dragonknight, whom we shall call Ms. Perfecto.

World of Warcraft

My Rogue was up today.  Drustvar and a run through the Shrine of Storms dungeons netted her a ton of leatherworking ingredients.  So many dead piggies and wolves laying around everywhere waiting to be skinned.

I am getting weary of the Freehold, Waycrest, and Shrine of the Storms dungeons.  I’ve just been through them too many times.  They need a lot more dungeons.  Pronto.

Though the leveling is the same for all the Seven, there’s still one at 111, the others are 112 and 113.  It seems as if they should be more equal.

I’m keeping up with the war campaign, grabbing any treasures I see in the world, and sending out Followers on new missions as each characters “turn” ends.   I pick Reputation quests every time because nothing slays me like a reputation grind.  I want any point I can get anywhere.

Battle For Azeroth

Launch night was pretty smooth.  I had to wait for my character screen to populate for a few minutes.

The Heart of Azeroth segment in Silithus was not too bad.  They’ve done a lot with cinematics in this expansion to enhance story.

Love Boralus, still.

The ferries don’t get old.

I ran all seven 110s through all the quests available to get to Kul Tiras.  Once there, I picked up their Kul Tiran Trade Skills  and a stack of 100 of whatever their main purchasable crafting ingredients were so as they gather they can craft.

Then I sent them by ferry to Eastpoint Station,  and picked up the quests there.

Tonight it was Ashmane Foundry, with it’s perky orphans and Ursula-like Lady Ashvane.  I’m not the only one who’s noticed Priscilla looks and sounds like Ursula.  I don’t think Jaina looks like Elsa from Frozen though.

In any case, I think it helps the story to have her telling her employees to refine that azerite faster and faster.  When I originally went through this area in beta, no such connection was made.  It’s interesting how they’re weaving pre-BFA storylines into this world.

My order for sending each character through an area is:

Demon Hunter
Priest
Rogue
Paladin
Mage
Warlock
Druid

Each did the Foundry, then, when all were through, they headed into Eastpoint Station, and picked up the available quests there.  There were several choices of places to go and I decided to head to wherever the winds blew with Flynn, that charmer.

Next stop, Castaway Point.

There are castaways from all over Azeroth here, even members of the Horde, sitting around wishing their ships hadn’t been wrecked.

On a character’s turn, they gather any nodes they see anywhere nearby.  Grab any Treasure Chest.
Stop and fish in any pool that appears.

I’ve never done this method of sort of simultaneous leveling before.  So far I like seeing how each class handles the same content.

They’re all now just short of halfway to level 111.   They all have Reputation with Proudmoore about three fourths of the way towards Friendly.

The real beauty of my plan is, when they are at Friendly with Proudmoore, I’ll move them to Drustvar, get Friendly, move to Stormsong.  Once they’re Friendly everywhere, I’ll send them back to Tirasgarde to complete that, then Drustvar, then Stormsong.   They’ll be ready for World Questing at 120 and not have to wait to finish one more rep grind.  Could work!

World of Warcraft The Hour Of Reckoning

The addition of three new cinematics changed the tenor of the Battle of Lordaeron scenario considerably.  It has gone from being yet another long, long scenario (as it turns out, I hate scenarios), to a rousing fight.

It does not feel like payback for Teldrassil, but as if a battle had to be fought in order to stop a tide of destruction.

I am all admiration for Anduin’s mercy and honor.  The kid is growing up fast, but he has kept the essence of who he is.

The day is won however, by Jaina showing up in ship, in the air,  (her betrayed father’s ship, which she pulled from the bottom of the sea?) and banishing the plague from in front of the keep.

Then, by God, she turns her ship and blasts through the walls with ghostly yet effective cannons.  Go Jaina, go!

I also have a new appreciation of Alleria’s heroic entrance with Mekkatorque.  Going after her own evil sibling, yow.   Go, sister!

In the groups I’ve been in, you can see that everyone is fighting all out, and they take down every single opposing npc.

Sylvanas is still weirdly fascinating.  I think she’s a great Villain.

World of Warcraft: Darkshore

I’m sending all of my characters who are eligible through the quests in Darkshore, and am taking the great opportunity to boost item levels.

I’ve decided to send the weaker characters through everything first so they don’t get left behind, or remain the weaker characters.   My little Rogue is now at 186.  Ta da.

The rest are in Astranaar.  All those wisps are dead elves.  There are hundreds going through here.

The World Quests have not only made my characters be better equipped to move onward, a very special thing happened for my Druid.  One of the World Quests had a Greatstaff reward.  It said it was for Balance specialization.  

 Why have it for a specialization?

Because…I can use staves…

And I went for it with my Feral Druid, singing “set me free why don’t you babe” as I did the quest.
Magic!  That’s my kitty!

There’s a World Quest called Spiritual Aid.  One of the things you do is free Wisps by clicking on them.

My Gnome and Dwarf had some trouble with this, as a fair few were out of reach of these tiny folks.  My Gnome had to climb on a column to reach one.  I thought, why did they make it so it would be above the heads of some of my characters.  Then I recalled, Elves, Worgen and Draenai are the races usually going through this area of the world, and no problems for them.  Remember the little people!

World of Warcraft: A Short Lived Peace

I played through the Teldrassil quests just once in Beta, and I shut down the game and my computer afterward and was just stunned, and so sad.

Today’s update…I needed to play through it, but I was in tears before I ever left Stormwind.  They’ve changed it a bit for today’s update, and thanks for that.  I hope there are more changes. 

Because from Astranaar to Darnassus it was a slaughter of innocents, it was hopeless, there were Alliance leaders giving up to the inevitability of the Horde onslaught at every turn.  The world was aflame.

I have so may elven characters.  There isn’t a more peaceful, serene area in the game than the elf starting areas.   I’ve left a brave little level 10 elf in Darnassus on quiet little server to see how she weathers the storm.  Be brave little elf.

A Rogue’s Night In BFA Beta

I’m doing that thing where I rotate my characters a level at a time.  Tonight was my Assassination Rogue.

I thought I looked at each character before sending them into the introductory scenario, copying what skills and talents the live version has.  My Rogue seems to have fewer skills, somehow, I have to double check.   Compared to Live, each of my classes have felt “squishy”.   They never feel as powerful to me as those live characters. 

Why haven’t I made a Worgen Rogue before?  She has the Rogue and Worgen speed boosts (I call the Worgen one “scootie foot”). 

She’s working in Stormsong Valley, a really pretty area.  Each of the areas of Kul Tiras are very influenced by the sea and something gone very wrong.  I find the leader of this area, Lord Stormsong, to be very buffoonish.   I know, who’s talking, right?

The Rogue is my Leatherworker/Skinner.  I found enough materials while questing tonight to make a single item.  The crafting feels more like classic crafting rather than the “got you in a vise grips–don’t try to make anything” Legion.

When you skin a creature, you get a pile of stuff:  Stringy Loins (!), Tempest Hide, Calcified Bone, Blood Stained Bone, and Course Leather.   I love getting a treasure trove of useful stuff like that.

She got in two dungeons and acquitted herself well.   Waycrest Manor and Shrine of The Storm were tonight’s  selections.   Waycrest was pretty breezy but there was a spot in Shrine that was a problem, though I haven’t seen any other group have trouble there.

I’ve been wanting to write about Battle For Azeroth Beta, but am wary that people will think it’s too spoilery.  I’ll try not to be spoilery.

When I first heard about BFA, I thought Oh, no, it’s the PvP expansion.  I’m sure there is plenty of opportunity for those who want to fight it out, but I haven’t run up against anything at all myself, which makes me really happy.

I’m wondering if I tend to like every other expansion.  I loved Draenor (maybe because I never let myself be a slave to the Garrision), and I love this one.  It has the best storytelling and quest writing I’ve seen in quite awhile.  Each area has all these little vignettes that flow nicely into the larger story.

Remember all the annoying kids in Pandaria?  Nails on a blackboard voices?   There are lots of kids in Kul Tiras, but except for one, they’re great little adventurers.