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.

Knock Knock

All I have left to get the Children’s Week achievements is The School of Hard Knocks.  After tossing myself in Warsong Gulch like five times and dept of doh realizing I don’t just need to make it through the instance to the end I have to pick up a fallen flag and replace it criminy! I thought to try Arathi Basin.  Seemed easier in a way, but now I see why my brother in law just hangs out by a flag and fears and such everyone who comes by.  I’m thinking while everyone is fighting I can just slink up and capture a flag and nobody will notice but of course that is exactly what they’re trying to keep from happening.  At least I see that it could be done.  Gonna beat  my head against these four battlegrounds over this weekend and hope I get em.  I would not have thought it possible, but if I’m determined I can do anything.   Plus for 2000 honor points I can buy a War Saber Mount, and collecting all the mounts in the game is another level 90 goal so heh heh I’ll accomplish something here.

Warsong Gulp!

I did a few quests last night to get a few in on the first day.

Home Alone only required that I use my hearthstone with my orphan out.  Easy.

The orphan who has a name given by the Orphan Home matron just had Human Orphan over his head.  I quickly became attached to the sprite anyway.  He had a series of quests which I did.  I liked best taking him to Sentinel Hill and riding a two seat motorcycle with him touring the giant breach caused by Cataclysm.  Spunky lil’ guy had a great time.  I also bought him ice cream and a kite.  What a pal.

 

This morning I think I’ll squeeze in Warsong Gulch.  Hahahahahaha.  I decided today I’ll just follow the rest of my team and kill whoever they’re killing.  Went pretty well for a bit actually, then it came time to defend the flag we’d nabbed and I was feared, stunned, you name it.  And…you know it goes when the fighting is intense.  All my skills kept coming off my toolbar.  Must lock them for the next try….

I think, looking at the scoreboard, that I didn’t do so badly for a first shot.

I was really good about pulling my orphan out after every death just in case we won.

For next shot:

Research strategies for a noob Druid in a battleground.

Use my health potions!

Look through the bank for pvp resilience potions I know I have in there.

Lock toolbar.

 

World of Warcraft: Children’s Week

I got my druid to level 90 and had plenty to do.  She is the leader of our small family guild so I’m always checking potion and other resource supplies.  I have meant to have her finish all quests in Pandaria then work her way downwards through the continents completing every quest.

I planned to get every achievement I could get.  Then I noticed that as much as she had done getting to 90, she did not have a single Title to display.  How was this possible?  I should have earned something, right?  But nooo.

 

I had to look up what the deal was that made me sooo puny I was titleless.  It turns out there are a bazillion titles you have to do specific things to earn:

http://www.wowhead.com/titles

As it turned out, most in game holidays offered a title once you had done a number of impossible things.  I started with the Lunar Festival and got all but two of the requirements completed.

When Love is in the Air came up I was ready to go, printed Wow Insider Guide in hand.  All my characters can now be Fools for Love.

Noblegarden was easier in some ways but with only a week to complete I really had to drop any other game activities and just grind away.  I made it, and am “The Noble”.

Now we have dread Children’s Week loaded with PVP.  I tried to prepare by sending my low level Warlock into Warsong Gulch a few times.  I thought I would toughen up and practice in each of the required battlegrounds.  ha ha haha.  I looked at Wowhead and elsewhere for tactics and particularly Warlock PVP tactics.  I reek, truly.

Not to be defeated, reekishness or no, I’m going to try to do this anyway.  I’ll be a weenie and do all the non-pvp parts and try to ooze in a battleground daily.  The gory details will appear here.