Ten character slots is not enough. Warlock. The 13th Warrior?

Blizzard has basically said “Ten slots is good enough.” and won’t be adding any slots to our ten per server character lists when the expansion comes.

In the two years (yowza) that I’ve been playing, I’ve managed to consolidate my regulars, the regulars mind you, onto one server, Kirin Tor.

Horde side: Shaman, Warrior, Priest, Hunter, and a Mage to come with the expansion.

Alliance side: Hunter, Druid, Warrior, Rogue, Paladin, and a Shaman to come with the expansion.

See the problem? 11 characters. In two years I consider 9 to be my regulars. If I can only have 10 per server, then the Horde Hunter will have to go. He’s only level 13, and the only one now not at level 30 or more, but being a Hunter he is the most capable of soloing content and desireable to have on the Horde side as well.

Since I like being a support to my wife, and friends, I like having a Warrior around. Since I play both factions, that’s two Warriors.

I like being a support class. Keeping people buffed, cleansed, cured, healthy, is really kind of cool. I have four of that class, and will add a 5th in the new Alliance Shaman.

And for soloing I’ll have my Hunter and Rogue, and for the Lore a new Blood Elf Mage.

What’s missing? Warlocks, for one.

So I’ve created Abdiblis, or Abd Iblis if I could add the right space, on another server. Steamwheedle Cartel I believe.

Iblis, per Wiki,

Iblis was a Jinn, a creature made of smokeless fire by God (like humans are made of ‘clay’). In an outburst rooted in envy, Iblis disobeyed Allah and was expelled from the grace of Allah. He was later sent to earth along with Adam and Eve after having lured them into eating fruit from the forbidden tree, although in this role he is always referred to as al-Shaitan. He was condemned consequently by Allah (God) to Jahannam (Hell). He replied with saying that he wanted to bring the inhabitants of Earth down with him, and Allah (God), to test Mankind and Jinn, allowed him to roam Earth to attempt to misguide others.

The Qur’an does not depict Shaitan as the enemy of Allah, for Allah is supreme over all his creations and Iblis is just one of his creations. Unlike the Zoroastrian beliefs, all good and bad deeds are from Allah himself and only he can save humanity from the evils of his universe and his creations. Shaitan’s single enemy is humanity. He intends to discourage humans from obeying God. Thus, humankind is warned to struggle against the mischiefs of the Shaitan and temptations he puts them in. A commonly shared belief in both Islam and Christianity is that the universal existence of evil in personal lives is usually experienced because of the devil.

Abd is the prefix used to say “Slave of…”. Abdullah = Abd Allah = Slave of God.

Abdiblis = Slave of the Demon.

And isn’t that being a Warlock?

And, in keeping with the Arabic name origin, He’s got the crewcut black hair, goatee, the almond shaped eyes, and a dark complexion. I suppose he’d feel most at home in the sands of Tanaris.

I sure wish we could keep all our characters on one server. Why not?

Oh, yeah, warlock is pretty awesome. That dumb guy, Garrit Padfoot behind the vineyard. He melted before a combo of Combustion and Corruption and dagger blows. His sidekick? A stain. I’d previously played a Warlock to level 16, but being named Grimtounge is pretty much a death sentence.

Can we please have 12 character slots on a server Blizzard? How about 20?

 

The next World of Warcraft content update,

“Before the Storm,” will include the new PvP Honor System, as well as other new features that will prepare us for The Burning Crusade expansion. We are currently planning to release this content update next Tuesday, December 5. Please note that the patch date is still subject to change, and we will keep you informed of any changes to the plan as they happen.

If the patch goes live as planned, this will be the last week that new PvP ranks under the old Honor System can be earned, as the patch will immediately introduce the new Honor System. We will run one final honor calculation on December 5 and update everyone’s ranking accordingly on that date so that players who achieve a new rank for that week have the opportunity to display that title on their character. Please note, however, that no new PvP rewards will be unlocked for purchase with this final “old Honor System” calculation, regardless of any increase in rank.

For those who have been seeking high-rank PvP armor and weapons, note that the new Honor System will still include these item rewards, and it will actually be easier to earn these items under the new Honor System than under the old Honor System. Those who wish to see how their PvP abilities measure up against other players will still be able to do so under the new Arena System.

Link: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=51145118&sid=1

P.S. At last they announce it. And I lost my opportunity for Champion. Ah, well. I played it a little too safe. My call. At least they’ve finally announced it.

 

Thanks Blizzard. You cost me Champion because you like to keep little secrets. Or you just don’t care. Regardless, you cost me Champion.

That is to say Rather than spend last week working up from Rank 9 to Rank 10, very possible given 1: Alterac Valley Weekend, and 2: the holidays and some days vacation time, I instead just farted around on some alts. Rather than be Rank 10, Champion, with the last two pieces of Champion’s Gear for my Warrior, I instead just leveled a Paladin to 30.

I did not want to risk having Blizzard throw all my effort out in the trash.

I am, perhaps foolishly, going to try for it this week.

 

“All realms are currently down for scheduled maintenance until 11am PST.“

Is it patch day?

Are they going to use that 36MB + 443MB they downloaded to my machine last week?

Does Honor, as we know it, go the way of the Dinosaur and PvP Warriors?

We’ll find out tonight!

 

Taerer in Duskwood at the portal to the Emerald Dream.

“Taerar was perhaps the most affected of Ysera’s rogue lieutenants. His interaction with the dark force within the Emerald Dream shattered Taerar’s sanity as well as his corporeal form. The dragon now exists as a specter with the ability to split into multiple entities, each of which possesses destructive magical powers. Taerar is a cunning and relentless foe who is intent on turning the madness of his existence into reality for the inhabitants of Azeroth.”

 

And now, something completely different.

Logged on as Honorus tonight to join Effilda in her Duskwood quests.

I so very much enjoyed playing the Paladin tonight. So much so I leveled him from level 27 to level 29. It felt pretty powerful. I felt like a noob a few weeks ago in Redridge helping Effilda with the Gnolls there. Lower level, but many of them, and I was powerless.

Now, fighting equal, or higher level mobs, one or two at a time, we were quite the destruction machine. And vs. the Undead, Exorcism is just incredible for pulling+damage, and Righteous Fury helps me keep the aggro on me, and not my dear Effilda.

I’d been wondering, if I was limited to 10 characters on a server, who would I delete off Kirin Tor? My two choices were Paakanti, my Tauren Hunter, or Honorus, the Paladin. Having seen Paladins in action in the various Battlegrounds, they are capable. And I have a Hunter already in Arcarius. And a Tauren in Blackhoof. So I’m going to have to bid adios to Paakanti if we don’t get any extra character slots. Because, today, being a Paladin felt great.

 

And for dessert, revenge served cold.

So here was poor Darbanville, level 29 Priest. Trying to get a job done in Tarren Mill. Kill a few apprentice blacksmiths, get a shipment of iron. Well, she’d done all that. Why not try for a little more experience?

So she attacks another guard. Mind Blast, Shadow Word: Pain, and then Shield. The Guard hits her and takes the Touch of Weakness on. She begin to fire her wand at him. A level 37 Paladin comes up.

She’s already been killed once tonight by alliance. They flagged themselves, another Paladin and a Warrior, and, well, one thing led to another, she fired off a Fear, and next thing they’re all embroiled and we all die. The Dorf laughs. And the Pally’s not to be seen again.

Not this next Paladin. He actually puts a protective shield on the Guard. Because all of a sudden Darbanville is doing no damage. And she can’t see this shield, nor does it register as a buff on him. Paladin has gotten himself flagged though.

He runs off and she’s left to fight the Guard. Eventually, as the Paladin returns, the Guard is weakened, Mind Flayed, and a Shadow Word: Pain finishes him off. Paladin runs up the road towards Shadow Fang Keep.

That’s where Darbanville logs off and Blackhoof, posted in Tarren Mill as a protective guard, logs in. He changes to fighting gear, casts windfury on his reaver axe, puts up a lightning shield, and transforms to ghost wolf form because he looks less threatening that way. Just another Shaman on quests.

He runs up the road towards SFK. There’s a level 60 Night Elf Priest coming up behind him. On an epic mount he passes Blackhoof just as Blackhoof passes our Paladin. He targets the Priest but the Priest is minding his own business. Now running ahead of the Paladin, Blackhoof then notices the Paladin has targeted him. The Priest disappears ahead of him, and he does a u-turn. The Paladin isn’t realizing the full impact of what’s to come.

Blackhoof’s in the same guild as Darbanville. Big Danger! sign. The Paladin doesn’t pay attention. So when our Paladin attacks an Undead NPC there at the tower, Blackhoof hits him with a Frostshock. The Pally runs south now and bubbles. Blackhoof follows and waits for the bubble to burst. Which it does. Another Frostshock, the swing of the axe, and our Paladin hits the dirt of the road.

Darbanville comes back, runs up the road, but only a skeleton is to be found. Not sure if a /sigh, /shrug, or a /spit would have been appropriate. Our Paladin wisely, though he didn’t have to in this case, chose to use the Spirit Healer and rezzed in the safety of Southshore.

I learned my lesson. I got flagged, I died. And what comes around, goes around.

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

From our Orcs to yours.

Dorf. The other white meat.

Dinner. For the Horde!

The wife and I will be enjoying the holiday with a little turkey, (plainstrider is just too gamey), a walk around the neighborhood, a little Warlock quest, a little Furbolg rep grinding, and who knows what else. Life’s good. Life’s fun. We’re thankful. We hope your day is a great one, and that you have a lot to be thankful for as well.

P.S. “Plainstrider is just too gamey.” Gamey! AH HA HA! No pun intended when I typed it, but it was a pretty good one.

 

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto!

I can say this: “Bots might not be so bad.” With stacks and stacks of Rugged Leather, 25 Black Dragonscales, 20 Worn Dragonscales added to my inventory, and 1/4 of an xp bar added to my character, I can add “If Blizzard is okay with the Bots, then maybe I should be too.”

I was asked by someone “Why are you helping him? (This new Bot friend of mine.) I’ve reported him before. Blizzard does nothing.”

I replied “I’ve reported him too. Twice now. Yeah, Blizzard did nothing. But I’m not helping him. … He’s helping me!”

“Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto!”

I maintained a nice converstation with my Orc-bot friend. Asking him occasionally /s “I helped you kill this, mind if I skin it after you loot?” He never objected.

Then, once I got the “target of target” targetting down, /s “You got the last one, let me get this one, and you help *me* kill it.” He did so, very nicely. His Cat holds better aggro than my ol’ Draka.

Occasionally he’d get stuck. Running into a wall. Running. Running. Back up a little, run into the same wall. Running. Running. Back up even more. Turn 30 degrees, then run a curve to get back on track. Over and and over as we made our loop.

One Dragonkin wasn’t in his target list. He kept literally running into it then backing off to kill it at range.

He could target them from a mile away otherwise. Just not this one.

/s “We make a great team you and I!”

Is what I’m doing wrong though? Exploiting an exploiter? I think so. But, hey! If Blizzard is good to go with Bots, then I can be too.

Blizzard could stop this by paying attention to our reports on the Bots and doing something about them. It’s so blazing obvious that these are automated Bots running around, and Blizzard does nothing, I question that.

So, they ignore my reports and I’ll figure something else out.

In the meantime, I’m going to go collect some more dragonscales.

 

Public Test Realm thoughts.

Logged on as both Msaker and Blackhoof.

Played a little AV with Msaker.

Did a little dual wielding with Blackhoof.

I was wondering when this patch would go live. I’m thinking sooner rather than later based on what I saw. It looked pretty good, albeit a little unstable.

And dual wielding my Shaman feels fun. Not sure how damaging it is. But it really feels good.