How to get a Blood Elf Bandit Face Mask.

(In case you’re googling for it, I’ll go ahead and post it.)

Alright. I think every Blood Elf should be wearing one.

You need to be level 5 to wear it, it counts as miscellaneous armor, any class can wear it, and it’s not soulbound. (It’s not Rogue only like the red Defias Face Mask.)

And there’s an Archmage (NPC) in Silvermoon City wearing it.

And you’ll see what it looks like in the picture below on Sunstriker. Halcyon has one now too.

And you’re wondering to yourself “GET ON WITH IT! HOW DO I GET ONE!?”

Well, head on over to Azuremyst Isle. This is the level 5-12 Draenei area. That’s right. Right where the Exodar is located.

If you’re thinking “This is a job for a high level toon.” You might be right. Because it helped greatly to be able to ride around on a circuit looking for these. My Night Elf Hunter had no trouble getting around. Horde characters will have some difficulty in getting over there. But, it’s easier to get onto Azuremyst Isle than into Darnassus. (I imagine, don’t know 100%.)

BUT, but, that is not to say low level characters couldn’t do it on their own. I saw a band of low (5-12) level Blood Elves (I kid you not!) running around Azuremyst Isle.

The face mask drops off a stealthed level 7 mob called Blood Elf Bandit. The mobs spawn site moves around as well. However, they tend to mostly be on the roads. On the west side on the road going south to north, and on the southern east to west road. And elsewhere. I encountered more bandits on these two roads than elsewhere.

The bandits are stealthed and hang out just off the road. Near a lamp post, or a tree, or something. I think I found about 10 different spawn points. I use Cartographer and just made a map note to indicate where. (Should I want to repeat the exercise.) (You can just search Thottbot to get a map of spawn points. And, for me, the western spawns were better. It might also have been the Horde Druid that was getting all the eastern hits.)

Oh yes, north of the Exodar, on the beach with the Murloc camps, each camp is a spawn point as well.

Mounted it took me over an hour to get two masks to drop. It’s going to take a while. But, if you’re into vanity wear, this one can’t be beat.

And that’s how you get one of the Blood Elf Bandit Face Masks.

Edit: Here’s the link to Thottbot for the map.

 

No “70 woot! ding!!!”. No ding. But not nothing. Suffering from altism perhaps? But lucky nonetheless.

Well, a week after installing The Burning Crusade, and two weeks after it’s release, I’m pleased to say not one character has dinged 70.

Well, hell, not one character has dinged 61 even.

Have I been in a coma, stricken down in some bizarre keyboarding accident, the more concerned among you might ask? No. Thanks for asking though.

Have I stopped playing? Hardly. Four plus hours a night doesn’t qualify as “stopped playing” by any stretch of the imagination.

Well, what the fruk have I been doing? And why aren’t I 61 yet??!

Well, each of my 3 60′s is currently holed up in Inns in Hellfire Peninsula. Arcarius over in Honor Hold, and Msaker and Blackhoof in Thrallmar.

Arcarius is furthest along. He’s about 85% of the way to 61. Questing has been easy enough with him. The Unyielding Cavalry guys were the most annoying mobs. The cat would attack them, and they’d charge me (WTF! DO YOUR JOB CAT!) and they’d be too close to use my crossbow, and I’d back off, and they’d charge me again, all the while fighting the cat. So I learned there is a fine point where I can just stand out at firing range and they won’t charge me. I was surprised to see how easy those Maghar Orcs were. I was worried about getting more than one at a time, but they go down very quickly. The Hunter types, with the Ravager pets, were harder than the pairs of guards. I’ve probably got the name of the Orcs wrong, but, questing later on the Horde side, I believe these Maghar Orcs are the “good guys” on Thrall’s side. I’ve noticed it’s become much tougher to level up skinning, even on an orange level job. Thanks, Blizzard, for artificially extending the game for me. What took one skinning to level up one point in skinning, now takes twenty. And I’ve got to get me a Warp Stalker (white dragon thingy) soon!

Msaker remains at the Inn. Droonda hasn’t been around, so he’s being the faithful hubby and waiting for her to return to action. Meanwhile he’s drinking grog and playing solitaire in the inn’s pub.

Blackhoof is getting into the game now too. Night before last, or so, he started in the Outlands and started working on some of the quests. Enhancement Shaman isn’t too bad. Isn’t too good, but isn’t too bad. Last night he was joined by Nachmahd (who is more Resto, less Enhancement) and the duo shined. And being mostly Enhancement Blackhoof out DPS’d Nachmahd, but that’s stands to reason. Blackhoof stands at 50% the way to 61, so Msaker must surely have gotten past that by now.

But none of these are 61 now. What else have I been doing? Feeding my altism problem.

If you take a gander at my characters list over to the left here, you’ll see my problem.

I’ve played my Blood Elf Mage a bit, my Draenei Shaman a bit less, and created a new Draenei Huntress (my 2nd only female toon – she’s another “concept” like Darbanville was.). I’ve also played by Blood Elf Paladin a little. And I’ve created a Blood Elf Hunter, and a Draenei Paladin.

And Freewind is 85% of the way to his mount. And Darkhand is nearly 50, and that’s where leveling speed picks up again.

My problem is I’m enjoying playing this game at every level still. But maybe “problem” is the wrong word.

Perhaps I should better say “I’m lucky to enjoy playing this game at every level still.”

Woot. No ding, but not nothing.

 

Le content est mort. Viva la content.

I’m still happy with all the new content. And I’m still enjoying it.

Halcyon absolutely loves Sunstrider Isle. The trees, their foliage, the manicured grass, the glory of Silvermoon City. She could live there. I can’t place the real world location for this. Lower Northern California perhaps? Except the trees are fantastical. They’re like Birch trees. The whole place is like a manicured garden. I say California because of the sunshine and the sense that the temperature is perfect. Sunstriker is level 12 now, and she’s level 11. And we’ve done all the quests up in Sunstrider and are just about to enter the Ghostlands to aid a sickened Blood Elf being tended by a Forsaken woman.

Exilarch and Zimraphel are on a bit of a pause. We’ll get back to them shortly though. The Azuremyst Isle reminds me a lot of upper Northern California. The gray granite and the pine trees, and the ocean as well. The sun just doesn’t feel as bright as on Sunstrider, things are shadier and cooler, though the sunset/sunrise at the Murloc beach feels great.

So far all three 60′s are in Hellfire Peninsula doing quests. Arcarius has picked up a nice crossbow. I now wish I’d not bought that last gun at the AH for 50g, and only bought so to avoid the hours and hours, and hours and hours, of honor grinding in the battlegrounds for the Grandmarshals gun. And here one of the first quest rewards was a better ranged weapon. Msaker has quested some with Droonda and Nachmahd. Arcarius, soloist, has probably done more quests alone and is 3/4 of the way to 61. Blackhoof, he’s just putzing around. I think becoming familiar with some of the common quests as Arcarius, Msaker and Droonda, and Blackhoof, will have an easier go at things.

Our Dark Ministry Guild Master is level 69 now. And a few others in the guild. Me, I have too much fun just messing around.

And I really wish I had just one more slot to roll a Blood Elf Hunter on Kirin Tor as well. I need some soloing goodness on the Horde side in my stable of characters.

Blizzard: Give me an 11th slot!

I hope the buzz isn’t lost too quickly when my level 20 Draenei and Blood Elf characters hit the same old grind outside of their new lands.

P.S. What’s up with that massive wall in Tor’Watha? I’ve heard folks speculating about a low level instance possible in the future here? A few more low level instances would be cool. Give the Blood Elves their Wailing Caverns (“I am the Serpent King, I can do anything!”) and give the Draenei their Dead Mines (“Van Cleef pay big for your heads!”). Sure, we could do those old instances, but how about some personalized love for the new races. An Amani Troll instance for the Blood Elves, and a Blood Elf instance for the Draenei. (Here’s a thought: An instance, inside/under the Exodar, ala Rage Fire Chasm, where the Draenei must clear out Blood Elves intent on undermining/destroying/stealing it.)

P.P.S. That’s a terrific idea no? Can I have an 11th slot for thinking of it? Please?

 

Update on the new kids in town.

Sunstriker, Mage, with his Blood Elf Bandit Face Mask (origin: Azuremyst Isle), and Halcyon v. 2.0, Paladin.

The wife thought the original Halcyon was too Paris Hilton with the headband, and too … nice and wholesome looking. I agree. The new Halcyon is much edgier looking. More attitude. Would you mess with this woman?

 

The new kids in town.

Sunstriker, Mage, and Halcyon, Paladin.

Exilarch, Shaman, and Zimraphel, Priest.

 

Second impression of the Expansion. I love it.

Firstly, reports that the current level 58-60 end-game dungeons are dead is true. There is no need to run any of them. Blizzard, with one expansion, and no updates to these dungeons, effectively cut them from the game. Oh, sure, some level 70′s will five-man Ragnaros someday, but as a furnace to be forged in, the Molten Core has done gone cold. The natural leveling progression will find level 58′s bypassing Strat, Scholomance, Blackrock Spire, and going straight into the Outlands. I know I will.

Hellfire Peninsula is cool, but the mushroom swamps beyond it cooler, and Shattrath City and environs, cooler still.

I love it.

Msaker rode with Nachmahd to Shattrath from Thrallmar, checked into the Inn there with permanent rooms, and then hopped into a portal back to Orgrimmar. To support Sunstriker’s jewelsmithing, he rode out and up the red sands of Durotar, through the brown plains of The Barrens, north into Ashenvale, through there and then north up Darkshore along the mountains, farming copper and rough stone the entire way. Hearthed back to Shattrath, found a forge, smelted the copper bars, and mailed it all to Sunstriker. Then he hopped a bat (Draenei windrider master!!!) back to Thrallmar where a slumbering Droonda awaited him.

 

My first impressions of the Burning Crusade.

Well, right off, let me say that I did not get out into the Outlands. See, I pre-ordered two copies of the game. One Collector’s Edition for my lovely wife, so she could be the owner of the cutsie Black Netherwhelp. For me the standard edition. So, a week after release, what arrived in the mail? Other than packages all week for my wife? Just one copy, her Collector’s Edition.

Oh, she saw me sad and said I should install it on my machine, and it didn’t really matter. But, no, this was her copy, not mine, it wasn’t going to be installed on any machine but hers. Three hours later it’s getting installed on her machine.

So, I didn’t take anyone into the Outlands.

While it installed I listened to the music CD and looked through the art book. It’s a companion edition to the original Art of the World of Warcraft. That’s worth the price difference right there. And it came on both DVD and CD-ROM, and I think the standard edition is only CD-ROM. (So I’ll be able to install it off her DVD and use my key.)

Anyway, while my wife gave me a little time, I created my two characters. Okay, I created two characters that would only get deleted since they’re on her machine.

First up was the Draenei Shaman.

They are top heavy. The men are at least. Their legs, though ending in hooves like a Tauren, are much thinner. Now when a Tauren sits, he’s like a huge 3 year old. He just plops down on his butt and his feet are sticking straight up. Just jam a lollypop in that grass munching maw and you’ve completed a Norman Rockwell scene. But when a Draenei male sits, imagine the scene from some old Italian painting, the kind set in the woods where there’s fauns and satyrs running around. When he sits his one heel is planted, and his leg is bent a bit, the other leg lies on it’s side. This is like something out of Greek mythology. I didn’t explore too much, since it was just a temporary character. But I know Shamans, and he’ll be fun to play. The wife, later on, created a Draenei Priest. Very elegant looking.

Then came the Blood Elf Mage.

I don’t think the Blood Elf men are gay, like many do. Sure they have nice hair and all. This is clearly more manga, anime-moe influenced, in my opinion, than not. If a Belf jokes around with you, and says he’s better looking than your girlfriend, he’s right if you aren’t a Belf.

Yeah, the guys are haughty, but so are the women, they all are. You aren’t transplanted into some Horde universe with skulls and corruption and mention of an Earth Mother. It’s like candy cane land. It’s very magical, and very Harry Potter. (Magically animated brooms, etc.) And it’s very Elven. And it’s the antithesis of the Night Elves. And that’s really the lore. Well done. (Maybe a little bit too Harry Potter. The spinning bookcases and the dancing brooms? Why is it so damned dusty there!?!? There’s clouds of dust being pushed around by brooms. What’s all this dust? Pixie dust??!)

The first quests are all close by. I remember my first time as a Night Elf. I was running all over that Shadowglen area, out to the cave, all foresty. These quests seemed closer to get to. And one of the first quest rewards is a 4-slot bag. Nice. (Not that my Horde Tailor hasn’t hooked up our new Blood Elves with 4 Runecloth Bags each.)

Not sure about the vendor trash sold in the Draenei beginning area, but the Blood Elves have got some seriously flashy stuff. I got a quest reward staff at level 3 or 4. Later I went to a vendor and checked out her gear. And then I saw what she had for sale. There was a staff, not as good as mine, but damn, it looked epic. It looked so good I spent the 1s and got it. The first shield you get from the quest reward is so very, very Blood Elf, I couldn’t believe it. Everything about the place looks good.

I’ll have my serious Blood Elf on Kirin Tor, a Mage, and I’ll definitely be creating a Blood Elf Paladin over on Steamwheedle Cartle.

I believe this WILL find more playing the Horde side than otherwise. And that’s a good thing. The more balanced the factions are, the better off everyone will be. (Not an issue on PvP servers since those tend to be close to 1:1 anyway.) But battleground queues will even out the more balanced the sides are.

Anyway, hopefully today my copy will arrive. It ought to since the realms are down for maintenance and not due back up until 8pm or so our time.

 

C’mon. What’s the point?

You flag yourself for PvP on a PvE server. But you aren’t in the Plaguelands trying to capture towers. And you aren’t in Silithus collecting dust. You’re in Desolace killing skeletons.

There you are, level 36, Paladin, and you’ve flagged yourself. I suppose it guarantees you won’t heal anyone, or be asked to heal, or buff, them. Is that your goal? To be anti-social? “I’ve infected myself with a lethal virus. You want no part of me.” All you want to do is grind and be left alone, so you flag yourself?

You play on a PvE server by choice. I know I do. I played to 60, and into the end-game, on a PvP server. But I couldn’t bear my wife dying at the hands of some punk Night Elf, or worse, Gnome, Rogue. So we transferred. So you rolled on a PvE (RP) server. And then you flag yourself.

Okay, I see some folks doing it in order to show they have balls of steel, or they’re Warlocks. Who’s going to mess with a Warlock. In fact I’ve seen a few flagged Pally’s in the higher level areas. Who’s going to kill a high level Pally? How? They’ll heal to full twice, and you’ll be bored to tears before you even get close. Meh. Not worth it. And Pally’s have gotten sponge-worthy with the patches lately.

Anyway, seeing this level 36 flagged Pally in Desolace got me to thinking. What a terrible waste of my time to log onto my 60 Warrior, bring him all the way to Desolace, just to make her turn that damn flag off. Or, how long will she choose to remain flagged once I show up? How soon after I show up would she unflag? Five minutes?

I suspect it’s an anti-social thing.

Or a trap. Flag yourself. Cry “Heal me!” in Goldshire. Some noob gets flagged healing you. And your buddy, on his Horde Faction Rogue, goes to town on the noob.

What on earth, or Azeroth, are you thinking flagging yourself for PvP in Desolace? Or Elwynn. What is the point??!

 

Left Behind, part II.

My Alliance guild has decided to move to the greener pastures of a new server, Farstriders. We can’t move with them because we’d lose the synergy with our Horde characters who are in a very competent guild and among some good people.

Will the two new Dragonhawk Hatchling pets, for Msaker and Droonda, sent by Nachtschatte, our friends new Blood Elf Rogue, make up for it?

It feels very odd to be guildless. It’s good to be part of something. Otherwise you’re just … Kinless.

P.S. On the plus side, my wife’s characters lose the “pasties” that have been part of the guild tabard. (I.e. see above. Amusing for the first time you notice, and then it’s just a smile with Janet Jackson winking at you. I guess it’s a crescent moon, on it’s back, with stars. Hmm, very Hollywood I guess.)

 

Left behind.

What’s my experience been since Tuesday, and the opening of the portal?

Hmmm. It’s always pretty quiet. Playing European hours on a Central Time Zone server I never see crowds. I know the crowds exist because last week I was in Atlanta, and places got busy.

Last night Msaker farmed some Mageweave, for Darbanville’s tailoring for disenchanting, off the Harpies in North Feralas. Got 5 stacks in under an hour, farming alongside a 49 Nelf Hunter which probably hurt the mageweave drop rate for me. Didn’t see anyone else up there.

Afterwards, Darbanville, Zauber, and Nachweis did some questing in 1000 Needles. We were the only 3 there. Nachweis is our friend here in Germany, so our timezone.

Darbanville and Zauber went into the Shimmering Flats and ground on some basilisks and vultures and, you guessed it, we were the only ones there.

Later, in search of a tailoring pattern for Darbanville, Blackhoof flew up to Winterspring. He saw a Paladin in Everlook wearing the quest reward shield from the Outlands, and then later a 60 warrior who appeared not to have crossed over yet either.

Our guild was entirely in the Outlands except us, and the new Blood Elves in the Ghostlands. Nachweis does have the expansion already, Nachmahd sent some food from the Outlands to Msaker, but he’s decided, other than reaching Shattrach City, to hold off until we can join him.

It’s been quiet. Nice thing though is NOT having the Auction House in the Outlands. Players are forced back to Azeroth to do business. I suppose they could just employ bank-alts, but what a waste of a slot! So Msaker and Blackhoof visit the AH and dream of tomorrow.