PvP’s been beddy beddy good to me

To us, actually, the wife and me.

Tally tells the tale: Msaker’s wearing 4 pieces of Deadly Gladiator’s and 2 Wintergrasp pieces.  Honorus is wearing 4 pieces of Deadly and 3 Wintergrasp pieces.  Greenclaw is wearing 3 pieces of Deadly and 1 Wintergrasp piece.  Arcarius is joining the fray and is wearing 1 piece of Deadly.  The lovely wife’s Droonda is wearing 3 pieces of Deadly and 1 Wintergrasp piece.  (If Horde ever manage a win, ever, she can visit the vendor and pick up her 2nd Wintergrasp piece.  Horde, however, never win.)

And given Horde never, ever, win in Wintergrasp (not until Tenacity is 100 and Blizzard ports all Alliance out of Wintergrasp and dumps them in Swamp of Sorrow to lessen defense of the fortress) it’s kind of a free-for-all easy place to earn a little honor, earn a few shards, and some marks, and the wife and I are going take advantage and gear our Alliance toons up a bit before the next expansion.

I mean, I thought crafted was as good as it gets for the casual.  Heck no.  Crafting at the iLevel 200 level was a waste (except for the weapons).  In an initial set of iLevel 187 crafted gear available at level 78 (i.e. Savage Saronite, Overcast, Eviscerator’s, etc.) you’ll be able to acquire a lot of the  iLevel 213 set before you reach 80 just pvping I’m sure.  Those crafted epics just aren’t worth the effort.  (As it turns out.)  Tournament (or other dailies) for the cash.  PvP for the gear.

One thing though:  There are no weapons available in PvP unless you accumulate Arena Points.  (And if there’s stuff available for badges, why? since if you’ve got badges you can have your instance weapons.)  So a Blacksmith who can provide spellpower maces and daggers, and bonecrushing maces one- and two-handed, is required.  Well, that’s not entirely true either.  You can acquire weapons nearly the equivalent of the Titansteel ones at the Tournament.  25 Seals gets you weapons that compare.

I’ve been doing this prior to every expansion.  At the tail end of the current expansion’s content, basically leveled to the end-level, and not raiding, I PvP.  Msaker had the full set of Level 60 PvP gear.  He had a few pieces of the Level 70 gear.  He’s fairly close to have another full set of the Level 80 gear.  (That’s to say “Full set for this casual player.”)  And I’m going to say this gear accrual has never been easier.  If you’re Horde on Kirin Tor, come to Wintergrasp.  Do it now.  If you’re Alliance on Kirin Tor… “Ooh, look.  Ice Crown.  Shinies.  Go there.  Wintergrasp will be fine.  Honest.”

 

Account bound

I’ve noticed something recently.  The pets they’re giving us are account bound.  Mr. Chilly, Onyxian Whelpling, the Polar Bear Cub.

I’ve been learning the pets and then just deleting them out of my bag.  Some pets you learn and they disappear from your inventory.  I was annoyed that some didn’t disappear and you had to manually delete them from your bags.

But wait.  That may have been an “Account Bound” item.  (Worse, it may have become an Account Bound item some recent patch.  I don’t pay that much attention to the finest of minutiae perhaps.)  You can send your Account Bound items to your Goblin Warlock next year.  If you managed to store it away in some characters bank account.  They’re like Heirlooms, but don’t have the tan item “quality”.

Anyone already delete all their Account Bound items in interest of saving bag space?

Sheepish /raise.

R.I.P. Baby Blizzard Bear.  Sorry for sending you into Oblivion with the latest alt’s deletion.

 

Thanksgiving Stuffing

Oh man, am I full.

We’ve got, on our plate:

Mr. T’s changing the game with hand grenades.

WoW’s 5th Anniversary and our Onyxian Whelplings.  Breathing smoke rings.  Many whelps.  Handle it!

The Pilgrim’s Bounty event.

More new characters on other servers (moving onto Argent Dawn now.)

And of course my own Turkey meal to look forward to later this afternoon.

 

Anyway, from our home, to yours:  Happy Thanksgiving!

 

The kindness of strangers

Several incidents come to mind.

Now I’m usually just floored by the anti-social behavior of folks in-game.  Parking a mammoth on a blood pool you need to fish for the fishing daily.  Snowballs to knock teammates off the bridge outside of Stormpeak.  All sorts of things.

But what about moments where you think to yourself “Hey, that was nice of them.”

A Rogue in Elwynn Forest gave my Death Knight on Steamwheedle Cartel 164 pieces of Wild Turkey.  (That’s enough to take cooking to 350 for two people.)  (Thanks so much, Alleybash.)

The random “gratz” I got at various holiday tables as I was making achievements cooking.  I get in a zone sometimes, and it’s half mechanical going through “the motions,” but when somebody notices something, and pointedly, via whisper, brings it to your attention that they notice, it puts the “social” back in “multiplayer.”  Thanks to you all.

To the Rogue in Orgrimmar on Kirin Tor.  Who agreed to go meet the Human Ambassador from Stormwind City, who was there for the food, but also desired to meet an Orc of the Roguish persuasion, so he could feather him.  You didn’t have to leave the gates to go get shot, but you agreed to it.  Thanks!

And to all the level 1 Rogues, of all Races, who made their way to Dalaran, to spend a little time in very public places and dance, and be feathered, and cleanse yourself for another feathering.  You guys are selfless.  (I chatted with one, who had created two of the level 1 characters we were seeing, one on her machine, one on her husbands, and thanked them because Effilda earned her achievement that way.)

(What I found odd, with Garona such a popular lore figure, that there’s so few Orc Rogues.  Perhaps with Rogues now able to use axes, and Orcs having an affinity for them, perhaps we’ll see more Orc Rogues.  But that’s not the point of the post.)

Thanks to the good folks out there, and being visible, bringing the “social” to the forefront in the game.

 

350 Cooking for about 15g.

Tobold brought this up the other day.

I guess I’m an “uphill, in the snow, both ways” kind of guy.

I actually slaughtered boars outside Karanos, Raptors outside of Theramore, Ravagers outside of Honor Hold, etc., to level up my cooking so I was prepared to cook the hardest holiday recipe this Pilgrims holiday was going to offer.  I read it was 330, and by gum, I leveled up to 330 Cooking the usual way.  And, by gum, I liked it.

However, as Tobold pointed out, Blizzard is making a gift to you all.  For 15 gold, the price of the various materials you can buy right there, you can level from 1 to 350 cooking simply by visiting the 3 capital cities and making a sidetrip to Northrend to get Cooking Master.

My level 58 Death Knight, on my “alts when I’m bored” server, with 22 gold to his name, is now at 349 cooking.  (I mean I can wait on that final point.)

Bear in mind: 350 cooking lets you do the Dalaran cooking dailies.  (There may be, however, a level restriction to that as well.  I’m not sure.)

So, if you’re so inclined, and have an alt somewhere that you think could be a cook, then this is the chance.  15 gold, some legwork, and a couple hours, and you’re set.  (And it’ll get you the Pilgrim outfit, attire, hat, and boots, as well.)

Blizzard is showing you some love this holiday season.  Or they’re just dumbing it down, relentlessly.  Perhaps that’s the plan.  Give everyone everything, and when “The Next Big Thing,” “aka WoW 2″ comes out, and offers an experience for the “seasoned” and “experienced” Warcraft player, perhaps we’ll once again have our hill to climb.  In the snow.  Uphill both ways.  And we’ll be queued up outside the door, in the cold, at midnight, waiting to get our hands on our copies.

 

Who to pity?

Rogues, Turkeys, or Ikiss?

Well, should we pity the rogues this week?  AHAHAHAHA.  Are you, like, kidding?  Nah.

“Bang, bang.”  Just kidding.

How about pitying the turkeys?  No, they’re just rogues in disguise.  Kill them all.

How about the Talon King Ikiss?

That’s who I pity.  He’s going to be rolled multiple times this week.  The insult to the injury being we’re wearing silly Pilgrim costumes while we do it.

Anyway, this involves a lot of running around, so my advice is:  Marry a mage. 

Oh, yeah, I also leveled up my Cooking to do get to do this achievement.  (Don’t forget there’s level 70 Ravagers in Hellfire Penninsula that have a MUCH higher drop rate for ravager flesh.  (To get you from 300 to 325.))  I was level 1 in Cooking on the Day of the Dead celebration.  Today, after cooking up a couple of Turkey feasts, am level 348.  The things we do for a dumb outfit and a silly title.  Now I have to find more rogues and pick up more weapons to shoot them with.  (And visit the Horde cities.)

 

Gear Score, Schmear Score. But, wait…

So there I was.  Looking for the eight remaining burning embers I needed to complete the latest Wintergrasp Daily.  We’d already lost, so I figured everyone Horde was going to be gathered outside of the Vault looking for invites.  Or shopping, or hearthing.  You know, what winners do.

But the embers were all ashes and there were bones scattered here and there.  I was alone except for just 2 other green names.  I don’t leave the raid so we can continue to share our efforts.  Turns out there must be multiple raids, because we were basically soloing.  One guy’s kill is not lootable by me.  So be it.  “Divided we fall.”

Anyway I see a green name, Death Knight, run by below, and then a red name.  A Shaman.  Oh, this isn’t going to end well for the Shaman, right?

Except the Shaman was chasing the DK down.  :/  Hmm.

Well, he’s a brother in arms, this DK, and it’s just a Shaman.  So I join in.

The Shaman destroys the Death Knight. 

And inbetween the flashes of Holy Light and Lightning I see the gear.  Okay, it looks like basic PvP stuff.  The maces are orange, so they’re the Crusader Seal maces.  Two of them, nice.  Except why is this guy smoking me?  I’m not hitting him, he’s destroying me.  WTF?

I check the combat log afterwards.  He actually /flexes to add insult to injury.  Let’s see Dodge, dodge, dodge,dodge, miss, miss, miss.  Hmmm.  That’s my results on him.  Destroy, destroy, destroy, destroy.  Those are him on me. …  Did I have my fishing pole equipped?  I check.  No.  Am I wearing my nobleman’s monacle perhaps?  No, I’ve got my epic helm equipped.  What just happened?

I alt-tab out and go into the Armory.  Seems our Shaman has over 1000 Resilience.  Dag.  I’m running 400 or so.  He also had 7k health on me, and double the mana.  Those maces weren’t Crusader Seal maces, not doing up to 608 damage each.  That must have been arena weapons.

Okay, I’m beginning to get the picture.  He’s on two Arena Teams, 2s and 3s.  Face to face type.  He’s gotten himself the Conqueror title, so exalted with every battleground.  He’s wearing solid pvp gear from his head to his toes, pinkie finger included.

And, granted, even if his gear hadn’t been top notch, this guys been PvPing since he left his crib.  I’ve been PvPing since the last couple of weeks.  I’d be outmatched if he was dual wielding spaghetti.

I know there’s mouseover “gear score” add-ons.  I figured why did I need to have that?  Like I needed the boost to my ego (rather, the kick to it’s head) over and over?  “Oh, look.  The NPC vendor selling breaksticks has a higher gear score than me.”  )  I don’t need a “gear score” ability.

Well, if I’m sizing up the competition and deciding whether or not I’m going to be a hero, or a lemming, a little more information would certainly come in handy.

 

Grind & Craft, now PvP.

I’ve got five level 80 characters.  Four of them are Crusaders.  I don’t have the time, or inclination anymore, to get the fifth to Crusader, or anyone else in the “up and coming” ranks either.  The fifth started the process, but given he’s my oldest character, and his reputation with the cities is the worst (friendly, honored) I thought “No way.”

My Orc Warrior’s crafted, let me see, four full sets of Savage Saronite Plate armor.  One for himself, two for our Horde Deathknights, and one for my Paladin.  He’s crafted 3 Titansteel Destroyers (himself, Pally, my Alliance Druid).  He’s crafted two of the Titansteel spellpower maces (my horde Shaman, wife’s Alliance Druid), a Titansteel attack power mace (for my wife’s Shaman), and a Titansteel dagger (wife’s Alliance Mage).  I’ve crafted two Spiked Titanium Plate Helms and Boots (himself and the Pally), and also crafted the Tempered Titanium (tanking) Helm and Boots (for the Pally).  A full set of i187 leather gear for my Feral Druid, and my wife’s Balance Moonkin, and the i187 mail gear for the Hunter (who has crafted all this).   And the two epic leather cloaks (for dps and tanking, for my Pally).  Good thing Frozen Orbs are available on the Auction House!

So, all that grinding and gathering and crafting got me to one niveau.  The Crusader grind has added to it by providing a couple more items.  (And cash.)  My Belf Paladin is in 2 pieces of heirloom gear and wielding the grim reaper.  My Nelf Rogue is in the leather heirloom gear and wielding the sword.  My Forsaken Priest is temporarily modeling the cloth heirloom gear and wielding the staff, waiting to pass it on to my Goblin Warlock  My Pally is flying a Silverwing Hippogriff.

And now we PvP.

Goals:  Equip my Paladin in the honor bought pvp gear.  (Shoulders, belt, gloves, so far.)  I’m struck by the fact that I can’t use honor points for weapons.  That explains the Hunter I saw with full epic PvP gear, and using the sword from the Ebon Blade faction rep.

Secondary goal, equip the wife’s Shaman and my own Warrior in better-than-we-can-craft epics.  And, heck, frankly, give us something to do.  We’ve been at a bit of a standstill for a little while now.  (She’s got three level 80 characters of her own.  We’d only do the eyeball burning “Loremaster of Northrend” achievement (and for her an epic cloak recipe) on one couple, our Pally and Mage.)

Third goal: Get a couple of the heirloom items.  My Druid has gotten enough shards to pick up the Thrashblade for my level 60 rogue.  (It’ll go with the Crusader Seals purchased sword.)  (I actually took the Sharpened Scarlet Kris.  Slow+Fast is the new black.)  My Paladin will push for the 325 shard Staff of Jordan heirloom.  That’s going to be for my Worgen Mage.  (Maybe the pvp heirloom shoulders for the Mage as well.  The Crusader Seal clothie gear is very much “Warlocks Only” in look and style.)  The wife will earn enough shards to get the Spellpower plate (and xp boost) for her Holy Paladin.  Maybe the spellpower mace if we stick to it.  Shards are easy enough to come by with patience.

Casual?  Not really.  Personal?  Very.

 

What I take away from the Pardo interview

What happens when a hardcore guildmaster of hardcore raiders designs a game:

World of This

Prologue

You come from a humble background and are brought to the big city to prepare yourself for the war you’ve only heard about.

Chapter 1

Level yourself from 1 to Level Cap.  And be quick about it.  You, slacker, are holding up your friends.

Chapter 2

Raid the latest and greatest.  If you managed to keep up with your “friends.”

Chapter 3

Loot!

Epilogue

There is no happy ending.  That loot is only there to get the next loot which is only there to get the next loot which is only there…  Stress out, burn out, chill out, drop out.  Re-sub.

Too bad his creation has become something he does not appear to be all too happy with.  It’s too damn casual for him, basically.  If you’re willing to climb up a hill to go to school, both ways, he’ll do it in the snow.  If you do it in the snow he’ll go with bare feet.  If you do it with bare feet, he’ll add razor spikes.  He wants that gap between hardcore and casual.  The bigger the gap, the more of a winner you are.  The game must provide you the opportunity to make as big an e-peen as you can.  (Grand Marshal title anyone?  How many lives did that ruin?)

The winners, those who need that gap, always have Darkfall or Conan.  If they’ve got the balls for it.  (Those that don’t will roll on an RP server and park their mammoths on the quest giver in Wintergrasp.  They’re big like that.)

But wait, I invalidate his own argument there.  No, the “winners” have to play in a casual world.  Their accomplishments are meaningless when compared to other players with skillz.  Without the unwashed ranks of casuals to feel good against, what have you got?  You have to have casuals in order to make the leet feel leet.  If everyone else is in Tier 10 too, you’ve got bupkis.

I wonder if we’ll ever see a casual game for casual players.  And no, even I don’t want Sims with Swords.  How about something more about exploration than conquest?  A virtual world that’s more about “living” in it than reaching it’s conclusion over and over (and demanding new conclusions over and over).

I seriously hope WoW2 is not a game where you 1) RUSH TO LEVEL CAP, 2) Raid.  (Then you may as well simply offer max level characters out of the box and let them simply do arenas and puzzle events.  Screw the story and lore and backdrop.  They’re for the tourists who otherwise fund all this.  But then Guild Wars has already done that.)

I’m just piqued that he’s even complaining just a little about the great game they’ve made.  NEWS FLASH:  Count your subs.  Know you’ve created something unique.  Rest on your laurels.  Go ahead and expand on what you’ve got, all of it, if you want for a followup.  I don’t want to see a World of Raids.

 

New Pet, $10.00. Psycho Tendency Assuaged, Priceless.

I saw this freakish little scene up by the tournament:

Druid in Tree Form, just standing there. (I was killing Cultists.) It was not. It was just standing there.

Seems they had gotten a new pet, the Lil K.T..

And they took it to the penguins to watch it kill them. Two of them where enjoying the scene when I took the screen shot.