Friday, November 23, 2012

A Giving of Appreciation

We've once again arrived to that time of year where many of us American types stuff our faces with turkey and give thanks for the things we are fortunate enough to have. Friends, family, luck and love. The things needn't be big, for it's often the small things in life that mean the most. Regardless of what it is that we have been fortunate enough to receive, now is the time of year when we reground ourselves and shine a light on all of the things we should be thankful for.

I am, by and large, a pretty awkward person when it comes to receiving anything. It matters not if these "things" are actually items, nor does it matter if it's a non-material item. While a simple "thank you" may escape from my lips, I often feel that it's inadequate. More than likely that in my excitement to be given anything, big or small, I'm too busy in my complete joy to ever properly thank someone for their time, effort, or thoughtfulness.

While this post will remain broad, the thoughts are true and I hope that each and every one of you is able to identify yourself within these words.


For those of you who have ever participated with the Twitterland Raiding project: Whether you were one of the folks who showed up to every run possible or attended only one, led raids or simply showed up, or if you sat on the sidelines while supporting us in whatever way you could, from the bottom of my heart I thank you. TLR became a guild away from our guilds, was truly an unforgettable experience, and couldn't have been pulled off without the help of everyone. I look forward to the day when we can all go rock some old raids together once again! (We will be back once things calm down in a few months. Please don't take my use of past tense as a meaning that TLR is done, far from it!)

To those of you in the Twitter community who interact with me on a regular basis or simply follow me: Thank you for your kindness and support! The Twitter WoW community is truly unlike any other. You all make it a fantastic place to hang out and babble. Don't go changin', you all are fabulous!

Blog Azeroth Thanksgiving Event 2012
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To the blogging community: Thanks for always being an inspiration and for prompting this post. You all were what got me writing in the first place, and while I don't comment as much as I used to (not that I've ever been a regular commentator...sorry!) I still do poke my head in from time to time and take in what you all have to say. Keep doing what you do, so long as it's where your heart belongs.

To my guild: While there's a slim chance that any of the guys would ever read this, I must give my thanks to them as well. Much like any dysfunctional family, they often irritate the shit out of me and make me rage. At the same time though, they help me do what I like to do (raid) and more often than not give me a few laughs while doing so. While there are a lot of pretty heavy wrinkles to iron out with how we operate (personal opinion), I don't think I could have ever found a better home on Aggramar. Y'all are a bunch of peckerheads, but I adore each and every one of you. Except for that one guy. Who is that anyways?

To the people that have been in my life, past and present: Thank you for whatever times we've had, good or bad. Each of you has given me a different perspective on life, another way at looking at the world, a lesson in humanity. You've all taught me, given to me, shared memorable moments with me. While I may no longer speak to some of you, or only converse with some of you sparsely, keep in mind that I still think back on the old times. My memory is pretty poor when it comes to "Hey, I haven't spoken with so-and-so in a while, I should get together with them" but I DO manage to remember a lot of the past. You are not forgotten. Thank you for the memories of the past, thank you for your love, support, thoughts, and whatever else you give now. My words will never, ever encompass my true thanks for it all, but please know that it is all greatly appreciated, no matter the size of the gesture.

Finally, to my readers: First, I must apologize for neglecting to write as often as I used to. My creative dry spells and distractions have been pretty rampant for quite some time now. Thank you for your patience and for always coming back when something new finally comes up. For those of you who are just starting to read my babblings, welcome and thank you for stopping by! I thank each and every one of you for your support, whether you just swing by to check a specific reference post or are an avid reader. Half of the fun of blogging is the interaction. While the interaction here on WoS is usually pretty low key, I do love and appreciate seeing links popping in from other sites. That traffic proves that I'm doing something right for you guys, even if it's on a small scale. Again, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for the support you give me, regardless of how you go about it. As always, please never hesitate to ask questions, as answering your questions is one of the few ways I feel like I can properly give back to you all for digging my work.

From the bottom of my heart, you all have my love, adoration, and admiration. While I may often be overly quiet and sometimes act a bit too elusive, please keep in mind that each and everyone of you, and the things you do, are in my thoughts.

Alright, I think I'm through with being all mushy for now. I hope you all have a great rest of this holiday weekend (or for those of you non-American folks, a great weekend in general) and I shall catch you all on the next post.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 5, 2012

The Art of Soloing - What's Soloable By Enhancement, The Raid Edition

If you're any sort of forum goer, you may have noticed that there's one topic that comes up on a semi-regular basis: What content is currently soloable by my spec/class?


As of the end of Cataclysm, I have really gotten into the "let's see what I can solo as enhancement!" thing. I love pushing myself in a familiar environment while having to rely 100% on my own skill to down something. Plus, you know, mounts. I know that there are similar souls out there, similar souls that may have not yet taken the time to go out and solo those dragons but are still curious as to what bosses are doable by oneself in what gear.

The following list will be updated as I tackle more content, thus is currently incomplete. Keep in mind that unless otherwise noted, this list assumes that you're level 90 with at least some gear on you. Due to the stat squash in WoD and the new level cap of level 100, all content below MoP level is soloable by most classes. Certain classes will struggle with some of the Cataclysm 25H encounters without the aid of at least some raid gear. I'll do my best to get this list up to date sometime in the near future.

Classic
- Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj (20): Soloable
- Molten Core: Soloable
- Blackwing Lair: Soloable, though Razorgore is a pain
- Temple of Ahn'Qiraj (40): Soloable

Burning Crusade
- Karazhan: Soloable
- Magtheridon's Lair: Soloable
- Gruul's Lair: Soloable
- Serpentshrine Cavern: Soloable
- The Battle for Mount Hyjal: Soloable, trash before Kaz'rogal is buggy
- Tempest Keep: Soloable (Kael'thas Guide)
- The Black Temple: Soloable
- Sunwell Plateau: Soloable (exception: Kalecgos for now, he's easily skippable)

Wrath of the Lich King 10
- Vault of Archavon: Soloable
- The Obsidian Sanctum: 3D Soloable
- Eye of Eternity: Soloable
- Naxxramas: Soloable
- Ulduar: Soloable, though Thorim takes Engineering tricks to beat. The Siege, The Antechamber, The Keepers, The Decent Into Madness + Algalon
- Trial of the Crusader: normal Soloable, heroic Unknown
- Onyxia's Lair: Soloable (at 85, assuming you have Dragon Soul gear)
- Icecrown Citadel: Soloable, heroic Soloable
- Ruby Sanctum: normal Soloable/heroic Unknown (should be Soloable)

Wrath of the Lich King 25
- Vault of Archavon:  Soloable
- The Obsidian Sanctum: 3D Soloable
- Eye of Eternity: Soloable
- Naxxramas: Soloable
- Ulduar: Soloable
- Trial of the Crusader: normal/heroic Soloable
- Onyxia's Lair: Soloable
- Icecrown Citadel: normal/heroic Soloable (Heroic LK Video)
- Ruby Sanctum: normal/heroic Unknown (should be Soloable)

Cataclysm 10
- Blackwing Descent: normal Soloable, heroic Soloable
- Throne of the Four Winds: normal Soloable, heroic (Unknown but should be Soloable)
- Bastion of Twilight: normal Soloable, heroic Unknown (should be Soloable now, unless Blackout still 1-shots on Twin Dragons)
- Firelands: normal Solable (Alysrazor normal), heroic Soloable
- Dragon Soul: normal Soloable/heroic Soloable

Cataclysm 25
- Blackwing Descent: normal/heroic Soloable
- Throne of the Four Winds: normal/heroic Soloable
- Bastion of Twilight: normal/heroic Soloable
- Firelands: normal/heroic Soloable
- Dragon Soul: normal/heroic Unknown but should be Soloable

Mists of Pandaria 10
Mogu'shan Vaults: normal (soloable up to Spirit Kings)/heroic Unknown
Heart of Fear: normal/heroic Unknown/Unsoloable (first boss MC issues)
Terrace of Endless Spring: normal/heroic Unknown
Throne of Thunder: normal (Soloable up to Durumu)/heroic Unknown
Dragon Soul: normal/heroic Unknown

Mists of Pandaria 25
Mogu'shan Vaults: normal/heroic Unknown
Heart of Fear: normal/heroic Unknown
Terrace of Endless Spring: normal/heroic Unknown
Throne of Thunder: normal (soloable up to Durumu)/heroic Unknown
Dragon Soul: normal/heroic Unknown

Pandaria World Bosses
Sha of Anger: Unsoloable (MC issues)
Galleon: Unknown (possibly soloable)
Oondasta: Unknown
Nalak: Soloable


The links found on this list will direct you to the videos I've taken whilst soloing these instances, if you'd care to see how I bumbled through it. 

In the future I do plan on writing up making "How To" video guides on the raids that I solo (or just have a videos showing me pulling off the act), which will also be linked back to this list. Until that time comes though, I definitely encourage each and every one of you to go out and try to solo some of these raids. If not for the mounts/pets/transmog gear, then do it for the thrill of a challenge!