Fortune Card: Many raid wipes are in your immediate future.
(This image/fortune combination is a complete lie, we rocked that raid.)
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Fortune Fri...Sa...uh, Sundays?
They're quirky, they're fun, they're random Azerothian fortunes! Every Friday you will see a different fortune (either from our beloved Darkmoon Faire or the new fortune cards) featured here at World of Saz. Enjoy!
Fortune Card: Many raid wipes are in your immediate future.
Fortune Card: Many raid wipes are in your immediate future.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
20 Days of...My Favourite Spot (Day 17)
Someday soon I shall finish with Saga's 20 Days of challenge, but until that day comes you will all have to sit through a few more posts of it before I go back to whatever it was that I wrote prior to finding these delightful little filler posts.
It's becoming rather difficult these days to say where my favorite spot in Azeroth is. I've been playing alts and doing so many dailies lately that I haven't taken a whole lot of time to just hang out in a singular spot. Sure I have my favorite hangout spots, there are places where I'd like to live, and spots that I would vacation to, but out of all the areas that are available in Azeroth/Outland, I have a hard time deciding which is my favorite. I suppose that after being in so many different places over the years it has become difficult to decide which of the many amazing little nooks in WoW could be considered my most favorite place to be. I've always loved the alien and odd look of Eversong Woods, the homey feel of the bridge in Ironforge; often I find myself marveling at various instances (take a walk through Wrath of the Lich King's Caverns of Time, there's neat houses in there!).
Hmm...you know, I think I may like the deserts of Tanaris best. I can recall the first time I road through the area on my Darnassian Nightsaber late one night. I'm not sure what it is about riding on a cat mount through the desert, but it just feels so calm and fluid. I also loved running through that zone on my druid (as kitty, naturally). Running through the sands while pouncing hyenas was just too much fun while I was leveling. Yes, I think it's safe to say that the deserts of Tanaris would qualify for one of my more favorite spots.
It's becoming rather difficult these days to say where my favorite spot in Azeroth is. I've been playing alts and doing so many dailies lately that I haven't taken a whole lot of time to just hang out in a singular spot. Sure I have my favorite hangout spots, there are places where I'd like to live, and spots that I would vacation to, but out of all the areas that are available in Azeroth/Outland, I have a hard time deciding which is my favorite. I suppose that after being in so many different places over the years it has become difficult to decide which of the many amazing little nooks in WoW could be considered my most favorite place to be. I've always loved the alien and odd look of Eversong Woods, the homey feel of the bridge in Ironforge; often I find myself marveling at various instances (take a walk through Wrath of the Lich King's Caverns of Time, there's neat houses in there!).
Hmm...you know, I think I may like the deserts of Tanaris best. I can recall the first time I road through the area on my Darnassian Nightsaber late one night. I'm not sure what it is about riding on a cat mount through the desert, but it just feels so calm and fluid. I also loved running through that zone on my druid (as kitty, naturally). Running through the sands while pouncing hyenas was just too much fun while I was leveling. Yes, I think it's safe to say that the deserts of Tanaris would qualify for one of my more favorite spots.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Is This Thing On?
What is up everyone, happy Tuesday to you all! I know it's been a while since I've done any sort of update, so please allow me to toss a little post your way to let you know that I'm still very much alive and that all is more or less well.
For the past week or two I've been a complete space case as far as updating both World of Saz and Feral By Nature is concerned. Allow me to explain my neglect!
Last week I ended up actually going home for a bit (recall that I've been helping out and staying with my grandparents while my grandmother recovers from some health issues), and naturally that after a year and a half of living at that house, that week was the one that I decided I needed to try and finally start organizing all of my crap. Yeah, it takes me almost two years to settle into a place, what of it? It's no where near finished, by the way.
On top of that craziness I was also expecting company. What kind of company? Well, originally it was supposed to be my WoW crew. That's right, a little Battle of Serenity leftovers meet up at my place out here in the sticks. I was expecting to have four or so people show up on my door step, but alas it was not to be so. Instead I ended up with only one showing up; it was an absolute blast. I'd share pictures but we were far too preoccupied the whole time to get any decent ones. Maybe next time! Anyways, it's a bit weird to be able to /pet someone in real life after having known them for five years but have never known them face to face, but at the same time it's ten shades of awesome. I hope to see him again very soon in person, as well as somehow manage to wiggle my way over to see the rest of my crew in the next year or so.
I'm resisting the urge to gush again. Next topic.
So all in all I am exhausted, both physically and emotionally. I've had quite a bit going on both in real life and in game (Saz is once again in a new guild, trying to kind of get acclimated but as always I'm slow, plus I've been leveling two other characters), so unfortunately I'm somewhat tapped out right this moment and both of my blogs have seen some neglect because of it. I aim to at least get a semi interesting post or two out for WoS later this week though and another chapter done for FBN very soon. Maybe it's high time for another Hoarders post, it's only been a month or so...
Keep your eyes peeled, I haven't abandoned yee yet, mateys!
For the past week or two I've been a complete space case as far as updating both World of Saz and Feral By Nature is concerned. Allow me to explain my neglect!
Last week I ended up actually going home for a bit (recall that I've been helping out and staying with my grandparents while my grandmother recovers from some health issues), and naturally that after a year and a half of living at that house, that week was the one that I decided I needed to try and finally start organizing all of my crap. Yeah, it takes me almost two years to settle into a place, what of it? It's no where near finished, by the way.
On top of that craziness I was also expecting company. What kind of company? Well, originally it was supposed to be my WoW crew. That's right, a little Battle of Serenity leftovers meet up at my place out here in the sticks. I was expecting to have four or so people show up on my door step, but alas it was not to be so. Instead I ended up with only one showing up; it was an absolute blast. I'd share pictures but we were far too preoccupied the whole time to get any decent ones. Maybe next time! Anyways, it's a bit weird to be able to /pet someone in real life after having known them for five years but have never known them face to face, but at the same time it's ten shades of awesome. I hope to see him again very soon in person, as well as somehow manage to wiggle my way over to see the rest of my crew in the next year or so.
I'm resisting the urge to gush again. Next topic.
So all in all I am exhausted, both physically and emotionally. I've had quite a bit going on both in real life and in game (Saz is once again in a new guild, trying to kind of get acclimated but as always I'm slow, plus I've been leveling two other characters), so unfortunately I'm somewhat tapped out right this moment and both of my blogs have seen some neglect because of it. I aim to at least get a semi interesting post or two out for WoS later this week though and another chapter done for FBN very soon. Maybe it's high time for another Hoarders post, it's only been a month or so...
Keep your eyes peeled, I haven't abandoned yee yet, mateys!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Fortune Fridays!
They're quirky, they're fun, they're random Azerothian fortunes! Every Friday you will see a different fortune (either from our beloved Darkmoon Faire or the new fortune cards) featured here at World of Saz. Enjoy!
Fortune Card: The beginning of wisdom is to desire it. The end of wisdom is to theorycraft.
Fortune Card: The beginning of wisdom is to desire it. The end of wisdom is to theorycraft.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
The Identity
Pick up a topic of interest, pass it around. Ponder, discuss, share. That's right folks, it's time for another shared topic from Blog Azeroth. This time around it's Akabeko who gives us the topic of which we are to ponder on.
Disclaimer: I don't typically read other posts on these topics prior to writing my own opinions! So if the topic seems a bit off of it's original intent, my apologies.
While I think Akabeko had a bit more of a role playing angle in mind for this shared topic, I'm going to take a touch more personal approach to it. Think of it as a "meatbag meets pixelself" type of fusion post, and by that I mean I'm going to tackle this from the view point of a non-RP player. Sure even us non-role playing types will be identified as "that one enhancement shaman" or "that one affliction lock" or what have you, and naturally we identify to some extent with our faction (insert "FOR THE HORDE" or "FOR THE ALLIANCE" here), but often we don't bother affiliating with our races. We non-RP types tend to choose races based either stats or pure looks, rarely do we know the histories and personalities behind the races that we play, unless we happen to pick up the information over the years.
Regardless of play style though - be it RP, PvP, PvE, RPPvP, or whatever other variation there may be - all players have something in common. All players will 1) project some sort of personality when interacting with others, be this their own personality or one they had in mind for a specific story/character 2) choose to either identify with a certain guild/clan that shares a likeness in thought processes to themselves or will fill the lone wolf type role. Naturally there are all sorts of shades and variations in what you may find a player identifying themselves as, but this is the general concept that I've gathered thus far.
The fine little details though are what make a character and player one. Like Aka stated, in the real world we often identify with being the bass player, the Packer fan, the couch potato, the reader, but how about in game? For me personally, on my shaman at least, I have always seemed to gravitate towards guild mom, raid leader, the negotiator between two butting heads, the soother, the stubborn "bitch", that one dead shaman on the floor. I've always tried (keyword) to be rational and to take care of my people. I've always tried to make sure folks were happy and tried to do right by my guild. These days though? I'm the bum who spends her time farming for mounts for an obscene number of hours at a time. I started my item hoarding long ago, but the habit seems to have exploded ten fold since my departure from the official raiding scene. I'm the lost girl in between guild homes, who even though finds this frustrating and lonely at times, is quite happy to have her little crew just a chat channel away. /join [channel name] is pretty much one of the best things ever.
Now, while I say "Oh, I don't RP" I do believe I have a bit of RPer in my blood. We've been over this a few times here at WoS already I think. I don't really have a huge story line for my shaman like I am beginning to develop for my druid, but she has been a huge part of my life for the past four years or so. Because of this she fits like a glove. She is the more confident me, the me that I was many moons ago. Her and I have been through a lot of good times and bad together, and she's very much become my online identity. That icon that I use everywhere? Yup, Saz at level 80 in Naxx 25 gear. Heck, I think I even had a picture of Saz for my Facebook page for a while (no you may not have a link!). But it isn't just I who identifies with my Saz personality, but it's my WoW friends as well. A friend of mine has dropped a few good lines that I'd like to quote "Every time I see a shaman, I do a double take and think it's you." and "Well, now I have to get used to your real face. Every time I think of you I see your shaman in my head." Kind of funny to think about how much her and i have become one in the same, or nearly so. I project myself through my pixel form, my pixel form represents who I am or who I'd more or less prefer to be. Well, maybe minus the horn and hooves, though those may be fun change.
To get back to the original question about how Saz defines herself. Essentially she and I identify as one in the same. We are aggressive when need be, protectors of our packs, we like to heal the wounds of our friends, and remove our foes from our paths. She may be a dark skinned alien with horns and I may be a pale ginger with glasses, but personality wise we are not so different. We are friendly to those whom are deserving, will ignore those who are not. We are fiercely loyal to those who show loyalty in return, though we are quick to sever ties if we feel we have been abused in some way. Always observing, always listening.
Shamans are spiritual visionaries of tribes and clans. These gifted warriors who can see into the world of spirits and communicate with creatures invisible to eyes of normal beings. They are beset by visions of the future and use their sight to guide their people through troubled times. Although the shaman may seem wise and serene at first glance, he is a formidable foe; when angered, his wrath is as fierce as those who have a connection to Eternals or nature. WoWWiki
Of course the entry doesn't even begin to cover my association with my various of alts, for yes, they all do have a somewhat individual personality, though they all do very much have an infusion of myself. If you'd like to read more about the personalities of my alts, their associations with each other, and to try to get a gleam of my personality showing through them, take a gander at this previous shared topic, Behind the Faces.
Straight from my eventual post on the matter:
How does your character define themself? What part of their identity is most important to their personality and self-presentation?
In meatspace, we have so many affiliations, it's anyone's guess whether we consider ourselves a tuba player first, or a student, a Gators fan, a New Yorker, a mother, a nerd, a liberal. Our identities are comprised of so many different aspects of life that it's hard to tell which parts different people will choose to define themselves.
In game, there are less game-related ways to identify.
You can identify as:
your class - your spec
your race - a particular subgroup (Mag'har, Wildhammer)
your faction - a faction other than Horde/Alliance
Disclaimer: I don't typically read other posts on these topics prior to writing my own opinions! So if the topic seems a bit off of it's original intent, my apologies.
While I think Akabeko had a bit more of a role playing angle in mind for this shared topic, I'm going to take a touch more personal approach to it. Think of it as a "meatbag meets pixelself" type of fusion post, and by that I mean I'm going to tackle this from the view point of a non-RP player. Sure even us non-role playing types will be identified as "that one enhancement shaman" or "that one affliction lock" or what have you, and naturally we identify to some extent with our faction (insert "FOR THE HORDE" or "FOR THE ALLIANCE" here), but often we don't bother affiliating with our races. We non-RP types tend to choose races based either stats or pure looks, rarely do we know the histories and personalities behind the races that we play, unless we happen to pick up the information over the years.
Regardless of play style though - be it RP, PvP, PvE, RPPvP, or whatever other variation there may be - all players have something in common. All players will 1) project some sort of personality when interacting with others, be this their own personality or one they had in mind for a specific story/character 2) choose to either identify with a certain guild/clan that shares a likeness in thought processes to themselves or will fill the lone wolf type role. Naturally there are all sorts of shades and variations in what you may find a player identifying themselves as, but this is the general concept that I've gathered thus far.
The fine little details though are what make a character and player one. Like Aka stated, in the real world we often identify with being the bass player, the Packer fan, the couch potato, the reader, but how about in game? For me personally, on my shaman at least, I have always seemed to gravitate towards guild mom, raid leader, the negotiator between two butting heads, the soother, the stubborn "bitch", that one dead shaman on the floor. I've always tried (keyword) to be rational and to take care of my people. I've always tried to make sure folks were happy and tried to do right by my guild. These days though? I'm the bum who spends her time farming for mounts for an obscene number of hours at a time. I started my item hoarding long ago, but the habit seems to have exploded ten fold since my departure from the official raiding scene. I'm the lost girl in between guild homes, who even though finds this frustrating and lonely at times, is quite happy to have her little crew just a chat channel away. /join [channel name] is pretty much one of the best things ever.
Now, while I say "Oh, I don't RP" I do believe I have a bit of RPer in my blood. We've been over this a few times here at WoS already I think. I don't really have a huge story line for my shaman like I am beginning to develop for my druid, but she has been a huge part of my life for the past four years or so. Because of this she fits like a glove. She is the more confident me, the me that I was many moons ago. Her and I have been through a lot of good times and bad together, and she's very much become my online identity. That icon that I use everywhere? Yup, Saz at level 80 in Naxx 25 gear. Heck, I think I even had a picture of Saz for my Facebook page for a while (no you may not have a link!). But it isn't just I who identifies with my Saz personality, but it's my WoW friends as well. A friend of mine has dropped a few good lines that I'd like to quote "Every time I see a shaman, I do a double take and think it's you." and "Well, now I have to get used to your real face. Every time I think of you I see your shaman in my head." Kind of funny to think about how much her and i have become one in the same, or nearly so. I project myself through my pixel form, my pixel form represents who I am or who I'd more or less prefer to be. Well, maybe minus the horn and hooves, though those may be fun change.
To get back to the original question about how Saz defines herself. Essentially she and I identify as one in the same. We are aggressive when need be, protectors of our packs, we like to heal the wounds of our friends, and remove our foes from our paths. She may be a dark skinned alien with horns and I may be a pale ginger with glasses, but personality wise we are not so different. We are friendly to those whom are deserving, will ignore those who are not. We are fiercely loyal to those who show loyalty in return, though we are quick to sever ties if we feel we have been abused in some way. Always observing, always listening.
Shamans are spiritual visionaries of tribes and clans. These gifted warriors who can see into the world of spirits and communicate with creatures invisible to eyes of normal beings. They are beset by visions of the future and use their sight to guide their people through troubled times. Although the shaman may seem wise and serene at first glance, he is a formidable foe; when angered, his wrath is as fierce as those who have a connection to Eternals or nature. WoWWiki
Of course the entry doesn't even begin to cover my association with my various of alts, for yes, they all do have a somewhat individual personality, though they all do very much have an infusion of myself. If you'd like to read more about the personalities of my alts, their associations with each other, and to try to get a gleam of my personality showing through them, take a gander at this previous shared topic, Behind the Faces.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Through Your Interface - Day 8, Vacation Spot
I'm still not finished with this Through Your Interface challenge? Ah well, have another!
If Azeroth was the real world, where would you vacation to?
This one is pretty easy: Gallywix's Pleasure Palace
It's a little oasis in Azshara. Hot, humid, and just the perfect little get-a-way for you hardcore industrialists out there. The compound contains a golf course, swimming pool, waitresses running about with booze...what else could one ask for?
The main building on the site has some pretty fancy lighting, which is right up my alley. The downstairs parlor has enough room and seating for you and several of your best homies.
The bedroom is littered with amazingly fluffy and wonderfully patterned pillows, comes with fancy lighting, the walls are covered in crazy wall paper that will drive you bananas (in a good way of course!), gold is strewn across the floor, and the bed is befitting for the pimp that you really are. Sleeping quarters for a king or queen indeed.
Did I mention that there's a pool? There's a pool. I could use one of those right about now. It even comes with inflatable horses! Yeehaw!
Seriously, my kind of place.
If Azeroth was the real world, where would you vacation to?
This one is pretty easy: Gallywix's Pleasure Palace
It's a little oasis in Azshara. Hot, humid, and just the perfect little get-a-way for you hardcore industrialists out there. The compound contains a golf course, swimming pool, waitresses running about with booze...what else could one ask for?
The main building on the site has some pretty fancy lighting, which is right up my alley. The downstairs parlor has enough room and seating for you and several of your best homies.
The bedroom is littered with amazingly fluffy and wonderfully patterned pillows, comes with fancy lighting, the walls are covered in crazy wall paper that will drive you bananas (in a good way of course!), gold is strewn across the floor, and the bed is befitting for the pimp that you really are. Sleeping quarters for a king or queen indeed.
Did I mention that there's a pool? There's a pool. I could use one of those right about now. It even comes with inflatable horses! Yeehaw!
Seriously, my kind of place.
Fortune Fridays!
They're quirky, they're fun, they're random Azerothian fortunes! Every Friday you will see a different fortune (either from our beloved Darkmoon Faire or the new fortune cards) featured here at World of Saz. Enjoy!
Fortune Card: Disbelief destroys the magic.
Fortune Card: Disbelief destroys the magic.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
The Daily Grind
Once upon a time in a land far far away, a little Draenei shaman was born. Her ebony skin glistened in the sunlight of Azuremyst, her blue hair fluttered behind her as she trotted along, gleefully smacking moths with her mace. It was the beginning of a many year grind, one that would engulf this little shaman's life whether she new it or not.
You see, I began as most MMORPG noobs tend to do. I had a spirit ring here, an agility mace there, a strength shield strapped to my back and the notion that the world was my playground. I valued gear by how much armor it had, had no clue how to earn a copper (the discovery of the auction house was a trip), and really didn't know how to go about leveling efficiently. Needless to say, times have changed my friends.
Throughout the Burning Crusade I remained more or less blissfully unaware of the heroic dungeon grind, and while I did on occasion do my Shattered Sun dailies, I never fully grasped or embraced the typical "OMG I need to get my dailies done!" mentality. I made a few sad attempts to work the auction house, mainly by trying to sell greens for what I'm sure were absurd prices (greens were my epics until I capped and learned what a real epic looked like), but outside of that I didn't feel a huge need for gold besides getting enough for my riding/flying training and a mount to go along with each upgrade. I knew nothing of grinding - be it for gear, reputation, or gold - outside of logging in daily to Ironforge only to while away my time trying to force myself to go out in the world and level.
Skip ahead many, many months. Wrath of the Lich King has launched and little Saz has somehow made it to level 80 in under a month (the trek from 1-70 took over 8 months total). She was introduced first to Naxxramas (yes, my first badge of the expansion was earned in a raid, not a heroic) and soon after was dragged through many heroics. In Burning Crusade heroics were a foreign creature, something to only be ran when one needed her Alchemy specialization. In Wrath? It was a way of life. Get together with guild mates, fly to dungeon A, work way around continent to dungeon Z. We did the heroic grind because that's what you did to help your guild gear up if you wanted to down more than just one little boss in Naxxramas. Dailies were still a foreign concept to me up until Trial of the Crusader came along with its Argent Tournament, though I did become rather religious about getting my cooking and fishing dailies done (the Salty obsession began here). During this time I became hooked on the grind. I began my raiding frenzy, started leveling up my druid (she was still semi old school...we still didn't have LFD and she only had the BoA shoulders since nothing else existed) which eventually led to an army of alts, and began my mount obsession. I learned that reputations are actually useful for something, aka mounts, and began to grind those out. I farmed for Baron's mount for weeks. Outside of raiding, the only time I was fully happy was when I was running in circles driving myself batshit insane over some reputation to get a new mount or what have you.
Skip ahead to present day.
To date I have only done Baradin Hold twice. Earlier this week I stepped into Bastion of Twilight for the first time and have yet to see Cho'gall. Raiding hardcore four times or more a week no longer happens, heroics are only completed when I feel like it (rarely), and the grind to find new recruits to fill the ranks of my guild is no more. Ladies and gentlemen, I have a lot of time on my hands now. A lot of time to do non-social grinds.
To someone such as myself - a severe lagger, an introvert, someone who sometimes can be horribly socially awkward - this is both a blessing and a curse. You see, I love me a good grind. As I said just a bit ago, I have always been happiest when running in circles driving myself mad at meeting some absurd goal. However, I am currently unhappy. Frustratingly unhappy.
For starters I came into Cataclysm late due to a myriad of reasons, thus putting myself months behind on the reputation grind. I've had to play catch up on getting all of my basic faction reputations up to exalted, and while doing so 4.2 has launched while this process has remained incomplete. I'm capping my dailies almost daily on my shaman, and I feel as if though I am making no headway. I'm still doing my Argent Tournament dailies in attempts to collect the last two mounts I'm missing and I hope to acquire the Argent Pony Bridle for the achievement. I've been doing my city cooking/fishing dailies in Stormwind/Ironforge/Darnassus in attempts of finishing off those achievements + collecting the last of the vendor cooking recipes. I've been doing that damn bird jousting daily out in Mount Hyjal to get me that second bird pet. After I'm done with that I head over and do my Molten Front dailies (I still have yet to open up one of the factions, thus I don't have all the dailies open yet >.<) despite the massive lag that comes with the zone. When all is said and done, I have only six dailies left to complete, so I do six of the twelve Tol Barad dailies since I'm still missing the horse mount. I feel as if I am making no headway through dailies. It's like trying to progress through quicksand. Don't get me wrong, I see the need for gated content for the longevity of the game and in keeping the long time players actively doing something, but for someone such as myself who is late to the game? It's overwhelming.
Did I mention I've been working on Archeology, running Molten Core on my shaman as well as on my druid if I think of it, while trying to figure out a way to wiggle into other older raids for rep? Yeah...
Ladies and gents, I am drowning in the grind.
Some could say "Well, you don't HAVE to do all your dailies or dig or run old raids." and they would be right, I don't have to. The fact of the matter is though, since I don't raid or role play or run a guild, what else is there to do? Level another alt? Well, even as easy as it is these days that in itself is still a grind. I'm already up to four level 85s, I have a hunter primed to make the five level jump to cap, and I've been working on a holy paladin. Honestly though, I want some personal progression for my shaman right now, and it seems the only way to do that is of course the anti-social grind.
Now, this is an MMORPG. I am fully aware that World of Warcraft is built on the grind and that without it, this game would have died many, many years ago. The reason behind this post is simply to express my frustration over the feeling of being overwhelmed by the grind presented in this expansion. I'm sure that the grinds presented in Cataclysm are a far cry from the horrific (albeit epic) quest lines of Vanilla WoW, they are by far much more mind numbing experience than some of the ones I recall from Wrath (recall that I was mostly oblivious to most of the attunement quests of Burning Crusade...I returned to that zone at 80 and did many of the key quests, but they were a far cry from the difficulty they were at level). I feel as if though I've been doing the daily grind so much and so thoroughly lately that I'm just...numb and unengaged.
Yes, numb and unengaged.
A year and a half ago I was able to fully submerse myself into WoW and the various activities it offered. I didn't mind the heroic dungeon grind because you could queue up all day long and get several dungeons completed and snag yourself a few pieces of gear in a day or two. Now queues are 20-30 minutes as a DPS, you spend an hour in one dungeon (less if the group is over geared and know what's going on, rarely the case in a PuG), and it takes forever to reap the reward if you've already manage to snag/craft/purchase 346 or better ilevel gear. If you want to gear up your alts while still keeping your main in the race for Valor Points, you best have copious amounts of free time on hand. I didn't mind the faction grind once they implemented tabards because if you didn't have the reputation, slap on a tabard and get heroic grinding. That hasn't changed much, but to force one's self through heroics or even the quicker regular dungeons just for simple faction reputation is just torture most days. "Just do the dailies" you may suggest. Remember that bit about me capping out on dailies? Yeah, sadly those are no longer an option thanks to the new Molten Front dailies.
I do love that Blizzard is trying to get us to make choices. It can often be frustrating to be pigeon holed into one way of doing things. I have to give them some respect for trying to get out of the "this is how things must be done" way of working things. On the opposite side of the coin though it almost seems to be a bit much. Sometimes it's fun to have a bit of wiggle room to go back and finish old reputation dailies, like say Ogri'la (okay, those are NOT fun quests, but I do need to get to them soon if I ever want to hit 50 exalted reputations). Grinding Argent Tournament dailies for a year + while trying to squeeze in every possible Cataclysm dailies in order to catch up from being months behind? Not so much. Blizzard has stated that it will not be raising the daily level cap because they want players to choose what to work on next. I say I don't have anything else going on and I'd choose at this point to potentially do more dailies.
Regardless, I am beginning to see the light through the rats nest of reputation grinds, alt leveling, and I wish I could say gear grinding, but that last point is still a dismal black hole of a time sink. Within a few weeks I should finally be finished with the AT dailies on my shaman, she should be just about finished with the city profession dailies (I'll be at the cooking dailies for a while yet though), and it should only be another week or two of half assed Tol Barad dailies before I get my mount and can be finished with them. I only have one more faction to finish via tabards through dungeons left on my shaman. I should be able to open up my first Molten Front faction within the week and I only have five more days left of bird jousting (if I ever have to look at a jousting stick in Azeroth again, I may have to stab my eyes out). I will get through this grind. I will I will I will! Until that day were I finally work my way out of this not-so-fun-even-for-me-grindy mess though, I shall be in unengaged zombie mode. Frustratingly, unengaged, numb, and bored zombie mode.
I need a way to make it all fresh again. I need a way to pop myself out of this apathetic funk. How do you, dear reader that has somehow made it all the way to the bottom of this post, make the daily grind fresh or at least tolerable for you?
You see, I began as most MMORPG noobs tend to do. I had a spirit ring here, an agility mace there, a strength shield strapped to my back and the notion that the world was my playground. I valued gear by how much armor it had, had no clue how to earn a copper (the discovery of the auction house was a trip), and really didn't know how to go about leveling efficiently. Needless to say, times have changed my friends.
Throughout the Burning Crusade I remained more or less blissfully unaware of the heroic dungeon grind, and while I did on occasion do my Shattered Sun dailies, I never fully grasped or embraced the typical "OMG I need to get my dailies done!" mentality. I made a few sad attempts to work the auction house, mainly by trying to sell greens for what I'm sure were absurd prices (greens were my epics until I capped and learned what a real epic looked like), but outside of that I didn't feel a huge need for gold besides getting enough for my riding/flying training and a mount to go along with each upgrade. I knew nothing of grinding - be it for gear, reputation, or gold - outside of logging in daily to Ironforge only to while away my time trying to force myself to go out in the world and level.
Skip ahead many, many months. Wrath of the Lich King has launched and little Saz has somehow made it to level 80 in under a month (the trek from 1-70 took over 8 months total). She was introduced first to Naxxramas (yes, my first badge of the expansion was earned in a raid, not a heroic) and soon after was dragged through many heroics. In Burning Crusade heroics were a foreign creature, something to only be ran when one needed her Alchemy specialization. In Wrath? It was a way of life. Get together with guild mates, fly to dungeon A, work way around continent to dungeon Z. We did the heroic grind because that's what you did to help your guild gear up if you wanted to down more than just one little boss in Naxxramas. Dailies were still a foreign concept to me up until Trial of the Crusader came along with its Argent Tournament, though I did become rather religious about getting my cooking and fishing dailies done (the Salty obsession began here). During this time I became hooked on the grind. I began my raiding frenzy, started leveling up my druid (she was still semi old school...we still didn't have LFD and she only had the BoA shoulders since nothing else existed) which eventually led to an army of alts, and began my mount obsession. I learned that reputations are actually useful for something, aka mounts, and began to grind those out. I farmed for Baron's mount for weeks. Outside of raiding, the only time I was fully happy was when I was running in circles driving myself batshit insane over some reputation to get a new mount or what have you.
Skip ahead to present day.
To date I have only done Baradin Hold twice. Earlier this week I stepped into Bastion of Twilight for the first time and have yet to see Cho'gall. Raiding hardcore four times or more a week no longer happens, heroics are only completed when I feel like it (rarely), and the grind to find new recruits to fill the ranks of my guild is no more. Ladies and gentlemen, I have a lot of time on my hands now. A lot of time to do non-social grinds.
To someone such as myself - a severe lagger, an introvert, someone who sometimes can be horribly socially awkward - this is both a blessing and a curse. You see, I love me a good grind. As I said just a bit ago, I have always been happiest when running in circles driving myself mad at meeting some absurd goal. However, I am currently unhappy. Frustratingly unhappy.
For starters I came into Cataclysm late due to a myriad of reasons, thus putting myself months behind on the reputation grind. I've had to play catch up on getting all of my basic faction reputations up to exalted, and while doing so 4.2 has launched while this process has remained incomplete. I'm capping my dailies almost daily on my shaman, and I feel as if though I am making no headway. I'm still doing my Argent Tournament dailies in attempts to collect the last two mounts I'm missing and I hope to acquire the Argent Pony Bridle for the achievement. I've been doing my city cooking/fishing dailies in Stormwind/Ironforge/Darnassus in attempts of finishing off those achievements + collecting the last of the vendor cooking recipes. I've been doing that damn bird jousting daily out in Mount Hyjal to get me that second bird pet. After I'm done with that I head over and do my Molten Front dailies (I still have yet to open up one of the factions, thus I don't have all the dailies open yet >.<) despite the massive lag that comes with the zone. When all is said and done, I have only six dailies left to complete, so I do six of the twelve Tol Barad dailies since I'm still missing the horse mount. I feel as if I am making no headway through dailies. It's like trying to progress through quicksand. Don't get me wrong, I see the need for gated content for the longevity of the game and in keeping the long time players actively doing something, but for someone such as myself who is late to the game? It's overwhelming.
Did I mention I've been working on Archeology, running Molten Core on my shaman as well as on my druid if I think of it, while trying to figure out a way to wiggle into other older raids for rep? Yeah...
Ladies and gents, I am drowning in the grind.
Some could say "Well, you don't HAVE to do all your dailies or dig or run old raids." and they would be right, I don't have to. The fact of the matter is though, since I don't raid or role play or run a guild, what else is there to do? Level another alt? Well, even as easy as it is these days that in itself is still a grind. I'm already up to four level 85s, I have a hunter primed to make the five level jump to cap, and I've been working on a holy paladin. Honestly though, I want some personal progression for my shaman right now, and it seems the only way to do that is of course the anti-social grind.
Now, this is an MMORPG. I am fully aware that World of Warcraft is built on the grind and that without it, this game would have died many, many years ago. The reason behind this post is simply to express my frustration over the feeling of being overwhelmed by the grind presented in this expansion. I'm sure that the grinds presented in Cataclysm are a far cry from the horrific (albeit epic) quest lines of Vanilla WoW, they are by far much more mind numbing experience than some of the ones I recall from Wrath (recall that I was mostly oblivious to most of the attunement quests of Burning Crusade...I returned to that zone at 80 and did many of the key quests, but they were a far cry from the difficulty they were at level). I feel as if though I've been doing the daily grind so much and so thoroughly lately that I'm just...numb and unengaged.
Yes, numb and unengaged.
A year and a half ago I was able to fully submerse myself into WoW and the various activities it offered. I didn't mind the heroic dungeon grind because you could queue up all day long and get several dungeons completed and snag yourself a few pieces of gear in a day or two. Now queues are 20-30 minutes as a DPS, you spend an hour in one dungeon (less if the group is over geared and know what's going on, rarely the case in a PuG), and it takes forever to reap the reward if you've already manage to snag/craft/purchase 346 or better ilevel gear. If you want to gear up your alts while still keeping your main in the race for Valor Points, you best have copious amounts of free time on hand. I didn't mind the faction grind once they implemented tabards because if you didn't have the reputation, slap on a tabard and get heroic grinding. That hasn't changed much, but to force one's self through heroics or even the quicker regular dungeons just for simple faction reputation is just torture most days. "Just do the dailies" you may suggest. Remember that bit about me capping out on dailies? Yeah, sadly those are no longer an option thanks to the new Molten Front dailies.
I do love that Blizzard is trying to get us to make choices. It can often be frustrating to be pigeon holed into one way of doing things. I have to give them some respect for trying to get out of the "this is how things must be done" way of working things. On the opposite side of the coin though it almost seems to be a bit much. Sometimes it's fun to have a bit of wiggle room to go back and finish old reputation dailies, like say Ogri'la (okay, those are NOT fun quests, but I do need to get to them soon if I ever want to hit 50 exalted reputations). Grinding Argent Tournament dailies for a year + while trying to squeeze in every possible Cataclysm dailies in order to catch up from being months behind? Not so much. Blizzard has stated that it will not be raising the daily level cap because they want players to choose what to work on next. I say I don't have anything else going on and I'd choose at this point to potentially do more dailies.
Regardless, I am beginning to see the light through the rats nest of reputation grinds, alt leveling, and I wish I could say gear grinding, but that last point is still a dismal black hole of a time sink. Within a few weeks I should finally be finished with the AT dailies on my shaman, she should be just about finished with the city profession dailies (I'll be at the cooking dailies for a while yet though), and it should only be another week or two of half assed Tol Barad dailies before I get my mount and can be finished with them. I only have one more faction to finish via tabards through dungeons left on my shaman. I should be able to open up my first Molten Front faction within the week and I only have five more days left of bird jousting (if I ever have to look at a jousting stick in Azeroth again, I may have to stab my eyes out). I will get through this grind. I will I will I will! Until that day were I finally work my way out of this not-so-fun-even-for-me-grindy mess though, I shall be in unengaged zombie mode. Frustratingly, unengaged, numb, and bored zombie mode.
I need a way to make it all fresh again. I need a way to pop myself out of this apathetic funk. How do you, dear reader that has somehow made it all the way to the bottom of this post, make the daily grind fresh or at least tolerable for you?
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Through Your Interface - Day 7, Screen Shot of the Year
I'm buckling down and attempting to get another day of this Through Your Interface challenge done. Here goes nothing!
Show us the best screen shot you believe that you have ever taken and why you think it is the best (content, meaning, how you framed it, etc).
Alright, confession time. The image above certainly isn't the best image of the year for me. Heck, it's probably not even my all time favorite, but ladies and gents, I am stumped. I managed to draw a blank on a topic I myself came up with. This may be in part because I'm actually playing the game at this moment instead of obsessing over my overly huge pile of screen shots, or maybe it's partially because my currently file system is an absolute mess, or maybe I simply have to many favorites to be able to chose just one. Any way you look at it though, I fell short on this entry. I caved and went the easy route; I just chose something that was pretty and on hand. Will you ever forgive me?
Show us the best screen shot you believe that you have ever taken and why you think it is the best (content, meaning, how you framed it, etc).
Alright, confession time. The image above certainly isn't the best image of the year for me. Heck, it's probably not even my all time favorite, but ladies and gents, I am stumped. I managed to draw a blank on a topic I myself came up with. This may be in part because I'm actually playing the game at this moment instead of obsessing over my overly huge pile of screen shots, or maybe it's partially because my currently file system is an absolute mess, or maybe I simply have to many favorites to be able to chose just one. Any way you look at it though, I fell short on this entry. I caved and went the easy route; I just chose something that was pretty and on hand. Will you ever forgive me?
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Through Your Interface: The Official List
About a month and a half ago I threw out this one little challenge called Through Your Interface. TYI requires the participants to find 15 separate screen shots (or more, if they so choose) that match the topic given. General standards for such a challenge usually call for the participant to only do one topic a day, not necessarily consistently, but the Through Your Interface challenge's parameters are a bit loose. Do what you like but stay in the neighborhood of the structure. Can't be staving creativity, but absolute chaos wouldn't help create a theme at all! Or really be a challenge for that matter.
The participation in this project has turned out has been better than I could have possibly anticipated. Some folks are already finished with this challenge, some have yet to begin, and many (like myself) are still in the midst of working on finishing up with posting. The following is a list of blogs who have, are currently, or will be participating in this fun little project.
Finished
Postcards From Azeroth
The Daily Frostwolf - Druid Edition
In Progress
Dragonsworn
Revive & Rejuvenate
Jaded Alt
Dwarven Battle Medic
Kamalia et alia
Moonkin Journeys
Isadora
Tome of the Ancient
Amerence Love WoW
Jaedia's Menagerie
Amateur Azerothian
The Grizzlemaw Gazette
The Ready Check
Altoholic
Red Cow Rise
Poky Joes *Pokes*
Spellbound
Unleashed Rage
Syrco Owl
If you happen to be working on the Through Your Interface challenge and do not see your name on this list, please feel free to drop a comment anywhere! Well, just about anywhere. If you put it in your sock drawer I may never find it after all.
Many thanks to those of you who have participated or at least have shown interest in this project. It has been an absolute pleasure to see the game through eyes that are not my own and it has definitely brought some very amazing blogs to my attention. Whether or not you choose to take on this challenge personally, I highly recommend checking out the blogs listed above. You never know when you'll find a new blog that you just fall in love with!
Stay creative, my friends.
The participation in this project has turned out has been better than I could have possibly anticipated. Some folks are already finished with this challenge, some have yet to begin, and many (like myself) are still in the midst of working on finishing up with posting. The following is a list of blogs who have, are currently, or will be participating in this fun little project.
Finished
Postcards From Azeroth
The Daily Frostwolf - Druid Edition
In Progress
Dragonsworn
Revive & Rejuvenate
Jaded Alt
Dwarven Battle Medic
Kamalia et alia
Moonkin Journeys
Isadora
Tome of the Ancient
Amerence Love WoW
Jaedia's Menagerie
Amateur Azerothian
The Grizzlemaw Gazette
The Ready Check
Altoholic
Red Cow Rise
Poky Joes *Pokes*
Spellbound
Unleashed Rage
Syrco Owl
If you happen to be working on the Through Your Interface challenge and do not see your name on this list, please feel free to drop a comment anywhere! Well, just about anywhere. If you put it in your sock drawer I may never find it after all.
Many thanks to those of you who have participated or at least have shown interest in this project. It has been an absolute pleasure to see the game through eyes that are not my own and it has definitely brought some very amazing blogs to my attention. Whether or not you choose to take on this challenge personally, I highly recommend checking out the blogs listed above. You never know when you'll find a new blog that you just fall in love with!
Stay creative, my friends.
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