Joel's Scattered Thoughts

Wrath Malaise

Joel — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:16:35 +0000

I think I’ve figured out what’s bugging me about Wrath - it’s the (self-imposed) pressure to level. I feel as though I ought to be one of the first (if not the first) in my guild alliance to level. Given that my highest character is level 72, that’s not going to happen. Okay, I could take my hunter, play day and night for the next three days and probably hit 80, but that wouldn’t be any fun. I think I’m going to continue my current program of leveling an alt here and there and I’ll hit 80 when I get there. There are a number of tanks leveling in our guild alliance so I won’t be leaving people high and dry. I’m going to focus on the fun in game.

EDIT: Larísa has a post along the same lines, Dealing with the fear of falling behind.

A humble suggestion

Joel — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:16:31 +0000

Greedy goblin has come up with A humble suggestion for making a dynamic version of World of Warcraft that would make raiding easier as time passes while keeping it tough for the hardcore. I especially like the idea that there would be a record of how hard a raid boss was then you defeated it.

A warlock’s story

Joel — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:43:49 +0000

Greedy goblin tells A warlock’s story, showing the complex interactions of WoW and the world that is. I would love to speak with a psychiatrist as wise as the one in the story. Mind you, I’d have to be willing to act on that wisdom as well.

Favorite Part of Wrath

Joel — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:01:33 +0000

So far my favorite part of Wrath is the new cooking recipes. The new instances are well done. The quests are amusing and well-planned. Nevertheless I like the new food and fishing for it best.

I really don’t know if I’m going to make it to raiding in Wrath. I like the new quests and stuff but I’m finding leveling frustrating and leveling has always been one of my favorite parts of WoW. I suspect that I have some unconscious expectations that aren’t being met and so far I haven’t managed to track down the cause of my dissatisfaction.

Maxed Mining and Herbalism

Joel — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:32:42 +0000

I managed to max out for Mining and Herbalism. Herbalism was a little faster - I finished it at 2AM on Saturday. Mining took me till this morning. I did a couple of circuits of Netherstorm in Outlands to get my gathering skills above 400 and take advantage of that expensive flying mount. After gathering some in the starting zones, I found that Sholazar Basin offers plenty of herbs and mining nodes that are surrounded by neutral or avoidable mobs. Now my crafting professions are going to cost a good chunk of change to level, so I may hold off on those.

Warrior (0/8/54)

Joel — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:46:36 +0000

Next time I’m in a capital I think I’m going to switch to this Warrior (0/8/54) for leveling. I’m tanking a lot but it looks as though I’ll be doing some questing, which means more DPS would be great.

EVE-Mag.com

Joel — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:56:42 +0000

EVE-Mag.com looks like a good source of information for Eve Online if ever I get around to trying that game out.

WotLK Restoration FAQ

Joel — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:45:15 +0000

Resto4Life has a WotLK Restoration FAQ up for druids. I doubt I’ll be going resto anytime soon on my druid but it’s good to have a reference in case I decide to heal.

Shaman Wrath reputation rewards and tactics

Joel — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:20:08 +0000

Flameshock has a writeup of Shaman Wrath reputation rewards.

Old-Tyme Gathering

Joel — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:11:05 +0000

If you’re a gatherer, stay in Outlands! Here’s why.

Plenty of skill-ups to be had. For example, mana thistle was still orange to my 275 herbalist.
Well mapped nodes. Outlands has been around for almost 2 years and every node has been mapped. Use a gathering addon that includes a database of known node locations and a routing addon and be efficient! I use Gathermate because of the automatic tracking switcher for my dual gatherer.
Less competition - everyone’s fighting over the shiny new Northrend nodes.
I believe I can fly! Take advantage of that pricey (epic) flying mount of yours.

And here’s why not.

Outlands isn’t shiny. After two years, Outlands doesn’t have that new car smell any more.
Crafting professions want new mats. For higher level skill-ups or some of the shiny new items, you’re going to need Northrend materials.

Note, the above does not apply for skinners - have fun right away in Northrend!

Edit: I managed to get mining to 405 and herbalism to 420 before I stopped getting skill-ups regularly. I’m guessing you could get up to 410 mining and 430 herbalism (or even higher with Khorium or Mana Thistle) before you stop getting skill-ups entirely.