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TBT: WoW 12 Years! And Great Times!

On November 18, 2016

In Gaming, MMORPG, TBT, World of Warcraft

So this issue of TBT (err, Fallback Friday? yes, I’m late) is going to appeal to a much different group of folks. If you follow any of Blizzard’s games then you know this week they are celebrating World of Warcraft’s 12th anniversary. People who don’t follow the gaming industry are probably shocked that a game is still thriving after 12 years. The funny thing is, that’s really not all that inconceivable. Final Fantasy will be releasing their 15th iteration of their franchise which began back in 1987. So WoW is a youngster by comparison but, if you will allow me a small pun, WoW 12 years!

It’s not a secret to my gaming friends that I have been playing this game for a long time, however, I have not been playing the entire 12 years. Actually I didn’t start playing until about the fall of 2005 when a friend convinced me to give it a shot. The first character I ever created was a male Night Elf Hunter named Discretus. Around February of 2006 I took a break from WoW until about June of the same year. I discovered that several of my co-workers also played so I created a Human Paladin on Alleria named Anthonius. I still play that paladin to this day. I didn’t forget about Discretus, however, that toon isn’t a male Night Elf anymore. After a few server transfers and a “Bruce Jenner” transformation, that character has become a female Draenai.

Gaming Friends are Real Friends Too

Neither of my two original toons go by those specific names anymore, however my gaming friends still address me by the moniker “Anth”. So who are these gaming friends, you might ask. Yes, most of them I have never met in person, but physical location isn’t required to create and maintain friendships. In fact I believe I have covered that very concept before. We all live in different parts of the continent, with different jobs and believe different things. Be that as it may, World of Warcraft is now just one thing we all have in common.

We were all part of a guild for seven years. When the realm population became meager, most of us transferred to a new server, with a higher population. A couple of us still raid together on the same team in a new guild, but all of us still keep in touch. Social media, chat clients and Discord allow us to still chat with each other. So over the twelve years Blizzard has provided us all with something more than mere recreation. It has forged unforgettable friends.

/cheers

TBT is one of those crazy Facebook trends. It stands for “ThrowBack Thursday” and often times people post pictures. I know the old adage “A picture is worth 1,000 words” but most of the time the pictures I want to post have a great story behind them. In my traditional nerdy fashion, instead of just a picture I want to provide a blog post for my TBT moments to share those great stories. I will not share stories in which the context will embarrass or incriminate myself or my friends and family.

Blizzard Has Marginalized Professions

By Biggs

On November 11, 2016

In Gaming, World of Warcraft

Isn’t it ironic that after talking about the trials and tribulations of leveling professions in Legion I’m now discussing how Blizzard has marginalized professions? Perhaps more people were dissatisfied with having to always gem and enchant their gear thus why Blizzard made such dramatic changes to professions. I’ll be honest, I actually miss putting gems in my gear and enchanting my weapon. In fact the latter really bums me out because I think some enchants on our artifact weapon would look amazing!

Actually how marginalized professions has become really bums me out. I always feel like leveling your professions was all part of the leveling experience. It’s one of those tertiary tasks you can do for those times you want to be in-game, but not really in the mood to quest. Granted Blizzard hasn’t removed just lackadaisically crafting at the kiln, but now crafted items are less meaningful. This is especially true for Jewelcrafting and Inscription.

Jewelcrafting, Inscription. Gone!

Well, not really, but if your profession is jewelcrafting and/or inscription, you are probably in the worst position. There are 16 gear slots (excluding the shirt) and, between two level 110 characters, I think I have a gem slot on one item. I’m not suggesting that a gem slot needs to be on every piece of gear again, but it might be nice to see more it than ^*3.125% of the time. Inscription is mostly cosmetic. Your target market are people who like to change their shadow form or their ghoul’s appearance. The only way to make a profit using a profession is to complete the Obliterum quest chain and destroy everything you make and sell the obliterum.

Since you can use obliterum to increase item level, the traditional crafting professions (i.e. Leatherworking, Tailoring, & Blacksmithing) still have merit. You can make improvements on the higher level crafted items by using obliterum to increase their level up to 855. Enchanting is probably the only viable profession for progressing in the end game and turning a profit. As players acquire new gear from Mythic dungeons, raids or World Quests some of those items will need enchants.

I hope Blizzard is working on some big changes for professions. I would like to see them play a bigger role again. It doesn’t necessarily have to be as large of a role as it was back in Wrath of the Lich King. I’m not expecting a significant change during Legion but hopefully something clever and innovative in the next expansion. Until then mounts and pets seem to be the only real reason people even level professions.

/cheers

^{* 16 slots per toon * 2 toons = 32; 1/32 = 3.125%}

If zombies attack the world, everyone will run and hide. Except for us gamers, of course. We’ve been waiting for this all our lives!

WoW: Leveling Your Professions In Legion

By Biggs

On October 10, 2016

In Gaming, MMORPG, World of Warcraft

Blizzard is trying something new this expansion in regards to professions. Instead of the classic “make x number of widgets”, each profession now has quests. These quests require you to travel all over the Broken Isles to learn from other masters of the trade. There are some quests that require you to enter dungeons (even the Mythic-only dungeons). Leveling your professions has always been a necessary evil and often times quite taxing. The quests do seem to add new depth to them instead of standing by the forge smelting 300 bars. However I can see how the constant queuing for dungeons may eventually feel burdensome and mundane.

I have completed the full gambit of quests and dungeons for tailoring and enchanting. I’m working on mining and engineering now (yay! my paladin is 110!). I don’t feel like its too annoying to have to go into 3 or 4 different dungeons, yet. I may feel differently by the end of the year when I’m working on a 5th or 6th alt. Especially since I’m not too happy about a profession quest that is gated behind a Mythic dungeon (that requires 4,000 Honored rep to unlock).

Will This Kill Professions?

I know of some players that just won’t bother with professions; a choice they made long before this expansion. I’m sure there are some players who begrudgingly pick up professions perhaps for end-game content or just a means to make money. It does beg the question as to whether this new mechanic for professions will do more harm than good. Technically, you don’t have to complete the quests to reach 800 skill points in your profession. In fact, you can still reach the max level doing it the old fashioned way, however you will need to complete a few quests to learn some recipes.

Logistically, I’m still on the fence about the changes. When you think about it, the effort you need to max out a profession is pretty comparable to running a couple of dungeons. If you wanted to make that one “orange” item, that you know would give you the last point you need, you needed to farm for days or spend a small fortune in gold.

Speaking of spending a small fortune, you also have to keep in mind that this method means you don’t have to purchase new recipes from a trainer. Each quest may teach you a new recipe, so imagine the gold you are saving by not having to buy every new recipe. In fact you are actually making money because some of the quests also reward gold.

Ranking Seems Superfluous

Most Legion crafting professions now have three ranks (indicated by stars). The only advantage you receive with each new rank is fewer materials needed to craft the item. I think this is a great advantage for the early part of the expansion but as more people level more alts, the quantity of materials becomes less of a concern. Therefore I think the ranking becomes superfluous when the only benefit is fewer materials. I would much prefer a crafting model similar to the crafting mechanic used in Star Wars: The Old Republic where each higher “rank” has better stats.

Actually, when I think about it, perhaps each higher “rank” should have a greater probability of upgrading the item upon completion. The highest (crafted) item level I have seen, thus far, is 815 but World Quests are awarding items much higher than that. I think World Quests are great but they are slowly marginalizing Tailoring, Leatherworking and Blacksmithing to transmog professions.

So has leveling your professions become an inconvenient frivolity? It may depend on what your end-game goals are. If you are raiding Normal/Heroic/Mythic content then some professions will provide excellent supplements toward those goals. Granted this will come mostly in the form of Enchanting, Alchemy and Jewelcrafting. I appreciate that Blizzard tried to make professions more interesting. It’s unfortunate that they put so much hard work into these profession quests but the rewards are hardly worth the effort. I expect to see some tweaks to professions in upcoming content patches.

/cheers

If zombies attack the world, everyone will run and hide. Except for us gamers, of course. We’ve been waiting for this all our lives!

Legion Leveling: My Shadow Priest Is 110

By Biggs

On September 15, 2016

In Gaming, MMORPG, World of Warcraft

About a week after launch, I finally reached level 110 on my shadow priest. In all fairness I did have other things going on. It’s strange for me to say that my shadow priest is the first character to reach level 110. My poor paladin is still sitting at 100. This is the first time since 2005 that I did not level my paladin first. I’ll admit it feels a bit strange but I did it for the raid team. Obviously I will immediately began leveling my paladin. At any rate, I’m not writing to lament about my paladin, this is about the Legion leveling experience.

In a previous post I talked about reading War of the Ancients in preparation for this expansion. Blizzard exceeded my expectations. My biggest lamentation (other than my paladin) is not having finished the other two books before the expansion. Beyond a doubt I am convinced that my leveling experience was enhanced by those books. It’s the same feeling I had when I was leveling in Wrath of the Lich King.

It Feels Like Wrath of the Lich King

Speaking of Wrath of the Lich King, Legion feels a lot like that expansion. Unlike Warlords of Draenor the quests in Legion actually have context in the dungeons and raids. Wrath of the Lich King used the same mechanic with its quests and dungeons. The thing that made leveling fun in Lich King was the story that carried you through each zone and to the final encounter with Arthas. Legion is also off to a good start using a similar leveling experience. I think what helps me enjoy this expansion is the connection I feel with the lore. I shared a similar connection in Lich King. It’s amazing how a little bit of lore can change your entire perception.

It’s strange never receiving a new weapon as a drop or quest reward. You receive your artifact weapon at the very beginning and another weapon never drops. You will receive items for every other slot on your character but the only thing that will change on your weapon are the artifact runes and artifact points. While some people (trolls) might see that as lackadaisical of Blizzard, I think it adds a new level of mystery and excitement to your character’s story. If that isn’t enough then I have two words for you: “Ashbringer” and “Doomhammer”!

Legion Leveling: Order Halls and Zone Scaling

As part of your quest to acquire your artifact weapon you will also unlock your Class Order Hall. The Order Hall is the next evolution of the Garrison from the previous expansion. However, at the Order Hall you will see other players of the same class instead of just your toon. It’s your base of operations against the Burning Legion and each Order Hall is located in different parts of Azeroth (depending on the class).

Ironically Khadgar referred to your garrison as a base of operations but I don’t think it ever really felt like that. The Order Hall has that wartime feel with generals standing around massive scouting maps, NPCs and players running around, it feels more alive. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the concept of the garrison but once you are done leveling it doesn’t feel connected to the story anymore.

The zone scaling is brilliant as it is scary. When you begin leveling in Legion you actually get to choose which, of 4 zones, you want to start in (with the exception of Suramar). You will ultimately quest in all 4 zones before you reach 110 (unless you dungeon crawl the entire way). I don’t know how Blizzard pulled it off but the mobs are just as difficult for someone of level 110 as they are for someone of level 103 in the same zone.

The scary thing you have to get used to is, for example, if you begin in Val’Sharah and return there when you are 110 you may think they will be easy pickins. No, they are the same level as you and they can kill you just as easily at 110. The algorithm to pull off that kind of scaling, to me, is genius and mind-numbing. I will get lost in thought just trying to figure it out on my own; but I like it.

TL;DR

All right, this post is bordering on long-winded. I’m going to stop here. Obviously I am enjoying my Legion leveling experience and I could talk more about the things that I like about it. Perhaps I will write a “Part II” or follow-up post after I spend more time leveling other characters and hitting the first raid – Emerald Nightmare, how cool is that!

If zombies attack the world, everyone will run and hide. Except for us gamers, of course. We’ve been waiting for this all our lives!

War of the Ancients Prepares You For Legion

By Biggs

On August 25, 2016

In Gaming, World of Warcraft

When Blizzard announced the release date of Legion I began reading War of the Ancients by Richard Knaak. My thought is that it would be a great warm up for the coming expansion. Unfortunately I feel behind, as I often do because life happens, however, I did complete the first book in the trilogy, The Well of Eternity. I’m obviously not going to finish the other two books before launch, which is this coming Tuesday. Granted we don’t know if Blizzard even considered War of the Ancients so any correlation could just be coincidence.

If you haven’t read any of the books, or you’re teetering on the fence about it, let me share my thoughts. Maybe it will help make the decision a little easier. It will also help if you are familiar with what is coming in Legion. The book mostly takes place in Suramar, which is a zone where we will be questing. It’s also the location of Malfurion’s home. Of course there is Illidan who teams up with Lord Ravencrest and they will travel to Black Rook Hold.

While the Burning Legion is the main antagonist, Malfurion will confront Lord Xavius at the end of the book. After reviewing a few of the dungeons, Lord Xavius is a boss in one of them. I’m a little curious how that is possible, and you will see what I mean when you reach the end.

I really enjoyed reading the first book and now I can hardly wait for Legion. I think Richard Knaak has a “knack” for articulation in story telling (see what I did there). His writing style isn’t convoluted or complicated which makes it a pretty fast read. It helps when you reach a point where you can’t put the book down. After I read the last page of Well of Eternity, I barely took a breath before I read the first page in Demon Soul. If you are going to play Legion, or you enjoy Warcraft lore then I would recommend at least reading Well of Eternity.

Now, “you are prepared”!

If zombies attack the world, everyone will run and hide. Except for us gamers, of course. We’ve been waiting for this all our lives!

The Burning Legion is Invading; Enter the Demon Hunter

By Biggs

On August 18, 2016

In Gaming, MMORPG, World of Warcraft

Fel “Star Destroyers” patrol the skies.

So we are a week into the pre-expansion content patch. The Burning Legion is invading Azeroth, bombarding beloved landmarks with fel fireballs from Legion “Star Destroyers“. Doomsayers are prophesying the “end of days” and dark whispers are turning the innocent into minions of Sargeras. It is time for heroes to return and take on the Burning Legion … again; however this time they will have some more help. The Illidari have come back. The Wardens have released Illidan’s imprisoned Demon Hunters and they are swarming to each faction’s capital cities. Even amidst great sorrow, both the Horde and the Alliance are welcoming their aid in hopes of thwarting Gul’dan once again.

The Burning Legion is Invading

So far this has definitely been one of the more memorable world events leading up to an expansion. It’s kind of reminiscent of Wrath of the Lich King where terror can occur at any moment while in a capital city. I think what sets this world event apart from previous expansions are the invasions. It is really cool to see both factions flock to a location to help defeat the demons invading Azeroth. In the Broken Isles scenario it is also really cool to see both factions with players actively participating in the same scenario. In fact I’d say that is my favorite new mechanic. Can you imagine what ICC would have been like if it used the same mechanic.

If, for whatever reason, you have been avoiding the demon invasions, you are truly missing out. Grab your main, grab your alt, grab your Demon Hunter and go slaughter some demons! The level 700+ gear that drops will definitely make it worth the 15-20 minutes of chaos.

Enter the Demon Hunter

Have you tried playing the Demon Hunter yet? It kind of feels like a Rogue and a Warrior; you build your resource like a warrior and you have the mobility of a rogue. You’re only going to get two talents pre-expansion, but they are still pretty fun to play. It actually makes me excited to level one to 110 just to see what other abilities they will get. I have only tried the Havoc spec, which is their DPS build, and I have seen some pretty successful Vengeance tanking even in a Heroic raid. In my humble opinion they play like the hero class the Death Knight was meant to feel like but “fel” flat (see what I did there). Also, as an avid mount collector, their Felsaber mount looks amazing (I just wish it could fly)!

The “cool factor” of this pre-expansion content doesn’t end with the invasions and the Demon Hunter. If you are a lore junkie then there is plenty here to get your fix. The recent Dalaran/Ulduar/Karazhan quest line will definitely satiate your lore cravings. Try to immerse yourself into the lore and that is where you will begin enjoying the content. I am really excited for this expansion.

If zombies attack the world, everyone will run and hide. Except for us gamers, of course. We’ve been waiting for this all our lives!

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

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