Whinge Mode Disabled

I was all whin-ey yesterday wasn't I? Not the most attractive look on me I know so as ever I'm eternally grateful to the RotS crew who took me instancing and got me within spitting distance of level 74. They also got me shiny shoes and a shiny staff. That was from Azjol-Nerub (as the name implies, rather full of aggressive arachnids...). The we moseyed off to Ahn'kahet which netted me a shiny cloak. It was my day yesterday for the loot drops that was for sure. And of course going with Nao and TG (plate) and Mouse (leather) and Eloria (mail) means that I has no-one to fight for the cloth drops /big smile.

I'm also a fan of instancing for a number of reasons, the most obvious being I've been playing in groups with the RotS crew for so now long it's almost weird not to be playing with them. Blizz made an exceptional change in Wrath though,in my opinion. The instances I've done so far are all do-able in less than an hour. This is a big thing when you have children, your guildies work shifts, you're shattered etc. And the bosses are fun. Ok, granted - some are still straight tank-and-spank which I've been a fan of for layzee healz, but the others have variety; the last boss in Nexus requires you to move, as mentioned in a previous post. Now we've figured that to get rid of the frost de-buff all you have to do is jump, so someone stands behind me and every so often (usually when I'm turning blue) says 'Jump Pilf...'. Ez-mode. In Ahn'kahet the final boss, Herald (which I misread as Harold...) Volazj, casts Insanity which means that everyone has to fight 'shades' of the other party members - what a wonderful excuse to kick the shit out of your guildies!! Just a shame as a priest that I can't do anything too awful to them /giggle. And the xp rawks. I know that I'm on rested still but 6k a kill on the trash - yes please!!! I did about two-thirds of a level from two instances yesterday - and as I'm still finding questing a chore that's blatantly A Good Thing.

The final thing that's making me happy and stuff? Since I got my fishing to 400 it's only taking ten catches to skill-up. Whoot! I was despairing of ever levelling as it was about 20 lands per skill up. I've spent a fair amount of time fishing in the Dalaran Sewers (ick) and haven't managed to fish me up a pet as yet, but in amongst the sewer carp (I repeat ick) I got me lots of magic stuff that makes things fun...

Where I am.

Been meaning to do this for a few days, but here I go. With the coming of wrath I have found myself spread out, not in a bad way but it has given me some insights I thought I'd share. I'm playing not just my paladin (73), but also my druid (70), my warlock (70), my hunter (70) and my death knight (61) and on occasion my shaman (55).

As such I thought I'd share a little of what I've found with each of these classes with you now.

Paladin
With the current changes I've found as a tankadin that I've to stop a lot less to drink, which is good. Divine Plea is the reason behind this and it has been just fun. I basically use it every cooldown when grinding/questing. I've also found myself replacing a lot of gear I thought would last me a long time. Te reason is I'm trying to keep my defense rating capped as I level, and to be honest I'm not sacrificing that much to keep this rating up.

Hunter
Leveling the hunter is easy as I always knew it would be. The biggest change that has affected me would be the change to the pet's defensive mode. When I attack something, if the pet is not in combat it attacks it too. Which I have found makes leveling easier. Though it means I get affected by the cower bug occasionally, but I got a macro for that. Also miss out on using hunter's mark, got a macro for that too, same macro actually....

Druid
No major changes with the druid, well till I go bear, then I notice something nothing major but I wouldn't want to tank an instance, that's for sure. The druid is feral dps spec btw.

Warlock
My horde character I took him affliction with the patch, I'm enjoying playing him, though I don't play him as much as the others. With the amount of shadow dots going on I find I'm not having to worry about my health much and thanks to this, I don't worry about mana either.

Shaman
I'm trying to get my shaman to outland as he will be restro specced out there. It was always the plan, it an even better one now as they really need healers out there, what with the flood of death knights. No big insights into shamans but I am liking this.

Death Knight
Right I thought I'd explain my thoughts on this class, they are not overpowered they are different. Death Knights rely on diseases, it is both their greatest strength and their greatest weakness. To be able to kill anything a death knight needs to use the abilities it has to put a disease on the target. Once diseased the death knight can use it's wide range of other abilities, depending on spec, to do even more damage. Death Knights also rely n their runes, 2 Unholy, 2 Frost and 2 Blood, these runes are used for some of their abilities if these are on cooldown and there isn't enough runic power, the death knight coud be in trouble. The abilities that use runes generates runic power. Like rage it is generated by abilities, but also like rage it disappears if not used, it just ticks away.

How out of practice?

So I went shadow for about half a level to see if I could seek out my enthusiasm - a change being as good as a rest and all that. The pictures were pretty but the spec just threw me. Ok, I killed things faster but healing was painful. Since the nerf on heals back from vampiric embrace (ok its 5% not 1% but still...) I healed in 'normal' form and where the hell was my mana regen?? So straight afterwards (having hit the dizzy heights of 72) I went straight back to holy. RotS were pleased... Brain especially, who's reaction to me going shadow was 'Uh, wha? Um... wha? Pilf... wha? /brain crash' Some people are just born to follow the light I guess...

Well I've gotten Pilf to 73. It continues to be a struggle. I don't know if it's a matter of OD'ing on the game, the 'must hit 80' school of thought, whatever but I'm not having much fun at the moment. I guess I enjoyed the instancing and raiding so much that levelling hurts. And yes, its a process, get to 80, go back to having fun but it's a slow and painful process. That said, I only really know 2 people who have hit 80, one druid and one hunter, and no-one in RotS is there yet; both Sem and Eloria are pretty much there, at the 77/78 mark at last look. The server firsts scare the beejesus out of me, less then 48 hours after we had a shit-load of realm firsts (suggestions: get lives, eat, sleep, shower...) and the rejoycing in RotS as Covenant took server first on Naxx, granted eXperience got the HC version the next day but we're glad (in a mean way) that eXp didn't get both firsts, mainly because we love Covenant and teh Tonda and also because whilst some eXp members are fine Angharad is a PITA and not this version either...

DPS vs. Healing (or novelty vs. frustration)

Right - the DK thing. Um, yeah. So for months I'd been saying how I was never, ever ever going to have one on principle, then we installed Wrath and went to Northrend. It took me less than an hour to get frustrated with the Borean Tundra and skip to Howling Fjord. Then less than another hour to decide to see what DKs are like. Just to dip a toe in the water, y'know. Then I found out:

1. There is no race restriction (equates to: FINALLY a gnome class that I want to play!!!)
2. That they're so goth it hurts (equates to : tiny and gothic W00T)
3. That you get a mount straight away. Oh lovely mount, all goth to match the class!! For free (equates to: there's aren't enough exclamation marks in the world)
4. There are valkyries suspended around who return you to life (equates to: god I dunno - this rawks)
5. That the blues are cool.
6. That I get a minion. A ghoul.
7. Mega-death. Nuff said.
8. Flappy thing.

I could go on but I won't. Safe to say that Sinderella is more fun that I thought was possible. I've never managed a melee DPS class but here I am. And yes, I know that DKs are the new 'tard class and that all the (un)kool kidz have one. And yes, Outlands is basically the DK starting area so General makes you want to slit your throat. And equally, they probably are OP (but, y'know hero class??? They were always going to be surely?)

That said, RotS have been lovely about me neglecting Pilf but I'm very aware she is needed so at some point (probably this weekend) I need to get my ass in gear with her. She's gone and healed The Nexus twice (lovely right up until that last boss 'What do you mean, I need to move and heal??? WTF??') And, oh my god, props for the design of that place, it's gorgeous but she's not yet 71... Not an issue with the starting instances but in a few weeks when the rest of the gang are in the mid to late 70s it will be. So she needs some love. And soon...

Pale Rider on a Pale Horse

Umm, yeah... I know an explanation is warranted and you will get one. Just as soon as I've levelled my herbalism and alchemy - cos, ok you skip 55 levels, get nice gear, a lot of talents points but the proffs start at zero. And it's earning a living before fun y'know...

A little about me

First off...

*stands*

Hi, my name is Naofa, and I'm a WoW addict.

Right that's that out of the way. I thought I'd give you a bit more insight into me as a person and a player.

As hinted and suggested before Naofa is not my first toon. My first is my night elf feral druid, he was the character I always wanted to play. He also has a unique name, as far as I'm aware at least, that of Fiatim. The name came about due to a mistake regarding my real name and a newspaper photograph of me at a work-do. And when I say I he is a feral druid I mean that, he was always planned as feral druid, right from the early days, you know, in the 1.0 days.

However he was not my first 70, no that honor fell to my blood elf warlock Zataz, who leveled as destruction, shadowbolt spam was the way I went. Since the patch however he has since gone affliction, the fire emphasis of destruction these days is not Zataz's way. Plus it would mess up all his gear. Zataz has fallen into disuse while I leveled Naofa, but I intend to level him to 80, it will allow me to see the content from a Horde perspective.

Perspective. Now there is something I should talk about. I could make new post about that, but I'll continue on from this one. As you can now see I have three level 70 characters. Not as many as some out there, however these are not the sum of all the characters I play. At one stage or another I have played one of each character class, either as horde or alliance. Aside from wanting to see how much I liked playing each of the different classes, I wanted to get a perspective on each of the classes, see how they would work in this situation or that situation. The limits that each class has and how to work round them. Like many people out there I will be making a death knight, however he will not be on my 'home' server, lack of room issues aside, I don't want him there, he will exist on my 'test' server. This 'test' server is not a private server, in anyway, it is were I go to mess around, in messing around I got a hunter to 67....I'm still trying to figure out how I did that. But this is where I will make my Death Knight and learn first hand the capabilities of such.

Why do I do all this? Simple. Naofa is my main. He is a tank. As such, I have found that if I know the limits of other classes I can work my pulls and such around this. It is not the general way that people play as far as I can tell. Now that is not to say I can go pug and manage each pull perfectly. What I am saying is that I know the base limits of most classes. However the limits I have mentioned concerning the classes, does not mean the limits on a character. The person playing a character changes the limits to which a character can go and it is only through repeated play with a character, a person can you learn what they can and can't do.

Another thing is I read, a lot, if I don't know something I will know in 10 minutes, I wish I could do this in all regards but in WoW I do, as such I have earned the nickname 'Wowwiki', thanks to Pilf. Not that I blame her, it's true. Only problem is, my knowledge is mostly due to the fact I've gone through the content so much. Having played so many classes, so many times, I know the staring areas, the pre-60 areas (you don't know bad drop rates till you play in the barrens as horde), the outland areas really well on both sides of the coin. Even with the amount of reading I've done in regards Wrath I'm still in the dark about what is to come.


.....I'm hoping I don't mess up too badly.

My List

As we go into a whole new world (ok a whole new continent...) - this one has been kicking round in the back of my head for a bit, kind of inspired by Bellweather's post a while back, and as RL is wearing me out I want to get it down tonight on the basis that tomorrow I may not. Mine is a little more personal though, as in there are some namechecks and it's in no specific order either as doing that would be nigh on impossible... Tonight I give thanks to:

Zalaxta - GM of my first proper guild, Horde side. For giving me and a few others the impetus to leave the playground guild we were in and start up on our own. Zal went MIA about a year ago with no warning and we still miss her and wish she could have said goodbye.

Agrus - for being the paladin every guild dreams about having. For being an arrogant SoB (who I now admit, doesn't have a ponytail, either in Azeroth or in RL!) Most importantly, however, for being the guy that coped with the transition between Pilf in Azeroth, and Pilf large as life and twice as loud, standing in the middle of his kitchen. It can't have been an easy transition to deal with by a long way and it hasn't always been a smooth road but we continue to make progress. One day he will, to all intents and purposes, be my Bro (in-law). Also, I have to admit, he's one of the players who's opinion really does matter to me and the day he admitted he was 'proud' of me (the WoW Pilf this is) I knew I'd made it to the big league.

Bobslayer - for being the small dwarf with the big feet. For being the person I partied with loads, once he'd been persuaded that whilst PuGs suck, instancing with your guildies is a blast. For being part of the 'Friday Five' and for being an all-round, good-natured guy (even when the donkeys were braying loud).

Kinesthe - for being another legend and adding the phrase 'the big dude' [you have to imagine the broad Glasweigan accent for max effect] to my raiding vocab, and for all the times he literally whistled up the raid 'come along raid, up the stairs raid, that's a good raid...' And for being a donkey-kicker...

Swar - for being the fastest leveller I'd ever know, or for being a 'bot. I was never sure which. This guy gets much respect and every excuse to /flex.

Penelopeblue - for taking shit as a fellow healer and always bouncing back. For being an incredibly brave woman (in RL) and for continuing to play despite chemo, sickness and tubes. Pen, I don't play with you enough nowadays, but I'll always remember our Friday night instance-fests.

Saigyo - and his multitude of alts. For being a walking, talking wowwiki and knowing each class inside out. Most importantly to me though, for being my mentor, the priest who explained to me that hitting 70 was when you learned to play your class. Who held my hand through early Kara, who provided wonderful, constructive critisism and advice, never through raid chat, guild chat or vent, always through whisper. Who gave me buff food and made me realise that fishing would be worth it in the end. Who picked me up so many times when we were wiping, who talked me out of giving up healing, who made me the player I am today. I could write a chapter on this guy. Sai, I always have, and always will /swoon in your presence.

Patish - for being totally off the hook, opinionated, bonkers and a huge part of the Friday Five. Also sadly gone but not forgotten, Horde side.

Arcadoo - for making me realise that there are only 30 people in the world and the rest is done with mirrors. For making my laugh so much I cried when we realised that we'd probably met previously in RL and had drunk in the same pub for some time, not to mentioned lived about 2 miles apart!

Blondemagic - who I wuv virtually more than anyone else in game. My favourite PvP fanatic. A classy lolwock with attitude. I could write another chapter on the fun I've had with this guy but some of it would need censoring (I give you Wispas and a cup of hot chocolate - use your imagination /grin).

Semtex - for being the most non 'tard hunter I've ever met. For having a T-Rex called Bolan. For turning into a chick and dancing in Shatt wearing only his tabard (and the screenie says it did happen). For being guy who's going to make my hog in Wrath, who keeps me stocked with mana and health injectors. Who makes me robots and cuddly things but most importantly, for being some random druid who I PuG'd with, and, on the off chance, sent a cheeky letter to, asking to be kept in mind if his guild ever needed another priest. The guild he's in is RotS.

Akasa - for being another RotS dude and for letting me duct tape him when the (>'.')> got too out of hand. Props to the Camden boi...

Cat - For being the coolest tree on the planet. For waving her branches at the bad guys. For her funky moves on the dancefloor. For reining in the ladz when they need it. For being another injection of much needed oestrogen and for being her own, truly enigmatic self at all times.

Noir - for being a squeaky lolwock who gets regularly sacrified to keep the raid gods happy and never complains. And she's a gnoam, 'nuff said!

Chops - for being another non 'tard hunter and for being a space goat. For being da bosses henchman but always (well 99.9% of the time) in a nice way. For having th biggest laugh and the smallest bladder on the planet. For allowing 'comfort breaks' to be renamed as 'Stevie breaks'. For keeping me informed of things I *really* didn't want to know, such as 'monkey face' (not a CHANCE - go google it...)

Exthelion - for being da boss(y). For calling us 'kids'. For never pretending the guild was anything other than a dictatorship. For giving me immense shit on a regular basis and hiding that cuddly-marshmallow interior behing a tough-bastard-Glaswegian exterior. Ex, heaven forfend you ever see this you *are* a hunny-bunny-wunny-kins. And yes, I do let Nao read the screen when you're busy freting about me /smirk. You can piss me off a great deal but only because you're even sarkier then I am. very few people can out-argue me; Ex is one of them. He's also the reason RotS are so wonderful and, as they never recuit, I'm very grateful that you gave first me then Nao a chance. I hope we continue to do you proud.

Jeeessus - and the variations thereof. This post proves that sometimes, timing is a bitch. It's taken even longer to write than I thought as half way through, Nao (who is on vent) informed me that Jeees is quitting. He's been given the choice that we'd all rather live without and has made the right decision. RL before WoW. So I had to log on and say goodbye. I've never known vent so quiet. And I know that I wasn't the only one in tears either [thanks for whispering me Kitty, I thought it was just me]. His final words were 'I have to log, this is worse than getting divorced and I'm not joking'. It sounds melodramatic until I think back to when I was quitting Synergy, the speech I typed to the officers and the tears I cried for along time afterwards. Jees, I salute you mate.

Stadi - for confirming my belief that all rogues are deeply depraved, not just the undead ones. For regularly saying stuff you usually have to call an 0898 number to hear. For being my personal lockpicker and for being more grateful than I thought possible when I gave him the pet that I only ground to prove I could.

All the Synergy raiders - who are to numerous to name. The guys who were immensly encouraging and put up with me finding my way as a baby raid leader. Despite it all going wrong eventually (not enough experience, too high expectations and immense self-pressure and self-critisism on my part) you guys were imba.

Naofa - what can I say? My partner in both Azeroth and RL. My other half, the tank to my healer, the calm to my tantrums, my soulmate. Without you I wouldn't be playing this damn game still... and despite everything, I thank you for this.

Nameless - for personal reasons. The person who introduced me to WoW and bought me the game and who is no longer in my life. For all the water under the bridge and everything that happened I still thank you for the introduction to Azeroth and the people that inhabit it.


[EDIT - I know that I've forgotten people but I'm tired and emotional - I may return to update...]