Well, a fair bit has happened since I last posted here. 3.3 was released and so the dungeon tool went live. So far it is working out ok, although the wait times are still not terribly satisfactory.
Gaiwyn is very close to exalted with Sons of Hodir. I am focusing more on my mage now, as with the release of Icecrown Citadel and the three new dungeons, not to mention daily heroics, there is a lot for me to do now.
I already got four upgrades for my mage, from running through the dungeons on normal:
Tattered Glacial-Woven Hood
Mantle of Tattered Feathers
Marwyn's Macabre Fingertips
Splintered Icecrown Parapet
I also finally created a guild of my own: Vested Interest. It would be nice to have other people around to talk to, but I'm not really advertising its presence a great deal. So far no one has shown any interest in a casual, non-raiding guild anyway. Oh well.
As far as upgrades are concerned, consider the following:
Gaiwyn's plan of attack (aka mage love through pugging):
1. Run heroic Forge of Souls until Arcane Loops of Anger and Very Fashionable Shoulders have been acquired. Seethe is a bonus.
2. Run heroic Pit of Saron until Ancient Polar Bear Hide, Prelate's Snowshoes and Nevermelting Ice Crystal have been acquired.
2a. If Seethe was not acquired from Forge of Souls, run Pit of Saron until Engraved Gargoyle Femur is acquired.
3. Run heroic Halls of Reflection until Sightless Crown of Ulmaas, Bracer of Worn Molars, Suspiciously Soft Gloves, Strip of Remorse and Soulsplinter have all been acquired.
3b. If Engraved Gargoyle Femur was not acquired from Pit of Saron but Seethe was acquired from Forge of Souls, run Halls of Reflection until Shriveled Heart is acquired.
4a. Purchase Talisman of Resurgence and Band of the Invoker with Emblems of Triumph.
4b. Run both random heroics and 10-man Icecrown Citadel.
4c. If Khadgar's Leggings of Conquest can't be purchased, run normal Pit of Saron until Rimewoven Silks are acquired.
5. Spend Emblems of Triumph on Mantle of Catastrophic Emanation.
5a. Spend Emblems of Frost on Volde's Cloak of the Night Sky.
5b. Spend Emblems of Frost on upgrades when possible: Gloves of False Gestures, Hood of Fiery Aftermath and Belt of Omission.
Bonus: Try and have Deathfrost Boots and Leggings of Woven Death crafted before Cataclysm is released.
Long road ahead for a casual player. ;)
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Shaman
Couldn't think of a better title for this post.
Since my warrior is 80 and I don't have time to find groups for running even normal Trial of the Champion, I simply log her now to do the Argent Tournament dailies. Once I have 50 Champion's Seals, I'll be able to get two Claymores of the Prophet. Upgrading to a weapon with haste isn't really very good, but it will give me a slight DPS boost in preparation for chain instancing (normal Icecrown and Trial) once 3.3 hits. The gear won't exactly roll in, due to my limited play-time, but I should be able to gear up for heroics in a few weeks.
And so I decided to level another toon. My rogue and shaman are the only other two that have epic flyers, so I flipped a coin to see which one to give Cold Weather Flying to, and start playing.
I was leaning towards shaman anyway -- since his mount is way cooler and I had just levelled a melee toon -- so when the coin flip backed me up, I grabbed the tome and started carving (or at least lightning bolting) my way through Borean Tundra.
Now he's level 71, and I will try and play him as often as I can. I guess I got sick of playing my priest, but I'll get her through those last two levels eventually. I just feel like damaging stuff.
Also, it will be fun to level Engineering.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Since my warrior is 80 and I don't have time to find groups for running even normal Trial of the Champion, I simply log her now to do the Argent Tournament dailies. Once I have 50 Champion's Seals, I'll be able to get two Claymores of the Prophet. Upgrading to a weapon with haste isn't really very good, but it will give me a slight DPS boost in preparation for chain instancing (normal Icecrown and Trial) once 3.3 hits. The gear won't exactly roll in, due to my limited play-time, but I should be able to gear up for heroics in a few weeks.
And so I decided to level another toon. My rogue and shaman are the only other two that have epic flyers, so I flipped a coin to see which one to give Cold Weather Flying to, and start playing.
I was leaning towards shaman anyway -- since his mount is way cooler and I had just levelled a melee toon -- so when the coin flip backed me up, I grabbed the tome and started carving (or at least lightning bolting) my way through Borean Tundra.
Now he's level 71, and I will try and play him as often as I can. I guess I got sick of playing my priest, but I'll get her through those last two levels eventually. I just feel like damaging stuff.
Also, it will be fun to level Engineering.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Three Down
Zlaenya is level 80. Now I want to wait for patch 3.3 so that I can effectively use my time to do Trial of the Champion repeatedly on normal to get basic epics before starting on heroics.
I crafted two rings and an amulet for Ilyaena for when she hits 80. There is also a healing robe sitting in my bank, and I will craft the gloves when I get around to making the cloth.
Titanium ore is way overpriced. I guess it stands to reason though, considering I have yet to mine my first node and I spent all of three levels in Icecrown. I have seen two nodes, actually. The first time, my skill was too low. The second time, I lost track of the node before being able to get to it. Considering auction prices, though, if I want anything crafted, it does appear to still be worth flying around, looking for nodes.
Guess it's back to the priest for now, though.
Peace.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
I crafted two rings and an amulet for Ilyaena for when she hits 80. There is also a healing robe sitting in my bank, and I will craft the gloves when I get around to making the cloth.
Titanium ore is way overpriced. I guess it stands to reason though, considering I have yet to mine my first node and I spent all of three levels in Icecrown. I have seen two nodes, actually. The first time, my skill was too low. The second time, I lost track of the node before being able to get to it. Considering auction prices, though, if I want anything crafted, it does appear to still be worth flying around, looking for nodes.
Guess it's back to the priest for now, though.
Peace.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Trial of the Warrior
Ensidia wins the game
Zlaenya is now level 79 and motoring through Icecrown. I also tweaked her talents to set her up for my desired level 80 build. I ran Utgarde Pinnacle a couple of times, aiming for Ancient Royal Legguards but I only walked away with Vestige of Haldor. Running instances for specific gear is something I want to avoid, due to the randomness of drops. This is why I will probably end up gearing her up in mostly Savage Saronite Battlegear before repeatedly running Trial of the Champion on normal (iLevel 200 epics, such as Breastplate of the Imperial Joust).
When patch 3.3 hits, running instances will be a whole lot easier. The new dungeon tool will make it very easy to find groups. Once I have a few iLevel 200 pieces of gear, I will run random heroics as often as I possibly can for Emblems of Triumph, to trade in for iLevel 245 gear (and 2x Emblems of Frost per day, to be traded in for Tier 10!).
This is my current aim for pre-Heroic gear.
Peace.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Monday, October 19, 2009
Are You Prepared For 3.3?
I have yet to go and fight this year's Headless Horseman. Perhaps I will see the horse drop again and actually win the roll? Or maybe it will take ten years of seeing it drop to finally outroll someone. >.< I completely missed Brewfest, but it didn't really hold any excitement for me. Achievements are on the back burner. :/
The testing continues on the PTR. Looks like the Lich King's new "champion" could turn out to be Bolvar Fordragon, who, if you remember, was slain at the Wrathgate by those foul Forsaken.
As I mentioned in my previous post, there are some nice changes coming. The current patch notes reflect some nice improvements to various classes, and reputations will be easier to gain overall.
I continue to level my warrior. She is now level 73 and starting on Grizzly Hills.
That's all!
Peace.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
The testing continues on the PTR. Looks like the Lich King's new "champion" could turn out to be Bolvar Fordragon, who, if you remember, was slain at the Wrathgate by those foul Forsaken.
As I mentioned in my previous post, there are some nice changes coming. The current patch notes reflect some nice improvements to various classes, and reputations will be easier to gain overall.
I continue to level my warrior. She is now level 73 and starting on Grizzly Hills.
That's all!
Peace.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Frozen Throne
Firstly, I'd like to recap my recent play experiences. I have been playing three toons: my mage, my priest and my warrior.
I finished Sholazar Basin with Gaiwyn, to gain the achievements Into the Basin and Loremaster of Northrend, the latter of which granted me the tailoring recipe for Deathchill Cloak. Being Frostfire is proving to be both powerful and fun. 13K Frostfire Bolt crits are crazy.
Ilyaena is level 77 and still melting faces. I got Fo' Shizzle My Grizzle and moved onto Sholazar Basin, but having recently done it with Gaiwyn makes me want to take a break from that zone for a little while. One option is to bite the bullet and simply start questing in Zul'drak; another is to play another toon aside from my warrior.
I have been making steady progress with Zlaenya. I got her to level 72, and she also has Cold Weather Flying, which helps immensely. Dragonblight is frequently feeling my fury. Warriors are fun!
Another thing I have been doing is trying to buy up Cobalt Ore at a reasonable price. So far I have smithed a lot of items with Nick's warrior and disenchanted them. I just have to work out which enchants are best to sell at the auction house to turn a pretty profit.
With the Lich King solidifying his hold on Northrend even more and the argent champions doing all in their power to overcome the scourge, the epic battle within Icecrown Citadel looms ever closer.
The patch notes will no doubt be updated regularly, but as it stands there are some nice changes incoming. Let's take a look at what patch 3.3 is likely to offer:
Firstly, the instances that we have been holding our breath for: Icecrown Citadel's raids and five-man wings. I would absolutely love to have the chance to experience Tier 10 content, but since my mage is still in T7 and I don't have the slightest chance of having enough time to raid, let alone do the latest heroics, I guess I'll just have to settle for watching videos and drooling over images of gear and encounter screenshots. So far, things are looking rather delectable.
Class changes are indeed improvements, too.
The changes to Improved Scorch are long overdue, where stacking is no longer required to gain the 5% spell crit increase. And there is a new glyph to make a mage's Water Elemental more of a pet; perhaps much like the indefinite up-time of a Death Knight's ghoul. The introduction of this glyph alone is making me second guess my recent move away from frost.
Speaking of Death Knights, we knew it was coming, but the changes to Scourge Strike should finally make it worth having as your primary talent again. Wave goodbye to Obliterate, if you are Unholy. Thank goodness. >.>
Some of the changes for shadow priests are very nice, too. Changes to haste, more mana regen and a greater bonus to shadow will increase overall performance.
Finally, new achievements are worth looking at, even if I will never be given the chance to attempt any of them. Titles like I'm on a Boat (that single from The Lonely Island, m*thaf*cka) and I've Gone and Made a Mess (a tribute to Moroes) made me chuckle.
There's also the latest Feat of Strength: It's Over Nine Thousand! Self-explanatory >.<
Keep an eye out for talent updates and other upcoming changes as the PTR continues to drive forward in its endeavour to prepare us for the storming of that final bastion that stands between Northrend's finest and the obliteration of the scourge once and for all.
I can't wait to see how the Lich King's long awaited defeat is decisively delivered!
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
I finished Sholazar Basin with Gaiwyn, to gain the achievements Into the Basin and Loremaster of Northrend, the latter of which granted me the tailoring recipe for Deathchill Cloak. Being Frostfire is proving to be both powerful and fun. 13K Frostfire Bolt crits are crazy.
Ilyaena is level 77 and still melting faces. I got Fo' Shizzle My Grizzle and moved onto Sholazar Basin, but having recently done it with Gaiwyn makes me want to take a break from that zone for a little while. One option is to bite the bullet and simply start questing in Zul'drak; another is to play another toon aside from my warrior.
I have been making steady progress with Zlaenya. I got her to level 72, and she also has Cold Weather Flying, which helps immensely. Dragonblight is frequently feeling my fury. Warriors are fun!
Another thing I have been doing is trying to buy up Cobalt Ore at a reasonable price. So far I have smithed a lot of items with Nick's warrior and disenchanted them. I just have to work out which enchants are best to sell at the auction house to turn a pretty profit.
With the Lich King solidifying his hold on Northrend even more and the argent champions doing all in their power to overcome the scourge, the epic battle within Icecrown Citadel looms ever closer.
The patch notes will no doubt be updated regularly, but as it stands there are some nice changes incoming. Let's take a look at what patch 3.3 is likely to offer:
Firstly, the instances that we have been holding our breath for: Icecrown Citadel's raids and five-man wings. I would absolutely love to have the chance to experience Tier 10 content, but since my mage is still in T7 and I don't have the slightest chance of having enough time to raid, let alone do the latest heroics, I guess I'll just have to settle for watching videos and drooling over images of gear and encounter screenshots. So far, things are looking rather delectable.
Class changes are indeed improvements, too.
The changes to Improved Scorch are long overdue, where stacking is no longer required to gain the 5% spell crit increase. And there is a new glyph to make a mage's Water Elemental more of a pet; perhaps much like the indefinite up-time of a Death Knight's ghoul. The introduction of this glyph alone is making me second guess my recent move away from frost.
Speaking of Death Knights, we knew it was coming, but the changes to Scourge Strike should finally make it worth having as your primary talent again. Wave goodbye to Obliterate, if you are Unholy. Thank goodness. >.>
Some of the changes for shadow priests are very nice, too. Changes to haste, more mana regen and a greater bonus to shadow will increase overall performance.
Finally, new achievements are worth looking at, even if I will never be given the chance to attempt any of them. Titles like I'm on a Boat (that single from The Lonely Island, m*thaf*cka) and I've Gone and Made a Mess (a tribute to Moroes) made me chuckle.
There's also the latest Feat of Strength: It's Over Nine Thousand! Self-explanatory >.<
Keep an eye out for talent updates and other upcoming changes as the PTR continues to drive forward in its endeavour to prepare us for the storming of that final bastion that stands between Northrend's finest and the obliteration of the scourge once and for all.
I can't wait to see how the Lich King's long awaited defeat is decisively delivered!
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Thursday, September 24, 2009
3.2.2 And My Return
Onyxia, queen of the Black Dragonflight, beckons high level challengers to enter her lair once more. With updated loot, the updated encounter makes a few visits worthwhile once again.
In other news, I have started playing again after such a long hiatus. I respecced my mage to Frostfire (0/53/18) and have been levelling my priest as Shadow (14/0/52). She is now level 75 and making good progress through Grizzly Hills.
With 3.2.2 we are getting closer to the 5th anniversary of the game. Everyone will get an Onyxian Whelpling. We are also celebrating Brewfest and I have already seen people with the much coveted Violet Proto-Drake, as a reward for completing What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been.
That's about all I have to say for now. It's good to be back in-game, but it doesn't mean I can commit to playing regularly or consistently. I still can't find the time to dedicate myself to a raiding guild. But I do want to get back into doing heroics, at least, and definitely want to experience the new Onyxia encounter.
Peace.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
In other news, I have started playing again after such a long hiatus. I respecced my mage to Frostfire (0/53/18) and have been levelling my priest as Shadow (14/0/52). She is now level 75 and making good progress through Grizzly Hills.
With 3.2.2 we are getting closer to the 5th anniversary of the game. Everyone will get an Onyxian Whelpling. We are also celebrating Brewfest and I have already seen people with the much coveted Violet Proto-Drake, as a reward for completing What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been.
That's about all I have to say for now. It's good to be back in-game, but it doesn't mean I can commit to playing regularly or consistently. I still can't find the time to dedicate myself to a raiding guild. But I do want to get back into doing heroics, at least, and definitely want to experience the new Onyxia encounter.
Peace.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
It's Over
I cancelled my subscription yesterday; though my account will still be active until September. It has been a few weeks since I started playing very casually, and I have finally quit altogether. The game holds no lustre for me anymore, and there is nothing keeping me there.
It was an enjoyable four years, with thousands of hours put into levelling and playing my toons, many friends made along the way, and many unforgettable experiences collected. I will miss Gaiwyn the most, but I knew that the day would eventually come when I landed my drake, hung up my robe and moved on with my life.
I am taking a break from gaming altogether for a while. When The Old Republic goes into beta, I may look into giving that a shot. Nothing else really appeals to me right now. I haven't yet played the original Mass Effect, so that is also something I may have to look into.
Perhaps this blog will undergo a change when the time comes for me to pick up my mouse again and launch into a diverse world of exploration and achievement. But for now, this is Gaiwyn of the US realm Proudmoore, logging off.
/camp
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
It was an enjoyable four years, with thousands of hours put into levelling and playing my toons, many friends made along the way, and many unforgettable experiences collected. I will miss Gaiwyn the most, but I knew that the day would eventually come when I landed my drake, hung up my robe and moved on with my life.
I am taking a break from gaming altogether for a while. When The Old Republic goes into beta, I may look into giving that a shot. Nothing else really appeals to me right now. I haven't yet played the original Mass Effect, so that is also something I may have to look into.
Perhaps this blog will undergo a change when the time comes for me to pick up my mouse again and launch into a diverse world of exploration and achievement. But for now, this is Gaiwyn of the US realm Proudmoore, logging off.
/camp
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Mage PvP
Seeing as I seldom play anymore, and definitely don't have time to raid, I was thinking that I might try my hand at PvP. It's truly been a while since I PvPed as a mage.
11/0/60 looks like a pretty solid Frost PvP build. I'll give it a shot if I decide to go that way.
Getting the Deadly Gladiator set is manageable, at least. :)
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
11/0/60 looks like a pretty solid Frost PvP build. I'll give it a shot if I decide to go that way.
Getting the Deadly Gladiator set is manageable, at least. :)
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Friday, May 1, 2009
Ulduar Caster Wishlist
Best in Slot gear is very hard to work out, especially considering that different specs benefit slightly differently from certain gear compositions; raid makeup can make a difference; and then of course there are Tier bonuses to take into account.
When it comes to hit, there are three considerations to make: talents that increase chance to hit; the Draenei racial bonus; the buffs that Shadow Priests and Balance Druids provide. This means that one should have maximum hit gear and then scale it with other pieces according to current raid makeup.
I used to find it pretty easy to do back in TBC raiding. If there was a Draenei in my party, I would switch out a ring that had +12 hit on it. I also swapped out a few pieces for trash, which of course required a lot less hit.
With Ulduar here, and me being unable to raid due to not having found a casual 10-man raiding guild as of yet, I can still look at available gear and see what works in terms of BiS / Tier 8.0 pieces. One can only dream.
This is what I came up with:
Precision (3/3); Required Hit: 367
Cowl of Icy Breaths
Pendant of the Shallow Grave
Valorous Kirin Tor Shoulderpads
Drape of the Spellweaver
Raiments of the Corrupted
Runetouch Handwraps
Valorous Kirin Tor Gauntlets
Binding of the Dragon Matriarch
Leggings of Unstable Discharge
Treads of the Dragon Council
Emerald Signet Ring
Lady Maye's Sapphire Ring
Elemental Focus Stone
Eye of the Broodmother
Firesoul
Igniter Rod
Nurturing Touch
Totals: 367 Hit; 527 Crit; 220 Haste
I also worked out some other pieces to get for swapping in and out, depending on the presence of a Draenei and/or the 3% hit buff from a Shadow Priest or Balance Druid. Circumstances depending, the following are some pieces that are worth getting. It may even pay to mix some of the above pieces around in order to have 4/5 Tier 8.0 for the 4-piece bonus.
Lifespark Visage and Valorous Kirin Tor Hood
Pendant of the Piercing Glare
Valorous Kirin Tor Tunic
Combustion Bracers
Handwraps of Resonance
Conductive Cord
Valorous Kirin Tor Leggings
Stormtip and Plasma Foil
Pillar of Fortitude and Unraveling Reach
Then, of course there are gems and enchants to take into account. So being at the hit cap is dependent on quite a few factors. You can't plan completely unless you know how circumstances will be constantly. And even then it takes a bit of juggling and takes time to build up the gear.
Happy raiding.
Edit: See the wishlist on Warcrafter.net.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
When it comes to hit, there are three considerations to make: talents that increase chance to hit; the Draenei racial bonus; the buffs that Shadow Priests and Balance Druids provide. This means that one should have maximum hit gear and then scale it with other pieces according to current raid makeup.
I used to find it pretty easy to do back in TBC raiding. If there was a Draenei in my party, I would switch out a ring that had +12 hit on it. I also swapped out a few pieces for trash, which of course required a lot less hit.
With Ulduar here, and me being unable to raid due to not having found a casual 10-man raiding guild as of yet, I can still look at available gear and see what works in terms of BiS / Tier 8.0 pieces. One can only dream.
This is what I came up with:
Precision (3/3); Required Hit: 367
Cowl of Icy Breaths
Pendant of the Shallow Grave
Valorous Kirin Tor Shoulderpads
Drape of the Spellweaver
Raiments of the Corrupted
Runetouch Handwraps
Valorous Kirin Tor Gauntlets
Binding of the Dragon Matriarch
Leggings of Unstable Discharge
Treads of the Dragon Council
Emerald Signet Ring
Lady Maye's Sapphire Ring
Elemental Focus Stone
Eye of the Broodmother
Firesoul
Igniter Rod
Nurturing Touch
Totals: 367 Hit; 527 Crit; 220 Haste
I also worked out some other pieces to get for swapping in and out, depending on the presence of a Draenei and/or the 3% hit buff from a Shadow Priest or Balance Druid. Circumstances depending, the following are some pieces that are worth getting. It may even pay to mix some of the above pieces around in order to have 4/5 Tier 8.0 for the 4-piece bonus.
Lifespark Visage and Valorous Kirin Tor Hood
Pendant of the Piercing Glare
Valorous Kirin Tor Tunic
Combustion Bracers
Handwraps of Resonance
Conductive Cord
Valorous Kirin Tor Leggings
Stormtip and Plasma Foil
Pillar of Fortitude and Unraveling Reach
Then, of course there are gems and enchants to take into account. So being at the hit cap is dependent on quite a few factors. You can't plan completely unless you know how circumstances will be constantly. And even then it takes a bit of juggling and takes time to build up the gear.
Happy raiding.
Edit: See the wishlist on Warcrafter.net.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Monday, April 27, 2009
Noblegarden
Noblegarden is upon us.
I intend to try and do everything necessary to get the Noble Gardener achievement. I also really want to get the Polymorph: Rabbit spell. What this means is actually playing this week; and spending enough time collecting chocolate eggs. :/
There's also the Argent Tournament to continue. I am still collecting the tokens to become a champion.
I'll find time to play some time this week, I'm sure. Running around with a basket, collecting eggs, will be fun.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
I intend to try and do everything necessary to get the Noble Gardener achievement. I also really want to get the Polymorph: Rabbit spell. What this means is actually playing this week; and spending enough time collecting chocolate eggs. :/
There's also the Argent Tournament to continue. I am still collecting the tokens to become a champion.
I'll find time to play some time this week, I'm sure. Running around with a basket, collecting eggs, will be fun.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Friday, April 24, 2009
You Must Equip A Lance
I've really cut back my play time. I have reached the second stage of the Argent Tournament with my Mage and specced my Priest as Holy-smite-batman. That's about all.
I created some guild forums for the sake of something to do, but don't really want to raid at this time. I'm enjoying life outside the game atm. Which really puts this blog in a strange place. Expect some updates but nothing major anytime soon.
Also, check out these two addons -- they are games that you can play... in-game.
/exit
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
I created some guild forums for the sake of something to do, but don't really want to raid at this time. I'm enjoying life outside the game atm. Which really puts this blog in a strange place. Expect some updates but nothing major anytime soon.
Also, check out these two addons -- they are games that you can play... in-game.
/exit
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Hardcore Guild is Hardcore
Ensidia has downed Yogg-Saron, the final boss of Ulduar.
Mind you, they are possibly the most hardcore guild in the world at present. And they, along with every other insane guild, have yet to complete Ulduar on "hardmode". Let's just hope that it really will be a serious gear check, and that no one will even get to Algalon the Observer for a few weeks yet.
In other news, I started on the Argent Tournament today. I will try and log in each day to do the dailies and work towards not only becoming a Champion representative, but also to earn enough tokens to get both the ground and flying mounts that are available.
A Mage with a lance. Funfun. >.<
My Warlock is level 30, finally. And I will try and find time also to play my Priest a bit. I will be speccing Discipline next time I log her. I just miss healing. ^_^
Of course, I will fill the build out as I level, until it is 57/14/0. I look forward to healing heroics!
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Mind you, they are possibly the most hardcore guild in the world at present. And they, along with every other insane guild, have yet to complete Ulduar on "hardmode". Let's just hope that it really will be a serious gear check, and that no one will even get to Algalon the Observer for a few weeks yet.
In other news, I started on the Argent Tournament today. I will try and log in each day to do the dailies and work towards not only becoming a Champion representative, but also to earn enough tokens to get both the ground and flying mounts that are available.
A Mage with a lance. Funfun. >.<
My Warlock is level 30, finally. And I will try and find time also to play my Priest a bit. I will be speccing Discipline next time I log her. I just miss healing. ^_^
Of course, I will fill the build out as I level, until it is 57/14/0. I look forward to healing heroics!
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
3.1 Commences
And patch 3.1 fell hurtling from the sky like a screaming comet, inadvertently bent on the destruction of free time and real life priorities and commitments.
It's upon us at last: the biggest content patch for quite some time, and the first major patch of the current instalment of the game. Highly anticipated by every ilk, whether raider or casual altaholic, PvPer or socialite, patch 3.1 brings a lot of welcome changes and additions to the game.
[Official Ulduar Trailer]
Check it:
Ulduar, with its 14 bosses -- including the old god, Yogg-Saron --, varying tiers of difficulty, and over 800 new pieces of equipment -- including the much anticipated and coveted Tier 8 armor.
The Argent Tournament in Icecrown -- sure to keep most of us occupied for weeks, if not months to come -- with its daily quests, achievements, mounts and other items.
Dual-spec.
Class talent tree changes -- and we get all of our talent points refunded (meaning free respecs for everyone!).
Many profession changes -- including additional recipes, changes to buff durations, tweaking of oldschool items, etc.
And a whole lot more additions, tweaks, fixes and changes. [3.1 Patch Notes]
I really miss raiding. I wish that I was given the opportunity to raid Ulduar, but with my inability (and unwillingness) to commit to a specific raiding day or time, it makes raiding all but impossible. I will, however, be cheering on various high-end guilds in their race to complete Ulduar and defeat Yogg-Saron, garnering them the server first achievement and some form of strange geek respect for having no lives and achieving something so monumental in a mere virtual world.
It is time to dust off my Mage's robes and fire up those afterburners. I want to try and enjoy what content I do get to experience with these additions and changes to the game.
Let the Secrets of Ulduar begin.
Long live the Alliance!
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
It's upon us at last: the biggest content patch for quite some time, and the first major patch of the current instalment of the game. Highly anticipated by every ilk, whether raider or casual altaholic, PvPer or socialite, patch 3.1 brings a lot of welcome changes and additions to the game.
[Official Ulduar Trailer]
Check it:
Ulduar, with its 14 bosses -- including the old god, Yogg-Saron --, varying tiers of difficulty, and over 800 new pieces of equipment -- including the much anticipated and coveted Tier 8 armor.
The Argent Tournament in Icecrown -- sure to keep most of us occupied for weeks, if not months to come -- with its daily quests, achievements, mounts and other items.
Dual-spec.
Class talent tree changes -- and we get all of our talent points refunded (meaning free respecs for everyone!).
Many profession changes -- including additional recipes, changes to buff durations, tweaking of oldschool items, etc.
And a whole lot more additions, tweaks, fixes and changes. [3.1 Patch Notes]
I really miss raiding. I wish that I was given the opportunity to raid Ulduar, but with my inability (and unwillingness) to commit to a specific raiding day or time, it makes raiding all but impossible. I will, however, be cheering on various high-end guilds in their race to complete Ulduar and defeat Yogg-Saron, garnering them the server first achievement and some form of strange geek respect for having no lives and achieving something so monumental in a mere virtual world.
It is time to dust off my Mage's robes and fire up those afterburners. I want to try and enjoy what content I do get to experience with these additions and changes to the game.
Let the Secrets of Ulduar begin.
Long live the Alliance!
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Monday, April 13, 2009
Scourge Chat
Lol.
Coffee with Sargeras. Who'd 'a thunk it, eh.
Warlock = level 27. O.O
People at work must think I am crazy. I was laughing so much. :o
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Coffee with Sargeras. Who'd 'a thunk it, eh.
Warlock = level 27. O.O
People at work must think I am crazy. I was laughing so much. :o
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Friday, April 10, 2009
Build 9767 - Three Talent Builds
Make that four.
Killing time at work again. Makes me wonder how many more changes will be made to various class talent trees by the time the patch goes live.
Build 9767
Discipline Priest (54/17/0)
I will probably heal with my priest at 80. I want to try out "absorption" healing, and it will be interesting to use a lot of flash heals to see how many crits I can chain.
Edit: Also, 57/14/0 may prove to be good. The extra 3% crit and reduced pushback in lieu of reduced spell damage may well be worth taking.
Affliction Warlock (54/17/0)
Still a warlock noob, so I don't know if this is even a viable heroic build. Not that I will ever have a level 80 warlock, mind you. It is just fun to play around with talents.
Enhancement Shaman (11/60/0)
Um, bring on melee? Could be interesting to build up an Enhancement set, huh.
Combat Rogue (16/55/0)
Swinging two big swords is great!
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Killing time at work again. Makes me wonder how many more changes will be made to various class talent trees by the time the patch goes live.
Build 9767
Discipline Priest (54/17/0)
I will probably heal with my priest at 80. I want to try out "absorption" healing, and it will be interesting to use a lot of flash heals to see how many crits I can chain.
Edit: Also, 57/14/0 may prove to be good. The extra 3% crit and reduced pushback in lieu of reduced spell damage may well be worth taking.
Affliction Warlock (54/17/0)
Still a warlock noob, so I don't know if this is even a viable heroic build. Not that I will ever have a level 80 warlock, mind you. It is just fun to play around with talents.
Enhancement Shaman (11/60/0)
Um, bring on melee? Could be interesting to build up an Enhancement set, huh.
Combat Rogue (16/55/0)
Swinging two big swords is great!
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Level 20 Warlock Quest
What
the
heck.
Do you know how long it takes to run down almost the entire Barrens? Not to mention actually getting there by running through all of Darkshore and most of Ashenvale. >.>
Oh well, it's almost over. I think I'm halfway to Camp Taurajo already. Two hours later. :p
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
the
heck.
Do you know how long it takes to run down almost the entire Barrens? Not to mention actually getting there by running through all of Darkshore and most of Ashenvale. >.>
Oh well, it's almost over. I think I'm halfway to Camp Taurajo already. Two hours later. :p
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Warcraft Quizzes
World of Warcraft quiz results:
I am Rogue - Play Free Online Games
Rogues are like ninjas, right?
I am an Expert Traveller - Play Free Online Games
It cheats. It asks Horde questions. :(
Time to hit up Facebook for some random ones.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
I am Rogue - Play Free Online Games
Rogues are like ninjas, right?
I am an Expert Traveller - Play Free Online Games
It cheats. It asks Horde questions. :(
Time to hit up Facebook for some random ones.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Monday, April 6, 2009
3.1 Cometh
So this is what happens when you go on holiday: your blog doesn't get updated. Still, I don't really have much to say regarding anything.
3.1 is still in the works, but it should be coming pretty soon (possibly this week). A few expected changes have been postponed, such as the built-in outfitter. But dual spec is going ahead and Ulduar, with its 800+ items and 16 or so bosses, is looking really good.
I played my Warlock a little bit. She is still a lowbie (level 17) but it's fun to go back to the old world and level another toon. I guess that is one aspect of the game that keeps me playing. I don't have the time to get ten toons to 80, but I can have fun playing any class I choose at whatever level they are at.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
3.1 is still in the works, but it should be coming pretty soon (possibly this week). A few expected changes have been postponed, such as the built-in outfitter. But dual spec is going ahead and Ulduar, with its 800+ items and 16 or so bosses, is looking really good.
I played my Warlock a little bit. She is still a lowbie (level 17) but it's fun to go back to the old world and level another toon. I guess that is one aspect of the game that keeps me playing. I don't have the time to get ten toons to 80, but I can have fun playing any class I choose at whatever level they are at.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
More Talent Builds
More free time in the office and more talent builds, for fun. v.3.1.9972.
Elemental Shaman (57/14/0)
I've been Elemental for so long, I could probably fill these talents out with my eyes closed; even with the changes.
Enhancement Shaman (11/60/0)
I want to give Enhancement another shot. There will still be the matter of collecting AP gear and some melee weapons.
Smite Priest (38/28/5)
I want to try this for fun, because it is so unique! I could go into an instance and tell people that I will be Smiting. And if they don't outdps me then they seriously have problems. :p Of course, off-healing would be no problem with this spec, either. Could prove to be fun soloing, too. :)
Balance Druid (58/0/13)
Seeing as I am going melee with so many toons, spellcasting as a Moonkin could be fun. It is also something I have never done, so will be interesting to try. ^^
My Paladin is level 68 now. I want to level Blacksmithing before heading into Northrend. I am thinking Howling Fjord when I do pick up questing again.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Elemental Shaman (57/14/0)
I've been Elemental for so long, I could probably fill these talents out with my eyes closed; even with the changes.
Enhancement Shaman (11/60/0)
I want to give Enhancement another shot. There will still be the matter of collecting AP gear and some melee weapons.
Smite Priest (38/28/5)
I want to try this for fun, because it is so unique! I could go into an instance and tell people that I will be Smiting. And if they don't outdps me then they seriously have problems. :p Of course, off-healing would be no problem with this spec, either. Could prove to be fun soloing, too. :)
Balance Druid (58/0/13)
Seeing as I am going melee with so many toons, spellcasting as a Moonkin could be fun. It is also something I have never done, so will be interesting to try. ^^
My Paladin is level 68 now. I want to level Blacksmithing before heading into Northrend. I am thinking Howling Fjord when I do pick up questing again.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Build 9972
Testing in Ulduar continues, as do changes across the classes. 3.1 must be getting pretty close now. I'm not really that excited about it. Maybe because I play reasonably casually now and am mostly focusing on levelling my alts.
Paladin: Level 67. Enjoying the last vestiges of Nagrand.
Warrior: Level 66. Enjoying Nagrand quests, despite Dvaenya still being there.
Priest: Level 74. Love melting faces.
Death Knight: A handful of heroics down, so around 20 Emblems collected so far.
Mage: Uh, guess I gotta log in for a weapon enchant for Dvaenya's axe and my cloth cooldown... Not much else to do. :o
As for 3.1 builds, I am currently looking at going with the following specs - at least as one of my two possible specs, were I to purchase the dual-spec ability for any of my active toons:
Fire Mage (20/51/0)
Moving away from Frost and going neither Frostfire nor Arcane. With the changes to the Glyph of Molten Armor, it might just be worth it.
Fury Warrior (18/53/0)
Titan's Grip gives large bursts of rage, so I see both Anger Management and Improved Berserker Rage as unnecessary. Otherwise, I would not have enough points to take Bloodsurge.
Shadow Priest (14/0/57)
I decided to take Improved Vampiric Embrace and Psychic Horror. They will both be nice talents in heroics.
Retribution Paladin (12/5/54)
Not much I can say about this. The changes to Exorcism should make taking the glyph worthwhile. And the changes to the Glyph of Seal of Blood should make it worth taking, too.
Blood Death Knight (54/17/0)
Time for a change. I will no doubt have Unholy as my second spec (when I can afford dual-spec for him), but I am keen to try out Blood at level 80. Mark of Blood and Hysteria should both prove to be nice.
Mutilate Rogue (52/17/2)
Back to daggers?! Yup. Don't worry, I will still get some swords for my Combat spec. I am just keen to give Mutilate a shot again. At least, at 80 (when she gets there!).
So, where are the usual Hunter, Druid and Shaman builds? To tell the truth, I can't be bothered either playing with specs or playing them. I know I went to all the trouble of getting my Shammy his epic flyer at 70, but for now I have no intention of levelling him. ^^
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Paladin: Level 67. Enjoying the last vestiges of Nagrand.
Warrior: Level 66. Enjoying Nagrand quests, despite Dvaenya still being there.
Priest: Level 74. Love melting faces.
Death Knight: A handful of heroics down, so around 20 Emblems collected so far.
Mage: Uh, guess I gotta log in for a weapon enchant for Dvaenya's axe and my cloth cooldown... Not much else to do. :o
As for 3.1 builds, I am currently looking at going with the following specs - at least as one of my two possible specs, were I to purchase the dual-spec ability for any of my active toons:
Fire Mage (20/51/0)
Moving away from Frost and going neither Frostfire nor Arcane. With the changes to the Glyph of Molten Armor, it might just be worth it.
Fury Warrior (18/53/0)
Titan's Grip gives large bursts of rage, so I see both Anger Management and Improved Berserker Rage as unnecessary. Otherwise, I would not have enough points to take Bloodsurge.
Shadow Priest (14/0/57)
I decided to take Improved Vampiric Embrace and Psychic Horror. They will both be nice talents in heroics.
Retribution Paladin (12/5/54)
Not much I can say about this. The changes to Exorcism should make taking the glyph worthwhile. And the changes to the Glyph of Seal of Blood should make it worth taking, too.
Blood Death Knight (54/17/0)
Time for a change. I will no doubt have Unholy as my second spec (when I can afford dual-spec for him), but I am keen to try out Blood at level 80. Mark of Blood and Hysteria should both prove to be nice.
Mutilate Rogue (52/17/2)
Back to daggers?! Yup. Don't worry, I will still get some swords for my Combat spec. I am just keen to give Mutilate a shot again. At least, at 80 (when she gets there!).
So, where are the usual Hunter, Druid and Shaman builds? To tell the truth, I can't be bothered either playing with specs or playing them. I know I went to all the trouble of getting my Shammy his epic flyer at 70, but for now I have no intention of levelling him. ^^
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Monday, March 23, 2009
Vin Diesel Plays WoW
We interrupt this programme to bring you a very important message: Vin Diesel is a WoW player. :)
Oh, and the new Fast and Furious (finally, a real sequel) is coming out soon. And next year we should see the third Riddick instalment. Sweet.
More WoW postage later on this week. I've been playing a few alts. I'll report back on the progress of 3.1, too.
Peace.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Oh, and the new Fast and Furious (finally, a real sequel) is coming out soon. And next year we should see the third Riddick instalment. Sweet.
More WoW postage later on this week. I've been playing a few alts. I'll report back on the progress of 3.1, too.
Peace.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Thursday, March 19, 2009
PTR Build 9704
Glyph changes, spell changes, v. 9704 talent build, and stats and set bonuses of Tier 8!
Check Bobouille's post for the lowdown on all of it.
The Mage Tier 8 4-piece bonus seems pretty lame. It would be nicer if it automatically cast again whatever spell you did on the proc. Take, for example, Brain Freeze (seeing as I am a Frost mage). If it procs, I will cast a free, instant Fireball. I would then have the time of a GCD to register whether Brain Freeze was consumed or if my bonus procced and it is still up. With all that goes on in raids, someone will probably have to make a mod that gives you a warning when your proc is not consumed; otherwise you are unlikely to react in time and will start casting your next Frostbolt -- which has a chance of proccing Brain Freeze again, and therefore you could be wasting your bonus.
I will never have Tier 8 gear, so this won't affect me either way, anyway.
Perhaps we will just have to wait and see how these bonuses pan out once the top guilds have geared up with Tier 8. The Death Knight ones look nice, at least. ;)
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Check Bobouille's post for the lowdown on all of it.
The Mage Tier 8 4-piece bonus seems pretty lame. It would be nicer if it automatically cast again whatever spell you did on the proc. Take, for example, Brain Freeze (seeing as I am a Frost mage). If it procs, I will cast a free, instant Fireball. I would then have the time of a GCD to register whether Brain Freeze was consumed or if my bonus procced and it is still up. With all that goes on in raids, someone will probably have to make a mod that gives you a warning when your proc is not consumed; otherwise you are unlikely to react in time and will start casting your next Frostbolt -- which has a chance of proccing Brain Freeze again, and therefore you could be wasting your bonus.
I will never have Tier 8 gear, so this won't affect me either way, anyway.
Perhaps we will just have to wait and see how these bonuses pan out once the top guilds have geared up with Tier 8. The Death Knight ones look nice, at least. ;)
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Class Builds v.9684
3.1 is probably still a couple of weeks away, so there could still be minor changes to class talents before it goes live. However, I had a lot of free time in the office today, so put together builds for eight of the nine classes (all but Warlock, since I don't play one and therefore don't know enough about the class to put a build together).
These are all end-game builds aimed at running heroics rather than farming, questing or -- /shudder -- PvPing. I may never see most of my toons at level 80, but formulating possible builds is fun in itself.
Death Knight
17/0/54 Unholy
Druid
0/55/16 Feral Combat
Hunter
5/55/11 Marksmanship
Mage
18/0/53 Frost
Paladin
10/5/56 Retribution
Priest
14/0/57 Shadow
Rogue
15/51/5 Combat
Shaman
57/14/0 Elemental
Warrior
19/52/0 Fury
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
These are all end-game builds aimed at running heroics rather than farming, questing or -- /shudder -- PvPing. I may never see most of my toons at level 80, but formulating possible builds is fun in itself.
Death Knight
17/0/54 Unholy
Druid
0/55/16 Feral Combat
Hunter
5/55/11 Marksmanship
Mage
18/0/53 Frost
Paladin
10/5/56 Retribution
Priest
14/0/57 Shadow
Rogue
15/51/5 Combat
Shaman
57/14/0 Elemental
Warrior
19/52/0 Fury
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Monday, March 16, 2009
Heroics at Last
I did two heroics with my DK yesterday. It was my first time to do heroics with him. Both went really well (same group). I got a chest upgrade, Breastplate of Undeath, which I still have to enchant. I was also doing a lot more DPS -- about 2k against bosses -- than the two casters (warlock and mage) who were in the party.
I'm hoping that the changes to Death Knight mechanics will not lower my DPS at all. It is nice to be able to do 2K with crappy blues. It just means that as I start to get better gear for him (Naxxramas purples, possibly?), his DPS will only improve. Good fun.
My Priest is level 73. I have made a small dent in Dragonblight and will continue questing there until at least the Wrathgate questline is done.
I hope to continue working towards at least heroic gear for Mordreth. Gearing up a melee toon as fun as a Death Knight makes the game enjoyable. :)
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
I'm hoping that the changes to Death Knight mechanics will not lower my DPS at all. It is nice to be able to do 2K with crappy blues. It just means that as I start to get better gear for him (Naxxramas purples, possibly?), his DPS will only improve. Good fun.
My Priest is level 73. I have made a small dent in Dragonblight and will continue questing there until at least the Wrathgate questline is done.
I hope to continue working towards at least heroic gear for Mordreth. Gearing up a melee toon as fun as a Death Knight makes the game enjoyable. :)
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Death Knight Ding
MMO-Champion have put up a YouTube video showcasing Tier 8 armour.
My Death Knight is level 80. I will probably finish Icecrown with him, regardless. I also need to start doing heroics for gear upgrades and reputation. I equipped his Titansteel Destroyer. The funny thing is, his 2H mace skill is 1/400. It's a long grind ahead of me, full of misses. :p
As I said previously, I will probably level my Priest to 80 next. I'd better start saving cloth and stuff for crafting her level 78 gear. :o
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
My Death Knight is level 80. I will probably finish Icecrown with him, regardless. I also need to start doing heroics for gear upgrades and reputation. I equipped his Titansteel Destroyer. The funny thing is, his 2H mace skill is 1/400. It's a long grind ahead of me, full of misses. :p
As I said previously, I will probably level my Priest to 80 next. I'd better start saving cloth and stuff for crafting her level 78 gear. :o
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Friday, March 6, 2009
Almost Two Eighties
Just one more level for my beloved Death Knight. I am making good headway into Icecrown, and look forward to doing heroics; possibly starting next week!
I would like to get both my Warrior and Paladin up to at least 70, but Ilyaena is going to be the next alt I level to 80.
Having high level mining will be a bonus, although I heard that Alchemists can make a boatload of money at the moment. Might be time to level the Rogue...?
Apparently they are not making the changes to rage depletion on a stance change. This is disappointing for a levelling warrior. Still, Blizzard don't believe that stance dancing warrants this change. I guess it gives PvP warriors too much of an advantage or something, if they can switch to defensive to spell reflect and then back to 'zerker with little to no rage loss.
Also, apparently, Titan's Grip is getting the nerf bat again. This is just speculation as far as I am concerned, so I will keep my eyes open for a blue post regarding this possible upcoming change.
As for the raiding front, it is such a relief to not have to be on at any particular time to meet a commitment like raiding. I still want to experience Ulduar, but it just doesn't hold importance for me anymore. I play every day, but I am definitely a casual player now.
I look forward to doing more out of game activities and spending my time a bit more wisely. Productivity over entertainment; or something like that. :)
On another note, I was browsing my character armories and had to chuckle at my rogue's pvp statistics. The sheet is absolutely blank and yet she is wearing season 2 / season 3 arena gear. GG no statistic records pre 3.0. >.<
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
I would like to get both my Warrior and Paladin up to at least 70, but Ilyaena is going to be the next alt I level to 80.
Having high level mining will be a bonus, although I heard that Alchemists can make a boatload of money at the moment. Might be time to level the Rogue...?
Apparently they are not making the changes to rage depletion on a stance change. This is disappointing for a levelling warrior. Still, Blizzard don't believe that stance dancing warrants this change. I guess it gives PvP warriors too much of an advantage or something, if they can switch to defensive to spell reflect and then back to 'zerker with little to no rage loss.
Also, apparently, Titan's Grip is getting the nerf bat again. This is just speculation as far as I am concerned, so I will keep my eyes open for a blue post regarding this possible upcoming change.
As for the raiding front, it is such a relief to not have to be on at any particular time to meet a commitment like raiding. I still want to experience Ulduar, but it just doesn't hold importance for me anymore. I play every day, but I am definitely a casual player now.
I look forward to doing more out of game activities and spending my time a bit more wisely. Productivity over entertainment; or something like that. :)
On another note, I was browsing my character armories and had to chuckle at my rogue's pvp statistics. The sheet is absolutely blank and yet she is wearing season 2 / season 3 arena gear. GG no statistic records pre 3.0. >.<
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
More Ulduar Testing
It looks like Ulduar boss testing is coming along nicely. On the US PTR realms we will be getting access to three more bosses this week. I haven't bothered logging into the test realms. I don't have any intention of dedicating myself to raiding, so don't really see the point.
My Death Knight is 78 and is wearing all his crafted and enchanted level 78 blue gear. My Warrior is still 65 but I am now dual wielding Honed Voidaxe and Warsong Howling Axe. Too bad my armour is so terrible. :(
The change to the hearthstone cooldown in 3.1 (from 60 mins to 30 mins) will be helpful. And the change to Lightweave Embroidery is good, too -- it is being changed to a chance on spellcast to increase spellpower by 250 for 15 sec.
With talent tree changes will come revision of my character builds. I will update the Character Overview post to reflect these changes after 3.1 goes live.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
My Death Knight is 78 and is wearing all his crafted and enchanted level 78 blue gear. My Warrior is still 65 but I am now dual wielding Honed Voidaxe and Warsong Howling Axe. Too bad my armour is so terrible. :(
The change to the hearthstone cooldown in 3.1 (from 60 mins to 30 mins) will be helpful. And the change to Lightweave Embroidery is good, too -- it is being changed to a chance on spellcast to increase spellpower by 250 for 15 sec.
With talent tree changes will come revision of my character builds. I will update the Character Overview post to reflect these changes after 3.1 goes live.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Monday, March 2, 2009
Will I See Ulduar?
As I continue to play my alts I am reminded that I enjoy levelling. There is no commitment to being somewhere at a particular time. I really do like playing casually more than being part of the raiding scene, week in and week out.
The game is my hobby. But I want it to be a hobby that doesn't consume me or dictate how my evening will play out. Everything should come before playing. That's the reality.
Who knows whether I will get to experience Ulduar when 3.1 goes live. But I'm not fussed. I didn't get T5, so I don't expect to get T8. Raiding is fun but it also prevents one from having ultimate flexibility. I can't live like that anymore.
As for my alts: well, my Death Knight is still 77 but I now have all of his 78 blue gear enchanted and ready to go, as well as Titansteel Destroyer ready for when he hits 80. Running heroics will suffice for gear, although I'm sure there will be opportunity to run Naxxramas casually with friends' alts, too.
My Priest is still level 72 but she has finished Borean Tundra, which means I will be hitting up Dragonblight next time I log her shadowy presence.
I've really been enjoying playing my Warrior. I am only halfway through Zangarmarsh but she is already level 65 -- caught up to my Paladin. I managed to get Warsong Howling Axe in just one run of Blood Furnace, and will get Honed Voidaxe as soon as the opportunity to do Ring of Blood presents itself.
I enchanted the axe with Greater Savagery and have another scroll sitting in my bags for the other one. The rest of my gear is terrible, but that should change as I venture into Northrend in three levels.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
The game is my hobby. But I want it to be a hobby that doesn't consume me or dictate how my evening will play out. Everything should come before playing. That's the reality.
Who knows whether I will get to experience Ulduar when 3.1 goes live. But I'm not fussed. I didn't get T5, so I don't expect to get T8. Raiding is fun but it also prevents one from having ultimate flexibility. I can't live like that anymore.
As for my alts: well, my Death Knight is still 77 but I now have all of his 78 blue gear enchanted and ready to go, as well as Titansteel Destroyer ready for when he hits 80. Running heroics will suffice for gear, although I'm sure there will be opportunity to run Naxxramas casually with friends' alts, too.
My Priest is still level 72 but she has finished Borean Tundra, which means I will be hitting up Dragonblight next time I log her shadowy presence.
I've really been enjoying playing my Warrior. I am only halfway through Zangarmarsh but she is already level 65 -- caught up to my Paladin. I managed to get Warsong Howling Axe in just one run of Blood Furnace, and will get Honed Voidaxe as soon as the opportunity to do Ring of Blood presents itself.
I enchanted the axe with Greater Savagery and have another scroll sitting in my bags for the other one. The rest of my gear is terrible, but that should change as I venture into Northrend in three levels.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Ulduar Unveiled
I've held off on forming a new guild for now. I really want to raid Ulduar when it comes out and to continue raiding other content. It would be nice to build up to 25-man raiding but I don't see it happening for a while.
My Death Knight is level 77. I had to borrow 2,100g to get the epic riding skill plus his Winged Steed of the Ebon Blade. I'll get him to 80 eventually. No real hurry. Just have to pay this gold back eventually. :o
My Priest is level 72. I would like to play her some more to get her mining skill up and to get her closer to 80.
I've transferred over to the test realm and it should be all patched up to date. I will probably log in tomorrow night to see if I can get into an Ulduar run. Looks like there are some nice changes upcoming. See this post for lots of cool stuff, including patch notes and upcoming class changes.
I've gone more casual now. It will be nice to get back into raiding once I get my feet back on the ground. I'd like to keep it somewhat casual though, and pursue more real life priorities.
That's it!
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
My Death Knight is level 77. I had to borrow 2,100g to get the epic riding skill plus his Winged Steed of the Ebon Blade. I'll get him to 80 eventually. No real hurry. Just have to pay this gold back eventually. :o
My Priest is level 72. I would like to play her some more to get her mining skill up and to get her closer to 80.
I've transferred over to the test realm and it should be all patched up to date. I will probably log in tomorrow night to see if I can get into an Ulduar run. Looks like there are some nice changes upcoming. See this post for lots of cool stuff, including patch notes and upcoming class changes.
I've gone more casual now. It will be nice to get back into raiding once I get my feet back on the ground. I'd like to keep it somewhat casual though, and pursue more real life priorities.
That's it!
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Unguilded
My guild disbanded. Sad news, but sometimes a fresh start is good for everyone.
Our core raiding team will keep raiding while we decide on our next course of action. I want to start a new guild, but am giving others time to decide what they want to do. Either way, I hope that in a few weeks I will get into regular 25-man raiding.
I missed out on the Love Fool achievement this year. Bad luck, mostly, but also: are there any undead warriors or troll rogues even existent on my server?! I had plenty of petals but never managed to catch those two race/class combinations.
Dark Legacy summarised the short festival quite well. While you're at it, check out the latest CAD comic. It cracked me up.
What are you waiting for? Roll a shaman today!
My Death Knight is level 75. I need about 2k more gold to get his epic flying skill. Might be time to do a whole lot more questing with my mage. Maybe even some Storm Peaks dailies for that Sons of Hodir rep.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Our core raiding team will keep raiding while we decide on our next course of action. I want to start a new guild, but am giving others time to decide what they want to do. Either way, I hope that in a few weeks I will get into regular 25-man raiding.
I missed out on the Love Fool achievement this year. Bad luck, mostly, but also: are there any undead warriors or troll rogues even existent on my server?! I had plenty of petals but never managed to catch those two race/class combinations.
Dark Legacy summarised the short festival quite well. While you're at it, check out the latest CAD comic. It cracked me up.
What are you waiting for? Roll a shaman today!
My Death Knight is level 75. I need about 2k more gold to get his epic flying skill. Might be time to do a whole lot more questing with my mage. Maybe even some Storm Peaks dailies for that Sons of Hodir rep.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Malygos, Sarth 1D, Arachnophobia
Tonight went well, raiding-wise.
We got our first guild Malygos kill; we killed Sartharion with one drake up; and we cleared the Arachnid Quarter in Naxxramas in less than 20 minutes, to get the achievement: Arachnophobia.
Love is in the Air begins very soon. Players will only have five days to complete the listed achievements, so move fast if you are aiming for What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been.
I won't be able to get it this year because I never joined the Brew of the Month Club during last year's Brewfest. :(
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
We got our first guild Malygos kill; we killed Sartharion with one drake up; and we cleared the Arachnid Quarter in Naxxramas in less than 20 minutes, to get the achievement: Arachnophobia.
Love is in the Air begins very soon. Players will only have five days to complete the listed achievements, so move fast if you are aiming for What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been.
I won't be able to get it this year because I never joined the Brew of the Month Club during last year's Brewfest. :(
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Class Changes
It looks like there are some pretty major upcoming changes to every class. I won't mention anything but mage changes here, because to do so would take too much of my precious time. I'd rather sleep.
Copied from MMO-Champion:
* Improved Water Elemental – this talent has been removed and replaced with a new talent that grants Replenishment (similar to Shadow priests).
* We are also working on a way to give frost mages Ice Lance “Shatter combos” in PvE.
* We are also working on more survivability for Fire spec in PvP.
* We are also working on making Spirit a more useful and interesting stat for all mages.
Very cool. I will be bringing more to the raid as a frost mage. My Water Elemental does give back some mana but being buffed like this makes a frost mage that much more useful. We are still way under par in terms of overall DPS but it's the survivability and utility that draw me to the spec.
If Ice Lance actually becomes useful in raiding it will make things a bit more interesting. Shattering with two Frostbolts works fine in terms of DPS, so I'm not sure why they need to fiddle with this; unless people are unhappy with mostly spamming the one spell.
Who cares about Fire spec or PvP. I mean, I should say, I don't care about Fire spec anymore and I don't plan on PvPing anytime soon.
Finally. It's about time they addressed the Spirit issue. Our tier gear has always had spirit on it and yet it has remained a useless stat for so long. I'm never outside of combat during a boss fight, unless there is a lot of movement. In which case, I'm losing DPS anyway -- and no one plans for regeneration during movement when they think about mana management.
I just hope that they do something good, like boost our crit or haste through spirit.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Copied from MMO-Champion:
* Improved Water Elemental – this talent has been removed and replaced with a new talent that grants Replenishment (similar to Shadow priests).
* We are also working on a way to give frost mages Ice Lance “Shatter combos” in PvE.
* We are also working on more survivability for Fire spec in PvP.
* We are also working on making Spirit a more useful and interesting stat for all mages.
Very cool. I will be bringing more to the raid as a frost mage. My Water Elemental does give back some mana but being buffed like this makes a frost mage that much more useful. We are still way under par in terms of overall DPS but it's the survivability and utility that draw me to the spec.
If Ice Lance actually becomes useful in raiding it will make things a bit more interesting. Shattering with two Frostbolts works fine in terms of DPS, so I'm not sure why they need to fiddle with this; unless people are unhappy with mostly spamming the one spell.
Who cares about Fire spec or PvP. I mean, I should say, I don't care about Fire spec anymore and I don't plan on PvPing anytime soon.
Finally. It's about time they addressed the Spirit issue. Our tier gear has always had spirit on it and yet it has remained a useless stat for so long. I'm never outside of combat during a boss fight, unless there is a lot of movement. In which case, I'm losing DPS anyway -- and no one plans for regeneration during movement when they think about mana management.
I just hope that they do something good, like boost our crit or haste through spirit.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
25-man Raiding
I was promoted to Guild Master last week. Since then, we have had a couple of meetings, discussed a lot of things regarding moving forward, and I have written up various proposals surrounding decisions that we felt needed to be made.
I finished Icecrown but haven't yet touched Sholazar Basin. I felt like playing my rogue, so have been doing a few quests on her.
Raiding is pretty quiet right now. We are trying to recruit more players so that we can begin 25-man raiding. Feel free to check out our recruitment forum.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
I finished Icecrown but haven't yet touched Sholazar Basin. I felt like playing my rogue, so have been doing a few quests on her.
Raiding is pretty quiet right now. We are trying to recruit more players so that we can begin 25-man raiding. Feel free to check out our recruitment forum.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Full Circle
I am now fully epicced: I hit exalted with Argent Crusade and bought my Signet of Hopeful Light. In tonight's Naxxramas run, I got Dark Shroud of the Scourge, completing my collection of iLev 200 epic gear.
Onward, to 25-man raiding! That is, if we don't wipe to Kel'Thuzad on ten-man three times before calling the raid.
I finished finding the Elders of Northrend and have five left to get the Elders of the Dungeons.
I respecced my paladin to Retribution. I will level her up to 80 like this. Eventually.
Still finishing off Storm Peaks. Last stop, Sholazar Basin.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Onward, to 25-man raiding! That is, if we don't wipe to Kel'Thuzad on ten-man three times before calling the raid.
I finished finding the Elders of Northrend and have five left to get the Elders of the Dungeons.
I respecced my paladin to Retribution. I will level her up to 80 like this. Eventually.
Still finishing off Storm Peaks. Last stop, Sholazar Basin.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Slaying the Dragon
We didn't quite clear three wings tonight, but we had a couple of less experienced people along. Mixing up the numbers a bit is starting to balance things out, and more people are becoming familiar with the encounters, and gearing up to boot.
I got Embrace of the Spider. That leaves one ring and my cloak to replace before I am fully epicked -- albeit mostly level 200 purples.
I intend to try and finish off Storm Peaks and Sholazar Basin by the end of February. All this Lunar Festival shenanigans has me distracted somewhat. Tonight after raid, I managed to get the following achievements: Elders of Kalimdor, Elders of the Horde, 50 Coins of Ancestry and Lunar Festival Finery.
All that remains is slaying the drag- erm, locating and speaking to the Elders of Northrend and its dungeons.
Last night, my guild leader promoted me and one other person in guild to be officers. I don't take such a responsibility lightly at all and intend to fulfil my duties as best I can, as a mature, responsible and selfless player.
Had I the chance to give an inauguration speech it would have gone something like this:
Gaiwyn rubs up against Guild Leader and farts loudly.
/train
Peace, yo.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
I got Embrace of the Spider. That leaves one ring and my cloak to replace before I am fully epicked -- albeit mostly level 200 purples.
I intend to try and finish off Storm Peaks and Sholazar Basin by the end of February. All this Lunar Festival shenanigans has me distracted somewhat. Tonight after raid, I managed to get the following achievements: Elders of Kalimdor, Elders of the Horde, 50 Coins of Ancestry and Lunar Festival Finery.
All that remains is slaying the drag- erm, locating and speaking to the Elders of Northrend and its dungeons.
Last night, my guild leader promoted me and one other person in guild to be officers. I don't take such a responsibility lightly at all and intend to fulfil my duties as best I can, as a mature, responsible and selfless player.
Had I the chance to give an inauguration speech it would have gone something like this:
Gaiwyn rubs up against Guild Leader and farts loudly.
/train
Peace, yo.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Friday, January 23, 2009
Unholy Changes
We killed Malygos again on Wednesday night. I was outrolled on Gown of the Spell-Weaver. Maybe next time.
I respecced to Frostfire for our Thursday Naxxramas raid -- which never happened. I had a chance to try it out in five-man though, as we cleared Oculus -- I got my Champion of the Frozen Wastes achievement / title -- and a timed Culling of Stratholme run.
I respecced back to Frost today. I know that running two five-man instances isn't a real indication of how a spec feels, but I just like Frost too much, and feel that I am contributing more as a Frost mage. Play what you enjoy, imo.
It seems that a lot of people are choosing to go Arcane, and I am hearing reports of 7k on Patchwerk, 8k+ on Thaddius. With a 2-min cooldown on Evocation, I guess it's not surprising that people are jumping on the Arcane bandwagon. It will probably be normalised a little over the following weeks or maybe nerfed with the next patch.
I have also been playing my Death Knight a little bit. He is level 73 now. I respecced to Unholy and have been giving that a bit of a play. It's pretty cool having a permanent pet, and killing stuff is very easy when you just grab a big group.
The biggest problem I have found is that I am not walking away from a fight of five mobs with 99% health, as I was as Blood. It is something to get used to. I guess I need to remember to use my various protective spells more.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
I respecced to Frostfire for our Thursday Naxxramas raid -- which never happened. I had a chance to try it out in five-man though, as we cleared Oculus -- I got my Champion of the Frozen Wastes achievement / title -- and a timed Culling of Stratholme run.
I respecced back to Frost today. I know that running two five-man instances isn't a real indication of how a spec feels, but I just like Frost too much, and feel that I am contributing more as a Frost mage. Play what you enjoy, imo.
It seems that a lot of people are choosing to go Arcane, and I am hearing reports of 7k on Patchwerk, 8k+ on Thaddius. With a 2-min cooldown on Evocation, I guess it's not surprising that people are jumping on the Arcane bandwagon. It will probably be normalised a little over the following weeks or maybe nerfed with the next patch.
I have also been playing my Death Knight a little bit. He is level 73 now. I respecced to Unholy and have been giving that a bit of a play. It's pretty cool having a permanent pet, and killing stuff is very easy when you just grab a big group.
The biggest problem I have found is that I am not walking away from a fight of five mobs with 99% health, as I was as Blood. It is something to get used to. I guess I need to remember to use my various protective spells more.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Patch 3.0.8
Time for an update. And what better time than when a new patch is released.
3.0.8 brings about quite a few tweaks and changes. Go read the patch notes if you haven't already. I tend to immediately look for Mage changes as well as profession changes that affect my mage. Even though I play most other classes and have every profession, everything else takes less importance.
That said, let's look at the mage changes:
* Arcane Blast: This ability has been significantly changed. Arcane Blast now increases the damage of the next Arcane spell by 15%. However, using Arcane Blast itself does not consume the charge itself. Each time you cast Arcane Blast, the damage of Arcane spells is increased by 15% and the mana cost of Arcane Blast is increased by 200%. This effect stacks up to 3 times and lasts 10 seconds or until any Arcane damage spell except Arcane Blast is cast.
Good new for Arcane mages, getting that extra damage for your Arcane Barrage or Arcane Missiles (on your Missile Barrage proc).
* Arcane Flows: Now also reduces the cooldown of Evocation by 1m/2m.
Much needed for Arcane mages who burn through mana like it was sugar-water.
* Elemental Precision: Renamed to Precision and now works on all spells.
Can't really comment on much here. I guess it's a good move -- except it pretty much forces Arcane mages to get points from the Frost tree.
* Evocation: Cooldown reduced to 4 min.
Nice. As a Frost mage it's not going to make a difference, but for Frostfire and Arcane mages, being able to recover their mana every four mins (every two mins for specced Arcane mages!) is a great option for mana management.
* Improved Blizzard: The snaring effect has been reduced to 25/40/50%.
Unless I was a farming spec, more than one point in this was pointless anyway. Still, 25% is better than not slowing mobs at all.
* Incanter’s Absorption: The amount of spell damage a Mage can gain from this ability is now capped at 5% of the mages health.
No more battleground cheating, imo.
* Mirror Image: The Mirror Image Polymorph ability now has a range of 8 yards. In addition, Mirror Images will no longer have excessive threat values assigned to them when they are created.
Not good that mobs will no longer think that your Mirror Images are you. The reduced polymorph range won't make too much of a difference if you are in the thick of things, but it won't be quite as cool when standing back and no longer seeing random sheep (or penguins) appear.
* Slow Fall is now castable on others.
Wow. I didn't see this one coming. I can imagine the organised air assaults on Blacksmith now. I see them nerfing this in the next patch or taking away its effectiveness while pvp flagged or in battlegrounds.
* Torment the Weak: Now works with Arcane Blast and does bonus damage against targets afflicted with any type of slow (such as the combat slow from Thunder Clap).
This is what I was waiting for. TtW will now give my Frostbolts 12% extra damage. How cool is that?
Now, for professions:
Enchanting
* Many high level enchantment recipes have had the amount of Infinite Dust and Greater Cosmic Essence requirements significantly reduced, but with Dream Shards being added to them.
This is good. It should make levelling Enchantment a little easier overall.
* Increased the Fire damage inflicted by the Icebreaker weapon enchantment.
Meh.
* Reduced the armor penalty granted by the Berserking weapon enchantment.
Great for melee peeps wanting this enchantment.
* Increased the amount of healing from the Lifeward enchantment.
Good, I guess.
* Increased the amount of damage caused by the Icebreaker enchantment.
Meh.
* Added a new recipe to enchant bracers with Stamina. You can buy this recipe from Vanessa Sellers in Dalaran.
Excellent. This should be in much demand!
Tailoring
* Reduced the cloth required to make a Bolt of Imbued Frostweave.
I was waiting for this to be implemented. I have a heap of bolts to imbue. XD
* Simplified the materials required for Shining Spellthread and Azure Spellthread.
Good change.
* Reduced the eternals required to make Brilliant Spellthread and Sapphire Spellthread, but increased the number of Iceweb Spider Silk.
Silk, schmilk. Good change.
* Greatly reduced the materials required to make the self-only tailoring leg enchants (Master's Spellthread and Sanctified Spellthread), but these recipes no longer grant any skill gains.
Skill gains, schmi- -- you get the picture. :p
* Reduced the training cost for the normal Flying Carpet.
o.O Seriously, who cares.
* Ebonweave now requires the tailor to be in the Maw of Neltharion in Dragonblight to creating it.
Good, but porting out of the old place was no problem for a mage. :p
* Spellweave now requires the tailor to be at the Azure Dragonshrine in Dragonblight when creating it.
Ya, having everything in Dragonblight is good. Now if only I had a use for creating these cloths...
I got my Tier 7.5 gloves the other night, from Archavon: Valorous Frostfire Gloves.
Have yet to make a dent into Storm Peaks but I will eventually get there. Too much else to do, it seems! For example, I finished exploring Azeroth, landing me the achievement World Explorer and the title, "the Explorer". I also killed Baron Rivendare a few more times in Stratholme. 24 kills and not a peep of his coveted horse. One day...!
I was also present for a Malygos kill. I won the roll for Necklace of the Glittering Chamber, but the loot master gave it to the wrong person. Reassignment is still being sorted out. :/
We will be clearing three wings of Naxxramas tonight, with the other wing and our Sartharion kill tomorrow night. One of our regular ten-man healers is away, so I guess we will see how it all goes. Achievements can wait.
Speaking of more achievements, I just have to do a heroic Oculus and I will be a Champion of the Frozen Wastes. 27 more heroic achievements for Glory of the Hero and my Red Proto-Drake. XD
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
3.0.8 brings about quite a few tweaks and changes. Go read the patch notes if you haven't already. I tend to immediately look for Mage changes as well as profession changes that affect my mage. Even though I play most other classes and have every profession, everything else takes less importance.
That said, let's look at the mage changes:
* Arcane Blast: This ability has been significantly changed. Arcane Blast now increases the damage of the next Arcane spell by 15%. However, using Arcane Blast itself does not consume the charge itself. Each time you cast Arcane Blast, the damage of Arcane spells is increased by 15% and the mana cost of Arcane Blast is increased by 200%. This effect stacks up to 3 times and lasts 10 seconds or until any Arcane damage spell except Arcane Blast is cast.
Good new for Arcane mages, getting that extra damage for your Arcane Barrage or Arcane Missiles (on your Missile Barrage proc).
* Arcane Flows: Now also reduces the cooldown of Evocation by 1m/2m.
Much needed for Arcane mages who burn through mana like it was sugar-water.
* Elemental Precision: Renamed to Precision and now works on all spells.
Can't really comment on much here. I guess it's a good move -- except it pretty much forces Arcane mages to get points from the Frost tree.
* Evocation: Cooldown reduced to 4 min.
Nice. As a Frost mage it's not going to make a difference, but for Frostfire and Arcane mages, being able to recover their mana every four mins (every two mins for specced Arcane mages!) is a great option for mana management.
* Improved Blizzard: The snaring effect has been reduced to 25/40/50%.
Unless I was a farming spec, more than one point in this was pointless anyway. Still, 25% is better than not slowing mobs at all.
* Incanter’s Absorption: The amount of spell damage a Mage can gain from this ability is now capped at 5% of the mages health.
No more battleground cheating, imo.
* Mirror Image: The Mirror Image Polymorph ability now has a range of 8 yards. In addition, Mirror Images will no longer have excessive threat values assigned to them when they are created.
Not good that mobs will no longer think that your Mirror Images are you. The reduced polymorph range won't make too much of a difference if you are in the thick of things, but it won't be quite as cool when standing back and no longer seeing random sheep (or penguins) appear.
* Slow Fall is now castable on others.
Wow. I didn't see this one coming. I can imagine the organised air assaults on Blacksmith now. I see them nerfing this in the next patch or taking away its effectiveness while pvp flagged or in battlegrounds.
* Torment the Weak: Now works with Arcane Blast and does bonus damage against targets afflicted with any type of slow (such as the combat slow from Thunder Clap).
This is what I was waiting for. TtW will now give my Frostbolts 12% extra damage. How cool is that?
Now, for professions:
Enchanting
* Many high level enchantment recipes have had the amount of Infinite Dust and Greater Cosmic Essence requirements significantly reduced, but with Dream Shards being added to them.
This is good. It should make levelling Enchantment a little easier overall.
* Increased the Fire damage inflicted by the Icebreaker weapon enchantment.
Meh.
* Reduced the armor penalty granted by the Berserking weapon enchantment.
Great for melee peeps wanting this enchantment.
* Increased the amount of healing from the Lifeward enchantment.
Good, I guess.
* Increased the amount of damage caused by the Icebreaker enchantment.
Meh.
* Added a new recipe to enchant bracers with Stamina. You can buy this recipe from Vanessa Sellers in Dalaran.
Excellent. This should be in much demand!
Tailoring
* Reduced the cloth required to make a Bolt of Imbued Frostweave.
I was waiting for this to be implemented. I have a heap of bolts to imbue. XD
* Simplified the materials required for Shining Spellthread and Azure Spellthread.
Good change.
* Reduced the eternals required to make Brilliant Spellthread and Sapphire Spellthread, but increased the number of Iceweb Spider Silk.
Silk, schmilk. Good change.
* Greatly reduced the materials required to make the self-only tailoring leg enchants (Master's Spellthread and Sanctified Spellthread), but these recipes no longer grant any skill gains.
Skill gains, schmi- -- you get the picture. :p
* Reduced the training cost for the normal Flying Carpet.
o.O Seriously, who cares.
* Ebonweave now requires the tailor to be in the Maw of Neltharion in Dragonblight to creating it.
Good, but porting out of the old place was no problem for a mage. :p
* Spellweave now requires the tailor to be at the Azure Dragonshrine in Dragonblight when creating it.
Ya, having everything in Dragonblight is good. Now if only I had a use for creating these cloths...
I got my Tier 7.5 gloves the other night, from Archavon: Valorous Frostfire Gloves.
Have yet to make a dent into Storm Peaks but I will eventually get there. Too much else to do, it seems! For example, I finished exploring Azeroth, landing me the achievement World Explorer and the title, "the Explorer". I also killed Baron Rivendare a few more times in Stratholme. 24 kills and not a peep of his coveted horse. One day...!
I was also present for a Malygos kill. I won the roll for Necklace of the Glittering Chamber, but the loot master gave it to the wrong person. Reassignment is still being sorted out. :/
We will be clearing three wings of Naxxramas tonight, with the other wing and our Sartharion kill tomorrow night. One of our regular ten-man healers is away, so I guess we will see how it all goes. Achievements can wait.
Speaking of more achievements, I just have to do a heroic Oculus and I will be a Champion of the Frozen Wastes. 27 more heroic achievements for Glory of the Hero and my Red Proto-Drake. XD
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Monday, January 12, 2009
The Fall of Naxxramas
We finished Naxxramas last night, garnering me two more pieces of loot and more achievements:
[Chestguard of the Lost Vanquisher] from The Four Horsemen (one of whom is actually a horsewoman) yielded my T7 chest: [Heroes' Frostfire Robe]. Killing them also attributed me the achievement The Military Quarter.
Sapphiron gave me both [Cowl of Winged Fear] and the achievement Sapphiron's Demise.
Killing Kel'Thuzad earned me both Kel'Thuzad's Defeat and The Fall of Naxxramas.
We went on to give Malygos a few attempts but it wasn't terribly successful. Still, experiencing him was good. You gotta start somewhere.
I rolled a Warlock the other day to use as my bank toon but thought, what the hell (pun intended), why not have a bit of fun levelling when I feel like playing something different. So now I have a toon of every class.
I also tried out Arcane before switching back to Frost.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
[Chestguard of the Lost Vanquisher] from The Four Horsemen (one of whom is actually a horsewoman) yielded my T7 chest: [Heroes' Frostfire Robe]. Killing them also attributed me the achievement The Military Quarter.
Sapphiron gave me both [Cowl of Winged Fear] and the achievement Sapphiron's Demise.
Killing Kel'Thuzad earned me both Kel'Thuzad's Defeat and The Fall of Naxxramas.
We went on to give Malygos a few attempts but it wasn't terribly successful. Still, experiencing him was good. You gotta start somewhere.
I rolled a Warlock the other day to use as my bank toon but thought, what the hell (pun intended), why not have a bit of fun levelling when I feel like playing something different. So now I have a toon of every class.
I also tried out Arcane before switching back to Frost.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Saturday, January 10, 2009
More Upgrades
Last night, I hit 41x [Emblem of Heroism], so I grabbed the [Sundial of the Exiled] trinket.
Today, I got two upgrades from The Violet Hold: [Solitaire of Reflecting Beams] and [Azure Cloth Bindings]. Carrying enchanting mats is great because I can enchant new gear and equip it immediately.
I'm contemplating speccing Arcane just to see how it is, damage-wise. Slightly different playstyle and the only thing I give back to the raid would be [Slow]. Still, I think it is worth seeing first-hand, as it interests me.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Today, I got two upgrades from The Violet Hold: [Solitaire of Reflecting Beams] and [Azure Cloth Bindings]. Carrying enchanting mats is great because I can enchant new gear and equip it immediately.
I'm contemplating speccing Arcane just to see how it is, damage-wise. Slightly different playstyle and the only thing I give back to the raid would be [Slow]. Still, I think it is worth seeing first-hand, as it interests me.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Three-quarters Cleared
We cleared three of Naxxramas's wings last night on normal (10-man): Arachnid, Plague and Construct. One wipe each to Grobbulus and Gluth wasn't too bad, considering some were there for the first time (my first Gluth fight) -- also, especially since we wiped the floor with them the second time around. I was the only person to die on Thaddius, and I'm still not sure why. One second I was moving to my +ve companions; the next: dead.
It was a good raid, anyhow. We will be clearing the Military Quarter on Sunday, as well as taking down Sapphiron and Kel'Thuzad. I look forward to 25-man raiding, but that may be a few weeks away yet, as we continue to gather the numbers. Normal Malygos raiding should be coming up pretty soon, too.
Last night saw me attain two gear upgrades too: [Grieving Spellblade] and [Spaulders of the Lost Vanquisher], which I turned in for my [Heroes' Frostfire Shoulderpads]. And I crafted, gemmed and enchanted some [Glacial Slippers] in preparation for Sapphiron (may not need them until we do it on heroic).
I continue to quest in Icecrown, ever so slowly. Once finished there I will clear The Storm Peaks, hopefully gaining me enough Sons of Hodir faction to get new shoulder enchants.
Here's to Sunday. ;)
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
It was a good raid, anyhow. We will be clearing the Military Quarter on Sunday, as well as taking down Sapphiron and Kel'Thuzad. I look forward to 25-man raiding, but that may be a few weeks away yet, as we continue to gather the numbers. Normal Malygos raiding should be coming up pretty soon, too.
Last night saw me attain two gear upgrades too: [Grieving Spellblade] and [Spaulders of the Lost Vanquisher], which I turned in for my [Heroes' Frostfire Shoulderpads]. And I crafted, gemmed and enchanted some [Glacial Slippers] in preparation for Sapphiron (may not need them until we do it on heroic).
I continue to quest in Icecrown, ever so slowly. Once finished there I will clear The Storm Peaks, hopefully gaining me enough Sons of Hodir faction to get new shoulder enchants.
Here's to Sunday. ;)
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Blind
My guild cleared Naxxramas last week. Now that I'm back from holiday, I will have to learn all the fights and experience a full clear myself. This week will be a good week. :)
Check out this video if you haven't already. Amazing machinima -- best I've seen. The song was so catchy that I downloaded more from the same artist, Namie Amuro. Japanese singers FTW. XD
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Check out this video if you haven't already. Amazing machinima -- best I've seen. The song was so catchy that I downloaded more from the same artist, Namie Amuro. Japanese singers FTW. XD
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Where Ya Been?
I was away on holiday for Christmas and the New Year. I went to Tokyo, came back to my town to teach on Christmas Day and then spent eight days in Kyoto. Hence no updates. Hence no playing.
Got my Ebonweave Robe crafted, which puts my mage way over the hit cap right now. It will even itself out though, as I get more gear upgrades from Naxxramas.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Got my Ebonweave Robe crafted, which puts my mage way over the hit cap right now. It will even itself out though, as I get more gear upgrades from Naxxramas.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
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