With the patch live, it sounds like a lot of people have had login problems, and other in-game issues. When I get home from work I will be sorting through my addons one at a time and then logging each of my toons to fill in their new skill trees. I have a lot of work ahead of me.
This new patch brought everything I listed last night, and more. There are a lot of achievements that will be easily attainable if enough time is put in. I look forward to the next few weeks until the expansion is released, as we have plenty of opportunity to fill out a number of our achievements before the arduous journey through the frozen wastes of Northrend, striving for that end-goal of level 80 and the end-game content that it will allow access to.
So much awaits. And it is indeed close!
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Exciting Pre-Expansion Changes
Patch 3.0.2 goes live tonight. The servers have been down for a while already and will continue to be down until everything is completed tomorrow. I'm going to be restless all day as I wait to finish work. I'm excited about these pre-expansion changes!
Here's a summary of what is being changed and added:
Go ahead and check everything out if you haven't already. This is a huge patch with many playstyle-affecting changes. Everyone's toons will have to be re-treed tomorrow; and there will be a lot to take in.
I was going to wait to roll my Death Knight before picking up Inscription, but people are likely to charge exorbitant prices for everything. At least we have another month to hoard our gold in preparation for levelling to 80.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Here's a summary of what is being changed and added:
- You can no longer get bear mounts from ZA
- Hand of A'dal and Champion of the Naaru titles are no longer obtainable
- The Onyxia attunement and Atiesh questlines have been removed
- Naxxramas has been shifted to Northrend and will not be accessible until the expansion goes live
- Barber shops are available in major faction cities
- Graphics have been updated, including the new shadow engine
- Stormwind Harbor is available but ships don't yet go to Northrend
- Mounts and vanity pets are now trainable and will go into your Pet tab when learned
- The entrance to Caverns of Time: Stratholme has been added, though you cannot zone into the instance
- Badges of Justice, Marks of Honor, etc are now Tokens
- The in-game events calendar has been added
- Achievements should be live -- check Wowhead for a complete list
- Healing and Spell Damage stats have been combined into the new Spellpower stat -- this includes school specific damage (nature, fire, frost etc)
- A lot of armour and items have been changed to reflect the new game mechanics
- Buffs, debuffs and auras are all now raid-wide
- TBC raid monsters have had a 30% health reduction
- New talent trees for all classes
- Introduction of the Inscription profession: scrolls, vellum and class glyphs
- Two new arenas: Dalaran Arena and The Ring of Valor
- Honor-purchased gems are no longer BoP or unique-equipped, so can be sold on the AH
Go ahead and check everything out if you haven't already. This is a huge patch with many playstyle-affecting changes. Everyone's toons will have to be re-treed tomorrow; and there will be a lot to take in.
I was going to wait to roll my Death Knight before picking up Inscription, but people are likely to charge exorbitant prices for everything. At least we have another month to hoard our gold in preparation for levelling to 80.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Blizzcontinues
Blizzcon wrapped up today. There were a few interesting things, WoW-related. The Q&A that was recorded was interesting. Arena matches and tournaments don't interest me, but these Europeans won 75K and a replica Frostmourne each. How freaking cool is that?!
Read my Tokyo Game Show Review. It's not WoW-related, but it I was there all of yesterday while people in America were at Blizzcon. Seeing as it ran parallel to the other event, there is a connection -- of sorts.
I have been unable to play WoW this weekend. I go home tomorrow, and have Tuesday off, so that is plenty of time to spend levelling my warrior!
I also want to do some more mage testing. And, if fate smiles upon me, I wouldn't mind killing Kael and Vashj for the title, the achievement of which is being removed this week, with patch 3.0.2 going live on Tuesday. :o
The expansion draws closer -- and I still have not organised getting it upon release. :/
I spent a couple of hours today formatting my forum signature. I tweaked the animated gif a lot, ending up with a file that almost reached 400kb. I dumbed it down again and simplified it (at one point each toon's banner slid into place, which was a pretty cool effect -- but I have since removed this function), so that the file size is as small as I can achieve while it still serves its purpose: scrolling through each of my toons to display their various stats.
Read my thread here, for more info.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Read my Tokyo Game Show Review. It's not WoW-related, but it I was there all of yesterday while people in America were at Blizzcon. Seeing as it ran parallel to the other event, there is a connection -- of sorts.
I have been unable to play WoW this weekend. I go home tomorrow, and have Tuesday off, so that is plenty of time to spend levelling my warrior!
I also want to do some more mage testing. And, if fate smiles upon me, I wouldn't mind killing Kael and Vashj for the title, the achievement of which is being removed this week, with patch 3.0.2 going live on Tuesday. :o
The expansion draws closer -- and I still have not organised getting it upon release. :/
I spent a couple of hours today formatting my forum signature. I tweaked the animated gif a lot, ending up with a file that almost reached 400kb. I dumbed it down again and simplified it (at one point each toon's banner slid into place, which was a pretty cool effect -- but I have since removed this function), so that the file size is as small as I can achieve while it still serves its purpose: scrolling through each of my toons to display their various stats.
Read my thread here, for more info.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Blizzcon '08
Here I am, sitting in a hotel in Chiba, Tokyo, waiting to go to the Tokyo Game Show 2008; while across the other side of the world, Blizzcon is taking place. The opportunity presented to me is amazing; the TGS is going to be freaking awesome.
But this blog is about my biggest timesink: World of Warcraft. And what better time to talk about WoW than now, when Blizzcon is happening.
If you've been keeping track of everything that has been going on -- Diablo and Starcraft aside -- then you probably don't want to re-read what you already know. If you don't know what is going on, head over to MMO-Champion and read the last couple of days' posts. There is a lot of information to take in; and a lot of screenshots to gaze at.
The game is going to take on a whole lot more meaning and will be very refreshing for those that want to stick around for the expansion -- which I assume will be most players. Despite all the QQing about players' main classes and about how OP all the other classes are, things do seem to be progressing -- and be receiving their polish -- quite nicely.
Some features and changes worth noting:
Dual-spec system
To be introduced in a post-release patch, the dual-spec system will allow players to respec at anytime but during an arena match (and, I assume, in the middle of a battleground). This brings a whole new dynamic to the game; especially for hybrid classes, whose roles could change at the press of a button.
The biggest issue I see with this is not one of abuse but rather one of setup. Unless you can also save button configuration, respeccing on the fly will be a wee bit of a nightmare -- in terms of key skill configuration and placement. But I'm sure that the functionality and flexibility will outweigh the encumbrance of skill inaccessibility and re-placement (shuffling).
Raid-wide buffs
Now that classes' buffs will affect the whole raid, juggling classes and finding class "balance" will be much easier. Blizzard have also made it so that you don't HAVE to take any particular class or spec in order to have a successful raid. This is great news, as you can have many more options open to you in terms of who attends a raid and who is sidelined.
They want it to be a matter of bringing a skilled player; not bringing a specific class.
Achievements
This cool addition to the game is going to be a great timesink feature for obsessive players like myself. I know that there are some achievements -- especially particular Feats of Strength -- that I will never reach. But I -- and I'm sure many other players -- will get a lot more fulfilment out of the game in trying to accomplish these tangible goals.
It's not just a matter of getting the points or gaining a unique title; it is the knowledge that you have achieved something that the game has to offer. This will mean repeating old content to a degree, but I am fine with that. Some of it is content that has not been visited for a long time!
I look forward to running Molten Core again after all these years; just as I look forward to clearing Mt Hyjal and Black Temple for the first time. ;)
Keep an eye out for more announcements at Blizzcon and anything else that heralds the release of the expansion.
We're now in the final weeks before WotLK becomes a reality. Anticipation blooms abundantly.
The Tokyo Game Show awaits! Yosha!
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
But this blog is about my biggest timesink: World of Warcraft. And what better time to talk about WoW than now, when Blizzcon is happening.
If you've been keeping track of everything that has been going on -- Diablo and Starcraft aside -- then you probably don't want to re-read what you already know. If you don't know what is going on, head over to MMO-Champion and read the last couple of days' posts. There is a lot of information to take in; and a lot of screenshots to gaze at.
The game is going to take on a whole lot more meaning and will be very refreshing for those that want to stick around for the expansion -- which I assume will be most players. Despite all the QQing about players' main classes and about how OP all the other classes are, things do seem to be progressing -- and be receiving their polish -- quite nicely.
Some features and changes worth noting:
Dual-spec system
To be introduced in a post-release patch, the dual-spec system will allow players to respec at anytime but during an arena match (and, I assume, in the middle of a battleground). This brings a whole new dynamic to the game; especially for hybrid classes, whose roles could change at the press of a button.
The biggest issue I see with this is not one of abuse but rather one of setup. Unless you can also save button configuration, respeccing on the fly will be a wee bit of a nightmare -- in terms of key skill configuration and placement. But I'm sure that the functionality and flexibility will outweigh the encumbrance of skill inaccessibility and re-placement (shuffling).
Raid-wide buffs
Now that classes' buffs will affect the whole raid, juggling classes and finding class "balance" will be much easier. Blizzard have also made it so that you don't HAVE to take any particular class or spec in order to have a successful raid. This is great news, as you can have many more options open to you in terms of who attends a raid and who is sidelined.
They want it to be a matter of bringing a skilled player; not bringing a specific class.
Achievements
This cool addition to the game is going to be a great timesink feature for obsessive players like myself. I know that there are some achievements -- especially particular Feats of Strength -- that I will never reach. But I -- and I'm sure many other players -- will get a lot more fulfilment out of the game in trying to accomplish these tangible goals.
It's not just a matter of getting the points or gaining a unique title; it is the knowledge that you have achieved something that the game has to offer. This will mean repeating old content to a degree, but I am fine with that. Some of it is content that has not been visited for a long time!
I look forward to running Molten Core again after all these years; just as I look forward to clearing Mt Hyjal and Black Temple for the first time. ;)
Keep an eye out for more announcements at Blizzcon and anything else that heralds the release of the expansion.
We're now in the final weeks before WotLK becomes a reality. Anticipation blooms abundantly.
The Tokyo Game Show awaits! Yosha!
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Exalted
Last night, I achieved exalted status with Wintersaber Trainers and purchased my Winterspring Frostsaber. XD That makes 19 exalted factions so far.
Attainable:
Gnomeregan Exiles (Runecloth)
Ironforge (Runecloth)
Stormwind (Runecloth)
Argent Dawn (Cauldron farming)
Hydraxian Waterlords (Molten Core)
Timbermaw Hold (Grinding)
Zandalar Tribe (Zul'Gurub)
Possible, but improbable:
Silverwing Sentinels (lots and lots of WSG)
The League of Arathor (lots and lots of AB)
Ashtongue Deathsworn (Black Temple -- not likely)
Booty Bay, Everlook, Gadgetzan, Ratchet (lots and lots of Dire Maul "tannin" runs -- possibly too much effort)
Brood of Nozdormu (Temple of Ahn'Qiraj -- not likely)
Darkmoon Faire (too many hand-ins)
Shen'dralar (too many hand-ins)
The Scale of the Sands (Mt Hyjal -- not likely)
Thorium Brotherhood (too many hand-ins)
I can, without an insane amount of effort, get 26 oldschool factions (Azeroth + Outland) eventually. That leaves 14 new (ie. Northrend) factions to grind out exalted with, in order to get the 40 Exalted Factions achievement (as well as all the other Alliance obtainable ones!). ;)
I wish I could be like this guy. :o
I applied for a raiding guild with my mage. I am not sure that I will get a trial spot, especially this close to the expansion, but it is still worth a try. If I do not find a raiding guild before the middle of November, there is always level 80. ;)
My warrior is level 28 now. I will continue playing her; and probably even more so, now that I am done with my mage's latest rep grind!
There is a new beta patch coming soon. More changes are purported, etc. No need to mention the updates really. Just check MMO-Champion regularly. ;)
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Attainable:
Gnomeregan Exiles (Runecloth)
Ironforge (Runecloth)
Stormwind (Runecloth)
Argent Dawn (Cauldron farming)
Hydraxian Waterlords (Molten Core)
Timbermaw Hold (Grinding)
Zandalar Tribe (Zul'Gurub)
Possible, but improbable:
Silverwing Sentinels (lots and lots of WSG)
The League of Arathor (lots and lots of AB)
Ashtongue Deathsworn (Black Temple -- not likely)
Booty Bay, Everlook, Gadgetzan, Ratchet (lots and lots of Dire Maul "tannin" runs -- possibly too much effort)
Brood of Nozdormu (Temple of Ahn'Qiraj -- not likely)
Darkmoon Faire (too many hand-ins)
Shen'dralar (too many hand-ins)
The Scale of the Sands (Mt Hyjal -- not likely)
Thorium Brotherhood (too many hand-ins)
I can, without an insane amount of effort, get 26 oldschool factions (Azeroth + Outland) eventually. That leaves 14 new (ie. Northrend) factions to grind out exalted with, in order to get the 40 Exalted Factions achievement (as well as all the other Alliance obtainable ones!). ;)
I wish I could be like this guy. :o
I applied for a raiding guild with my mage. I am not sure that I will get a trial spot, especially this close to the expansion, but it is still worth a try. If I do not find a raiding guild before the middle of November, there is always level 80. ;)
My warrior is level 28 now. I will continue playing her; and probably even more so, now that I am done with my mage's latest rep grind!
There is a new beta patch coming soon. More changes are purported, etc. No need to mention the updates really. Just check MMO-Champion regularly. ;)
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Build 9038
The classes continue to be tweaked as we draw ever closer to the release of the expansion. And the dilemma of getting my hands on a copy still plagues me. It will be disappointing if I can't pre-order locally and have to get a copy sent over from NZ.
Anyway, the latest release sees a handful of changes to skills and glyphs across the board. Head over to MMO-Champion for a summary of what this patch entails.
Recently, I have not played my warrior much. However, my druid reached exalted with Shattered Sun Offensive and I have been doing dailies with my rogue.
When 3.0 is released, I intend to do some oldschool content on my mage to aim towards some of the achievements before being able to level past 70. I am currently grinding Wintersaber Trainer rep.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Anyway, the latest release sees a handful of changes to skills and glyphs across the board. Head over to MMO-Champion for a summary of what this patch entails.
Recently, I have not played my warrior much. However, my druid reached exalted with Shattered Sun Offensive and I have been doing dailies with my rogue.
When 3.0 is released, I intend to do some oldschool content on my mage to aim towards some of the achievements before being able to level past 70. I am currently grinding Wintersaber Trainer rep.
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Build 9014
The latest build gives us a few changes to every class. Check the updated talents. I will have to log onto the beta tonight and see how different an elemental build (frostfire) is now.
Honour is not going to be reset, but items at level 80 will be much more expensive. Still, if you are sitting on 70,000 honour when the expansion is released you will definitely have the advantage (I'm sure the honour cap will have to be raised to compensate for the price rise, as will the honour gain rate at 80).
More in-game models have been revamped.
I've been levelling a warrior recently. There is no possible way I will get her to level 70 (or even level 60) by the time that WotLK is released. But I can at least have fun in my spare time levelling her. Of course, it means that time is taken away from my Paladin, but I am having second thoughts about taking a Paladin to level 80. Mage, Rogue, Priest, Shaman and Death Knight will be enough. ;)
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
Honour is not going to be reset, but items at level 80 will be much more expensive. Still, if you are sitting on 70,000 honour when the expansion is released you will definitely have the advantage (I'm sure the honour cap will have to be raised to compensate for the price rise, as will the honour gain rate at 80).
More in-game models have been revamped.
Varimathras, grimmer than ever before
Alexstrasza, lookin' hot
I've been levelling a warrior recently. There is no possible way I will get her to level 70 (or even level 60) by the time that WotLK is released. But I can at least have fun in my spare time levelling her. Of course, it means that time is taken away from my Paladin, but I am having second thoughts about taking a Paladin to level 80. Mage, Rogue, Priest, Shaman and Death Knight will be enough. ;)
Gaiwyn of Proudmoore
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