Remembrancer is coming
Watch this space...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Kusamoto's Last Stand
So I jump on to BRK today, and I see his post from Saturday. To say I was shocked was an understatement. BRK? The BRK? Quitting the game? No way! Well, at least my wife and kid are OK with me playing this game.
Aren't they?
So I thought about it. Then I thought about it some more. Then I realized I haven't finished three of the writing projects I have been trying to work on for the better part of a year, my kid is always angry these days for some reason, I don't sleep very well, I'm irritable all the time...
And all because of this fucking game. Well, maybe not all. But a big part.
So I got home this evening, canceled my account, deleted all my characteres, and feel I am a better person because of it.
So I leave you now. This blog shall remain open for a time, but I will be officially disbanding the army and heading back to my old battlefield full-time. Those of you who have my email, email me. Those of you I see on thelionclan.com, you'll absolutely still see me there. Those of you I have enjoyed reading, and I hope you have likewise enjoyed reading here, I wish you luck, happiness, and most of all, victory. And as a parting gift, I give you the words of one of America's most distinguished leaders...
"The shadows are lengthening for me. The twilight is here. My days of old have vanished - tone and tints. They have gone glimmering through the dreams of things that were. Their memory is one of wondrous beauty, watered by tears and coaxed and caressed by the smiles of yesterday. I listen then, but with thirsty ear, for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll.
Today marks my final roll call with you. But I want you to know that when I cross the river, my last conscious thoughts will be of the Corps, and the Corps, and the Corps.
I bid you farewell." -Gen. Douglas MacArthur
Aren't they?
So I thought about it. Then I thought about it some more. Then I realized I haven't finished three of the writing projects I have been trying to work on for the better part of a year, my kid is always angry these days for some reason, I don't sleep very well, I'm irritable all the time...
And all because of this fucking game. Well, maybe not all. But a big part.
So I got home this evening, canceled my account, deleted all my characteres, and feel I am a better person because of it.
So I leave you now. This blog shall remain open for a time, but I will be officially disbanding the army and heading back to my old battlefield full-time. Those of you who have my email, email me. Those of you I see on thelionclan.com, you'll absolutely still see me there. Those of you I have enjoyed reading, and I hope you have likewise enjoyed reading here, I wish you luck, happiness, and most of all, victory. And as a parting gift, I give you the words of one of America's most distinguished leaders...
"The shadows are lengthening for me. The twilight is here. My days of old have vanished - tone and tints. They have gone glimmering through the dreams of things that were. Their memory is one of wondrous beauty, watered by tears and coaxed and caressed by the smiles of yesterday. I listen then, but with thirsty ear, for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll.
Today marks my final roll call with you. But I want you to know that when I cross the river, my last conscious thoughts will be of the Corps, and the Corps, and the Corps.
I bid you farewell." -Gen. Douglas MacArthur
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
It's the song of the day + My very first tag!
So I was filling out my NCAA bracket and this song came to me. I blame Megs. Enjoy!
*Intro music sung by the Thunder Bluff Phlegmatical Chorus...cleanup crew courtesy of Undercity Waste Management*
The purples drop
There you go
You’re “need”ing for your life
But DKP blows
Another raid
Has come and passed
Still in quest blues
Murlocs can kick your ass
(but with) One shining epic
The things we could do
One shining epic
To prove we’re not n00bs
But the raid is long
The loot so-so
Stupid Grobb
Tore you a new hole
No party wipes
Just your toon in shreds
Your “friends” all laugh
And jump on your head
(just) One shining epic
I’d sell my first born
One shining epic
No seriously…I’m really not torn
Feel the blaze of the screen
Feel the wind from heat sinks
“Ugh, Malygos again?”
Stomped fast as you can blink…
*Hammer dulcimer, banjo, and bagpipe solo*
And while you’re pwned
Your head you’ll bash
When you hear, “[Red Sword of Courage]??!
Man, shard that tank trash!”
(aarrgghhh!!!!) One shining epic
Not 4, 9, or 3
One shining epic, you QQ…
(please) One shining epic
Guess we’ll go PvP (zing!)
One shining epiiiiiiiiic…
Tagging time...
Ratters, Darraxus, Jed (yes, you, Nakama), Dechion, and, of course, Megs from /oom. Take your favorite uplifting sports-type tune, do terrible WoW-related things to it, and post it for the world to experience...ciao for now.
The Great Lament of the Newbie Raider (as sung to the music from "One Shining Moment"):
*Intro music sung by the Thunder Bluff Phlegmatical Chorus...cleanup crew courtesy of Undercity Waste Management*
The purples drop
There you go
You’re “need”ing for your life
But DKP blows
Another raid
Has come and passed
Still in quest blues
Murlocs can kick your ass
(but with) One shining epic
The things we could do
One shining epic
To prove we’re not n00bs
But the raid is long
The loot so-so
Stupid Grobb
Tore you a new hole
No party wipes
Just your toon in shreds
Your “friends” all laugh
And jump on your head
(just) One shining epic
I’d sell my first born
One shining epic
No seriously…I’m really not torn
Feel the blaze of the screen
Feel the wind from heat sinks
“Ugh, Malygos again?”
Stomped fast as you can blink…
*Hammer dulcimer, banjo, and bagpipe solo*
And while you’re pwned
Your head you’ll bash
When you hear, “[Red Sword of Courage]??!
Man, shard that tank trash!”
(aarrgghhh!!!!) One shining epic
Not 4, 9, or 3
One shining epic, you QQ…
(please) One shining epic
Guess we’ll go PvP (zing!)
One shining epiiiiiiiiic…
Tagging time...
Ratters, Darraxus, Jed (yes, you, Nakama), Dechion, and, of course, Megs from /oom. Take your favorite uplifting sports-type tune, do terrible WoW-related things to it, and post it for the world to experience...ciao for now.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
If it Looks Like a Tank, Walks Like a Tank, Holds Aggro Like a Tank...
So in celebration of dinging 72, here's a quick photo op in UC with my new gear. 
In addition to the Tundra Pauldrons, Boots of the Unbowed Protector, and Disturbing Giant Gauntlets, I picked up a Cobalt Helm for cheap tanking fun, tossed a bunch of Borean Armor Kits over everything that a guildie was nice enough to ship me, and finally got my Fiery on for the Iron Grip Shortsword of the Champion. My DEF is sitting at 429 (ok, not great...but better), STA is over 1k, armor at 14.3k, and health at 15.2k. All in all, we're coming along.
Although Tsuri hasn't been too thrilled with the quest choices lately...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Weekend Update
Raids/Dungeons
Ran both Drak'Thalon and Utgarde Keep this weekend, which was a good time. I did quite a bit of boss tanking in UK and off-tanked the rest of the time. I think I'm getting better at it; we didn't wipe in either instance and manhandled UK. Got some kickin' quest rewards from UK, in particular, as well as some shoulders and gloves for my budding DPS set.
Leveling
I'm less than a bar from 72 after running almost all the Borean Tundra quest chains and starting on Howling Fjord. The Wyrmrest Accord catch-a-drake daily and the Walrusman "we need food" dailies pile on the XP and are a guaranteed 40k every day.
Professions
Just hit 400 mining last night, blacksmithing is still lagging at 310. However, I'm now a GrandMaster EMT with 405 in First Aid.
Random
Vengeance is mine!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Nexus Run
Quick update (and since it's from work, no pics...sorry)...
Finally got to run my first Northrend instance last night, regular Nexus. I think this was one of the more fun instances I've run so far, even if it started out with bad vibrations. Lemme' splain...
So the more experienced guildie who had offered to run me through shoots me an IM asking if I'm good to go. I say sure, ready to tank whenever she's ready. After a few questions (such as "what's your def at?" which, at the time was 378...so not good), she says that someone else should tank instead; at which point I'm thinking, "fantastic...what precisely am I going to do other than get in the way?" I mean I leveled Tsuri as protection all the way from level 12 on. DPS? What's that? And is it my fault that everything I picked up in Outlands and the greens from BT were all pally plate? It's what the game gave me, man.
Well, I stomp on my pride, stick on the helm of nose-smushyness, and accept the summons, pretty much accepting that we're going to wipe a lot because we'll be effectively a man down for the instance, since everyone else is 73 or higher and I have no clue how to do anything other than draw aggro.
In retrospect, I needn't have worried. The DK tank was very good, the healing was awesome, and I discovered that I can actually do quite a bit of damage when pressed into a DPS role (I hit a couple of crits for over 2k on Revenge and HS). The fact that I was tossing 5 sunders on the minibosses I'm sure helped, but the rest of the guildies having a cohesive plan of attack and experience with the dungeon was the difference. Our only wipe was on Keristraza just as we killed her, and it wasn't even a full party wipe. I probably wouldn't have wiped, either, if I had realized the whole "you have to keep moving" bit meant jumping in place right next to the MT. I was even able to draw Keri's aggro on to me to fuel the Revenge+Devastate+Shield Bash+HS idocy.
So what started out as dissappointment quickly turned really fun. I'm certain I made a ton of noobish mistakes, but it made me feel better that the MT made a few, as well (she typically plays DPS or healer alts, and very well, but has only tanked a little, apparently...still really good, though). I was even able to pick up some DPS shoulders in addition to the absolutely badass tank gear quest rewards. The Tundra Pauldrons, in particular, are amazing good.
It was actually kind of refreshing to not have to stress about watching out for everyone else, checking mana pools, seeing who I needed to Intercept to keep alive...and I'm glad experienced people were running the show. I would have been sooooo lost in there.
Things to remember for next time:
• Vigilance on the healer for boss fights.
• Abuse defensive Charge to keep the hate flowing through me.
• Commanding Shout to buff the party before the last battle.
• TRINKETS DUMMY! You picked up all those +HP trinkets for a reason!
Pics of the new hotness later this evening...
Finally got to run my first Northrend instance last night, regular Nexus. I think this was one of the more fun instances I've run so far, even if it started out with bad vibrations. Lemme' splain...
So the more experienced guildie who had offered to run me through shoots me an IM asking if I'm good to go. I say sure, ready to tank whenever she's ready. After a few questions (such as "what's your def at?" which, at the time was 378...so not good), she says that someone else should tank instead; at which point I'm thinking, "fantastic...what precisely am I going to do other than get in the way?" I mean I leveled Tsuri as protection all the way from level 12 on. DPS? What's that? And is it my fault that everything I picked up in Outlands and the greens from BT were all pally plate? It's what the game gave me, man.
Well, I stomp on my pride, stick on the helm of nose-smushyness, and accept the summons, pretty much accepting that we're going to wipe a lot because we'll be effectively a man down for the instance, since everyone else is 73 or higher and I have no clue how to do anything other than draw aggro.
In retrospect, I needn't have worried. The DK tank was very good, the healing was awesome, and I discovered that I can actually do quite a bit of damage when pressed into a DPS role (I hit a couple of crits for over 2k on Revenge and HS). The fact that I was tossing 5 sunders on the minibosses I'm sure helped, but the rest of the guildies having a cohesive plan of attack and experience with the dungeon was the difference. Our only wipe was on Keristraza just as we killed her, and it wasn't even a full party wipe. I probably wouldn't have wiped, either, if I had realized the whole "you have to keep moving" bit meant jumping in place right next to the MT. I was even able to draw Keri's aggro on to me to fuel the Revenge+Devastate+Shield Bash+HS idocy.
So what started out as dissappointment quickly turned really fun. I'm certain I made a ton of noobish mistakes, but it made me feel better that the MT made a few, as well (she typically plays DPS or healer alts, and very well, but has only tanked a little, apparently...still really good, though). I was even able to pick up some DPS shoulders in addition to the absolutely badass tank gear quest rewards. The Tundra Pauldrons, in particular, are amazing good.
It was actually kind of refreshing to not have to stress about watching out for everyone else, checking mana pools, seeing who I needed to Intercept to keep alive...and I'm glad experienced people were running the show. I would have been sooooo lost in there.
Things to remember for next time:
• Vigilance on the healer for boss fights.
• Abuse defensive Charge to keep the hate flowing through me.
• Commanding Shout to buff the party before the last battle.
• TRINKETS DUMMY! You picked up all those +HP trinkets for a reason!
Pics of the new hotness later this evening...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Weekend Update, Part Deux
OK, so now that that is out of my system...here's what really went down...
Raids/Dungeons
I gave Blackrock a shot to see if I could solo the Jenkins achievement. Everything was going fine until I ran into 5 of the caster mobs that summon yojimbo to take all the pain simultaneously. Non-AoE me at 68 vs. 10 50-something elite mobs? Fail. I'll give it another shot when I get to 75 or so. I did get all the Nexus chain quests, however, so my guildmates are going to be nice enough to run me through a regular, vanilla version of it on Wednesday.
Leveling
This one should be obvious, as the below post indicates. Leveling went swimmingly over the weekend. I am super, uber-glad I can now look at, and actually half-ass afford, some of the 70-only purples I've been drooling over on the AH for months and researching where they drop at. Additionally, I took a little time to level up Fujimaro a bit and got him his first pet (a lashtail red Raptor from Durotar). I named him Stelios since, when I found him, his aggro radius was ridiculous and the first thing he did when he ran at me was Savage Rend. Apparently, he is looking for a beautiful death. No sense of self-preservation FTW!
Tsanuri is still stuck at 13. I swear I haven't forgotten you guys, Jed! I'll be jumping back to her later in the week to at least get her to 15 or 16.
Professions
I got Tsuri's first aid up to Outlands max on Friday night, so now I just need to find the Northrend trainer and start making Frostweave stuff. Cooking is still way low, but I did break down and farm a ton of Thorium to get Blacksmithing up to 291. I'm probably going to do another Silithus run tonight to get it to 300 and then pay Outlands a visit for training and farming Fel Iron. Mining is progressing nicely; I should be at about 400 in short order.
Random
Does anyone else think that Bor'Gorok outpost in Borean Tundra sounds like somewhere the Swedish Chef would hang out? I half expected a Dwarf wearing a floppy chef's hat to be there handing out cooking quests.
Raids/Dungeons
I gave Blackrock a shot to see if I could solo the Jenkins achievement. Everything was going fine until I ran into 5 of the caster mobs that summon yojimbo to take all the pain simultaneously. Non-AoE me at 68 vs. 10 50-something elite mobs? Fail. I'll give it another shot when I get to 75 or so. I did get all the Nexus chain quests, however, so my guildmates are going to be nice enough to run me through a regular, vanilla version of it on Wednesday.
Leveling
This one should be obvious, as the below post indicates. Leveling went swimmingly over the weekend. I am super, uber-glad I can now look at, and actually half-ass afford, some of the 70-only purples I've been drooling over on the AH for months and researching where they drop at. Additionally, I took a little time to level up Fujimaro a bit and got him his first pet (a lashtail red Raptor from Durotar). I named him Stelios since, when I found him, his aggro radius was ridiculous and the first thing he did when he ran at me was Savage Rend. Apparently, he is looking for a beautiful death. No sense of self-preservation FTW!
Tsanuri is still stuck at 13. I swear I haven't forgotten you guys, Jed! I'll be jumping back to her later in the week to at least get her to 15 or 16.
Professions
I got Tsuri's first aid up to Outlands max on Friday night, so now I just need to find the Northrend trainer and start making Frostweave stuff. Cooking is still way low, but I did break down and farm a ton of Thorium to get Blacksmithing up to 291. I'm probably going to do another Silithus run tonight to get it to 300 and then pay Outlands a visit for training and farming Fel Iron. Mining is progressing nicely; I should be at about 400 in short order.
Random
Does anyone else think that Bor'Gorok outpost in Borean Tundra sounds like somewhere the Swedish Chef would hang out? I half expected a Dwarf wearing a floppy chef's hat to be there handing out cooking quests.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thanking all the mobs I had to kill...
In the spirit of the Academy Awards®, Tsuri would like to thank the following entities for getting him to Northrend:
• Durn the Hungerer
• Moth Larve (dey go squish real good-like)
• 3,467 Murlocs
• An indeterminite number of Kobolds
• Ditto Helboars
• The Venture Company
• The Scarlet Crusade
• The soon-to-be-extinct Talbuk (mmm...tasty)
• Drunk Ogres
Additionally, Tsuri needs to say thanks to everyone in Demon Knights for the assistance, encouragement, and allowing him to wash all their Kodos.
Last but not least, special thanks go out to:
• Boblynop, who saved Tsuri's ass from Hillsbrad through Hellfire and has been a constant quest buddy (and decent human being...err...Blood Elf).
• Vampireshade, one of the more fun hunters I've quested with.
• Ashfist, 'cuz the undead need to stick together. Solidarity, brother.
• Zuedama, who was constantly reminding me why questing was important...even if she's a bit OCD about it.
• Androctonus, for cooking up all those Talbuks and Clefthooves, and generally pushing me to get in the game.
• Revannsi, for escorting me through the tough stuff yet knowing when to step back and let me do what I do best (rawr, smash!).
• Nagiken, for the leather stacks and general amusement.
OK, enough thanks. Time for stats! Y'all will probably remember the first pic...Pic #2 is the new...um...hotness, I guess...
Wow...what a difference an expansion's worth of content makes. Huge sta increase, damage is almost doubled, 10K armor is awesome.
Now I need to get out of this pretty pretty pally princess armor and into some stuff that more fits my MO.
• Durn the Hungerer
• Moth Larve (dey go squish real good-like)
• 3,467 Murlocs
• An indeterminite number of Kobolds
• Ditto Helboars
• The Venture Company
• The Scarlet Crusade
• The soon-to-be-extinct Talbuk (mmm...tasty)
• Drunk Ogres
Additionally, Tsuri needs to say thanks to everyone in Demon Knights for the assistance, encouragement, and allowing him to wash all their Kodos.
Last but not least, special thanks go out to:
• Boblynop, who saved Tsuri's ass from Hillsbrad through Hellfire and has been a constant quest buddy (and decent human being...err...Blood Elf).
• Vampireshade, one of the more fun hunters I've quested with.
• Ashfist, 'cuz the undead need to stick together. Solidarity, brother.
• Zuedama, who was constantly reminding me why questing was important...even if she's a bit OCD about it.
• Androctonus, for cooking up all those Talbuks and Clefthooves, and generally pushing me to get in the game.
• Revannsi, for escorting me through the tough stuff yet knowing when to step back and let me do what I do best (rawr, smash!).
• Nagiken, for the leather stacks and general amusement.
OK, enough thanks. Time for stats! Y'all will probably remember the first pic...Pic #2 is the new...um...hotness, I guess...
Wow...what a difference an expansion's worth of content makes. Huge sta increase, damage is almost doubled, 10K armor is awesome.
Now I need to get out of this pretty pretty pally princess armor and into some stuff that more fits my MO.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Borean Tundra is Mine!!!!
Quick update since I'm at work and can't go into much detail: I hit 68 this weekend and booked my trip to the Borean Tundra! About fricken' time, too. Now I can focus on getting myself leveled up to the mid 70s, getting some proper tank gear (instead of Mighty-Morphin Pally Plate), and be able to actually play the game with my friends (which is why I bought it in the first place).
Will post in more depth tonight...
Will post in more depth tonight...
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Tsuri's Drive for Northrend
Can't wait to run Naxx...Can't wait to run Naxx...Can't wait to run Naxx...Can't wait to run Naxx...
What the Hell are you?! Die! Diediediediediediedie!!!
*WHOOSH* W00t! 67! Naxx here I come, baby!
O_o
o_O
O_O
585k XP until 68?! WTF???!!!!
Grrr. Where are them rare Nesingwary critters? And the Hungerer? Bring on the Hungerer, beeeeyotch!
So I can get out of this stupid purple armor...grrrr...grumble...
What the Hell are you?! Die! Diediediediediediedie!!!
*WHOOSH* W00t! 67! Naxx here I come, baby!
O_o
o_O
O_O
585k XP until 68?! WTF???!!!!
Grrr. Where are them rare Nesingwary critters? And the Hungerer? Bring on the Hungerer, beeeeyotch!
That's right! You're goin' nowhere! Where you goin'? Nowhere! I gots Nesingwary's gun now; don't make me bust caps!
........
Can't wait to run Naxx...Can't wait to run Naxx...Can't wait to run Naxx...Can't wait to run Naxx...
So I can get out of this stupid purple armor...grrrr...grumble...
Monday, February 16, 2009
A Question for the Designers
OK, I understand how the armor in Outlands needed to look different to differentiate itself from the Azeroth stuff. I get how you wanted it to look fanciful, yet functional. I empathize with your need to make some stuff that looked different from the old and busted armor.
But really, we tanks would like some armor colors that don't make us look like we're rejects from a Shriner's convention...
But really, we tanks would like some armor colors that don't make us look like we're rejects from a Shriner's convention...
I understand Ratter's pain now. I hadn't seen the full effect of the armor rewards and drops I had been getting until I zoomed in this evening. I especially like the absolutely fabulous wolf-head helm (and yes, the shield is pink, too). Ugh.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Weekly Update
Better late than...oh...never mind.
Dungeons/Heroics/Raids:
I wasn't able to polish off Blood Cauldron like I wanted to this weekend. However, I did manage to get the Uldaman achievement. Only a few more to go for classic DM. And guess what? That was solo, baby! Yes, for those of you unaware, Uldaman is soloable now. You no longer need 3 people to summon the stoner at the end. I was amazed at how expansive Uldaman was. I actually solo'd it twice, since I'd mistakenly left the instance in error and had to go back after everything had reset. Oops. Oh well. I filled up every bag I had with AH loot on it, too. I've never had that many auctions running at once.
At some point this weekend, I'm going to go take care of Sunken Temple solo and see about getting Scholomance out of the way, as well. I really want the Classic Dungeonmaster achievement and the phat loot that goes with it.
Questing:
The reason I even attempted Uldaman was because I was in Badlands farming Mithril for the Armorsmith quest. Yes, I'm still doing that. I really don't like farming, so I've been putting it off as long as possible. Well, my mining is maxed out at 375 for the time being and I only have 1 or 2 blueprints that will give me bsmith skillups, so I really needed to get the Ornate Mithril plans for the quest. So, I bit the bullet and started. In about an hour, I had 30 Mithril and some of my new guildies from Demon Knights are going to be shipping over whatever they can find, too (bless their demonic little hearts). Only 200 or so more to go...ugh.
Other than that, I finished off some more quests in Terokkar and got the sprirt wolf's head on a stick, then went on over to help the demoralized horde forces in Nagrand. I still deperately need some new bracers. The valor ones are looking pretty shabby next to my Outlands gear.
Leveling:
Tsuri's now at 65, still specced as a tank, still a walking human shield. I had 3 63 mobs pounding on me for a good two or three minutes when I wasn't looking, and when I came back, one of them was dead from my passive damage talents and throwing himself on my Mithril Spike. I personally had taken a whopping 500 damage. O_o
I also hopped on Tsanuri for a short while last Fri night and got her up to 13. I had forgotten how easy early leveling was. For those who have been too busy with the cooking dailies to work on a brand new alt, here's how Tsanuri's leveling has been going...
Tsanuri: Hello big, weird world! Hm. I'm apparently a goat. Well, that's going to limit my wardrobe options. Wait, who's that?
Boored-looking Draenai functionary: Hello. I'm very glad. To welcome you. To Azuremist Isle. *yawns and pulls out a pen* State your name.
Tsanuri: Uh...Tsanuri?
*WHOOSH!*
Booming Godlike Voice: You have reached Level 2!
Tsanuri (while hitting the deck): What in the name of the 7 Hells was that?!
Functionary (eyes barely open): Oh. Yay. W00t for you. I'm. So happy.
Tsanuri (still on the ground): Can I help you with something? What precisely are you doing here, anyway?
Functionary: I am the official Introductory Questgiver of the Draenai. Unfortunately, there is no room for advancement in my current job, the pay is barely subsistance-level, and you won't miss me after you've gone 20 feet down the road.
Tsanuri (gets up): Oh...well...why don't you put in for a transfer or look for another gig with the Blood Elves or something? Why stay?
Functionary (showing peraly whites): Dental.
Tsanuri (nodding sagely): Ah. yeah, hard to find a job with decent benes these days.
Functionary: Speaking of which *flourishing pen*...what class have you chosen to follow for the betterment of the giant galactic...whatever?
Tsanuri: Huh? Oh...Shaman.
*WHOOSH!*
Godlike voice of happiness: You Have Reached Level 3!
Tsanuri (shooting lightning bolt into the sky from behind the boulder she is using for cover): STOP THAT!
Functionary: Very well. *scribbles something on a rune and hands it to her* Take this to the old gnarled goat inside the totally incongruous spaceship behind me. He will give you your MOP-4 suit for HazMat cleanup duty. Welcome again to Azuremist Isle. NEXT!
Tsanuri (taking rune): HazMat duty? Like...industrial waste and stuff?
Functionary: More like radioactive and gene-altering. But it's perfectly safe. Please move along, you are holding up the line. NEXT!
*Tsanuri walks off, loking at the Rune in confusion. Meanwhile, the 30-deep line of paladins, warriors, priests, and druids moves slowly toward the functionary's desk. Slow dissolve*
This weekend:
I should head back to Nagrand and power up to 66 or 67 with Tsuri, but I'll probably do more Valentine's stuff, instead. I really need to quest in Nagrand for the gold and rewards, though, so I'll probably head back on Sat or Sun. I'd also like to get Tsanuri up into the 20s so I can head to Stormwind and quest there, as well. Blood Cauldron is still an option, as well as Scholomance and Strat.
Dungeons/Heroics/Raids:
I wasn't able to polish off Blood Cauldron like I wanted to this weekend. However, I did manage to get the Uldaman achievement. Only a few more to go for classic DM. And guess what? That was solo, baby! Yes, for those of you unaware, Uldaman is soloable now. You no longer need 3 people to summon the stoner at the end. I was amazed at how expansive Uldaman was. I actually solo'd it twice, since I'd mistakenly left the instance in error and had to go back after everything had reset. Oops. Oh well. I filled up every bag I had with AH loot on it, too. I've never had that many auctions running at once.
At some point this weekend, I'm going to go take care of Sunken Temple solo and see about getting Scholomance out of the way, as well. I really want the Classic Dungeonmaster achievement and the phat loot that goes with it.
Questing:
The reason I even attempted Uldaman was because I was in Badlands farming Mithril for the Armorsmith quest. Yes, I'm still doing that. I really don't like farming, so I've been putting it off as long as possible. Well, my mining is maxed out at 375 for the time being and I only have 1 or 2 blueprints that will give me bsmith skillups, so I really needed to get the Ornate Mithril plans for the quest. So, I bit the bullet and started. In about an hour, I had 30 Mithril and some of my new guildies from Demon Knights are going to be shipping over whatever they can find, too (bless their demonic little hearts). Only 200 or so more to go...ugh.
Other than that, I finished off some more quests in Terokkar and got the sprirt wolf's head on a stick, then went on over to help the demoralized horde forces in Nagrand. I still deperately need some new bracers. The valor ones are looking pretty shabby next to my Outlands gear.
Leveling:
Tsuri's now at 65, still specced as a tank, still a walking human shield. I had 3 63 mobs pounding on me for a good two or three minutes when I wasn't looking, and when I came back, one of them was dead from my passive damage talents and throwing himself on my Mithril Spike. I personally had taken a whopping 500 damage. O_o
I also hopped on Tsanuri for a short while last Fri night and got her up to 13. I had forgotten how easy early leveling was. For those who have been too busy with the cooking dailies to work on a brand new alt, here's how Tsanuri's leveling has been going...
Tsanuri: Hello big, weird world! Hm. I'm apparently a goat. Well, that's going to limit my wardrobe options. Wait, who's that?
Boored-looking Draenai functionary: Hello. I'm very glad. To welcome you. To Azuremist Isle. *yawns and pulls out a pen* State your name.
Tsanuri: Uh...Tsanuri?
*WHOOSH!*
Booming Godlike Voice: You have reached Level 2!
Tsanuri (while hitting the deck): What in the name of the 7 Hells was that?!
Functionary (eyes barely open): Oh. Yay. W00t for you. I'm. So happy.
Tsanuri (still on the ground): Can I help you with something? What precisely are you doing here, anyway?
Functionary: I am the official Introductory Questgiver of the Draenai. Unfortunately, there is no room for advancement in my current job, the pay is barely subsistance-level, and you won't miss me after you've gone 20 feet down the road.
Tsanuri (gets up): Oh...well...why don't you put in for a transfer or look for another gig with the Blood Elves or something? Why stay?
Functionary (showing peraly whites): Dental.
Tsanuri (nodding sagely): Ah. yeah, hard to find a job with decent benes these days.
Functionary: Speaking of which *flourishing pen*...what class have you chosen to follow for the betterment of the giant galactic...whatever?
Tsanuri: Huh? Oh...Shaman.
*WHOOSH!*
Godlike voice of happiness: You Have Reached Level 3!
Tsanuri (shooting lightning bolt into the sky from behind the boulder she is using for cover): STOP THAT!
Functionary: Very well. *scribbles something on a rune and hands it to her* Take this to the old gnarled goat inside the totally incongruous spaceship behind me. He will give you your MOP-4 suit for HazMat cleanup duty. Welcome again to Azuremist Isle. NEXT!
Tsanuri (taking rune): HazMat duty? Like...industrial waste and stuff?
Functionary: More like radioactive and gene-altering. But it's perfectly safe. Please move along, you are holding up the line. NEXT!
*Tsanuri walks off, loking at the Rune in confusion. Meanwhile, the 30-deep line of paladins, warriors, priests, and druids moves slowly toward the functionary's desk. Slow dissolve*
This weekend:
I should head back to Nagrand and power up to 66 or 67 with Tsuri, but I'll probably do more Valentine's stuff, instead. I really need to quest in Nagrand for the gold and rewards, though, so I'll probably head back on Sat or Sun. I'd also like to get Tsanuri up into the 20s so I can head to Stormwind and quest there, as well. Blood Cauldron is still an option, as well as Scholomance and Strat.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Top 25
Damn. I's been tagged. Fair enough. In the spirt of blogidarity, here is my list of the top 25 console/computer video games of all time:
25. Pitfall, Atari 2600. Let's start with a classic. I wasted hours of my life on this game.
24. Final Fantasy VIII, PlayStation. I may have been the only human being on Earth that liked this game.
23. Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega Genesis. Simple, fun, and addictive. Plus, at the time, we were prone to imbibe certain relaxing substances and then play what we lovingly called "Chronic the Hemphog."
22. Sea Battle, Intellivision. I can still sit down and play this to this day. Awesomely fun naval strategy game.
21. Demon Attack, Atari 2600. Somewhere I have the Polaroid I took of my top score on this game: 1,250,000. Yeah, I played for about 13 hours straight.
20. Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, PC. Lucasfilm's testbed for the 3D modeling engine they used for the X-Wing and TiE Fighter series of games. Big time fun as you bomb German factories into submission with your B-17 or take the helm of a theoretical Gotha GO-229 Flying wing in an attempt to preserve the Reich.
19. TiE Fighter, PC. Speaking of Lucasfilm, a highly enjoyable flight sim based on the Star Wars franchise where you play one of the hapless thousands assigned to a rickety, poorly constructed interceptor charged with taking out much better armed and armored opponents. The frustration factor early is offset by the coolness of some of the toys you get later.
18. Super Mario Bros., NES. I still have the music stuck in my head to this day.
17. 1942, NES. Would have been higher on the list except for the crappy ending.
16. Diablo, PC. The grandfather of all MMOs is still fun to play.
15. Doom, PC. Quite possibly the biggest reason PC gaming is as popular as it is today.
14. Madden '93, Super NES. The first of the next-gen sports games that took advantage of 16-bit tech to introduce realistic-looking characters.
13. Super Mario World, Super NES. Nintendo's franchise goldmine just gets better with age.
12. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, NES. A much more robust and difficult game than the original; added a "battle screen" side-scroller for in-depth gameplay.
11. Resident Evil, PlayStation. So incredibly cheeseball, but tons of funs. Introduced the idea of "survival horror" as an archetype to the industry.
10. Sim City, PC. Be your own city manager/mayor and make your townspeople happy...or find yourself testifying before Congress.
9. Master of Orion, PC. The first, and best, Empire-builder I ever played.
8. X-Wing, PC. What nerd didn't want to be Han Solo or Luke Skywalker growing up? Well...then again, I always wanted to be Darth Vader. I guess that's why I play an undead...
7. The Legend of Zelda, NES. The game that introduced the concept of role-playing to a generation of geeky kids.
6. Starcraft, PC. The king of the RTS games for my money. Great graphics, amazing storyline, replayability out the wazoo.
5. Civilization, PC. It was electronic crack long before WoW came along. The other titles in the series are amazing, too, but this one is still my favorite, bad graphics and all.
4. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, PlayStation. Hear our battle cry: "Dude, I can grind that."
3. Legend of Dragoon, PlayStation. Quite possibly the best RPG in terms of story and playability ever made. I actually cried at the end, it was that good.
2. World of Warcraft, PC. Sorry, Blizz. You're #2. A strong #2, granted. I've had more fun with this game than any in a long time. But it still doesn't beat...
1. Resident Evil II, PlayStation. Fantastic voicework, great graphics that withstand the test of time, an engaging storyline, plenty of replay fun, and basically 2 games for the price of one as you get to play from both the heros' perspectives. This is the only original PS1 game I still own, and I still enjoy it every now and again.
25. Pitfall, Atari 2600. Let's start with a classic. I wasted hours of my life on this game.
24. Final Fantasy VIII, PlayStation. I may have been the only human being on Earth that liked this game.
23. Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega Genesis. Simple, fun, and addictive. Plus, at the time, we were prone to imbibe certain relaxing substances and then play what we lovingly called "Chronic the Hemphog."
22. Sea Battle, Intellivision. I can still sit down and play this to this day. Awesomely fun naval strategy game.
21. Demon Attack, Atari 2600. Somewhere I have the Polaroid I took of my top score on this game: 1,250,000. Yeah, I played for about 13 hours straight.
20. Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, PC. Lucasfilm's testbed for the 3D modeling engine they used for the X-Wing and TiE Fighter series of games. Big time fun as you bomb German factories into submission with your B-17 or take the helm of a theoretical Gotha GO-229 Flying wing in an attempt to preserve the Reich.
19. TiE Fighter, PC. Speaking of Lucasfilm, a highly enjoyable flight sim based on the Star Wars franchise where you play one of the hapless thousands assigned to a rickety, poorly constructed interceptor charged with taking out much better armed and armored opponents. The frustration factor early is offset by the coolness of some of the toys you get later.
18. Super Mario Bros., NES. I still have the music stuck in my head to this day.
17. 1942, NES. Would have been higher on the list except for the crappy ending.
16. Diablo, PC. The grandfather of all MMOs is still fun to play.
15. Doom, PC. Quite possibly the biggest reason PC gaming is as popular as it is today.
14. Madden '93, Super NES. The first of the next-gen sports games that took advantage of 16-bit tech to introduce realistic-looking characters.
13. Super Mario World, Super NES. Nintendo's franchise goldmine just gets better with age.
12. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, NES. A much more robust and difficult game than the original; added a "battle screen" side-scroller for in-depth gameplay.
11. Resident Evil, PlayStation. So incredibly cheeseball, but tons of funs. Introduced the idea of "survival horror" as an archetype to the industry.
10. Sim City, PC. Be your own city manager/mayor and make your townspeople happy...or find yourself testifying before Congress.
9. Master of Orion, PC. The first, and best, Empire-builder I ever played.
8. X-Wing, PC. What nerd didn't want to be Han Solo or Luke Skywalker growing up? Well...then again, I always wanted to be Darth Vader. I guess that's why I play an undead...
7. The Legend of Zelda, NES. The game that introduced the concept of role-playing to a generation of geeky kids.
6. Starcraft, PC. The king of the RTS games for my money. Great graphics, amazing storyline, replayability out the wazoo.
5. Civilization, PC. It was electronic crack long before WoW came along. The other titles in the series are amazing, too, but this one is still my favorite, bad graphics and all.
4. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, PlayStation. Hear our battle cry: "Dude, I can grind that."
3. Legend of Dragoon, PlayStation. Quite possibly the best RPG in terms of story and playability ever made. I actually cried at the end, it was that good.
2. World of Warcraft, PC. Sorry, Blizz. You're #2. A strong #2, granted. I've had more fun with this game than any in a long time. But it still doesn't beat...
1. Resident Evil II, PlayStation. Fantastic voicework, great graphics that withstand the test of time, an engaging storyline, plenty of replay fun, and basically 2 games for the price of one as you get to play from both the heros' perspectives. This is the only original PS1 game I still own, and I still enjoy it every now and again.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Postcards from the Edg-AIIIEEEEEeeeeeeee.....
Looky look! Tsuri sent me a card! How nice of him. Not sure how he got that picture on the front, but it's very epic-looking...
Yeah, that's me and three Alliance DKs rolling on Arazzius. What? Hey, the enemy of my enemy and all that jive. Might as well at least try to be diplomatic. Additionally...DK's!: When it absolutely, positively needs to fucking die this very second, accept no substitute (and all the hordies were apparently passed out for the night).
Holy crap! I didn't realize how freakin' tough critters out here would be. One second I'm king of the hill, straight murderin' Lich servants, Scourgies, and huge bugs. The next? Gettin' gored in the junk by some giant Javelina! WTF??
Well, it ain't all bad. After I got my bearings, the Orcs in a lovely little Hamlet called Thrallmar (not too inventive, are they?) gave me a job killing the various Scourgies that are runnin' all over the place. They neglected to tell me about the Fel Reaver, though. Two words: Tsuri pate'.
No, I am most definitely not hiding from the Reaver. I'm performing tactical reconnaisance...from extreme distance.
No, I am most definitely not hiding from the Reaver. I'm performing tactical reconnaisance...from extreme distance.
This place sucks so bad even the ghosts try to kill you. All I did was run past them, too. Wasn't even gonna' mess with them, until they decided to mess with me. Then I had to regulate, yo (like my impression of the Pally circle of death?).
Luckily, thanks to some work helping elements of thier forces take vengeance on the Fel Orcs that slaughtered them, I was able to make them see the error of their ways...and then they made me their King. All shall serve the Forsaken! BWA-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ha ha...ha....ahem.
Yeah, that's me and three Alliance DKs rolling on Arazzius. What? Hey, the enemy of my enemy and all that jive. Might as well at least try to be diplomatic. Additionally...DK's!: When it absolutely, positively needs to fucking die this very second, accept no substitute (and all the hordies were apparently passed out for the night).
All in all, I've been too busy to notice the suckage goin' on out here too much, what with being sent on seek-and-destroy missions against errant Voidwalkers, fortifying our defenses against the Alliance, and running messages back and forth to Thrall himself in Orgrimmar. Plus, the local General has been giving me some totally stompin' armor for being his Mr. Wolf. I've even gained enough strategic know-how to make it halfway to my 64th season.
Only a few loose ends to tie up before heading to Zangermarsh. I hear them Orcs in Hellfire Citadel have been causing a ruckus. Someone should really...talk to them...about that.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
He Got Next?
So now that Tsuri's in Outlands and the endgame is in sight, I am already thinking about who gets leveled next. I have a few choices, all of which are fun in their own way, but I haven't really settled on one in particular yet. Hopefully you kind, gentle readers out there can assist me (and take the decision-making process out of my hands...shirking responsibility FTW). So, here's a quick dossier of who's available:
Name: Fujimaro
Name: Richhard
Faction: Horde
Name: Kusamoto
Name: Tsanuri
Name: FujimaroFaction: Horde
MO: Hunter
Race: Orc
Server: Silverhand
Tradeskills: Leatherworking & Skinning
Current Level: 9
Benefits: Hunters are still EZ mode, even with the BM nerf, and it's really nice being able to pay attention to just one or two things in battle vs. the 50 different things you need to worry about with a tank.
Detriments: BM, what I wanted to get into, got smacked with the errata anvil really hard. Not sure about MM or SV as a main type, really.
Favorite Quote: "I'm old, but you're dead. I win."
Name: RichhardFaction: Horde
MO: Warlock
Race: Forsaken
Server: Silverhand
Tradeskills: None chosen
Current Level: 5
Benefits: Dude...it's an undead Warlock named Richard! How can you go wrong? Plus the racial abilities of the Forsaken are still the best in the game, IMHO.
Detriments: I've tried Warlocks before (the failed Tsuko experiment) with very little success. Getting my mind wrapped around the squishy world is difficult.
Favorite Quote: "I...like...to...kill...things. What part of that is difficult to understand?"
Current Level: 5
Benefits: Dude...it's an undead Warlock named Richard! How can you go wrong? Plus the racial abilities of the Forsaken are still the best in the game, IMHO.
Detriments: I've tried Warlocks before (the failed Tsuko experiment) with very little success. Getting my mind wrapped around the squishy world is difficult.
Favorite Quote: "I...like...to...kill...things. What part of that is difficult to understand?"
Name: KusamotoFaction: Horde
MO: Paladin
Race: Blood Elf
MO: Paladin
Race: Blood Elf
Server: Silverhand
Tradeskills: None chosen
Current Level: 2
Benefits: Pallys, in general, are pretty powerful and flexible. I can DPS, tank, heal, whatever. This I like.
Detriments: I really can't stand Blood Elves as a general rule. Not sure why; playing one rubs me the wrong way. Plus, their racial abilities and survivability factor are not good, and the starting location sucks for quest leveling.
Favorite Quote: "Better to die for something than live for nothing."
Name: TsanuriFaction: Alliance
MO: Shaman
Race: Draenai
MO: Shaman
Race: Draenai
Server: Blackhand
Tradeskills: Mining & Engineering
Current Level: 10
Benefits: I rolled up this toon so I could mob around with my boys from the Swift Sword, and ended up liking the class really well. Shamans are a nice mix of Priest and Warrior, and the space goat racial heal is very cool.
Detriments: I wouldn't be able to roll with my local friends on Silverhand very often, except for raiding and heroics with Tsuri.
Favorite Quote: "Wait, don't tell me. The ship crashed again, didn't it?"
So each choice has its good points and bad, and I'm really torn as to which one should be my secondary focus after 80ing Tsuri. Please shoot me a reply with which you think would be the logical next choice.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
It's Time to Make the Donuts!
Well, here I am...for better or worse. The Dark Portal. The end of my time on Azeroth, for at least 10 seasons. A new beginning for me as a tank. I hope I'm ready for this. For posterity's sake (and to take a page from Kinnavieve's book), here's how I looked going in (ignore the sword, I've got a new one; basic stats nearly unchanged, except damage is now 220-270):
Soon to be old and busted:
True to form, I ran trough the portal with reckless abandon, luckily with a guide, and soon found myself flying over a blasted wasteland of doom to end up in the end-all, be-all of Outlands...Scenic Shattrath. Isn't Aldor Rise lovely at this time of night?
More to come soon, I am sure...
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
57
57.
57...
It's just a number. It means nothing. Well, maybe not nothing numerogically speaking...
57; 5+7; 12; 1+2; 3
3, in classic numerology, was the perfect number. 3 represented harmony, balance, prosperity. In the Indian Vedic traditions, the number 3 as a name number meant artistic, and having the ability to pull society up through idealistic contributions. In Life Path numerology, 3 was reserved for those people with endless wells of creative energy and optimism.
Closer to home, 3 is the number of times a President has not won the popular vote but been elected by the Electoral College. 3 is the number of Series' the BoSox have won. We have 3 traffic signals, 3 branches of government, the big 3 automakers, 3 Blind Mice, and 3 Little Pigs.
So I guess, as a number, 57 could be worse. It adds up to a lot of things when you break it down numerogically. But...no matter how many different ways you add, subtract, or divide it...
57 does not equal Outlands. :-(
57...
It's just a number. It means nothing. Well, maybe not nothing numerogically speaking...
57; 5+7; 12; 1+2; 3
3, in classic numerology, was the perfect number. 3 represented harmony, balance, prosperity. In the Indian Vedic traditions, the number 3 as a name number meant artistic, and having the ability to pull society up through idealistic contributions. In Life Path numerology, 3 was reserved for those people with endless wells of creative energy and optimism.
Closer to home, 3 is the number of times a President has not won the popular vote but been elected by the Electoral College. 3 is the number of Series' the BoSox have won. We have 3 traffic signals, 3 branches of government, the big 3 automakers, 3 Blind Mice, and 3 Little Pigs.
So I guess, as a number, 57 could be worse. It adds up to a lot of things when you break it down numerogically. But...no matter how many different ways you add, subtract, or divide it...
57 does not equal Outlands. :-(
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
When nothing Happens...
Been awhile since I've posted...apologies. Annnnnnd I have nothing WoW-related to say. But, here's an amusing email conversation my wife and I had regarding the possibility of going to Vegas for vacation. Enjoy...
Wife: I feel soso about Vegas. But I have heard you can get some really good deals with Hotel and food there. There just isn't much there that appeals to me.
Me: Barry Manilow! All the time!
Otherwise, if we aren't gambling, meh
W: Ooh My Gosh...BARRY?...WHOOT! yeah, not much of a gambler......I think we should see what kind of return we are going to get and bonus you are going to get before we consider going anywhere.
M: ......killjoy......
W: Oh man.....did I have to be the practical one? sorry.
We could get some cat sand, wine, and something to make the bathtub bubble and pretend we have Hawaii in the bathroom. Would that be considered a staycation or just sad?
M: I think that would be considered a desperate cry for help.
W: And a klingon drink at the Star Trek experience isn't?
M: No...that's made of awesome.
Wife: I feel soso about Vegas. But I have heard you can get some really good deals with Hotel and food there. There just isn't much there that appeals to me.
Me: Barry Manilow! All the time!
Otherwise, if we aren't gambling, meh
W: Ooh My Gosh...BARRY?...WHOOT! yeah, not much of a gambler......I think we should see what kind of return we are going to get and bonus you are going to get before we consider going anywhere.
M: ......killjoy......
W: Oh man.....did I have to be the practical one? sorry.
We could get some cat sand, wine, and something to make the bathtub bubble and pretend we have Hawaii in the bathroom. Would that be considered a staycation or just sad?
M: I think that would be considered a desperate cry for help.
W: And a klingon drink at the Star Trek experience isn't?
M: No...that's made of awesome.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Tsuri Update
This will probably be in my Top 5 for 2009...
Turns out I was a day later dinging 50 than I anticipated, but oh well. I'm there, and that's what counts. For posterity, I figured I might as well post this here, too...
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