Reflections on 1000 Emblems

Some days you just going playing the game and something happens that make you reflect on how you've played the game. I've never quite like chasing Achievements. I like when things happen naturally and unexpectedly doing stuff as a surprise for doing whatever it is you were doing. And BAM it happens!

But the other day I hit a 1000 Emblems and I was totally surprised when it happened.
A guildie needed help with a Daily Heroic and couldn't find a tank. He knew I had one, and I didn't want to tank either for him the Heroic. I just didn't want to have to tank anything period! I didn't want to have to log on my Paladin and roll into a Heroic which I haven't stepped foot into for months. I was reluctant to tank to say the least. Ever been there? He was a good guildie and told his to see if he can find someone else since I was playing or leveling one my dps characters and it was what I played daily. So I said if you cant find any tank for Heroic in LFG or Trade I could tank it for you. Most reluctantly really!

Logging on to my Paladin felt a bit wired. I barely recognized my UI, I barely recognized my spells. I had to think for a while what they really did even though I knew what they did in general. But I had to reacquaint my mind with things. I though to my self, its been a while since I've been here. Hope i can remember how to swing a sword and shield. Sounds funny, but really it happened. I felt rusty beyond belief. Numerous reasons why I was reluctant to tank even for a guildie. Ever hate when someone ask you to do something you don't even want to do?

Anyway the guildie just needed me to tank for his group in Heroic DTK for the daily. I could of cared less about the Heroic, I just didn't want to have to play my Paladin. I'm still on vacation from sword and board. I still remember how to tank, but my tank reflexes were slow, i felt rusty going through the motions of things and thinking what this and that spell do and what to use. I could barely remember my macro's and how I had them set up to use. I had to think vs things been a reflex action to things. To most other people on the run I don't even think they could tell the difference though the run went fast. But I knew the difference in my performance.

So tanking Novos the Summoner I saw a flash on the screen for a Achievement. I barely noticed what it said since it was so sudden. But it said Achievement for 1000 Emblems. At that point I started reflecting on things. I thought wow 1000 Emblems really? Big deal some people got 2000+ Emblems since WotLK, most are really progression raiders on content with that much Emblems. WotLK dungeons been open a year now, so allot of time to rack up lots of Emblems/gear for players playing endgame content.

I kept thinking the whole time and reflecting on the achievement. For the most part none of my achievement really mean that much to me, I just don't care that much about them that much. But some do make me thing or reflect on things playing my character. This one made me reflect on my time up to now even though I was just taking my Paladin out for a spin to help a guildie out most reluctantly.

And when I really though about things with the Achievement, my total time playing WotLK on my Paladin is just 3 months including the time going from lvl 70-80. Sometimes Achievements alone don't always tell the whole story of a character or why or how you got to that point in time.

After coming back from my long hiatus since WotLK launched, my first Northrend Dungeon starting leveling from 70-80. I was right at lvl 70 then.

That was my first Heroic at lvl 80 while working on my gear. My guild at the time was busy running Naxx 25. They offered to help me gear up or come to Naxx and get somewhat easy gear. Our ubar Holy Priest Jimmy at the time even offered to heal my Heroic runs to help me out. Wasn't my style to get gear like that in raid, I like working for what I have. So I ran Heroic and geared up on my own while my guild ran Naxx 25 at the time for lots of Emblems.

Fairly geared up as one of our guild tank core that was my first time in Naxx and it was a Naxx 25 Raid. I was OT with my former guild buddy and GM our Warrior and another Paladin. A few more Emblems.

My first Northrend 10 man raid. Just a few Emblems.

On our weekly Naxx 25 guild raid progression we finally downed Sapphiron to some degree of effort on our third try or so it was. But raiding was taking a bit of toll on the guild and our GM in the effort. A few more Emblems though. Much drama went down after that raid and the guild fell apart soon after. Was a sad time playing WoW and for raid progression.

Around this point out guild Warrior and GM quit wow due to other guild members lack of dedication and weekly raid progression issues. So sadly guild broke up and I transferred server to a new server starting over. On new server I answered a call for a pugged Ulduar 10 man raid as the OT and got my first Ulduar 10 man progression kill. It felt hollow as it was without my old guild as well. But progression it was and a few more Emblems.

This was my last Heroic ran on my new server even though I was new to the server. I was just loosing all interest to swing my sword and board. The guild break up was rough! But a few more Emblems. Remembering back I didn't really run any more Heroics after since till hitting 1000 Emblems. I was starting over somewhat playing a alt Shaman and more.

Another pug Naxx 25 man raid on the new server. Was finally able to clear Naxx 25. It still felt hollow to complete Naxx 25, as it was in a pug and not with friends. But it was complete the raid dungeon. A bit more Emblems for the effort.

Another random pug on the new server for a Ulduar 10 man run. I was in Dalaran one night with nothing really to do on my new server. Need a OT for Ulduar then gtg. Why not! Hey I'm available. A few more Emblems. Total raid time in Ulduar 3.

After that raid that was the last time I progression raided, ran any heroics or played my Paladin to do anything worth while or just played my Paladin at all up until this point. Its been that long since I've really played my Paladin. So taking him on a around the block tank run I hit a 1000 Emblems for just 3 months of WotLK playtime.

So i reflected on that and things that have transpired since. I would imagine If I had kept raiding or kept at things I could of had double that amount of Emblems/gear and more in raid progression. It just wasn't my focus anymore to raid or stack up Emblems for gear. At some point I just made a choice to just not log in and do anything meaningful on my Paladin for focus. So hence my reluctance as well when the guildie asked me to Tank for his Heroic. I just didn't want to. But eventually I did.

I guess that's the story of my 1000 Emblems where Achievements never tell you the whole story of things or how you got there. I guess i reflected on that and how many patches its been since all that time or how much things have changed as well as class changes. Lots to reflect on as I did. I could of been further along I thought thinking of things and more Emblems and better gear for the count. However I don't have any regrets in the months that has passed since.

In patch 3.3 1000 Emblems can get you a ton of gear. I'm behind much in the gear curve now. I guess I'll need allot more Emblems now and loot luck to catch up. I guess that's something now to think about as well. I guess that Achievement made me reflect on all that. Funny how things are.