tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70793180244842756062024-02-20T21:41:09.701-05:00Ardent DefenderThe Life and Times of a Veteran Protection Paladin, sometime's dead and resurrected on his Journey with his band of brothers through World of Warcraft. Can I even remember how to Paladin anymore...Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.comBlogger683125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-46210114248672390332012-11-11T00:38:00.001-05:002012-11-11T00:40:30.394-05:00It Was Fun While It lasted<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Felt fun at least for a while in MoP. I subscribed about a month before Mist just relearning how to play the game after being away from it for so long. Took awhile relearning how to play my class and a few alts just going thru the motions questing and learning new skills that were changed. And I had fun in the process.<br />
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Took my time not being in any hurry and paced myself getting my Paladin to 90. And I enjoyed the story of Pandaria as well. I had fun doing some Pet Battles and getting a set of Battle Pets to lvl 25 and capturing allot of rare Battle Pets, yet even that felt like a grind and a huge time sink.<br />
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My guild wasn't really active other than a good old friend GM friend and his host of alts as well a few other members logging in here and there but not really that active. But that was OK and didn't really bother me much. I enjoyed playing the game whenever I logged on to play whether anyone else was logged on or not in the guild. I worked at leveling up a few alts I played a bit and overall had fun leveling them up a bit. Yet even that felt like a grind repeating many quests trying to level up those alts even on Max Rest Bonus.<br />
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Overall I did enjoyed Cooking and Farming on the farm and even got cooking leveled up to 600 though not in all the Cooking Ways. I spent a bit of time slowly grinding up the Tillers Reps to Best Friends status with almost all of the Tillers and getting half way so far to Exalted. It felt fun most of the time.<br />
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At 90 so far I didn't really care to do any of the other dailies or grind nor did I even pay them any attention at all. It all seem like so much to do. I slowly realized I no longer had the heart to try and Tank anything so I didn't even waste the time trying to. I didn't care much for the grind of Reputations either at 90, I consider it all a massive time sink. While leveling the few alts I slowly felt the fun draining out of my play sessions repeating recent quests from different characters and came to the point that I didn't want to do it anymore either leveling them up.<br />
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And so it was really just going about doing that last set of Reps to get Best Friend status with the last of the Tillers the Fish person that that right there I realized…. this all no longer really felt fun and I didn't care to continue anymore. I didn't care to grind anymore Reps and I didn't care to make anymore progress in the game on any of my characters. <i>None of it really mattered to me anymore</i> so I just cancelled my subscription which runs out in about 2 weeks. It was probably just a matter of time when it was going to happen.<br />
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It was fun while it lasted.Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-8866725744557824882012-10-20T20:57:00.000-04:002012-10-20T21:10:48.906-04:00Battle Pets: Not all Rare Battle Pets stats are the same<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Being working at leveling up my Battle Pets. Got one Battle Pet to lvl 25 and the other 2 are at lvl 24. One thing I noticed is that not all Rare Battle Pets have the same stats.<br />
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I've got a very good track record so far in being able to spot and catch Rare Battle Pets in a Pet Battle. It takes a while to get used to being able to spot a Rare Battle Pet in a group your fighting. Rare Battle Pets have a large combination of Attack and Speed stats, way more than others of the same exact type, as well they often have very good health stats. When caught their stats change slightly and become normalized in some way after getting caught. So I caught 1 Rare Cockroach.<br />
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Then I somehow for some odd reason decide to try and catch another. And in the very next Pet Battle I spotted it in the group and caught it. Hmm stats look a little different. Wonder if I can catch another one and see what the stats are like.<br />
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And not long after I in a few more Pet Battles I caught another Rare Cockroach. And what do you know this one also has just slightly different stats. Damn Cockroaches are evil, they will outlast us all.<br />
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From what I can tell so far in all the Battle Pets I've caught, you can get slightly different stats on Rare Battle Pets of the same unique kind as well different stats of lower quality Battle Pets as well of the same kind. One thing I have done so far is once I catch a higher quality Battle Pet of that type I immediately get rid of any Poor or Common quality of that Pet type. Leaves me room to later catch either a Uncommon or Rare Battle Pet of the same kind and keep my Pet collection a bit tidy.Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-53828433466892167522012-10-13T21:13:00.003-04:002012-10-13T21:14:43.826-04:00Ding Ding Dong… 90 finally!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well I must be one the slowest of players to finally get to lvl 90. I guess I just wasn't in no hurry and just taking my good old time getting there. But it was finally good to get there all the same. So dinged 90 turning in a quest in the swamp area in <i>Townlong Steppes</i> somewhat midway thru the zone.<br />
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Leveled on mostly Rest Bonus all the way to 89 and that made it allot easier. But again leveling ran out of Rest Bonus about 60% the way thru lvl 89. Since I was having a good time just questing and going thru the story I just stayed at it and finished leveling the rest of the way as Retribution spec to make it go a bit faster. Trying to level as Protect Spec is painfully slow, though its handy to be able to switch back at times. It's the slowest I can remember of recent any WoW expansions.<br />
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As slow as I had leveled unbelievably I'm the very first person in my barely active long time guild to reach lvl 90. Only one other person in my guild a long time friend who's now the GM is active who's somewhere around lvl 88. No one else is really active in my guild at this point in time so even less pressure to really try to do anything much other than relax and do whatever.<br />
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While just going about questing closing in on lvl 90 I was doing a series of quests in <i>Townlong Steppes</i> at <i>Fire Camp Osul</i> where all the Pandaria Tauren are camped. While in the North West area of camp where a few Braziers were I just happen to see something sparkling on top of one the Braziers. Actually I thought it was a quest item. And running by I just quickly clicked on the sparkly item and it was a bind item as well, I barely looked at it just picking it up.<br />
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So wondering what the achievement and item was I stopped to really look and noticed I had picked up some rare item and it was a 1H Blue Mace. No real tanking stats on it, But I guess its good for dps tanking and well a ilvl 450 1H. So was cool to pick up something usable at least.<br />
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I guess the 1H Mace is actually a Torch Stick that's actually lit on fire and glows and lights up the area. Cool!Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-5316599015655304462012-10-11T06:00:00.000-04:002012-10-11T06:23:41.993-04:00Slowly moving alongI must be the slowest leveler I know around. Been leveling on 100% rest bonus. Just making it to lvl 89 on my Paladin and again out of rest bonus. Time to bank up some more rest bonus for the long haul to 90. I may make it there sometime this weekend. After all I'm in no hurry to get there other than maybe before Brewfest is over and get a chance to kill the Brewfest Boss a few times.Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-26583939675143697092012-09-26T05:43:00.001-04:002012-09-26T06:17:47.992-04:00Mist of Pandaria, Day OneCalled in Sick! Somehow I really turned out to be sick as well and spent the day on the couch feeling not so well and playing Mist of Pandaria on my MacBook Pro.<br />
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Didn't have any server problems starting play about 2 hrs after game launched. Orgrimmar was a ghost town by that point. Trained up my Pet Battle skills as somehow I was able to learn the kills at the trainer since was in Orgrimmar at that point close by. Then fumbled around playing around with a few of my pets… all 23 of them. I guess I've never been much of a pet collector! But did some of the pet quests and won some pet battles enough to get all my pets to lvl 6. Gotta say… Pet Battles are FUN and allot more fun that I would have thought. And its fun battling your pets with other players in a good spirit of fun pet battling.<br />
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After a little while I ditched doing that and found my way to Pandaria. It was chaotic there as I made my way still trying to regain some muscle memory of not having played my Paladin all that much in the last 2 years. As well haven't played all that much in the last month since I've been subscribed again.<br />
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Its a beautiful place in Pandaria from what I've seen so far, have no idea if its the only starting zone in the Jade Forest. So far in no hurry to make it to lvl 90. None of my guildies were on for the day and the few that are playing, none were around either. So just made it easier for me to take my time and play. So far made it about 60% the way to lvl 86 and in all lvl 372 gear at this point.<br />
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So far it has been fun with minimal bugged quests.Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-59715616001759425832012-08-27T20:48:00.000-04:002012-08-27T20:49:28.121-04:00Back from the dead… for nowBeen back playing WoW for about a week now after activating a sub for a month. I'll likely give it a month or two and see how it goes checking out the MoP expansion. I'll likely just be playing casually as I already play multiple MMO's so WoW not likely to get all my attention like before in the old days. I just don't play like I did anymore in the old days playing WoW.<br />
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Its been about a year and a half to 2 years since have been away from WoW and coming back to WoW its like old times. But honestly I feel like a noob playing again. Just login in for the first time a few days ago I stared at my Paladin UI and I was dumb struck just looking at the UI trying to figure out what all those buttons all did. Even remembering some buttons were custom macro's and couldn't make sense of none of it. I actually had to read over many the buttons and spells to even remember what to use them for lol. Felt like a complete noob! I probably only have figured out how to use maybe 1/3 the buttons on my UI again so far. Slow going it is.<br />
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I remember when I used to play my Prot Paladin/Ret without much thinking, now I almost need a guide as well to just remember how to play either. The stuff you forget not having played in close to 2 years.<br />
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So over the last few days I just did a few of the new Hyjal and Firelands dailies to get used to going through the motion of playing my character. All those quests were all new to me and was also surprised how empty all the zones were. Over several days and haven't ever seen a single chat in any zone I was in doing dailies. Just different to what I used to remember how it sued to be. Played with a few my other characters to get reacquainted again just relearning how to play them as well. So far not really in too much of a hurry with new patch changes ahead and everything changing just getting back.Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-69207479935294758222012-08-16T18:13:00.001-04:002012-08-16T18:14:29.605-04:00There and Back Again… MoP<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wvYXoyxLv64" width="640"></iframe><br />
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That was an awesome Cinematic!<br />
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Remind me of why a long time ago I originally fell in love with WoW, it was originally <i>the Adventure and the Journey.</i><br />
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That was a very long time ago and time and taste has changed much since, so has the world changed much in his absence.<br />
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There and Back Again, can the old man who grew tired of the old War and Adventure who shed his armor and left it all behind for a quieter life of remote wilderness Fishing return to the life of the living?<br />
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Can a man who's broken Holy Spirit dead for so long, really find reason to resurrect again from the dead to adventure in Mystical Lands?<br />
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<br />Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-28091586991657796172011-10-21T16:44:00.004-04:002011-10-21T16:49:22.056-04:00WTH Blizzard! LOL PandasLMAO at Pandas! I can't imagine at this point in my MMO career that I can get excited about a Teddy Bear game and Kong Fu Pandas running around in a game. No longer my kind of game in WoW as a previous long time player.<br />
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However though you gotta admire Blizzard boldness in marketing at striking back at the coming SW:TOR soon release for a 2 for one deal offering. A 12 month sub to WoW with the next expansion Beta included, free pets and free Diablo III subscription for the deal. </div>
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That to me strikes right back at SW:TOR in Blizzard fearing loosing more current WoW players and to lure old no longer playing veteran WoW players back to WoW. </div>
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At this point in my MMO gaming career I can't get excited much about coming back to play WoW. </div>
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I'm just interested in playing Diablo III not a game with or of Pandas. My gaming taste has changed much since WoW days.</div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-49679291488774094512011-04-01T06:14:00.008-04:002011-04-01T06:55:52.057-04:00Reactivated my Account & back playing WoWWell I did quit WoW and actually <i>did delete the blog</i> for several weeks now. But its been really tough to let go of the game and community thats been apart of my life for over 5 years. Thats half a decade of WoW and my life. Its been haunting me since as well. I love my character too much to quite the game forever and just not be able to play when i feel like and blog about my adventures. I'm as part of WoW game history as many of you as well the community and just miss you all too much to stay away. <div><br /></div><div>I still like to be able to log in sometime and play and as well go fishing with my buddy Nat Pagle.<div><br /></div><div>So I reactivated my account today and logged back in to check up on the guild gang. Feels like been gone forever. Since i'm back playing again (WoW players never really die do they?) I decided to reactivate my blog as well. Does anyone ever really quit this addictive game, it haunts you everyday when your away and not even playing the game it haunts you. </div><div><br /></div><div>I guess I'm back playing again. Did the two people that read my blog for the last 5 years even miss me? Well missed you all so much being away.</div></div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-56470132774661823922011-03-17T08:53:00.010-04:002011-03-17T09:58:55.241-04:00Completely Abandoned and pushing the Red Self Destruction button.It was somewhere around a year ago when I went on hiatus from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">WoW</span> and started playing other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">MMO</span> games to broaden my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">MMO</span> horizon and gaming habits. Had started <a href="http://ardentdefense.wordpress.com/">another blog</a> on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">wordpress</span> under the same name for whatever <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">mmo</span> games I played, but mostly kept both blogs somewhat separate somewhat to keep blogging about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">WoW</span> separate mostly for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">WoW</span> readers. Sometimes I double posted on both.<div><br /></div><div>This blog has been a constant companion for my entire <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">WoW</span> career. Its also been apart of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">WoW</span> blog community through out the years and considered it as valuable as my own <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">WoW</span> characters. Its also tough to have and somewhat maintain two different personal blogs about playing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">mmo</span> games just because the player base and readership can be different in the games one chooses to play or move on to. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've agonized about the thought of what to do for almost a year in my on and off declining play time with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">WoW</span>. I've always maintained to myself that as long as I continued to play <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">WoW</span> that I'd keep the blog till whenever.<div><br /></div><div>But not too long ago made the decision that my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">WoW</span> <i>career is absolutely over</i> and as this blog has been my constant companion its life shall come to a complete end as well. It was great to be and have this blog be apart of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">WoW</span> community through out the years. Times eventually change for us all and so does out gaming habits. Really thank all the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">WoW</span> readers for all their support for the last 5 years, blogging here on this blog and playing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">WoW</span> was made more fun because of all of you. However it will be much easier having just one blog to focus on and blog about whatever other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">mmo</span> game I choose to play or enjoy <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">whether</span> its just one, a few or others.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>This blog will officially Self Destruct in 24hrs! </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>That decision if absolutely Final!</b></div></div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-39121422474491114542011-03-14T09:55:00.012-04:002011-03-14T14:04:14.211-04:00MMO's, Gaming and Why I quit playing WoWI really don't post that often or haven't really been posting that often about opinion and gaming for almost a year now. At least not on this exact blog which I consider to be my backup blog since its mainly been about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">WoW</span></span> for the last 5 years. I really didn't have anything in mind to post about or intention to post about today either. I do enjoy trying out and playing other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">MMO</span> games with moderation because that's one of the reason I do play games to see other worlds, try out other games and have other points of view.<div><br /></div><div><div>For the weekend and the last few days I've mostly been playing EVE Online to get some things done because that's my main <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">mmo</span></span> for just about a year now even though I just also started playing some RIFT. I have some game projects I had been working on and just spend most the time working on those in EVE. I regularly cruise the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">mmo</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">blogosphere</span></span> and read a variety of opinions on other blogs, some more than others. </div><div><br /></div><div>Their has been allot of tension in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">WoW</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">blogosphere</span> community about players bored with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">WoW</span>, people leaving <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">WoW</span> for RIFT, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">WoW</span> players playing other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">mmo</span> games and the rebound of many those players back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">WoW</span> when their gaming honeymoon is over. Earlier as well I was reading a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">blogpost</span></span> which lead to reading a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">blogpost</span></span> at <a href="http://www.pinkpigtailinn.com/2011/03/sparkles-in-my-rift-free-zone.html">Larisa's</a> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><a href="http://greedygoblin.blogspot.com/2011/03/subscription-mmo-must-be-hard.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Gevlon's</span></a></span> blog as well as reading all the various comments on both. At that point I just had allot of conflicting thoughts and emotions about other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">mmo's</span></span>, game community, why I play games and why I left <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">WoW</span></span>. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">In</span> 5 years of playing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">WoW</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">I've</span> never ever been a highly opinionated member of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">WoW</span></span> blogging community and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">thats</span> just fine by me. As well <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">I'm</span> sure never been thought of as such. Usually <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">I've</span> blogged about my game experience in-game or in any other game as <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">I've</span> experienced it and about things that have affected <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">WoW</span></span> game wise. As well I've always expressed on the blog when its time to quit <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">WoW</span></span> it will be fast in decision. I will have no need to rant about it like some people often do. I'll just quit, move on and that be the end of it! </div><div><br /></div><div><b>So why did I really quit <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">WoW</span></span></b></div><div>When someone I know as a player or a blogger quit playing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">WoW</span></span> and move on to playing other games that interest them or to do other things Its sad to always see them leave the game you also play. They may have made some difference while they were here. But for me personally I just simply wish them well in whatever they do, real life and whatever game they move on to. I'll still play the same game i enjoy playing, because I play the game for me and not for how you may feel about it. Yet people always wonder why some others are leaving <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">WoW</span> and when they will come back after maybe a month.</div><div><br /></div><div>Just about one of the few comment I can really agree with to Larisa's blog post was by Nils and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Spinks</span></span> to the post. Its too long to quote them here. While allot of players likes to play <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">mmo</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">'s</span>, allot less of those players are really even open minded about playing other games or trying other games for fun or to expand their gaming horizons. One the best things in my opinion that can happen in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">mmo</span> industry is for good games to be made that are healthy competition to the ones that are already there to help make them better or spur some form of innovation vs just more of the same always. So <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">I'm</span> not afraid to try other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">mmo</span> games besides <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">WoW</span></span> or even quit <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">WoW</span></span>. In the year I spend away from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">WoW</span></span> on total hiatus <i>I realized I can absolutely live without </i><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29"><i><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">WoW</span> and felt better when I wasn't playing it.</i></span></div><div><br /></div><div>For me, I've been playing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">WoW</span></span> since right before Burning Crusade expansion launched which is over 5 years of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">WoW</span></span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">That's</span> 5 years of my life daily having been invested in playing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">WoW</span></span> which is the longest I've committed to playing any game in my life. I've loved and enjoyed playing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">WoW</span></span> and the game is still a great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">mmo</span> game. Over that time I guess you can say one has matured playing and learning <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">WoW</span></span> as a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">mmo</span>. The first few years was an experience playing and learning the game and quite addicting to play and had a great community. As more expansions occurred, years and times changed the in-game the community also changed not for the better but for worst in my opinion. Eventually I also got more burned out on the game just too much <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">WoW</span> and blogging as well about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">WoW</span></span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Over the years I've taken breaks away from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">WoW</span></span> being burned out on the game and time away from blogging about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">WoW</span></span> as well. So I took time away from the game to do other things, play other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">MMO</span></span> games to find other interest, get different game perspective and broaden my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">mmo</span> horizons. The more I got burned out the more time I went on game hiatus. A bit after <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">WotLK</span></span> I got burned out on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">WoW</span></span> and just wasn't really enjoying the game. Nor did I like the in-game community of totally rude players I had often deal with and tank dungeons and raids with. With 5 years of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">WoW</span></span> and a changing community <i>I just got tired of all of it</i>. And I just easily took a long break from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">WoW</span></span>, blogging and the community as a whole.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the time away from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">WoW</span></span> I decided one the things I wanted to do was experience other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">mmo</span> games and in the future play a variety of games vs just one game. So in 2010 I played <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">STO</span></span> at launch, enjoyed the game and leveled to the max but wasn't much to do at the time. Cryptic has since improved the game much since. I loved Sci-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">Fi</span></span> and space games and wanted to try something much more complicated and complex to wrap my mind around so I picked up playing EVE Online some time after. </div><div><br /></div><div>I truly enjoyed playing EVE Online and for all its complexity and huge learning curve as a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">mmo</span>. Being so much different to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">WoW</span> was a complete plus. I really didn't care if you didn't play EVE, didn't like the game or don't play EVE Online. I enjoyed it so I played it. The point was I enjoyed the damn game. That is why I play the game and any other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">mmo</span> game to have have a enjoyable time. It was a good distraction from the world of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">WoW</span></span> trying out other games. </div><div><br /></div><div>Over the last year the more I played EVE Online the less I had thought about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">WoW</span></span>, the community and blogging about it. And I did realize that. So for most of 2010 I mostly played EVE Online even though I had decided to also try other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">mmo</span> games to broaden my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">mmo</span> gaming vs just <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">WoW</span></span>. Some players are just totally stuck on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62">WoW</span></span>. Even though I do really like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63">WoW</span></span>, I'm not simple stuck on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64">WoW</span></span> either. I'm simply willing to try other games <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">that's</span> of interest to me. </div><div><br /></div><div>So when Cataclysm launched I bought the game and see how things were. After years playing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65">WoW</span></span> I still did enjoy the game. So i played through Cataclysm going from 80-85 as that was the main part of the game that was of interest to me. Leveling up alts has always been something I've never been a fan of, its just not my style. But I did level up 4 my other 80's to 85 for Cataclysm all the while in the back of my mind thinking of the game overall and if I wanted to dedicate to keep playing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66">WoW</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>After transferring back to an old server 4 characters, leveling up my characters to 85, reflecting on my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67">WoW</span></span> guild, reflecting on the game community 5 man dungeons and raiding, reflecting on playing EVE Online and my future to that game as well as also reflecting on other new games I wanted to also play. I simply made a decision as to <b>I wasn't going to do. </b>Right around that exact time RIFT appeared out of no where and sounded interesting.</div><div><br /></div><div><b></b>However after 5 years of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68">WoW</span></span> even though I liked and enjoyed the game I was just DONE!<i> </i>I had no interest continue to play the game for another year<i>.</i> The love affair was over! The love was gone! I can call it whatever I want, I was simply done as the more I played <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69">WoW</span></span> the more I kept thinking I should rather invest that time in EVE Online. I'm far more than just the average <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70">WoW</span> player skill wise and in learning. But for me its just time to quit <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71">WoW</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also was going to also try out RIFT as a new game also, so good timing quitting <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72">WoW</span> after 2 months of Cataclysm. Some people just won't get that decision as a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73">WoW</span></span> player walking away from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74">WoW</span></span>, its no more different that when I had decided to just walk away from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75">WoW</span></span> to take a break going on hiatus. But in the end I decided this was game over for me. So before I left <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_76">WoW</span></span> I sold everything on all my characters and gave away all the gold which was a heck of allot on my account to seal the nail in the coffin of my decision walking away. I would of deleted my characters If i had time to, but the time that i decided to quit and the time my subscription expired was maybe just 24hrs to have thought of it.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the big debate of things I can give a rats ass if a game or a new game is better than <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_77">WoW</span> in all the ways one can compare it to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_78">WoW</span>. After 5 years of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_79">WoW</span> the game <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_80">i'm</span> just simply done and don't care to continue playing. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>There is no coming back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_81">WoW</span></span> for me</i>. While some players do raise from the dead in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_82">WoW</span></span> this one player aren't coming back! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_83">WoW</span></span>, the in-game community and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_84">WoW</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_85">blogosphere</span></span> community has changed allot over the 5 years that I have played <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_86">WoW</span></span>. I do still like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_87">WoW</span></span> but <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_76">I'm</span> going to be honest to say that after 5 years I just know when to call it quits and leave this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_88">WoW</span> community. I'll continue to play the other games I play and move on and try any new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_77"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_89">MMO</span></span> games I want to play. I'm just not that stuck on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_78"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_90">WoW</span></span> that I can't enjoy trying playing other games for fun even as a above average <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_91">WoW</span> player. I realized before I could live without playing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_79"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_92">WoW</span></span>, did so just fine last year and at this point its now permanent.</div><div><br /></div><div>Everyone decides to leave <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_93">WoW</span> for their own reasons and it won't be the same reason for everyone. Currently I play 2 games. EVE Online which I very much enjoy that many <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_94">WoW</span> players won't touch with a ten foot pole and probably is my main <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_95">mmo</span> and RIFT which recently launched. There are other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_96">mmo's</span> on the horizon that I will probably try but make no mistake when i do play a game its for my own reasons and not for anyone e<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_97">lse's</span>.</div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-89575378493181806032011-03-04T11:24:00.011-05:002011-03-04T12:30:04.208-05:00Charging with Wings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73_YfHksxBi7qBHApdLHDJqHCcD_d2dVulp9HOPZKtuZldMD3ZV8XE-Vs41oat91VaR188k-alAkN1QtAKmnNVZu20v6Zf-EAwL7nt0Lt3gr5tVfus5Lw7uezLopz-aaq-bNTh8dkjGy-/s1600/2011-03-02_112536.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73_YfHksxBi7qBHApdLHDJqHCcD_d2dVulp9HOPZKtuZldMD3ZV8XE-Vs41oat91VaR188k-alAkN1QtAKmnNVZu20v6Zf-EAwL7nt0Lt3gr5tVfus5Lw7uezLopz-aaq-bNTh8dkjGy-/s400/2011-03-02_112536.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580261926447107650" /></a><br />Its really odd sometimes the little things you can really like or appreciate that your character can do. I really like that Shield Charge and charging to the enemy. <div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUAXvTJ47kVyN9UFF_140YK2svegq3zgrJ2-fZi8exHk3HRKhtYqz7nM7Eo6ZC_JS7SMCeocwDldOi0n18S7xu1CZiOzCLPz-fjsMby3PKMluBp-S3-zUlOiT5u0t1Cvgsvv75Q9t4kPX/s1600/Shield+Charge.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 171px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUAXvTJ47kVyN9UFF_140YK2svegq3zgrJ2-fZi8exHk3HRKhtYqz7nM7Eo6ZC_JS7SMCeocwDldOi0n18S7xu1CZiOzCLPz-fjsMby3PKMluBp-S3-zUlOiT5u0t1Cvgsvv75Q9t4kPX/s320/Shield+Charge.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580274209057664306" /></a><br />But its cool to have a range charge on my Rift Warrior which is from the Paladin soul ability to quickly close range. Fist very few times i had used it never noticed anything unusual in the animation since mobs wasn't that far away but the more i used it seems when you charge at close to max range on the target divine wings pops out and you really notice it. Which is rather cool to see. With the short 15 sec <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">cooldown</span> its pretty cool to charge at range aggro a few melee mobs, grab aggro then switch target and charge at range again to that range caster mob and have all the melee mobs come running behind you. I just think its cool and always love seeing the wings pop on charging. Kinda wonder why Blizzard never gave Paladins something like that to close on a range target quickly.</div><div><br /></div><div>So far i'm enjoying playing my Warrior Tank at lvl 31. Its getting more fun to play as i level up and have more buttons to push than I can seem to get to most of them before its time to push something else or a main ability again.</div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-22916934260915878132011-03-02T07:56:00.013-05:002011-03-02T18:15:03.568-05:00Images from Rifting & Telara<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFzEGkjk43vR6XLSyEDpnDf3OnyUEgiVy8LAnmZtSMfvQPFtmy95AsakaUPdfREXc5wWrjzYhPROQfbD5pRenIcuoFw6Ij8rMyIijCAwKbfaPh_FCDfdu25HUGlLOTRj9uEIMROgaKIY_/s1600/2011-03-01_180554.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFzEGkjk43vR6XLSyEDpnDf3OnyUEgiVy8LAnmZtSMfvQPFtmy95AsakaUPdfREXc5wWrjzYhPROQfbD5pRenIcuoFw6Ij8rMyIijCAwKbfaPh_FCDfdu25HUGlLOTRj9uEIMROgaKIY_/s320/2011-03-01_180554.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579466182411978562" /></a>There is some cool things to do in RIFT, but one the coolest things of all is being first to arrive upon a rift Planar Tear and using your Planar Lure ability to rip it open and create some chaos and more for everyone around, close by or zone wide. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidI5N3AAhlgK79pFhR8Y0h4U-vnf6R77-KWHkSUZKDJIjZBnWqnLEyjJ_1Jq9aRUYQPmtu1nz1sghVpy4wexUSZ_W80as_zITPTK1zKXXH8lQOTfohoS9kqZDibIc0ucouF8hfYA4sYalL/s1600/2011-03-01_231056.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidI5N3AAhlgK79pFhR8Y0h4U-vnf6R77-KWHkSUZKDJIjZBnWqnLEyjJ_1Jq9aRUYQPmtu1nz1sghVpy4wexUSZ_W80as_zITPTK1zKXXH8lQOTfohoS9kqZDibIc0ucouF8hfYA4sYalL/s320/2011-03-01_231056.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579467573785099010" /></a>Random Guardian invasion at Granite Falls in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Stonefield</span> often a hotbed of Guardian invasion activity in trying to assault the town/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">npc</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">wardstones</span> there. Always fun to fight them.<div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDOyip3LXVJtgFB2pGAo0uCLDkl46vovWrm7jn3REYKJQDjXt3Ymwxt0_Yt2dG7hbTlAxTQAvFvbbwN5QPHBV1OaYhfbT70zj9VAQFxjYq5H0BmOuAvTQAo-UXvaXGHODGU0AlP7U1XJF/s1600/2011-03-01_183940.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDOyip3LXVJtgFB2pGAo0uCLDkl46vovWrm7jn3REYKJQDjXt3Ymwxt0_Yt2dG7hbTlAxTQAvFvbbwN5QPHBV1OaYhfbT70zj9VAQFxjYq5H0BmOuAvTQAo-UXvaXGHODGU0AlP7U1XJF/s320/2011-03-01_183940.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579468506521778418" /></a>Repelling rift invasion forces across the landscape and taking the fight all the way back to the rift itself in a public raid group assault. <div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div> </div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPFLiJo3zg5wtZWH2F8z-MXZHrNlFORQbQQuSwcIGt_LTcBZI9pf13Mc5L1DffX3zHuguESm3Pb45oI7uv2NWUlyAUFaQ4DLN8DN5W6_Hhu0qDWut4hOT7-aikATP2ewqEfZhV7Q2WZbo/s1600/2011-03-01_184145.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPFLiJo3zg5wtZWH2F8z-MXZHrNlFORQbQQuSwcIGt_LTcBZI9pf13Mc5L1DffX3zHuguESm3Pb45oI7uv2NWUlyAUFaQ4DLN8DN5W6_Hhu0qDWut4hOT7-aikATP2ewqEfZhV7Q2WZbo/s320/2011-03-01_184145.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579469962769601474" /></a>When a massive raid gets going these things can get heart pumping exciting and fun like a herd of ants out for the kill even if a invasion boss is in the way. Just jump in and go enjoy the fun.</div><div><br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xhoJJxGS7diBxVC7_eGbnSSuzJs7MLvjDgZmSUVxSBHuV2GOgrmAkUzKLtUN9vyKz9ZTIO8gu_XkEsiJqrY6_u4-NnC2hlIv_z9IcnkkL0mhqMf3F1MBWATeD5n51FSxjjP9wbku-XgF/s1600/2011-03-01_183655.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xhoJJxGS7diBxVC7_eGbnSSuzJs7MLvjDgZmSUVxSBHuV2GOgrmAkUzKLtUN9vyKz9ZTIO8gu_XkEsiJqrY6_u4-NnC2hlIv_z9IcnkkL0mhqMf3F1MBWATeD5n51FSxjjP9wbku-XgF/s320/2011-03-01_183655.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579481233298455858" /></a>Sometimes your just there at the the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">NPC</span> area chilling for a few minutes, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">vendoring</span> stuff, picking up quests or just to get a break...... so you think! No place is safe in RIFT except maybe going <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">afk</span> half way up a mountain clearly not in direct path of any invasion action. But hanging out at a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">NPC</span> hub you can sure see allot of Invasion action constantly along with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">NPC's</span> that all fight back with full vengeance protecting their precious <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Wardstone</span> from Invaders. I would too those things give some nice buffs. For sure the action scene is far from boring!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztW3NkoI_1spJ7grBb6nVuIIpJ8bvUqzub0_rQsZYAmCauNQhFz6bJzL7yzdvN0xWzhC5zrTFs4ochI2-Myu5VWL1RFIV3a_Wznh33wHrBg_6SPTbwL8DiFVmnX9H-t2Oye0OgjdR2RRX/s1600/2011-03-02_001432.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztW3NkoI_1spJ7grBb6nVuIIpJ8bvUqzub0_rQsZYAmCauNQhFz6bJzL7yzdvN0xWzhC5zrTFs4ochI2-Myu5VWL1RFIV3a_Wznh33wHrBg_6SPTbwL8DiFVmnX9H-t2Oye0OgjdR2RRX/s320/2011-03-02_001432.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579470898159398754" /></a>A full public rift raid on way to meet the final objective of a rift event the rift boss. Which encountered a another Invasion force and the Guardian faction and somehow ended up turning into a full all out assault on the invasion and each other. That caused one hell of a massive <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">pvp</span> chaos that was just to much fun. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>The dynamic action of RIFT really puts a whole new spin on the experience one gets from just the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">PVE</span> world as it is. In that something is happening in that zone all the time or about to happen and you never quite know when it will be about to happen until you feel the earth tremble, shakes or by other means.</div><div><br /></div><div>You can believe whatever you want about RIFT, but the damn game is exciting! And probably more fun if your also playing with some good friends as well.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Edited</span></div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-31982779920024713912011-03-01T13:42:00.010-05:002011-03-01T16:19:41.431-05:00Busy Rifting, RIFT official launch today<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8aFyg5wmqyiguZv4-kF8-Xc7Q98tVq95bizJZh70dezHJtfkj58CAYKkhQbk50P4OAXK0F0zA1iBEWj4pc7cjaOB5tQu1ifHVpw64Ln6xz3SAfV9Y287wR6OhO_9i64Jezfua69qNNkq2/s1600/Rift+Launch.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8aFyg5wmqyiguZv4-kF8-Xc7Q98tVq95bizJZh70dezHJtfkj58CAYKkhQbk50P4OAXK0F0zA1iBEWj4pc7cjaOB5tQu1ifHVpw64Ln6xz3SAfV9Y287wR6OhO_9i64Jezfua69qNNkq2/s400/Rift+Launch.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579187904576781890" /></a><br />RIFT officially launches it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">MMO</span> game today and with it the newest and one the most polished new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">MMO</span> game I can remember hearing of as well as having played in a long time. However I've have been playing in the Head Start launch for about a week now and so far have made it to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">lvl</span> 28 on my Tank. Having a blast of a time leveling, questing, dungeon, rifting and exploring. Its been a while since I've had so much fun playing a new game.<div><br /></div><div>RIFT as many have mentioned don't really add that much new, mostly borrowing some the best feature and concepts from allot of other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">MMO's</span> and adding its own game lore and twist on things with their own MMO. And so far I really have enjoyed the story of the game even though I really never usually get all that caught up in geeky lore conversation of things. I've just been enjoying the game world for what it is as designed and the world in which my character exists.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I've been playing on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Faeblight</span> server a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">PVE</span>-RP server with a few other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">bloggers</span> all playing with the great friendly folks from <a href="http://www.multiplaying.net/">Multiplying.net</a>. I can't say i really know everyone well in our fairly new guild <i>Circle of Trust</i> except mostly the few friendly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">bloggers</span>. But so far everyone been great, helpful, friendly, respectful, funny and welcoming. And that's rather nice to have a great bunch of folks to journey in a new game with. And so far I've just been having a great time.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm playing a tank named none other than well "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Ardentdefender</span>". For obvious reasons if you been reading my blog for a while i do enjoy playing the role. I do like to melee and hear stuff slam into my shield and because I'm also good at it as well a role I truly enjoy playing and trying to master. Always have! Anyway I started my primary souls as a Warrior for tanking as a Paladin. I eventually also picked up the soul for Warlord for some the complementing defensive abilities and some the great group buffs it provides in a group. Then also picked up the Void Knight soul to add great anti-caster defensive as well as offensive abilities. I had played back in RIFT Beta all the souls I picked up so it was what I went with for my primary first soul build. Overall I think with all the abilities it fits well for a build all the way to the end. Back in RIFT Beta I primarily played as a Paladin/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Reaver</span>/Void Knight and really enjoyed the dots and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">aoe</span> the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Reaver</span> provided and with all its <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">aoe</span> abilities while being a defensive soul.</div><div><br /></div><div>Playing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">thru</span> as a Paladin/Warlord/Void Knight though stronger in build defensively felt more mechanical in play and felt more like work to me and allot less fun to me and in my style of play. I played that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">thru</span> all the way to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">lvl</span> 20 at least because I really wanted to grow into and get the feel of play style from my own personal experience. I feel its a great soul to have tanking a boss. But it felt less fun leveling, questing generally all while still playing with fairly good tanking souls. So at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">lvl</span> 20 I bought another "role" or more like a second spec from the trainer which wasn't too expensive. A character can have up to 4 roles with various souls combination which gives a person a whole lot of flexibility of play all in playing just one class. Buying a 3rd role will cost you quite a bit more and a 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">th</span> much more expensive. </div><div><br /></div><div>I completed the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Reaver</span> quest and the others to pick up the other souls and then made a 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">nd</span> role as a Paladin/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Reaver</span>/Void Knight for optional play style while still being able to tank on demand fairly well. So currently have both tanking roles to play with and test and at least learn to master the play styles that also fits my style of play. So for the most part I've normally been playing not my main role but as my second role which for me is also allot more fun to me to play. I'm not sure what I'll make as my 3rd role build but I imagine i probably make a dps warrior of some sort for flexibility in a group.</div><div><br /></div><div>RIFT does get allot more fun the more you level and going into new zones. Starting out in the starter areas can seem unimpressive and is probably the most underwhelming part of the game experience getting <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">thru</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">lvl</span> 1-6 at least. However in my experience it really don't take you that long to get <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">thru</span> those levels or the very initial starter zone. I tend to call it more the initial tutorial zone. Because to me in my opinion the real starter zone starts for Defiance starts when you get to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Freemarch</span> which is around <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">lvl</span> 6 or so and it don't take you long to even get there. At around <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">lvl</span> 8-10 the game starts to ramp up in fun as you encounter Rifts and Invasions.</div><div><br /></div><div>The game does get progressively more fun the higher level you get to. Zones are quite huge and quests are plenty if not many. You can quest or do rifts to level up or a mix of both. Questing got you down, hey drop questing and go fight back a Major Invasion when one spawns. Try and beat back some Invasions when your just hanging out in a quest area for a little while and a invasion mobs come rolling <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">thru</span>. You just never know when a Invasion is gonna come rolling you way which all of a sudden can change your game play suddenly. Many times i've just been at a NPC area picking up a quest or vendoring stuff and a invasion force incoming. Easy to quit doing that and get into action.</div><div><br /></div><div>For most of my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">lvl</span> 20's which have been spend mostly all in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Stonefield</span> zone so far and currently at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">lvl</span> 28, I've just been rifting as much as questing. I've been enjoying the story and lore of the game and doing quests and dungeons. However no matter where I'm heading in the zone I always take the time if any rifts or invasion cross my path to get in on the action and fight the fight. You can get allot of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">XP</span> just doing rifts. Needless to say I've spend several levels doing nothing but beating back rifts when many are spawned, fighting invasion forces, beating back footholds, tearing open a partial rift and have me my own rift to fight back. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's allot of fun. Especially when your in a area and a rift tear appear and your the only one seemingly around. What do you do? For me I decide to go have some fun and tear the rift open with my Planar Lure ability and have me a rift with mobs to fight back. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sometime I've been there alone fighting the rift and it spawns a invasion force before its sealed and that invasion force runs off immediately to wreck havoc across the zone area or heading to a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">NPC</span> area. Sometime and often someone jumps in on the public grouping and helps out for the fun. But if you do seal the rifts you get allot of nice stuff, gear drops, artifacts, consumable stuff and lots of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">planarite</span> shards and some rare ones for the effort which all adds up. All the shards adds up to being able to purchase some very nice gear from the planar vendors. That has allowed me to purchase at least 2 Epic pieces, several blue gear just from doing allot of rifting so far which were way better than quest gear.</div><div><br /></div><div>Biggest issue I've had so far in game is tanking allot of rifts and invasion bosses with a group and no one in group can heal or wants to heal the tank or just no healer around to do so. That has lead to many a times I have died tanking various rifts and invasion forces in a group where no one is around to heal whoever is primarily tanking the invasion forces. That has lead to many a visit to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">NPC</span> healer to restore soul vitality which drops 10% on every death which makes you ineffective if it gets to 0. As a result so far would have to say my biggest gold sink is at the NPC healer paying to restore lost vitality which can add up allot if you visit often. </div><div><br /></div><div>As for profession you get a choice of three professions. I decided not to craft anything or spend any time at it but instead do all gathering with Mining, Foraging and Butchering. That fits my style for being a bit the explorer type and usually roaming all over chasing rifts and gathering stuff that I come across in the process. And so far <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">I'm</span> enjoying doing just that.</div><div><br /></div><div>So far its just been a fun time leveling up and getting in on the action of questing, rifting, dungeons, exploring for artifacts which leads to fighting invasion forces and footholds wherever I've found them. Artifact finding is a whole mini-game of exploration all of its own and a whole lot of fun. But so far the RIFT has just been running smoothly, rather bug free as I haven't encountered any and rather allot of fun. Only real issue is the daily choke on the server queue that happen at peak login time but that issue has being getting better daily as Trion have added more servers and as the server loads get balanced. So far Trion seem to be working relatively hard and doing a rather impressive job in having a smooth running game, even if they didn't add anything all that new with a new MMO. </div><div><br /></div><div> </div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-70369635934851857072011-02-24T17:51:00.002-05:002011-02-24T18:26:25.065-05:00RIFT Launch DayI was a both surprised and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">amused</span> to see and hear some players had long queues trying to log into some the RIFT servers this afternoon. I had heard some people mention in game chat that they had a hour or longer wait while in game. But I had no idea how long some queues were for some people till when I logged off and read some blogs. Which was right when <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Trion</span> brought the servers down for a bit of balancing and tweaking. <div><br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">That's</span> when I saw some people had a few hrs wait in queue. What do you expect on launch day when everyone all trying to log into servers all at same time. </div><div><br /></div><div>I actually was right there already logged in at 1:00 PM just waiting for the servers to become active. Servers went active, and the moment I clicked to log into specified server there was so many people all trying to log in that I was #466 in queue less than 10 secs after servers went live. Took about 25 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">mins</span> or so to get <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">thru</span> the queue and log in.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once logged in got <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">thru</span> creating character and logged into starter zone didn't have any problem after that. Game ran smoothly and relatively lag free after that, at least it did for me. Starter zone was busy but not too bad though getting to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Freemarsh</span> zone it was jam packed busy with players. Got my first character to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">lvl</span> 8 and then logged out and recreated another character mostly to get the character name but ended up leveling the that character up to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">lvl</span> 7 and back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Freemarsh</span> again. </div><div><br /></div><div>In between that time <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Trion</span> had made some <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">in game</span> announcement that they had opened up several new servers which I guess was to try to reduce the queue time for those trying to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">log on</span>. A bit later then made announcement that they were bringing down for a short period to balance and tweak the servers a bit. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">That's</span> when I decided to log out early and get me a bite. I log out and took a look at all the server listed and every server all the way down the list was listed as all "Full"and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">that's</span> probably including all the new servers they added already.</div><div><br /></div><div>And your wondering why your queue time was so long. </div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-35739867179894380392011-02-23T14:32:00.009-05:002011-02-23T16:37:54.617-05:0024hr Countdown to RIFT LaunchObviously RIFT the new MMO game launches tomorrow at 1:00 PM EST for those in head start. So not too long till the long wait is finally over. <div><br /></div><div>Already uninstalled the Beta client and already downloaded the live game client for tomorrows launch.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Really at this point really not allot to say except the few details. Will be joining up with the friendly great group of folks from <a href="http://www.multiplaying.net/2011/02/23/internet-super-friends/">Multiplying.net</a> who all will be rolling <i><b>Defiant</b></i> faction on the <i><b>Faeblight</b></i> server a RP-PVE server. Just because starting off in a new MMO playing with a great group of folks to journey with is always much more fun and interesting than going it solo on a random server. So good way to start off in a new game with a friendly great group of folks including one my favorite <a href="http://mmogamerchick.wordpress.com/">MMO Gamer Chick</a> and a few other MMO bloggers. Hopefully see some of you all there for the fun.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well I better go <i>try to</i> get some stuff done today. Be sure hard to get it done tomorrow.</div></div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-11750851037120315242011-02-21T15:22:00.007-05:002011-02-21T17:35:37.774-05:00Rift and future MMO plansHave been playing RIFT beta since Beta 5 event over a month ago after which I made the decision I was going to play the game and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pre</span></span>-ordered the game from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Trion</span></span>. Since I had already ordered the game and knew was going to play at launch didn't really play at all much during the Beta 6 event over a week back, I just played more EVE Online. This past weekend played a little bit for the final RIFT beta event to test out a few souls and classes haven't played before the game launches live on Thursday the 24<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span></span>.<div><br /></div><div>So had a bit of fun over the weekend trying out a different class build as a Tank, a slightly different one to the main soul as a Paladin/VoidKnight/Reaver build I leveled up during Beta 5. Tried out a Paladin/VoidKnight/Warlord which seemed to work well though took some getting used to after having played the first build. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also leveled up two different <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Mages</span></span> to at least <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">lvl</span></span> 10 trying out the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">dps</span></span> class builds to see what I actually liked for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">dps</span></span>. First tried out a Elemental/Stormcaller/Archon and though worked ok didn't quite work all that well for me with the Archon as well as with keeping the pet alive, but played it at least to lvl 10 to see how it played out. In trying to test out another support class for mage dps then made a Warlock/Necromancer/Chloromancer and that seemed to work out well for my style of play especially with the Chloromancer soul for support role. Thus i figured that would work well with the Elemental/Stormcaller as well and with the pet. Overall figured out what I wanted for both and had a fun time for the short amount of time really played overall during the last Beta event.</div><div><br /></div><div>Currently my main <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">MMO</span></span> right now is playing EVE Online which have been playing for almost the last year and that's not really going to change much best I can tell for rest of year. RIFT will be the only other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">MMO</span></span> on my plate at the moment and looking forward to playing it at launch on Thursday since have already <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">pre</span></span>-ordered the game and will be playing at head start all the way <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">thru</span></span>. I'll be playing <i>Defiant</i> of course just because I always play the underdog side. Kinda like always having Horde in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">WoW</span></span> and never played Alliance. As well will be playing on a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">PvE</span></span> server yet to be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">determined</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>So the only thing left to decide for playing RIFT is which shard (server) to play on. As well as which server the majority of everyone I know that blogs and that will be playing will be playing on. Could be allot of fun to be all on one main server. Really best though to get that decided and figured before the game launch on the 24<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">th. </span>I know <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">I'm</span> highly unlikely to change server I start playing on to start over on another server everyone else is playing on after launch. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Trion</span></span> hasn't as yet released the names of what the live shards will be. I've heard at least 1-2 days before launch they will release that info. So while it will be fun playing at RIFT launch it can be even more fun playing on the same server with majority of blogging community and friends. </div><div><br /></div><div>Until then its back to playing EVE Online mostly.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><b>Update:</b></span></div><div>Seems Multiplying.net will be forming up a community/guild for RIFT launch linked <a href="http://www.multiplaying.net/2011/02/09/multirifting-need-a-guild/">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-28910477344154611962011-02-08T16:05:00.007-05:002011-02-08T19:41:59.459-05:00Game Over...That's pretty much it! Cataclysm is pretty much over for me and that's as much a seal fate as when I had decided to leave the game back in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">WotLK</span> for my own reasons back then. I guess when I decide to make the choice its pretty much a seal fate. I have no regrets about my choices and decisions game wise.<div><br /></div><div>I got my Paladin to 85, even relearning how to play again after quite along time from the game. Spent a great deal of time reading and learn how all the new class mechanics work and reading class compendiums at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">EJ</span> forums for hours. It was all fun and really invested the time to really learning things like i usually always did. It was all fun.</div><div><br /></div><div>I didn't really look forward to all the grinding or reputation grind but I did some of it daily just going through the motions of things and logging on to play. And had moments of enjoyable fun in the process. But deep down I just wasn't looking forward to it. So I did less and less of it everyday. I did find some enjoyment in doing the cooking daily almost daily, not sure why.</div><div><br /></div><div>I decided to level up some my other characters from 80 to 85, so i did. Not only that I transferred 4 characters from the server i was on back to my old server to play with my old guild and some guild friends there who still played so I was among familiar faces when i logged on to play. Its was just good to see familiar faces I had fun playing with since long ago. </div><div><br /></div><div>I got 4 my characters to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">lvl</span> 85 and was all fun to level them up, learn how to play them among all the changes to the classes. Spent time leveling up most my characters professions and had fun doing it. Yet once I got them all to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">lvl</span> 85 I just didn't look forward to all the gear grind and faction rep grind and all that. Still I did some of it on some my characters. But just did not care to do it all that much to do it daily over and over. Maybe after 5 years of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">WoW</span> for me its just getting old no matter how its re-skinned. I never visited or quested through any of the new starter zones or through changed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Azeroth</span>, I had no appeal to ever doing so and never did. Cataclysm for me was just 80-85 pretty much, 5 levels.</div><div><br /></div><div>On most days daily I find I just log in sell some stuff on the AH and add to my huge gold supply and did some fishing. That's gets quite boring after a while just mostly logging in and selling stuff and some dailies. And the choices of what to decide to do don't seem all that great and didn't feel like investing any time in the raiding game.</div><div><br /></div><div> So over weeks and days I find myself playing and logging in less and less daily. Since I also play multiple <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">MMO's</span> these days, I find at time I rather log out of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">WoW</span> and often rather invest my time playing EVE and work on my projects there which seem more worthwhile for me to do. I guess you have more choices in how you decide to spend your time effort wise when you have choices of games to play.</div><div><br /></div><div>Instead of keep subscribing and not really logging into <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">WoW</span> all that much, I checked my account and funny enough my subscription runs out tomorrow. So It didn't take me long to decide to just go ahead and pull the plug on my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">WoW</span> subscription and Cataclysm. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have no bitter feelings about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">WoW.</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">I've</span> always kept it positive. I'm just not feeling it anymore like I used to in days, years and old expansions past when i played like I had a crack addiction with in game friends and ran instances like a madman. The community in game feels very different, even the atmosphere in my guild feels different like <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">everyone's</span> a stranger at times. Barely anyone says hello to anyone. The feeling seems to be gone and instead of keep playing when I know I'm not feeling it enough to log in and play I rather end it here and now. So i just cancelled my subscription today which ends tomorrow. </div><div><br /></div><div>The feeling just seems gone for me. Cataclysm for me lasted just 2 months.</div><div><br /></div><div>For me its Game Over!</div><div><br /></div><div>Edit: Already gave away all my stuff so you cant have it. And all the gold, gave all of it away too all six figures!</div><div><br /></div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-54115056472647266082011-01-30T22:27:00.008-05:002011-01-31T08:20:02.020-05:00RIFT Beta 5 Impressions and AdventuresA bit long the post. Over the past several weeks I had been hearing about this new MMO currently in Beta called RIFT via some of the other blogs I read. The game wasn't on my radar by any means. So being curious about the game decided to check it out a little well eventually signed up an account. A few days later I got an invite to RIFT Beta 5 event which took place over almost a week and ended on this past Saturday.<div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">I wanted at least to try the game at least most importantly with an open mind, no game bias, and give the game a fair try and effort. And that's what I did. Needless to say I really had a lot of fun playing and testing RIFT the game in the Beta 5 event.</span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Rift Beta 5 event was my first time playing RIFT, I made it to lvl 24 with the max level in the Beta capped at lvl 30. So I did a lot of PvE questing, rifts and fighting major rift Invasions as well also did the first dungeon which was Iron Tomb which was a lot of fun and quite well done. However what I didn't like wasn't so much the game of RIFT itself but more less some people in the player community in zone chat who constantly chatted about WoW non stop, comparing the game to WoW in what seems a million different ways and a million different other things they seem in comparison to, game likes or wish game had this and that similar to WoW. Quite frankly I was tired of hearing all the constant WoW talk for what it seemed almost every other thing someone said at certain times of the day.</span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Funny enough as it is, this was mostly in the very first starter lvl zones and if shift mouse clicked over most the people chatting up WoW in the zone chat vast majority of them was less than lvl 8. Since i had played RIFT at all kinds of odds hours of the day, most of that chat disappeared real late at night into the early morning before it all started again in a WoW fest. But that's most of the negative feelings i had trying and testing out the rift.</span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Launching the game it has a great intro cinematic that really gives a welcome to the world of RIFT, Telara and the lore of where the forces of the world stood against the death god Regulos and your somewhat place in it in Telara.</span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">There are two factions and you get a choice of either the Guardian the devoted of the gods of Telara or the Defiant who shun the gods efforts or lack of it and put more faith in their technology which they love. I decided to go with Defiant as playing the do good side just isn't my style and I love playing the underdog side in a game. You have a choice of classes between a Warrior, Cleric, Mage or Rogue. Warriors wear plate, Rogues wear leather and Clerics wear a mix of cloth or chain mail, and I guess Mages wore just cloth i guess but not entirely sure.</span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">I all around most usually prefer a melee class style of play so decided to go with playing a Bahmi Warrior and play sword and board. The game basically starts off in the world of your faction and doing some simple quests or meet someone here or there, deliver this there for a reason just like most typical quests but mostly the quests are tutorial as well introducing you to the world you reside in. You pickup your first soul almost immediately which is part of how you talent spec class wise and they eventually gives you a lot of options of deciding how to spec across several souls of various kinds for your class which gives a lot of options in play style.</span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Eventually I went Paladin/Void Knight/Reaver for soul trees and picking up skills across all three spec tree. All three souls is highly defensive styles with a range of offensive options as well. Paladin being highly defensive with a lot of blocking, shield slams of various kinds and righteous melee attacks and various throwing of hammer pulls highly physical. The Void Knight being interesting in that its defensive as well but it thrives on turning spell casters magic back against them in various forms of attacks which can be quite damaging as well. The Reaver best I can describe trying it out seems to me to best I can relate to is a Death Knight with various forms of infectious attacks, dots and hard-hitting melee strikes.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Later on in Beta I did make a new character started it from scratch to get the feel learning the soul abilities again but bit with a different soul combo in the mix. I tried out a Paladin/Void Knight/Riftblade with the Riftblade being a bit more offensive soul that dealt with various form of elemental attacks. That was a bit interesting and took a while to get the hang of it. So I had those souls to play and try out and learn their various forms a bit while leveling.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong>Leveling</strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">The first few levels go by fairly fast helping out some folks in a town along your way to and area and then soon the story evolves as you reach an area and have to fight back evil forces at a rift that threaten to destroy the world. This was really fun and. was really the first encounter with the public group system.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Most the early levels is kinda following the lore and story of the world doing quests and learning where to pickup skills and all that. Quest system is quite easy to follow and UI easy to use and configurable. Some zone invasion quests are automatic to all zone wide as an Invasion quest.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong>Rifts</strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">First real rift happen to spawn right in the area around where I was questing at and area just turned dark the ground charred and quite a bit of invading mobs at my level and around my level appeared. I was tripped out by it. So I just stopped questing and started beating back rift invaders right away I got a message on UI to join a public group as other players was right there or close by as well. Eventually everyone around started to beat back the rift invaders and was a lot of fun.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">When you closed the rifts you would via the UI receive various kinds of rewards and shards though the very first time it occurred it wasn't so obvious. Wasn't immediately apparent what the shards were for either, but it seems the more rifts invaders you killed and the more rifts you did the more shards and various kinds you got. Eventually over time you could turn the shards in for exchange for various items at a merchant and some nifty gear upgrades. It seemed that the Rifts that form in zone and in the areas they spawn in are closely related to the level of the quests in those areas best I could put it.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">As rifts close I went back to questing as usual and everyone else seemed to also back to whatever they were doing before. Over time you would get pop up notices and messages in zone via the UI either a kind of rift is spawning or a major invasion force was imminent while questing along various quest hubs. There were rifts that would spawn and if left unchecked for a good duration of time. They would eventually spawn more invaders that would become invasion forces and go wandering around attacking anything they find including normal mobs in areas as well as NPC outposts with the NPC's fighting back as well.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong>Rift Major events</strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">There were also major invasion zone events with objectives which shows up on your UI as an automatic quest zone wide where major invasion forces would spawn all across the zone and if left unchecked would eventually wreak havoc across a zone towards anything they find until defeated. These invasion events if objective is met killing XX of invaders and sealing XX rifts all shows up on your UI as they are met across a zone and when met would also spawn an invasion boss that's at the level of the zone that you also have to kill to win the invasion objective often via a public raid group together.</span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">These bosses of sorts when spawned would require quite a bit of zone participation to take down in the form of full public groups. You could show up where the bosses are on the map join in on the public group option or get invited as well and help kill the invasion boss. Everyone that joined in to help or via the public group when the boss dies get some amount of various kinds of rewards and various amounts of shards which can add up to allot. These events are quite a lot of fun to participate in.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">So really was fun during invasions to just quit questing and join in or beating back invasion forces for a while for the fun, rewards and XP as well as they usually drop nice stuff the invaders. I did that for a few hrs and gained a bit of XP. There is an achievement system in-game as I remember getting one for fighting back 30 rift invasion forces.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Rifts shows up on maps and of various kinds and there are quite a few different kinds of rifts. There are also rifts that just existed as tears not fully formed rifts but left unchecked can form major rifts of one form or another. In time leveling you learn an ability called Planar Lure I think via a quest I can't remember which allows anyone to find these rifts. When found use the ability to somewhat crack the rift, defeat the forces and then seal it for good. Somewhere in my mid teens leveling I was wondering around on a quest and spotted what looked like a rift tear. The ability lit up and clicked it, which caused the rift to fully spawn and was now up to me alone since was the only one around to try and seal it solo.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">This was quite a lot of fun trying to seal a rift all by my self just picking off the mobs one by one or two when can. Eventually after around 15 minutes or so I did and for my reward got several items, artifacts, scrolls and over 25 shards for my efforts I was quite excited.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Questing and leveling seemed to get much more fun around mid teens and much more action to get involved in with rifts and invasion forces. Rifts could appear and their forces eventually threaten quest areas. No place is safe! I remember going aft at a quest giver by the road and thought it was safe as no mobs was around by the road. Well while afk an invasion has spawned and an invasion force was making its way down the road that eventually killed the NPC and me as well while afk. Often just one or two players in a NPC area just acting when a few invaders arrived could make all the difference.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong>Questing & Exploring</strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Questing at times can somewhat seem linear. Completing some quests would activate the NPC next to the other who previously didn't have a quest before. I did find you were also able to wander around and explore a bit and find quests in other areas. Some quests you would also find just randomly killing a certain mob while on another quest in the form of an item. These you would have to take to someone or return to complete the quest.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Though at times it was fun to quest for leveling and quest rewards it was just as fun to stop questing when a major rift invasion showed up and get in on the action which is a lot of public fun time to collect lots of shards from rift creatures. Some people in zone chat seemed annoyed and just wanted to just do quests and avoided the rifts entirely and even asked how to remove them from their game map. Why you playing RIFT anyway I'm thinking. Once you understand what the shards can be used for when kill rift invaders its even more fun to see how much you can collect for the effort.</span></div><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong>Other Zones</strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Freemarsh was fun but the second zone Stonefield was even more fun which was now the very late teens and early 20's. Wasn't long after I had entered this new zone to quest in I got an invite from someone a higher level player that said they was going to be a major invasion event in the zone and they were forming up for a public group raid and doing invites. Cool. So I accepted while still doing some quests. About a few minutes later a major invasion started and wasn't sure where it was and couldn't tell all that well since most of my zone map was yet uncovered.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">So stopped doing the quests and headed off via the location of other members of the group on the map to catch up with them while trying to avoid area mobs some 3-4 times my level. Took awhile to get there and meet up, but in that time much the invasion had been fought back and they had spawned an invasion champion boss of some kind. We only had a group of maybe 9-12 people mostly lvl 22-26 that was fighting an invasion boss. It was awesome!</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">We couldn't get more people to come and help fight a boss that had over 650K HP and I'm umm lvl 19 with barely 1300 HP. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">I died quite a bit to say the least. That boss was relentless in its attack. I believe a lvl 26 rogue if I recall tanked the boss. I couldn't remember what level the boss was exactly either. But the rogue had an awesome cleric healing for what it seemed as well. Eventually the boss was kited a bit to a close by town where more people were and NPC's. We got the boss into the little town everyone helped chipped in to kill the rift invasion boss. That took about an hour or so due to not having enough people to make it faster or help. We lost the invasion battle or failed the quest due to time but we did eventually kill the spawned boss which was fun enough. That was just fun!</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">After all that excitement it was back to less excitement and more quiet time questing or whatever else I did. Numerous times I had to return to a NPC outpost to turn in a quest and a rift invasion force had taken over the NPC area. Whats a good hero to do, kill the invasion force even if no ones around to help. Eventually sometime more than often someone else shows up and join in to help via the public group option and you clear the area of rift invaders and retake the NPC areas and get rewarded with more shards. Not too long after any NPC that had died quickly respawned. But for at least trying to take back the rift even solo you get rewarded well with shards, rare artifacts and other items that's quite useful to use.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong>Instance & Dungeon</strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Was able to finally get into a dungeon run as the Tank for the Iron Tomb dungeon on Defiant side. We got a group which turned out to be a very good group of players. It was me Tank a 2H Warrior of some kind, Rogue, Mage and a Cleric. We completed the instance which didn't seem to take all that long and at best maybe an hour or so.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">The dungeon felt like a real dungeon dark and dingy dungeon and was a lot of fun. But it was also a good time in a dungeon to try out my class as a tank and worked great. We did have times when we had quite a few mobs to attack and was hard to aggro them all but the rogue ended up tanking some and did quite well on his own it seemed, which does seem to me that the class with mix of soul combinations is a bit resilient even though they wear only leather. In RIFT it seems every class can do a lot of different things in a group and with the way you combine different souls that seem like a lot of combinations of talents and abilities.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">But Iron Tomb dungeon was fun, the last boss was a flaming boss and just awesome. Boss died and dropped a nice blue shield which was an upgrade but the Warrior won it. I still ended up with a nice blue sword for the dungeon reward for the other quests I had. Overall was a lot of fun the first dungeon and great group.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong>Guild & Interface</strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">After having done the dungeon run, the rogue who was in a guild invited us to check out the guild interface. Someone had initially asked to see what kind of interface the guild had or check it out. So the rogue invited everyone that was apart of the dungeon run to the guild to check out the guild interface as a result.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">The game does have a really nice, easy to use and quite simple to understand guild interface. Nothing really innovative about the RIFT guild interface it has most if not all and similar functionality as say compared to a WoW guild interface quite simple in display setting. Has various tabs all the way down the interface and category pertaining to guild members, ranks, recent achievements, roster, locations, status, and all that.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">There is a tab for Guild Quests which i totally wasn't even aware of till I saw it as it had the guild quest the guild leader had picked up for the guild wide quest. Thus seems that guild can complete quests as a guild wide effort though one quest at a time from the guild quest givers in a city. So guilds in RIFT can earn levels and level up just like a person can level with XP from completing guild quests as far as i can tell. I'm not sure how high the guild level goes but it seemed quite a bit with the amount of points you would need to get all the guild buffs and benefits via the interface.</span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Guild can put points via the guild GM into various guild abilities as it level up with points. These abilities mostly give some really nice buffs depending on what the buff was for, various kinds and some that give increase rewards guild wise like increase gold on quests. So quite a variety of benefits for guilds and similar to WoW guild interface/rewards.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong>Crafting</strong></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">You can pick 3 professions. I did most gathering so really didn't do all that much crafting though i did try out Armorsmith a little. Works similiar to to crafting in other popular mmo's really. You can use some items some found via rifts to augment items stats after you craft them as well for enhanced stats.</span></b></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong>Auction House</strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Game does have an Auction house system. But the Auction House is functional and similar to that in other games or WoW in interface ability. I did sell several items on the AH so it works quite similar and with mailbox.</span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><strong>Impressions</strong></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Overall RIFT is its own game, though it has a lot of elements of other games and nothing all that new overall. But it does seem like a really fun game. I had a lot of fun testing out RIFT Beta and various parts of the game. For a game in Beta to me it was rather bug free mostly for me. I did file some suggestions on various things as a Beta tester for improvement like really improving the bag system which was the thing had most problem with on the UI overall.</span></div><div></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span _mce_style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">The game it was very stable and didn't have much problem at all nor did I have any graphics problems. My PC is also fairly new as well. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">The game is very well put together for a game still in Beta, quite well done so far, stable, quite polished at this point before launch and that's much better than most if not almost all the games i can remember that launched in the last year at least from Beta. Overall my view of the game is quite positive having played to the level of 24 since the max level of Beta 5 was level 30. It will definitely be on my MMO playing list at launch as something else different to play. At this point I'm looking forward to RIFT Beta 6 event which should be soon.</span></div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-4261969703407632152011-01-19T08:05:00.006-05:002011-01-19T08:58:26.823-05:00Selling Heroic queues<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGuGCBK2lynLl3EZj2Oijallov_Srqqk9m1kMXQ1t5FWSxcTTX_4w20RR70OLGKdYQLGsDv4v-Tv0rj6-QhyphenhyphenPAc5Cj9GyBPYJYEP0j80zy3uwqX1CmcdmVcR9HiJ07YzOyhzLMa44Zu_c/s1600/Tank+selling+Heroic.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 139px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGuGCBK2lynLl3EZj2Oijallov_Srqqk9m1kMXQ1t5FWSxcTTX_4w20RR70OLGKdYQLGsDv4v-Tv0rj6-QhyphenhyphenPAc5Cj9GyBPYJYEP0j80zy3uwqX1CmcdmVcR9HiJ07YzOyhzLMa44Zu_c/s400/Tank+selling+Heroic.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563882863703516546" /></a>There is allot of discussion in and out of WoW and across the blogosphere about the problems with Tank & Healer shortage in Cataclysm, especially as it relates to LFD, Heroics difficulty and long DPS queues. There seem to be a discussion of the problem almost daily in the blogosphere and its on peoples mind daily waiting for LFD queues. As much as I may have my own opinion on this topic and I do, I'm just not sure where to jump into this shark pool of highly intense opinions everywhere. <div><br /></div><div>I was playing on one my dps characters just doing a daily quest and this guy a Tank was quite serious in trade chat about his service as stated. This set off a firestorm of debate in trade about the comment, the situation and LFD queues and the ethics of creating a problem with doing so and fostering it in and of it self. It lead to some lively discussion in trade chat as a result. But with as many players playing WoW this can't be a original idea either and I'm sure some others are doing so. And I know I've been in 1 or two instances as dps where this happened as well unknowingly where the tank just all of a sudden just dropped out for what seemed no reason at all. </div><div><br /></div><div>I really don't condone the practice as a Tank at heart myself and much against this as a practice for all the problems it can create. It can set some very bad future precedent in LFD, among others waiting in queue among groups itself. If you zone in and quit on any group you should suffer some consequence by Blizzard in the LFD queue as a result, no matter which role you play. That's just bad practice all around to other people in the LFD queues and don't help the current problem much either.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for myself a person who has played a tank role for a long time and at heart someone who really enjoy the role to be quite frankly these days even though I can do heroics I just don't queue up for all my own reasons. I enjoyed the many months of stress free time away from WoW and i'm enjoying not returning all that quickly back to that role. That sure don't help you or anyone else much waiting for a Tank, group, heroics and long queues in LFD.</div><div><br /></div><div>For sure the discussion on Tanks and LFD will rage on.</div><div><br /></div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-33830968170441421492011-01-11T16:34:00.004-05:002011-01-11T18:35:07.212-05:00Life at 85, now what....Its now been just slightly over a month since since reactivated my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">WoW</span></span> account for Cataclysm. Since then have had to play ALLOT of catchup on class and talent changes of some of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">lvl</span></span> 80 classes I played back in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">WotLK</span></span> and re-learn how to play those classes among the changes for Cataclysm. And so over the month that followed since Cataclysm launched have gotten three of my five <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">lvl</span></span> 80 characters that I elected to play that were at max level in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">WotLK</span></span> now to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">lvl</span></span> 85 for Cataclysm.<div><br /></div><div>It really was the most busy of times in all of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">WoW</span></span> for all of 2010 the last month reading many blog post and old posts about class changes. As well as reading Elitist Jerks forums and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">compodiums</span></span> of class changes and analysis to really get up to speed on class changes. As well understanding mechanic changes for someone that hadn't payed much attention to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">WoW</span></span> for almost the entire year. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was allot to catch up on and understand all the changes. Still day to day playing Wow depending on which class <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">I'm</span> playing I find myself having to look up re-read stuff at times to be able to recall what I had read of class mechanics. So for the last month it was allot of time spent doing allot of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">WoW</span></span> reading in various places.</div><div><br /></div><div>So of my 5 level 80 characters from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">WotLK</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">I've</span> elected to level up three. I leveled up my Paladin first to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">lvl</span></span> 85 which was a no <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">brainer</span></span> and easier to understand how to play even if I didn't understand anything much at all. Immediately after that then I worked at leveling my Shadow Priest and Shaman roughly at the same time though it was easier to play Shadow vs <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Toteming</span></span> as a Shaman. And so I leveled up my Shadow second and lastly my Shaman which took more time to get used to playing again. I decided not to level up my Death Knight. And my Hunter I may level up given the class has changed mechanic wise and curious to how it now plays among the changes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Though I did spend some time doing some the reputation dailies on my Paladin at 85, overall just didn't spend that much time at it nor on my other 85's as they got to the max level. It just wasn't long after trying to do dailies that deep down I already felt tired of doing it. So just spend the time leveling up my characters. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now having characters at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">lvl</span></span> 85 and overall just a person who likes to complete doing things, spent some my game time leveling up my character professions from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">WotLK</span></span> max level mostly to at least make them useful to various degree in Cataclysm.</div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li>So have max leveled Mining from 450 to 525 on my Paladin mostly doing so while leveling to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">lvl</span></span> 85. Leveled up Alchemy from 450 to 525 a bit after which wasn't too bad to level. As well have leveled up both Fishing & Cooking to 525 on my Paladin. I've elected not to waste good expensive <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Embersilk</span></span> Cloth <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">atm</span></span> to level up First Aid at 450 just for bandages.</li><li>Leveled up Tailoring from 450 to 525 and that was painful to leveled with the price of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Embersilk</span></span> Cloth which I farmed all myself and some little gained from leveling up my other characters. Managed to pick up all the new crafted Epic Tailoring patterns for Shadow and didn't waste time picking up the new blue <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">pvp</span></span> Tailoring patterns that I will never craft for any reason. As much as I would of liked to, I decided leveling up <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">JC</span></span> which was at 220 from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">WotLK</span></span> era that it was a waste of time. Crafted a few items for a few points of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">JC</span></span> and my hearth wasn't in it to sink gold into leveling up a very expensive profession material wise in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">JC</span></span>. I'm just not going to do it! So I stopped before I got too far ahead. But I did level up both Fishing & Cooking on my Shadow Priest both from 450 to 525 which was no gold sink at all. </li><li>For my Shaman leveled up Herbalism from 450 to 525 which wasn't too difficult. Then spend allot of extra time questing after hitting <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">lvl</span></span> 85 to do extra quests for quest rewards to DE for material to level up Enchanting from 450 to 525. That was really quite painful having to obtain the materials to DE to level the skill knowing full well how much the material dust and essences can sell for. Yet was even more painful to know just how expensive the mats are all the way and to see other people sell their enchants on AH for less than 1/5 the material cost. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">That's</span> just sickening and no fun while leveling the skill. Yet leveled the Enchanting skill and managed to pickup all the new enchants except the 3 new ones that require the Maelstrom Crystals for obvious reasons. Leveled up Cooking on my Shaman from 450 to 525. Fishing remain at a low level on my Shaman at around 75. </li></ul><div>While most my active <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">guildmates</span></span> a few that were spending time running Heroics day in day out all day long. I was spending time leveling up my character profession skills to make them useful. So guess who get asked to cook everyone <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">else's</span></span> guild Food Buffs, do Transmute <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Truegold</span></span> with Alchemy, as well as do Enchanting for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">guildies</span></span> gear? Whats also painful about leveling up Enchanting is when other people want you to enchant their gear and seemingly expect you to do it for free as well and the cheap asses who barely want to pay for your services after having leveled up the expensive skill.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>So at this point <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">I'm</span> just about done with really leveling up profession skills. I'm not all that excited with having to do dailies day in day out for faction reputations. Nor am I excited to Pug Heroics. My experience with running Pugs go back years when I gloriously ran them in good old days of BC Heroics way before Dungeon Finder and way before Pug ever became popular as it is today with Dungeon Finder. A person also change over time as well playing a game which has lasted years. Some the Cataclysm dungeons have run as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">dps</span></span> leveling having been that great, some were, most overall wasn't in Pug groups. So <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">I'm</span> just not all that excited about having to endure grinding Heroics for gear to advance in the rat race <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">that's</span> the endgame of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">WoW</span></span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I promised myself that on returning to playing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">WoW</span> for Cataclysm that I will take it easy, I will relax more when playing, I will just have a good time and not worry about too much and not take things so seriously anymore, that I won't try to do much to burn myself out which <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">occur's </span>frequently. So a bit now pondering now what...</div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-77832155185947903172011-01-09T13:33:00.011-05:002011-01-09T20:41:22.332-05:00Secrets of the Tomb: Hidden in plain sight<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-zsqWigoRi6lrfN2lyslxOmZ-Vbi9NGiTVwEQiOh40_WXHpq7MJaSrli3CGBwi57Fca9zZ8kxN0AZzu2hZidKJO-iwPWfNjdTtxNupscFUH1EDEXhpPPfcS3hQ2uGdltOkTOuw4MXr2e/s1600/Chamber+of+the+Moon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-zsqWigoRi6lrfN2lyslxOmZ-Vbi9NGiTVwEQiOh40_WXHpq7MJaSrli3CGBwi57Fca9zZ8kxN0AZzu2hZidKJO-iwPWfNjdTtxNupscFUH1EDEXhpPPfcS3hQ2uGdltOkTOuw4MXr2e/s400/Chamber+of+the+Moon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560258555969873106" /></a>Well been a while playing with WoW Cataclysm. I've re-figured out how to play my characters a bit again and gotten 3 of my characters to 85 now. First my Paladin then Shadow Priest and last to level up was my Enhancement Shaman, all now lvl 85. Though I do enjoy playing my Shadow Priest and Shaman it was easier to relearn how to play my Shadow Priest than my Shaman. But I do enjoy playing both often at different times however. So far 85 haven't done any Heroics. Mostly been working leveling up my professions. And working at leveling up my Tailoring for my Shadow Priest I found a interesting secret which also helped a bit in helping my Shaman level up Enchanting (now 525).<div><br /></div><div>This was a situation i stumbled upon resulting from when I leveled up my Paladin first. I wrote in a previous entry that when leveling up my paladin in Uldum somehow completed the entire zone yet I missed quite a few quests for Ramkahen faction and was just barely friendly. Yet couldn't find any more quests. Apparently I had missed picking up a initial quest and never could find where i had missed picking it up even though searched the zone a few times. </div><div><br /></div><div>Well I got my Paladin to 85 and then started leveling up my Shadow Priest with lots of rest bonus, which allowed skipping some zone quest entirely for the last zone with higher XP gain. Then I leveled up my Shaman who leveled up from 80-85 on 100% XP bonus since I had swapped back and forth between him and my Shadow while leveling to use the rest bonus. Also skipped much of Uldum as well again in the process for Twilight Highlands which made faster to getting to 85 on the bonus XP and better leveling gear. </div><div><br /></div><div>At 85 since I was leveling up Enchanting on my Shaman I kept doing all the quests so can get stuff to DE for leveling up enchanting. I finished out much of Twilight Highlands and then went back to Uldum to so the quests I had passed over again. Eventually found the quest i had missed on my Paladin leveling up as noticed hadn't done some the quest before and remember the NPC got it from the quest. Well while doing a quest I had done before on my Paladin in the Chamber of the Moon in Uldum which is in the North West area of the zone I noticed something on my Shaman. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Elites and the Ancestral guardians (neutral) in the Chamber of the Moon seem to drop a bit of cloth and re-spawn rather quickly. As well their were quite a few of them as you can kill both for cloth. Anyway I completed the quest on my Shaman and the other quest inside the chamber with Harrison Jones which phases the chamber entirely. </div><div><br /></div><div>What results is that after the quest series is complete inside the area which is phased, all the mobs that was there before in no longer there. They are gone entirely due to phasing! Well that was a great area to probably farm for Embersilk Cloth. This same effect I had noticed before similarly when leveling my Paladin in Twilight Highlands as well. While in Twilight Highlands on my Paladin leveling up I was doing a quest for the dragon aspects chain series which sent me to a path right there just inside the gate from Westfall area I believe it was but leads up to Grim Bitol. </div><div><br /></div><div>Right there was a staging area for a bunch of Twilight Cultis mobs and several carts. There was a quest that lead there to obtain a key if I remember. What i remember doing the quest was that the mobs were nice to melee and aoe and that they re-spawned very fast. Faster than I could loot. Plus while I had killed a few mobs there I remember they dropped a few greens and a bit of cloth. That made me think in back of my mind, farming spot and opportunity. Well completing the quest that was right there which eventually re-phase the area entirely. Which means all the mobs are gone when re-phased on quest completion. That reminded me of the same thing with Chamber of the Moon in Uldum similar effect due to phasing after quest completion. So no chance of farming there on either my Paladin or Shaman which had just completed the area.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well this is where my Shadow Priest came in while trying to level up Tailoring or trying to get Embersilk Cloth. On my Shadow Priest I had skipped a bit of Uldum quests so hadn't done any that lead to the Chamber of the Moon which came from Harrison Jones. Thus to my Shadow Priest the entire area inside appears normal with all the mobs spawned there. </div><div><br /></div><div>Enter now using a <i>Potion of Treasure Finding</i> which are made by Alchemist and you can buy on AH. What results now is awesome farming of Embersilk Cloth with a great chance of getting quite a bit of greens, Treasure drops from the mobs and grey item that can add up to quite a bit of gold.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPbE5NuHECaN5HdVVZQHmTkUYatEowvu4SgD9cgUftyVlr_AOhqeRe8OFwF6a5RqQ0PDNkgFamUOurZFXksYQc-_a8QZGR91TZJtpCEkOnF_alYSwP84pjj8rfeXmmceiI4kZmLQMeCzG/s1600/Chamber+of+the+Moon+5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPbE5NuHECaN5HdVVZQHmTkUYatEowvu4SgD9cgUftyVlr_AOhqeRe8OFwF6a5RqQ0PDNkgFamUOurZFXksYQc-_a8QZGR91TZJtpCEkOnF_alYSwP84pjj8rfeXmmceiI4kZmLQMeCzG/s400/Chamber+of+the+Moon+5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560268993531582066" /></a>So farmed here for 1hr with a Potion of Treasure Finding: About 9.5 Stacks of Embersilk Cloth, 4 greens and a JC recipe drop. For AH my server thats about 140-160g a stack<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhuSwJ2cM5Gq2CMyJ2zl0_LjnDgHtZhA0ivV7hsK_000zAriVHEO4mey_liFcXV1W4h138V_xBa1dB1jWdItdOKfxjisjh4M6UWtWzXd16zQrT-y1c0A_W2-gS0v5vLGt1Tgl4rMnvU9t/s1600/Chamber+of+the+Moon+4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhuSwJ2cM5Gq2CMyJ2zl0_LjnDgHtZhA0ivV7hsK_000zAriVHEO4mey_liFcXV1W4h138V_xBa1dB1jWdItdOKfxjisjh4M6UWtWzXd16zQrT-y1c0A_W2-gS0v5vLGt1Tgl4rMnvU9t/s400/Chamber+of+the+Moon+4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560269971963819586" /></a>Next day farmed again here for 2hrs straight non stop and 24 stacks of Embersilk Cloth, 16 greens and a bag full of grey items that was worth over 125g in grey junk. But the amount of cloth farmed was awesome and you barely had to move more than 40 feet in any direction as the mobs re-spawned fast. If you kill the Ancestral Guardians fighting the Elites which are at half HP you get to kill the guardians for chance to get cloth. If you kill the Elite first fighting the Guardian it often disappear. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ended up with 96 Bolts of Embersilk Cloth the 2nd day. Enough to get my Tailoring up to 500. Yet if had sold that much cloth it could of made me a bit of gold all the same. Also with the amount of greens had enough stuff to DE to finish leveling up my Shaman Enchanting to 525.</div><div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK06UoPLsCQruHkJPSV24yuvu-2w4awWKUf9hM4AosOWZ11IhY9zKG-2LzylOGLALJ_-1y7_Dk5Uf9wW4R4bsw8RA3ZWoZz7SdDsUa9IcEZgVlxOrjoTVEtQPtjAEQEnnnoz-cF6jQl_4U/s1600/Chamber+of+the+Moon+3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK06UoPLsCQruHkJPSV24yuvu-2w4awWKUf9hM4AosOWZ11IhY9zKG-2LzylOGLALJ_-1y7_Dk5Uf9wW4R4bsw8RA3ZWoZz7SdDsUa9IcEZgVlxOrjoTVEtQPtjAEQEnnnoz-cF6jQl_4U/s400/Chamber+of+the+Moon+3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560358115796109698" /></a>If you already completed the quest series in this chamber for Harrison Jones then this is all you will see, a empty chamber since the area is phased.<br /><br /></div><div>Think i'll keep farming here for cloth with a Potion of Treasure Finding for now though while I need it to level up profession before its nerfed somehow by Blizzard. By total chance I found a farming opportunity here. Good things have a way of never lasting long in WoW. However if you need lots of Embersilk Cloth, and you haven't done the quest there in this very area you can farm here before it somehow probably gets nerfed. <i>However if you already done all the quests in Uldum and the ones here in the area, your way out of luck!!</i></div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-38845051501689557632010-12-29T18:43:00.007-05:002010-12-29T20:07:03.304-05:00Busy catching up on WoW and Cataclysm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIw8qspmQfXvDlbg4Z4rQypsxAcxFcPq625elXAc7vmu3TzhFwEmWT6Cu-Azfu-vpX_fGeHNRvPooiWjxNZ-McIIBT7ZTdS-ENPayumK2enN5oXJ79rolTqy0eRF-vDwLGQafSh3yf_5qV/s1600/Throne+of+Tides.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIw8qspmQfXvDlbg4Z4rQypsxAcxFcPq625elXAc7vmu3TzhFwEmWT6Cu-Azfu-vpX_fGeHNRvPooiWjxNZ-McIIBT7ZTdS-ENPayumK2enN5oXJ79rolTqy0eRF-vDwLGQafSh3yf_5qV/s320/Throne+of+Tides.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556255097380601378" /></a>Playing catchup is allot of what I seem to be doing, so really not allot of time to dedicate to writing anything much or anything long. Plus being a bit busy re-learning how to play and leveling up 3 of my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">lvl</span></span> 80 characters to 85, so not much time to stop and talk about it either. Quite understandable that is. As well been reading some other blogs and forums trying to understand some the changes and mechanics of some the classes I play.<div><br /></div><div>So not really busy trying to blog about much.</div><div><br /></div><div>Did transfer my Paladin, Shadow Priest, Shaman back to the old server of my Paladin back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Zangarmarsh</span>. At least to play with some old <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">WoW</span> friends in my old former guild. So was able to do that vs spending time building back up guild on the server where I was which i really don't have time for anymore.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since leveling my Paladin to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">lvl</span></span> 85 and with fairly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ok</span></span> mostly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ilvl</span></span> 333 tank/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">dps</span> gear from leveling up for both specs, haven't done much or played since. Mostly been working on leveling up some profession when i can. Still have alchemy to level up a bit though leveled it up enough to craft the epic trinket that i cant remember the name of. </div><div><br /></div><div>Started to work at leveling up my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">lvl</span></span> 80 Shadow Priest, but first had to figure out a spec as well as relearn allot of how to even play one as well as learn the changes to the class vs before. So spend some time reading other blogs as well over at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">EJ</span> to figure things out a bit. However was able to get my Shadow Priest to 85. I still find the class fun and not to difficult to relearn though it took a while after months of haven't played one. </div><div><br /></div><div>So now just left with leveling up my Enhancement Shaman with a Elemental off spec who is currently at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">lvl</span></span> 84. So had to look around for a few blogs to read that i read before that already had some good info as well as visit <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">EJ</span> forum to read their class <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">compodium</span> to understand class changes. So had to do the same as well as did with my Shadow Priest had to figure out spec and re-learn skills, talents and spells and dropping totems. Re-learn how to play the Shaman was to me harder than figuring out how to play the Shadow Priest. Took awhile. But so far been doing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">ok</span></span> and almost there leveling up my Shaman.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have found the new instances fun and challenging though been there just as dps really. Overall just busy playing, observing and catching up really in allot of ways so just not allot of time to blog right now. If anything i'm spending time reading other people's blog as well as forums just taking in and understanding stuff and class mechanics.</div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-23981474385987664252010-12-21T18:42:00.003-05:002010-12-21T18:52:04.788-05:00Most Crazy Fun Quest in Cataclysm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UDytwbxHCo-6g7SVXcMoFdkIBmkPSnipqrSjgFXN-kd0SCT-IreL0y0EixbQhLvB9unrGQ_huy6sUx91tNEJCKwsIKScOUYm0fMa96h_INM0M1XPNDYFL-ssSa-Dh9uyzNUKCNS7VruS/s1600/Crazed+Gnome+Quest.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UDytwbxHCo-6g7SVXcMoFdkIBmkPSnipqrSjgFXN-kd0SCT-IreL0y0EixbQhLvB9unrGQ_huy6sUx91tNEJCKwsIKScOUYm0fMa96h_INM0M1XPNDYFL-ssSa-Dh9uyzNUKCNS7VruS/s400/Crazed+Gnome+Quest.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553285395371933666" /></a>I think its called <i><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Gnomebliteration</span></i> a quest a few deep into a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">chain</span> quest you find from a item that drops off a Crazed Gnome Surveyor or something like that in the South Eastern Dessert of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Uldum</span> zone a bit south of where Halls of Origination dungeon is but where you also find a whole lot of gnomes. <div><br /></div><div>You get to flame roll hundreds of gnomes which is a whole lot of fun. Too bad its not a daily quest, it would be so much fun to flame roll gnomes. Must be tough to be a gnome, they get picked on allot. You get a nice blue item piece for the trouble of flame rolling gnomes.</div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079318024484275606.post-68984690961537609082010-12-20T08:38:00.007-05:002010-12-20T10:06:06.512-05:00Shunning the Rat Race, lvl 85 gone Fishing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqw-OXh9FlHlaqz6OsoW24mVS66h4GZxNHLA8mEOmFbRFYIieP525aFrSTXBqKq4P-vlYEcoxXcykdNYfWcV8El0bgUDJaaFdfRKdQ8p0u0U6R_L-ThbYYbie1o5Rt8l-SyxiTKEw1Ssuy/s1600/Lvl+85+and+gone+Fishing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqw-OXh9FlHlaqz6OsoW24mVS66h4GZxNHLA8mEOmFbRFYIieP525aFrSTXBqKq4P-vlYEcoxXcykdNYfWcV8El0bgUDJaaFdfRKdQ8p0u0U6R_L-ThbYYbie1o5Rt8l-SyxiTKEw1Ssuy/s400/Lvl+85+and+gone+Fishing.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552759180830196322" /></a>The constant burnout factor and been away from the game as long as I have as well as playing other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">MMO</span> games have given me a different perspective of personal game enjoyment and how I choose to spend my time. No longer I feel the need to quickly burn myself and game enjoyment out of existence in a hurry for nothing, or join the Rat Race at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">lvl</span> 85 for endgame efforts. After about 11 months away from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">WoW</span> by choice and back playing the game for who knows how long, here I am having just started the new Cataclysm expansion and already facing the end of it at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">lvl</span> 85 and the Rat Race beyond.<div><br /></div><div>So after briefly exploring some of the Twilight Highlands I decided to do something I've always had a great love for, to do and always enjoyed the quiet times away from the rigors of combat to go Fishing. While many and most after hitting <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">lvl</span> 85 for their own reasons and have started their Race Race to gear up for Heroic and Raiding I've decided to go kick back at the riverside with a camp fire and go Fishing. I just choose to go do something different vs exerting my hardcore <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">tendencies</span>. Its a different time for me these days in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">WoW</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I guess I will level up a bit from 450 Fishing while I'm here kicking back enjoying the quite sounds of nature at the river relaxing and contemplating my thoughts and existence in this realm and the universe at large.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtoBtEQ5l_vmh4COHjlk8eZXwwlnigOCYLtXYjc18s_w8hY37N5o38i56aYRkCtCBV_pFjVqb6jeIBSIHUgna-JkGUq8OgFvihF15M-8fdotiBFcEkNeO6t7jrJPHV2hu0YwCxAAczzjfi/s1600/Illustrious+Grand+Master+-+Fishing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 394px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtoBtEQ5l_vmh4COHjlk8eZXwwlnigOCYLtXYjc18s_w8hY37N5o38i56aYRkCtCBV_pFjVqb6jeIBSIHUgna-JkGUq8OgFvihF15M-8fdotiBFcEkNeO6t7jrJPHV2hu0YwCxAAczzjfi/s400/Illustrious+Grand+Master+-+Fishing.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552758903768594466" /></a><br />And so several hours past while enjoying one of my truly favorite past time activities in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">WoW</span> as a real <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">WoW</span> Fisherman. I may swing elaborate shields and awesome weapons in combat to break the knees of hostile foes yet I can enjoy angling a fishing rod as well for awesome catches. </div><div><br /></div><div>I guess I contemplate If my Paladin ever became a really old man and remembering the days of heroes, and wars of past he be hanging out with his buddy the famous fisherman Nat <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Pagle</span>. Somewhere maybe crafting the latest new fishing rod and fishing away while swapping stories of past days of glory while angling awesome fish catches of the day. </div><div><br /></div><div>Few the moments it were watching a half a dozen heroes drop by the river banks and gaze in wonder the man sitting across the river pond sitting with camp fire and fishing in the river. And then they themselves too join in interrupting the silence and fishing as well for several minutes and then probably easily grew bored and left to do other things. </div><div><br /></div><div>Several hours after sitting by the riverside with my fishing rod, warm camp fire, enjoying the quiet sounds of nature and contemplating my existence and those of fish's here in the river or not I'm now a <b>Illustrious Grand Master Fisherman</b>. Having gone from from 450 Fishing to 525 Fishing all in one sitting at the river side. Yeah I caught ALLOT of fish.</div><div><br /></div><div>No doubt I'm a real <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">WoW</span> Fisherman. Elsewhere in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Azeroth</span> the Rat Race goes on at full speed, I guess that's my perspective. <i>Wherever you are in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">WoW</span>, don't forget to enjoy the game, however you choose to play it for your own reasons.</i></div><div><br /></div>Ardent Defenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13162904795741307697noreply@blogger.com0