Bittersweet

2018 has been a very mixed bag so far.

In March, my Father died. It was hardly out of the blue as he had lung cancer but still it managed to catch me off guard, coming faster than everyone bar his Consultant Oncologist had expected.

In June, this happened.

She is gorgeous (might be slightly biased), a dreadful sleeper and possibly already showing signs of being as feral as her brother.

I had no intention of coming back to WoW, but then Mr Harpy who watches the Arena Tournaments on Twitch caught a few trailers/bits & bobs about the forth coming expansion and started making interested noises so it’s starting to look like we will be back sometime this autumn. Thinking about it, how could we miss the expansion which is all about putting the war back into warcraft.

 

A ghost Moose makes mount number 191

I want to like archaeology more than I do. In the real world, I love wandering around museums and ancient sites. Recently I saw the Westray Wife otherwise known as the Orkney Venus in the flesh or so to speak. Although I admit I expected her to be bigger than the fridge magnet version someone gave me but instead it turns out the magnet was to scale. In game though especially in Legion, it seems such a chore. I did enough digs to get the 600 bones I needed and then hightailed it out of Highmountain. Luckily enough it also gave me all of the Highmountain display items so now I have no reason to go back, no reason to dig there. I know I have discovered everything and that takes away the magic, takes away what I imagine archaeology is really about. That sense of discovery, of learning something that was once known but is now forgotten.

 

Challenge 24: Class Fantasy

This fortnight’s challenge from Z and Cinder is right up my street as my idea of the Priest class fantasy and Blizzard’s are essentially poles apart, possibly on different planets too. When it comes to my favourite class, I think that original idea of Priests in WoW has muddied the water. Remember back when each Priest race had special spells (and everyone wanted a Dwarf Priest for Fear ward) and to me, starting playing back then, there was the class fantasy but also an individual flavour depending on your race. Snow might be a Priest but she’s a Priestess of Elune first and foremost. Her class hall should be open and wild and full of moonwells not a rather dull space ship.

There aren’t many “famous” Priests wandering around and nor is there much detail especially when compared to the amazing Mage Hall or the wonderful Druidic area. In fact when it was first released I wrote this in a fit of pique and my feelings haven’t changed. The spell changes have also annoyed me, partly because I loved using Mind Vision in PvP and I fail to understand why when I can still use Shadow spells to Mind Control someone of a cliff, I shouldn’t have access to Fear or Mind Vision just because I’m Holy. I’m also not a fan of the moulting Owlcat which is the Priest class mount although I’m not sure what kind of flying creature I would associate with Priests unless they made race specific Spirit of Redemption type models which could carry you like this:

Of the other class halls I’ve accessed so far, I admit to a liking for the Monk temple however I want to be able to get to the Wood of Staves without mountaineering. I think they were helped there though by the idea that Monks came originally from Pandaria/from the Pandarians and that the original Temple/home of the Monks got destroyed through the weapon quests so using the Pandarian start zone does make sense. It’s also lovely and expansive.

I also love the Druid Class Hall and admit to being totally jealous of all the moonwells and the Night Elf buildings which my Priest would absolutely feel at home with.

I think part of the issue with Class fantasy is that we have had years of envisioning our own idea of what our characters are, the world in which they choose to surround them and what their class means to them. Then Blizzard come along and go, “oh class fantasy” and totally change everything we’ve imagined, the spells we love and try and squish things into little boxes. I think it works best with classes like the Druids (limited races, clear theme from the outset) and Death Knights but completely falls down with others including the Priests.

Training wings and learning to fly

In one fell swoop I gained mount number 190 and the ability to fly in the Broken Isles.

Flying almost seemed like an anti-climax. I couldn’t think of areas that I immediately wanted to explore, whose unreachable heights had me hankering to suddenly search them out. I even found myself still riding along the ground, having forgotten I could take to the skies almost as quickly as I’d earned the right.

Then I remembered, that area of Suramar which had long tempted me. I assume it’s part of the Nighthold raid but I still wanted to have a proper look at it because it’s on the map.

It’s definitely pretty and I love the fountain with it’s two modes of display but I’m still searching for that special spot. What has inspired me though is the rest of the Suramar quest chain, the idea of Elves putting aside petty quarrels even for a short while to work together against a common foe appeals to me as does sneaking around like a sparkling guerrilla. There is no denying that there is something very rotten at the heart of Suramar.

I might even make myself run the Nighthold when I reach the end of the chain, just to complete the zone of course.

Prestigious War Steed: Mount number 189

I finally managed to catch the last Black Rook Rumble I needed for this mount. It’s the reward for completing 20 of each of the four slightly more awkward pvp quests, Operation Murloc Freedom, Darkbrul arena, Black Rook Rumble and Bareback Brawl. Getting it had some brilliant moments, like going 2 versus 10 during Operation Murloc Freedom and technically winning although I died just after the 8th opponent fell over but Mr Harpy’s avenging Gnome took care of the other two (and yes, I was essentially tanking all of them on my Holy Priest… yay for Arcane mages and shadowmeld). There are also some less positive ones, Darkbrul arena I’m looking at you.

My favourite detail has to be the Troll head stuck just above the tail, gives a whole new meaning to eyes in the back of your head.

The Horde version is the Prestigious War Wolf.

Fire Festival Transmogrifications

In honour of the Fire Festival (and inspired by Kamelia) I’ve been playing around with the various outfits worn by my most commonly played characters. Each one is wearing one piece of Fire Festival specific clothing either from the set or the tabards you get from slaying Ahune.

Priest

• Shirt: Amber Filigreed Doublet
• Tabard: Tabard of the Summer Skies
• Chest: Chronoscryer Robe
• Weapon: The Lifebinder

Mage

• Helm: Crown of the Fire Festival
• Chest: Robe of Solomon
• Weapon: Frostfire Remembrance

Warlock

• Staff: Archmage’s Staff
• Chest: Vestment of Summer
• Shirt: Golden Filigreed Doublet
• Helm: Nightvale Cowl

Shaman

• Shoulders: Mantle of the Fire Festival
• Chest: Masterwork Breastplate
• Belt: Blood Knight Girdle
• Trousers: Scourge Lieutenant’s Breeches
• Shoes: Griftah’s Authentic Troll Shoes
• Weapons: Golden Saronite Dragon and Antonidas’ Aegis of Rapt Concentration

Topic 21: I’m not a hoarder, honest!

I’ve been meaning to join in with Z and Cinder’s fortnightly blog challenge for a while and this prompt is most definitely apt. It doesn’t matter how big the bags and bank get, space is constantly something I seem to lack.

So what is in my bags?

I have a soft spot for Griftah, dubious Troll and seller of possibly useful but probably junk items. Plus if I don’t carry such talismans such as the Infallible Tikbalang Ward and I get carried off by a Tikbalang, well then I’d feel rather silly wouldn’t I.

Who knows whether I get shiny loot because of my Talisman of True Treasure Tracking or not (okay, it’s probably not but would you risk it?).

 

I know they say some people wear their hearts on their sleeve, well Erinys carries someone else’s heart in her bags and bank. It’s okay, she took them from a Forsaken Warlock or two so it’s as not if they needed it to function or anything.

Looting them from a corpse was a bit icky and probably frowned upon when it comes to treating the enemy with respect on the battlefield but sometimes you have to fight fire with soulfire and it’s not as if the Forsaken are known for keeping their sticky mitts off other people’s body parts is it. She also has a couple of vials of Darkspear Troll Mojo which also found their way into her bags from the mostly dead bodies of a few Trolls during those first skirmishes in Alterac Valley.

 

My original Blizzard Baby bear also lurks within a bag. I know I could delete it and that it’s safely captured within my pet tab but I can’t quite bring myself to do so. Apparently it was Blizzard’s 4th anniversary gift to us, so it also acts as a reminder of just how long I’ve been playing.

 

I also carry far too many potions for various things including speed pots (running away from angry Horde, primarily Bloodelf Paladins wielding huge swords) and invisibility pots (hiding is a useful skill). Plus those Darkmoon Tigers and such seem to breed in my bags, get two end up with 20. It’s very disturbing.

 

This challenge has proved useful both in terms of tidying up and also of reminding me how much fun I’ve had playing over the years. It turns out that at some point I picked up a Brawler’s Guild invitation that I knew nothing about, not to mention the small collection of shadowgems my Shaman had been working on and all the old sentimental junk I’ve been hanging on to (keeping the hearts though). I now have bag space although I suspect it’s purely a temporary measure.

Spot: Saved!

I’d forgotten how brilliant Silverpine Forest and Hillsbrad were since they revamped the zones. Tansy seemed to zoom to level 35. I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to save Spot at bang on level 35 but thought it was worth a try. As it happened, the answer was yes, level 35 is high enough to breach the wall of Theramore and to tame him.

As it turned out, this corner of the keep has no guards anywhere near and also did a good job of keeping my dognapping (sorry saving) from the eyes of passing Alliance.

Although even when I ventured out into the open, no one seemed at all taken aback by a small Goblin riding off with Spot. No wonder Theramore got destroyed given how lax about security they seemed to be.

Now to level to 110 for the Class Hall and to kill those Alliance peasants who failed to keep Spot (and Theramore) safe in PvP.

Operation Save Spot

Ever since Theramore was blown to dust and purple ash, I’ve wanted to make a Horde Hunter to save Spot from the flames.  Over the years, I’ve made a couple but they haven’t made it to level 35 required to tame Spot and got abandoned on no longer touched servers. This time though, I’m committing. Spot is being tamed.

I hadn’t played through the Goblin start zone since it was first unveiled so decided to  make a Goblin plus having already abandoned a Troll Hunter and an Undead one I thought something new might motivate me. It took less than five minutes to remember why I hadn’t played a Goblin since that first run through. I am quite partial to the zebra prints and the neon lights but the rest of it felt too much like I was playing another game entirely.

However, she’s now level 16 and counting, in Silverpine making money doing unmentionable and down right dubious things for the Forsaken. Hang on Spot… Tansy is coming!

The Fires of Nostalgia

The Midsummer Fire Festival is one of my favourites, purely because it pushes to me to get and about in Azeroth, visiting old haunts and finding new ones.

That’s one thing I miss about the revamped questing since Cataclysm, that sense of being sent from one zone to another and having to explore the world. Now you level so quickly, skipping zone after zone and it feels so much more instanced than ever before.