Another Good-Bye - Putting My WoW Misadventures to Rest

Here's a hearty hello to anyone who stops by and reads this post.  Ironic, because I'm giving a hello while stating I'm saying good-bye to this blog.  I look at my post history, with my prior post being back in 2018, and that was the first post since 2010.  I can safely state I haven't been giving this blog attention for a long time now. 

I stopped playing, and let my subscription conclude back in November of 2017.  The Legion expansion was the current one at the time, and various factors led to my decision to quit again, but at the time I thought it would be like it always was.  I'd return.  There was always something to pull me back in, even for a short period of time, like a new expansion or path.

Perhaps it was time away, or just the disconnect I had felt from the game for a while, but I never returned.  Truth be told, I don't miss it.  Is it possible I will return?  Absolutely.  Never say never.  I have a somewhat long history with the game.  Now sure how it is for others, but after playing WoW for years, it does become a part of you as a gamer.

With that, I'm pulling the plug on this blog that has long been overdue.  To other retired Azerothian adventurers, hope you are enjoying your different endeavors.  To those who still play, keep on enjoying the game!

It's Been a Long, Long Time

The Passing of 8 Years

When I pulled up this blog, I was shocked that it had been eight years since my good-bye post.  I won't lie and say I remained unsubscribed from my last post in 2010 to now.  I did return to the game, though I didn't nearly play it as much as I did the first couple of years.  Since my last entry, I saw old world Azeroth shaken up by Deathwing in Cataclysm.  I visited and made friends with the mysterious Pandaren in Mists of Pandaria.  That was followed up in Warlords of Draenor by a bizarre trip to an alternate timeline, giving us a glimpse of what Outland may have looked like before it was destroyed.  That led to fighting off demons led by Sargeras in Legion.  Yes, I was there for it all.  There have been plenty of changes to the game of the years.  Some were welcome.  Others, not so much.  Sadly though, many of the former players I formed in-game friendships and shared adventures with have since left the game.

Toon Roster

Crazyd

For those of you who may have read this blog in the past, you may be familiar with the stories of my Night Elf hunter Crazyd.  He was my first main toon on the Thunderhorn (now Blade's Edge/Thunderhorn) server.  I mained him through MoP, and would essentially shelve him for other characters towards the end of MoP.  He's currently level 105 in the Legion expansion.

Magphloin

Another character readers my recall.  A dwarf paladin, he became my Alliance main toon in Legion.  At the current max level of 110.

Dthedark

A dwarf death knight, he became my main at the end of MoP and through WoD.  Played him sparingly in Legion (to play the frost DK artifact questline).  Currently level 106.

Dthedark obtaining the Blades of the Fallen Prince

Slymand

Forsaken mage extraordinaire.  He's my only Horde toon (outside my bank alt), but he got extensive playtime.  Currently at max level 110.

Argus awaits Slymand

Fun Factor

Fun is a subjective term.  Over the years, the game has gone through many changes.  From talents, to professions, to story.  I've stuck around, because despite the changes, whether it be in game, loss of the players I grouped with, or things going in in my life in general, the game still does have a fun factor.  Does that fun factor have a shelf life?  Absolutely it does, but when the fun stops, I just step away for a while and return.  

Game Changes I Enjoy

On a related note, since 2010, two additions to the game have helped extend my playtime, while also providing me an incentive to run old content - pet battles and transmog.  As a solo player, these two additions had kept me subscribed longer than what I otherwise would have.  I am especially a fan of transmog.  I have put together some pretty cool armor sets through that feature.

Some Other Changes

Looking for Group (LFG) was introduced in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.  For the final raid in the following expansion Cataclysm, Looking for Raid (LFR) was introduced.  I didn't run LFR all that much.  The few times I ran it it was okay, but definitely not the same as raiding with a dedicated group like I did in Wrath and in the first tier of Cataclysm. 

For Legion, Blizzard seemed to want to encourage group activity.  For example, for the final quest in each zone, you had to run a dungeon.  You also had to run dungeons and raids to level up your professions.  This was started in WoD with the Pathfinder achievement, which unlocked flying. Previously, you could just purchase flight, but Blizzard felt the players had to earn it, which I have no issue with. The Pathfinder was also instituted in Legion as well.  

I admit to not earning either Pathfinder achievement and to not leveling up my professions to max.  I ditched group content in Mists, and found I enjoyed doing whatever I could solo.  Much of it had to do with just the extremely limited time I had to play, and the fact the guilds I were in, nobody seemed to want to do group content.  I am okay with missing out on certain things.

Class changes abounded over the years since I last posted during the WotLK.  Most of the classes I play have gone through changes.  Some more easier to adjust to than others.  Also, the talent tree system that was in Wrath was removed.  

Current Status

Ironic perhaps, that I am currently on hiatus, and have been since last November as I write this first post in 8 years.  The Battle for Azeroth expansion will be released in a couple weeks from today.  At the moment, I have not ordered it, and am on the fence if I want to or not.  However, typing up this blog makes me feel some incentive to!  WoW will always have a certain pull with me, and I expect to find myself subscribing again, if only for a month, to play.

Conclusion

It has been a long time, and time flies as one gets older, whether you're having fun or not.  It's interesting reading the previous entries of this blog, and realizing how long ago it has been.  So many changes to the game.  So many people came and went.  Isn't that how life is?  Tomorrow may not exactly be the same as today.  For those who read this and still play, enjoy your adventures in Azeroth!

Good-Bye

I did it, after a few weeks of wavering back and forth as to whether or not I could bring myself to it...

R.I.P. 2008-2010

It wasn't an easy decision for one reason, and that was all the time I had put into playing my toons.  I began playing WoW back in Nov. of 2008.  I heard of the game for several years, but never felt inclined to play it after having a roommate back in college who was addicted to Everquest.  I didn't want to become that guy, but I put that past behind me and joined WoW at the behest of a couple former coworkers who played.

I was quickly sucked into the game.  There was so much to explore, and the various zones were well designed and varied I thought.  As a solo player, I feared there would be lack of sufficient content, but was I proven wrong!  I met some, though not many, players along the way.  I started out slow, but come about this time a year ago, I was putting in more and more time into the game; enjoying watching my toons gradually improve.

Unfortunately, as with most things, the luster began to wear off.  Running daily quest after daily quest, the same instances over and over, grew boring.  Some of the friends I met along the way moved onto raiding, and I started seeing more and more jerks (to put it kindly) in randoms, in trade chat, etc.  Though I believe most people who play WoW aren't a@@hats.  They're a silent majority.

I found myself the past couple weeks logging into WoW out of habit, and not doing anything, besides sitting around Dalaran.  There was no motivation for me to run a random instance, no motivation to do dailies, or go after achievements.  The fun was gone, and to add to that I was downsized from my job several months ago, so I've been watching where my money goes.

I'm not one of those QQ'ing about the recent patch.  In fact, I think it's great.  It's just that I've been working on prioritizing things in my life.  WoW is towards the bottom of the ladder, and don't have the time, or willingness to dedicate myself to it anymore.  Perhaps I'll be back for Cataclysm, for it seems like it will be awesome, but we'll see.

I don't think I got many readers to this blog, but for those who've stopped by, or keep up on it, I thank you.

Magphloin Visits Azjol-Nurub

I decided to put my paladin in queue for a random.  The timer said about 20 minutes.  I didn't feel like doing anything else while waiting, so I went out to the living room, and watched some television.  I came back just in time as the LFG invite appeared on the screen.  The wait was less than the expected time, and I knew I hopped into a party that had fallen apart.  Just as soon as I entered the party, one of the players (who would be the tank), was saying something to the effect of "I'm higher than you".  He was the highest level player in the group at 76, but I had a bad feeling. 

My feeling was only made worse when said tank charged right into the mobs at the beginning of the instance while I was still buffing the other members, and the resto shaman, the player I would find he was arguing with, told him to hold so he can get ready.  I simply kept quiet, and did my job to the best of my abilities.  Needless to say, this tank, in his haste, caused the party to wipe.

We come back to the instance, and he's arguing with the shaman, saying he's a higher level than he is.  The conversation then turned to bragging rights as to how many level 80s each of them had.  I was on the brink of leaving this party...  Once again, he just charges in.  Most of the party dies.  As I would expect, the shaman and another dps player left the party.

Reinforcements come in.  Tank charges in yet again, but this time, the healer who replaced the shaman wasn't really on with heals.  I am not complaining, because from what I've seen, some players don't bother with instances until Northrend, so they may still be learning their role.  Tank dies, makes sarcastic comment to healer.  Healer and tank leave party.  Unfortunately, the remaining spider creature comes after me.  So the mage, the other player in the group, and myself run for the exit.  The mage complains, leaves party.

I felt like I wasted too much time already.  Between the LFG wait, and the 15 minutes, I was about to just leave, but I didn't.  The next batch of party members come in.  A paladin tank, a hunter, and a druid healer.  I welcomed them all to the party, and got a hello back.  I had a feeling this would be a good group, and it was.  We proceeded to clear the first boss with no issues.  Heck, we cleared that whole instance (despite how quick it is to run), with ease.  The final boss...no problems.  I thanked the group, and we all went our separate ways. 

I guess the main lesson I learned wasn't so much how to run the instance, but of groups, and hanging in there.  I was really about to quit the party, but once the tank removed himself from the picture, everything went smooth.  One may argue that I could have left the party, and went back into queue, because the wait would've been about the same.  However, what would have happened if I did, got another bad player in the group, and had to wait all for a new group, etc. 

I am glad I stuck with it, but I wonder why there are players who are approaching 80 who have no clue about group etiquette...

Go Forth Young Druid

I decided to recently level a druid on the Fizzcrank server instead of Thunderhorn, where my other toons are.  Why?  The main is reason is I know a player on Fizzcrank who seems to know the game inside and out, and her husband who I worked with in RL has a toon there too.  Besides, I wanted to check out another realm, see how the community is; and I didn't want to pay to transfer my Thunderhorn toons.

Of course, I had choices of which class to start.  I played a hunter to 80, and also have a pally getting close to 80.  I TRIED playing a mage and warlock.  Didn't quite pan out.  Wasn't a big fan of either of those classes.  I considered a warrior, but didn't feel too excited for it.  I narrowed my choices to either a shaman or druid.  I ended up going with druid. Players who play them enjoy the class, it's versatile, and the form changing aspect seemed kind of cool.  Druid it was, and Housatonic was born. 

I am currently at level 15, and my thoughts are mixed.  I always try out other classes to at least level 20 before deciding whether or not I like it.  I like the self-healing aspect, and the bear form does some decent damage output (going feral for leveling), but I find taking on 2 of similiar level monsters is difficult, and I die.  It also seems to be a class that's a little more complicated to play, compared to the pally, which isn't too bad a thing. I kind of like that you can use the feral tree for either tanking or dps.

Right now, it's too soon to judge how I view playing the druid.  I'll continue to play it, and see how new talents and abilities unfold.  Something tells me I'll probably stick with it though.

Time is Money Friend (When it's Appropriate to Say No)

I'm one of those people who brings their true sense of self into WoW.  I don't use my avatar of pixels as an excuse to be rude, mean, or other otherwise a jerk to other players in the game.  In real life, I'm helpful (to a fault), and always try to see other peoples point of view.  In WoW, I'm not much different, but there are times when you have to put your foot down, and tell others that you WON'T help them.

I was doing dailies on the Argent Tournament grounds when another player whispered if I can help him.  It was his first time with the Argent quests, and I wasn't doing anything else outside of turning in my dailies, so I said yes.  We killed some scourge in Icecrown, then I showed him where in Grizzly Hills he had to go for the maiden quest (you have to kiss a bunch of frogs, one turns into a maiden, who gives you a sword to turn in).  Technically, I should have asked for some gold simply for the time, but I'm not really that kind of player, and he seemed like a kid, so I cut him some slack.

I get a whisper from him a couple days later, and I wish I took a screenshot.  I was doing dailies in Icecrown again, and he said he was waiting in LFG queue.  Out of curiosity, I asked if he was a tank or dps, considering he is a death knight.  He said dps and asked why.  I told him I also play a pally, and was considering tanking with it.  This is where I wanted would pull my hair out if I still had any.  The conversation went something like this:

Player: "I have a pally too.  It's level 8. Can you play it to level 15 and run deadmines?"
Me:     "Um.  No.  That's for you to do. I'm willing to run you through deadmines when you get there though."
Player: "Now or later."
Me:     "Later obviously."

Five minutes pass.  He logs out, then I get a whisper random whisper.  He said it's his pally, and if I could run him now.  My patience was pushed.  I tried to put it in context that this is obviously a kid I'm dealing with here, but the fact that he's a dk means not only does he have (or should), experience playing the game, but he should know better that other players can't drop what they are doing on a dime.  I politely told him no, logged out, and ate lunch.

So what lesson did I learn?  First, you give someone an inch, they'll try to take the proverbial mile.  Second, if I help a player like I did this one, I'm asking for a fee.  That time I helped him consumed about half an hour of my time.  Time I had intended to use to farm mats for my paladin's crafting skills. 

I put my foot down, and for the first time I believe, I didn't feel much guilt for it.

Magphloin Experiences Utgarde Keep for the First Time

My somewhat fearless pally ran Utgarde Keep for the first time tonight.  In fact, it was the first instance I ran him though since Sunken Temple way back when he was level 47.  It was quite the experience.  I've ran UK several times on my hunter, who was over geared for the instance, so it was a change not only to run it as a melee dps, but at the appropriate level.  In this case, level 71.  I waited a little in order to upgrade from the Outland gear I had, to some Northrend quest gear.  I wanted to laugh at times.  Others I wanted to cry, but overall, it was an experience that was worth it.

I didn't choose it at random.  I had selected it from the list of instances available to me.  After a shorter wait than what I had anticipated, I got pulled in.  I buff everyone in the party, and off we go.  We clear the vrykul at the beginning of the instance.  We get to the first boss, Prince Keleseth.  The mage in the party needed to get ready, but the tank ran in anyway.  It didn't matter, because we took him down rather easily.  So far, so good.  We take on more trash, and got to the second boss: Skarvald and Dalronn.  Not as easy.  The tank had trouble holding aggro, and Skarvald kept going after the warlock in the party.  We wipe a few times on him before everyone in the party, except the mage and myself, leaves.

Replacements quickly replenish the diminished ranks.  We take down Skarvald and Dalronn with little incident.  The new tank was saying he hadn't tanked in awhile.  Well, he was doing a good job.  Problems begin with a fury warrior. I don't name names usually, but I will this time.  Galairn, who I believe is also on my server.  He wanted the spell power chest piece that dropped from the boss fight.  He claimed it had more strength.  Needless, he DIDN'T get it.  More on this guy shortly.

Despite the bickering, we plow on with no issues.  Then we get to Ingvar the Plunderer, the final, and main boss of UK.  Being a melee dps, I had to pay attention more to his attacks than my hunter, who can stay close to the pillars and just fire away more or less.  We wiped on him.  We had few problems on the first phase of the fight.  Come second phase, a different story.  Most of us wiped, except the tank, and shaman I believe, who finished him off.  It was real close, but they did it.

More bickering between the party and Galairn.  He needed on the ax that dropped that had a strength bonus.  The other players wanted me to get it.  As soon as Galairn won the roll, he left the party.  Not shocking there.  He probably could use it.  The dps in the party, myself included, pulled between 700-1200 dps on the fights.  Galairn, mighty fury warrior...  200 dps or so. I wasn't shocked considering this was a player who wanted a spell power chest piece.  I wasn't too upset about losing it.  Besides, I have a BoA axe that I can use up until I hit 80 and start heroics.  I thanked the other players who wanted me to have the axe.  I took that as a sign that they felt I was holding my end of the bargain running this instance. That felt good after solo'ing for close to 25 levels and four months!

Overall, I'm glad I queued up, and remained persistent, determined to finish. It was a good gauge to see how well I'm playing my pally.  Depending on the fight, I was usually on, or close to top of the dps meters, but more importantly; I got to experience an instance at the level it was intended for.  As I mentioned in previous posts, my hunter didn't start running instances until close to 80.  Also, playing melee gave me a different perspective on boss fights (Ingvar in particular), than my hunter, where I just stand back and shoot away.  I've been thinking of tanking with my pally, so watching some of the boss mechanics in action was helpful.

Utgarde Keep was certainly the most difficult instance I've played yet on my pally, but I thought it was a success.