Couple Tid Bits

It's been nearly 3 months since I've posted anything. I've been distracted. We;re trying to find a house to buy in our budget. So far we're 0 for 3 on the offers we've put in.

In WoW all is carrying on as you'd expect. I still raid a bit, have upgraded a piece of gear here or there, and finished the Brewfest Meta achievement. This means I have the 'Brewmaster' title now. I'm not using it.

The reason I am not using the 'Brewmaster' title is that some guildies and I ran Naxx10 man with 8 of us and got the 'Undying' title. It's much more impressive than 'Brewmaster.' I think I'll sport it for a while.

Lemme Catch You Up

I have not done any one thing that was particularly note-worthy lately. Every time I occomplish something, I just figure it's not blog worthy. The I realized I'm the only one that reads this so I going to epeen a bit.

I haven't been raiding regularly for quite some time. My schedule allows for one of the three days per week, so I can't really raid. In addition to that I have been enjoying some of the casualness of the game again.

I participated in the Mid-Summer event. I spent a weekend honoring and decicrating fires. It was fun, and allowed me to get my world explorer achievement too. Three achievements and two titles in a weekend ain't too bad.

Last night I relieved Uncas. He was raiding Ulduar with the guild, and wanted to go to bed. He had an early start to his day today, and wanted the extra shut-eye. I joined the guild at Hodir, and we carried on for another couple bosses. I forget which boss was kind enough to drop the head token, but I sure appreciate him doing so. I finally got my Epic achievement.

Some old Anathema guys joined the guild. Euripedes (mage) and Decessus (death knight - formerly Vox the mage) are nor part of our friendly guild. A PUG priest from last night's raid also joined up. It's nice that raids will have a better chance of happenning with the new blood. It seems we were always a man or two shy lately.

Since Armory is down I can not cross reference any of my achievement information to see what else I've been up to. No big. I'll let you (me) know what the hell I've been doing next time I post.

New Signature

Courtesy of Sequel What a stud!

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/8035/ghostsigfinal.png

Chef Title, etc.

Got this title last night.

While I was running around farming mats, making food, and seeing what time the Auction House could save me Gabrielle was working on Fishing achievements.

In the span of under 3 hours he finished up all of his coin fishing, fished up the sewer rat, fished up Mr. Pinchy, and fished up the turtle mount! A luckier fishing expedition has never occurred.

Upon learning that he has over 5900 achievement points I lost my zeal for accomplishing any more achievements. My 4600 (ish) points used to mean something. I thought I was just behind everyone else. Fucking Gabrielle is throwing off the curve!

A special 'shout out' goes to Pakmooicus. He provided me the last fish I needed to get my Outland achievement and title. It was some kind of rare trout that he happened to have in his bag. The stud saved me 30 to 45 minutes in Zangarmarsh. What a stallion!

Children's Week

I loathe PvP. It both sucks and blows.

Children's week in upon us. Blizzard has it's standard array of silly quests to do with an orphan out. It has also added 4 achievements in the 4 primary battlegrounds that must be accomplished with the orphan out in order to get the title, "Matron/Patron."

I spent this past weekend in the battlegrounds. Yay me!

I am so bad at PvP that I don't even bother swapping out gear. I run around in my raid epics and do as much damage as possible. Screw resiliance, etc. Any PvPer that gets his hands on me is going to have me for lunch, anyway.

I got my title, but enjoyed very little of the event. Mind-numbing quests, an heroic instance, and 4 PvP achievements later I am now Ghostkid the Patron.

You know you're jealous.

Noblegarden

I was working on the Noblegarden event because I've blown it off the past few years and was told it only takes a few hours. A few hours of silly shit for the 'Noble' title sounded fine to me.

As I was running around collecting eggs and completing menial quests I found a Noblegarden Quartermaster. The only thing the Quartermaster had that appealed to me was a companion pet (bunny) for 100 chocolates. The chocolates are attained by opening eggs (think decorated Easter eggs) that one gathers from the hiding spots near major cities. There are many toons hunting eggs to collect chocolates and to fulfill a daily quest requirement.

I collected enough eggs to buy my new companion pet with 100 chocolates. Honestly, by the time I collected 100 chocolates I had decided the entire event was an epic waste of time. It took me 2 hours just to get the damn pet.

I logged, because I was done hunting eggs for the day.

The next day I picked up the event again. I had to go to major cities to allow my new rabbit to mate with other players' rabbits, and I needed 20 more eggs to complete the daily quest.

As I was tootling along doing my egg gathering I looted a shirt from one of the eggs, then some pants. One of the event achievements was to loot the outfit, so I got that. I looted a robe from an egg that allowed me to plant flowers, which was another achievement. At this point I figured getting the 'Noble' title wasn't going to be so bad.

Before I looted my 20th egg for the daily one of the eggs gave me the companion pet bunny. This is the same bunny I spent 2 hours gathering eggs for the day before. I was not a happy camper, and I wanted my time back!

You see, one of the achievements is to eat 25 (then 100) chocolates. I could have eaten the chocolates instead of handing them over for a little rabbit that I just got for free.

I continued my egg hunting because I still needed to eat 100 chocolates, and loot a dress from an egg. After I looted enough chocolates I ate 100 of them and crossed the achievement off of my list of to-dos. I kept hunting eggs because I still needed the damn dress. I only had to loot the dress and sprinkle flowers on different female players for my title. I was determined.

Not 2 minutes went by after I ate my cocoa delights I looted another pet; then another 30 minutes later, and another 20 minutes after that. I currently have 1 pet learned, and 4 in my bags. The rascally rabbit is soulbound and can not be vendored. Yay me!

I hunted eggs for about 3 hours the second day, and never got the dress. With 2 achievements left in the event I decided to finish sprinkling flowers on the ladies. I camped Yellek from Shai in Dalaran who was sitting on her mount allowing herself to be sprinkled by any passer by that waited for the 2 minute cool down to expire. She's a troll, and that was my last lady. God bless her whorish soul.

Upon sprinkling the flowers on Yellek I got the achievement, and credit for finishing the event...and the title of 'Noble.' I was surprised and relieved.

I think I'll leave the dress egg undone. Maybe Blizzard found pity on me for looting over 400 eggs, and never getting the garment from hell.

Guardian of Cenarius

I forgot to mention...I got this title too.

It took about 6 hours to grind the mobs and drops to get from neutral to exalted.

I really need a more productive alternative for my free time.

...The Diplomat

Yup, I got the title.

I accidentally stumbled upon the Timbermaw last weekend. I was going to the multi-faction auction house in Winterwhatever and killed a mob that yielded me Timbermaw rep. The kill was fast, so I hung out long enough to kill as many mobs as it took to pass through the damn tunnel safely.

I decided it was time to get the Leatherworking and Enchanting patterns/formulae these guys had to offer. I had always wanted them.

After a day or two of grinding mobs and drops I hit exalted. I thought that would be enough for me to get my whimsical desires for rep out of my system, but then I stumbled upon "The Diplomat" title. I already had 2 of the 3 exalted reps done...time to work on number 3, Sporeggarr.

It didn't take too long since I was already Honored. I ran Underbog about 7 times, and collected enough Hibiscus to turn in for my exalted rep. I got the title, bought the sporebat, and finally hit exalted with all of the TBC factions (non-raid)...4 months after WOTLK. I tend to do theings bass ackward sometimes.

New Hands and Stuff

The guild was in 10 man OS last night trying to down it with two drakes up. I think they managed doing it with one. I was the 11th guy on line after they started, so I didn't get to go play with my guildies.

I joined a PUG for 25 man OS. It was the same guy running this week's PUG as last week's. I didn't post about last week because nothing came of it.

This week, however, I got my 25 man hands token. Yay me! More stats for everything except Hit. There's less Hit. Fuck, I need Hit. I'm rolling at about 200 and cap is 263. What a waste of 3 talent points.

I'm rambling....

While I was in the raid getting buffed I looked at one of the other two Hunters in the raid. He was head-to-toe blues...quest blues; except his bracers. His bracers were crafted epics.

Bracers have been a bit of an issue for me. Mine were blue, and I haven't gotten an epic drop yet.

I looked closer at his bracers and realized they were crafted by a Leatherworker. It's a simple Dalaran pattern. Hell, any Leatherworker could craft these nifty little things.

HOLY SHIT!

I'm a Leatherworker, and never bothered to learn the pattern of craft them for myself. What the hell!

I swear that the more I play this damn game the worse I get.

Is that possible?

Love Seasonal Thing

I'll admit I wanted the title for the Valentine's Day crap, but I didn't have enough on-line time to accomplish all of the silly things to get it. Oh well. There's always next year.

Lunar Thingy

I made a commitment to myself to get the Elder achievements done this year. Mainly because Blizzard has provided me with a checklist of shit I am missing.I started the journey last weekend, and got my title last night.

What an epic pain in the ass!

I hate having to travel the world to talk to different NPC's. This is a huge waste of time. I could be masterbating to Wowhead or something instead of seeking out Elder Dick-In-His-Mouth in Bumfuck Egypt!

Anyway...it's done.

Now I need a new goal. I really only enjoy playing when I'm trying to accomplish something. It's usually an obscure thing that means nothing to most people.

This is where most bloggers would ask for your suggestions. I won't. It's my goal, not yours! Stop trying to control me! Ass!

TBC Waste of Time Heroics

Oliveta has posted in comments how he considers it a waste of time to go do things in the old world for the achievements. Another guildie, Hottietroll, has the opinion that the entire game is about achievements. Hottietroll's point of view is that the achievement system was added to WoW, but each person was doing them already...geared toward their own personal goals of what they wanted out of the game.

Both of these people are right. I'm leaving it at that because I do not have the time nor desire to carefully craft a well thought out post on things that do not matter in real life.

This post is about the smack-in-the-face difference in power I am seeing with the new talents, glyphs, gear, etc. from level 70 to level 80. Ironically, I am posting the day after a patch that has nerfed my toon.

I did not play old WoW when the level cap was 60. That's not true. I got the game when the level cap was 60, but at level 42 The Burning Crusade came out. Obviously, my guild was all about hitting Outlands and the new content. I hit level 58, went to Outlands, and continued leveling. I saw no instances past Scarlet Monestary and ZF in the old world.

By reading the above paragraph the reader can assess that I never saw the difference from level 60 to level 70.

Last nigth Pak was going to run some TBC heroic instances to clear the achievements from his log. Blizzard does not give a player credit for doing an instance unless there is a piece of gear, etc. in the player's inventory from the instance with the new achievement system. Pak had run these things multiple times, but has since out grown the gear and vendored it. I did the same thing.

Pak got a small group of 4 together that included me, and we went to Outlands to terrorize some bosses.

It was bitter sweet. I had an old attitude at my new level. I looked at a boss that took some strat and finess, and tried to remember how I was supposed to perform my roll. You know. I didn't want to be responsible for a wipe for poor performance. Nothing should have been farther from my mind.

Pak would engage 3 or 4 trash mobs at a time. He'd pull them into a moster cluster, and we would burn them down into a mass grave. It was rediculously easy. I felt joy when we spanked a boss that used to give me fits, but felt sad that all of the time I spent honing my approach to the fights was now of no need.

I have to say that finishing a Heroic Crypts in 6 minutes was kind of cool.

At one point we were in Mech, and it seemed like Pak pulled everything from the enterance to the elevator for one big killing spree. It was like we brought a hand grenade to a pea-shooter fight. Maybe a case of grenades.

Heroic Ramparts is all I have left in Outlands. I didn't want to bring it up last night becauses we had just run 8 to 10 heroics back to back, and I wanted to go to bed. I will do the instance for no other reason than for my own satisfaction to have the pixels on my monitor tell me I have done them all.

I play for fun, and will eke it out where I can find it.

Pretend Money

Gold is the currency of WoW. This gold is acquired as one plays the game, and is spend on imaginary crap within the game. All of these things on my monitor do not really exist, to I am not really acquiring them, and the gold I spend to get them is pretend...just pixels on a screen.

Then why does it hurt so much that I dumped 2300 imaginary gold on 10 levels of imaginary Enchanting, leaving my imaginary charachter with 1700 gold to his imaginary name?

Fuck...I am pretend broke!

Chillaxin'

I spent last night goofing off. I went to WC with Mokasa to do the instance (third time) to get the achievement. This time I let the summoning dude get hit so the mob can be summonned. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, it's OK. That's not what this post is about.

After completing WC and another instance in the area Mokasa hearthed out to do dailies. I need rep too, but had no desire to run around Northrend doing mindless tasks just for a shoulder enchant.

I hung around The Barrens and finished exploring the zone for the achievement. I had such a fun time that I continued doing the exploring thing. I hit Thousand Needles, Ferales, Durator, and Mulgore.

It was relaxing and nostalgic. I was on my mount riding through different zones without a care in the world, remembering different times playing WoW in the different areas. Some were good, and some had me thinking of wipe fests.

A long time ago Anathema was raiding 25 man content regularly. Raids were scheduled for 3 hours a day 3 times a week. I saw Nisko on one day just questing in Netherstorm. I offered to help him with whatever he was trying to accomplish. This was a bit presumptuous because his gear and skill enabled him to own the zone. He declined my offer, and later stated that he had a blast just questing.

The raids and heroics are fun, don't get me wrong. Last night I finally understood why Nisko was enjoying lower level content.

Sometimes it's good to just treat the game as a game. Just play. Enjoy the pasttime. No pressure, just joy.

Heroics anyone?