World of Warcraft Raid Leader of a very casual raid team talks and vents about life in World of Warcraft, and maybe a little bit of life outside of WoW.
I have been out of school and theoretically having more free time than I had for about a month now, and I have run into an issue.
I still don't have the desire to play much World of Warcraft.
I hop on, do a couple quests here and there and I am working on leveling a few characters in my off time, but even that is very sporadic at this moment. I am more focusing on other games, I still haven't beaten Diablo IIIs expansion, I have my free copy (thank you Origin) of DragonAge Origins I never really got into playing, and I am putting a stronger focus on getting some writing done.
So even though school is over for now, my playtime has not increased.
I am not unsubscribing anytime soon, I still enjoy little jaunts here and there, but I am just not playing in a meaningful way at this point.
Therefor, for the immediate future, I am closing this blog.
I would like to thank everyone who took the time to read through my mindless ramblings and opinions on the game over the last several years. I built up to over 200 posts here, went through a few changes and had a pretty good run.
This site with stay for now. I may pick this up again someday. World of Warcraft isn't going anywhere and in a year or two I might feel like hopping in whole hog again. When that happens I might have more to write about, more opinions etc. For now my focus is elsewhere even more.
I may see you in game. Feel free to say hi. I'm am still thankful to all the people I have raided with and played with over the years. I have some fantastic memories and experiences to draw on and as silly as it is to be emotionally tied to a game I am. World of Warcraft and the players have a special place in my heart.
I am not giving a long goodbye here. I am not going to poor my heart out for pages of writing. Of course that has never been my way in the first place.
As you can tell, with the frequency of my posts, I am not playing much still.
But hey, I just finished my Project+ class, meaning that I am taking a little time off of school, which is going to be nice and relaxing before I hop back in and go for my BA. I may do some Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm as well.
I have tinkered around on the Broken Isles and so far I am not hating or loving the experience. I know everyone is in love with this, as it has brought the better mechanics from Tanaan Jungle, and the Timeless Isle together. It has some good changing world quests tied to it, and the story is progressing nicely through it. The dungeon it introduced was interesting and had me raising my eyebrows at the end. By all accounts I should be in love with this...
However, I do not like the fact that after you build one of the buildings, (My realm had the Mage tower up first) it is only so long before that building falls and you have to start from scratch again. I would rather have a progressive zone like in Firelands, Suramar, or the Isle of Thunder where you slowly accomplish something and the zone changes to reflect your accomplishments. I hate the feeling of watching something being built, then going back a couple days later and it's rubble again. I understand that this is to give us something ongoing, but I feel it kind of shortchanges the area in the long run. When we are here in two or three months, is anyone going to care enough to work on the buildings, leaving them as permanent rubble eventually.
I also have not figured out the purpose of a few things. I get crystals and can create demon portals. Great! How does this benefit me? I can see killing the slog of demons that come out for items, gold nethershards, etc. Why do I care about this, more than going to one area or another to mow down the mobs there? I am sure the answer is a high rate of nethershards being dropped, but it seems like more headache than it's worth to me. Maybe I have gotten lazy in my old age, but sitting there smacking mobs as they spawn and hoping they don't overwhelm me is not interesting to me.
I do like the invasion events. So far I have been able to do High Mountain and Aszuna. The feeling of doing four different spots then having a quest/scenerio to top everything off feels good. My only wonder is with how often they happen, how long will it take to do all of them. It might be a bit seeing that Blizzard removed doing all four from the Pathfinder II achievement for Legion Flying.
The mix of world quests on the broken shore have been nice. I enjoy the fact I end up in all sorts of areas, including in the water, and that it makes me explore the whole area. I have never wanted Murlocs as a playable class until I saw the fel Murloc with the big bat wings. That was completely awesome.
I don't like the fact that both of my weapons classes seem semi-impossible right now. I checked wowhead.com and it seems very few if any folks are managing to finish these fights. I do think they should take some work, but the difficulty is kind of crazy right now. That might be the point though, as you have a weapon appearance gated behind those quests. If it was easy it wouldn't be as significant.
How is everyone else feeling though? Are we enjoying the new content? What are y'all loving, and what not so much?
How off base am I on some of this.
Happy playing,
Lag.
If you would like to support Ben Marble and his Love of Burning Murlocs, please consider purchasing one of his short stories at Amazon.com.
I finally stepped into a raid this expansion. And yes, it's been a little while.
On my rogue I had a chance to step into the Emerald Nightmare on Heroic. She has stepped over the guild "Screaming for Vengeance" on Zangarmarsh/Hellscream realm. I am keeping the Horde side Fear Itself guild intact, but as no one has really logged onto it recently and there are no resources in the bank I'm holding it for the name only. I might do something with it in the future, but have debated deleting it completely.
I had the opportunity with this guild, as I had the week off of school after passing my Security+, to go in and fight a few bosses. We downed the Nythendra fight, then the Dragon's of Nightmare, and ended on Ursoc, but not without getting him down to 10%. We were running the dungeon on Heroic, and while I haven't talked a lot to this guild yet, they do seem to be starting their raid team so I am happy with what was done. So far they seem a group of nice folks, and I look forward to hopping into things with them here and there.
My own performance was somewhat lacking.... I could see some of the rust on me as I died more than once to stupid mistakes. My DPS was good, I actually placed closer to the top of the charts than to the bottom. As it is said though, dead DPS do no DPS, and I went down more than I should have.
What else would one expect though after not raiding for a while, and not DPSing for an even longer period of time.
Otherwise, life is good but slow. I am still logging in sporadically and enjoying the game at my own pace. I am learning and working at my new job with inContact and loving it here. I am a IT Asset Tech. Which means I am in charge of ordering and maintaining equipment and I do some good helpdesk/IT crossover. Kids are healthy and energetic and my wife as always is wonderful. Oh, and I have officially graduated from DATC. Next it's on to work towards my Bachelor's degree.
There is also Fear Itself. I am happy that when I log in there are still some familiar faces online. Some don't see often either. I knew there were all sorts of possibilities when I stepped down. I knew there might be a mass exodus from the guild, or that things might fall apart. I hoped they wouldn't, and so far things look like they are mostly together, but time will tell if things will still be there when I am ready to full time raid again.
Of course, I'm pretty sure I don't want to go back to being a raid leader at this point. I am done with that part of my Wow experience. I leave it open to anyone in Fear Itself who wants to raid lead and rebuild things in that area, but it won't be me. I just don't have a time and energy for the stress anymore. Even were I to finish school tomorrow I don't think I would go back to it. I will raid, I will participate as much as I am able, but I am done being the raid leader.
I still love this game, I still love my guild and my guildies. It's just time for me to do something else. The major part of my heart is still in Fear Itself and I plan on always having a presence there. Objectively though, I don't have the time and effort in me to push raiding or guild events at the moment. If others do, let me or Gwyndolynn know. We will give you the resources and support to build your own raid team etc... More than happy to.
See you in Azeroth,
Lag
If you would like to consider supporting Ben Marble and his clubbing of baby murlocs, consider purchasing one of his short stories at Amazon.com.
I was reminded of why I love this game this weekend.
World of Warcraft seems to have a niche for every single player. There is opportunity for players who just want to log on, see the story of the expansion and log off. There is room for those who want to run dungeons, raids, and PVE content all day long. If you like to level characters, and play different classes to keep your experience more fresh, there is a place for you as well. Even those of you who like to PVP and cut your teeth against other players can log into the world, shed some virtual blood and log out.
And we can all experience this on the same platform, generally without having to worry about what the folks in the other bubbles are doing. There is of course a lot of crossover. Some people like to touch all aspects of the game, others like their own little corner and there is nothing wrong with either approach. I prefer light PVE and leveling myself.
This weekend I tanked a couple of Mythics for the first time. (Well there was that one other time...) I really hadn't dipped my toe in yet, and was pleasantly surprised to find out they weren't all that bad. Of course we were going for level one, no stone, so it was roughly equivalent to heroics in the last couple of expansions. Haven't not done much of this however, I found it rather enjoyable and will be looking at tanking some more soon.
This once again makes me wonder about what my particular role is right now. I have not been playing consistently with much focus. My horde rogue has actually gotten more attention lately than the rest of my characters, but I have tried not to ignore my Pally. With the time investment required by artifact weapons, I don't see myself working seriously on another toon soon. I do want to finish the class hall campaign for my demon hunter however, though I have fallen slightly out of love with her. Which is kind of sad to me, because it's the class I've wanted forever but I find it somewhat lacking, but I can't explain why.
By the end of the expansion I would like to find the time to play through all the different class hall campaigns. (I probably won't but a guy can dream) I want to see the story wrapped in each and see how it effects the overall layout of what is going on. I want to experience the changes in all the classes and the specs I like to play. Blizzard was wise to give each class it's own story this time around. It makes people want to play multiple classes despite the new hurdles to doing so. It makes a bit of the leveling experience different each time. Which is good, because leveling multiple characters otherwise feel repetitive through each zone.
What is your role in World of Warcraft and how do you play? What drags you to your keyboard and into a virtual world? I know I eventually want to get to raiding again. I don't know if I will raid lead after this point, but I do miss the team dynamic of taking things down together. Heck, one of my big frustrations is that I have to do some normal raids to go further into my artifact weapon quest line. Gate like that are frustrating when you don't have the time to commit to a regular raid team, and if it wasn't partially a lore thing I wouldn't care. But as it furthers the story I find it highly annoying.
What do you all think?
Lag.
If you would like to support Ben Marble and his devious plans to teach penguins to polka consider buying one of his short stories at Amazon.com including his new short, "The Trap."
To be honest, I want to discuss this, but it wasn't my idea.
On the latest Blizzardwatch podcast they discussed whether classes needed more specs, less specs, or were just right. The episode (#99 that came out Dec. 22nd 2016 respectively) had a large discussion. To summarize Anne Stickney and Alex Ziebart both felt there were classes that could use less specs. They pointed out rogues in particular in which Assassination and Subtlety had very little difference in idea and weapons. Matt Rossi felt that with some classes that was correct, but with others (and he cited his favorite which is Warriors) saying that they could use a couple more specs as they lost Gladiators stance which was a DPS sword and shield spec, and single minded Fury which was duel wielding with two one handed weapons.
Honestly, you should dig in and listen to this podcast for this discussion. It is why I want to bring it up here.
There are three classes I have played for any amount of time this expansion. Rogue, Paladin, and Demon Hunter. I have toyed with others a bit, but I have to start with the ones I know.
Paladin is near perfect. They don't need another spec, they don't need to lose another spec. All three specs feel good and different. Ret doesn't feel as good as I would like it too, but damage wise it is fantastic right now and tanking feels smooth. I don't heal on my Pally, but what I have seen of that spec was fine.
Demon Hunter is good as well. While I would like them to figure out a ranged spec for the class, (I think the game is a little Melee heavy when you look at the classes right now) The two it has are solid and feel different. Tanking felt alright the couple of times I have done it and DPS is nice as well.
Rogue I will have to agree with the hosts. They could go to two specs and not lose much. Roll Subtlety and Assassination in together and call it good. I don't see a need for further specs, but unless they can make it feel different pare it down a little.
And the next opinions are subjective as I have not played the classes extensively and I will admit upfront to possibly being dead wrong.
Monk- Keep it as is. Three distinct specs. Three different roles.
Shaman- As is, two roles, two very different types of DPS.
Mage- This I can see being pared down to two specs. I like the suggestion that you do fire and frost and mix the arcane spells into them. Arcane has always felt weird to me in the first place.
Warlock- I think this one needs someone smarter than me. I think all three specs are distinct, but as mentioned in the podcast, Demonology has been overhauled into something else. I don't know how your reface it without stepping into the demon hunter feel of things which is why the demon form aspects were removed. The idea of being a master of demons is still cool, but I don't see why we can't have two classes taking on those aspects if they are different. (Make your demon featured warlock fly and shoot fireballs)
Priest- I am going to disagree with the podcast here. I like all three of the specs. The idea of two different types of healing, one re-active and one pro-active interests me. If anything I would split Discipline into two different specs and have a DPS spec for priests that wasn't shadow/void based and one healing spec that was all about shielding and preparations. I think having Disc straddle both kind of keeps it from being it's own animal.
Druid-is good- Four specs for four different jobs.
Hunter- This one I think is better now that survival is melee spec. From what I've played around with all three specs feel different enough to be justified. No complaints.
Warrior- I am going to agree with Rossi on one point. I would like a sword an board DPS spec. It would make more sense to me with the warrior, but I could see the Paladin having one as well. I do like the idea of the fighter who uses his shield as a weapon as much as his sword. I think a single minded fury spec would end up being to similar to the fury spec we have now. Harder to justify.
Death Knight- I would love to make the argument for a fourth spec here. My favorite tanking was duel wielding as a frost DK in Wrath of the Lich King. I would love to see it come back as I though at the time it had felt darn near perfect. I can't honestly make the argument though. Blood is a good tanking spec, and works. The two DPS specs feel different enough that I can't say we need another choice there either, or that we might need to merge them. Keep them as they are.
How do you feel? Does your class need more specs and variety, or do you feel lost with your choices and would you like it pared down to something else. Is the three spec idea outdated, and would things work better if classes weren't limited by a number that might serve some better than others? Demon Hunters started with two specs, how would you feel if the next class had four? Or maybe just one?
Where do you weigh in on this discussion?
Lag
If you would like to support Ben Marble and his subjegating of killer kittens please consider buying one of his short stories at Amazon.com. Including his new short story "The Trap," Which is free until January 31st, 2016.
So let us start out with the thing that makes me the most excited. This is blog post number 200 for me. That means since my first post on 5/07/2013 I have managed to keep writing and going on this blog fairly consistently. I won't say that I have never done something that was more fluff than substance, but I am proud of myself. Looking at my first post, I started writing just before patch 5.2 dropped so I have been here giving my voice to the community about this game I still love since the middle of Mists of Pandaria. I don't feel too bad congratulating myself here. Most people don't keep writing consistently on something like this, and even though at times it has been hard, I am still here.
The news is a little slower at the moment. Blizzard is seeing Christmas time like the rest of us, so I wouldn't expect to hear much until January. They did mention that they are aiming to release the Nighthold Raid on January 17th. This means if they want to get patch 7.15 out before than it will have to fall on January 3rd, (Happy Birthday to me!) or on January 10th. Beyond that World of Warcraft still had raiding, PVP, world quest etc... you could be doing right now. Or you could be leveling another alt! The leveling experience is great this time around, as long as you are willing to let characters sit and feel like they aren't progressing. I still don't like how alt unfriendly this expansion feels.
Winter veil is in full bloom in game right now. Go fight your Grinch and prepare to log on Christmas morning to open up your presents in Ironforge or Ogrimmar. We are sure to get some new toy this year and another ugly sweater. Of course with Christmas being this weekend I have to ask...
How are you spending your Christmas break? Assuming you have one.
I am out of school the week after Christmas so I am looking forward to logging on some week based hours. Hopefully I can get my family together and run a few dungeons or Mythics. I don't see myself raiding, but if one of the groups I chat with etc... need a dps I might hop in. Next week is going to be a big de-stresser for me. Not that I'm very stressed right now. School is going well, my new job is fabulous, and my family life is good. The only thing I lack most days is time to sleep.
I might throw a few more hours into Diablo III as well. Maybe fiddle around with Heroes of the Storm which I have never done more than poked at here and there. I am still unwilling to throw money down on Overwatch at this point, as I don't have much time to even play Wow generally, but with everyone I work with playing it, I might give in eventually so I can torture them outside of work. Who knows?
I have goals coming in for next year as well. I am only vaguely aware of what some of them might be at this point, but I am getting a plan together on how I plan to progress at work and a bit at home. I am still working on one book, editing one, and I need to get off my butt and market the other. By June I will have something full book sized up on Amazon/Kindle.
I also will be working on getting healthier. My work has a full sized Gym I can use at any time. I need to take advantage of that. I am debating with my work schedule shift, doing a workout before I go to school two or three days a week if nothing else.
But how are you all spending your Christmas/Winterveil/Holidays. Does anyone have any big fun plans, or are you stuck just slogging away like normal?
Either way, Happy Holidays you beautiful people. Remember no matter who you are the world would be a lesser place without you.
Lag.
If you would like to support Ben Marble and his bob-sledding goblins, please consider purchasing one of his short stories at Amazon.com
Let's be honest, there is no feeling like watching big numbers fly across your screen while you are killing the big beasty in front of you. The feeling your character is getting more powerful is awesome and fun, and we love that feeling that we are this martial or magical juggernauts that are nigh unstoppable as we slam our way through foes. In a game there is a cost to that.
We are looking at the same situation now that we were in Cataclysm where the numbers our characters were putting out were hitting close to the ceiling of what the game can handle. Add on the many new ways to get and improve armor, and that number is climbing higher even more quickly than before. I am fairly certain we will have another stat squish at the end of this expansion.
And that is not a bad thing. Last time the players showed they were supportive of such a thing. We managed to accept the feeling that we were still hitting hard with lower numbers because Blizzard did a great job of evening things out. I imagine it will work that same way again. I do have my normal advice to Blizzard to go with that, and yes you have all heard me say it multiple times.
Let's do a level squish as well.
Seriously, use the leveling experience in Legion, apply it to the rest of the world, and then squish it. Make it so mobs level with you to the level spread of that expansion. For example, if we make original WoW 1-30, make the mobs stop adjusting to your character after 30. That way we can go back and still feel invincible when running older content.
Make it, Original 1-30. Burning Crusaide 30-35. Wrath of the Lich king 35-40. Calaclysm 40-45, Pandaria, 45-50. Warlords 50-55, and Legion after this expansion 55-60.
Do we need this you might ask? Well, yes and no. I mean when a new player starts, they get a character that just has to level through current content. So, they get one main who gets the head start so they can play with their friends and become part of the end game. That is great. What happens though if they hit 110, and don't like the class they picked. They are then reduced to two options.
Pay $60 bucks, then level the last ten again, or level through 110 levels for another alt who may or may not be as enjoyable as the character they are playing. If you are a new player and have never leveled through all the beginning areas, that is completely discouraging. Us old hat players know that you can level through all that content quickly enough, but if you are new to the game, that looks like a daunting trip.
I think this is partially a matter of accessibility. When you do your stat/level squish you could throw ilevel on the pile too. If we can pull back and lower the ilevels with the squish that could give us even more room to develop and grow. If they do it right it like last time, the feel of the game won't even be very different. Just the numbers our characters are throwing up when they fight.
How does everyone else feel though? Are these opinions completely off base, or would this lengthen the longevity of the game. Am I wrong to think there is a mental hurdle for new players to level up to 110, or am I just postulating an opinion that has no bearing in actuality? How would you all feel about a level squish?
Lag.
As always, if you would like to support Ben Marble and his carnivorous plant wrangling consider purchasing one of his short stories at Amazon.com.
