| Alliance |
| Pallanen |
Dual Spec.: Arms/Protection Guild: Club de Jolie Filles Profession #1: Grand Master Blacksmith/Weaponsmith/Master Swordsmith 450/450 Profession #2: Mining 450/450
|
| Sairalinde |
 Guild: Club de Jolies Filles Profession #1: Leatherworking 275/375 Profession #2: Skinning 450/450
|
| Jaelle |
 Guild: Club de Jolies Filles Profession #1: Alchemy 290/300 Profession #2: Herbalism 291/300
|
| Merenwen |
Guild: Club de Jolies Filles Profession #1: Enchanting 352/375 Profession #2: Tailoring 350/375
|
| Miriel |
 Guild: Club de Jolies Filles Profession #1: Mining 316/375 Profession #2: Engineering 100/150
|
| Earanel |
 Guild: Club de Jolies Filles Profession #1: Leatherworking 67/75 Profession #2: Skinning 133/150
|
| Granuaile |
 Guild: Club de Jolies Filles Profession #1: Blacksmith 300/300 Profession #2: Mining 289/300
|
| Horde |
Rubacuori |
 Guild: Club de Joiles Filles Profession #1: Herbalism 111/150 Profession #2: Alchemy 93/150
|
| Ki'Leanna |
 Guild: Club de Joiles Filles Profession #1: Mining 450/450 Profession #2: Enchanting 340/375
|
|
| Illness And BGs = Honor |
| Wednesday, February 27, 2008 |
This blog has gotten boring fast. I guess it has because I have done nothing but Battlegrounds for almost a month. For me, it's not so boring but the posts are suffering. Good thing there aren't any readers here yet.
Pallanen now has both epic swords via BGs. I had to get those before finishing the armor because she just couldn't deal enough damage when needed. She had nice weapons but compared to what we've been up against in PVP, she was way undergeared.
Not anymore.
Pallanen deals serious damage now. In one Alterac Valley BG yesterday she totalled over 110,000 damage given. That was sweet. It was a long turtle of an AV so she had a lot of opportunity but still...... Plus, we won it so it was OK. Also, I have gotten into singling out horde Warriors and taking them on. I want to see how they fight to see if I can learn something from them. I also want to see how Pally matches up against them. Most of the time Pallanen does well. At least half the time she kills them first. (If no one else interferes.) There have been times where the horde has had better armor and it hasn't worked out well, but those days will be behind us soon enough.
I have been very sick since Sunday so I have had a lot of time to work the BGs. This flu/cold/icky thing thats going around has kicked my butt hard. A lot of people at work have it too. But although it's bad for me, it's good for Pallanen. We have scored big Honor Points this week already. I had 1.5 days off from work and managed to spend most of that time resting and working the battlegrounds. Plus, the daytime players are so much better at the game so we won a lot. Except last night where I was doing only AV (bigger honor points all the time) and we lost only 3 all evening. Probably won 20 or so. It was a great night. Even losing in AV gives you better honor points than winning in the others.
So by the weekend Pallanen should have the last 2 main armor pieces. After that I will work on the bracers, boots, belt and cloak. Things are progressing well. Who knows? If I stay sick I may get them all before mid-March lol
Yes, I am just kidding about that last thing. :P |
posted by Jen @ 7:21 AM  |
|
|
|
|
| Who Designs These Things? |
| Thursday, February 21, 2008 |
I took a much needed break from Battlegrounds last night. I went and gathered mats for Blacksmithing. Not for myself but for my friend Lisa who has a new alt, a level 15 Paladin. She told me yesterday that she was playing the night before and was getting very frustrated. Her Paladin was getting killed a lot. Then she checked her armor and realized she never upgraded it. It was still all grey stuff. lol
So Pallanen volunteered to use her Blacksmithing skills to bring the poor girl up to snuff. :P
I didn't really have to look very far for mats. Between my 3 Miners I have a ton of mats. So I made her a full set of pretty good armor. I also made her level 18 Rogue a pair of Pearl Handled Daggers. She just turned 18 and I thought she could use some nice knives.
When I make things I am amazed at the different variety of styles. I am also kind of grossed out sometimes. It seems like the higher level the item is, the worse it looks. How something looks is a problem for me sometimes. lol For example, the new shoulders Pallanen got from the BGs is really, really ugly. The previous set was nice but it just doesn't compare in stats. I wonder if the designers do that on purpose? Make the good stuff really stupid looking and then sit back and laugh at forcing people to make their characters look silly? I think they do. Here is a shot of someone else wearing the new shoulders. Not Pallanen but it is a NE with the same basic hair style.
Stupid looking.
A lot of armor items look bad. Along the way I have come across some stuff that really sucks. I have noticed that a lot of Leather Armor is the worst. Until my Rogue was in the high 30's most of the armor with good stats was pretty ugly.
Anyway, enough of that. I made my friend's Paladin a lot of armor last night. None of it was ugly and all of it was good for her level. She needed a sword too but unfortunatley Blacksmithing swords at the lower levels is useless. There are no good swords a BS can make until level 44ish. The Jade Serpentblade made for level 30 is an average one. There are better ones found everywhere. The Frost Tiger Blade made for level 35 is when things just start to get useful. That one is also very easily replaced with another sword found or bought on the AH. Really, until a Blacksmith can make a Phantom Blade, which requires level 44 to use, the swords all are a waste of time. They take valuable mats and use them up for stuff no one wants. I have always avoided making blades just for leveling my Blacksmithing simply because they use up too much good stuff and you get no return. Again, who designs these things? lol
So my friend will have to find a decent sword on the AH.
Tonight I will head back to the BG grind. I will keep going until I get all the pieces I want. I will also just not say anything to all the crybabies anymore. It gets me nowhere. I'm sure I'll end up with a lot of good teams and a lot of bad ones before I am through with it all. The good thing is that I get to kill Hordes. That is a fun time. |
| posted by Jen @ 7:11 AM |
|
|
|
|
| To My Guildies |
| Wednesday, February 20, 2008 |
I just wanted to say that there are some posts where I refer to Guild members by nickname. I do that only because I don't know if any of you care to have your character names published on a blog. I am not trying to be rude or obscure. I have been blogging for 5 years or so and the old habits stick with me. I don't put personal stuff on any blog. Even though the WoW identities are not real, I still won't put real names or character names on this blog without permission.
Let's just call it a good habit to have when dealing with any internet exposure and leave it at that. :) |
| posted by Jen @ 9:05 AM |
|
|
|
|
| To Tank Or Not To Tank |
|
Last night was another one spent in Alterac Valley. It was the usual ‘one win, one loss, one win, one loss’’ night. What was a little more unusual was just how many crybabies there were again. The dolts that keep playing the Battlegrounds and all they do is complain and insult everyone can really get on a persons nerves. I need to be more like my friend Graz who is able to just enjoy the game and ignore it all. Mostly I am able to do that but the times when the babies just give up and the BG is far from lost, those are the times I get annoyed.
Anyway, at the rate I’m going Pallanen will have the 5 main armor pieces by next weekend. Then I can start working on the other items. But last night in a discussion with Graz she mentioned how the PVP armor isn’t really great for Kara. I sorta figured that since it isn’t real Tanking gear but it still made me a little sad anyway. I decided to look it up this morning to see what I am facing. Our Guild Website has a listing of good Tanking gear and the places to get it. The site also lists the order of events needed for being able to upgrade to epics later. The epic upgrades are obtained in heroics. But the Dungeon set is the prerequisite to doing heroics (and Kara). The investigation made me even more bummed. Here is the list of pieces needed before being able to Tank heroics:
Dungeon Set
Breastplate of the Bold - dropped by Harbinger Skyriss in The Arcatraz
Gauntlets of the Bold - dropped by Warlord Kalithresh in The Steamvault
Legplates of the Bold - dropped by Aeonus in The Black Morass
Shoulderguards of the Bold - dropped by Murmur in Shadow Labyrinth
Warhelm of the Bold - dropped by Warp Splinter in The Botanica
Notice where they all come from? Yeah, grouping in Instances. If you have read this blog at all (and no one really does) you will know that I abhor groups like that. *sigh
So I will be faced with a dilemma once the BGs are done. Do I suck it up and group with others, hoping to get the OK to grab the needed Tanking armor drops or do I just go with my original plan and leave Pallanen a DPS/Fury Warrior who kills Hordes on sight? I always told my friend Lisa that once Pallanen was fully equipped she would retire to Auberdine or Astranaar and play defender. Those two Night Elf towns are raided a lot by ugly, nasty Hordes. I planned on Pally living in one town and then leveling Sairalinde and she would live in the other. That way I would always be ready to defend them fast. Then I would level my other girls.
I have no idea at this point what I will do with Pallanen. I am tired of thinking about all that. My gut feeling is that the Guild should probably look for a better Main Tank. Pallanen is a good one. All the practice the past 2 months has given me a lot of confidence to Tank anywhere. But I don’t think I can face grouping for all those drops that I may or may not be able to get.
So last night was a good one. After leaving Alterac Valley a Guild member let us know that there were Hordes raiding Sentinel Hill. So Graz, Ki, (another Guild friend) and myself hurried to get there. When we arrived there wasn’t much help other than us. 3 against 20 weren’t great odds. But soon enough there were a lot of Alliance showing up and we wiped the Hordes up. Graz is hilarious. She seems to really dislike Hordes and gets into the fight pretty hardcore. Being a 70 Mage that hits like a Mack Truck, she can back it up too.
I did notice something fun during that fight. The Hordes there, even though they were 70 (some of them), went down easy. I think Pallanen being better geared now and having the BG experience has helped tremendously. The only issue Pally had was when she killed a Shaman and immediately got jumped by a Rogue. Too much damage back to back.
Anyway, I have a few weeks to decide what I will do about Tanking for the Guild. I want to do it but with the issues we currently have personnel-wise, I know getting a Guild group together just for Tanking gear won’t be happening anytime soon. If ever. So after Pally has all the PVP stuff, I’ll start taking those decisions more seriously. |
| posted by Jen @ 9:01 AM |
|
|
|
|
| More BG Experiences |
| Tuesday, February 19, 2008 |
Pallanen got the first epic armor piece on Saturday. It was the much needed chest armor. Then last night I had enough honor points for the shoulders. It is sweet to finally feel like she is on her way to being well equipped. I should have worked at this long ago. This is the Chest Armor she has now:
Gladiator's Plate Chestpiece
Binds when picked up
Chest Plate
1547 Armor
+23 Strength
+49 Stamina
Red Socket
Red Socket
Yellow Socket
Socket Bonus: +4 Critical Strike Rating
Durability 165 / 165
Classes: Warrior
Requires Level 70
Equip: Improves hit rating by 12 (0.8%).
Equip: Improves critical strike rating by 30 (1.4%).
Equip: Improves your resilience rating by 23 (0.6%).
Set: Gladiator's Battlegear (1/5)
Item Level 123
This is the shoulder armor:
Gladiator's Plate Shoulders
Binds when picked up
Shoulder Plate
1160 Armor
+22 Strength
+45 Stamina
Red Socket
Yellow Socket
Socket Bonus: +3 Strength
Durability 100 / 100
Classes: Warrior
Requires Level 70
Equip: Improves critical strike rating by 23 (1.0%).
Equip: Improves your resilience rating by 19 (0.5%).
Set: Gladiator's Battlegear (1/5)
Item Level 123
I added some nice gems to the sockets. The chest has two for +4 agi/+6 stam. One is for +4 agility and +6 strength. The shoulders have the same one for +4 agi/+6 stam. plus a Void Sphere (that was given to me) that is +4 All Resistances. I’m hoping it will help against Warlocks fear casts. Now that I think about it, I hope I can un-socket gems. I don’t want to use the Void Sphere forever. Hmmm....
I felt bad buying some of the gems from the AH because Pallanen has a pretty sizable stash of gems in the bank. Earane has a huge stash of gems too. I’m sure if I knew a high level Jeweler I could have nice things made. Eventually I will do that, once I find a Jewelcrafter I feel I can trust.
Most of the weekend was spent in Alterac Valley because it was the Holiday weekend there. I am well on the way toward the 3rd armor piece now. I’m not sure which will be next. I have to plan carefully. Pally has a nice set of Felsteel armor that includes the greaves, helm and gloves. Their armor/stats are close to the level of the other Gladiator pieces. I will be careful not to weaken her too much during the armor transition so I am looking at options. Maybe I’ll go for the belt next or even a sword. More damage given is always fun. :)
I have learned a lot about other classes in the Battlegrounds. One thing I have learned is that Warlocks are pretty much useless without their fear casting. When Pallanen’s Berserker Rage is in effect fear doesn’t work on her and Warlocks go down fast. They can do some damage if left alone so I always look them up immediately in the midst of any battle. But mostly Pallanen kills them with great efficiency. lol
I have learned to respect Rogues greatly in the BGs. A good Rogue player at level 70 can wipe out a Warrior fairly quickly. As long as they keep up the attacks, which come very fast and furious, a Warrior will have trouble slowing them down. Once Pallanen does manage to hit with a slowing move the fight becomes more even. But by then serious damage has usually been done. A Rogue who gets in the first sneak attack will usually cause severe damage if not death to a Warrior. Sometimes without needing any help from friends.
The most respect I have learned is for level 70 Paladins. Yes, Paladins. Read back a few posts and you will see how I hated playing a Paladin. But the higher level Paladins are almost impossible to kill. It is the most frustrating thing to be in the midst of a fight, winning it against one of them, and have them do whatever that stun move thing is and watch helplessly as they heal themselves. You are still down in health but they are back to the starting point. Pallanen can trash a Paladin until they do that crap. If they don’t get the stun thing in during an encounter with Pally, they die. But usually at 70 the players know how to use their characters and then things get hard. I am always grateful when a healer notices me during a fight with a horde Paladin. Then things are evened up, which basically means the Paladin is soon dead since my Warrior girl handles them just fine one on one, without the dirty tricks.
An indispensable part of any BG raid group are the Healers. Pallanen has been saved time and again by Druids, Paladins and especially Priests. In a big fight I have learned to plant myself near to a Priest. For 2 reasons. The first is obvious, so they can heal me in the fight. The second is to protect them. Any time they are attacked I will break off from whatever foe and take to brunt of their attacker. That keeps everyone alive longer.
Last night was a good example. I was near the Stormpike Graveyard fighting when I saw a Dranei Priest get jumped. I rushed the attacker and killed them. Then the Priest and I paired up and attacked anything that came near the flag. With her healing ond protective shielding and Pallanen kicking ass, along with a timely damaging cast from the Priest every now and again, we managed to wipe up a lot of Hordes. We also never lost the flag, ie: the Graveyard. We lost the game but not that flag we were protecting. lol
Geez! My posts are getting long these days. :P
So my education in the game continues. I am looking forward to being done with the BGs and having Pallanen properly equipped for everything else. Of course, I have never even been to “Eye of the Storm” yet, so I still have a long way to go. |
| posted by Jen @ 12:08 PM |
|
|
|
|
| It's Like Night And Day In Battlegrounds |
| Thursday, February 14, 2008 |
We were iced in yesterday. A nasty storm came along overnight. So naturally I had a lot of time to get into WoW. I started the day by having Pallanen gather mats for Blacksmithing. Not so much for leveling as it was for making things to sell. Over time I have learned how to make some good amounts of gold with certain things. For instance, a Phantom Blade will always sell. So the first part of the day was spent on capitalism. lol
I should mention that the evening before this I spent some time researching better Warrior spec builds for PVP. Pallanen is now specced specifically for PVP. I used the build that I found here on Ten Ton Hammer's Guide for Warriors. It is a build that one of the top PVP players in Arena uses. The 31 Arms/30 Fury spec. I modified it just a tiny little bit since Pallanen historically hasn't used Fury much. (Maybe its a mistake but I don't think so. Read on. lol) I also preferred it to the one listed above it because I hate 'Stance Dancing'.
Sooo.... Once I got back to the game in the early afternoon I started right away in Arathi Basin. I'm determined to get Pallanen her epic armor. I needed a few more marks from AB to be sure I would have enough for all the armor pieces I wanted so I expected to be in many BGs that day. Right away once I was in the first BG I knew it would be a different kind of day. The leader was very good. The team was just as good. They all communicated and worked well together. Every move was coordinated and every incoming enemy was called out early. We easily won that first BG.
But it didn't end there. Pallanen was having a good day. The teams (and Leaders) were awesome every time. We won 6 out of the first 7 BGs. Theone we lost we still had over 1800 resources. One time we had 2000 resources and the Hordes didn't even have 200. That was fun! My only conclusion was that the daytime players were far more experienced than the ones I was used to. I stayed in Arathi Basin for a few hours. It was a very successful day, winning many more than losing. I ended up with 71 AB marks after starting with only 30.
So I decided to go to Warsong Gulch. I thought maybe my luck would stick since it was still early enough in the day. Plus I still had the quest for winning there. I was right. The team I ended up with won easily the first time in. They knew what to do and how to do it and even called out every move that needed to be done. It was something. I had never been there that the Alliance ever won. This time in we won 3-0.
The win was actually bittersweet for me though. Simply because I made a rookie mistake that could have really cost the team. But in the end it turned out OK. At one point I ended up alone in the enemy flag room and their flag popped up. I didn't see anyone so I grabbed it. When I did I instantly realized it was a mistake. Simply because I had no idea what to do with it. lol Then a group of Alliance came running in and started giving me crap about grabbing it. But I just did it on an impulse without thinking. Very soon after I was wiped out. Had there been a group with me I would not have grabbed it. I sure won't do that again. :P But we won easily thanks to the great team. I did contribute a lot otherwise. Even killed an enemy flag bearer once.
Then I took a break for dinner and when I came back it was the regular time I usually play. I decided to go into Alterac Valley for a change. In there I realized fast that I don't have a clue about anything. I just followed the crowd and when they found a target and attacked, so did I. We didn't win any there but it was fun.
So just for fun and honor points I went back to Arathi Basin. I am very comfortable there now. But it was obvious that the players had changed. The usual disorganized, complaining, criticizing crybabies were back. It sucked. It was like night and day (literally too) playing in the early afternoon and then in the evening. The early players were far more mature and focused. The evening ones (assumably school kids that were no longer in school) were sorry strategists and communicators. Worse yet, they were quitters. Twice in a row the call went out to "just give in and let them 5 cap" when we were doing well. To me, when you have 2 resources and are only 150 behind, the game is no where near a loss. But these players were quitters.
One time the score was something like 650-780. We were behind but we had 2 resources. But the whole talk was how we had lost already and how we should just give up. I spoke up and simply said "Fight! Lets go take something. We are still in this. Quitters suck!" But the only replies I got were all about how its easier to let them win fast and get a new game started. What a sorry bunch of losers.
So all in all it was a great day for Pallanen. Even with the evening crew sucking so badly. She got well over 5000 honor yesterday. Plus the new spec build kicks ass! I always look over the summary after a battle to see how I did. Right away I saw that Pally's new spec doubled her damage given. I experimented with comparing dual wielding next to using her new 2-hander sword. It is one I made to help her BS leveling:
Stoneforged Claymore
Binds when picked up
Two-Hand Sword
207 - 311 Damage Speed 3.30
(78.5 damage per second)
+40 Strength
+35 Agility
Durability 100 / 100
Requires Level 65
Requires Master Swordsmith
Item Level 100
It is a nice sword. Made for level 65 but it still kills at 70. (I just tried it out because I had it in the bag from Blacksmithing.) With the 2-hander Pallanen really deals serious damage. After comparing the two styles I pretty much stayed with the Claymore. It did a lot more damage than the sword/dagger combo. I plan on getting her a better level 70 one soon since that experiment showed me what she can do with a 2-hander.
At this rate I will have the chest armor by the weekend. Not long after that I will get the shoulders. Those 2 items will make the bigger impact on her than anything else. Then the leggings, gloves and helm. I plan on being in the BGs for a while. Stopping only long enough when I feel I need a break. Soon I will master the other BGs like I have AB. Then after all that I will go back to being a Protection Warrior and be more ready for Kara. Something to look forward to. :) |
| posted by Jen @ 7:35 AM |
|
|
|
|
| Battlegrounds Are Addicting |
| Monday, February 11, 2008 |
I have spent the past week exclusively with Pallanen. (On the game of course. lol) I have worked on her Blacksmithing a lot. It is now 341. That stretch between 335 and 341 has been hard. It looks like the warning Wowaholic gave me was true. Getting to 375 is not going to be easy.
One thing that helped was that I finally went and got the flying mount in Shadowmoon. Now its easier to do my Mining routes through Hellfire and Nagrand. I don't have to stop and fight every 30 seconds anymore. But buying the flying mount left Pally with little gold. I don't like that at all. I liked having that cushion of gold not just for her but for the other girls should they need something. (Especially my Enchanter.) Pallanen isn't without cash but having only about 300 gold compared to 1400 is a big difference.
But I have also been working on getting Pallanen's quest backlog taken care of. So her stash of cash ( :P ) will recover quickly.
Along with BS work and questing Pallanen has spent a lot of time in the Battlegrounds. It is an addicting part of the game. Plus at this rate, Pallanen will get the first piece of armor she needs by the coming weekend. I am psyched. Graz laughed at me (actually with me) yesterday because I didn't listen to her sooner and get started in the BGs. A big "I told you so" from her is appropriate. She is almost completely done with all the stuff from BGs. I wish I was. I could have been. *sigh
Pallanen does well in the Battlegrounds. She has run into some specific troubles though. Mostly with Warlocks and Paladins. Warlocks and that darn Fear thing they throw drives me nuts. Without that power, they easily go down when Pally gets hold of them. But there is a counter that Pallanen has that works well against the Fear. It lasts only 30 seconds, which is enough time to kill any Lock. But the cooldown is loooong.
Paladins on the other hand, there's a different story. They have some kind of ability that allows them to stun Pally for what seems like a very long time. It's more than enough time to step back and heal themselves and then jump back in the fight. Pallanen handles the fight with a Paladin just fine except she can't heal. Usually one on one against a Paladin, Pallanen has been getting whipped. I have to figure out how to dispel that stun.
I have noticed something interesting about the Battlegrounds. The Horde win a lot. The Alliance teams do a lot of criticizing of the teams, even in the midst of the battle. It's silly. The only reason the Hordes win a lot is that they are better organized. I was in several AV BGs that won and the common theme was we had a Leader that constantly directed the teams where they needed to be. No fussing at each other, no complaining even when things were tight. The Leader (not the same one ever) would direct people where to go and what the objective was and we would win.
The Hordes usually seem to have a plan. They will distract the defenders away from the flags and have someone else come in behind to take it down. They will have a good team put together made up of what seems to be experienced fighters and they will always back each other up. The Alliance isn't so good at those things. Rarely, I should say.
I was in a BG where we were warned we were up against a "Pre-Made". I'm not sure what that means but the end result was impressive. We got whipped badly. It seemed like we couldn't capture and hold anything. Talk about a fast battle.
I was also in a battle where we had an Alliance "pre-made" group along. We easily won that one.
Now Warsong Gulch, thats a different story. Never have I been there and seen the Alliance even come close to winning. There is no plan, no teamwork, no hope there. I have been shocked to see even one flag captured by the Alliance there. It's that bad. The Hordes there seem to be exceptionally well organized. I see people engaging in fighting out in the middle of the fields there and the flag carrier isn't anywhere to be seen. I want to scream at them to go for the flags and forget the one on one stuff.
Then I get fed up and decide to defend the flag. But somehow I always end up alone. The Hordes show up and I call for help but no one comes. One lonely Warrior against 4-5 well geared Hordies... well, you do the math.
We should be better organized and plan on a defense and offense. It isn't brain surgery. I need more experience so I can take charge in the BGs. I have a knack for strategy games but I don't know these situations well enough yet.
One AB BG last night I found myself in the role of Leader. I didn't know how it happened but it did. I was not ready. As soon as I saw it I asked the team if someone else would step in as Leader because I still don't even know how they see what help is needed where. There must be something they use to see the whole field. On that particular BG we won. But it wasn't because I was Leader. It was because someone else with the experience took over.
Then sometimes you have sucky Leaders/Teams. The last BG I did in AB Sunday night the Leader seemed OK at the start. They called out to the teams to tell them their objectives. I was on #2 and was to take the Mine and hold it. So the gates opened and I sprinted to the Mine. I ran headlong into the Hordes there and was fighting hard. But on the map I could see I was alone. None of the others in my group had come to the Mine. I have no idea where they went. Poor lonely Pallanen against a determined group of 6 Hordies. Yes, it was ugly fast. lol
The remainder of that battle was silly. The Alliance got whipped badly. We ended up holding only one resource and we were defending it until the battle ended.
All in all, the week has been a positive one. I think I will look into what a "pre-made" is and try to get involved in one. Maybe our Guild should have one so we can clean up in the BGs. It has been fun even though it has been a painful learning curve so far. But in the end, when Pallanen is decked out in all epics, I will look back to this post and laugh. Then I will go and kill every Horde I can. :P |
| posted by Jen @ 7:22 AM |
|
|
|
|
| Pallanen's First Battleground |
| Tuesday, February 5, 2008 |
Last night Pallanen made her first trip into a Battleground. Actually she made it into 3 of them. All thanks to Graz, my favorite Guildie, who tends to be an instigator when it comes to getting Pally (me) to venture into unknowns. lol
It was kinda funny how she managed to talk me into the Battleground. It was like a real good sales job.
Pallanen was in Terrokar finishing up some of that full quest log when a Guildie asked for help with Durn the Hungerer. I like fighting that guy. Its fun. So I immediately offered to help and by the time I hit enter with my reply a couple other Guild members had also offered, Graz being one of them. So we all met up where he was and easily wiped up the guy.
Then Graz and I continued to kill things together. We hadn't done that for a while and it was fun. She started asking me about the BGs and gearing up for Kara and then mentioned that we should go into Stormwind to check out all the cool gear you can earn in a BG. Naturally I was interested.
We got to SW and she took me to all the vendors in the Champions Hall and got me really interested in getting some of the things there. While there we ran into a couple of Guildies and an old friend who joined up with a different Guild a short time ago. After several minutes of discussion the Guildies and I all decided to head into a BG. The sell job worked since I saw stuff I wanted Pally to have and Graz and the other 2 Guild members were going along for my first trip. There is a bit of comfort having someone show you the ropes.
The first one we did was Arathi Basin. That was a lot of fun. We got to run around and alternately defend and attack. I was always lost as to where I needed to be but with my friend along I managed to stay in the fight pretty well. My fears that Pallanen couldn't keep up were erased very quickly as she managed to kill several Hordes with and without help. I really liked that BG. But we lost. lol
Then we did Warsong Gulch. That one seemed like it should be easier to master but in the end it wasn't. You have to capture the enemy flag and bring it back to your base. But it only counts when your flag is there also. The thing was, I could never see where our flag was nor where the enemy flag was. So eventually I ended up followed the biggest crowd and went into the Hordes home base and just killed everything. (Along the way getting whipped myself sometimes.)
The stand out thing about this one was this one Tauran Warrior that seemed invulnerable. There were 3 of us on him at one point and he killed us all fast. He got Pally again later and made it seem easy. I'd love to know how he was specced and equipped because no one on the Alliance side seemed able to stand against him.
Then we did Alterac Valley. That one was simple to follow. You have to go to the enemy stronghold and kill their General. Of course, along the way there are a few places that are heavily defended and other officers to kill. Plus the Hordies are coming at you trying to either kill you or get to your General.
I managed to get lost once after rezzing and when I was trying to find the group again I ran right into a bad guy Captain, level 71 Elite. I started fighting him before I realized who he was. I knew I was in trouble once I saw how fast he was kicking my butt. So I konked him in the head with my Concussion Blow and ran. That guy followed me a very long way but eventually gave up. I was relieved.
So my first time trying Battlegrounds was a lot of fun. I have a lot to learn about the ebb and flow of the battles and how to recognize where I am to go, but I will do it again. Soon. It's like a mini-excursion from the game itself. The battles don't last long and the rewards are sweet even if you don't win. It won't take long to save up points and get the nice armor Pallanen needs. I learned fast that Pallanen didn't have to do all the heavy killing in a BG. Even in the first battle I realized that if I could slow down the Horde I was fighting help would always arrive. So I ended up using Hamstring, Intimidating Shout and Thunder clap a lot. I also used Devastate to weaken the enemy.
I'm not sure yet if I have a favorite BG yet. I need to go into each one a few more times. I also need to try Eye of the Storm. But even though I've been warned about the Horde supremacy there, I am feeling a little partial to Warsong Gulch. It is Night Elf territory after all. Or at least close enough that I feel the need to win that one.
Pallanen is a very loyal Warrior Girl. :) |
| posted by Jen @ 7:44 AM |
|
|
|
|
| Neglecting Pallanen |
| Monday, February 4, 2008 |
As much as I wanted to update over the weekend I just couldn't. It was a busy one and when I had computer time I wanted to play. Better late than never though. :)
Granuaile is really moving up fast. She is now 41. She has a mount and is now an Armorsmith. Her blacksmithing is 247/300 and Mining is 201/225. Once she got into the Plate armor she has been even harder to hurt. It's amazing the comparison between how she progresses and how Pallanen progressed. Poor Pally sure did have it hard. lol
Lisa and I had an interesting conversation yesterday. Pallanen escorted Lisa's little girl, a 34 Druid, through Gnomer yesterday. I was into something else when Lisa asked but I went and helped her anyway even though I really don't like Gnomeregan. I don't even like Gnomes, but that is a different story. Lisa likes to have Pallanen around for her little ones. Pally escorted her Priest through the Sunken Temple recently too. The reason Lisa like having Pally available is that she likes to group even less than I do. So it's nice to have friends.
But she told me while we wiped up Gnomer why she doesn't group. It is too nerve-racking for her. Her Priest is now 60 but she specced her to Shadow (??? I think) because being a healer in groups made her so nervous she couldn't enjoy the instance. She had been grouping pretty regularly but not anymore. We chatted more about it and I realized that I also feel like it's a lot of pressure to be the Tank in an instance.
I think being the Healer or the Tank is much tougher than being anything else in a group. Maybe thats why I shy away from groups so much. I have been fine in groups with my Hunter and Rogue. Especially the Rogue since they get all kinds of fun time killing things without pulling too much aggro. But if the Tank fails the group is in trouble. If the Healer fails the group is really in trouble. It is not always a comfortable thing to have all that responsibility. It is a game after all.
Lisa will group any time with her 70 Hunter or her Druid. I will group a lot with all my other girls. But not with Pallanen. I guess the reasons are now clear. But that sucks big time too. After Wow-aholic answered my questions from my last couple of posts, it is obvious that I have no choice but to group for Pallanen to get the armor she needs. Grouping in Kara is something I do want to do. I really want to go with the Guild for kara raids. To get there Pallanen needs to do other groups to get the gear. What a bite. *sigh
Its a funny thing about Warriors being invited too. Granuaile's Guild was chatting away on Saturday about how one of them, a Warrior, was invited to go to Zul'Farik (sp?) but when the requestor found out she wasn't a Protection/Tank Warrior they uninvited her. I think that is severe prejudice. lol But that has happened to Pallanen too. Not to Granuaile. Right now her spec is hybrid. Part Prot and part Fury. Once I get more points I plan on being all Fury but for now she is a decent Tank.
This sure isn't the post I intended today. :) Anyhow..... I realized over the weekend that since Pallanen made it to 70 she hasn't done one quest in the Outlands. Isn't that odd? Not one! That has been since November! I think this whole week coming I am taking Pally back to Outland and clearing her quest log. She has one full bag of quest items that she needs to use plus I feel the need to be a high level Warrior for a while again. I've played around for a long time with the little girls (longer than I planned) but it's time to get my favorite girl into the right progression. I will also try to get into a group or 2 this coming weekend to get the other Kara keys too. The Guild had raided kara several times now and they have gotten through several bosses already. 4-5 I think. I didn't realize how I have been neglecting Pallanen. Silly me. :P
Thanks again to Wow-aholic for answering my questions. He is really knowledgable about the game. I don't know all the details about the game like him but I am glad to have the insight. BTW, Pallanen has a Defense rating of almost 400 Wow-aholic. I have some work to do to get that 490 needed for Kara. |
| posted by Jen @ 7:16 AM |
|
|
|
|
| More Questions |
| Friday, February 1, 2008 |
Last night as I was gathering the mats for Granuaile's upcoming Armorsmith quests a Guildie called to the Guild to ask for help in Auberdine. There were Hordes raiding there. So I stopped what I was doing and hurried to help. I asked about who and what levels as I traveled so I could be prepared. I was told there was a Shaman and some other "thing that looked like a Mage". lol
When I got there I saw a 70 Shaman and a 70 Priest. Casters like those aren't too bad for Pallanen to take out. I looked around to see what help we had. Another Guildie was there, a 70 Druid in cat form. Otherwise the next best help was a 42 Hunter. But I figured between myself and the Druid we could take them anyway.
I latched onto the Priest because my Guildie was already attacking and we quickly wiped him up. Then we went after the Shaman and it didn't take much to take him out also. At this point I was a little disappointed. But that didn't last long at all.
I rode around looking for others and there were none. Then when I came back the Hordes were rezzed and fighting again. I went in against the Shaman and was doing fine until suddenly I was feared in a bad way. There was a Warlock somewhere and they got me. Between the Warlock fearing Pallanen and the Priest zapping her with whatever that yellow blast is, I quickly found myself in the graveyard.
But things just got worse.
I rezzed and healed and went back in. I went right for the Warlock. Usually Pallanen can easily wipe them up. Especially since this one had no pet anywhere (which I thought was odd). This one was different. No matter what tricks I threw he could fear me. No matter how hard I hit I couldn't do enough damage. I was very confused. Then one of the other Hordes would jump in and take me out.
This happened several times. I have to hand it to the 3 Hordes there last night. They really worked well as a team. They had to know each other very well because they were very effective together. But what I don't get is why I couldn't shake the Fear from the Warlock. I also can't understand why I didn't do enough damage. A Priest's shield is obvious but there wasn't one around the Lock. I did see heals but I still don't understand what was happening. Does anyone know more about Warlocks and Priests and can help me out here? One other thing, one of them had some kind of demobilizing trick that made Pallanen just stand still and do nothing. Not a fear, no cringe. Just stand still and take a beating. That was really annoying.
There was a good moment last night. The best part for me during the whole raid was when I rezzed and came back looking for the Shaman. I managed to find him all alnoe. He was fighting a guard. Big tough 70 Shaman fighting a 40-something guard. I wasn't impressed. I stood by and waited until he was done then let him see I was waiting. It felt like an old fashioned gunfight. We stood facing each other for a few seconds and then started fighting. Pally was whipping his ass but good even with his goofy totem things around. He was down to almost no life and Pallanen had lots left when suddenly that damn Warlock feared her again. Then the Priest was back and things went into the crapper. It was infuriating!
But Pallanen whipped that Shaman. Without his friends he was a dead duck.
I called out to the Guild for help but no one could come. Those Hordes stayed alive in Auberdine longer than I have ever seen Hordes stay alive in an Aliance city/town. Mostly because the 3 of them were a great team and there were only 2 of us high enough level to do any damage to them. Eventually a 70 Mage showed up but by then the Hordes were leaving on the boats. I had to quit.
I really need to find out more about Pallanen's opponents. Also about how to bolster her strengths against them. Those stifling tricks need to be countered and I know there has to be some way to do it. Anyone stopping by please give me some insight. Pallanen (and her sisters) would appreciate it. :) |
| posted by Jen @ 7:40 AM |
|
|
|
|
|
| About Me |
|
Name: Jen
Home: Pennsylvania, United States
About Me: I started playing WoW after my best friend bugged me to play. I soon learned that I really liked it. Now 2 years later I still play and have 20 characters. LOL I am no gaming expert. I am no WoW expert. A lot of the terms and "how to do's" elude me still. But I love to play. All you will find here are the adventures of Pallanen and her sisters. I love them all and they really kick butt. So stay tuned and maybe we can learn stuff from each other that we never knew. xoxo
See my complete profile
|
| Previous Post |
|
| Archives |
|
|
| Links |
|
|
| Powered by |
 |
|
