So this evening started with a domestic, as all excellent evenings do.
Him: “I’m going to bed now, do you need anything before I go?”
Me: “nope, night!”
Ten mins later… (I’m too lazy to go upstairs by the way)
Him: admits defeat, stomping into the study… “you’re like a noob again, it’s like you’ve never even played the game before! *click click click*
Wait, why have you got 8 unspent artifact traits? *click click click*
Why haven’t you done this class order quest for your followers?! Where’s your forge?”
Me: “Wut?”
Him: “Goddamnit, the game has shown this all to you!!!”
Me:
Anyway, in the end he sorts me out with strict instructions to do stuff he has given me and trundles off to bed. I spend the rest of my time killing stuff for the extra followers and then… THEN I visited the murlocs! Me and my pal, Murky, had a great time.
He’s just been levelling by the way. He’s boring. He’s 104 now, razzing through content on the Shaman.
I’m going to shush now because I still have a blog challenge to write and it’s getting late.
We were very kindly donated a guest pass for Wildstar by @McMonkeyz and have spent the last day or so fumbling around finding our bearings.
Unfortunately, Mr B’s computer is so old it won’t run the programme, so we have both been sharing the one account and so far, I have got the most play time. So, here are my first impressions, in all their glory.
I’m currently level 5. I’m playing on Archon EU server and I picked a female Esper Explorer who is of the Exile faction. I literally have no idea what any of that means, but here she is anyway:
Although it’s me, I’m going to write in black type, as pink is hard to read in paragraphs.
Now, I am only level 5 so whatever I say is VERY ill-informed, but I’m going to give you my first impressions. I’ll interject – might write my own post later on. It’ll be interesting to see if these change as I (we!) progress over the next week.
Pros
I liked all the information given on the character creation screen – it was good reading a little of the history etc
The character models are all quite fun – rock giants and bunny ears. I like how my Esper moves – skipping rather than walking. Makes me smile.
Seeing the creation of your character was pretty cool.The voices of the NPCs were also entertaining.
Even though I didn’t really like the starting area, the place looked very good and where to pick up starter quests was clearly marked. Although it was confusing as it is quite large, I did like that it was on different levels – the challenge was appreciated.
The minimap is also used really well.
The spell effects are good – very graphic heavy which my computer struggles with though.
The world that I’ve seen so far is lovely.
Lots of lore available through exploration which I think is a great for those who are inclined.
Cons
No customisable features that we could see – did we miss it?
Explorer, Engineer – what are they all about? You are asked to pick one at creation without knowing anything about them other than the description which doesn’t tell you much
Although character models are fun, the women are still epitomising “fantasy” with massive boobs, small waist and a sashay when they move. I refused to play ESO because of the stupid passive wiggle of the women models. This is boarderline, especially as all the gear I’ve seen so far is short shorts and boob tubes.Ick.I like the boobs…
The starting zone: I didn’t understand the two different indications on the minimap at first – an orange arrow, a white arrow and the quest arrow was a bit… crazy. Quests were unimaginative (although necessary I suppose).
Pressing F to interact is horrible. As is using 1,2,3 and R for abilities. I’m assuming I can change this, will look into it.
I’m not sure I like how the mobs abilities are shown – as a red moving box on the floor. It’s very clear, but it clutters the screen. A bar underneath their name is fine.
So much lag. Have turned down the settings to lowest and it now looks awful but doesn’t solve the problem.Don’t have this much with Warcraft, Diablo, RIFT or Minecraft – so it goes down as a bad point.
Feels like they’ve copied the combat system of Diablo and other elements from WoW. My first and only impression as I only played for half an hour before work.
Overall, I’ve got to say that I’m so far not enamoured. I would probably buy it as a one off, but I certainly wouldn’t subscribe monthly… from what I’ve seen so far anyway. It’s just not unique enough. However, I am going to persevere and I’ll post again at the end of the week trial.
You can read the first part of our adventure here.
So, last time I blogged about this I’d just started tanking and had successfully managed Deadmines and a couple of other lowbie fungeons. We are only playing the rested on these characters, as we’re both levelling other alts separately, so today we dinged 45.
Since this is halfway to 90, I thought I’d commemorate this with a picture and a blog update:
That’s me, on the right!
As a tank, you experience a weird kind of rush… it’s you who is in charge of not killing the whole group, but also for leading around the dungeon and setting the pace. I actually find it, although exhilarating, really stressful. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot of fun and I’m loving the challenge. However, without Mr B there, I wouldn’t be able to do it as he is the one who tells me which way to go.
One thing I am struggling with though, is other people not being good players. Before y’all give me a lecture, I know this is WoW and I know it’ll always happen, but I totally appreciate how horrendous it is for new players to the game.
How to help a noob tank like me
Let me set the pace – if someone keeps pulling (hunters, I’m looking at you!) and I have to keep trying to get the aggro, it causes me stress and then I make mistakes. This just slows us all down in the long run. I will also let you tank for the rest of the dungeon. #justsaying
If I go the wrong way, it’s by mistake, I promise. Instead of saying: “wtf this way ffs”, try saying something like: “hey, it’s this way :)”. I will respond a lot better and probably not go the wrong way on purpose next time just to annoy you.
If I stop to loot a quest item, that doesn’t give you free reign to pull the next pack of mobs.
Warriors have no speed boosts at this level. This means you may have to wait around. Deal with it.
Calling me “tank” will not get a favourable response. Ever.
I do not play WoW to power level and skip content. Likewise, I don’t run dungeons to maximise my xp/hr. If you’re not happy in the group, do us all a favour and just leave without the drama. Kkthxbai.
So, this weekend was a pretty important turning of a corner in my WoW ‘career’, as it was the first time I tanked a dungeon.
I’ve always admired people who can tank – not only protecting the players, but usually leading the raid and soothing frayed nerves all at the same time. Mr B tanks an awful lot (although never LFR!!) so I’ve never really felt the need to learn.
However, I have only one class left to level and this was a warrior. I had tried Arms before and got really bored (rage issues, the same reason I stopped playing rogue as I couldn’t get the hang of energy), so I thought I’d give myself a new challenge and learn to tank.
Yes, I totally mogged the heirloom shield…!
Mr B is levelling a Priest at the same time and with his healing, I knew I wouldn’t be in too much trouble if I made a stupid mistake. So, calling upon his 7 years of expertise, I asked for some advice…
Mr B’s tanking 101
Hit stuff
Kill stuff
Don’t die
… great.
So off I went, knowing I had to maintain a certain amount of aggro so people didn’t rage at me and/or die a lot. Surprisingly, it went really well. Apparently, I probably could have gone a tiny bit quicker (although no one complained), but I don’t get an AoE threat move until level 20, so I played it safe.
Anyway, we had a go the next day, where I tanked Shadowfang Keep, and I had lots of fun with Thunderclap… it makes chain pulling a LOT easier so we were able to go much quicker. My confidence has definitely grown. It’s also made me much more sympathetic towards new players or people learning a new role…. it’s HARD! I ignored so many /g and /w those 2 hours as I couldn’t concentrate on both.
If you take one thing away from reading this post, please be kind to us nooby tanks – we are trying hard to remember the way, keep you from dying AND learning the class! :p
This week I decided that even though I was enjoying my new DK alt in WoW, that I’d like to try a new game out. One that was suggested several times was a game called RIFT. Several people have described it to me as “fake WoW”, so I figured that at least I have a good chance!I didn’t want to miss out the fun, so I downloaded it too.
First Impressions
I watched the opening trailer:
…and first impressions were pretty good. It seemed like the type of thing I’m into (lots of fantasy, MMO, questing etc) and the graphics, for a F2P seemed really nice. So, we decided to give it a go.
I get onto the character screen to create my first toon on a medium pop PvE server (I don’t like WoW PvP, I don’t see how this would be any different!), and I’m faced with a decision straight away: which faction to choose. I am unashamed to say that I chose Guardian purely based on the fact the other one looked like the Horde symbol. I just did as I was told! Then… Elf, Dwarf or Human. Well, as cool as Dwarves are, the Elf looked really beautiful so I chose a female. And I a male.
I wanted the same race/server as we don’t know if different races start together, so this is why we chose Gelidra and the High Elves.
Creating a Character
We haven’t read a single thing about the lore or the background to this game, so I pick a class that I am most familiar with – a Mage (there was Warrior, Cleric or Rogue as well). I chose a Warrior Destroyer… because it looks cool. However, you must then further specialise… you can be a healer, tank or damage Mage, depending on what you wish to do. I didn’t want to heal, as the tool tip says that it “takes longer to solo mobs”. I thought this would be silly seeing as I doubt I’ll be grouping with lots of people just yet – I wanted a class that could hold its own as I learn the game. In the end, I chose the Pyromentalist, it seemed the most logical at least!
Customisation
This was a really fun experience. In WoW, you get hair style and colour, face shape, accessories (ear/nose rings/tattoos) and skin colour. In RIFT, you also get make-up tones, mouth and nose size/shape, highlights, eye colour… many more options to explore! It also gave you a preview of gear at different levels which was pretty cool.
Here they are, as new level one’s in the starting area.
The first five levels
Level 1 and 2 were pretty easy… moving is the same as WoW (W,A,D) and you right click to interact with quest givers. The storyline is pretty linear too – one quest leads to another etc. I found it really quite simple to level those first couple of levels. It’s a bit weird using 1 and 2 for main abilities (when I’ve always used Q, E etc) but as we’re grouping together, the mobs die quickly anyway. I also realised at around level 5 that I have an Elemental pet – similar to a Warlock voidwalker. Pretty handy!
Levels 3,4,5 were more complex purely as the mobs became hostile and started attacking you. The world was also pretty cool to explore, even if the quest givers tend to change places from where you picked the quest up from – rather confusing.
I was a bit overawed by the amount of abilities you get as a level one – a lot to get your head around. Each class seemed to have abilities from the other. Like in WoW a fire mage using arcane missiles, it seems a bit bizarre. The ‘soul tree’ (talents) seems complex too, we just opted for the automatic fill-in feature for now.
I also changed our key bindings, she was getting confused using 1 and 2 for abilities usually on Q and E….
Beyond level 5
We only got to level 10 in our first sitting, although I think that was a valiant attempt. We stopped here as I wanted to try a different class.We tried duelling a few times and I could barely touch her before I died, I couldn’t be having that! It started to get a bit complicated with things that needed research – what do the Porticulis do? Why are people in my party if I didn’t invite/accept them? Why is there a quest which is completing without me doing anything?
The World
From what we can gather, the world is interactive with quests that you can complete as part of a team – you turn up, complete the objectives and get a reward. I’ve had one experience of this (completely accidentally), but it seems like a cool concept. We killed some big firey dude and I got some rocks as a reward. I didn’t get anything though…
So far, we haven’t explored much out than the starting town and its relevant quests. However, I did get chance at the end to stumble through a large part of the map into new questing hubs further into the zone, in what looks like a college. I’m sure we’re not doing them in a logical order, but we’re gaining xp… We also got our first taste of the ‘dimensions’ – player housing we think. Not entirely sure what it’s for, but I put a bush down and it looked like home!
Heading forward
I’m quite looking forward to continuing this adventure! It’s fun exploring a new world and learning something new. Here we are at level 10…
Hand the key in to Taoshi in the cave at 51,46 to gain access
Loot chests to have a chance at things like Elder Charms, Rep tokens and Burial Trove Keys (for extra chests at the end)
As far as we’re concerned, this scenario is good for two things: getting as much gold and charms as possible, or for getting to the last room to loot the golden treasure chests.
1. Final Room run
Pros: hi-tailing it to the final room and killing the boss there gets you access to 3 special chests which contain a chance at better loot.
Cons: there’s only a chance at the better loot – it doesn’t always pay off. You also miss out on loads of chests which contain the goodies along the way. However, if you get there quick, you can always double back and loot some in the time you have remaining.
Extras used: Potion of Light Steps (1 Elder Charm, requires Friendly with Kirin Tor Offensive), 3 Polymorphic Keys (3 charms each, requires Exalted with Kirin Tor Offensive).
Our view: It’s not worth it, we prefer the gold and rep tokens (on our mains) or the charms (on our alts). However, we’ve put together a video for you to see the route and where I used the potions and keys.
2. Loot run
Pros: lots of goodies
Cons: we never have enough time to get to the final boss and/or get caught by the traps a lot causing me to slow down
Extras used: none
Our view: Go for it! We tend to circle around the room looting every chest possible using speed boosts. We’ve uploaded a video – mistakes and all – to show how much we got and the loot.
I am sick and tired of being taken to a graveyard then having no idea how to get back to my body. Specifically: entrances to dungeons.
I am not totally thick, I know you follow the arrow on the map, but usually THE ARROW DOESN’T CARE IF THERE’S A WALL IN THE WAY. More often than not, a nice guild mate has ran back in, found his body, cooked a 5 course meal, and cast mas res before I have managed to figure out where the entrance to the dungeon is. Rather embarassing in LFR, if I’m being honest.
This then brings me to the small issue of totally inappropriately placed graveyards – what is all THAT about? Take, for example, the graveyard near the place you do Cloud Serpent dailies. Now, remember I’m a noob still and can’t survive if I get attacked by more than a couple of mobs. I die a LOT whilst doing these dailies and the graveyard for the CS ones is on top of a blimmin’ massive hill, on an island. In order to reach your body, one must drop off the hill, walk across the water (perfectly miraculous!), up the tiny path hidden half way round the continent which takes half an hour to get to, then locate your body and res without aggroing any of the numerous mobs. Impossible – which of course lands you back in the same position as 5 minutes ago when you first died.
I have come to the conclusion that there should be signposts. Genius, I know.
I don’t remember much from my first dabble in World of Warcraft – mainly rolling a character and not understanding what I had to do. Mr B started me off and told me to follow the quest guide. I think I got to about level 4 before I decided I was dying too much and it wasn’t fun. I promptly quit and decided I couldn’t be bothered.
My second go was more successful. Mr B works nights, and during a holiday at work, I decided I wanted to give it a go whilst I had some free time, to see what all the fuss was about. I tried again, and with a lot of help, managed to get to about level 10. The rest was history!
Mr B ~
My first try was unsuccessful too. I rolled a warlock, got to level 4 and came across a quest mob next to a rare. I kept trying – over and over – to kill it. After an hour of wiping I couldn’t understand why I kept dying and quit. Uninstalled the game. The lot.
After a couple of weeks I decided to give it another go. Did a lot of reading, rolled a Tauren Hunter named Kwame. I deleted that at level 15 then started a Rogue. I’ve still got that rogue now 🙂
As a new player, I have been totally overawed by some of the beautiful places in Azeroth. I’m a complete tourist, and if I find something I like, I take a screenshot. So, I thought I’d share one with you now:
Burning Steppes, Sunday 27th Jan 2013
Who needs to go out when you have vistas as pretty as this? Only joking, I know we all have lives outside WoW… *ahem*
Are there any places you find particularly beautiful?
One of the most confusing things in WoW, in my humble opinion, is definitely finding your way around. How do you know where everything is? How do you get there? Knowing is a skill. No, an art.
First, really important things you need to know about the different continents:
Eastern Kingdoms
Looks like the UK
Hosts lots of major cities which high level players hang around in looking important
Starting areas for humans, dwarves (grisly little brutes), gnomes (small, so small!), blood elves (weird pointy ears), undead (says it all), worgen (funny walking dogs)
Northrend
Take a jumper, it’s blimmin’ freezing
Looks like Australia and is home to Dalaran
Has some good hunter pets – if you can be bothered waiting
Kalimdor
Horde are everywhere
Bad to get to if you get seasick
Starting areas for orcs (ugly!!), trolls (see previous), tauren (cow-like creatures which have tusks… what’s all that about??), night elves (Mr B has a thing for these little yummies), draenei (yeah, the feet ARE weird!), goblins (look like someone has projectile vomited over them, poor things)
HORDE ARE EVERYWHERE!
Pandaria
Uh, PANDAS!
Maelstrom
It’s the big swirly thing in the middle…
Outland
Has some really pretty places to visit if you’re having a touristy day out (Nagrand, Zangarmarsh, Netherstorm)
Shattrath is here
Nightmare to get to from Eastern Kingdoms
Now you know the important stuff, let me go into some of the particularities. Bear in mind I play Alliance so this may not help you Hoardies much 😉
Eastern Kingdoms – Vashj’ir (watery place) / Uldum (desert-y place)/ Hyjal (got a big tree and loads of burning stuff) / Pandaland / Tol Barad (lots of horde) / Twilight Highlands (high level stuff) / Deepholm (in the big swirly thing): go to Stormwind and take the portals out the back of Dwarven District. Hopefully, knowing this now will save you lots of running around later!
Stormwind – Ironforge. You KNOW you want to take the tram! Pick it up from the Deep Run Tram place in IF or from Dwarven District (co-ords 66,34). If you’re boring, fly from the flight master.
If you want to go to Isle of Quel’Danas, unless you’re closer, go to Ironforge and fly from there. It portals you and saves you a looooong flight. Wish I’d known that when I was farming Magisters Terrace….
Eastern Kingdoms – Dalaran: go to the docks in Stormwind and get the boat from the harbour… I’m sure there’s probably a way to tell which dock is for which boat…
Eastern Kingdoms – Kalimdor: depending if you want to go north or south: either get the boat to Darnassus then fly, or take the Uldum portal from Stormwind. Or, get the boat or a mage to portal you to Theramore.
Eastern Kingdoms – Outland (Shattrath): take the Dark Portal. Go to Stormwind, find the Mage Tower (yeah, that took me about an hour too!), take the portal. Enter Blasted Lands, go through the Dark Portal (straight in front of you). Hope you don’t get ganked. Voilà.
Eastern Kingdoms – Pandaria: Portal at the place in Stormwind (or take the gunship in the air if you haven’t been before). At the major city in Pandaland (Shrine of the Seven Stars) there is a similar portal room to all the major Alliance cities. Worth considering setting your hearthstone here at 90 for that reason.
Of course, you could always befriend (or pay) a Mage to portal you to the main cities of Stormwind, Ironforge, Darnassus, Exodar, Theramore, Shattrath, Dalaran, Tol Barad, Vale of Eternal Blossoms. Oops, maybe I should have said that first…
Boats… blergh.
REMEMBER: you have a hearthstone. Save it to your current most-used location and save yourself loads of time flying / running around.
Good luck in your adventures – if all else fails, at least you’ll give Dora the Explorer a run for her money!
Anyway, in the end he sorts me out with strict instructions to do stuff he has given me and trundles off to bed. I spend the rest of my time killing stuff for the extra followers and then… THEN I visited the murlocs! Me and my pal, Murky, had a great time. 
Mr and Mrs WoW 