Project Achievements: Westfall

I thought it would be a good idea to get some focus on my playtime. As such, I am picking out an achievement and working to complete it. It may be better if I spent the time to figure out what achievements can be done concurrently so I can get them done faster, however, I am prone to losing focus on things and I have hard time multitasking like that. So, one achievement at a time.

The first one I want to get done is the achievement for Quests. And since Tyrol was parked in Stormwind, I figured I should start there. At first I was just going to collect all the quests in Stormwind, but I started to realize that my quest log was going to get real full, real quick. So I ended up with a quest that took me to Westfall, and I am going to knock out all the quests there and move on.

Its interesting going back there. A lot of nostalgia for me in that area. I remember taking one of my first characters over there and doing a lot of questing. She was a Night Elf Priest named Inwe. I remember thinking how hard the zone was and how big it was! I also remember wasting a lot of time swimming from Westfall to Booty Bay for no reason. The world of Azeroth seemed so large and I wanted to see all of it, so off I went.

I may yet get sidetracked though. I have always wanted to Solo Onyxia and I have never gotten around to it. I take that back. I tried once on Solerian, but I failed miserably. Then again, that was around level 75. With five more levels and better gear on Tyrol, it should be easier. The reason for this though, is I read a post on Doofy The Paladin (here) that Blizzard might be doing something with Onyxia soon that would not allow me to solo her. So I am probably going to take a crack at her soon.

Aside from that minor detour, I should be able to stay on track. And I will probably do that once I have exhausted the Westfall quests. Wish me luck.

May the Light embrace you.

Making the right choice.

VS.

So now my account is active again (see my last post), and I am left with a decision. I can and will make time for only one character. That's it. The question is, which one? I have two that I can choose from at this point, Tyrol and Solerian. I really don't want to start from scratch and I want to keep playing as a paladin.

Anyway, comparing armory for the two of them it would seem that Tyrol is the obvious choice. However, I really like Solerian and I like the server (or at least I did when I quit, I can't imagine that its changed much at this point). I also think Solerian just looks cooler. But, Tyrol has more gear, more achievements, and a bit more money.

Then there are some things that are a little less important, like lore and cities. I actually really enjoy the Horde lore. They are painted as the bad guys a lot, but I think that on the whole, they are a group of races comprised of those who got the short end of the stick. The Blood Elves got screwed when Arthas came through. The Horde had been screwed by the Humans on many occasions. The Undead are victims of an incurable disease, and are ruthlessly hunted for it. The Trolls are the last survivors of their clan. And they have proven to be reliable and loyal to the Horde. The only ones who weren't screwed over were the Tauren. They just picked a side for the most part.

The Alliance doesn't seem to be as interesting from that perspective, although they are making the back story for the Dwarves pretty neat now.

Then there are the cities. The Horde has Orgrimmar, Undercity, and Silvermoon. I really like those places, they each have their charms. In contrast, the Alliance has Ironforge. That is the only place I like. Stormwind is ok, but I don't love it. I also tend to like the Horde areas in Northrend better. They pull me in and make me want to hang out there.

So I guess it really only comes down to those things. And its easier to get excited about playing if you are excited about what you are looking at and who you are going to be playing with. However, I am very proud of the progress I have made with Tyrol, and I would hate to throw that away. However, since Blizz has announced that they will be allowing faction swaps in the near future, I think it may be a good idea to ride it out with Tyrol and switch her over once it becomes available. In the meantime, I can work on cleaning up all the Alliance quests and doing the Alliance specific achievements. I would assume that they would carry over once the faction swap takes place.

So I guess there is only one thing to say.

FOR THE HORDE!!! (eventually)

The journey starts anew.

So I was playing hooky from work the other day to get some homework done and I found that I was having trouble concentrating on learning how to make loops in VB. So, being that nerd that I am, decided that I should reinstall the 8800GT I had laying around.

The story with that is, it used to be in my computer. I bought it as an upgrade from the integrated turd that cam with the motherboard. I was actually very pleased with it, especially since it was only like $99 bucks.

So one day I am sitting around typing up something and I was getting distracted by the really really loud sound coming from computer. It sounded like a Dirt Devil that was spinning a little too fast. So I messed around with the computer for a while and I noticed that the CPU fan was running really really hard. I then noticed that 8800GT was giving off tons of heat. I thought that maybe the heat generated by the video card was making the CPU hotter, which in turn made the CPU fan turn faster to try and cool down the baking piece of silicon under it.

So I pulled the card, and no difference. Then I thought "Well maybe I need to let this thing cool off for a few hours before drawing a conclusion." So I shut the whole thing down and probably watched a movie or Robot Chicken or something. I came back later, and the damn thing was still loud as hell. After lots and lots pondering and checking things, and searching forums, I somehow figured out that the problem was actually the CPU fan settings in BIOS. I changed those around and voila! Quiet computer.

However, at this point everything was nicely buttoned up and I couldn't be bothered with reinstalling the video card. Hell, I hadn't PLAYED a game for months, so what good would it do?

But it always bothered me that it was laying in a drawer when it really should have been in my computer. Which brings us back to Monday.

So there I am bored and I reinstall the card to kill some time. After a BIOS update and driver install, everything thing was working great. Except, it served no purpose. I had one game on my computer, Diablo 2. And really, anything now can run Diablo 2 like it was Minesweeper. So the video card is doing me no good at all. Unless....

Unless.... no. Well maybe. Hmmm.... well, World of Warcraft did run really well on that card. And, I wouldn't mind taking a trip down memory lane, I reasoned. So I reinstalled Warcraft and reactived my sub. I played for six hours on a level 23 (now 24) Night Elf Druid I had laying around. In that time I realized that I really couldn't play properly without my game pad installed. Everything felt... off.

So I dug out the old Saitek Cyborg Commander Pro and dusted it off. And of course the theme from Pirates of the Caribbean was playing in the background. You know the one where you first see Jack Sparrow? No? Well pretend its some epic theme music. Anyway, I dusted off the old game pad and gave it quick clean with a monitor wipe to get some of the crud off of it, and then plugged it into the PC. Its red glow immediately fired up. I had already downloaded the drivers and software, so within minutes I was ready to program.

I remembered more or less how it was setup before as well, so getting it programmed took about 10 minutes. I loaded my new profile and fired up Warcraft again to see how she felt. Night and day. Now it felt like I remember. Now it felt like it was supposed to. Movement was quick and fluid, hotkeys accessible, and I felt comfortable. And yet. I was still missing something.

Addons. When I quite there were about 20 different addons that I used. I needed them back. I had to dig them out of my memory though, and a lot has changed in a few months time. Some of them have stopped being maintained, others have been replaced by better things. My core addons were still there though. X-Perl, Dominoes, WIM, Carbonite Quest, Recount, Omen, Auctioneer, Reagent Restocker, and LightHeaded. That was enough to get me back in the game. I am sure I will remember more, and think of new ones, but those are the ones that I needed.

So graphics card installed, game installed, gamepad installed, and addons installed. I am back in the game. But this time it will be different. I will be playing on my Paladins, Tyrol and Solerian (I need to decide soon who to actually use, kinda torn). Same as before. But this time, I will not sit around and focus on catching up. I am going to do things that I want to do. There is so much the Blizzard has put in this game. Most of it will go unseen by most. And why? Phat lewt? Purples? Server firsts? I don't care about any of that. I want to see the game and experience as much of it as I can. I am not going to struggle to become good enough to start raiding and burn up all my free time trying to get there. I can easily do 5-mans as it is. But more importantly, I am a very good soloist. And that is what I will spend most of my time doing. Conquering the game on my own. Beholden to no ones demands or time tables or wants and needs other than my own.

One of the biggest time wasters I experienced in this game was getting a group together and getting everyone to the same place to get started. Of course, this usually means pugging. Very rarely did I have a full group of people that I knew doing Heroics with me. It would have been nice though. In any case, I am going to try and get as many achievements as possible. And I only plan on working on this when I am bored. If I start noticing that I am logging on the first thing when I get up in the morning, then I am going to have to rethink this whole thing. I refuse to get that caught up in a game again. But, $15 bucks a month to have a good way to blow off some steam or kill some time whenever I want to... seems like a good deal to me.

What have I done....

Its on. Again.

Hanging up my armor....

Well, as you can tell, I have not been posting much on here. Partly due to the fact that I have not had a subscription for quite some time (at least 2 months, probably longer, I just cant remember) and I really haven't played very much even before my sub ran out. I think I have just reached a point where I want to do more and achieve some personal goals as well as continue to keep my grades up in school. I also like spending more time with my daughter than more time grinding mobs. Not that I mind grinding mobs, but somethings are more important.

Oddly, I am still wrapped up in the lore quite a bit. I have the WoW comic book delivered to me every month, and I am considering picking up the Ashbringer graphic novel and the Lich King book. I have also started playing Diablo II again. Of course, that game is not demanding on time at all, and it can easily be played in chunks of time, or when you are bored. And right now, that is exactly what I need if I want to play a game.

In any case, I have started up a new blog called Work It Paleo. The idea is to try to chronical my endeavor to reach some level of fitness. The title may or may not be appropriate at this point though since I am not eating a strict Paleo diet. Anyway, if you are interested in continuing to follow me, come on over. Otherwise, thanks to all who read this blog and may you be happy and successful in your real and virtual lives.

Random post

Ok so it's three minutes before I get out off of work and I am bored to tears! Nothing paladin like going on here. Honestly, my sub has been dead for a while now. I know, its a sad thing. I haven't even played EVE for almost two weeks. I think I am at a point where I just need something fun as a distraction, like the upcoming Diablo game, or the little bouts of DOW2 I like to run.

I should probably install COD4 too. I know its old, but I would like to give it a try on the computer rather than playing it on the PS3. Something about FPS games with a controller is.... unnatural!

Anyway, I have been busy with school. I am actually doing really well this quarter as opposed to my horrible Autumn quarter and mediocre Winter quarter. I don't think it was a WoW issue though, so don't think that is where I am heading.

Well that is it for now! Three minutes are up!

School and Distractions

So you may have noticed my blog has been slipping. I blame this squarely on two things:

1) School - It has to be done and has been really really time consuming for the last few weeks. I did manage to finish the website project. You are welcome to check it out at IAmPaladin.com. Its is nothing impressive, and the info is stuff that most of you know. Some of it is a bit off too and needs tweaking/clarification. It also needs to be prettied up a good bit.

I would say though, that for my first actual website, its not completely and utterly horrible :P At least everything seems to work!

2) Other Games - so what have I been doing when not working, going to school, or taking care of the cutest baby ever (ok maybe I am a little biased on that one :P)? I have been playing either Street Fighter 4, Dawn of War 2, or EVE Online.

Street Fighter 4 is just awesome! My Ken is pretty good. They made Zangief usable by the masses (awesome!), and C. Viper is awesome! I like the game bunches and the online play is really fun and easy to get into.

Dawn of War 2 is okay. It is very very fast paced and its really not about building up your base and getting resources. Its about combat and managing your units. To me, that is what RTS games SHOULD be about, not "Look at how cool my buildings are!" So in that respect, DoW2 is great!

The voice acting is really good too, especially the Orks. They crack me up all the time and are my favorite race to play, although I think that I may actually be more effective with the Tyranids.

What the game doesn't do very well, in my opinion, is help you control your troops. For being based around unit management, it doesn't do much to help you manage your units and move from group to group quickly. Either that or I am missing something. If they did include tools to make unit management faster and easier, they certainly don't make it obvious and they do not explain it. It is still fun though!

Lastly is EVE Online. GASP! Okay okay... close your mouths already. I just installed it today. The last two times I tried playing this game I got bored quickly within a month. Then again, I was over whelmed when the first time around. There were really no tutorials in the beginning and the learning curve was really really really steep.

Second time around was winter of 2007. The learning curve was still steep, but only really really instead of really really really. The difference was an enhanced tutorial system. I was very excited about the game the second time around, but that is about when all my friends and my brother were firing up WoW again, and I couldn't resist. So I dumped EVE for WoW and hadn't looked back up to now.

So what is different now? I don't know. I really never got to play the game much and I have always had a thing for space. I also found that I have had more fun in WoW playing the auction house and exploring old dungeons I have never seen. Sounds a lot like what I imagine I would be doing in EVE; buying, selling, and flying around space, with a little combat thrown in for good measure.

I don't think I will be canceling my WoW sub quit yet, but I will give EVE a good shakedown. I think I should give it at least three months of play time due to the ramp up time in EVE.

So we will see what happens. I think there is a good chance I will be bored out of my skull, but I hope I am pleasantly surprised.

And school is also out til the 30th... WOO HOO!!!!

Just for Fun

Epic!

Where is the damned loop!?

Yeah, I am out of the loop for sure..... apparently there are a bunch of pally changes coming down the pipe. Perhaps I will find some time tomorrow to research and elaborate.

Of course, lately I haven't even had time to play! Damned school and work.... *grumble grumble*. I would like to squeeze a little playtime in this weekend so I can do the Lunar Fest achievements. They only come once a year after all.....

New Spell On The Block

Paladins rejoice! After nearly 5 years since the release of World of Warcraft, we finally get a pulling tool. One that isn’t our face. Yes indeed, Hand of Reckoning is here. There is no question that this is going to change the way that we play. Flying mobs will no longer be the bane of our existence, warlocks and mages will no longer beat us to tagging a kill, and we won’t HAVE to dump a bunch of mana with either Holy Shock or Avenger’s Shield. Really, it’s a buff for everyone involved. Some specs more then others though. Let’s take a look.

Holy:

Yeah, the new Hand spell is super cheap to throw out, but Holy Shock is still very mana efficient considering the amount of damage that it does. And let’s face it, if you are trying to get a mobs attention, you are probably trying to kill it anyway. So front loading a lot of the damage before it gets near you is always a good thing.

The only thing that Holy Shock lacks is range. At 20 yards max, it can get you a little too close to the action sometimes. As such, you should keep Hand of Reckoning on your toolbar.

Verdict: The new spell is useful, but the old standby of Holy Shock will see more use.

Protection:

This is a HUGE deal for prot paladins. Hand of Reckoning is more then just a pulling tool; it’s a single target taunt AND a single target pull. Of the four classes capable of tanking, Paladins have been the only ones that have lacked both.

Granted there has always been Avenger’s Shield, but using that can risk hitting up to three targets when you just want one. And when you need to grab a mob from your off-tank, usually you don’t want to snag three with Righteous Defense. Granted, paladins are great at multi target tanking, but sometimes one more is just too many.

Verdict: Best thing to happen since sliced bread and plate armor.

Retribution:

Before this change, ret paladins had only Judgement to pull with. At a mere 10 yard range, you might as well have head butted the mob to get their attention. Especially considering that most mobs seem to have an aggro radius a good bit larger then 10 yards.

Ret paladins have been left with either dynamite or boomerangs for pulling. Neither one is a good option. Most ret paladins have adjusted to this limitation and have had to learn to analyze a situation very closely before going in. This is not a bad thing, but when your target is 70 feet in the air, no amount of planning is going to bring it down.

Really, the biggest challenge for veteran ret paladins will be remembering that Hand of Reckoning exists.

Verdict: The toolkit is now complete, putting them on par with every other class and spec in the game… if they remember to use it.

With your powers combined.....

I am Captain Website! Oh hai! Yeah so really the things that are combining here are going to be school and WoW.

Yeaiknowrite!

I am taking a class right now called Writing for the Web. The final project is to create a website with 5 pages. The content is entirely up to the student, and it can be about anything. The instructor would prefer that you are excited about whatever you make your website on.

I said "So I could make a website about Paladins in World of Warcraft?"

"Yes."

"Oh ok, I will think of something else.... HEY! You said yes!"

"Yeah that is fine. I just hope this game has enough to write 5 pages of web content on. If you have trouble with that, let me know early so you can change your project."

"I think I can manage."

So guess what? I am going to do my take on a Paladin-centric website. Most likely leaning heavy toward ret. I know there are plenty of websites that will cover this stuff already, but I have a few of my own ideas for it. This should be a freakin' blast! And I can play WoW and claim that I am doing research! Double win!

What happened to my DK?

I will tell you.... there are too F@%#ING many of them! And its not because its the Flavor of the Month class. Its because they are kinda awesome! I can guarantee that there will be tons and tons of DKs well into the next expansion. So, I don't see a need for another one. And right now, I have my hands full with my two pallys, so maybe I will work on Amadis later. For now, he can look cool at the character select screen.

You must have control!

It's about time I made the post on my control setup. Euripides @ CriticalQQ has posted on how he does things with his mage. My original inspiration for this post came Ferraro @ Paladin Schmaladin, which kinda covers all pallies. So I figure I should get my post out there.

This setup is really geared toward ret paladins. Although, it is easily swapped around for holy or prot with minimal movement of the main hotkeys. Also, my Dominoes setup is made to closely mimic the layout of my keypad. I am a visual person, so it helps me remember where things are.

My setup differs from a lot people in that I use a peripheral pad (the Saitek Cyborg/Pro Gamer Command Unit) to do almost everything. The one pictured above is what I use, well pretty close anyway. Mine is the Cyborg version with a different color scheme, but that is irrelevant. I also make use of a Logitech G5 mouse and a Logitech G11 keyboard. The mouse, I don't think I could do without it. The keyboard, well my bro gave it to me because I needed a keyboard, and he had this laying around. As long as the damned thing types, I could care less what keyboard I have.

So lets look at the main part of my control scheme, the Saitek Command Unit. I have this thing mentally broken down into sections:

-Top Row: This is where I put buttons that I need to hit quickly, but not often. Left to Right is Arcane Torrent/GoTN, Divine Plea, Trinket, Repentance
-Second Row: This is the workhorse row. The things I need to hit fast and often are here. L to R is CS, Judgement, DS, HoW
-Third Row: Easier to reach then the top row, so I put a lot of spells on here that are used almost as much as the second row. L to R is HoJ, Seal of Choice, Consecrate, Exorcism
-Fourth Row: This row is a little tricky to reach, so stuff that gets used on occasion goes here. L to R is Turn Evil, Reserved for Hand of Reckoning, Holy Wrath
-Palm: Easy to smash when things get hairy. Lay on Hands.
-Left Vertical Row: The top "button" isn't a button. Its a switch to change the key layout. I leave mine on Red (top position). Down from there is Jump, Vent, Divine Shield
-Thumb Area: I use the hat for movement. Top button is Flash of Light, bottom is Wings/Trinket Macro

So that is the Saitek. Next is the mouse. The only thing special here are the center mouse button for HoF, page forward button for Cleanse, and page back button for auto-run.

I had tried the Belkin N52Ti right after my first Saitek wore out last month. I couldn't get used to it. It looks comfy, but in practice the giant hump is really limiting. The D-Pad, with or without the stick attachment, is too stiff, which makes it distracting. The scroll wheel is pretty useless since I can't think of a reason why you need one on the pad when there will be one on most mice. Really, the most positive part of the Belkin pad is that short throw keys, which would be awesome on the Saitek. Also the interface is a little nicer for setting up key binds on the Belkin. However, the Saitek one isn't too bad either, you just have to take the time figure it out. The Saitek programming software is also a lot better at setting up combo keys like CTRL+1 and macros (which are kinda useless in WoW, in my opinion).

All in all, I think the Saitek is awesome, and its fairly cheap compared to the competition. And there you have it, my control setup and a bonus review. Enjoy!

She's back........

[Ghostcrawler]
"Ghostcrawler, Real Name, No Gimmicks..."

[Record Scratches]

[Beat Changes]



Two cat form druids go round the outside, round the outside, round the outside.
Two cat form druids go round the outside, round the outside, round the outside.

[Kikidas]
Wooo!

[Female Voice]
"Ooooohhhhh!"

[Kikidas]

Guess who's back, back again
K is back, tell a friend
Guess who's back, guess who's back,
guess who's back, guess who's back,
guess who's back, guess who's back,
guess who's back...


I've created a monsta, 'cause nobody wants to
See Kvasira no more, they want Kikidas,
I'm a DOT giver.
Well, if you want Kiki, this is what I'll give ye
A little bit of DD, maybe Shadow Cleave
Some Siphon Life you gonna die quicker
Then a shock when I get Holy Shocked at the boss
By the Pally when I'm not cooperating
When I'm rockin' the aggro table while I’m DPSing "Hey!"
You see what’s going on I’m Immolating
'Cause I'm back, Hey that DKs Desecrating!
I know that you got a job Mr. Tanky
But your threat’s not the problem keep Consecrating
So the D-E-Vs won't let me be,
Or let me be me so let me see
They tried to shut me down in WSG
But it feels so empty without me.
So come on Imp, do your Phase Shift
Back flip
Use your wit and I’ll cackle a bit,
And get ready 'cause this shits about to get heavy
I just popped all my trinkets, "Fuck you Skadi!"

Chorus:
Now this looks like a job for me
So everybody just follow me
'Cause we need a little warlocky,
'Cause it feels so empty without me
I said this looks like a job for me
So everybody just follow me
'Cause we need a little warlocky,
'Cause it feels so empty without me


Little hellions, mobs feelin' rebellious
Embarrassed, their hit points won’t get’em through this
They start feelin' like critters, helpless,
'Then someone comes along on a Dreadsteed and yells "BITCH!"
A Demonologist, Succubi are sexy, she started Seducing,
Now try all that Retribution
Here’s a Shadowbolt,
Your gonna feel a jolt and a little harassed,
As a matter of fact, a Death Coil is coming after your ass
And your gonna die faster, I’m speccing Affliction tree
Gonna snag Contagion then Eradication, and what about Improved Curse of Agony?
Well I'm back (Da Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) fix your busted gear
Now look out cause I’m about to Haunt and Fear
My way to HKs, it's so easy I need a beer
To wash down the taste of your QQ tears
I'm speculating, contemplating respeccing
Unstable Affliction might be good for questing
"Testing: Fel Vitality!?"
I have no apprehension cause I got Suppresion
Looks like the Rogue is gonna hide from me,
But that’s ok, I just Banished his Tree

(Chorus)

Verse 3:
A DOT here, a Curse there,
I gotta prepare cause here comes a Bear, is that a Druid with hair?
Oh crap! My Hunter dropped a Flare and there’s a Rogue hiding behind that chair
Thinking I don’t know where, lets see how he likes Howl of Terror,
And Moorabi?, roflpwns are my hobby,
You’re a translucent wooly mammoth who’s a little snobby
You don't stand a chance in this land of cold
Let go, it's over, just give us your gold!
Now let's go, just give me a portal
And I got a Soul Stone, I’m practically immortal
I been ignored, hanging out here in the Howling Fjord
And now Prince Arthas is out of his gourd
But looky here, I’m on the loading screen
Everybody only wants to DPS
But I specialize in dealing death
But it's just me I'm just obscene
Though I'm not the first queen of warlockery
I am the worst thing since jabberwocky,
To do fel magic so selfishly
And use it to get myself wealthy! (Hey!)
There's a concept that works
20 million Death Knights have emerged
But no matta how many DKs are in LFG
It'll be so empty without me

Level 80: Planning

Ok, well once I figure out what is going on with my digital camera, I am going to do a post on my control setup. Inspiration for that is courtesy Ferraro. For now though, I am going to put out some thoughts on pre-raid planning for my ret pally, Tyrol. Yeah my boy needs some attention. I haven't logged on to him to actually play for weeks! Solerian has been getting a lot of my time. In any case, I will level Solerian some more, but I would like to make a little progress on my OG pally. I mean hell he is already 80!

Time for me is starting to come at a bit of a premium. I have a lot to do, and not nearly enough time to do it. From my baby girl, to school, to work, to friends, to WoW, there is just too much to do. To make matters worse, it would seem that there are about as many things to do in WoW. Rep, professions, gear, and earning some money would be enough. And then there are achievements to boot! And to me, it can get overwhelming, especially since I have a habit of flying by the seat of my pants. So, I need a plan. And that is something I can do outside the game. So first things first. I need to prioritize:

-Gear up for Heroics
-Gear up for PVP
-Level up my Enchanting to at least 410
-Drop engineering, decide on a new secondary profession, level accordingly to a minimum of 410

So from there, I know the first thing I am going to look at is my PvE gear. My PvE gear is pretty sad right now. I sport low crit, high hit, and no expertise. So what are we aiming for?

-As much Strength as possible
-Hit rating needs to be at 230 approx (woot for Heroic Presence!)
-Expertise rating needs to be at 214 approx
-Crit should be in the mid 20% range at least. Obviously the more crit the better, but it has to be balanced
-Armor Penetration and Haste are going to be ignored for now, avoided even. Per Elitist Jerks, they don't do much for us anyway, and I feel that it would be wasted item budget at this stage of the game

So with that in mind, lets find some easy upgrades for my current equipment. Keep in mind, this gear is going to try to avoid any heroic Dungeon or Raid.

Head: None at the Moment
Neck: The Severed Noose of Westwind - Icecrown Quest Chain
Shoulder: Spaulders of the Giant Lords - Sons of Hodir Revered
Back: Cloak of Bloodied Waters - BoE Drop (hopefully I can spot it in the AH)
Chest: Whalebone Carapace - The Kalu'ak
Wrist: Vengeance Bindings - BS Crafted
Hand: Astrid's Riding Gloves - Storm Peaks Quest Chain
Waist: None at the moment
Legs: Cold-Blood Legplates - Storm Peaks Quest Chain
Feet: Death-Inured Sabatons - Knights of the Ebon Blade Exalted
Ring: Ring of Scarlet Shadows - JC Crafted
Ring: None at the Moment
Trinket: Crusader's Locket - In the bank I think
Trinket: Not Sure
Weapon: Runeblade of Demonstrable Power - Knights of the Ebon Blade Revered
Libram: None at the Moment

Next post, we will look at enchants, gems, and armor kits for this gear.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!!

So I have been kinda busy, and kinda not. I have got absolutely nowhere with my new post-op Draenei pally, Tyrol. There are two reasons for this.

1) My Horde pally, Solerian
2) Crappy Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit

So I have been working on my Horde paladin a lot as of late. I have a good guild and I have meet some cool people on Azjol (talking to you Clael, Priestzorz, and Tenderyara). I have been getting a lot of encouragement from them to keep leveling up, and they really need to a Ret paladin to fill groups out (my how the tables have turned). As it turns out, I am pretty good at DPS. So yeah, there is a huge timesink. I am only 75 too, so there is a bit more leveling that needs to be done.

However, I had planned on spending a few days working on Tyrol to try and get the rep grind started with the Sons of Hodir, and to work on my Wyrmrest faction. I wanted to get moving into Heroics as well. I also wanted to get the Merrymaker title, which would have involved a little time.

As it turns out though, my Saitek pad had taken a crap just as i was going to start working on Tyrol. I tried to use my brothers Belkin N52TE, but it was awkward. I have been using the Saitek for over a year and it worked well, right until the analog stick decided to die. So I had to find one (which I was able to find a new one on Amazon) and then I had to wait for it to come in.

Now that I have a new one, I can comfortably play again. I know, I know, I shouldn't need a peripheral game pad to play WoW. The keyboard should be enough. But the Saitek is what I use, and I love it. I can't stand the keyboard anymore for WoW. I tried at the request of Clael, but it just wasn't working.

Of course, my vacation is over so I am back to work. School is also starting back up Monday. So this is going to leave me a lot less time to play. Especially since I will actually have to pay attention for this set of classes. I have also started exercising a bit too. I have resolved to lose at least 20 lbs by the end of the year as well as get in better cardiovascular condition. So, that means less WoW.

On the upside, that should help prevent the dreaded WoW burnout since I won't have time to play as much.

For the next post, I think I am going to look into adding *gasp* content to my blog! So maybe something about Ret DPS. I have no idea what to discuss that hasn't been touched on yet, but I will think of something.