Late to my own blogs birthday ftw! 6 May 2011 10:34 AM (13 years ago)
I've not done much in Patch 4.1 so I was bored this afternoon and while thinking of ideas for a post I decided to take a look through some of my oldest blog entries when I stumbled across my first post. After reading through my eyes fell onto the date it was published - 28/11/2010. Which makes Slash Two more than a year old...I talk about getting to 'parties' late but this one takes the piss!
But yeah, it's been an interesting one year of blogging. I've read some fantastic blogs, met some great people, joined a guild made by bloggers for bloggers (which sadly, isn't as active as it once was anymore...), got a lot of support from people in the blogosphere through a pretty bad few weeks and had some cracking times online!
Thanks to everyone that has read and commented on the blog so far, hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it - see you in Azeroth!
omgwtfbbq personal post lulwut? 22 Apr 2011 2:06 AM (14 years ago)
Personal post Incoming, if you were expecting WoW related I think I mention it about once ^^
I'm some what of a hidden nerd and have suddenly come to the realisation that I need to find some 'nerdy' RL friends. I love the friends I've made up in Newcastle to bits but I really need to find some folks up in Newcastle that like gaming, be it shooting each other on the 360, or running around in Warcraft or something...
What's brought this all on? Well, this morning I watched Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (which I LOVED btw, amazing film) for the first time. I remember wanting to watch it in the cinema for ages when it was out but I didn't know anyone else who'd want to go with me, in WoW all of /g was banging on about how good it was but none of my mates would get it, especially the geeky references. It's lonely being the only nerd in the village (or city...)
Now if I was to sit and think about it, the guys I'm friends with all love sports - I'm not the exception, I've played rugby for most of my life, I like a kick-around with the boys and there's almost nothing better than sitting in the pub with a pint, going mental with your mates when your team score.
Now, notice I said 'almost nothing', my friends would have said 'nothing' seeing as they've never killed a raid boss after a night of wiping on the last try before calling it, headshot two guys with one bullet or got that weapon you've been farming that instance for about a month (which I got yesterday! wooo!).
I don't hide the fact I like gaming with my friends. Infact, one of the girls that hangs round with us that does Art was drawing us based on what we do and I got drawn in rugby kit but with thick rimmed 'nerdy' gigs and a gameboy in hand. (It's actually a pretty freakin' good drawing, I'll see if I can get a hold of a digital copy of it...) It's also something I get a bit of stick for...I've had to mute/deafen myself on vent during raids before because there's been a dog pile in my room of people.
Sometimes, a few of the guys will join me if I'm playing Call of Duty of Bad Company 2 but the only game they really like is Fifa and I fucking HATE Fifa. I'm sorry, but if I wanted to play football with my mates, I'd get a ball and go down the park...I know you could say that about any game but I really don't like sports video games...
I can't really complain, I like having both sides of it. I like going for a drink and talking about how good X's goal/try was against Y but sometimes, just sometimes, I'd love to chat to someone about how annoying it is to wipe on the same boss all night and not get anywhere, or how annoying pugging is without there being a computer screen and a keyboard infront of me...
My two cents: Call to Arms. 18 Apr 2011 9:14 AM (14 years ago)
Okay so there's been a lot of chatter about the new Call to Arms designed around dungeons. I'm sure you've all seen numerous blog posts about it, each with it's own views on the positives or (mainly) negatives.
Now, before I start I must remind you that my level 85 characters are all dps. Granted, my shammy can heal but his gear is pretty crappy and is ungemmed and unenchanted, so I'm currently not healing and I dont fancy spending money on getting it sorted seeing as I like melee.
I'm a bit late to this here party so I'm sure you're all well aware of what the Call to Arms gives as an incentive to make queues shorter by giving rewards to people choosing to tank instead of dps, etc.
My opinion of this is extremely simple. I'm totally against this for two reasons - people should tank because they enjoy it, not because someone's waving a mount shaped carrot infront of their greedy little faces and two, some people just need to stop being spoilt.
Y'see, before the Looking For Drama tool was introduced getting a group meant having friends, (which in turn required you to be a nice person towards other players - something with LFD has pretty much destroyed, and with it, part of my happy-go-lucky soul) or spending a while advertising in trade.
My first point about friends - 50% of the time, I'd run in an all guild group but the other half, I'd be with a group of friends I had, be it old guild members, old friends from vanilla or just people I'd grouped with randomly who knew how to play their class and were friendly.
The second, is self explainatory, infact you still get people doing that to find more members to speed up their queue time - which I'm all for, lets get a bit of human interaction when getting our daily valor points instead of entering a group with Arthás the DK 'tank' who doesn't know his arse from his elbow. The latter part of this also doesn't fill me with confidence for the new system, seeing as you'll probably get everyone that's class can tank or heal attempting to tank and heal without a) adequate gear or b) experience.
In all fairness, the wait on some servers can be ridiculous and I feel for those people that have to wait an hour or so if they're a pure DPS class but if you're queuing do something else while you wait instead of moaning about the wait time. Do some dailies, go gather some stuff, duel outside Orgrimmar, play the AH or even read a book and wait for the dungeon to pop. Just don't moan about the queue because it could like the old LFD system, where you didn't just click a button and wait, you had to go find the group - which would either accept you or not, which then had a 60% chance of collapsing before it was even fully formed.
Now that my rant's over, I'd like to share this little gem I found on Youtube before, it's not WoW related but it's very...Eastery (if that's a word!)
Battlefield Heroes: Easter Treat
I live! 11 Apr 2011 6:17 AM (14 years ago)
Why, hello there strangers!
It's been far too long but what can I say - I've generally had a slump in WoW time. A few good friends stopped playing, or had a mini-break so I decided I'd get some school work done ahead of time (I know, le gasp or wut?!). I've also been playing a tonne more Xbox than before but now I'm back home, where I've left my work and 360 behind so I'll be getting back to WoW and blogging as there's nothing to do in the arse-end of no-where, that is known as my hometown!
One question...how bad is it for melee? 15 Feb 2011 3:01 AM (14 years ago)
So after a few months of Cataclysm, 3 different mains all geared for raiding and a tonne of Uni work, I've -finally- signed up for a raid. Infact, I've signed up for anything I can get my grubby little mits on for the next week and a bit.
I've really missed it, actually. I sometimes log onto Mumble and catch some of the guild raiding and it really makes me miss everything about it, they always seem to be having a right good time.
However, I'm a little aprehensive...just how bad are some encounters for melee? I've heard many a thing from "loleasy" to "omfgvietnamflashbacks." So yeah...just how bad is it?
20 days of... Day 4: Best WoW memory 14 Feb 2011 3:20 AM (14 years ago)
I have two 'bestest' memories in WoW. The first was reaching the level cap on my first ever character and the second was an extra special Karazhan run.
My first memory, as said, is reaching the level cap. Now, I did get Vanilla™ but my memories of the "good old days" dont stem past level 24, seeing as TBC came out about 2 weeks after I got the game, so level 60 technically wasn't my level cap. If you get what I mean.
So I spent months and months slaving away, questing - as a protection warrior /facepalm. Tanking - as a protection warrior /cheer and just generally having a great time with my guild.
Now, going to Outland at 58 was HUGE for me. I'd had enough of Azeroth but that was due to me picking the single worse specc to level as a warrior and since then, I've always looked forward to Outland, infact, I still really really like it.
I spent around a month getting to 70 but my memory stems from the last half of 69 to 70. The officer core in Absolution back then was pretty small, as the guild wasn't too big, but the (at the time) GM, and 3 other officers decided they'd take me to some of the level 70 normal dungeons to give me a kickstart on loot and stuff.
Now back then, Abso had started to raid Kara and these guys were pretty well geared compared to me, in my quest greens/blues so I was just along for the ride but I'll remember the moment one of them went over Teamspeak, "fancy tanking for a bit?" Now, at the time, I shit myself. I was scared, this mobs hurt on the well geared people and I wasn't anywhere near their gear level but I said yes anyways and tanked the last trash and boss in Steamvaults. The support I got from the guys was amazing and it was then I knew I'd found a WoW home. (Yeah, I know - pass that sick bucket).
My second memory is from Karazhan. Infact, it was from one of the first times I led a raid. I was pretty well geared at this point and I actually knew the entire run off by heart as I'd done everything in there at least once. I'd volunteered to lead what was fondly known as "nug night" in which people that didn't usually get the chance to raid went into Kara to get a few bosses down and generally have a laugh. We'd been a bit late due to waiting for one of our healers to get their kid sorted and I had to pull in a more experienced raider but everything was going smoothly until we zoned in and found that none of the bosses were there...none but the last boss - the Prince! *legasp*
Now, only two of our raid had ever done the last boss in Kara before and I'd openly said "We'll give it a few goes but I dont think we'll get him tonight." Oh how they made me eat my words.
In a fantastic encounter, we killed him first time, with only 1 member dying, with /g cheering us on and people joining TS in excitement.
Now, looking back at this makes me a bit sad, seeing as only 2 out of 10 people in that raid are still in Absolution but only 3/10 still play but remembering TS erupt and me sitting there in stunned silence and then giving loot to guys that had only seen the first 4 bosses in there from the last boss was one of the best feelings I've had. Maybe better than getting the guild first LK kill last year, I dunno. It was different, because we were the definition of casual raiders back then. Plus, I didn't have to eat my words afterwards...
20 days of... Day 3: First time playing WoW 10 Feb 2011 10:43 AM (14 years ago)
Been a little bit busy the past week, deadlines to meet, groups to work with, things to get stressed over so I thought, after handing everything in on time (just...) and having the day off tomorrow due to cancelled lectures I'll do a bit more of this crackin' meme!
The title says it all and I remember my first playthrough as if it were yesterday, but first, some backstory! Because everyone loves a bit of backstory!
I'd played Guild Wars for years before I got Warcraft. I was a young 'un back then and my parents didn't really like it, so it being free to play made it easier - as they didn't have to fork up any cash.
I was 16 when I got Warcraft, my girlfriend at the time bought it me one christmas because she thought it was something to do with Guild Wars. All I'll say is, that Warcraft was the best thing to come outta that relationship.
I remember installing it eagerly and then doing all the stuff that comes with starting a new game. My mum was happy because I was sat gleefully, chatting to her while she was cooking Christmas dinner and I was literally excited about it and was chatting about what some of the guys I knew via Guild Wars had said about it. My dad on the other hand, didn't quite understand how excited one could get over a game.
The login page was amazing. I remember shouting to my mum to come and look, to which she just smiled and nodded in agreement to everything I said - poor soul didn't have a clue what the Guild Wars login page looked like and how it looked so much better than that but bless her, she humoured me.
I was logged in and creating a character within seconds, I had a look through all the races and was intrigued by the Horde - they looked like the bad guys and the description on the creation page painted them out to be brutal and merciless. I was a bit put off by that, I've always been a fan of the good guy but after playing the same looking character for so long in Guild Wars and always wondering why you couldn't be the angrylioncatpeople (called Charr in game...) I decided I was going to see what all the fuss was about and rolled an Orc warrior.
I tried to get the name Jorg. I had a thing back then where all my character names had to start with a J and that was when Jakkru was created. However, Jorg was taken and I didn't want a different name. Luckily, I had some algerba homework next to me and decided that Jorgx was decent enough - I'm not even kidding.
I logged into Durotar and my god...it was orange. Amazingly beautiful but wildly orange. I decide to take a look at all the stuff I could do in the manual but got bored after about 20 seconds and just went about my ways. I got to level 5 soonish - I wasn't an "MMO noob" but I wasn't prepared for WoW, the starter area, I could handle but I thought that was it, I thought that I'd be zoned somewhere else. It was only when I was asked to go to Razor Hill I realised that the starter area was only, well...for starters.
I was amazed by the size of the world, the colours...everything. I was amazed by the amount of people playing and I tried to get into a guild, seeing as that's what I knew from Guild Wars - guilds mean help, help means levels and levels means more stuff to see and do.
I asked in trade and this is where I made friends with my oldest online buddy, I have him on Real ID now and I chat to him nearly everyday still. He answered my noobish question, told me to hit R to reply to a whisper and then boosted me through Ragefire Chasm - which then and there got me hooked. I remained guildless until level 25, where I found Absolution. My home.
My first playthrough was amazing and it got me hooked. I loved the differences from guild wars. I especially liked the difficulty and I'm quite annoyed they made everything a cake-walk now because the first 10 levels really did seperate those that continue to play and enjoy the game for those that will just give up.
Looking back on it and it's been 4, nearly 5 years since I started playing and, even though some aspects of the game bore me, some still make me feel like a 16 year old, who wants his mum to take a look at how awesome this green guy looks. Oh and I still love shoulder items more than anything in the game.
20 days of... Day 2: Why I started blogging 6 Feb 2011 4:06 AM (14 years ago)
So it's the second day of the new 20 days meme. Upon further inspection it would appear this person came up with the topics - for which, I thank you!
I actually started blogging because my good friend Erc (R.I.P pal) started his own little blog and he asked me to take a look at it, see if the English was good and if it wasn't boring. I took a look and while reading his first post I was thinking about what he said and decided to write a reply.
This continued for a few weeks until one day Erc logged in and heard me complaining about something and just went "blog about it!" So I did. Because I was bored.
I did a few posts and then I stopped completely, I can't remember why but I just didn't blog anymore. I didn't do a post for months, actually and then Erc asked if I was gonna write again and I blamed lack of inspiration to which he told me to take a look at his blogroll and read a few of the blogs on there.
After a few days of looking through peoples blogs, I decided I was going to start again and made Slash-Two and I haven't really looked back since.
Looking back, it's amazing what a little advice and pushing in the right direction can lead you to - blogging, a community and friendships.
I started blogging because I was bored and I'm so very glad I did!
20 days of... Day 1: Introductions 5 Feb 2011 11:03 AM (14 years ago)
So there's a new 20 days thing floating around. I started the last one but didn't finish it due to Cata being released and all that jazz.
I know these people are in on it so far and as I'm struggling for blogging topics - I'm gonna get stuck in and without further a-do, I give you the first days topic!
Introductions
I'm Jakk, Jakkru, J or to a few members of SAN, hellfire boi. I've got no problems getting personal and chatting about myself or things I like which is probably why these meme really does appeal to me!
In the online world, I'm known as Jakkru, Kinkz, Plugz or whatever alt I'm on. I've a love for melee and setting things on fire as a mage or warlock. I hate tanking due to getting some serious burnout in TBC and I dabble in healing when needed/bored. My current main is an enhancement shaman.
I'm an avid raider, although my playtime at Uni is limited (see below)
When afk, I'm a 20 year old Newcastle University student. I study geography and I'm interested in international development, political boundaries and borders and cultures.
I play rugby and have done for the past 12 years - with a break last year to recover from a knee and then (through a drunken first year accident) an ankle injury. I'm also a pretty regular visitor at the local gym, even more so as I've been trying to get back into shape for the rugby - and the ladies ;)
Since moving to Uni, I've spent less time on WoW and have cut down on the time I've spent raiding. So far this expansion, I've not set foot in a raid and that's mainly due to spending time with my mates, drinking too much or generally watching really, really bad TV - Take me Out, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and (against my will) the X-Factor.
What else...
Oh yeah, I adore music. I've played the drums for 4 years, although it's been months since I've picked up some drumsticks. No room in the house for my drumkit and I dont think my housemates would approve.
I'll listen to pretty much anything, from screamo to 90's pop music. It all depends on what mood I'm in.
And here's some random quickfacts
- I'm terrible at Fifa.
- I can strawpedo a bottle of VK in less than 2 seconds.
- My favourite colour is blue
- My favourite movie is Die Hard
- My favourite tv show is Firefly and I would give a non-vital organ to see it brought back.
- I like chick-flicks and really terrible American Drama series.
- I have a man-crush on Leonardo Di Caprio.
- My handwriting is apparently "girly"
- I miss my dogs when at Uni but hate them when at home.
- I know the entire script to Anchorman
- I like Ice cream
And that's that.
r? 4 Feb 2011 2:01 AM (14 years ago)
I've been struggling to find topics to blog on recently. What with changing my raiding main (again!) to an enhancement shaman - I'm going back to my melee routes, show those young whippersnappers how it's done!
But, from running heroics with mainly pugged groups due to people not having any real reason to do more than 1 heroic a day, I've found that if a tank does this:
r?
And anyone responds he will pull. With (usually) disasterous results.
I've had tanks pulling when the healer's gone afk, even putting in chat that they're "brb, 2 min" but with a tank just going "r?" and have a dps answer with, for some reason one letter, "y" or "r."
But then again, I did do a pug with a full group from AD and we managed to clear Stonecore with only 2 wipes on Ozruk because the tank had never got that far before. 'Spose I should just take the good with the bad, get my JP and stfu really...
Trapzlol 19 Jan 2011 3:50 AM (14 years ago)
I rolled my hunter halfway through TBC. I'd just started properly raiding and doing heroics on my rogue and I was actually fascinated by trapping. We had a hunter in guild at the time who was ridiculously good at it: Double trapping, Chain Traps, Kiting mobs to traps, Trapping a mob then kiting another. It was amazing to watch and so, after a Steamvaults run, I fired up the Create New Character page to make my hunter.
I levelled him very quickly. Much faster than a rogue or warrior and I actually had a lot of fun doing so. People say hunter levelling was/is boring but I really liked it. I changed my pets a lot and would go and explore Azeroth to find different, interesting looking beasts to tame.
I got to level 60 and entered Outland and this is where I got good at trapping. I dont want to toot my own horn but. Toot toot. I was pretty fuckin' good and it was great fun, much better than sapping or using the good ol' warrior CC - kill it faster than it kills you.
But now...trapping has become a joke. With a mage as a main (recently decided, no regrets) trapping feels like a polymorph but...without the sheep/pig/penguin/cat/monkey or my personal favourite, turtle. It's gone soft, the cooldown is shorter than the actual trap which means you dont have to kite it like you used to and with the new launchers, you just trap as soon as the tank tells you to.
Looking at the changes to CC, it seems blizzard wants us to use them which I'm all for but at the same time, they're just giving each class almost the same CC, it's like a little kid, seeing his older sibling with a new toy and going "I want that one." and Blizzard, is the soft-touch mother that buys it something similar the next day and it's getting pretty boring.
I mean, if you look at it, multiple classes have similar CC.
-Sap is still sap.
-Repentance is a much better version of sap, seeing as it can be re-applied.
-Polymorph is still polymorph
-Fear, when glyphed or talented or whatever the fuck it is, is a lot less unpredictable and is almost like a Warlock sheep - damage breaks it, etc.
-Hex is a shaman polymorph, on a longer CD and can take a few hits but if it doesn't get touched, it's just like sheep except, it's a frog.
-Trapping is a cold, ice-cube like version of polymorph.
Now, for some classes, the new CC's work. Hex is good, I like it actually as it fits a shaman but did they have to make it just another polymorph? It used to be an emergancy CC, with a short duration and long CD. I also dont mind Bind Elemental (and in all honesty, it should have been added since the start) for Shamans as it fits but the change to fear? I liked the idea of a warlock making things run in fear, not cower and shit it's pants waiting for you to kill Skull, Cross and whatever you want before it. The unpredictability of it made it risky to use but if you had to pull about 7 mobs, you'd use it because the risk could pay off.
But I suppose it's not just CC that's getting this done to it, a lot of spells are becoming the same across classes and it's more than likely just the evolution of a MMO.
Gone are the glory days of being good at trapping was the difference between Hunter and Huntard and for this, I /mourn.
Grinds my Gears 8 Jan 2011 7:39 AM (14 years ago)
Do you know what really grinds my gears? Do you?!
Well, many things do but recently there's been one thing that's grinding my gears more than anything else in Warcraft...
Tanks. Not all of them, just the ones that leave a group during a pull, because it's not gone the way they liked.
This has happened so many times, as I'm usually part pugging groups during the day and there seems to be a shortage of guild tanks online then.
And the majority of the time, it's actually the tanks fault. Poor marking can lead to wipes now-a-days. Sure there's common sense but that's so common it's considered a god damned super-power.
Put your mark for roots on a caster? Well done, that's not CC'ing ANYTHING. It's actually about as much use as Anne Franks drumkit. It's still going to stand there, casting chain lightning on everyone and everything.
I've even had a sensible druid say this to the tank, who ignored the druid, pulled and then left as the healer had died from aggro'ing the mob that was rooted.
Now, at the start of every instance, I tell the tank that if he or she is going to be CC mobs, they should pull any un-CC'd mobs away, as I'm a fire mage and Living Bomb fucks shit up. I've had one tank who did this and he was from the same server as me and had a bit of sense about him. Every other tank hasn't done this, which means no Living Bomb for me and no fucking shit up. All makes Jakk a sad, sad panda.
Now, when a tank leaves mid-pull that usually means the other 4 people are scrambling for the "Leave party" button, to save themselves a repair bill because chances are, there's a fair few mobs pretty hungry for your blood now bearing down on you. This then means you either have to wait for your dungeon deserter debuff or queue again, which as a DPS takes FOR EVER. Just because you can get into a dungeon in the time it takes to say "haha, 5 second queue" doesn't mean you should drop a group at the first sign of trouble to save yourself a few gold. Take the hit, man up and stop being a little bitch...especially if the wipe was your fault.
And there, rant over.
Here's something more cheerful...
My vicious wolf-man-thing, when not ripping limbs from his enemies and snarling like a bad-ass...likes to pick flowers.
CSI: Worgen 5 Jan 2011 3:34 AM (14 years ago)
So while everyone is frantically gearing their mains for raiding, I've been playing my alts. My Mage, Kinkz is now 85 and I've levelled my priest to 37 doing dungeons. Both are really fun and the mage is getting more playtime than Jakkru at the moment.
One character I've been levelling is my Worgen warrior, over on Terenas. I'm in a smallish guild with a fellow blogger and I have no high level characters on the server, which means no heirlooms etc.
I decided I wanted to see the new world and without heirlooms or the increased XP from the guild perks, the Worgen is a perfect chance for me to do that and so far, I've been loving it.
I've been quite confused, however, about how to get anywhere since The Shattering. I found myself in Westfall, after taking care of the "Hogger Situation" of course. Running in, I was expecting to be greated by Ol' Blancy and her owners...not this
They'd been murdered and Horatio Lane had been brought in to solve the crime. His equipped with black sunglasses and terrible one liners, which is possibly one of Blizzards most un-subtle pop-culture references to date...
But after getting to now these poor people and feeling even more sorry for Ol' Blancy, I decided I was going to get to the bottom of this. Horatio sent me to question the nearby homeless, vagabonds and drifters to see if I could get any information.
Now, I wasn't going to part with a bribe, seeing as I'm a bit cheap like that so I decided that the homeless citizens of Stormwind would be kind enough to tell me but no, for about 10 minutes all they did was call me a rich, posh bastard and attack me. Not a clever idea really, seeing as I'm a GIANT WOLF MAN with a fucking MINING PICK. I will not take kindly to being attacked and I didn't.
I did notice one thing while slaughtering the homeless. When Worgens get crit, they sound like my dog if you accidently stand on it's tail, they yelp and sounds quite pathetic. I'm a huge wolfmanthing and should roar with hatred if I get critcally hit, not tuck my tail between my legs and hide under the bloody dining room tail...
A few quests down the line and I was asked to go to and eavesdrop on some Thuggish looking characters behind a barn. Obviously a very secret meeting. I'd have to use all my cunning to hear what they're saying...
This is me eavesdropping. Notice the dance moves to disguse myself as a Wandering Westfall Body-Popper...
Every Cloud has a Silver...Camel? 31 Dec 2010 3:36 AM (14 years ago)
So there I was, 250 rep off Exalted with Rahmakhen, all filled with false hope about my first epic of the expansion. I did the awesome daily quest, to pwn Pygmy's with a mallet and BOOM, Exalted. Queue me silently fist-pumping in celebration behind my computer and a few "gz!" in /g.
As I rushed to the quartermaster, I thought what to enchant my gloves with. Expertise? Agility? Mastery? OMGTHECHOICES!
I landed on the quartermaster, quite literally on him. I was in a rush so there was no time for me to apologise. I frantically clicked to the latter reputation rewards for I had no time for the pittiful honoured items, for I was exalted and I wanted my gloves!
But there weren't any. I was shocked, I wouldn't believe it. I was going through the six stages of "I dun fucked up!"
1. Shock - OMFG WHERE'S MAH LEWTS!
2. Denial - I dont believe you, Quartermaster...
3. Anger - WHY ARE YOU HIDING THEM FROM ME YOU STUPID LIONMONKEYCATTHINGMAN?!
4. Blame - Fuck you atlas loot
5. Self blame - omfg, Jakk, you absolute n00000b, you looked at the wrong faction
6. Acceptance - fuck it. *Puts Dragonmaw tabard on*
So yeah, I'd got my factions mixed up. Wasn't a happy bunny until I saw that I could buy this...
And I forgot all about my gloves and spent the next 20 minutes running around Orgrimmar going "camelololololololololololololololololol!"
Seasons greetings! 22 Dec 2010 12:45 PM (14 years ago)
Merry Christmas from Slash-Two! Have a crackin' christmas and New Year, I know I will!
*catches breath* 16 Dec 2010 3:30 AM (14 years ago)
So I've been a bit quiet recently. I bet you can't guess why!
That's right, Cata is out and I've been knee deep in dragons, pygmys, goblins and worgens. My first impressions where as follows...
*Log in after digital download was complete*
Argent Dawn is full
Your position in the queue: 2833
Estimated Time Remaining: Calculating...
Fuck that for a bag of chips, off to Terenas I go!
*Logs straight in to Terenas - Medium pop servers ftw!*
Mhmm, mess about on the priest or roll a worg-
*Character creation page*
Rolls Worgen warrior, tempted to call it Edworgcullen/Jaycub but resisted, also tempted to create a guild called "Team Jacob".
Mess around on Worgen, everythings pretty grim but at the same time aweeeesome!
Get bored around level 7.
*Log back to Argent Dawn*
NO QUEUE! God bless the little kids mothers, forcing them to go to bed!
*Log in Jakkru, purchase Azeroth flying, explore*
And that's about it, I got Jakkru to 85, faction transferred my mage (he's now a goblin and amazingly cool!) and have been taming pretty looking pets on my hunter for a bit, just being a bit too in awe of how pretty this expansion is to do anything else really!
However, I've not given up on the 20 days of warcraft meme and while queuing for heroics shall be churning those posts out. I loved Pilf's little "where I'd be without Warcraft" post, even if it is soppy and romantic ^^
Oh and if you haven't already, follow me on Twitter ^^
20 days of Warcraft: Suggestions 1 Dec 2010 11:59 AM (14 years ago)
So, if I could suggest something that Blizzard could include in game, what would it be? I was thinking about this earlier and found it hard to actually think of anything.
First off, I was thinking of addon-type things but realised that either Blizzard would try and make it their own and ruin it or it just wouldn't work in the game. Plus, I'm a huge fan of addons and love having a different variety of them that I can full customize. If I had to pick anything that comes from an addon to be incorporated into the game it'd be DPS meters, you can either have them on or turn them off via the Interface menu or something.
Secondly, I thought about something along the lines of Real ID, that just shows if someone is online and not what server or character they're on. There's plenty of folks I'd love to chat to much more in game but they dont like the idea of people knowing what character they're on and when - a few ex-guild members, members of the blogging community and even some people I know IRL would rather use MSN and the likes to keep in contact.
But my last one definitly has to be - MORE CHARACTER SLOTS.
I have no idea if they're adding this with the release of cataclysm but I've been crying out for more slots since early TBC and it's heartbreaking having to delete a character (even if it is a level 13 bank alt that really only gets a log in once a week or so...) and I'm gonna end up having to get rid of one that's a decent level if I want a goblin and Worgen.
So yeah - as an altoholic in need of his fix, I'd definintly nag someone to let me get more character slots!
20 days of Warcraft: Holidays 29 Nov 2010 7:55 AM (14 years ago)
I dont really have a favourite in-game holiday. I rarely take part in the little quest things and I've only completed one of them fully (Jakkru the Love Fool, had to be done...)
However, I do appreciate when all the major cities are decked out.
So I guess my favourite in-game holiday is probably the same as my favourite RL holiday - Christmas. I love it and the fact that Blizzard stick wreaths, tinsel and x-mas trees everywhere is awesome. The big tree in Orgrimmar is fantastic and I love running around in Undercity, home of the undead to see sprinkles of Christmas cheers, they're the WoW version of the Grinches.
20 Days of Warcraft: Gold Sellers 28 Nov 2010 11:30 AM (14 years ago)
Todays topic is - How do you reply to a gold sellers whisper?
They're one of the most annoying things in the entire game. If they're not spamming trade, using hacks to spell out their website in some strange, mass-suicide kinda way they're whispering you.
We've all had one, "Hi, are you busy?"
On my alliance alts, I can automatically put them on Ignore - but on my Horde toons, I cant. I'm an officer in my guild so I can, at times get whispers off people who want an alt inviting to the guild. I'd make a bit of a tit out of myself if I went "Fuck off" to a prospective guild member who only wanted to get in on a bit of /g while levelling.
So, I've devised a method, which is almost fool-proof!
Mystery whisper: Hi, are you busy?
Me: No but if you're a gold seller, fuck off.
That generally works. They'll either be all...
Mystery whisper: lol, no it's me X, can I get a guild invite?
Me: Sure!
or...
Mystery whisper: Are you interested in buying go-
and that's as far as I get, as I've stuck them on ignore.
Some of them are a bit more annoying and dont leave you alone, the persistant little buggers. So I have a backup plan, of only 2 words.
"Free sample?"
Say that to a gold seller and I guarantee, you'll be on ignore quicker than you can put them on.
20 Days of Warcraft: Real life Class/Race 27 Nov 2010 7:54 AM (14 years ago)
Today's topic for the 20 days meme is what class and race are you most like in real life?
I quite like todays topic, as it's given me something to think about while I've been lying hungover after my birthday celebrations last night. It's also pretty personal, which is quite new ground for my little WoW blog :D
I'd have to say the class I relate to the most is the Taurens. I'm a big guy in real life, almost 6ft4 and I've played Rugby Union for almost 13 years (as a prop - if you're not sure, google it), so I'm a hefty bugger. At the same time, I'm a 'gentle giant' and actually like to get out into nature, especially on holidays with the family - The Lakes, Scottish Highlands, Ireland etc. However, the sagely wisdom part, I dont have :p Or the deep, awesome sounding voice.
Class wise, I'd have to go with a protection warrior. I'm not one to start fights but if a friend is in one, I'm the first to step in and help. I'm also very protective of people who're close to me.
But at the same time, I dont think I'd be one of the guys risking life and limb in dungeons and raids. I'd be more of an explorer as it's what I loved doing back when I first got the game, I actually spent a lot of time running around Azeroth and not levelling at all - making it to Tanaris at level 15 is pretty impressive for your first character. I'd probably be the friendly chap you ran past while levelling, who's meandering around, with a tent in a bag and generally getting lost in it all.
20 days of Warcraft: 2 days rolled into one! (Pets & Guild names) 26 Nov 2010 6:20 AM (14 years ago)
With yesterday being taken up (mostly) by my Uni work and levelling Jujin, my Troll Druid, I didn't really have time to get a 20 days post out, which is a shame, so I'm gonna roll the one I missed yesterday into today.
So yesterday was all about vanity pets, which is your favourite and all that jazz. Now in all honesty, I really dont collect them. I dont go out of my way to buy them and I usually just get the ones you're given. I'm not a big vanity pet fan, mainly because I always forget to get them out.
But! That doesn't stop me having a favourite and it has to be the Perky Pug. I love it, it's a right little comical pet. There's nothing better than seeing it wiping it's arse in your fish feast during a raid. Infact, I always stand a bit closer to the fish just to get it to do it, brings a smile to my face everytime I see it. I'm such a big kid...
Now today is all about favourite guild names. Of which I have a few.
Much like Pilf, I love a guild name with a bit of wit or a stupidly bad pun and with the introduction of the LFG system in Wrath, it's increased the amount of guild names that you're exposed to. One of my favourites has to be 'Nananananananana Batman'
However, my favourite guild name is an Alliance all PvP guild called 'Atleast We Have Stables'
Now, this is a very brief post as I'm taking a break from writing my annoying Uni report and thought I'd bash out a blog post in that time!
20 Days of Warcraft: Dungeons 24 Nov 2010 12:00 PM (14 years ago)
Today's question in the "20 days of" meme is 'What's your favourite dungeon and why?'
This is going to be stupidly hard, because I like most of the dungeons in the game. Infact, it'd be a lot easier if I was asked which dungeons I dont like.
However, I do have a few dungeons that I have more of a soft-spot for when compared with the others. Here's my top three.
Zul'farrak - I love this place. I remember when it was pretty difficult actually, instead of the laughable thing it's become now. I'll always remember how hard, and jaw-droppingly amazing the staircase section was. Hordes of trolls, charging at you and the freed prisoners? Fan-bloody-tastic. Now? You just pull the entire of them in one go and AoE them down - doing that back in the day was suicide.
Scarlet Dungeons (minus Graveyard) - I've always been a fan of these instances. They're where I first learnt about CC on my rogue and I really enjoyed sneaking around unlocking the chests they have hidden while my comrades where busy fighting, great fun! It's where I truely fell in love with the rogue class which makes it that little bit special. (1-2-3: AWWWWWH)
Shattered Halls - This is a favourite because it's so very hard. Hard with a capital OMFGOUCHOUCHOUCH. The gauntlet for this was a fantastic challenge and I bonded with some new (now veteren) members of the guild over our hatred for the place when we were stuck in there one time.
For me, what makes an dungeon is the memories you create in there, with the people you run it. Sure, it helps if the layout is nice, it's pretty and there's interesting monsters but you could say that about the Northrend instances, and I really dont like those due to bad memories with bad players via the LFDungeon tool.
20 days of Warcraft - Names 23 Nov 2010 12:04 PM (14 years ago)
So, a new day brings a new topic - The meaning behind your mains name.
Now, my main is Jakkru and the meaning behind his name is pretty dull... (TL;DR version below :p)
Back before I played WoW, I was an avid Guild Wars fan. For those of you that haven't played it, your name must be two words or something like that, for example "Jakkru lol" would count as a name, whereas "Jakkrulol" wouldn't.
When I first rolled a character, I had a theme, I'd name any character I had after something associated with the class and add my name at the end. For example:
My first character was initially going to be called Warmaster Jack. Until I realised that it sucked.
So off I went to trust google to find a translation for my name in a different language and found (I later found out this isn't actually correct...) that Jack in Japanese is Jakku! Awesome, I thought and I rolled my first Guild Wars character - Warmaster Jakku!
When I made the transition to Warcraft, I inititally rolled an Orc, for which Jakku didn't quite fit so the name was forgotten until I was trying to think of a name for my Undead rogue, it popped back in my head!
I don't know why but when typing Jakku under my character I felt strange, like it didn't fit how he looked. I spent about 10 minutes thinking of a variation then came up with Jakkru and to me, it fitted.
So, the TL;DR version of that is - I thought it meant Jack (my actual name) in Japanese with an R added.
However, it's not my favourite named character, that'd have to be Coggins, my gnome warrior ^^
20 Days of Warcraft: Favourite Emote 22 Nov 2010 6:34 AM (14 years ago)
This is a tough one, mainly because I use a wide range of emotes. When I first thought about it, I came up with these...
/point, followed by a /laugh
/hug
/love
/tickle
/dance
/poke
Before Real ID was introduced, emotes were the main way I could communicate to my Horde friends if I was running around on Krinkal. If I was on Vent and they weren't, /talk was my way of telling them to get on Vent, because I was bored and wanted to chat.
When running around Dalaran (which seems to be not just my past time but a large amount of level 80's on Argent Dawn as well) I'll bump into people I know - long time friends, new acquantances, guildies or people I know on a different faction. Depending on who they are and how well I know them, I use a different emote. It's like a social heirarchy of emotes, with the people I've known the longest, or see as close-close friends get a /love, where-as people I dont know much get a /poke. People in the middle get /hug or /tickle and if I'm bored, I'll /dance with anyone! (I know, I'm such a slut...)
/point followed by /laugh is my long winded way of going "lol" but as an Undead, it's great to watch them /point, which for anyone who's never played an UD male, looks like you're calling them out for a fight followed by a /laugh which is the complete opposite, as his ribcage collapses and you can just imagine him weezing his little, lifeless lungs out in hysterics.
However, I'd missed one of the list and it's the one I like the most - /silly. I could literally spend an entire 10 minute raid break just spamming it, laughing at the bad puns, daft jokes or pop-culture references that all the different races have.
Now you know mine, what's your favourite emote?
20 Days of Warcraft: Favourite NPC 21 Nov 2010 4:04 AM (14 years ago)
Now, out of the first three days this is by far the easiest question for me to answer.
My favourite NPC will forever be, High Overlord Saurfang. I know, it sounds generic but I have my reasons.
On my first every character, when I was but a level 9 newb, running around killing Boars in Durotar, I stumbled upon this MASSIVE city. Later, I would realise this was the home of the Orcs but back then, I saw that the guys with the spikey shoulderguards were Green, so I wandered in.
Now, I'd been pottering around there for a good 30 minutes, amazed by the size and scale of the place. I had also stumbled upon Saurfang as I entered and thought he just looked so very cool, with his spikey shoulders. (I was actually a little obsessed with shoulderguards from level 1-17, I think I might very well be as the Shoulders are the first thing I'll upgrade if possible...). I continued my little self-given tour when something I hadn't seen before popped up in my chat box.
Orgrimmar is under attack!
Orgrimmar is under attack!
Oh no! I thought, I must save the Orcs! So I ran out of the Auction House, which I was currently checking out, to kill whatever was attacking the city (I was hoping it was boars, I had plenty of experience doing that)
But instead, it was a decently sized Alliance raid. Now, I'm not stupid (sometimes) and decided that I would just watch, as the higher level people battled it out. I was watching for about 2 minutes until Saurfang stepped in. Someone must have managed to lure one of the alliance toons into his aggro radius (or he just tired of their foolishness, I like to think it's this one) but he just charged straight at them and in about 30 seconds they were dead. I was shocked and amazed in equal measure.
And that's why he's my favourite NPC, when I got to fight by his side in Northrend, I had the same reaction as the undead NPC that you go with, I was honoured and amazed. In Icecrown, when he's on the gunship, cleaving away it's awesome and even when I'm against him on my alliance characters, I'm secretly rooting for him.
Oh and in Soviet Russia, Saurfang still cleaves you.