Legion Approaches ~ The Green Team, Twitch, & More

I am still working on my Social Gaming course, but I did finally finish unit one! I have to get a move on though because I have to have it finished by the end of this month! And that's not really that far away...

But I have been distracted...

I had surgery in July and am in recovery, getting comfortable sometimes is challenging...

And then there is WoW...

The newest expansion is coming out August 30th so I thought I would be able to focus until then...but then, because I pre-ordered, I had early access to the new class, Demon Hunters. Of course I had to make one, and they are super awesome!

On top of that they released demon invasions, which are very fun! Plus, completing the invasions gives you access to 700 item level Legion themed armor. I may have gone a little crazy and now have a complete team...the "Green Team" as I refer to them. These are my max level toons decked out in the Legion gear. The invasions are also an excellent way to level so I have been dragging all my low level alts through as well. No rest for the wicked!

Most importantly, I have discovered game streaming on Twitch. I am loving this! Feel free to stop by, give me a watch, and give me a follower. The more followers the better, and once I get to 100 I am going to have a giveaway.

Watch me here!

You can also find my Twitch Fan Page on Facebook over here.

I have a Fan Twitter Page over here.

I also have a Curse Page over here. 

The Curse page is a local hangout where we can chat even when I am not streaming. I also post interactive polls and the giveaways I run sync through Curse. So I hope to see you there!

And now back to the homework...maybe...

Gaming Update

I am still working away on unit 1 of my Social Gaming course. There is a lot more reading than I first anticipated, and as is to be expected with most course readings, a lot of it is very dry...

I am anxiously awaiting the download for a new game, Black Desert Online. The download link goes live on the 16th with the Beta server going live on the 18th. I already reserved my family name. I tried to choose Love, but someone had already snatched that, so I went with Lobo instead due to my love of all things wolfy. I also reserved the first name Amaroq for my first character, after my favourite character in the ever traumatizing children's book, Julie of the Wolves.

I have been reading articles and forums, and watching many video reviews on this game and I am pretty eager to get in and see what it's really like.

I also reactivated my WoW account in the meantime and made a Night Elf Monk. I saw that my guild was only missing a Night Elf Monk for their Night Elf Classy Achievement, so I figured what the heck. I have made a few monks before but never got very far with them as I don't really enjoy their melee play style, but since it's for the guild, and in a way as research for the course, I figured what the heck?

I named her Eldia, roughly translated from Spanish to mean The Day...because she was just kind of thought of on the day, as a passing thought. She is currently level 28 and I gave her all the heirloom gear I had available to her to make her leveling experience less painful.

I have also spent some time checking out the Diablo III seasonal play. It's very interesting how they have added this type of play style to the game to help avoid boredom and burnout. Each season is about three months long. You make a new character and instead of running it though the same old story line again, you can simply do bounties, enter rifts, etc. I still don't have the hang of it to be honest, but I am still finding it very entertaining.

I also decided to go ahead and try out Heroes of the Storm, just because it was there in my Blizzard downloader and it was free. It's a more cartoony, WoWified version or League of Legends (LoL) which I really am not a fan of. I enjoyed the intro and the first set of tutorials. I accidentally clicked out of the tutorial menu and couldn't find them again and ended up in a training match...which even though I somehow won, I was not really prepared for and it seemed to go on forever... If I can find my way back to the tutorials I might attempt it again, but really, not my type of game.

That's about it for now! Back to the books, and games!

It Begins...

Today is the start date for my new course mentioned in the last post, Social Aspects of Games, Leisure and Entertainment. I spent a good part of the day reviewing the orientation portion of the study guide and setting up my profile and learning journal on Athabasca University's online portal, The Landing.

I had never really used The Landing before except to follow updates and discussions regarding the implementation of etexts, since that was a hot topic for myself, as well as many others. I didn't realize until today all the other ways The Landing could be used. I took the time to fiddle with all the little details and now have a pretty fleshed out user profile. I didn't feel comfortable adding an actual picture for my avatar, so I used the next best thing...a Dr. Horrible avatar. /grins

I also managed to find and join the group set up specifically for our course code, as well as create my own wiki complete with sub-pages for each of the four units that make up the course. I will most likely add more sub-pages to those sub-pages to further organize my reflections and tasks as the course goes on.

Earlier this week I also picked up two books to use as additional reading for this course. They both look very interesting. I have already started My Life as a Night Elf Priest, and it's even more enjoyable and enlightening than I expected it to be. I have sticky notes hanging out all over the place marking spots to go back and re-read and reflect on later. I read a bit of the beginning of Reality is Broken as well, I think it will be intriguing as well.

And of course...I spent some time gaming today! I made a fresh character on Tera, on a new server where I had no previous social connections, and chose a new class I had never played previously (Gunner). I named her Gwenyth.Love. I don't know if it's just the class, or they just made it much easier than it was when I first leveled my first character, but man, I am just whizzing through it! My goal is to get at least to level 40 so I can try their new super class they have, the Reaper. You can only make one once you have a character reach level 40, and then the new Reaper starts at level 50. I'm not a fan of the fact that the Reaper can only be played by a female Elin character (because I find them kind of creepy) but I will have to suck it up to be able to try it out.

I did have a positive experience pretty early during my game-play. Myself and 4 other characters were in an area where we had one of our first BAM (Big Ass Monsters) quests. All 5 of us kept jumping in and attacking the BAM. We were all trying to help each other, but no one was getting credit and we were all getting a little frustrate. Finally, one of the characters suggested we try attacking it one at a time and see what happened. Well that was exactly what we needed. It seems the quest was set so only one person could get credit at a time, and it is made so the character who does the most damage gets credit for the kill. We each took our turn, but we all still stood around and waited until everyone that had been in the area received credit for their kill so we could help figure out something else if there was any other type of glitch. Now that's what I call cooperation! A far cry from the rush in and kill the boss in front of the person that had been patiently waiting for it to spawn as so often occurs in WoW...

Rise of the Phoenix

Ok...maybe not quite that dramatic...but yeah...

/clears throat

Hello out there! Have you missed me? Did you even realize I was gone?

Can you believe in two days it would have been 5 years since I touched this blog? And what a messed up 5 years it has been! Right after my last post I became very ill and had to have a major surgery in November. I was out of it for quite a bit after that. Started to recover slowly and just started to get back to normal when WHAM I got sick again last September. I am currently waiting for yet another pretty major surgery, so we will see how that goes...

Anywho....

So why am I back? Well, for the past year I have been so ill I have had to drop all my courses and just be calm and heal. Well recently I started getting the itch back and I really wanted to get back into some school work. I had no desire to dig back into my boring and overly challenging accounting courses so I looked to see what else I could do. I quickly realized I still had a few humanities type courses that I need to complete to round out my degree so I decide that was the best place to get my feet wet again. I combed through numerous listings of courses with little to no interest to me when suddenly I found the one...are you ready for it?

Social Aspects of Games, Leisure and Entertainment

I swear I heard it whisper my name!

I read through the synopsis and I was hooked. They actually require you to play video games for this course! I mean...what else could you ask for? Oh, and did I mention...no final exam either! You want in...admit it...

That being said, it definitely won't be easy. There are many tasks to complete and it will be quite time intensive...the estimated time is about 120 hours. But the good thing is I don't have to worry about leaving the house for a final exam (or even a midterm) and everything can be done from home if I do end up needing the surgery and being bedridden for a while. And who doesn't like gaming...right?!

My start date is November 1st and I am pretty excited, and nervous about it as well. I reactivated my WoW account just last week, so it feels pretty timely. Maybe time for a new ALT?

Now to look at what other games might help me round out this course nicely and maybe even checkout some of those non-fiction gaming books that have peaked my interest in the past. Any game or book recomendations for me? And please don't say EVE...that game gives me nightmares...

Game on!

Not Dead…Just Healing…

So I haven’t been around for a while…again…but this time it’s not due to a severe illness or surgery (although that may rear its ugly head again soon…but that’s another story).

Nope…the truth is…I rolled a new alt /gasp. I know…you’re all in shock as you read this right? Well it gets even better! But let me fill in a little back story first!

A dear friend of my mine from my previous guild on Stormrage convinced me to server transfer back and just hang out in the alt guild since I really had no interest in raiding, or being near certain players I had serious issues with. I agreed, but only because I did miss me really close friends I had played with for about three years and I knew they all had alts in the alt guild.

Fast forward a few weeks…The GM of the raiding guild decides he wants to be harder core (he always has) and that all their ideas don’t match his…so he says he is leaving to make a new 25 man hardcore guild. Of course we later find out he had it planned for weeks…with a website, vent, etc already setup…but whatever. He takes a few players with him, most we figured would follow him, but there were a few surprises, but it happened…and I‘m over it. Of course it was easier for me because I had no love for some of the players that left and kind of like the atmosphere that has been left behind…a sense of calm, quiet, casual and friendly play.
So you wonder what this has to do with my new alt? Or have you figured it out?

So we all get together and discuss our steps and what we will do. We vote in a new GM (who also happened to be my buddy who convinced me to server transfer back) and some raid leaders and officers. Basically we went back to many of the core founders who originally setup the guild, including myself and my boyfriend (who I convinced to come back and play not that things were more settled) together with a few newer officers that are amazing and stayed behind to stick it out with us.

I absolutely love that I am going to be able to sit back and relax and have fun again playing with people I like and doing the 10 mans I prefer. No more forced progression wipe fests on bosses we are really not prepared for. Just fun…what this game was meant for…well I hope at least.

Still want to know about the alt right? Well i figured quite a few hunters stayed behind, and to be honest I am not sure what the expansion and patch holds for them. I also know that with multiple 10 man groups running we will most likely be needing extra healers and tanks. So…my boyfriend decided to continue leveling an alt warrior he had to tank…and I created a healing Shaman!

The BF was skeptical at first…we all know how I start a toon and usually park it shortly after she hits 10…and healing…well that can be a bitch right?

Wrong…

I am really loving healing the low level dungeons so far. And the heirloom gear makes leveling so fast, especially when paired with dungeon runs.

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Gwethana just dinged level 36 last night…and as you can see by the following…she is having a blast!


So far only one death while Gwethana was healing…but it was a one shot…that’s not the healers fault right? We can’t be expected to foresee the future can we?
Hopefully there will be more tales of the leveling shaman in the near future.
Please feel free to leave comments (and helpful advice for a first time healer) below.
Thanks for reading!

Scooby-Doo Where Are You?

So if you noticed, I haven't blogged for a while. The fact is, even though I have had a lot to say, I haven't really wanted to say it, because I sometimes don't know how to say things without pissing people off...at least until I calm down.

So I've calmed down.

I took a raiding break. Then I found what I thought would be a great community guild on Twitter and I left my guild to join them and help them build up by offering web help, etc. I grabbed my little hunter butt and transferred her over to Ner'zhul, which was strange because not only was it a PVP server, but it is also 3 hours behind my timezone (which makes matching up raiding times very difficult). It was great there for a while. We went from a newly formed 10 man guild to being 11/12 in ICC in about a month. It was great! The people seemed great!

Then the raid leader had to step down for very personal reasons (which was sad because I adore the guy) and then it just seemed like everything went to hell. I'm not going to point fingers and name names, but things went nuts and I took another raiding break. Unfortunately during that time I was made to feel like utter crap by a member or two and then found out I was being called a liar etc because I rolled a new alt one Saturday afternoon, and well...let's just say I snapped and /gquit every toon I had in that guild.

So that's where I have been.

I'm kind of lost and not sure if I even want to bother with any guild or raiding stuff until Cataclysm now. Maybe I'll just lounge around on some alts (a few of which are /gasp HORDE!) and keep messing around with the Gnomeregan quests and whatnot.

Speaking of which! Treeannah started doing the Gnomeregan quests and she was having a blast until one of the NPCs (Tog) you were supposed to bore to death with a Braveheart type speech actually glitched and wouldn't let us bother him. Here are sscreenshots of the fun!

So many people here turning in the achievement!

Wow it's pretty damn busy over here in Tinkertown!

Me and my gnome posse!

The bugged NPC (Tog) and a whole ton of pissed of people waiting to turn in the quest.

Boo!

Maybe tomorrow night...tonight I should do homework...I said should! Tomorrow I might even do another blog about my Horde alties! Oh snap! Two posts in a week! (OK Don't count on it...we all know how I am...)

WoWisms Update

Wow…it’s been a while since I last updated. But I have an excuse…I was really sick. If you want to read into the details of it all you can find it on my personal Blog…but be warned…it’s boring…and has NOTHING at all to do with WoW.

http://everything-gwenny.blogspot.com/2010/05/mia.html

So what has happened WoWwise since then? Quite a bit actually!

Let’s start with Treeannah. In addition to her recent Rotface kill I can also now add the following murders to her list: Blood Prince Council, Blood Queen Lana'thel, Professor Putricide together with the rescue of Valithria Dreamwalker (all on 25 man normal).

We started working on Sindragosa. It took a few attempts to figure out how the ice tombs should work…

 

But we soon got the hang of that by putting all fine in one line and firing them down fast. We just have to smooth out the final phase and we’ll get her…hopefully next week. (I was off this week recovering from surgery.)


Due to the surgery I have actually been doing a lot of alt creating and levelling. I can’t handle 2-3 straight hours of sitting in the chair pounding on bosses, but I love to be able to log in, pound out a few quests until I run out of blue, and then log out and watch a movie on iTunes. It’s been great fun (minus the pain of course).

Bellamortuus is now at level 20 and I just finally got blizzard. Trying to figure out what to do next with her.

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Warning: leaving to answer the door after ordering pizza may result in death of squishy toons…

Oh…and for the record…sparkly ponies and undead just don’t mix…I just couldn’t do that to poor Bella…I had to buy her a real pony.

I also took the time to make a druid (Boomkin) and a paladin (Holy). These should make for some very interesting projects. They are each level 10 already. More on them later though…I think I need a nap…

Ding 10!

Yeah ok I know...10 is not that big a deal to all you overpowered 80s (yes I have two of those as well). But now I get to start putting points into my talent tree!
As promised I went with the polls and put my first point into the frost tree. What I thought was an obvious choice for my first point was Improved Forstbolt. I read somewhere all you do when levelling is frostbolt, frostbolt, frostbolt.

But then I was reading Psynister's Mage Levelling Part I: Beginning and realized I might be doing something wrong! From spec to rotation. /cry
So I need some help. I'm not going to throw a vote up, but leave some comments about what you think I should do point and rotation wise for the next ten levels. Let's see how that goes!
And now for the levelling update.

I loved this quest. It was so full of emotion, unexpected of an undead race.


Also as promised according to the votes, tailoring and skinning have been picked up as my professions.

My first death at level 8. Not too bad for a squishy, Murlocs...it's always murlocs!

Now here is what I’m talking about! Wiping out the human race! I’m up for that! 

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Dingage!
And of course…
Now let’s hear your comments…help a poor undead mage get through her next ten levels with little to no embarrassment…lol.

Updates

The guild I raided with before my break has been having some issues on their home server, Fenris. There just wasn't enough talent to put together a solid 25 man raid group 3 times a week. Many people who did come only came for the easy nights and avoided the wipe progression nights like the plague. The officers got together and discussed how to handle this situation (myself included) and it was decided a server transfer was the best bet to (a) have more options available to us when it came to either recruiting more talent or even pugging in talented players and (b) weed out the people who were obviously not serious enough about raiding to show up when required.

I sat down and thought long and hard about my options. I spoke to my other half, who also has taken a break from raiding. Together we decided I should go back to raiding if it was what I wanted. He is currently studying every night for a career that will most likely take up most of his evenings also. He would prefer I had something to do then sit at home alone bored.

So I transferred Treeannah over to Stormrage with the rest of the core of my guild, Nephilim.The transfer didn't take nearly as long as I thought. Maybe 15 minutes tops. A week my ass!



We ran our first ICC raid last night. There were about 20 Nephilim members and we pugged in the other 5. I think this raid ran smoother than even some of our full raids on Fenris. It was a breath of fresh air. We one-shotted everything up to (and including) Festergut. We had some weird glitch issue with Rotface where he insisted on running out of the room and disappearing (with less than 10% life no less) but we got him easily the next time. My first Rotface kill. And I also finally reached exalted with the Ashen Verdict. Booyeah! And it was great to raid with my friend again, people I have been playing with for almost 3 years now. Oh, and I didn't forget how to play! I mean I am a little behind some of the other players (to be expected after a 2 month break) but I was pretty proud of this Lady Kill. Yeah I know I mostly just stand there and pew pew (unless I am MCed which ALWAYS happens to me) but yeah...I didn't suck...too much...

So you ask...does this mean the alt project is a no go?

NEVER!

In fact I have an update on Bella. She made it to 10! And therefore more polls/questions must be asked! See we are raiding Tues, Thurs and Mon - so that leaves my weekends free and clear for alt leveling goodness (that and trying to find some good ways to make money on a new server without her alt support system so I can pay for repairs, enchants etc...) So keep your eye open for more Bella fun!

(P.S. - I have screenshots...but they are at home...FAIL!)

And Now For Something Not Really All That Different...

Wow...life has been crazy! Bet you all thought I was a one post wonder! Well I guess you were wrong weren't you?

/sticks out her tongue at you

I had a final exam last Saturday that was stressing me out, as well as a final essay that was due today...hence why I've been away...bsing my way through English essays on novels and short stories I didn't even really like that much.

But that's over now!

So needless to say, since I quite raiding...I've been pretty bored. I mean don't get me wrong, I am loving the break from bowing down to the schedule of 24 other people and being where they want me when they want me there...but it's just not the same.

Sometimes I long for the fun ten man days we had before it was decided 25 man would be so much better and make us all that more powerful, etc. etc.

I didn't care about that...I like the bonding and friendships built in the ten mans. Sometimes I still want that. But I don't think I'm quite ready for it yet. Maybe after Cataclysm comes out...

That being said I have been rolling alts like crazy, but nothing is filling that hole...until I happened on this post on wow.com.

It's called "Choose My Adventure"...and I want to do it! Maybe this will give me reason to continue on with something...at least until Cata comes and I can level to 85 and rethink the whole raiding thing.

So here's where you come in...I need some votes for what path to follow...to make it just like the Choose Your Adventure on wow.com.

I want to be able to join this guild, It Came From The Blog, so that predetermines that I must be a horde toon on the Zangarmarsh server. But what to play?


Please note I have already leveled both a hunter and a deathknight to 80. I also have a paladin and a warrior already in the high 50-60's. Not that you can't choose these, just letting you know for information sake.


I think I will leave it at that for now. Next I will be asking about professions, skill trees, etc. But that obviously won't matter until we know what we are rolling right?

Anyone care to play along with me? And blog about it as well? This could be fun!

The Tanaris Alt Project

 

I have presently retired my level 80 hunter from raiding. I most likely will have posts about her in the future. My main issue with raiding was scheduling. Right now my life is just too busy to be told by 24 other people where and when I have to play WoW. That doesn’t mean I don’t still like playing however. I love playing WoW. And one of my biggest weaknesses is creating and levelling alts, sometimes on many different servers.

So that’s what this post, and hopefully many more after this, will be about. My Tanaris Alt Project. Last night a create a brand new level one Draenei Shaman female named Oreanda. This name is also one of my fictional character’s names from some of my writings. It fits her well.

I have always loved how fast the first 1-10 levels or so flies by. I tend to lose interest once I hit about level 12 and actually have to put some work into the toon by terms of skill points, etc. Let’s hope this blog will keep me a little more interest. Of course that most likely depends if anyone actually reads it also. /grins

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I hope to make it to at least level 10 tonight before bed, time permitting. I have already picked out a hopefully decent levelling build, etc. So let’s see if we can keep this thing rolling along!