My Alternate Reality

15 Minutes of Fame!

Greets Azerothians!

Today is an exciting day! You see, my guild over on Blackwater Raiders was featured on WOW.COM's 15 minutes of fame segment!

My affiliation with this guild has a bit of history to it. I've played a very long time as a so-called "hardcore raider". Even if my previous guild didn't fancy themselves as hardcore, the fact that they ran 4 nights a week 'progression' and 3 nights a week 10 man's and whatever else...

Yea. Summit was an UNBELIEVABLE guild and I miss them dearly but yea TOTALLY HARDCORE! LOL!

Any way, I ended up posting a thread on the official Blackwater Raiders forums titled "Do Retirement Guilds Exist?" As usual, I got the plethora of comments. But a comment from a fellow named Diamenae got my attention. They claimed to be exactly that - A group of guys that grew tired of the daily grind of spreadsheets, mat farming, gear websites and schedules.

So I joined up with the Vanguard of Norrath.

To be honest, I've had a BLAST with this guild! They are exactly what I have been looking for. A group of guys that understands that there is life beyond their keyboards and mice. Things like wives, kids, jobs are kinda important so they don't bother themselves with the rigors of hardcore raiding.

So head over to WoW.com and read up on my humble little guild! Hell, if you have an alt that you've been deciding what to do with or if you too grow tired of that grind, look us up!

Time to run a dungeon!

~Aurendar

My Quest for a Guild? COMPLETE!

Yes. I have conquered the dreaded burnout by joining a fantastic guild!

They fit the bill perfectly. My criteria was:

• Laid back, easy going folks
• Raiders that basically wanted to take it easy.
• Level headed about wiping on bosses
• Viewing WoW as FUN rather than business
• Adults that recognize the value of fully typed words and grammar.

I found that in the Vanguard of Norrath over on the Blackwater Raiders realm. These guys are great. Love spending time with them and getting things done in game. Yes, we still raid but the raiding is on such a laid back level it's actually a pleasure diving into dungeons rather than a chore.

These guys are all former EQ players (hence the Norrath) and they all migrated over to WoW where they continue on the tradition of EverQuest. If you're ever around the realm and want a laid back easy going guild to park your toon, look them up!

I love the fact that my interest in the game has been renewed! Okay, back to WoW. Busy regemming some of my items!

See ya around the Meeting Stone!

~Aur (errrr, SjN)

Down & Out in Azeroth...

I'm on a quest.

No, not that kind of quest. I've done waaay too many of those. I've been seeking out a guild for a couple of my toons to settle into that focuses on the easy life.

Gone are the days of nightly raiding, instancing and gold draining flask purchases. It's time to shelve the armor, sheath the swords, take a deep breath and relax.

You see, doing the progression grind is no longer conducive to my in-game time. I just want to kick back with some fellow retired raiders, talk war stories and OCCASIONALLY dive into a dungeon.

The problem is, those types of guilds are few and far between. Hell, I'm beginning to wonder if they exist at all. Yes, there are casual raiding guilds but right now, even that is too much. I joined a couple of them and while they may call themselves "casual", I discovered they are in fact far from it. Sorry, 3 to 4 nights a week raiding is NOT casual. Bottom line, if you have a raiding schedule, I would question your use of the definition of casual.

Ideally, I'm looking for a guild that doesn't necessarily have a plan to do ANYTHING! Chatting in GC or on vent, hitting some dailies together, going to to play "tank & spank" on the Sons of Gruul or something like that sounds great in my stage of this game. Yes, even the rare raid where we dust off our gear and play heroes for a couple of hours sounds wonderful. But not every night (or every other night for that matter).

Well, so far no luck. I hit the official forums and there just doesn't seem to be a guild that matches those points. What's a tired, worn out and old Night Elf to do?

~Aur

Another Achievement Down!

Yea yea...

I know most everyone will think this is lame but I FINALLY got to Champion at the Argent Tournament! It's been a long haul but I finally did it!

Why is this a big deal you ask? Well, frankly, I suck at PvP and more importantly mounted combat! I must have fought those damned Defenders hundreds of times before I finally got lucky enough to actually beat them!

After many bouts of tossing my mouse around my desk and a plethora of "colorful language" passing my lips, I got the Argent Champion down. I gotta tell you, it's quite a relief to have that behind me.

I just finished up the Black Knight quest chain and I enjoyed that a lot! Really easy fight reminiscent of the Black Knight of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Quite funny I must say!

The next task on my "tournament plate" is to finally face off with Chillmaw and get him down as well as the daily at the Citadel. Looking forward to those fights. Yes, doing things like this keeps me interested in the game.

Oh, I LOVE having my own Squire! Having a little man-servant is quite entertaining! Just wish he'd go run to the taverns and fetch me some Darnassian Ale! Guess that's too much to ask for.

Well, back to it! I've got Ironforge to champion next!

~SjN (errr.... Razor)

The Ultimate MMO - My Quest Continues

A few days ago, some friends online in WoW told me about an MMO that is currently going through beta called Aion.

At first, I was a bit meh... But after watching the developer podcasts and taking in some of the video footage that this MMO is going to inject into this mystical realm, my tune changed a bit.

After absorbing everything that I witnessed, I'm blown away at what this title is going to offer the player!

Aion is definitely going on my top 5 list of MMOs to trial. Trust me, head over to their site, watch the video footage! The cinematics are unbelievable and there is a fair amount of actual gameplay footage to really give you a feel of what 'in game' is going to be like.

In a nutshell, the story takes place on (errr... "in" rather?) a world named Atreia. The world has been shattered into two halves. The inhabitants of this world live on the inside of either half. Obviously one side represents one faction and the other side houses the others. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that due to this, great wars ensue and combat is at it's finest!

The graphic details are nothing short of AMAZING! Character customization is off the hook. The goal, the developers say, is to have "not one single character look exactly alike". Your avatar will truly be unique to the realm!

Alright, enough of my rambling. GO WATCH THAT FOOTAGE! After which, I'm sure I will be seeing you too in the wonderful world of AION!!

~SjN

Over Achiever?

So, with the announcement of the Cataclysm expansion, I've been giving a lot of thought to getting some achievements out of the way.

I've already took the time to finally complete my Explorer Achievement and now I'm all titled up. My first title by the way! I was so happy to finally BE SOMEBODY!

Well now, thanks to a certain overzealous friend of mine who shall remain nameless...

(cough..cough...Majesty...cough...cough)

I'm seriously pondering going after my Loremaster title. Now mind you, the undertaking is, for lack of a better term, insane! Just to give you an idea, I currently have only 378 quests completed in the Eastern Kingdoms. Kalimdor comes in at around 230. In order to nail this achievement, you need to complete 700 quests in the Eastern Kingdoms, 700 quests in Kalimdor and a shit ton of quests in both Outland and Northrend totaling somewhere in the number of 3,000 quests completed!

LOLWUT? Is Blizzard freaking serious? The only thing that is making me consider this title is the fact that Aurendar (or Razor) doesn't really do that much in the game anyway. Why not hang out in some classic zones (before they are all destroyed) and have a good time? It actually sounds kind of fun!

So, this afternoon I decided to head off to Dun Murough and get my questing on. I chose Dun Murough due to the fact that as a Night Elf, I leveled that range out in Teldrassil. I've never quested with Aur out there at all so I pretty much have free pickins when it comes to quests there.

To make a long story short, I finished two lowbie quests before I was pulling my hair out. At least my Eastern Kingdom quest count is now 380! It's going to be tough but you know what? I'm going to tough it out and see where this goes.

Maybe if I can find a questing friend, it won't be as monotonous. You know, I should really move to Moon Guard. I know a lot of folks over there that would love to come keep me company! Also, making journal entries on my progress might make this a pretty fun adventure. Oh also, I can take snapshots of the zones as I visit them. I'm wanting to create my own virtual "scrapbook" of the locales to reflect on once the great Cataclysm is upon us!

There will be more on the Loremaster front as I make progress!

~Aurendar

Behold! A WoW-Killer in our Midst...

Yes, I said it. The evil words that should never, ever be spoken by a World of Warcraft fan. But I tell it like it is.

Sure, any MMO will have the fight of it's life to unseat a phenomenon that is the World of Warcraft from it's perch high in the lofts of MMO history.

But to this end, I give you - Star Wars: The Old Republic.

I've been keeping a close eye on this title ever since I first heard of it. Its had an uphill battle since its inception due to the horrendous deeds done to SWG at the hands of LucasArts and Sony. But what is done is done. Many a Star Wars fan are watching this title with caution. As am I.

But just this past week, a series of online video Developer Walkthroughs were posted on their site. It basically gives you an idea of the game mechanics to come. I gotta tell you, what I saw left me salivating for some hardcore Star Wars goodness!

It starts out with the Bounty Hunter class and its mechanics. Gameplay looked extremely smooth and the battles looked well thought out. Next came the Smuggler class. All I have to say about that is - WHOA! During this segment, the developers details a really cool mechanic called the 'cover mechanic'. Your toon can actually take cover behind trees, rocks etc, reaching around to fire off blaster rounds. I am so loving this game right now!

Part of my love affair with SWTOR is not only my deep rooted love for the Star Wars Universe but also because well, WoW is starting to really weigh on me. I just don't have the fun that I used to have back in the day. I yearn for change. I'm thinking Star Wars: The Old Republic is just what the doctor ordered!

Oh, did I mention that this title is being developed by none other than Bioware? Yes, the company that brought you titles to the tune of Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights! Yep, with Bioware involved, only good things can come of this!

Go ahead and check it out! Watch the Developer's Walkthroughs! You won't be disappointed!

- Peace

Stuff...

Wow.

A lot has been happening over the course of the week! To start off, Blizzcon landed in Anaheim and the 'Blizzardy Goodness" came oozing out over the Internets like a warmed up Caramello Bar. For the most part, I'm pretty stoked about all of the new content getting ready to land in our laps. Here's a nifty little short list of the official SjN likes & dislikes coming out of the expansion:

• ONYXIA! Definite LIKE! Of all of the raid bosses I've ever encountered, Onyxia holds a special spot in my heart. Not only was the attunement to the Onyxia Lair one of the most epic quest lines ever to grace the World of Warcraft, Ony herself is so tightly woven into Warcraft lore that the game just isn't the same without her.
• Class Changes: Like. Rolling with a hunter as I do, not having to worry about mana is going to be a godsend. Oh, and the whole "agility vs. attack power argument is getting thrown out the window! No more AP for hunters. Yay!
• Azeroth continent revamps: I'm a little on the fence over this change. Azeroth as it is today, IS the World of Warcraft! Gone will be the days of taking a flightpoint from Theramore over to Azshara when you just want to get away from it all. Auberdine destroyed? Say it isn't so! I love Auberdine! This will take some getting used to.
• Gilneas & the Worgen: This is probably the most exciting news for me! Looking at Gilneas, it reminds me of a 19th century England township. The roleplayer in me is already dreaming up "Dickens'esque" story lines to play out over on my RP realms! I can already imagine wandering the streets of Gilneas as people stroll by in tuxedos complete with tails, tophats and canes. The women dressed in ornate Victorian gowns all speaking proper common. As for the Worgen? ROLLING ONE!
• More Dungeons! Since I've been out of the raiding loop, it's been nice to just relax in Azeroth and breathe the air and take in the sights. But I must admit, my bow finger has been twitching lately. It will be good to get down and dirty again!

As for the Horde? Well, they get Goblins... Yea whatever. I don't run hordeside...I could go on and on and on but I will save it for another time. In other SjN Toon news:

Aurendar finally gathered enough funds to score a Nobles Deck off of the AH. 4500 bigguns later and she had it in her inventory. Looking forward to the Darkmoon Fair to redeem my LEWTZ! While Aur waited for the Fair, she made her way around the continents to finally get her Explorer Title! I figured with the changes coming, it'd be best to get that now just in case that title goes away! While in Feralas she also picked up her very own Sprite Darter Hatchling! Was pretty happy to finally get that. Have always wanted it but was always too busy. Again, I see the opportunity to get this pet going away when the expansion hits. LOTS of things are going to be changing! Anywho, check another task of my list! All in all, I'm having a blast with Aurendar lately. But I am getting incredibly lonely over on Blackwater Raiders. I'm considering a transfer (or sweet talking Loveth into moving Summit back!) We'll see what direction I'll be taking Aur. More to come on that.

As for Razorwyn, she landed back into her old guild - Sterling. Razor has been on cloud 9 since rejoining. RP'ing along side her guildmaster, Bjorke really has no equal. Oh, for those wondering, "Why two hunters SjN?" Aurendar is my raider. Her job is to kill stuff. Razor RPs. She's happy with her blues and occasional epic but get Razor into the Pig & Whistle in Stormwind and she's a happy lil Draenai! Well, this week Bjorke the GM announced that she is stepping down and taking a hiatus from WoW which could turn permanent. I'll be honest, Razor's future in Sterling is questionable right now. We'll have to see. There is a very real possibility that Razor will be running solo for the long term. I recently created a test toon over on the Wyrmrest Accord realm. Really NICE RP going on over there. Packing Razor's bags and moving is always an option too!

Well, it's maintenance day today and an extended one at that. So no WoW for me until this evening. Think I will spend some time pouring over the new content getting ready to be released! Oh and Mae, if you read this, FIND ME! I miss talking to you in game! I also need to find my old guildy Hesston and get him to update his damn blog! That goes for you too MAE! Oh, and tell Loveth to compose an entry into Electronic Escape! Would love to hear his take on Summit and the future of the guild. Lots of changes have been happening over there! It seems all of the people I knew and loved in WoW are slowly melting away. It's a disheartening feeling but I'm determined to trudge on and find fun in this game!

Time to run. Stay tuned. There is change in the air...

-SjN-

Decisions Decisions...

Well, for about a month or so (I'm horrible with time), Aurendar has wandered around all alone over on the Blackwater Raiders Realm. My days consist of running dailies, building rep and just hanging out in Dalaran or Stormwind.

Lately I've been contemplating a return to raiding. I have an alt over on Silvermoon where my beloved guild Summit now resides. While there, the guildies mentioned the need for additional DPS. Since they moved over to Silvermoon, they have steadily progressed leaving me well, behind.

Nonetheless, I can still DPS my ass off! It just won't be up to par with the rest of the guilds output. What to do, what to do.

Come September, the Darkmoon Faire will be going strong in Elwynn Forest and I will finally get to make the journey there and pick up my Darkmoon Card - Greatness! That will definitely help on the DPS output. I've also been scouring the Elitist Jerks fourms to tighten things up in the DPS arena. I found an awesome web bases tool called the Hunter DPS Analyzer! It's based on Shandara's DPS Spreadsheet. This should do wonders in tweeking every drop of DPS that I can possibly muster.

Bottom line though, more DPS means getting my ass into more heroics and for now, 10 man raids.

This, however, begs the question: Is my current lifestyle condusive to raiding?

I love raiding with every fiber of my being. The problem is the frequency that most raiders engage in the event. Being a family man, wife, dogs, job, picket fence, yard etc...etc....etc... Will I be able to carve out the time required to actually raid?

Summit (my guild of choice) raids Monday - Thursday. This is mainly 25 man progression raids. Friday - Sunday are 10 man optional raids. If I were to make the jump, I'd probably stick in the latter.

However!

A recent issue reared it's ugly head regarding casuals in 10 man raiding. It seems that if a "raider class" toon wants that 10 man spot, any casual lined up to run will get booted so the raider can go. Being a raider has to have it's perks after all. Just not sure how often I would actually see a raid if I go in as casual. I'm definitley not geared enough for 25 mans without being carried through so this will take some thought.

Oh, one other requirement, Maeliegh or Majesty MUST rejoin SUMMIT for all to be right with the world!

I'm giving it some thought and will make the decision soon!

~SjN (Aurendar)

WTB Darkmoon Faire

Finally!

The Darkmoon Faire is coming next week! I have a Noble's Deck sitting in the bank burning a hole in my bags! I've been wanting to get my hands on one of those decks for AGES!

A couple of weeks ago, I finally raised the coin to grab one off of the AH. Mind you it wasn't cheap! The normal going rate for the Noble's Decks are around 5200 to 5500 gold on my realm (OUCH).

I'm considering myself lucky however as I found a deck on the AH for 4300 gold! I scooped it up as soon as I saw it! You can actually get the Greatness card itself but those run around 8K on the Auction House. Ummmm.... Not an option.

While waiting around for the next Darkmoon Faire, I decided to just gold grind to try to recoup much of that gold that I handed over for this deck. If there is one thing that hunters do well, it's farming/grinding! Since buying the deck, I've recouped 3,000 gold! So at least I don't feel as bad as I did.

HOWEVER!

Until I can turn those cards in, I recently found something far more important to do. FIX MY &$%$^#!@ COMPUTER! My beloved WoW maching died a horrible death a couple of days ago. I've been shopping around for a new PC and have a couple of prospects. I contemplated building another machine but find that I don't have the time nor ambition to take on that kind of endeavor.

I was looking at some really nice high end machines but came to my senses. The World of Warcraft graphics aren't that demanding on moderate gaming machines so I'm looking to be a bit more frugal.

We shall see!

It's funny though. Having a computer die on you is stress enough. But that's not what is filling me with that sense of dread. What am I dreading? Installing WoW on this new machine! Installing WoW has GOT to be the worst experience any gamer can take on. It's entirely too painful! Blizzard really needs to do something about that. Oh well. Hopefully this is the last time I'll have to do it.

You see, next year a game is coming that has the very, very VERY real potential to actually pull me away from WoW. Next year, I give you - Star Wars: The Old Republic!

But that is another post (and another blog)!

~SjN