My Alternate Reality

FOR THE HORDE!

I gotta admit, I've been pretty down in the dumps when it comes to the World of Warcraft. As you may or may not know, I'm a total WoW addict. I guess that comes along with being a nerd. I love spending time in game when I'm not working, doing chores or spending time with the family. Hanging out with friends, killing monsters or raiding brings me that escape from reality that I look for.

 But lately? Not so much. I've become bored with the game. Someone suggested to change it up. Play a different character or class. Meh.... I've done that already. Nothing new there. Then I thought of something.

I've never played horde.

So I went and created Zanji, a Troll hunter and started questing and running dungeons. I LOVE IT! I haven't had this much fun since I first created Aurendar all those eons ago. I'm having a blast horde-side! Right now good ole' Zanji here has dinged seventy one and he's cruising toward eighty. I've hit a bit of a road block. Have to concentrate on rounding up 5,000 gold for an epic flyer and then another thousand G's for cold weather flying in Northrend.

((sigh)) Time to farm some skins and work that AH. 

Stabby Stab Stab!

 Yes. I have ventured away from my beloved hunters and entered the dark, shadowy world of the Rogue. The official ninja of World of Warcraft.

Running with a rogue is an experience I can't quite describe. It's flat out amazing! I managed to ding her 80 last week and ever since then, it's been a whirlwind of activity. Aurendar, my hunter hooked her with with a few pieces of gear while some guildies crafted me up a set of Eviscerator gear.

She's stylin' but damned deadly!

The goal now is to get her into some heroics to see how she fairs in real world settings. I must admit, I'm a bit apprehensive. I've never instanced with anything but a hunter. Not sure what to expect!

And yes, your thinking is correct. I have leveled my rogue all the way to 80 without so much as peeking into a dungeon. 100% questing did the job!

Well, that is going to change. I want to hook up with some good guildies and have them put me through the paces. Man, where's Teliko and Suntzu when you need them! Okay, I'm off to get some Argent Tournament dailies done!

Laters!

SjN

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-