WoWGrrl's World

All I Do These Days Is PUG

Valdesta — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:33:27 +0000

I'll admit it, I don't play NEAR as much as I used to.

I still enjoy the game because I've made some good friends that I still hang around with on my Ventrilo server, and Dad and I still play together once a week, questing and advancing our characters into the 70s that started together in their 20s.

Upcoming Video Content

And I still enjoy the LFG tool because of its quick access to a packaged amount of playing that I can psychologically tell myself is an acceptable amount of play time, and a line in the sand as to when to log out and accomplish things in Real Life.

And I still have the drive to make videos and offer helpful tips and tricks every time I play.

So, as a result of a wee bit of playing recently, I've got a video coming out soon that I'm working on putting the finishing touches on right now in iMovie '09, and I'll be posting it to my long-estranged YouTube channel which you can subscribe to through that link.

I hope to see a lot of comments on the videos when they're posted! Feel free to link to the video from your guild website or blog or wherever, if you think the tips and tricks would be helpful for your friends.

Wailing Caverns via Dungeon Tool = Tests Galore!

Valdesta — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:55:40 +0000

My wee tanks on Alliance side are progressing through a few different instances, with Wailing Caverns being one of the ones that comes up regularly whenever I put myself into the Dungeon Tool.

Wow, what a series of tests that instance is!

Dungeon Tool Is No Way To Learn Wailing Caverns

Dancing Dranaei Tank

This is the first conclusion I've come to, after running 3-4 full WC's on my Druid and my Warrior, and many failed attempts on my Shaman healer.

The logic behind the statement is that Wailing Caverns is a twisty, turny, confusing instance at the best of times, but if you're trying to learn the route, the Dungeon Tool is likely NOT going to be your friend.

This isn't to say that it will ALWAYS not be your friend, but by and large, when I get into a Wailing Caverns group, it's a partially complete run, and your first job will be to find your dungeon mates.

Without dying to wandering slimes.

Wailing Caverns Test #1 and 2: Find Your Teammates (Without Dying)

I got into a fresh Wailing Caverns the other day and while it's a long journey to the end, I personally think that's the best way to get into this particular dungeon, unless you know the route through the instance by heart (which I do, which is why I'm comfortable tanking it).

The party itself was well-built, with a solid heal/tank team and DPS who did their job without causing extra mayhem.

Team Wailing Caverns

We progressed nicely until running into a bit of extra Druid aggro which resulted in our healer being put to sleep, which resulted in my death, and the scattering of the rest of the group as they panicked and tried to run for the instance door.

The instance door, of course, was too far away for those panicky people to get to, so everyone died and everyone had to run back. (Note to dungeoneers: Fight to the death. Defend someone who can resurrect, to the point of dying yourself. Don't run, it's unlikely you'll make it anyway)

One damage dealer decided to take a Spirit Rez, and then eventually left the group, and the trials of finding a successful new party mate began, while our team continued through the instance, four-manning the content.

We then went through three DPS - and watched each of them die (to slimes, they confirmed) as they tried to get to us. Each of the three waited for a full minute for a resurrection that was never to come, and had to be told to release and run back.

"We're too far in to run back to get you, so run back and be careful not to aggro the slimes again" was what I told each of them. (yay for alt + arrow up, repeating your history of chats)

So they'd release, and try to run back, but being Alliance folk who didn't make a huge home of The Barrens in order to learn the route to Wailing Caverns, all three ended up leaving the party before they found the instance door.

Meanwhile, our team is continuing to progress further and further into the instance, making it more and more difficult for someone unfamiliar with the instance to find us.

Finally one of the DPS make their way to us successfully. We're nearly at the end by the time they do.

Wailing Caverns Test #3: How's My Jumping Skills?

Deep in Wailing Caverns, there are two different places where players need to jump over a gap in the floor in order to progress.

The first Jump Test is the biggest - jumping onto, and then off of, a boulder that connects two hallways.

We've all failed this Jump Test as newbies in Wailing Caverns. This gives us patience to wait for the others who are currently working to pass the Jump Test for the first time, but it also gives us special pleasure as we watch you jump.

And fail.

And Jump again.

And fail again.

It's a little sadistic, but once you can reliably pass the Jump Test, you'll probably get some kind of sick pleasure out of watching others learning the skill as well.

This recent run we had two members who were new to Wailing Caverns and hadn't practiced nor passed the Jump Test yet. They both fell down five times each and had to run back around the loop to try again before they made it across.

Thankfully, the second Jump Test is a lot friendlier in that while the fall down is completely brutal for getting back up, the distance one has to cover in order to "pass" the test is a lot shorter than the first one. Nobody failed the second Jump Test, thankfully.

Wailing Caverns: Good Practice Keeping Focussed

Final Boss In Wailing Caverns

Ultimately, this dungeon (and Blackrock Depths would be similar I'd imagine) is a great one for giving players practice at "letting go".

Letting go of the thought that we should run back to escort a new player.

Letting go of the expectation of having a clear run through to the dungeon group if you join part way through.

Letting go of the thought that it takes 5 to progress through an instance well.

Letting go of the thought that all lowbie instances are fast and easy, and above all, letting go of the thought that dungeons have a linear path from start to finish.

What a great place!

Wailing Caverns: Don’t Worry, I Know The Way!!

Valdesta — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:46:40 +0000

Here's a great thing about leveling up a crapload of toons through the Horde side, and then switching over and leveling up another group of characters on the Alliance side:

There are instances that Alliance folk are afraid of that Horde folk run a kabillion times when they level a toon family, and this Horde-based knowledge pays off big time in these few times.

Wailing Caverns and Razorfen Kraul

Druid Tanking Wailing Caverns

I guess it will be the same with Razorfen Downs, but my characters aren't up to there yet in their LFG leveling game.

But in general, Wailing Caverns and Razorfen Kraul are two lowbie instances where a Horde cross-over can look all uber knowledgable and educated by taking the directional lead of a group of Alliance payers.

Wailing Caverns is one that I find the tanks often leave the party as soon as they zone in when I'm in there on my Shaman who cannot tank. They leave partially because the instance is so darned long, but also because as a Tank it's generally your responsibility to lead direction and get the group from the start of the instance to the end.

If you don't know your way through the twisty turny intestine-like mess of loops that describes Wailing Caverns, it's really easy to get lost and run around in circles while you try to find whatever it was you missed to bring you on to the next boss. And in order to get the Wailing Caverns completion achievement, you have to finish all of the regular bosses, and then talk to the Tauren at the start of the instance, in order to escort him to the final boss.

It's not a small trip! So if you find yourself in WC as an Alliance, and the Tank is leading direction well and actually gets you to the escort at the end, be sure to say "thanks for leading us through that twisty maze!".

Razorfen Kraul Pally Healing

Razorfen Kraul Is Easier Than It Looks

I was surprised at the concern that Alliance players tend to have when entering into RFK, though.

I mean, Wailing Caverns is long and twisty and confusing, but Razorfen Kraul is actually pretty straight-forward with few places to get lost and run around in circles like in WC.

Yet, when my Horde-turned-Alliance friend who was in the PUG with me died (fell into the pit of pigs and couldn't get back up), we both had to convince the rest of the party that there was no need to back-track to escort him back to where we were from the start of the instance, and at first I think the rest of them thought I was being cruel!

My friend and I laughed over vent at their responses, and my Mage friend was sure to pipe in on the party line to let folks know he knew the place very well and had no troubles getting back to us, too. He was back with us in no time at all.

Does The Dungeon Tool Encourage? Or Hinder?

Truthfully tho, the new exposure to instances that Alliance and Horde had minimal easy access to before cross-realm dungeons and instant teleport to the instance in question, is a challenge that I wonder about.

I've been in groups that have used the death of an unruly party member as a way to get rid of them from the party entirely when the person in question cannot find their way back through the instance to the rest of the group (without dying again that is), but I've also been in groups where we're nearly at the end of the instance and a new party member finds his or her way to us quietly and without problem.

I'm interested in hearing from readers, however. Does the new Dungeon Tool setup (of teleporting you in to the instance and potentially adding you to a party that is halfway done the instance) ENCOURAGE you to find your way through instances you're not hugely familiar with? Or does it HINDER your learning of these instances when you jump in to a partly-done run?

Let me know!

LFG Tanks: Don’t Screw Your Healers!

Valdesta — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:43:36 +0000

Tanking as an LFG leveler is an interesting experience.

I mean, I know most of these dungeons like the back of my hand after having run friends through or PUGged them a billion times, or having farmed through to the end of the various instances for the Achievements.

So, it's the perfect time to get into Tanking - not only do I know where I'm going and have a decent handle on generating threat on multiple targets, but I can move quickly because I'm not often questioning where to go next.

For me, however, Gnomeregon is one such instance that doesn't fit into the category above.

Learning Gnomer As Healer

PUG on Gnomer Elevator

Having been Horde for so long, and with Gnomer being annoying to get to as Horde (without being an Engineer who can port in from Booty Bay), Gnomer isn't an instance that I spent very much time in.

I went there a few times with friends to get the achievement of completing the instance, and one time that four level 70's actually WIPED in there because someone aggro'd an alarm bot in a very bad place (causing a very very huge pull that eventually landed on us), but I never played it enough to actually learn directions.

So now that one of my tanks has reached the level where Gnomer starts popping up (27 or so), I've started to queue myself only as Healer or DPS so I don't have to try to lead the group as its Tank when I have no idea where I'm going.

The Lowbie Tank and Healing Team

At least this way, I know we're not getting a Ninja Healer in the group. :)

But it means that I'm no longer in a "leadership" position when it comes to the Tank/Healer team dynamic, and am therefore at the mercy of the Tank and his or her quality and experience and attitude about leading a team.

But, I'm cool with following at times, and leading others.

Until the Tank breaks the Tank/Healer team bond in a way that shows me he or she hasn't realized the control this team has on the rest of the group. Then, suddenly, I can think of 15 things I'd get more joy out of doing right now.

DPS Wannabee Tank Ahead of Tank

About DPS-Wannabe-Tanks

In lowbie instances, there is a lot of attitude of "this is easy" and "nobody dies in these instances".

Plus, some DPS players join the LFG tool as DPS yet harbor dreams of being the leader of the group, like the Tank generally is.

Druids, Warriors, Paladins and Hunters are the worst for this from what I've seen, although some Shaman and Rogues pop in there occasionally as well.

It's easy to recognize, too - you've got a DPS person running ahead of the Tank, or pulling mobs instead of letting the Tank do it, and taunting mobs off which the Tank currently has the attention of. At a low level doesn't seem like a big deal, but to a Tank it's often quite annoying.

Tank's Frustration Not Completely Shared By Healer

As a Healer in a low level instance, for the most part it doesn't matter who is taking damage - healing requirements are low as long as only one group is pulled at a time.

But for the Tank, it can feel as if part of your job is being taken away from you when an over-eager DPS decides to take on the tanking role. And for a good Tank who is watching the mana level of the Healer, it can be even MORE annoying because the DPS getting the group into combat again just further slows down the Healer from regaining mana and allowing the group to move forward with speed.

So what can a Tank and Healer team do in order to keep the party moving smoothly without allowing the Wannabee Tank to disturb the process?

Maintaining The Tank/Healer Bond

Razorfen Kraul Pally Healing

Tanks, maintain a bond with your Healer.

Healers, maintain a bond with your Tank.

DPS, don't be envious of this bond - become a Tank or Healer instead. (You'll get faster LFG parties anyway)

What does this bond that I speak of look like? How does it show up, how does it affect this DPS who refused to take on the full responsibility of the Tank role yet feels he or she is a "great tank" and sets out to prove it?

The bond, I'd like to say, first starts with mutual respect and a degree of trust - even for a complete stranger. Without this mutual respect and trust between Tank and Healer, an unruly DPS will seem even more annoying and distracting. So except in extreme circumstances (see Ninja Healers), make this respect/trust thing a priority in your grouping, Tanks and Healers.

Once the basic bond is there, Tanks and Healers can easily work together to discourage unruly DPS - especially those who like to aggro mobs before the Tank is ready to dive in.

Primary Tank/Heal-Bonded Strategy

As a Healer, I personally don't mind a little bit of neglect in my job.

That is, if a DPS is pulling aggro regularly and purposefully, or stands in the fire/roof collapse, I don't mind not sending them heals.

In fact, if you were a reasonably-paced Tank during an LFG run and you had a DPS who was annoying you as a Wannabee Tank, I'd respond very favorably to your request for me to NOT heal that person AT ALL when they purposely pull aggro.

Truthfully, that's part of Healing that took a very long time for me to get used to - and Heroics helped a lot with settling that mindset. In Heroics I tended to find that if a DPS pulled aggro or pulled first, there was no way I *could* save them. And now when I'm in a leveling LFG party and the Tank is obviously annoyed at the DPS who is pulling out of turn, I have ZERO problems neglecting to heal the culprit who won't stick to his or her role.

So Tank, feel free to request that the DPS not pull first, or pull adds, and if your request isn't heeded after two mentions, feel VERY free to request that I, as the healer, not heal the DPS who doesn't listen.

The only time I'll go against you is if that DPS is doing 50%+ of the group's damage, and the instance progression would slow down terribly without them. In that case, the bond with the entire group is more important.

But really, I don't often find that players with quality DPS skills are the ones jumping ahead and pulling in place of the Tank, so it's not often a consideration.

What NOT To Do As An LFG Tank

Sadly, not all Tanks have figured out how to determine whether their Healer is on their side regarding loosy-goosy DPS and Wannabee Tanks, and that's unfortunate.

Those Tanks will end up taking their frustration out on the entire group, instead of finding a way to team with their Healer to lessen the frustration.

For example, a Gnomer run I was in last night had a Paladin Tank and a Druid DPS, but the Druid was in bear form and was pulling ahead of the Tank, despite the Tank's frustrated requests that he/she not continue to do that.

All of a sudden, the Tank runs way off ahead, aggro's 50 mobs and dies. As a Healer who believes in the Tank/Healer bond, I tried to keep up with him, thinking he knew something I didn't about being able to get away from everything he was aggro'ing. So of course, I died shortly after he did.

That was the end of my run with that guy. Before I left, however, in between the rest of the DPS calling the Tank a tool for wiping the entire party due to one person's inability to listen, I mentioned the Tank/Healer bond, and let him know I would have gladly stopped healing the Tank Wannabee if only he had actually requested it.

It's the first time I've actually told a Tank not to fuck over their Healer when we as a duo could aim the fuckage to the right person by not taunting mobs off and not healing, either.

I wonder if he took the suggestion to heart?

Do You Feel Guilty Ditching An LFG PUG?

Valdesta — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:06:19 +0000

With the upgrade of the Dungeon Tool for regular 5-player instances, increasing the pool of potential PUGmates you'll be assigned to because of the cross-realm battlegroups being included, I'd love to hear from everyone else your opinion about ditching PUG parties with little or no warning.

Fact: PUG Ditchers Used To Be More Annoying Than They Are Today

Not to say that I think people should feel free to ditch groups they got into and have progressed part way through the instance with, but I definitely think with the cross-realm LFG, there's a lot more flexibility than there used to be.

It used to KILL a group when the Tank or Healer would leave, especially when it comes to Heroics and having already completed one of the bosses in the instance. DPS has always been easier to replace, but there have been times where that wasn't possible either, so the loss of a DPS in the group killed the party, too.

But now any role can be replaced rather quickly and easily with just a little bit of patience.

Do You Commit To Stay For The Whole Instance?

I was listening to a podcast the other day (unfortunately I don't remember which one) and the hosts were talking about the new Dungeon Tool and how great it was, and about the types of parties they had been assigned to in terms of class balance and ultimate ability to quickly complete an instance.

One of the podcasters spoke strongly about his opinion regarding the quality of player who will leave a dungeon instance in the middle. He went so far as to say that if you could not finish an instance, then don't start it, because you're "screwing" the other four people in your group if you leave.

What do you think? Is it really a big deal to ditch PUGs these days?

And do you feel GUILTY when you leave, even if you know they'll likely find a replacement quickly?

I WILL Be A Love Fool This Year!

Valdesta — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:33:55 +0000

Last year I was a complete dummy and didn't complete the Love Is In The Air quest series from the Valentine's event that is required to get "the Love Fool" title.

Wanna know why?

Cuz I'm a dummy. I already said that! Keep up! :)

It Always Helps To Read

Shrimproll's Achievement Screen

Each one of the Seasonal Events has a title that your various characters can get. Most require you to be level-capped, or nearly so, unless you have a handful of good friends to turn to who can get you through some of the components that strangers will snub you for.

Things like the Coren Direbrew event in Blackrock Depths for the Halloween event is a good example of this type of "strangers snubbery" if you're not level-capped.

Each one of these Seasonal Events also has MORE quests than are required for acquiring the title.

This is where I screwed up last year. I didn't properly check to see what quests were required for "the Love Fool" title and which weren't, and I got snagged up on one that wasn't part of the meta requirement, and then didn't do one of the EASIEST meta requirements....

Only to find out that if I did the easy one, I would have been DONE!!

Duhhhrrrrr....

Standing With The Dalaran Flower Vendor

And Here I Stand...

Waiting for the Love Is In The Air event to start.

I've parked myself in front of the Flower Vendor, because all I need to do is buy a bouquet and I'm done!

Duhhhrrrrr.....

Hey Cool, New Quest!

While I was looking at my Achievements screen today and lamenting slightly about the silliness that marked last year at this time, I noticed there's a new quest in the Love Is In The Air section!

It's not required for the title (not a meta requirement), but it looks like something even my lowbies will be able to complete!

Tough Love
Defeat the trio of Crown Chemical Co. apothecaries in Shadowfang Keep

Cool, I can't wait to see where they hide out, and get my picture taken with 'em before we beat them down!

What’s With All The Healer Ninjas??!!

Valdesta — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:06:12 +0000

So, I don't know if you've experienced this or not since the new Dungeon Tool came in...

But man, what's with all the Healer Ninjas in the leveling dungeons??!!

Playing With Friends? Playing With Strangers.

Personally, I love the challenge of PUGs with complete and utter strangers.

Druid Tanking In Wailing Caverns

Ever since BC came out, and the first rendition of the LFG tool, I've gained a huge amount of playing skill just by playing with strangers instead of friends.

In fact, for a while there were social friends I wouldn't invite into dungeons to fill final slots in parties, because I found that playing with complete and utter strangers was a more positive playing experience with less negative ramifications after the party was complete.

After all, BC was a time where Crowd Control was valued extremely highly, and as a Mage I was getting into parties right left and center specifically because I was not only DPS, but I was one of the more reliable classes in terms of repeatable Crowd Control techniques.

The social friends I would avoid inviting to fill out dungeon groups were generally DPS classes (Healers and Tanks got regular invites), and the ones I'd avoid inviting the most were the ones who only wanted to go into dungeons in "guild groups", and then once they got there demonstrated exactly why - they had NO grouping skills, and didn't think that was a problem.

For whatever reason, guild Hunters were the ones I remember the most in terms of ones I'd avoid grouping with in a dungeon.

Huntards who refused to freeze trap. Who broke other forms of CC with their flame traps, snakes and multi-shot. Who "liked chaos" and therefore didn't pay attention to kill order. Who pulled aggro, and only feigned death once the mob was on top of them... generally leaving the mob to turn its attention to the nearby healer. Or a DPS wearing more than toilet paper for gear if the healer was lucky.

After a few runs with such social guildmates and hearing them talk about their beliefs and intentions for future runs, I started to realize that in order for my playing skills to improve while I'm actually enjoying myself, I'd be way better off playing with complete and utter strangers.

Crazy Eyed Gnome!

Some Strangers Suck, But I Can Ignore Them

This isn't to say that all of the strangers played better than these social guildmates - not at all.

There are always plenty of strangers who are either under-experienced or over-experienced, and both of those levels of understanding can result in challenging (or annoying) group situations.

But at least they're strangers, which means I have no urge to say "hello" to them when they log in the next day, or the next week. If they're annoying, boasting, aggro-pulling, chaos-generating players, I can pretend they don't exist - at least until the next time we end up in a PUG together (which didn't tend to happen much with the bad ones, even before cross-realm LFG).

Yet Another Dungeon Tool Effect On Parties

These days, it's not very often that a social guildmate is the right level to join me in the Dungeon Tool, so I'm doing a lot of PUGs with complete strangers. My social guildmates are all pretty decently skilled now that we've been playing for years, though, which makes it easier to invite them to groups when we do match up.

But now what I'm finding is that it's BETTER to bring in a social guildmate (as long as they're not complete tools), because that extra person that I can influence cuts down on potentially annoying, time-wasting situations.

Like the Healers who are incredibly crappy healers, but who have discovered they can get into dungeons much more quickly if they mark off that they're able to heal, than if they just list themselves as DPS.

Healing In Deadmines

Beware The Healer Ninja

As a lowbie tank, I completely expect that every dungeon I go into is going to have its share of challenges.

Whether the challenge is that the dungeon is Wailing Caverns or Gnomeregon which have players drop as soon as they zone in (because both are very long and have huge potentials for someone unknowledgable to spend a lot of time wandering around trying to find their way to the end to get the satchel), or the challenge is that the DPS are predominantly weak (due to inexperience, class dynamics or just plain laziness), or it's that the healer is new to their job and doesn't have any addons to help them heal (*cough* Healbot *cough*), I fully expect there to be SOME kind of challenge.

I am, after all, tanking at under level 30 at this point, and by default most players haven't had much experience with their characters to really know how to rock their role.

Most challenges aren't a big deal - if someone leaves the group, the Dungeon Tool fills their spot. DPS and Healing requirements are quite light for low level instances as well - everything is very forgiving and it's not very often that a DPS who pulls aggro even experiences death at this point.

But the one challenge that's bugging me these days is all about the Ninja Healer.

What's A Ninja Healer?

Simply put, it's a player who joins the party in the Healing role and then chooses "Need" on every gear drop they can roll on.

And on top of that annoying behavior, they're usually horribad healers who prefer to DPS (and do), but don't want to wait for the Dungeon Tool to place them as DPS!

The Dungeon Tool's restriction for kicking players early in an instance is what makes this player especially annoying to me more than anything - if after the first five minutes I've done 40% of my own healing, as a Warrior Tank using Healing Potions periodically, something is very wrong. And my not being able to vote the healer out because we haven't been in the party for long enough is highly frustrating to the rest of the group as well.

Sometimes I'm lucky and there's a class that can cast backup heals to keep us going until we can remove the dead weight, but lately I haven't been so lucky, and I've had to make the long run back to the instance because the One Who Doesn't Heal But Needs Everything also doesn't ressurect - and generally doesn't even respond to conversation on the party chat line.

It's getting to the point where I can recognize a Healer Ninja within the first three or so pulls in an instance, just by watching my health as I progress from group to group. The healing meters in Recount serve as a source to back up what I've noticed, and at times communicate it to the rest of the group before I initiate a kick.

But unfortunately, as I mentioned before, early in an instance there are kick restrictions in place, and therefore our group generally has to live with a Ninja in the group for what feels like an eternity before the vote actually gets past the restrictions and has a chance to pass.

How High Do The Healer Ninjas Show Up?

I'm working on lowbies right now when I get a chance to play, and I'm finding that Healer Ninjas are more prevalent at 20-30 than they were from 15-19.

I wonder, what's your experience with crappy Dungeon Tool healers who have to be kicked early in the instance because they're rolling Need on everything they get a chance to roll on?

At what level can I expect this horribad population to more or less die out?

Rockin’ It Out In Blackrock Depths

Valdesta — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:35:00 +0000

My LFG Levelers aren't to the Blackrock Depths level yet, and won't be for quite a while, but that doesn't mean I can't still enjoy the dungeon once in a while.

Specifically, on my Horde-side, well-established set of toons, a couple of them have Direbrew's Remote.

And the Remote, other than being a rare daily boss drop during the Brewfest celebration which was difficult to get in the first place, has a couple of neat features that can be enjoyed year round.

Tauren Chieftains in Blackrock Depths

Dusting Off The Remote

For the heck of it I hopped onto my Troll Mage and activated the Remote I got from Coren Direbrew, and took a ride in the Dark Iron Dwarf's Personal Mole Machine.

When used by its owner or any party member, the Personal Mole Machine takes a player directly into The Grim Guzzler in Blackrock Depths. When I was first going into BRD, my social leveling guildmates referred to that spot as "The Bar" so you might know it better that way.

If you're bringing a real party, or a friend for a run through, or an alt for a boss drop, there are a couple boss fights here you can engage without moving very far from where you land when you zone in:

Say Hello To The Band

Tauren Chieftains Lead Singer

The most important part of using your Direbrew's Remote, of course, is ...

Well, first to make newbies gather around you in the city when you pull out the Personal Mole Machine and they've never seen one before, or only rarely seen one before...

And then, once you're alone in Blackrock Depths, or there with your buddies or party, it's all about the band.

Allll about activating the band.

Rock and Roll, baby!

How To Activate The Band

The band can be activated any time of year, but during certain times I do believe the band comes out by itself.

Tauren Chieftains Undead Bass Guitarist

Probably to pique interest in the players who get the rare chance to see it when nobody has purposely brought them out via remote.

At any rate, if you talk to the NPC to the right hand side of the band gear and go through the scripted conversation with him, you'll ask for the band to be brought out and use guilt and the fact that you came all this way with the remote to see them, and eventually the goblin will agree to bring them out.

A few moments later, the band will come out, and they'll play for quite a while!

If you target one of the band members and /cheer them, you'll get a stat buff too - perfect for buffing up just before you take on the two bosses I mentioned for the quests earlier!

I hope you like the pictures, I had fun taking them :)

Lucking Across Lil Timmy, Boy With Kittens

Valdesta — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:10:40 +0000

I admit it.

I've crossed the line.

After years of being Horde-dominated and only having dabbled half-heartedly in any Alliance faction toons, I've finally set myself up an official, lasting, Alliance family.

One that is getting proper attention to be called a family and not just a stray spore that landed, germinated, and then was put into forever-stasis.

Lil Timmy The Boy With Kittens

ZOMG, It's Lil Timmy!

One of my lowbie Alliance toons was running around in Stormwind, working on her Tailoring jive with cheap mats I had gathered recently, and lo and behold, she ran into the legendary Lil Timmy, Boy With Kittens.

Shock! *Gasp*! *Faint*! All those things!

For those not familiar, Lil Timmy is a vendor NPC in Stormwind. He sells a pet box that lets you bring out a White Kitten as a non-combat pet.

Doesn't sound like a big deal, but if you're familiar with this guy and have tried to hunt him down, you know how difficult that is!

What Would You Do With A White Kitten?

On Horde side, the White Kitten is worth a small fortune.

Even on Alliance side, it's worth a tidy sum of money, because that Lil Timmy is indeed difficult to hunt down and pet collectors will not often find one listed in the Auction House.

So, would you sell the pet? Or would you use it on one of your own characters?

It’s Official, I’m On Raid Leave

Valdesta — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:50:00 +0000

It's readily apparent to anyone who used to read this blog regularly that I've had some troubles writing for a while.

Elemental Shaman in Icecrown Citadel 25

I find that whenever I get into a solid raid team, I have troubles writing about my adventures.

Sure, I'm having a great time advancing in-game but I'm missing out on something I really love to do, which is write on this blog.

This blog that I spent so much time upgrading and re-designing!

So, I'm back.

Demoted To Reservist Raider

I've officially requested that my characters be demoted to a Casual Raider rank within our guild.

Of course, there were a whole bunch of reasons that went into the request for a demotion to "Reservist" raider, but the main ones were that I've got some RL things to be working on, and the level of commitment to stay anywhere near the "average" was getting to be too much.

Ah, the price one pays for being in a guild that's rockin' the new content ;)

Seriously tho, I had been slipping behind since before Christmas time, even with the switch-over from my Priest to my Shaman and all the effort that went into there. It was time to acknowledge to the team that they'd be better to recruit a full time raider for my spot for now.

With over a year and a half of raid experience with half of the Officer core, it was easy to move to the Reservist rank instead of considering removing myself entirely.

I do like my raiding mates after all.

Lock With Mechanohog at the Bulwark

What I'm Doing Now

I find that my gaming interest waxes and wanes. Not that I lose interest in playing, more that my interests move from place to place within the game.

When I started, leveling was fascinating.

PvP was something I got deeply into in terms of battlegrounds for a while, too. Wintergrasp is a lot of fun.

For a while, I quite enjoyed raiding.

But all in all, I find that I can write more fluidly when I'm writing about virtual strangers, instead of virtual teammates or virtual friends.

So now I'm taking my enjoyment of the new LFG system, and basking in the anonymity of adventure it allows, and looking to write more about this "back to the social leveling guild" view of the game.

And of course, now that I don't have the raiding costs, I'm having a lot of fun watching the Auction House earnings pile up with very minimal effort, too.

On my main realm where I'm well-established with 5 level 70+'s all with Epic Flyers (and a Motorcycle mount on my now-54 Warlock), I cracked 40k recently. On a lowbie realm I'm LFG Tank Leveling on (highest playing toon is 24) I have just over 1000g already.

Gold doesn't make the social part of the game any easier, but it sure makes the technical advancement part easier :)

I'm planning on publishing my strategies and AH-specific adventures on a new site I've got set up, called Don't Buy Gold (Auction House Strategies for the Intelligently Lazy).

It's not live yet but you can sign up to find out more about my plans, and be notified of its opening on the front page there.

If my hosting provider hasn't somehow hosed my temporary front page again, that is.

Achievement - Ragefire Chasm

Would You Subscribe To My LFG Leveling Podcast?

I'm also thinking now of making a podcast based upon my LFG leveling adventures, with two special focuses: One on Tanking as an LFG leveler, and another on things you can do to improve your own dungeon-running skill and contribute to a great run.

I know a lot of people are afraid of PUGs (pick up groups with complete strangers, especially cross-realm), but would anyone be interested in my experiences and advice?

My plan is that the free podcast would be no more than 30 minutes in length, published weekly.

Oh, and I'd also definitely want to relay some of the funny PUG adventures I have - you know, the Bad PUGs that are just SO classically bad that they're funny...

That on its own might be worth the subscription!!