Just weeks after gushing about the new Hunter loot I had acquired I’ve decided to put that character on the back burner and switch to my Priest full-time.

The Reasons

This happened for two specific reasons. Number one, I was just tired of playing a pure DPS class. At some point you reach a level of gear and proficiency with your rotation that things just become kind of boring. In the last few weeks, when playing my Hunter, each instance run has kind of felt like the same old thing run after run. I felt like a switch was necessary to maintain my interest in the game.

Number two, I joined a really cool guild that gives me opportunity to heal some Heroics from time-to-time. As the Priest, I can go Holy to heal or Shadow to DPS so there’s a variety there that I just didn’t get with the Hunter. http://www.alteracvolley.com/ive-retired-from-the-hunter-pew-pew/

So we had previously left off with my WoW career right as I had gotten hooked.

Mage

My first “main” was a mage, it was really all I played. Leveled him all the way to lvl 62 (back when 70 was the cap). I mean the first and still primary “glass cannon”. Enough CC to almost never be touched, but if enemy’s breach that security there is enough BURST to burn them down. However, if not done quickly enough death will arrive shortly.
Mind you this was my first toon ever, so here I am leveling all my professions (secondary and primary), running EVERY single dungeon that I can (sometimes multiple times), and just wasting tons of time taking forever to level. The whole time I think I am going as fast as I can.
Needless to say I was moving, and incredibly broke. I took my longest break from WoW, approximately 6-7 months. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BigHitBox/~3/wFTysQV_OXE/

Balancing Healing In Progressing Raid Teams

I remember in the few weeks before Ulduar came out, how our guild faced a healer retention challenge.

You see, after months of farming Naxx25/OS25/EOE25/VoA25, our team got pretty well geared. Most of us were filling out to the Best In Slot standard, and a LOT of purples got sharded because nobody needed a lot of what dropped anymore. http://wowgrrl.com/2009/08/30/the-natural-waxing-and-waning-of-healing-teams/

Want to listen to the music of World of Warcraft without actually playing the game? It’s possible — anyee has posted a quick how-to over on the WoW Livejournal. The music is sitting on your computer in MPQ files, which are a proprietary Blizzard archiving format for their games. But there are a number of MPQ extractors and editors out there (the two recommended are MPQ Extractor for the Mac and MPQ Editor for Windows), so download one of those, use it to break open the MPQ you’re looking for, and then find the music you want in that folder. Extract it out, and voila, you’ve got Warcraft music to listen to whenever you want.  http://www.wow.com/2009/08/29/music-from-the-mpqs/

Blizzard at Gamescom Recap!

Gilneas and Lost Isles Maps

The maps were originally published by WoW Todo, an official Spanish fansite. They were likely taken from hands-on time at BlizzCon. The Lost Isles map is the first island you start on as a goblin, which we gave our impressions of here. You can check out our worgen impressions as well.

Leveling in Alterac Valley

Note 1: This is an edit, as reference, I just made 77-78 entirely in just 4 hours (maybe 4h 10m) by just doing AVs and a couple of quests (maybe like 3-5 fast quests, can’t remember exactly).

As some might have read already in one of my previous posts, I’ve started leveling a horde alt in the same server I got my alliance characters. As I’m writing, my horde DK is already 77, and Alterac Valley has probably provided a decent chunk of all the experience I’ve needed so far.

Catacl-Enhanced

I know that stoney has already written a summary of Cataclysmic changes, I’m not trying to steal his thunder. As he has stated I am just here to put my spin on things.

Basically what I am trying to say is that stoney is like Dr. Dre, you know he comes in and puts the best possible spin on things, and just does a great job. And I am like … like … Keven Federline (sp?) where I come in and just hack it up for comedic pleasure.

Regardless, I am putting my thoughts on shamanism, enhancement and other small details about the next Xpac

Why your (race) can’t be a (class)

Kisirani is tearing it up on the forums recently — ever since she dropped that Tauren Paladins would be called Sunwalkers, she has kicked off a round of speculation and excitement about all of the new race/class combinations soon to be available to us in Cataclysm. But the number one question on everyone’s lips seems to be: “If (race) can be a (class), why can’t my (race) be a (class)?”

Among all the amazing stuff that came out of BlizzCon—though I must admit I spent most of my surfing time looking at WoW.com’s costume pics because theirs seem to focus on the sexy female outfits….

Ahem. Yes the news at Blizzcon. I pulled out three very interesting snippets for the future of us Enhancement Shamans in the far-off Cataclysm

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BigHitBox/~3/6xDmodUh85U/

We just started our raid group to be able to raid tonight, and some people noticed that the instances that we got locked yesterday, for some reason, got reset today.

So we aren’t sure if we should re-clear the place, because Blizzard might just consider it as an exploit and mass ban?

Here are a couple of screenshots from Ulduar (25M) and Trial of the Crusader (25M), the initial stuff is there (as reference) and the window about the Raid ID is there.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/frostbolt/~3/K_fpGUztKGM/

That’s right folks, the Twisted Nether Blogcast folks have asked me to come back.   This time I’ll be joining Brajana of Mend Pet of and Hydra of Almost Evil. We’re going to discuss all the changes that happened at BlizzCon.

Just to make it easy for you.

What: Twisted Nether Blogcast, BlizzCon Roundtable Discusssion

http://www.brigwyn.com/2009/08/27/brigwyn-on-the-twisted-nether-blogcast-blizzcon-roundtable/

Since the beginning of the game players have wondered what was behind that huge wall in Silverpine Forest; what was the fate of the denizens of Gilneas? Now with the announcement of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm we finally know, and I was able to spend some time with the followers of Genn Greymane at BlizzCon.

Never Cry Werewolf

Your roots as a worgen actually start during the leveling experience. At level 1, you’re a normal human citizen of Gilneas. However, at some point during your adventure to level 6 you become stricken by the worgen curse and fight to find a cure to retain at least some vestige of humanity. While you’re questing through this experience there are constant earthquakes shaking the earth beneath you; caused by the cataclysm which has sundered most of Azeroth.

http://www.worldofraids.com/news/820.html

Everyone has something to say about everything that happened at Blizzcon. The most exciting buzz has been going around about World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. Kat Weight gives us, here at WoWVault, her thoughts on the Cataclysm announcement from Blizzcon.

Ever since the data-mining of two specific Halloween masks, the Worgen and Goblin, there was speculation that they would be the new playable races. Even with the trademark information being discovered and talk of a new expansion, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, there were people saying it was coincidence. Still, everyone knew it wasn’t long until the world would find out just what Blizzard had been up to…

http://wowvault.ign.com/fullstory.php?id=54101

So Cataclysm is coming and Kisirani is already working on an in-game launch event. It’s gotta mean something right? Now don’t get me wrong, even with my self-confessed zombiephobia, I loved last November’s zombie invasion (though, at times, it got really frustrating). So now Kisirani is officially hard at work planning a new event to herald the beginning of an Azerothian cataclysm, I can’t help but wonder what she has up her sleeves for us.

Is anyone else excited? I certainly am and it gives us something to focus on during the inevitable wait. To be fair, at least Cataclysm‘s not scheduled for 2012! We don’t have that long to wait, we could be rolling Worgen and Goblins in just under/over a year’s time. That just about makes it bearable. But it also leaves us with time to think about what Blizzard will do to introduce players to this brave new world.

Hit the jump to find out what we think could well happen prior to the launch of Cataclysm.

http://www.wow.com/2009/08/27/what-does-blizzard-have-planned-for-a-cataclysm-in-game-launch-e/

After many starts and stops we have finally gotten a stream out and available.   We’re still working on getting it iTunes ready (hopefully soon) but in the meantime you can download right here! (link)

http://www.brigwyn.com/2009/08/25/the-hunting-lodge-podcast-episode-1-chasing-squirrels-and-talking-blizzcon/

3.2.2 PTR – Build 10357
This news will be constantly updated with new things and changes.

3.2.2 PTR Patch Notes Update
Below are the changes to the 3.2.2 PTR patch notes. Any notes that have been edited from the previous version will have the edit in red.

http://www.worldofraids.com/news/819.html

World of Warcraft Cataclysm FAQ

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/cataclysm/faq/

It was a hectic two days at this year’s BlizzCon with lots of revelations, some good, others awesome. Destruction is coming to Azeroth with the return of Deathwing, changing the face of the planet forever. While we won’t see the game until 2010, the world will change entirely and cities will be revamped in order to enable them to be made flyable. However, there are several very important locations currently in-game (for the most part) which are going to be very important to the coming Cataclysm.

http://www.wow.com/2009/08/25/the-wow-tourists-guide-to-important-cataclysm-locations/