Dean's World

I recently fired up my World of Warcraft account and I started a new character on a new server. I had a level 55 night elf Hunter on Zul'jin but I've since moved to Steamwheedle Cartel and fired up a blood elf Paladin named Maelnerana. I took the name from a character in the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game (which I collect).

I'm trying a different gameplay approach. I left WoW about a year or so ago because I got tired of the grind. I don't like sitting somewhere for hours just killing stuff to level. It's boring. So, what I'm doing now is restricting my actions to quests only. If it's not in a quest for me to kill I'll try to avoid it. I like how it's working out so far. It feels like I'm actually accomplishing something within the world and I know that everything I do is for a purpose beyond my own leveling. It's nice to have someone to go back to to thank you for your actions and throw a little coin your way. And, typically, it seems the XP payout is larger and quicker than if I were to forgo quests in favor of the grind.

So, anyway, if you're on Steamwheedle, and you're Horde, say hi or something. I accept tribute in gold and blue and purple items.

(link)

Dan the Highway guy (mail) (www):

Anyone who just grinds for XP or treasure in WoW is missing a huge amount of story and game. There's so much more than killing mass amounts of bears or boars.

11.9.2007 10:08am

TallDave (mail) (www):

Grinding is boring as hell. Do the quests, you level just as fast that way anyway.

Also, pve/raiding gets pretty boring too. I spend most of my time in PVP battlegrounds; fighitng other players is much more challenging than beating on mobs.

And if u can outfit a twink you can really have some fun. My 29 twink lock is legendary on our battlegroup. Our twink guild on Draka is actually drawing in players from other servers who want to get in on the pwnage.

I also have a 52 lock I'm bringing up to 70 to be my 70s PVPer. He's an aff lock with pretty much all + shadow dmg gear; it is so much fun levelling him, because with the voidwalker out to draw aggro he can fight 4-5 yellows or 2-3 oranges at once.

11.9.2007 10:53am

Heh, Dave, I feel the same way about PvP as you do toward raiding. I'm a 4-night per week raider. Getting 25 people to work together to do all the things you need to defeat a boss is my challenge. I love working out healing and overall strategies (raiding character is a healing priest) and watching people work in concert, even if it looks like 20 people running around with their heads cut off, like against Void Reaver.

PvP just doesn't interest me. Last time I went into AV on my mage, I had zero HK's with over 100k damage in a winning cause.

11.9.2007 11:08am

Kristian H. (mail) (www):

Jame's Horde Leveling Guide

Worked like a charm for me. Oragnaizes the quest to minimize running (really, really important until mounts, no?)

I started using this when BC came out since I had quit long before, at 52 or so. I got to 63 using the last 2, and it was as much fun as I ever had in WoW.

Hmm, maybe I should look for later ones...

11.9.2007 12:09pm

BoydG (www):

My main is a Dwarf Priest. Try PvP with a Holy Priest some time. Talk about frustrating.

Kevin, I heartily recommend Jame's Horde Leveling Guide (which starts at Level 21). I rolled my first Horde toon earlier this year, and Jame's guide kept me from wasting time hunting around for where to go/what to do/which quests to pick up/which quests to avoid.

And I just respecced my Priest to Shadow. I may venture back into PvP to see what's shakin'.

Ardviir on Earthen Ring (all my toons start with Ard*).

11.9.2007 12:10pm

Heh, great minds think alike, eh, Kristian?

BTW, Kristian links to the summary page for Jame's guide where mine goes straight to Chapter 1.

11.9.2007 12:12pm

Kevin D (mail) (www):

I'll check that guide out. Thank for linking it. Both you you.

11.9.2007 12:35pm

Personally, my wife and I use Brian Kopp's non-free guide. I've used Jame's Alliance guide, and it had a bit too much slack grinding time, or 'you have to do these instance quests' stuff.

Boyd, Dwarf healing spec priest here, also, and it just adds to not liking PvP. Not that I care for it on my other characters, tho. You may find that shadow spec is not much better in PvP, since most other people seem to have figured out the tricks to shadow priests.

BTW, worst PvP experience: Facing 15 hunters in a premade AB...

11.9.2007 1:24pm

Jerry Kondraciuk:

I played WoW for a few months a couple years ago. I loved it, but I could not afford to pay for two games. My drug of choice is Anarchy Online. The base game is FREE to play, but once you get hooked and buy an expansion, the monthly fee's kick in. The best deal is to buy a year subscription for $96 bucks. A year of WoW costs $156. Going monthly on both is $14.99 per.

11.9.2007 2:54pm

HokiePundit (RDB) W&M 1L (mail) (www):

LEEROY JENKINS!!!

11.9.2007 3:07pm

Callimachus (www):

Oh well, if anyone's on Bloodhoof, look me up (Maurya, Deorwyn). Just running around whacking sh*t is dull sometimes, but sometimes you just feel like doing something mindless at the end of a long work night. Besides, if you spec in leatherworking, you need the skins.

11.9.2007 11:52pm

Also, the next patch will really speed leveling between 20 and 60. Which is good in one sense, but it will mean more moron in Outlands.

11.9.2007 11:53pm

Oh, like the moron density in the game isn't so high that more would be noticeable? :)

11.10.2007 2:35am

Vic Stein (mail):

I enjoyed WOW, but after the guild I was in fell apart, it lost most of its appeal and I bailed. Working in a guild to get attunements and finish dungeon and raid quests was a blast while it lasted, but particularly towards the end of the higher level outland raids, I was just getting tired of it all.

I sort of wish there were at least one other MMORPG out there that compared, because I'm mostly ready to move onto something else. Nor can I really stomach the idea of paying a huge monthly fee again. I've heard decent things about Tabula Rasa, but also that it needs work, and the idea of getting back into a like 15$ a month subscription just seems sort of exhausting unless the game is going to match up in terms of depth and fun.

11.10.2007 4:12pm

Nor can I really stomach the idea of paying a huge monthly fee again.

Check out Guild Wars. It's solid and it's free.

11.10.2007 4:33pm

I was looking at that a bit. I think the real fear is of buying into a game that doesn't have huge staying power to get invested in playing: to make it fun, you need TONS of people involved at every level. WoW is pretty much one of the only games in town for that sort of thing, at least as far as I see it.

11.11.2007 12:17pm

Dan: Jame's Horde guide is tons better than his Alliance one.

11.12.2007 12:21pm

Commenting on Dean's World is a privilege, not a right. Dean is your host, you are his guest, and you should behave in that fashion. Dean is not your babysitter, nor is he your punching bag. Please remember this. In general, you are free to disagree with anyone on any subject you wish, but abusive behavior will not be tolerated.

Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.

Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.