Lore Question and crafting

[Jimbo]

Heya all;

My kid and I were talking about some of the lore to the game, and we were wondering how much of the Centaur had been developed.  I know they are the enemy of the Tauren, but it would be so cool to have them as playable races for the Alliance then.  It would be nice to have another race for the horde that people would play (I hear on some new servers the Blood Elves way out number the other horde races).

On crafting, we noticed that skinning and leatherworking seems a bit weird, like they started to make 4 diffrent armor styles and then Blizzard changed their minds.  Did they ever come out and say you can craft all the types or do you still have to pick a style later on, then get the higher up after that?  I hate to say it, but I helped twink my kids rogue so he is hell on wheels in the 20's BG, then again there were like 2 other gnome rogues even more decked out than him, and with him the three gnome rogues were mean as hell.  I was telling him he ought to do engineering if he was going to do BG's, but is that still the way to go?  I've taken a really long break and have gotten back into it, but not finding much help on routes to go.  At least my hunter with BM spec is still a kick ass way to level, even if they haven't made Bears have a unique attack yet.

[Arrrgh]

Lots of nice eng toys at 29. Net projector, mind control cap, shrink ray, cloaking device, and grenades are the ones I used to use the most. Gnomes are great for the bonus to eng skill, and they can just escape artist out of net projector backfires.

Discombobulator Ray is fun too.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Discombobulator_Ray

[Miasma]

That site is also good for the centaur lore, and most other things.

[Chimpy]

Tallstriders need a unique pet skill before bears, mmkay?

[Jimbo]

Tallstriders need a unique pet skill before bears, mmkay?

Bears, Crabs (they don't even get bite), Crocolisk (no claw), Hyena (wierd they don't get the wolf/worg skill), Nether Ray, Raptor, Spider, Spore Bat (omg! they get nuthing!), and tallstrider, all need some improvements and unique stuff for them.

[Threash]

Theres only one good pet for raiding and one good pet for arenas anyways.

[Kail]

My kid and I were talking about some of the lore to the game, and we were wondering how much of the Centaur had been developed.  I know they are the enemy of the Tauren, but it would be so cool to have them as playable races for the Alliance then.  It would be nice to have another race for the horde that people would play (I hear on some new servers the Blood Elves way out number the other horde races).

There's two kinds of "centaur-esque" things in the game.  There's real "Centaur" (I.E. Gelkis Centaur and Maugrim Centaur and so on) and there's the other centaury kinds of guys, like Keepers of the Grove and Dryads.  Both kinds are allegedly descended from Cenarius (the demigod who taught the Night Elves druidism and whom Grom Hellscream whacked), but the Keepers and Dryads (who are supposed to be noble, gentle, et cetera) do not get along well at all with the Centaur (who are supposed to be brutish, violent, and so on).  I can see Keepers and/or Dryads joining the Alliance if they haven't already, because of their ties to the Night Elves, but I don't see the Centaur as being a particularly good fit (not that that's stopped Blizzard before).

There's a lot of Centaur lore focused on Maraudon, if you want to read through some of the quest descriptions for there (or go there yourself, it's easily soloable at seventy, though rather long).  Allegedly one of the Keepers had a relationship with an earth elemental (and who can blame him, rowr!)  and fathered the centaur with her.


On professions:  If you're planning on a twink character, I'd still go with engineering.  As far as I'm aware, you can buy (or find or get someone to make) all of the uber leather stuff (at 29, anyway), and use it just fine with or without any kind of skill in leatherworking, but you can't use most engineering stuff without engineering skill.

I don't think specialization is needed for leatherworking until Outland, anymore; if I recall correctly, the specialization requirements for pre-BC patterns were removed (not a leatherworker, so I'm not positive).  I'm pretty sure you don't need to specialize to hit the top of the profession, I think each specialization has something like two or three BoP items and one 3-set, but there's enough patterns available from vendors (if you have the rep, sigh) that you don't need to specialize if you don't want to.

[Typhon]

I'm not saying that centaurs wouldn't be cool, but I don't think you're going to see them as a playable race because they would get excluded from riding anything except a magic carpet (magic carpets would be cool!).  I don't think Blizz will choose to implement a race that can't make use of all the different types of mounts because it essentially makes that class a second-class (ha!) citizen.

That said, I'd love to play a Naga (another with a riding problem) or a Satyr (no riding problem).

[Chimpy]

I'm not saying that centaurs wouldn't be cool, but I don't think you're going to see them as a playable race because they would get excluded from riding anything except a magic carpet (magic carpets would be cool!).  I don't think Blizz will choose to implement a race that can't make use of all the different types of mounts because it essentially makes that class a second-class (ha!) citizen.

Plainsrunning ressurected IMO.

[Xerapis]

Dear gods, yes.  Mulgore feels like the biggest zone in the game.

[Merusk]

"Hay.. let's design the Tauren newb zone around their racial ability!"

"Sure, sounds like a nifty way of getting them used to it."

*many whines about not having a mount for instant speed, combined with whines about Tauren who can run faster than anyone from level 1 later*

"Hey, shouldn't we fix Mulgore?"

"What? No, it's too close to launch and it's not like they'll be there for a long time. It's fine."

[Selby]

"Hey, shouldn't we fix Mulgore?"

"What? No, it's too close to launch and it's not like they'll be there for a long time. It's fine."

So that is why that fucking zone is so huge with absolutely nothing in between.  I hate leveling it. I've done it a handful of times and NEVER want to do it again.

[Chimpy]

"Hey, shouldn't we fix Mulgore?"

"What? No, it's too close to launch and it's not like they'll be there for a long time. It's fine."

So that is why that fucking zone is so huge with absolutely nothing in between.  I hate leveling it. I've done it a handful of times and NEVER want to do it again.

At least it is pretty scenery in comparison to the hellhole that is Durotar. Of course, everyone gets stuck in the abyss that is the Barrens after that, so c'est la vie.

[Rasix]

This is why all my recent alts have been blood elves.  And I fucking HATE ELVES.  I really can't stomach another go at Orc/Troll/Tauren starting areas and I don't care much for being undead.  And I'm lazy, otherwise I suppose I could just level a troll (dependent on class) in the BE area. 

[Nebu]

At least it is pretty scenery in comparison to the hellhole that is Durotar. Of course, everyone gets stuck in the abyss that is the Barrens after that, so c'est la vie.

Every toon I've leveled after BC follows the same path: get to level 6 asap and head to the blood elf area.  1-20 is so much faster there that it doesn't make sense to stay in Mulgore/Durotar unless you're attached to the scenery.

[Valmorian]

Every toon I've leveled after BC follows the same path: get to level 6 asap and head to the blood elf area.  1-20 is so much faster there that it doesn't make sense to stay in Mulgore/Durotar unless you're attached to the scenery.

Is there a warrior trainer in the blood elf areas?  It'd be annoying to have to truck back to Undercity every time you got an even level.

[murdoc]

Every toon I've leveled after BC follows the same path: get to level 6 asap and head to the blood elf area.  1-20 is so much faster there that it doesn't make sense to stay in Mulgore/Durotar unless you're attached to the scenery.

Is there a warrior trainer in the blood elf areas?  It'd be annoying to have to truck back to Undercity every time you got an even level.

Nope, when I ran my Tauren warrior through the BE zone, I just bound in UC and ported there every 2 levels.

[Kail]

"Hay.. let's design the Tauren newb zone around their racial ability!"

"Sure, sounds like a nifty way of getting them used to it."

*many whines about not having a mount for instant speed, combined with whines about Tauren who can run faster than anyone from level 1 later*

I heard plainsrunning wasn't obtainable until level 40; was I misinformed?  It makes no sense at all to design a n00b zone around a level 40 ability...

[Nebu]

Nope, when I ran my Tauren warrior through the BE zone, I just bound in UC and ported there every 2 levels.

I'm leveling a warrior as well and did the same thing.  No war trainer in the BE zone stinks, but it's still faster than leveling in Mulgore.

[Miasma]

I like how Thrall reacts when you turn in the final quest for ghostlands and aren't a Blood Elf.  "They were given an entire regiment of forsaken and still needed your help to clean up their mess?"

[Jimbo]

Thanks guys!  The links are a ton of help, since both my kid and I have not been playing in at least 8 months.  We just thought it would have been cool to have 2 races (one horde and one alliance) that didn't need mounts and were in the game somewhat.  I figured the centaur were hated a bunch by the horde so they couldn't be on that side, but that maybe a more peaceful side could come over to the alliance, but I had forgotten about the half deer people that live with the night elves (which aren't as neat looking as centaurs...), but then I do remember the fiasco with planesrunning that Tauren were to get.  I'm way glad they removed the having to pick a line of leatherworking to go into when you get higher up, I allways felt that they left hunters out on the three types of leather armor you could craft.

[Llava]

This is why all my recent alts have been blood elves.

 

[Jimbo]

Theres only one good pet for raiding and one good pet for arenas anyways.

So what is good for grinding/solo, raiding/grouping, and good for pvp?

[Xanthippe]

I use a boar for solo pve - they eat everything, and mine's trained for stamina and armor bonuses.

I use a scorpid for pvp, because I like poisoning stealthers.

I don't raid, but I think raiders like to use ravagers for their dps (maybe quickness?).

[Lantyssa]

I use(d) a deviate dreadfang (indigo wind serpent).  It's unique looking and fish are easy enough to get ahold of.

[Chimpy]

I don't raid, but I think raiders like to use ravagers for their dps (maybe quickness?).

Ravager if you are below 30% crit unbuffed, wind serpent if you are over 30% is the min/max hunter raid DPS pets.

But any cat/raptor/ravager/wind serpent will be find for DPS. Just make sure to train cobra reflexes.

[Merusk]

Mmmm Cobra Reflexes.

I still use a cat. I love Sampson, he's going nowhere as he's been here since level 10.   I'm giving a ravager a go, though.  Wind Serpent kinda sucked, even when I was at 35% crit. (which is a ridiculous amount,  and I've given up a bunch in favor of RAP now.)

[Jimbo]

Thanks all!

I'm still happy with my bear for leveling for my dwarf hunter, but the boar is doing great too on my horde hunter.  I'll probably go with wind serpants (maybe dragonhawks later on) for pvp.  Heck, before I had my bear to level with and my cat for pvp, but now it sounds like a lot more pets are pretty good.

[Lantyssa]

I don't raid, but I think raiders like to use ravagers for their dps (maybe quickness?).

Ravager if you are below 30% crit unbuffed, wind serpent if you are over 30% is the min/max hunter raid DPS pets.

But any cat/raptor/ravager/wind serpent will be find for DPS. Just make sure to train cobra reflexes.

That's funny.  My second pet is a Death Ravager.  Guess I was ahead of the curve for once.

[Ratman_tf]

I had an owl for awhile because having a huge grey bird flapping in your face and screaming (screech) every few seconds was  against PvP opponents.

[Fordel]

I've banned owls while I'm tanking, for pretty much the same damn reasons.



SKREE SKREE SKREE SKREE SKREE! 

[Merusk]

I won't group with Hunters that use owls or any other of those noisy, flapping bastards.  Crocks were on my list for a while, too, before everyone abandoned them because they didn't have abilities.

[Chimpy]

Mmmm Cobra Reflexes.

I still use a cat. I love Sampson, he's going nowhere as he's been here since level 10.   I'm giving a ravager a go, though.  Wind Serpent kinda sucked, even when I was at 35% crit. (which is a ridiculous amount,  and I've given up a bunch in favor of RAP now.)

The key to windserpents is putting LB in your steady macro, otherwise they have positioning issues while stopping to cast LB while not in melee range, losing melee DPS.

I do good DPS with it but got the flapping pets are annoying.

Pink Tallstrider needs a DPS focus dump so I can bring him along to raids. Best pet ever.