Two-week (more or less) thoughts.

[jpark]

For thos of you who play alliance on these boards - my condolences on your SAD FUCKING STATE.

If I'm not mistaken, the difference between this post and the two refutation posts are that the refutations are on a PvP server (correct my if I'm wrong). That sort of makes sense to me... PvE servers have an abundance of alliance, and that they would be carebears who don't like PvP in which they aren't guaranteed a win would not surprise me.

Not that everyone in said situation is of that mindset, but the demographic skews in that direction.

Ya I am talking about PVE servers.

[Azazel]

The more often I see posts like the ones from you two, the more I think Blood Elves are the best thing this game has ever introduced.

[pxib]

The more often I see posts like the ones from you two, the more I think Blood Elves are the best thing this game has ever introduced.

A friend of mine who plays the level 19 twink scene is totally discouraged. A huge flood of elves have poured into those battlegrounds, roughly equalizing queue times for Horde and Alliance. More than half of Horde players on any given team are blood elves between the levels of 10 and 15. Horde hasn't won a single Warsong PUG since Burning Crusade... and, again, the queues are longer now.

[rk47]

lol. i find it hard to believe that those BEs are second rerollers from Horde. I guess it might be Alliance migrating over to the evil pretty race huh? :P
I totally agree about that Alliance playerbase, I got ganked in Duskwood by Horde last night. So I went back to town...about to fly out to another zone to quest, when some Alliance lowbies are complaining about being ganked in pvp. I told 'em it's natural..and their replies are funny shit:

'PVP is not about Rock vs Eggs'
'Yeah, it's pvp but it's rude to do so! (to gank)'

I just laughed so hard and flew back to Stormwind to do some crafting. Bunch of funny people.  :-D

[Zetor]

Ya I am talking about PVE servers.

You didn't qualify that in your original post, making broad statements about the entire 5+ million alliance population and all, based on the actions of ~50-100 people. :P

I have no desire at all to play on a pve server; not only there is an insane population imbalance (4 alliance to 1 horde?!), but I like to have at least some excitement while leveling up and being out in the world at 70. My server has enough roaming horde gank groups / guilds to keep things interesting. Even if they gank and corpse camp my level 20 alt repeatedly.


-- Z.

[Koyasha]

Ya I am talking about PVE servers.

I don't understand the point then, since I thought the discussion was about ganking.  Although that term tends to be very diluted these days, I haven't so far heard it used in an honest reference to a time when someone is essentially looking for trouble or a fight and gets killed.  Which is what flagging is on a pve server.  Looking for a fight and looking for trouble.

[Jayce]

The more often I see posts like the ones from you two, the more I think Blood Elves are the best thing this game has ever introduced.

A friend of mine who plays the level 19 twink scene is totally discouraged. A huge flood of elves have poured into those battlegrounds, roughly equalizing queue times for Horde and Alliance. More than half of Horde players on any given team are blood elves between the levels of 10 and 15. Horde hasn't won a single Warsong PUG since Burning Crusade... and, again, the queues are longer now.

The scary thing for me is that I have played Alliance to this point, but I'm enjoying my blood elf mage now.   I may actually get to a high level on a horde character.

I can only keep faith that I'm really not a retard.  No, honest.

[Morat20]

The more often I see posts like the ones from you two, the more I think Blood Elves are the best thing this game has ever introduced.

A friend of mine who plays the level 19 twink scene is totally discouraged. A huge flood of elves have poured into those battlegrounds, roughly equalizing queue times for Horde and Alliance. More than half of Horde players on any given team are blood elves between the levels of 10 and 15. Horde hasn't won a single Warsong PUG since Burning Crusade... and, again, the queues are longer now.

The scary thing for me is that I have played Alliance to this point, but I'm enjoying my blood elf mage now.   I may actually get to a high level on a horde character.

I can only keep faith that I'm really not a retard.  No, honest.

I've been resisting the blood elf urge -- I've kept my sub-10 undead Warlock (If you're going evil, go EVIL!)  -- but I might roll a belf simply because the Dranae area was so well done. I'd like to see the blood elf area.

[SurfD]

If you actually think the Draenie starting area was well done, the Blood Elf starting area / Home City will probably blow your mind.

[angry.bob]

Belfs, their capitol, and their areas are the best. If you haven't rolled a belf yet, do it. The initial rush of people have leveled up and have moved on making the areas even better.

Make a belf. Do it now. You will not regret it

[Morat20]

If you actually think the Draenie starting area was well done, the Blood Elf starting area / Home City will probably blow your mind.

Compared to the hell that was the Night Elf 1 to 20 area? Oh yeah, much better done. Then again, I hate hate HATE Darkshore.

I liked the look, the design -- the layout of Exodar takes a bit of getting used to but it's not bad. The only thing I don't like is apparently there's no bird path off the island, which is irritating.

[Nazrat]

There is a flight path from Silvermoon to the Ghostands.  To leave Silvermoon, you have to use the transporter in the capital spire or you can walk into the Eastern Plaguelands.  Your choice.

[Furiously]

I'm hoping they add it to the flightpath network in the next few patches.

[Morat20]

There is a flight path from Silvermoon to the Ghostands.  To leave Silvermoon, you have to use the transporter in the capital spire or you can walk into the Eastern Plaguelands.  Your choice.

Sorry, I was talking about the Dranaei -- you just hop the boat next to Exodar to Auberdine. The problem is that -- for some odd reason -- there's no bird path from Exodar to Auberdine (as there is from Ru'theran to Auberdine), or one from Exodar to Ru'Theran -- there's a single flight path between Blood Watch and Exodar and that's apparently it. I have no idea why that's not connected to the mainland.

I do like the Shaman trainers and the Broken. Kind of a neat tale of how Shamanism rose up amongst the Draenai. Also the fact that half the Shaman trainers are those hairy beast guys -- Furlbogs.

[Mazakiel]

From the best I can tell, they seem to have stuck the draenai and blood elf areas in a sort of instance type deal.  Last I checked, which granted was a few days before the expansion hit, the entry from the Plaguelands to the Ghostlands was an instance portal, but I'd have to guess it's still something like that, if they're wanting to keep people who haven't bought the expansion from going there.  If that's the case, that would be what prevents them from having flight paths connect like they by all rights should.  If I'm right about that, I don't see it changing any time soon, unless they open up the areas somehow at a later date.  I could, of course, also be using too much supposition. 

[Morat20]

From the best I can tell, they seem to have stuck the draenai and blood elf areas in a sort of instance type deal.  Last I checked, which granted was a few days before the expansion hit, the entry from the Plaguelands to the Ghostlands was an instance portal, but I'd have to guess it's still something like that, if they're wanting to keep people who haven't bought the expansion from going there.  If that's the case, that would be what prevents them from having flight paths connect like they by all rights should.  If I'm right about that, I don't see it changing any time soon, unless they open up the areas somehow at a later date.  I could, of course, also be using too much supposition. 

Yeah, but there's the boat out of Auberdine. Do you just not see it if you don't have the expansion? Do you see people just run off the end of the pier and stand there in midair? How does that work?

Anyone know anyone without the expansion, willing to run to Auberdine and check it out? I'm curious now.

Now that you mention it, I do recall it loading when I took the boat -- I wasn't paying a lot of attention, though. That's pretty irritating, as now I can't do something like grab a bird from Nijel's point and flight to Exodar.

[Mazakiel]

Honestly, I'm not sure.  I've heard that the boat doesn't work for you if you don't have the expansion, but I'm not sure how they go about doing that.  I'd hop on my GF's account and get her there, but since the latest patch, WoW seems to initiate some sort of critical error with her graphics drivers and everything crashes.  The moment I fire up her account on my computer, I'm likely to get kicked off. 

[Jayce]

I tried to take the boat before the expansion came out.  About halfway there, you abruptly end up in the Auberdine graveyard (alive, though) with a message that you have to have the BC expansion installed to access that area.

I would imagine that the flight routes are simply not available to those w/o the expac.  Since you could never go there in the first place to get the FP, problem solved :)

[Morat20]

I tried to take the boat before the expansion came out.  About halfway there, you abruptly end up in the Auberdine graveyard (alive, though) with a message that you have to have the BC expansion installed to access that area.

I would imagine that the flight routes are simply not available to those w/o the expac.  Since you could never go there in the first place to get the FP, problem solved :)

They're not available at all. I have the flight points at Exodar, Blood Watch, Auberdine, and Ru'Theran. There is no connection between them at all -- the only way on or off the Draenae area is via the boat. (And the usual portals, summons, whatnot).

I bet you end up in the graveyard at Auberdine if someone at Exodar tries to summon you there, and you don't have the expansion -- probably just a simple load check.

[ClydeJr]

Perhaps the new starting areas are on a completely different server. Like there's an Eastern Kingdom server, a Kalimdor server, an Outlands server, and a Exodar/Silvermoon server. Sicne they're not on the same server, you can't have a flight path there.  You can only zone there where you get the loading screen.

[Morat20]

Perhaps the new starting areas are on a completely different server. Like there's an Eastern Kingdom server, a Kalimdor server, an Outlands server, and a Exodar/Silvermoon server. Sicne they're not on the same server, you can't have a flight path there.  You can only zone there where you get the loading screen.

That's what I was thinking -- kind of an odd choice, but I can see it simplifying some matters.

[Nonentity]

Back in the leaked alpha, before they added the extra right-click to zoom out to the global level to see both the Outlands and Azeroth, the Outlands were another dropdown on the selection of continents, and the Blood Elf/Draenei zones were in the Outlands one.

On a technical level, they're on the same seamless 'zone' as the Outlands, (Eastern Kingdoms is zone id 1, Kalimdor is 2, Outlands is 3 - they're on 3) probably in another corded off area, but in the same 'zone' nonetheless.

[WindupAtheist]

I think I fought the worst guy in WoW tonight.  I'm a shaman, he's a mage, and he's six levels higher than me.  I find him sitting in a tent at that racetrack in the salt flats.  Thinking maybe I can score a quick AFK kill, I jump on him.  He immediately hops up though, and we start going at it.  Half my shit is getting resisted, but when I go down I'm one shot away from having won.

Holy shit, I hope he sticks around because I want another go at that.

I run back to my body, get myself back up to full strength, and then go looking for the dude.  I see his figure and name in the distance, so I step out in the open to see what he does.  He's just kinda randomly moving around.  I close in, and he's just kinda standing there with his back turned.

Oh well, fuck him.  I've already learned to do frequent 360 pans with the camera to avoid surprises, and it's time this guy learned the same lesson.

I'm already in melee with him by the time he knows what hit him.  We go around a little more, and this time he goes down.  Not quite what I would call easily, but it wasn't a skin of my teeth win either.  So yeah, I fragged a mage six levels higher than me.

Which sounds pretty awesome, until I realize I probably pwned someone's little sister or something.  Screw it, points are points.

[Azazel]

you bully.

[rk47]

Shammys are tough cookies :( but yeah that guy could've done better to keep alert. You'd be surprised how many people seem clueless in pvp server like this 40 rogue who got cocky seeing me (36) and (33) priest he went on us without stealthing, just went off his mount and dashed to us. I was laughing as we just chain dotted and feared his ass off. He could've sapped one of us and made it 1 v 1 easier. He kept chasing us on his mount too...we didn't corpse camp cause I was more interested in getting to Booty Bay flight point than fighting in STV roads. He caught up with us twice did the same shit again, unmount and attack lol. Same ending XD

The third time we ran across a BE Paladin 37 and Mage 39. We took out the Mage before the rogue caught up and finally finished us off. He sat on my corpse and looked so happy about it  I wanted to tell him 'Grats on the Alterac Bread honor points man' but I can't speak Orcish lol.

[jpark]

... Horde hasn't won a single Warsong PUG since Burning Crusade... and, again, the queues are longer now.

I was wrong in originally predicting Dreani would draw more to the alliance - more recently - I have seen the reverse and fear the exact trend you describe.

Horde until the XPac won most BGs for 2 reasons:  We didn't have paladins, and our players were not sexually repressed.

With the BE - that is changing :(

[Lantyssa]

My impression up to now:  Gods I love Draenei.  I was told I have a crush on mine.

[jpark]

My impression up to now:  Gods I love Draenei.  I was told I have a crush on mine.

I do too - great job on the culture angle behind them.  All the races seem unique in that regard - I was just chuckling at a Troll quest giver shouting at me 'Watch the Voodoo man.."

hehe.

[Furiously]

Did AB last night with my 33 BE pali - I know - I was a bit of a jerk going in early. I defended a couple flags with a 39 shaman. It was comedy gold when we got jumped by 3 38's. They went after him and I just healed him and attacked whatever he was attacking. AE silence is going to get a nerf I am guessing. I was amazed when we took out the 3 attackers. Think Horde won 2000 to 860 or something sad.

[WindupAtheist]

Another pointless WUA world PVP story:

I'm out beating on mobs for some quest, when I see an alliance mage of my own level attacking the same mobs.  He sees me as well, and moves off too far for me to see.  I run behind a hill and cast Far Sight way out in front of me in his direction.  Yep, there he is.  I move a little closer and observe him unseen with another Far Sight.  I see him attack a mob, so I drop Far Sight and start running in that direction.

He's at low health and sitting down to drink as I arrive.  I come up from behind with a Frost Shock and a Windfury proc from my shiny new two-handed hammer.  Flawless victory.  Yes it was dirty, but damn if it wasn't funny.

What surprises me is how afraid some people are of dying in PVP, even with the total lack of penalty.  The begging night elf I mentioned last time, for example.  Or this gnome mage today.  A bunch of us are rolling into the Deadmines to get gear for some of the newbies, as well as just for the hell of it.  He's in there all alone, PVP flagged, and of too low a level to have a hope in hell against us.

I don't want to get fragged by an alliance group while screwing around with some random guy, so I tell everyone to ignore him unless he does something.  This gnome just goes screaming through the dungeon, drawing aggro from everything in sight, frantically trying to reach the instance before we can get him.  We happily followed right behind without bothering to blast him, since it meant we wouldn't have to fight all the mobs that were chasing him.  I think he took a wrong turn and died.  So it didn't save him a trip back from the cemetery, and since it was a PVM death he took durability loss.  Newb.

With no PVP death penalty, I have so learned to love the gank.  Me and a friend got squashed by some uberlevel in STV and camped.  We laughed about how much fun it must be from his end.

[Shavnir]

...I'm a shaman, he's a mage, and he's six levels higher than me...

Not to belittle your achievments but once I read the first part I knew how it would end ;)

I'm 69 now on my Warlock and I must say I'm impressed.  I fully quested Hellfire, Zangamarsh and Terrokar, and am just grinding through 70 so I can quest for gold through Blade's Edge, Netherstorm and Shadowmmon Peninsula.

If/when Blizzard fixes the Halla guards it will be the best pvp in the game.  Its too much fun.

[Zetor]

Just wait until you hit 70. :P "The first rule of Seed of Corruption is: you do NOT talk about Seed of Corruption."

Anyway, I'm a bit miffed about some of the itemization. In the early zones it's extremely heavily skewed towards hybrids (yeah I know, everyone needs to be viable, but after seeing four different pieces of moonkin and elemental shaman loot, my poor warlock self was feeling neglected :p), while in the later zones subsequent quests (in the same zone, even!) will give out basically the same rewards with maybe a few stat points shifted around. I got all the following items within 2-3 hours of each other -- http://thottbot.com/?i=58655  http://thottbot.com/?i=58266 http://thottbot.com/?i=58012 http://thottbot.com/?i=59064


-- Z.

[Shavnir]

I remember hearing a person talk about seed of corruption.  "I saw an Alliance Pally working on a couple mobs and he looked like he was having a hard time, so I seeded both the mobs for him."

Also FUCK SPELL CRITICAL RATING I DON'T WANT YOU >:(

(until I spec destruction at 70 or something)

[Triforcer]

The embarassment of quest riches has frightened me into paranoia.  I am sitting in Thrallmar, looking at three beginning quests that will give me T1 (at least) green items in exchange for killing eight orcs.  I can't decide with my druid if I want to go feral, resto or balance, and am afraid that if I start picking all the great quest rewards for one route up until 70 and decide to change I won't be able to because I exhausted all the quests    My heart (just to be different) says balance, but all the forum monkeys on the druid AND warrior forum have apparently agreed that druids are better warriors than warriors now. 

[Zetor]

Feral druids ARE better warriors than warriors (and they make pretty decent rogues, too) all the way until 70 when warriors start getting epix. Actually this isn't really different from pre-BC wow, but it's more pronounced now because everyone is levelling at the same time.
Anyway, I've seen quite a few moonkin firing laser beams at people, so it does seem to be a popular path to take, though not as much as feral. Restoration druids are rare.. there's a drood alt in my guild who's decided to go full resto spec at 60 and just level via instances and grouping. Right now he's 62.. we'll see how it goes. Especially since he's an alt. :P


-- Z.