lore – Galumphing

April 27, 2019

Current Affairs

For the first time in perhaps ever, or at least since WotLK, I feel like I’m actually playing the current version of WoW when everyone else is – and it’s a pretty fun experience.

My Hunter is well geared (solely through World Quests), finished with all the Achievements for BfA Pathfinder Part One, unlocked the Zandalari Troll and Mag’har Orc allied races, reunited with Hati, confronted Jaina in the Dazar’alor raid, and just recently polished off some Lovecraftian old god spawn in the new Crucible of Storms raid. The raids were both in LFR mode, which has it’s share of detractors, but is a godsend for those that don’t have a guild to raid with and just want to see the story.

This has all happened incrementally through logging on and doing daily quests, taking whatever new quests were dropping in the patch cycle, and generally exploring the world. I’m still not a great fan of the Horde-side BfA zone designs, a feeling reinforced by the various allied race and Hati quests that send you scurrying around the old worlds. But overall I’ve really enjoyed the slow but marked process through the new content.

Logging on today I was surprised to realise that I was more or less ‘done’ – there was no reason to do the world quests on offer, the raids were completed, and any gear upgrades on offer were incremental at best. That’s a very unusual position to be in for me, but kind of satisfying. Slight spoiler, but also super satisfying has been following the Baine storyline and helping him defy Sylvanas and become the leader the Horde needs. Those Bloodhoof are good people.

What would be ideal next is to have a cadre of friends to run Mythic dungeons and Normal raids, but that’s not looking likely anytime soon. Our Alliance-side is still working through Vanilla dungeons and our not-so-new-player’s Horde character is only just starting Northrend (and admirably insists on doing every possible quest in each expansion, so it’ll be a while ’til 120). So a max-level group activity will have to wait for the next expansion in late ~2020. Or Classic!

For now it’s time to level some alts, wait for 8.2 to drop (which I’m really looking forward to), and polish off the last few Fishing Achievements.

October 21, 2018

From the other side

I tried, BfA, I really tried.

My Hunter main is sitting at 112, bogged down in the swamps of Nazmir. The storyline is mostly enjoyable, but like Syp, I tired of the brown and grey environment very quickly, and it seems to go on forever. I’m sure I’ll get to 120 eventually, but the swamp and the fact that Trolls have unfortunately never appealed to me means the expansion has really failed to get its claws in.

Luckily, and somewhat surprisingly, I’ve been having great fun with my levelling Dwarf Tank. Trying the ‘other side’ has always been a long term goal, and I’m very pleased to be finally doing it. The Alliance really does have quite a different feel, despite fulfilling the same collect x of y quests, where there is far more emphasis on being right, and being the ‘good guys’ when compared to the barbaric Horde.

All of which is rubbish of course, but I’m embracing my Alliance righteousness: wearing ‘the Hordebreaker’ as my title and laying waste to any Horde that crosses my path. With the exception of Tauren of course – on one escort quest I kept the NPC alive rather than killing the Tauren warriors, though I’m not sure how sustainable this policy will be.

It’s been refreshing playing zones I’ve never seen too, all the Eastern Kingdom Alliance only areas, and now Darkshore (post-Cataclysm but pre-Sylvanas horrorshow). Some of the questing and storytelling is excellent, with the ridiculous Bravo Company of Redridge Mountains being a particular highlight. So too Duskwood (end of the zone to the other and back quests excepted), which included some lovely personal stories and a fun crypt section which was a brand new layout for the normally predictable underground territory.

Dungeon runs have continued apace, and we’re now up to Scarlet Cathedral. It’s been great revisiting the dungeons in sequence and with a group of friends, meaning we can take our time to scheme and laugh our way through. Shadowfang Keep has probably been the pinnacle of the early dungeons – it’s terrific being on the battlements seeing out into Silverpine Forest – though the hilarity of pet-pulling half of Gnomeregan and the ‘rope trick’ in Blackfathom Deeps also rate highly.

All of which is making me fear it’s more likely I’ll end up experiencing BfA from the Alliance side before the Horde. Then again – our dungeon group has a pact to play all the dungeons together before advancing, so at one a week it will be years before we catch up to current content. Phew. For the Horde!

August 12, 2018

Slightly more prepared

One day and eleven hours to go for BfA, as I write this. I’m not really that prepared, having looked at finishing Legion Engineering and Mining and failed, and also failing to participate in enough fishing raids to level the Underlight Angler much. Once BfA launches it will be nigh impossible for a while, until people start backfilling content.

I did finally empty out most of my bags. Where by ‘most’ I mean half – I can’t quite let go of all the special bait and fish!

After the new PC build, my addons are also mostly under control. I decided against ElvUI for the time being – it’s a nice set and forget system, but it is very hard to customise and tends to take over everything. So I’ve slowly built a passable UI using some core components: Bartender4, Shadowed Unit Frames, ThreatPlates, Adibags, and of course FishingBuddy. I’ve thrown on TitanPanel too, which is fun though I’m not sure ‘required’, though many swear they become dependent on it. Just need to find a minimap and chat fixer and we should be good to go.

The other thing I wanted to get a better handle on before launch was the lore backstories. Luckily Blizzard Watch have our backs here. Super lore-watcher Anne Stickney (why hasn’t Blizzard hired her?) fills us in on the undeath of Sylvanas, while equally knowledgable Matthew Rossi goes deep on Saurfang.

There is also a super useful BfA timeline article, that outlines the plot points and has links to all the novellas, comics, and animations that bring us to the launch. I’d missed the comics, and all three are excellent and flesh out a lot of the storyline – especially Jaina. Recommended reading!

August 10, 2018

Sylvanas Lannister

(Spoileriffic if you haven’t finished the pre-BfA scenarios!)

The Battle for Lordaeron scenario is really great, probably the best in game story telling I’ve experienced. There is a real sense of urgency and panic, plus it’s the first time the scale of the Horde and Alliance battle has really sunk home. This is no skirmish, this is a real war.

There are a lot of great moments and reveals in the storytelling. When Sylvanas unleashes the blight (another unforgivable act), the player is given the choice of taking a mask and healing the infected Horde warriors, or taking a can of blight and spreading the disease further. It was great to be given the option to do good in the face of the horror – thanks Blizzard.

Baine makes his first serious appearance, and has a wonderful moment of Sophie’s Choice which only made me respect and love him more. His facial animation is perfect, bearing witness to his frustration as he is forced into an impossible decision thrust upon him by Sylvanas. And, being Baine, he of course chooses correctly.

And I even warmed slightly to Sylvanas again when she sat slouched in the throne room and gently mocked the ‘little lion’ boy king. When she’s at her arrogant best, she’s something to behold. Pity that same arrogance has led her – and the Horde – so badly astray.

Jaina was a revelation for me – not having played Alliance I hadn’t ever experienced or realised her power. Though the floating ghost boat thing? Not a fan. And I’m not sure the status of Undercity at the finish, but it doesn’t look like either side ‘won’.

I also wasn’t sure what had happened to Saurfang, which was a blip in the Horde side storytelling I think, but apparently he’s locked up in Stormwind Stockade. My level 10 Alliance Spy Guild will have to go in there and rescue him!