Mission 745 begins ...

Mark today. Tuesday 23 December 2008. Mark it well.

Because today is the day, I embark on impossible. I want to be the first in my guild, maybe even my Server and possibly the US World of Warcraft community to complete all 745 known achievements!

A huge task I here you say?

Yes it is and not one I take lightly. Its going to take a lot of time, effort and some sacrifice to make it happen but at the end of the day, I think the achievement will justify the effort and maybe drive Blizzard to strive for more in future releases!

Sounds like a chore. Wheres the enjoyment in doing this?

Actually it has been the release of achievements which has given my game a new lease of life. You see I am by definition, the casual Raider. Real life including work doesn't allow me to play as hard as my guild does. Sometimes, I envy them because I cannot match the pace that they set for themselves. But I am always thankful that regardless of how I play the game, they are there when I need them and they are supportive of me.

So where does it begin?

Zantanna is 76. She levelling through Howling Fjord at the moment looking to get into Grizzly Hills or Dragonblight soon. She is a Tailor/Jewelcrafter by trade and only dabbles in cooking and fishing. She sat out most of BC because my Healadin (ex-Liberty now Zanhammer) was the centre of attention for many months. But Zantanna is special to me because she is the character I rolled and built for the ground up and its important to me that she be the one who does this.

Gotta plan of attack?

At this stage, No. Going to play it by ear. I am aiming to close 4 10-point achievements a day for a start and because the interval between events, I will be doing all the seasonal achievements as and when they present themselves. So sit back and enjoy the ride.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more ...

Well Lich King is here ... and with it the option to level many a lost toon. Choices are many. I have Pally (Lib), Mage (Zantanna) and now Death Knight (Deangelos) to choose from. All worthy. And all capable of being a positive contribution to the Guild end-game plans. Who should I take?

Started with the Death Knight and went from 55 to 69 over the first post-release. The class IMHO is the anti-paladin but comes with its own complexities. The ability to jump start on a Male Draenei was just too good to pass up but now I look back on what needs to be done ... and I see ALOT of legacy content to revisit and the mind wobbles at the thought of running instances and getting all that rep again.

Then theres Lib, shes specced Prot/DPS atm, just the right mix for AoE grinding. Started playing her too and got as far as Amber Ledge before I parked her up. Having the opportunity to see the new Engineering and Enchanting recipes have really got me motivated to level those professions however gold ... or the lack thereof ... won't see those plans progressing anytime soon.

And finally theres Zantanna, my Mage of ages. Shes been on the backburner for a while as Lib spent more time lapping up Hyjal/BT and running Sunwell. She has decent gear (T5-level) for the transition to Northrend and of my Mains (lol), she is probably the one most in need of upgrades. Add tailoring and my desire to get the 20-slot bag pattern and that eventual flying carpet ... Zantanna was the choice for me.

So almost two weeks later, due in part to toon jumping, rampant ganking and crazy work hours ... Zantanna dinged 72 last night. The majority of the Guild have started their heroic runs while others choose to level there alts (dang! how far behind am I?) Anyway I hope you can join me and Zantanna as I document her progress through Northrend. I'll try to make it as entertaining as possible ... Promise!

A Month of Movement

Well its been a month since I wrote and I must say not alot has happened in my WoW life. Ive been levelling Lightsworn, my draenei Paladin, on and off. He's 45 now.

Lib's almost has full T4 sets for Tanking, Healing and Retrbution. Go figure!

As for poor ole Zantanna, she's lucky to get some sign on time these days. I do bring her out for Gruuls/Mags but raids perfer the Healers!.

Things have sure changed in a month.

Firstly, I started studying for exams. As an IT professional, one of the things I must do every so often is renew my certifications and this can be a long and laborious task. Despite that, not much study done to date. Im stil deciding which way Ill attack it.

Secondly, I volunteered to help coach my Nieces Basketball team. The seasons just begun and we are playing grading rounds at the moment. As anyone who has coached High School Sports can tell you, its a commitment. Two trainings and one game a week plus a few nights a week preparing for the rest, it doesnt really leave time for WoW or much else. With a packed week, weekends are fast becoming my only personal time so I am spending them away from the computer, visiting friends, going out or just getting some much deserved rest.

Thats not to say Ive given up on the guild, my toons or this blog. Lightsworn needs to get to 70. I cant wait to see him in raiding gear. But we'll cross that bridge when we get there until then ... take care of yourselves!

Another week of wondering

Well we had a good run this week. Zantanna made it to both Hyjal and Black Temple on Thursday. Liberty edges closer to exalted with the Shattered Sun Offensive and things tick along without any major dramas. It's kinda like me and a day at the Cricket.

Now Cricket is a game I admire, I've never played it competitively nor want to but I have respect for those that do. I have always believed that Cricket is not a spectator-friendly sport because there is very little happening between the small spurts of action and a match can take several hours if not days. At least, as a player, you had a vested interest to stay around but for me, it was all about the result or the last few overs to victory. In a five day test, I didn't care that it took four days to set up Team A needing 20 runs from the the last 2 overs. I just wanted to feel the excitement of those closing minutes and get the result, hopefully in favour of the team I supported.

Well alot of that attitude has found its way into my WoW playing. Although the guild and its member give me alot of opportunities to raid and participate in runs, I am often asking myself where do I want to go with this game and how do I want get there?. Right now, I am very much gear-oriented, so slot by slot I set up a top 20 list of items I wanted and the path I needed to get them. Needless to say that when I analyzed those lists, I was pleasantly surprised.

We know that Blizzard want players to be geared in Tier 6 or equal in preparation for the Lich King Expansion. This explains why you can almost walk into any raid or instance now with little or no attunement. However what I found amazing was an almost complete disregard for Tier 5. Some Zul'aman and Season 3 items as well as advanced Trade patterns, plans and schematics are now on par with or just below Hyjal/BT-level gear. In some cases, like Libertys, it is actually better for her to concentrate on Zulaman and amass badges for SSO-level sidegrades than to wait for runs into Serpentshrine and the Eye. Likewise for Zantanna, Thursdays will be her most significant upgrade path.

Given the direction I've set for both of my characters and knowing the work needed to get it done; I consider this Day 1 of my own 5 Day Cricket Test. A test to see whether I've got what it takes or if I was forever destined to be a spectator. As I said previously, it may not be exciting to watch but through my trials and tribulations, I hope you can learn something from my expereience. Until next time, Be Well.

Looking forward to Thursday Nights

Thursday Nights are great. Its a Raid night for the guild and first after reset which always means two things (1) There will be some trash clearing and (2) there will be some boss killing en route to current raid challenge.

Let's wind this back ... I don't consider myself a first-choice or primary raider although I am always ready to go. Nor do I expect to make the cut each and every time I turn up. In a guild full of mages getting into the two or three spots reserved for mages is extremely difficult if not impossible. Its not just a matter of gear but performance and experience. There is no doubt Zantanna is wearing some of the best gear this side of 2.4 so that is not the question. And as we know performance comes experience and experience comes with time. I also understand that certain raids need certain classes and that when trying to cross the tough bridges like Vashj and Kael; having the best and most experienced players on is an absolute must. In the guild eyes, I am a casual raider which means get in where you can and basically, I'm happy with that role for Zantanna.

But I see Thursday night raids as different. They are different in the fact that most times they are trash clears and boss kills on the way to the current problem on hand. My most successful ventures have been Thursday night raids into Tempest Keep clearing a path to Kael for the Sunday/Monday raids. The same for clearing to Vashj or Azgalor in Hyjal to name a few. As a casual looking to progress, Thursday night is like winning lotto not only in terms of loot but also in experience and bonding with the guildies.

Sure, we have Gruuls, Mags and to a lesser extent Kara and Zulaman but there is nothing like succeeding in the big raids, the named raids, the raids that when you mention them by name, people recognise and respect. And that in part motivates me to try without going 'hard-core'. Thursday night to me is about sharing in the success of the guild by (a) profiting from all the hard work they spent paving the way for us (b) learning a little more about what I can do and contribute in a reasonably controlled environment and (c) getting to know my guildies more, if only online.

In the past, these have been the successes of Thursday nights and the reason why, I'll be at the meeting place each and every Thursday!

Another step toward Healerdom

The Guild decided tonight to try a post-patch attempt on Mags to see how much it had changed. We didn't get a one-shot but third time was a charm. The updated loot just made this raid so much more attractive - 400+ gold, an epic item, three T4 Chest tokens, a 20 slot bag and a bag with three epic gems. WoW, this bad boy just went on farm! For me, a major win, [Aegis of the Vindicator], one of the best post-kara healing shields. w00t!

A Mags kill urged us onto Gruuls, who was easily dispatched and again as life would have it; the Pally T4 Shoulders and Legs dropped respectively! So in go my minuscule DKP bids and before you can say ZOMGWTBSOMELUCKXORZ, those tokens were mine! Woohoo, could it get any better you ask?

So after Mags and Gruuls, I jump in a Kara run. Kara is going fine, Romulo and Juliet drop [Ribbon of Sacrifice] and Illhoof drops [Breastplate of the Lightbinder], all which are major upgrades for me so by the end of the night, I'm over the moon! I mean look at me now!

You know, I'm doing the right thing and gemming/enchanting all this gear up but that has never been an easy thing for me. However, it does seem that game is telling me something. Is healer the true path for me? Watch this space.

Life and the Long Weekend

Rock2Wellington, a massive multi-day concert event featuring Kiss, Whitesnake, Ozzy and Alice Cooper to name a few, bought more long hair, leather and piercings to the streets of Wellington than yours truly had ever seen before. A 24-hour Dance party at our 2nd biggest outdoor venue, the Basin Reserve, also bought many young adults and plenty of teenage rage into the Capital.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster? Rockers. Ravers.

Despite these clashes of cultures; there was no brawls, no arrests, no cars overturned or windows smashed. People just put themselves out there, enjoyed the festivities and made the most of a long and sunny Easter weekend.

So what's this got to do with WoW?

Not much really. WoW continues to surprise me like this scene at Kara where Medivh curses Azureagos and turns him into Nightbane. It is one of those Warcraft moments which comes from out of the blue and reaffirms why I love playing this game. And just like this game, People continue to surprise me. Just when you think you've been everywhere, seen and heard everything; something happens that make you say, 'Wow, I never expected that!'. Something that reaffirms your belief in People. This Weekend in Wellington was one such experience. And I was happy to be a part of it!