WoW Weekly: The RNG gods smile upon me

WoW Weekly is a biweekly-ish, self-absorbed look into the things I've been doing -- or not doing -- in the game. From auctioneering and pet battling to mount farming and raiding.

Earlier this week, I learned something about the instance cap players will undoubtedly encounter when farming old dungeons for a chance at mount drops. See, I'd thought the game allowed players five fresh instances (dungeons or raids) per hour, per account until some sort of internal reset took place. While this is partially true, it's actually five fresh instances per hour, per realm, per account. During a heavy farming session, I'd max my instances on one realm, then do the same with a toon on another realm. Rinse and repeat for non-stop dungeon farming.

I've been running Stratholme with some irregularity ever since I realized I could solo it for a chance at the Deathcharger's Reins. I honestly don't know if I've run through more than one-thousand times. It sure seems like I have, not to mention the hundred or so just in the last several days. 

But lemme back up first.

Late last week I'd decided to head into the Stonecore to kill Slabhide for a chance at the
Reins of the Vitreous Stone Drake. I hit my instance cap two or three times that day, but on the third set of five runs, it dropped! I bragged to a friend/guildie/fellow mount-collector, and once he'd finished cursing and congratulating, now emboldened I informed him I'd be heading to the Vortex Pinnacle to try my luck at the Drake of the North Winds.

To my utter astonishment, it dropped after just a handful of runs. While I had those two drakes on my list since they were introduced in Cata, they weren't the real prize. However, their acquisition provided me with enough fuel to hit Stratholme once again, and hit it hard. Thus, around 1am after a bout of insomnia on Sunday night, this happened:

3 rare mounts in approximately ten days. I think my work here is done. Well, almost. Since the last WoW Weekly, I've also managed some other small feats:

• Purchased a Jeweled Onyx Panther off of the auction house for 80,000g. Now I don't need to bother gaining Exalted status with the Order of the Cloud Serpent with my jewelcrafter. Plus, given the cost of materials and time to make it, the price tag wouldn't have been significantly lower than that. Plus, I'd like to craft the other four mounts myself...

• ...of which I've crafted the Ruby Panther thus far. I'll need to save up some cash for the other three orbs, as my jewelcrafter and wealthy banker are on separate realms.

• Having been released more than 8 years ago, Molten Core will no longer be a weekly destination for my main. I put together Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros around Christmas of 2012 and finally reached Exalted Status with the Hydraxian Waterlords last week. Still planning to try for Thunderfury on my Death Knight.

• The Thursday Night Emerald Dream raid didn't run. We've lost a couple of the original members over the summer due to life happenings, but our biggest problem is recruiting, and really, recruiting people who actually show up when they say they will. That said, the core of the group is awesome, and patient.

• Been nabbing as many Unclaimed Black Market Containers as I can for a reasonable price. I'm chronicling those efforts in a new series called Spending the Gold Cap.

See you next time.