WoW Weekly: Break Time!

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.

Well, it's finally happened. Made it official by posting on the guild forums: I'll be taking a break from the game until the spark reignites. Well, not the entire game, just the only activity I was actively engaged in outside of garrison chores and weekly Ulduar runs: raiding.

Last week I decided to sit out for our Heroic/Alt raid just to see how it felt to not raid when no obligations were keeping me from doing so. When raid time rolled around, I felt that familiar tinge---part routine and part desire, unsure of each's weight in the equation---but it didn't last long. There was a small feeling of being left out, but I quickly squashed that, as this choice was mine.

I've been involved in organized guild raids, whether as leader, planner, or assistant, since the summer of 2013 without taking a break. Even on a 1-night schedule, much time was spent planning, leading and organizing while helping to maintain a guild. It was honestly a lot of fun, but also demanded quite a bit of my time. Now three years later, the raid is an undeniable success and the guild seems a well-oiled machine. Given that, I've been to pay a little more attention to the feeling of burn-out.

Last fall's life change offered some new perspective as well. When you've got a great deal of the future planned out in your mind's eye and suddenly the RESET button gets hit, it tends to make one pause. I'm grateful to have had my guildies' support during the time, and the option to continue part of the routine I'd known for so long. I'm still working out how much I want my hobbies, like music and gaming, to fit into this uncharted expanse ahead of me. Stepping away, in light of the above, seems the wisest thing to do at this point.

And if it were only the two things I've listed above, I might stick around a bit longer. But there is a third prong: Warlords of Draenor's lack of appeal to me. I won't even waste the time to go through what I liked and didn't like. The fact is, I wanted to enjoy this game as much as I've enjoyed all of the previous expansions. But I didn't, and nothing's going to change that at this point. My hope is that what drew me to and kept me in Azeroth isn't completely lost. I want to like Legion, too. I'll remain cautiously optimistic for the time being.

Ulduar Runs Continue
My squad of four characters have already been through Ulduar this week and are currently resting until next week's adventure. One byproduct of next week's run will be the acquisition of the legendary mace on my priest, the second character overall to complete the chain.

Gold Collecting
This week's tally saw me eclipsing 700,000g. Exactly two weeks ago I reported that I'd eclipsed 600,000g, meaning I've averaged 50,000g per week since then. Again, this is accomplished without stepping foot outside of my garrison. I'm confident I'll see the gold cap well before Legion's launch.

Cheating on WoW
I dove into the Darkest Dungeon for a while, but the repetition and brutal challenges in that game have led me to put it aside for a while in favor of an MMO I first checked out a few years ago: The Secret World. Look for a Gaming Affairs post on that title soon!

WoW Weekly: You Snooze, You Lose

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.

Welcome to yet another edition of WoW Weekly! Happy spring y'all! At least it's looking unseasonably spring where I am right now on the western shore of Lake Michigan. It's driving the itch to get outside, and it would appear I'll have several months to enjoy the weather before Legion pulls me back inside.

Anyway, I think the big non-Russ news this week has been the revelation that garrison gold missions will be nerfed come Legion, something that very well could happen with the Legion pre-patch. It's not like the 6.2 nerf that limited the amount of gold missions a player could get across characters; according to Alpha data, this change removes the gold reward entirely and instead grants garrison resources.

If you're not utilizing your garrison for free gold, I won't go so far as to say you're doing it wrong, but I will offer that you're missing a golden opportunity.* By logging in regularly on a single character to do garrison chores, I've been able to pay for my monthly subscription and then some. The thing is, I have four characters with max level garrisons, which means after paying my subscription I'm still pulling in roughly 100,000g per month---just by logging in for 15-30 minutes per day.

Anyway. Outside of garrison chores, there are a handful of other things I've been doing since the last mega-update:

• After servers came back online yesterday, Tarlna the Ageless, the final boss I needed to kill while wearing a bird hat, claimed a chunk of land in southern Gorgrond just waiting for me and my guildies to come along and put up a fight. Pepe now comes whenever I call. 
• Our current raid schedule saw us fighting our first Mythic Hellfire boss, and we vanquished Hellfire Assault rather quickly. We were able to make some good progress on Iron Reaver as well, and I anticipate seeing a kill when we head back in this week.
• I earned a Level 3 shipyard on my third of four max-level characters solely for the convenience of having the command table inside my garrison.
• You know things are quiet when you can find me traipsing around the Timeless Isle for items required to complete Going to Need a Bigger Bag. I've collected roughly 75% of the items to date.
• Yogg-Saron kills continue each week across four characters using this neat lockout-sharing trick. I am too scared to tally up the total number of attempts I've made thus far. 
• I haven't been running much on my Ironman character---thanks, Overwatch---but I did manage to push him into the 20s so he can now legally enjoy the benefits of a ground mount.  

*Yeah, I went there.

Garrison Gold-Making Until Legion

With the news that garrison gold missions will be nerfed at some point in the nearish future, and given that I haven't been logging in to do much besides garrison chores, I thought it'd be a good time to break down the steps I'm currently taking in order to pull in roughly 100,000g each month.

The setup I'll outline below isn't perfect, but it works for me. I'm sure there are opportunities I'm overlooking, but the goal here is to put in a little bit of effort for a lot in return. If you've got ideas or tweaks I could employ to make this method more efficient, please leave a comment below!

Standard Setup - 4 Characters

Level 3 Garrison with an emphasis recruiting followers with Treasure Hunter (increased gold rewards) and Scavenger (increased garrison resources). I have at least six followers with Treasure Hunter on each character, and nearly that many with Scavenger.

Level 3 Shipyard with a good cross-section of ships to counter threats.

Level 3 Salvage Yard for Big Crates of Salvage off of garrison missions. Logging in every day should provide you with roughly two-dozen crates per character per week.

Level 3 Profession Building to acquire profession materials used to make goods to sell on the auction house.

Trading Post to exchange garrison resources for profession materials.

Garrison Mission Priorities

Based on the setup I'm using, there are certain missions I give priority to when gold missions aren't available---something that will happen if you're regularly completing gold missions across multiple characters.

Exceptional Items - like Medallion of the Legion, Frozen Arms of a Hero, Elixir of the Rapid Mind, the gronnling mount, and the fire corgi; these are all things that can be sold to other players for a hefty chunk of gold. I actually make several of these priority when they pop, like the Medallion, mount and elixir, since each holds the potential to fetch several thousand gold on the auction house.

Garrison Resources - nice to have an abundance of these at all times, whether for building/augmenting ships or purchasing profession resources from the trading post. Having a good chunk of followers with Scavenger should ensure you always have a surplus of resources for when you need them.

Apexis Crystals/Oil - I have these at the same tier because really, your need for these may vary. Having an oil rig on your shipyard will negate the need to collect oil from garrison missions. I will generally go for Apexis Crystals as my third priority because I use them to buy the 3 bonus roll seals each week for use in Hellfire Citadel. Of course, these seals can also be purchased with Honor and garrison resources, but for the love of Azeroth do not buy them with gold!

Level 100 Missions - once you've exhausted the above, remaining Level 100 missions that grant XP (or follower upgrades) are priority since they have the greatest chance of rewarding a Big Crate of Salvage.

Follower Upgrades - If you've been running your garrison for a while, most if not all of your followers should be maxed at ilvl 675. Still, these items can be liquidated for gold. Since making gold is the whole point of this exercise, and you'll also be getting a number of follower items from your salvage crates, they deserve their place here as a source of gold.

Everything Else - clearing out a mission makes room for another, so even if it means sending an ilvl 675 follower on a level 91 mission, do it. Keep all of your followers busy to maintain a steady flow of new missions.

Shipyard Mission Priorities

Gold-Increasing Missions - these are different than the treasure missions rewarding gold and are indicated by the little star icon on your map: they offer a specific bonus to missions completed in that area within a certain time frame. One of these bonuses increases gold rewards by 100%. Knock these out first and pray a gold treasure missions pops up in that area.

Other Treasure Missions - Complete these to make room for new treasure missions to spawn---hopefully ones rewarding gold.

Salvage Yard

If you're knocking out missions daily, you'll acquire roughly two-dozen salvage crates per week on each character, more or less depending on the kindness of RNG. There are lots of valuable goodies in them, including old/current gear, profession mats, and follower upgrades. Each of these can be sold, or at least used to make more gold. I generally vendor all old-worlds gear that doesn't have a transmog value (hint: use TradeSkillMaster to easily determine this) and disenchant any Warlords gear. Given the price of enchanting materials on my server and the abundance of garrison resources, it's probably wiser for me at this point to start vendoring all gear. Profession mats get used to make stuff and follower upgrades get vendored. Depending on your take, it's possible to acquire several thousand gold or more per week per character via the Salvage Yard alone.

Professions

How you can utilize your characters' professions to make gold partly hinges on the health of your server's economy. Being on a server with a larger population has allowed me to continue selling Stage 1 profession items on weekly basis up to the present day. Additionally, bags, enchants, potions and flasks have been consistent sellers on my server. There may be a time, as I'm sure there are current examples, where it's more profitable to sell raw mats instead of crafted goods. That's up to you to determine based on your server. Personally, I pull in about 5-10k per week off of profession items I crafted using mats I purchased with garrison resources. 

The key is, you should be getting all of your profession items for free via spending garrison resources at the Trading Post. Of course, wait until the post is visited by the garrison trader who offers your desired item at the lowest cost, which is 4 garrison resources per item. 

There's probably some argument for continuing to utilize max level mines and gardens, but based on the rate I acquire garrison resources which I use to buy flowers and stone, I've decided it simply isn't worth my time. 

Banker

This is a bit of a goldmaking 101 tip, but I always recommend having a character posted in an auction house who will act as your banker. Not only does this guy hold all of my gold, but he also gets mailed and posts every sellable item to the auction house. Mainly, this has been crafted items and transmoggables. Though having a designated bank character doesn't make you gold directly, as you could post to the auction house with any character, it does save you time. And you know what the goblins say!

Don't Spend

I'm going to close this with the no-shit tip: try not to actually spend any gold as you're going through this exercise. Granted, spend your own gold how you see fit, but if you'd rather see your bottom line climb as quickly possible, you're going to want to practice pinching copper. At this stage in the expansion, there isn't a whole lot for your character to spend on anyway.

In utilizing this method, I've been able to pay for my WoW subscription each month while netting upwards of 100,000g in profit---without leaving the garrison.

What are you doing the make gold during the downtime between expansions?

WoW Weekly: A Bigg'un

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.

This WoW Weekly thing used to be somewhat of a weekly thing. And there are good reasons for its lapse, as I see. Some of those reasons will be discussed on an upcoming podcast. Said podcast is partially responsible for reigniting the drive to return to blogging here more regularly, but I'm not sure how long it will last. Legion may play into that prospect heavily.

The last WoW Weekly from May of 2015 looked at ways to approach the game outside of current content, since to me that content was lackluster at best. Thankfully, the arrival of Tanaan Jungle with Patch 6.2 was just around the corner. If nothing else, I knew I'd be knocking out the final achievements required for Draenor Pathfinder.

Let's catch up.

In late June, prior to a guild meet-up in New York, we killed Blackhand just in time to earn Ahead of the Curve. Then, the meetup saw roughly a dozen members of Sapere Aude converging on a little resort town in upstate New York to hang for a weekend. Many, many years ago, my personal goal was to join or start a guild that was tight-knit enough to make something like this happen. Achievement earned. We're in the process of planning 2016's meetup as I write this.

By August, my play habits hadn't really changed much; truth is, I still had to force myself to log in and had little desire to do so. So August saw some logging in for garrison chores two or three times per week, killing Yogg-Saron with four characters in search of Mimiron's Head, and raiding on Thursday nights.

En route to Ulduar.

September turned out to be one of the most surreal months I've had in a long, long time. The guild was working on Normal Archimonde, having already pushed halfway through Heroic. That's not why it was weird though. It got weird when the relationship I'd been in for the past six years dissolved. Would have seen it coming were it not for the blinders I'd equipped, and now, what's done is done. Needless to say it had a bit of an effect on my approach to the game. 

October was a month of personal recovery. I had some soul-searching to do and took refuge in music and friends. That, and I had to find a new place to live. For the first time since I'd started raiding during the Wrath of Lich King, I missed more than one scheduled raid in a month's time. I had internet access within a week of moving, but if my desire to play the game was low prior, it became non-existent. 

The succession plan I had in mind for Legion that involved me handing over the raid-leading reins suddenly got moved up. Thankfully, since we have such great people, the guild continued on, the raid still progressed, and I found myself on the receiving end of a plethora of concern and kind words from the friends I'd made in Azeroth. 

The month of November hailed an event that provided some much-needed entertainment: Blizzcon. I welcomed the departure from the Wisconsin climate and the distraction from the familiarity of home. Plus, I got to see and hang out with a bunch of my Blizzard-community friends. Before leaving for Anaheim, I promised the guild I'd be back full-time upon return. I was hoping Blizzcon would reinvigorate my excitement for the game. It did, to an extent, and I've kept my promise to the guild. If there's anything Blizzcon reminds me of, it's the fact that the people I game with are the biggest reason I remain.

December saw the guild defeating Heroic Archimonde a couple of weeks before Christmas, which was our ultimate goal for the expansion. Since our raids later in the month fell on holidays, we took a break until 2016.

And that, for the most part, brings us to the present. My play time has ratcheted up; it's nowhere near the consistent levels it was during Mists of Pandaria, but it's a significant change from the last half of 2015. Here's what I've been up to:

• Hitting the gold cap (again): I'm making the slow slog without leaving my garrison by at least logging in for garrison chores on a near-daily basis. I've got four characters with max-level garrisons, two with shipyards also at max-level. I've also got a lower level mule collecting garrison resources to spend at the trading post. Between garrison and shipyard missions, items from crates, and crafted armor and weapons for AH sales, I can easily---easily---pay for my monthly subscription while seeing a significant surplus of gold. I anticipate not paying a dime for Warcraft and hitting the cap before Legion's release. 
• Leveling an alt: With Heroic Archimonde's demise in mid-December, the guild raid was looking at either the prospect of many, many months of Heroic HFC on farm or at switching things up. We've opted for the latter, and are now on a rotating raid schedule that will hop between Heroic farm, Mythic difficulty, and an alt raid night. Hence, I've begun to gear my discipline priest. He's currently around 690 ilvl, but I should have my legendary ring this week unless I'm terribly unlucky with tome drops. 
• The hunt for Mimiron's Head: I've been killing Yogg four times per week for quite some time now and have not had any luck. I'm about to earn the legendary healing mace on a second character, so there's that, I suppose.
• Guild Ironman: During the downtime between expansions, the guild is running its version of an Ironman contest. My human monk is currently level 16. We decided to roll on Wyrmrest Accord, and I must say I really like the realm so far. I'll be chronicling that journey in a hopefully regular-ish series of posts.
• Diablo 3 Season 4: With as much fun as I had leveling a monk in Season 3, I knew I'd return for Season 4. This time around I went with a demon hunter which, at first, I didn't think I was going to enjoy. I generally like melee combat. Still, after getting used to the play style I had no issues quickly leveling to 70 and starting the end-game journey. I really like the armor set dungeons this time around. Adds an interesting aspect to play and makes replaying through on a second character much more attractive to me. 

The Adventures of...

We're sort of in the downtime between expansions, right? I mean, that's something that's pretty much universally agreed on at this point, yeah? The guild I'm in said buh-bye to Heroic Archimonde before Christmas, which means as a unit, we're reached our ultimate end-goal for the expansion. While we're still continuing our Thursday night runs, and will even push into Mythic here and there, the long stretch with no new content means many of us are looking for different activities to engage in, whether that's leveling alts, knocking out old achievements, or--gulp--playing other games.*

But for the most (fool)hardy amongst the Sapere Aude clan, there is now a guild Ironman challenge. Created in the same vein as the popular Warcraft Ironman challenges, the contest has you leveling up a character without most of the luxuries a player normally enjoys during the process. Our rules are more relaxed than the ones linked above, but it's still a challenging prospect nonetheless. So as not to anger any purists who might stumble across this post, ours is not an official challenge, just our take on it.

I'll be documenting the trials, successes and failures of that process here.

*I love you Warcraft and I would never cheat on you but when I do it's almost always with another Blizzard game. #keepinitreal #allinthefamily

The Adventures of Glasz

I started out with a human rogue. Most of my guildie counterparts had chosen either dwarves or gnomes. I figured since we were going Alliance--ewww--I'd roll as a familiar race. Glasz is a loud, boastful man, one of several heirs to a family fortune with a love for sailing and booze, as he grew up for the most part on ships. He's decided to join up with a band of Adventurers, Ferrum Aude, for reasons that aren't quite clear. Perhaps that will reveal itself as this process plays out.

Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm going to roleplay the shit out of this guy as we go along.

Unsurprisingly, levels 1-10 flew by without a hitch in less than two hours. I did all of the quests leading up to where you are sent to Westfall. At that point I departed to Ironforge for a previously scheduled guild meeting, after which I decided to continue questing from that point. This sent me to Loch Modan.

I started making my way through the map from hub to hub, knocking out quest objectives with ease. My XP bar is turned off, since not dying is the main objective in this whole thing, and I was mildly surprised with how quickly I reached level 15. My next quests sent me to the central part of the zone near the Loch---I think I had to dispatch some murlocs or something. It's always murlocs.

As Glasz cut his way through the area, he heard some distinct arguing coming from near the shoreline. He looked over to see a group of gnolls and murlocs having some sort of meeting together. Confident he could get closer to them without detection, he crept up slowly. He couldn't make out what was being said, but then latched onto a "better" idea. If these two groups were meeting, it must be over something important. Perhaps whatever thing is important is worth something. Perhaps if he dispatches this group, said important thing will fall into his hands. Perhaps someone would then pay for said important thing.

He sized the group up once more. Five in total: three murlocs, two gnolls. Glasz felt five would be testing his fate. Four though? Doable. Before the rest of the group detected his presence, he had the largest murloc knocked unconscious and his knives into the belly of the largest gnoll. Except, the gnoll didn't go down. It was wearing thick armor underneath an outer layer of tattered cloth. Smart. The gnolls came to the meeting prepared for battle. And now there was one.

Glasz noticed the largest murloc he'd knocked out was coming to; he still grappled with the gnoll he'd first attacked, while the other two murlocs and one gnoll closed in on his flanks. Panic set in. He felt a strange warmth running down the left side of his leg. Did I just piss myself? he briefly thought, but when he flashed a look downwards, he saw it: blood. His own.

Glasz feigned backwards, dropped to his knees while sticking his blades into the sand. He flung them upwards wildly, tossing the fine particles into the faces of his attackers. The move bought him a few moments, but the band caught up with him as he hobbled up a dune just a few yards away.

Then, Glasz knew no more.

The Adventures of Glasz Flasz

So, Glasz's death was rather...unexpected. Full disclosure: the guild's Ironman contest doesn't require a clean slate when it comes to death count (though there are specific conditions under which a character can be resurrected), but I play for keeps. I determined before I ventured out that any "setback" like this would be permanent. That all said, I was not prepared for this scenario. My roommate heard me yell Fuck! and looked over but I knew there was no way to explain this to him. Progress was lost, boo-hoo, now what do I do?

That's when I realized Glasz has a younger brother. And perhaps more siblings, depending on how this plays out.

Flasz, like his brother, grew up on the seas and is also part-heir to the family fortune. Originally trained in deception and avoiding detection, Flasz fell in love with Pandaria when a ship he was on docked there briefly after the mists had parted. He remained there to train in the ways of the pandaren monks. After the events of the Siege of Orgrimmar, he chose to remain in Pandaria, where he has lived since.

Flasz is soon to receive an urgent letter from his brother Glasz imploring him to meet in Ironforge. Unfortunately, by the time the letter reaches Flasz, Glasz is already dead---something Flasz has yet to discover.

The Adventures of... will be a semi-regular feature chronicling my character's journey as he levels through the game under Ironman-type conditions while trying to discover the truth of his brother's fate.

5 Things I Hope Blizzard Learns From Warlords

In a recent post I mentioned how I'd rediscovered the "spark" that first pulled me deeply into World of Warcraft after struggling this expansion with finding the motivation to do much outside of my garrison. However, I admitted that even with my focus realigned, Warlords of Draenor will likely go down as my least-favorite expansion. Here are five things I hope Blizzard takes away from the Warlords of Draenor experience.

Value of Scenarios
I won't say I missed them dearly, but scenarios in Mists of Pandaria provided an excellent opportunity at max level for small-group content. Scenarios were especially attractive for damage-dealers and those with limited amounts of play time. Queues were always short; it was sometimes possible to run multiple scenarios in the time it would take for a damage-dealer to find a dungeon party.

Utility of Alternate Currency
We saw some of this with Apexis Crystals, but the effect was dramatically scaled back compared to previous expansions. Instead of earning this currency through dungeons, scenarios and multiple quests, crystals were a reward for completing a single daily quest given in the garrison or by mindlessly grinding mobs. I think it would've been advantageous for Blizzard to have included Apexis Crystals as a dungeon reward, and by extension, the non-existent scenarios. Not only would it allow players to fill some holes in their gearing strategy, but it extends relevancy of group content at max-level. Like dungeons.

Return to Factional Daily Options
Many people agree that Blizzard went too far with daily quest options in Mists of Pandaria. You want a rep grind? We'll put a rep grind behind a rep grind! What we have in Warlords of Draenor seems to be a knee-jerk reaction to the outcry over too many dailies. To me, it's clear the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle. Give us some other way to gain factional rep other than Apexis dailies, garrison missives, and mindless mob slaughter.

Benefit of Farmable, Rarer Mobs
This might be a personal peeve, but the way rare mobs were handled in Warlords of Draenor was a bit of a letdown. Kill it once, you're guaranteed whatever drop(s) the mob has on their loot table, and you're done. Previously, there were a number of items that could drop off of a rare mob, one of which was usually some sort of unique item, like a vanity pet, toy, or a crazy-cool leveling elixir. Maybe players cursed by RNGeesus have had enough, but seeking out those rare or missing items gave me another reason to get out into world after I'd exhausted the leveling content.

Additionally, Draenor is incredibly overpopulated with rares. It's kind of like how if you hand out epic gear to everyone and their uncle it ceases feeling like epic gear. In addition to not guaranteeing drops on every kill, rare mobs should be fewer and far between.

Need for Better Travel at Max Level
I nearly titled this section "The Value of [Redacted] at Max Level" but then thought better of it. I'm swallowing the Kool-aid, Blizzard, and trusting that you've got something in store here. Fact of the matter is pretty much since the Burning Crusade players have taken earning flight as a reward for reaching max-, or near-max level. With the removal of flight there needs to be a better system of travel to wherever players want to go in current content. Waystones, portals, I don't care. Give us something more efficient than "improved" flight paths.

WoW Weekly: Rediscovering the Spark

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.

Discussion on the big Warcraft news item of the weekend doesn't seem to be dying down, but I've said my piece and am moving beyond the debate. The removal of flight isn't something I agree with, but it's also something I'm not trying to change. In the process of sharing my feelings on the matter, I became more intimate with my own motivations as it relates to approaching the game's content.

I've always found that life is much easier to navigate when you accept the reality around you. It's proving to be true in-game, at least for me. After finishing up the post I linked above, I gave myself a simple charge: make a concerted effort this week to get out of the garrison to see what Draenor really has to offer. In truth, how I've reacted to Draenor is equivalent to the man who dips his big toe into a hot tub and decides, "Too hot for me!"

The week thus far has been filled with treasure hunting, Apexis dailies, garrison invasions, the occasional rep grind, and quest achievements. Last night a group of four friends and I set out for Frostfire Ridge to test our meddle against Nok-Karosh---the luckiest among us was justly rewarded. I've deliberately avoided alt garrisons when they didn't fit into my play schedule. I'll look at legacy content runs this weekend, but for the time being, I'll remain on Draenor proper.

This week has been fun, pure and simple. But. But.

There's still something about Draenor that isn't working for me. Though it's early yet in the expansion's life, I can't help but think when creating a list ranking all previous expansions from most favorite to least, Warlords of Draenor would end up at the bottom. It feels like there are less discernible things to do in the open world at max level, but it may just be that there are different things to do at max level. Dungeons become fairly obsolete, and scenarios and factional daily quests are sorely missed. I was a fan of farmable rare mobs, too...but I'm getting off-topic and ahead of myself now.*

Even considering the above, I've been able to rediscover the spark that caused me to fall in love with the game oh so many years ago. I think all it took was a deliberate shifting of my own perspective. When I remarked to a guildie that I'd found "the spark," he pleaded, "Share? Please?"

I'm finding it in odd places: when randomly cutting my way through Everbloom with a guild group; when chuckling at an antiquated UI system that requires eight mouse clicks in order to complete a simple turn-in quest; when helping a player who you ran into in the open world with a quest they're struggling with; when discovering a drowned skeleton with a large weight around its neck off the coastline. These things serve to remind me, at the core, that this is the same old World of Warcraft.

If you too are struggling with your love of Draenor, I don't have the perfect solution for you. Walking away might be the best option. But if you're not ready to leave, I'd encourage you to take a closer look at what might be waiting for you on Draenor, and engage it with reckless abandon.

Frankly, I've been surprised by what I've found.

*another post for another day

(special thanks to @Hestiah for the screenshot)

WoW Weekly: Ready, Not Ready for 6.2

shot: @Manech

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.

I'm just going to come out with it right up front: I cannot remember a time in the nine years I've been playing World of Warcraft when I've felt less engaged. The garrison, as it's panned out, hasn't worked for me. I know, I know---I don't have to take advantage of any aspect of the garrison if I don't want to (for now...as garrison progress is required for Patch 6.2 progress). But not utilizing the resources in the garrison clearly leaves a player at some kind of disadvantage, even if a relatively small one. 

Still, I don't often leave my garrison to explore Draenor. My main still has treasures and followers to collect, achievements to complete; I actually enjoy running 5-player content, yet Blizzard's offered little incentive to a decently geared max-level character. The last time I asked a guildie if she wanted to run a dungeon with my main, she asked if something was wrong with me. Why would I even want to do that? 

So if I'm not in my garrison, or in a guild raid, I'm not even on the continent of Draenor. I've spent more time on the Timeless Isle than Ashran by a factor of 10, at least. I've managed to complete a couple of legendary weapons from legacy content. If I'm not doing that---I'm likely engaged in some Heroes of the Storm play. Oftentimes, it's in the company of Warcraft guildies. 

The scenario reminds me of the type of play style I engage in at a very specific point each expansion: the late-expansion lull. I'm playing like I've exhausted all there is for content in Warlords when that's absolutely not the case. Hell, we haven't even seen the final raid tier. 

I think there are a few things at play, the first being a lack of time---that's on me. In past years I have had more time to play the game; with less time, I'm forced to choose which activities are the most important to me. Tidying up the garrison isn't something that's important to me, but it's sure easy to do, even if it does eat up precious time. With limited time, raiding becomes my main focus and sometimes the sole activity in game each week. It also doesn't help that I've got a step-brother who's neck deep into Heroes and always looking for a partner. 

I think the lack of story has also affected me on some level. This expansion, outside of raiding perhaps, feels a bit stagnant to me. We dealt with the major opening threat of the expansion---the Warlords---quite early on in the expansion's life. Now we're tasked with remaining in this alternate timeline to hold fast against the Burning Legion. I say let the Legion have Draenor. History in that regard is bound to repeat itself. This Draenor, too, will shatter. I'm not interested in fighting the Legion on this front when I know we'll have to fight (a version of) them on our home turf someday soon.™

I think we always secretly hope that the current expansion will be the best expansion---or at the least, live up to the previous expansion(s). And don't get me wrong: Warlords of Draenor isn't crap. But it also isn't great---it just isn't as appealing as I thought, or hoped it would be. I'm ready for 6.2 in that our raid group will be ready for what comes next. Beyond that, I'm ready to move beyond Draenor and on to the next adventure. 

6.2: Blizzard Keeping Their Promise?

img: battle.net

This post contains information on the new raid tier, the bosses within, and some speculation on what it might signal in terms of remaining content for this expansion. If you're trying to avoid all spoilers, stop reading now. 

It's probably wayyyy too early to speculate about what's all going down in Patch 6.2 based on the tidbits we've seen in the last 24 hours, but that won't stop folks. So I'm going to recklessly toss my two copper into the pot.

In looking at the content we'll be getting in 6.2, I can't help but feel 6.3 isn't long off, and when it arrives, it'll signal the swan song of this expansion. Has the lofty yet ever-elusive promise to deliver shorter, faster expansions finally been realized?

We know we'll be getting Hellfire Citadel, a new raid tier with 13 bosses in Patch 6.2. Whether it's available right away or must be unlocked is yet to be seen. Some of the names of the bosses within should strike you. In the What the Fuck category, we have Mannoroth. In the Totally Saw That Coming category, we meet Archimonde as the tier's final boss.

Just as striking is the absence of a couple of previously anticipated foes, namely Gul'dan and Grommash. Some might speculate this indicates we'll see one more raid tier prior to the expansion's end, but I don't buy it. Instead, players will finish both Gul'dan's and Grommash's story arcs outside of the raid, possibly with the culmination of the legendary quest line. Yes, that's Blizzard reneging on a previous statement. /yawn. Been there, done that.

Speaking of finishing the legendary quest line---yeah! Players will be able to do that in 6.2, just like they were able to do in Patch 5.4 with the release of Siege of Orgrimmar in Mists of Pandaria. Let that sink in: we will be finishing the legendary quest chain come 6.2. Pair that with the bosses we'll be seeing (and not seeing) and it's too much for me to ignore. It signals that 6.2 contains the last significant content in this expansion's life cycle.

That means 6.3 will bring the systems changes we're used to seeing in the lead up to the next expansion, and this'll likely hit the PTR around Blizzcon in November, if not sooner. Whether Blizzard will hold off for an expansion announcement at the convention this year isn't clear, but I personally don't believe they'll be able (or want) to keep that info under wraps for that long given how quickly this expansion is moving.

I'd wager we'll be hearing about a different leveling system and---wait for it---flight in Draenor rather soon. So kudos, Blizzard. The promise you made on delivering short expansions in a more timely manner? You done good.

And gosh, does it feel weird.

WoW Weekly: Legendary Weeks

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.

Sometimes, you get lucky.

During a slow time during the end of Cataclysm, I was looking over my achievements pane in an effort to identify the legacy content I could complete solo. I noticed I hadn't completed the Hyjal and Sunwell raids, and since it was now trivial content, I decided to start there. The run would've been unremarkable, a simple going through the motions to earn the achievement, if it weren't for Thori'dal, the Star's Fury. The legendary bow dropped, amazingly, on my first Kil'jaden kill. Which turned out to be problematic because I was on my shaman and couldn't equip the bow, and thus was unable to earn the Feat of Strength.

So this past weekend, I decided to redouble my efforts to earn Thori'dal on a character who could actually equip it. I had no luck with the rogue, but that was all right---I completed the Fangs of the Father with him days prior. That left a level 90 warrior who easily cut her way through the Sunwell. Then it was time for Kil'jaden, who fell easily. The loot?

Well, sometimes you get lucky twice.

Additionally, I completed Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings the week prior, so it's been quite the legendary weeks. That leaves the Warglaives of Azzinoth as the final legendary I have yet to acquire before the list is complete.

With 6.1 fresh this week, I'm finding myself with no shortage on things to do. The quality-of-life changes to the garrison are very much welcome and I'm probably most excited for Raiding with Leashes III: Drinkin' From the Sunwell.

I know. I'm weird like that.

Fly in Draenor With Aviana's Feather

img src: akellabaron - Wowhead

If I was asked what item I have in Draenor that I could not live without, I'd have an immediate, easy answer: Aviana's Feather. I consider myself lucky having stumbled upon the item within the first couple of weeks after setting foot on Draenor.

Simply put, the item allows flight. Even though the flight's duration is limited, and it's trajectory slants downward, you can cover some serious ground. I've found it especially useful on my PvP server during raid night when the instance portals are often guarded by members of the opposing faction. From several flight point locations nearest the instance I can "fly" directly into the portal, bypassing the wrath of the Alliance.

Not to mention, it can also ease your treasure-seeking expeditions by granting access to up-and-out-of-the-way places one would normally have to work hard to reach.

Acquiring the item is quite simple, as it only requires a couple steps and some daily quest diligence. First, you need to build the Inn/Tavern for your garrison. Level 1 is fine. Once the building is complete, a handful of quest-givers appear daily, offering a variety of tasks to complete in Draenor dungeons. The NPC you're looking for is Skylord Omnuron. When he appears, he'll offer Aviana's Request, which sends players into Heroic Skyreach to kill the final boss and collect its plumage. Once done, all that's standing between you and your very own Aviana's Feather is a hearth to the garrison.

Congrats! It may not quite be flying, but at minimum, it's falling in style.

Warlords of Draenor 6.1 Survival Guide

Made you click.

This video below is circulating in the social medias and while you of course can find this info on Warcraft's official site, I don't think it hurts to share here---especially since it seems like this signals a new trend for Blizzard. We've seen video guides on how to play your class and how to boost a toon, but this is the first one I can think of* that deals specifically with upcoming patch content.
There's a ton of info in the official patch notes, and the video does a pretty good job highlighting the major elements. One thing I'm excited for that isn't in the video is the ability to change the music in your garrison. The rousing, ominous theme from Warlords is great, don't get me wrong, but things are chill in my garrison now. I'm looking forward to having the music reflect that. 
Even with this guide, I'll still comb through the patch notes. But for those who'd just like the meat, I think Blizzard's done a pretty good job on their first with this one.

*Apparently Blizzard has been releasing Survival Guides for quite some time. Do I get a welcome at this party or what?

Take the Day Off, Kiddo

Last Tuesday morning, Commander Elepheagle sat behind a large wooden desk in the town hall of his garrison, mulling over the list of tasks he knew he should fulfill for the day. A line of ragged conscripts had gathered there in front of him, so he chose to deal with them first. One by one, though occasionally in groups of two or three, the Commander sent them off on reconnaissance missions, or ambushes, or hunts for treasure. 

On some occasions, like today, he wondered why he even bothered. To Eleph it seemed like they'd found everything of worth there was to find on Draenor. And every time he felt so---without failure--- one of his soldiers would return bearing an item having a value just barely justifying their missions there. Sometimes, Eleph would stand and watch the procession of conscripts as they marched out of the garrison. Not that day. There was work to do.

He made his way towards the ever-expanding mine shaft behind the town hall, then paused to consider his choice. He changed course and headed towards a dank cavern nestled into the rock hills near the entrance to the mine. Somehow this area provided a suitable enough environment to sustain flower growth. Eleph had caught wind of a mischievous and elusive creature that sometimes made its home in the flower beds. Eleph helped plant the garden, and helped with harvest almost daily. This wasn't for supply's sake, as they'd long ago amassed more than they could sell. Eleph hoped to catch of glimpse of the mysterious creature with his own eyes. He didn't mind helping with the gardening. 

Not as much could be said for the mine.

The shaft had been growing since the goblins first blew it open. Three snake-like channels wound down deep into the earth and there were rumors of plans for a fourth. Goblin and orc alike worked diligently, unearthing valuable resources, but Eleph instructed his peons to leave the largest veins for his inspection: early on in the expedition, one exceptionally large vein turned out to lead to the den of a burrowing creature native to Draenor. Eleph knew several researchers who would pay a fortune to get their hands on a live specimen.

Once the mine had been inspected and cleared of the largest veins, Elepheagle ascended to the surface with a final task in mind. One of his advisers had told him about powerful artifacts that could be used in battle to reveal the enemy's secret weapons and armament caches. Eleph had purchased and used several of these artifacts without much result. The one time he did find a cache, he couldn't believe his eyes when he opened it: inside appeared to be the same exact necklace he was already wearing! Disturbed by these portents, he ended up offloading the item to a goblin trader for a few dozen gold.

But he trusted his adviser. Thus, he mounted a gryphon and started the long, meandering flight to Ashran. 

When Elepheagle returned several hours later that afternoon with three new artifacts, he was weary, but there was still more to be done. Strange reports from all corners of Draenor continued to filter into the garrison on a daily basis.

From across the expanse of the garrison at her station in front of the barracks, Vivianne watched Elepheagle dismount the gryphon. It had been several weeks since they'd adventured together. He looked over in her direction and offered a tired smile. Then he disappeared into the town hall. She knew there'd be no adventuring for yet another day. And sure enough, a courier confirmed this moments later with a hand-written note. In Eleph's script, the parchment held words she was tired of hearing.

Take the day off, kiddo. 

Bashes with Wolves: Losing the Hybrid Flavor

Bashes With Wolves is a semi-regular feature that takes a look at the duel-wielding badassery that is the enhancement shaman: news, tips, reviews and more. Is there something you'd like covered? Feel free to drop me a note. Elements guide you!

Hybrid classes have the most representation in World of Warcraft. That's no secret. Seven of the eleven available classes can perform at least two combat roles, while warlocks, rogues, mages and hunters are restricted to damage-dealing. A recent Blizzard Watch article on shamans looked at this distinction as it relates to spec and argued enhancement represents the last true hybrid in game. The idea is that enhancement can perform tasks effectively in combat that overlap multiple roles---healing in this case.

And in truth, it's been one of my favorite attributes of the spec, and why I've been maining the class since the Burning Crusade. I've always enjoyed having the choice to sacrifice a few GCDs of damaging abilities to ensure the raid stayed alive. Who, as a damage dealer, wouldn't love credit for rescuing their entire raid from the brink of death with some well-timed cooldowns? 

Sadly, this is no longer possible. Even though enhancement shaman didn't see much at all in terms of the ability pruning most other classes saw during the weeks approaching Warlords of Draenor, the healing abilities we still have at our disposal feel rather weak. Chain Heal, Healing Tide Totem, and Spirit Link Totem became Restoration-exclusive abilities, stripping enhancement of the majority of its powerful healing cooldowns. I can understand this to a degree: those are pretty significant abilities for a damage-dealer to have. That said, the abilities we've retained---Healing Wave, Healing Rain, Healing Stream Totem, and go-to talent Ancestral Guidance---have had a serious reduction in their effectiveness.  

Simply, they're not very effective.

In stark contrast from Mists of Pandaria, it's difficult to notice much of an effect from Ancestral Guidance, even when lined up with damage-increasing cooldowns. Effective usage has become a lot more situational. An instant-cast Healing Wave is but a drop in the pool that is tank health, and that GCD is almost always better spent on a damaging ability. Healing Rain feels about as powerful as a butterfly fart, but I'll still use it on occasion because it makes the floor look pretty and washes away some of the melee stink. 

The point being: yes, when you look at enhancement on the surface it appears to have an amount of hybrid utility that's unique to the game. However, on closer examination, the effectiveness of the abilities really doesn't warrant their use---unless we just accept that for all these years, enhancement healing utility has just been too powerful. Now, if the raid group is relying on weak heals from their enhancement shaman to stay alive, there's likely a much larger issue at work.

While you can technically still call enhancement a hybrid spec, it's getting to the point where it feels like a hybrid-in-name-only due to the ineffectiveness of the abilities it can lend to the healing side. It leaves the spec feeling like a hollow form of its former self. The healing abilities are still there, but if you're a wise enhancement shaman you'll treat them like sculptures in an art museum. 

Look, but don't touch. 

Concluding my Draenor Campaign...For Now

The pre-Barn, Tavern era of my garrison.

Tuesday night is generally my refresh night for all-things-garrison. My work orders from the weekend are within a day or so of expiration, so I make sure to refresh those. The Barn was a late addition, and I was just shy of earning Level 3 blueprints via Master Trapper earlier this week. So I went to see about some boars and set off a small chain of reaction that essentially signified that was I done progressing my character as it pertains to current content---outside of raiding of course.

Master Trapper allowed me to learn the final set of blueprints required for Grand Master Draftsmen as well as construct the Level 3 Barn, the final building needed for Master Builder. Capping off those achievements netted me Garrison Architect. Aside from the Pet Menagerie and the Fishing Shack, which I plan to chip at throughout the expansion, there's not much left for me in the garrison. Sure, I could work on new buildings combos and achievements, but I assume I'll cover those on alts as the expansion stretches out.

I'm currently 670 ilvl, the garrison campaign is complete and I'm tip-toeing towards the finish line of the last leg of the legendary quest chain. Blackrock Foundry LFR will be a welcome addition to the game in that it'll allow the collection Elemental Runes from bosses the guild's weekly raid may not have defeated. Still, I engage LFR to maximize efficiency, not for my own enjoyment.

That all said, I absolutely love how this expansion has turned out. I have little interest in seriously playing an alt right now, yet there are plenty of things for me to do on Draenor with my main character---if I so choose. Besides hunting rares and treasures, there's Ashran, the garrison buildings I mentioned, reputation grinds, follower collection and leveling, not to mention the ridiculous amount of achievements scattered throughout Draenor.

But you'll find me on the Timeless Isle on off-nights, hunting down rare items and the elusive Golganarr. Or steamrolling through the Lich King's citadel for a futile attempt at Invincible. Or knocking out quests in the Cata-revamped zones for completion's sake.

While I can't deny that it feels like we're a bit light on content in terms of where we are in the expansion, my play style causes me to prefer a landscape that looks a lot more like this, and less than what we saw in Mists of Pandaria.

How's the expansion panning out for you?

The Natural Ebb and Flow

The Natural Ebb and Flow: Does you guild experience roster churn at the start of an expansion? 

The lead up to the Warlords of Draenor release was an interesting time for our little casual guild.

By September of 2014, we were in a holding pattern. Garrosh-N was on weekly farm to maximize heirlooms and ensure that everyone in the guild who desired the Feat of Strength could get it. Right around this same time, membership applications shot through the roof. Something was happening.

And it wasn't due to a recruitment push. We'd ceased advertising on our realm forum the month prior, yet we'd see three to five new applications each week. This continued up until the week of Warlords' release. The common element in each of these apps was that the applicant was friends with a current member. Clearly, the something happening was inactive players coming back to the game, possibly in staggering numbers. Our guild grew by several dozen members in a matter of months solely from word-of-mouth recruitment.

Once Patch 6.0 went live, we were running 30-player Siege of Orgrimmar flex raids. This interest continued into our first weeks in Highmaul---and then slowly began to taper off. Newer faces dropped in for the start of the expansion, didn't find anything that grabbed them, and quietly slipped out. We've also had a handful of veteran members hang up their raiding gear due to life conflicts, burnout, or boredom.

As I surveyed the landscape while planning for this week's raid, a realization hit me: the last (and only) time I was in a stable guild for an expansion launch was Cataclysm. And even then, I was just a cog in the machine and had little control over the direction the guild was heading. Now that I help steer the overall aim of our guild, the churn is much more visible.

I can't help but wonder if it's part of the natural ebb and flow of player population. An expansion looms, players re-subscribe to get a feel for how things will change with the new content. They pick up the expansion, work through the content, but choose not to dedicate themselves to a certain activity in game, like raiding. Sooner or later, they stop logging in. Some offer farewells, others disappear without a trace. Even with long-time, constant subscribers, the start of an expansion is a great time to ask one's self, "Do I really want to do this again?"

Has your guild roster shrunk since the Warlords of Draenor release?

Personal Loot vs. Master Looter: Your Preference and Why

img. WoW Interface

This is something that's been on my mind since the introduction of the Personal Loot option in Warlords of Draenor raids. Through anecdotal evidence I can report that there seems to be a clear favorite, but I'm also aware of the benefits to each method. I'm on the fence---I'm not sure you can say which method is best, because the best method can vary widely based on the motivations of the raid group.

While probably not necessary for the audience, I'll still briefly describe the difference between the two systems: with Personal Loot, everyone has a %chance to receive an item from the boss. With Master Looter, the raid is guaranteed one item per five players, and the loot master hands out the items based on the type of loot system being used (Need over Greed, Loot Council, DKP, etc.).

Heading into Warlords, I had an old-school attitude. Manually dishing out loot is part of what makes it a raid! Then, nearly every group I joined outside of our guild raid was using Personal Loot---granted, this may be a result of the fact that the groups are PUGs. Still, I couldn't help but notice that with Personal Loot A) Loot takeaways were equal to and often better compared to Master Loot B) No time was wasted calling for rolls, tracking them, dishing out the loot, etc. It jogs up the memory of having to wait to pull Iron Juggernaut during the Siege of Orgrimmar because our master looter was still handing out drops from Galakras.

Not only does Personal Loot take less time, but it removes the guesswork behind who gets what. No raiders are going to accidentally roll for something they can't use; no raiders are going to miss a call for rolls on an item they could use; and finally, a raiders' ire is directed solely at RNG---not at the player who won the roll over them, or the raid leader's unfair loot system. I feel Personal Loot works well for our guild, which fields a consistent 1-night raid, though it wouldn't for a group that prefers to gear its player more strategically.

That's just my take though---and not all of my fellow guildies would agree with it! I'm curious to know which method you prefer, and the reasons for that preference. Feel free to reply to me on Twitter!

WoW Weekly: Not Complaining

WoW Weekly is a weekly-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.

Well, we're about three weeks into this expansion, and while I can't speak for you, I feel like I've done so much already: I've reached level 100; my character has established and upgraded his base of operations, now a damn-near-impenetrable fortress; I've showed a couple of warlords what's up; and I saw the storyline advance to where it sits after closing out Nagrand---which, I might add, featured a pretty badass climax. So much content I've gobbled up over the course of two weeks, and there's so much yet to come.

The expansion brought quite a few new features and saw tweaks to old systems---not to mention model and environment updates that bring Warcraft's visual effects more in line with modern-day graphics, even if they aren't quite there yet. It's been a significant improvement, to say the least.

Still, I look around Trade Chat, even guild chat at times, and I tend to see complaints more than I do praises for the game: how a certain class is faceroll OP, or how professions are broken, or why Blizzard didn't design X feature the way I want it to be designed. Listening to some players' laundry lists of  dislikes sometimes leaves you wondering if there's anything at all they enjoy about the game. Why they still bother logging in.

I rarely chime in when I see comments along these lines. Just smile. Slight head shake. Get back to playing. Don't get me wrong, everyone's got the right to complain, and even more so complaints are often valid. Still, when there's so much to like about Blizzard's latest content, why spend so much time complaining about the little things?

So, other than playing and wondering why people who hate this game so much still choose to play, in game I'll be:

• Honing a strategy for garrison's 2 and 3. I've unlocked Level 2 on both my warlock enchanter/alchemist and my death knight jewelcrafter/miner. This allows me to craft my own gems and and enchants, and have mats on hand for anything I can't create myself. Additionally, I should be able to craft a ring or necklace in time for next week's raid.
• My main character's garrison is reaching the point where resource generation is becoming less and less of a concern. Essentially, I'm waiting to tack off achievements that unlock the level 3 blueprints for my buildings. 
• Ridding Draenor of its treasures. Frostfire Ridge, Gorgrond and Talador have been stripped bare. Spires, you're next. 
• Raiding! Our 1-night group begins with a casual night this Thursday, after which we'll be honing and balancing for progression. This is by far my favorite element of Warcraft. 

What are you up to?

WoW Weekly: Ready for Raiding

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.

We're almost two weeks in to Warlords of Draenor, and after this past weekend I feel like I've now spent a substantial amount of time with the new content. Queues on high population realms seem to have vanished as fast as your friendly neighborhood rogue and servers seems stable overall. Those facts made it so I was able to reach level 100 in the middle of last week. And that's where the real fun begins: the journey to raid-readiness.

I reached cap about three-quarters of the way through Spires of Arak, prior to setting foot in Nagrand. This is pretty typical of me, as I'll generally complete all of the quests in the zone prior to moving on. In the case of Warlords, it included the main storyline, side storylines and marked bonus objectives. It wasn't until level 100 that I finally replaced gear I'd been carrying with me since the Siege of Orgrimmar (gosh how that seems so long ago).

Garrisons, on the whole, have surprised me. While some of the fun I'm having is likely due to novelty, I think there's more to it than just that. Really, it was this past weekend where I felt I knew enough about my garrison and desired end goals to be able to start making a long-term plan. Once I reached level 3, I added a War Mill and a Frostwolf Tavern to the area. I'd originally had a Storehouse, but replaced that once the Salvage Yard became available, so I brought that back as well. The Lumber Mill doesn't produce lumber quite as fast as I'd like, so I'm keeping it around until I have more resources than I know what to do with.

So far, the Salvage Yard (at least that's where I'm giving the credit) has provided some nice benefits, including this upgraded quest reward---not to mention some decent armor and weapon upgrades for my followers. The Tavern in turn has provided some neat dungeon quests, one of which awarded me a peacock pet...ArWAAARRRK! Between the Inn and the Salvage Yard, and how they can potentially affect rewards reaped from both quests, mobs, and missions, I'm counting on a few more nice upgrades to take into raiding. For now I'm holding on to the Barracks, but not sure how long that will last.

On other ready-for-raiding news. I went through the Proving Grounds as soon as I was able, completing all three levels as damage (and later, bronze and silver while healing---instant dungeon queues for the win). Bronze and silver went off without a hitch; gold proved to be a challenge as I was having issues with generating enough burst during the last three rounds. I also accidentally earned Ready for Raiding: IV last night while in a PuG. So, I'm ready now, right?

I'm planning on some solid playtime this week---holiday weekends don't hurt that one bit. You'll find me:

• Slogging through Vanilla Molten Core (already did the anniversary run---one's more than enough, thank you very much!) with the rogue and the death knight in search of the ever-elusive half of the bindings they each need. Persistence pays off.
• Wrapping up the Nagrand questline. I've heard people whispering about how cool this zone was, with emphasis on the climax. Can't wait, given what I've seen in previous zones.
• Farming Warbringers. Yep, you read me right, but shhhhhh! In the days after launch, Pandaria was a ghost continent and Warbringers were naught but apples hanging from a low-slung branches. Competition has stepped up, but it's still a great time to nab them for their mounts or excess Pandaria profession mats, which can still fetch a decent price.
• If time allows and the main character gets to a place where I can afford to faff around a bit more, I may start Garrisons on additional alts. 

What have you got going on this week?