My New Transmog Source

It is no secret that an ethereal in BfA capitals is trading mythic azerite items for Titan Residium which you get from disenchanting/scrapping azerite armor. I had no use for that previously, but not anymore.

For quite realistic 165 residiums you can get a token of choice – shoulders, helmet, or chestpiece – and acquire a 385 item upon use (equal to Mythic 4).

I’ve surpassed the 385 azerite armor already, so I’m interested in transmog potential these items carry. In ethereal’s vendor table you can also see the certain items for over 1500 residiums. Scroll over, and you’ll see which models you miss. Then purchase a 165 residium token, and use it in hope that it’s the model you miss. It’s the same as 1500+ residium one.

It’s 2-3 options per piece / armor class: for example, you can get two different chestpieces for a plate armor toon – in Kul Tiran and in Zandalari style. The only tricky thing is RNG: you may only hope that a token turns into the model you’re missing. But as it’s 1 out of 3, or 1 out of 2, the chances are pretty high.

Also once you turn a token into an armor piece, you can immediately scrap/disenchant it for a guaranteed 35 residium refund.

I’ve no other use for these residiums, nor for the azerite items I earn during emissaries, so this is my new game of chance :) I’ve already won ca 10 transmogs I didn’t have, including the coolest red vest for rogues!

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Proud

• Zandalari Shadow Priest Zindari = 32
• Kul Tiran Restoration Druid Backston = 42
• Dwarf Protection Paladin Kaldrax = 26

But the post is actually not about the levels.

When I was running a dungeon with Kaldrax in the morning, I’ve got a pat on the head from a fellow player. A mage which was in our group told me “Great tanking!”

I feel like it was actually deserved. With paladin tanking I feel like fish in the water, juggling mobs, collecting and leading them right where I want them to be, keeping up a good pace, but never forgetting about my teammates. Swift, but responsible: it’s a result of having common empathy.

Never hesitate to say good things to strangers if you find them awesome in any aspect. You make them feel proud :)

Have a nice weekend y’all!

Trodding On

Yes, I’m busy with emissaries, and yet it’s a lull. Despite clearing the daily quests, there’s nothing I actually need to do with my major roster of toons in the current content. My goal of 50 azerite necklace levels will most likely not be achieved, but whatever. I crave for exploration of new lands and learning the new stories!

Speaking of which, I’m 99% sure that the patch 8.2. drops on June 25. The date is based on July 4th. Blizzard is unlikely to drop it on July 2nd before the holiday. Also they would not drop it on June 18, because then the raid will arrive on July 2nd, two weeks after. And releasing it at July 9 or later puts it dangerously close to Vanilla release. We know that every Blizzard release is performed by the same team, so they’ll have their hands full.

Most probably, we will see Warcraft 3 Reforged after Blizzcon – there’s no better time to do it. Another Warcraft anniversary, something to play, 2 months after Vanilla.

Predictions or not, I’m into grind, and also leveling dungeons. The classes I level are extremely fun. I love my paladin dwarf hurling shields at the enemies and being a cool guy :) A Kul Tiran lady is an exceptional combination of being a nature-healing person and at the same time not a racial freak (which other druid races normally are). We’ll get her to 110 and achievement, then I’ll see if I want to put her on standby.

I like shadowpriesting in dungeons – the key thing to pleasure gameplay is to save this void levitation for bosses and not bother with it otherwise. Much like bloodlust/time warp, only with a smaller cooldown. Zandalari though is a yuck :) It’ll be either a delete or race change after 110, at least I’m thinking so. I’ve got a Jellica Gnome Priest at 120, but I associate her strongly with the Light now, not the Void in any sense. She stays a healer no matter what.

It is simply amazing how I run around with my dwarf toons and laugh with happiness :) Who would’ve known!

Me & Dwarves?

I’ve always been a fan of smaller races in any game possible. No wonder that Gnomes & Goblins are a bulk of my toon roster – and they have been my only played races in the first 6 months of the expansion.

Yet, aside from my blood elf (because demon hunter), the last half of the year is bringing me a new drift. There’s no wonder that I’ve added a couple of Mag’har, because I’ve always cherished the uncorrupted, more spirited version of orcs, they were new, and they have gorgeous barbaric hairstyles.

But dwarves…

Yes, Jagda can be explained alright, because she’s a Dark Iron – the only allied race that I enjoy playing and feel the bonds for.

I’ve added a gnome warlock to my roster, and a 5th gnome felt a bit too much in terms of face diversity, so I’ve race changed my hunter to a dwarf. The race choice was influenced by all the Vanilla talks – he’s the one that could easily be in the original WoW cinematic:

His persona is absolutely great. He’s a mountaineer, a tough guy who is used to be in the wilderness, so I kept him serious, a classic stalwart highlander/viking type.

And now this:

It was a sudden inspiration to create this whole new mix. First, he’s a tanking paladin: I’d like to have an Alliance tank. Also I remembered my first days in WoW, in WotLK – I’ve rolled a gnome rogue, a gnome mage and a dwarf paladin back then. I just kept thinking of him from time to time, so it’s a nod to the past to an extent.

Second, I’ve picked a no-mustache beard option – in spite of paladins notorious for being religious, serious and stuff, I wanted a happy version. First and foremost, he’s a defender of his homeland – prioritizing cheerful and sunny Dun Morogh over hanging out with Silver Hand and spending his life bending the knee in prayers, masses and whatever they’re up to in their chapels.

Third, albeit paladins cry out for golden/red hair to deliver the Light message, I’ve picked the black hair color. This suddenly made him so down-to-earth, excluding zealotry and religious boredom, and at the same time NOT making him sinister and evil.

I think there’s no better thing for me in WoW than giving birth to the new characters – as in book characters, not technical alts. I’m always happy to come up something as cool as that :)

Also with raids gone, I miss the variety of activities in the current WoW. Emissaries are quite useful, and I do them of course. But why not run a few dungeons when everything is said and done? :)

But to think of it, me and dwarves? I’ve got three, and it doesn’t feel a lot. What do you know.

A Couple of Tips for New Tortollan Quests

The latest patch has added a couple of new Tortollan world quests: Calligraphy and Cycle of Life. As I can boast Master of Calligraphy achievement and flawless Cycle of Life executions, I’ve decided to share a couple of tips I’m using myself.

Cycle of Life

The quest swaps Beachhead: now we are on the receiving end of shooting scrolls. A crab can move left or right, trying to catch turtles and avoid the dangerous spheres.

Tips:

1. Get Used to Movement Delays.

As in Make Loh Go, the movement response is not immediate, so it leads to repetitive button pressing and drives your crab into beams :) Also the delay may result in lingering at your spot and get your head hit by a projectile. Remember this: one press for one move!

2. Make Use of Your Own Projectiles!

Once you clip a turtle, you’ll be able to launch a turtle shell to clear the full vertical line. It is best used when there are two turtles crawling in one column one after another, or when you need to cross a light spot quickly and don’t have time to wait for a walking turtle. Don’t save them though – every next clipped turtle will recharge this ability.

3. Don’t Get Caught

The quest is fail-safe – meaning that your progress is saved after your crab has been killed. And yet, try not to get caught by the projectiles. This means that you’d better skip a turtle if a light sphere is about to land. You don’t have to catch them all – you need to make through the counter.

Calligraphy

Much like “draw a rune” we’ve seen during Nazmir Bwonsamdi questline and Legion’s Hogwarts in Azsuna, the quest requires running along the assigned lines. Unlike these quests, the lines disappear shortly after, and you have to do this by memory.

Tips:

1. Start Moving ASAP

You don’t have to wait for the lines to disappear. Press forward while the pattern is still up – this way you can make 1/3 of the pattern while the lines are still there and be sure about first leg of the journey.

2. Mounts or No Mounts?

Yes, you can do it while mounted! This can be a profit in terms of covering farther distances while the lines are up – useful for Triangle and Square patterns. Although the turns are more difficult to perform without breaking the pattern, and I would definitely NOT recommend it for Circle.

3. Circle

Circle appears to be the easiest figure to complete. Start running while the lines are still up, and try to catch the rhythm of turns. I hold Forward all the time and press side button or twitch a mouse approximately once per second.

4. Square and Triangle

To complete them, you just need to remember the corner checkpoints on the ground. It may be a certain grain stalk, or a tile, or anything. When you reach the the last but one checkpoint, turn and aim at the starting crystal.

5. You Can Go Either Direction!

Yes, it doesn’t have to be the one where the quest turns your face by default. You may turn around and go another way. This way you can cover the harder part while the lines are still up, and finish with the easier piece of figure.

This is especially useful for Drustvar’s Square – by default corner 3 is hidden among identical stalks, but if you make it corner 1, the rest is a piece of cake. Also some people may find the very idea of running to another direction easier (left-handed, anyone?)

I hope this helps :)

Equator: BfA Lore Review

With looming Nazjatar and Eternal Palace raid in 8.2., June draws the equator line of the expansion. As we’ve firmly set the course towards the Old Gods from now on, it’s time to look back and see what we’ve experienced so far.

Lorewise it has been one of the most grim chapters in Warcraft history, one that left deep scars in our souls. Both Alliance and Horde are in a sad place now, despite all the achievements.

Undercity is a Chernobyl area, not fit even for the Undead population, and Teldrassil is a grim scorched stump, definitely not decorating the skyline. Despite the skirmishes in Darkshore and Arathi, continents are now dominated by a single faction by 90%.

Both factions did not have either aerial or naval fleet to launch a full-scale invasion to another continent, so they sought allies. And allies they have found. The Alliance is in a happier spot now: the reunion of Jaina and Kul Tiran nation alone was worth all the war. We’ve fixed the troubled kingdom and acquired a fleet.

Zandalari were not so lucky being allies with the Horde. On the bright side, the court was cleansed of corrupted advisors, and the source of the threat, a synthetic Old God, was slain by its heroes. Not a moment too soon – the Golden Pyramid and the whole Zandalar would have been engulfed by corruption and serve as a bastion of sickness and Old Gods in the coming months without our interference.

On the dark side, this union led to a dominating fleet blasted into smithereens, and the vague but beloved king slain. The Horde itself is also shaking from within, being dragged into the unnecessary war by an outright evil warchief, committing war crimes, preparing for a coup d’etat (not a civil war), and being bossed around by local KGB (aka Nathanos and dark rangers) doesn’t add bonus points too. On the bright side, it is time to remember the origins of the Horde, of answering the question who they are and what does honor mean to them.

***

It is safe to say now that the Alliance appeared to be more skilled in the terms of warfare. The Horde had an advantage of the first strike, but in the long term it played out to be nothing. Sylvanas’ greatest stake of Zandalari fleet was outplayed by brilliant gnomes and SI:7, and she has nothing to offer to break the tide. She was good in tactical ranger strikes – the one thing she excels at – with Darkshore blitzkrieg and almost eliminating the Alliance authorities at Lordaeron, but this is where her strategic play ends. More and more on she goes into crazy schemes, like trying to corrupt Derek Proudmoore or releasing the exposed Ashvane – all of them are not enough even if they were successful.

At the same time she’s failing internal poilitics by large, relying on her secret force agents and fear, and not even trying to extinguish the flames of displeasure of the Horde – in fact, every next move is leading to her impeachment, if not demise. The one thing a good warchief could do now is sign a peace treaty – cause the war is lost. Yet she will not acknowledge that, and whether it’s the Old God’s influence, or her evil nature, or both, this is not how it ends. We’re due to learn how it will unroll.

Whatever happens next, it is pretty clear that Sylvanas has already drifted into being “enemy of the state” – in fact, all states.

8.1.5. ending draws the line under Battle for Azeroth as in Horde vs Alliance battle for Azeroth territories. 8.2. starts Battle for Azeroth as in battle for Azeroth the Titan – her wound and possible corruption by N’Zoth.

The lesson we all learned in BfA (and hopefully Blizzard too) is that Horde vs Alliance is not what the world of Warcraft wants anymore. Battle for Dazar’Alor raid proved this even more than the pre-patch events. All the attack and defense on either side was a grim task to do. Killing the other faction in a raid felt just… wrong, a lead to nowhere. Even the victorious Alliance is not happy with the process and the aftermath.

A lesson that was learned the hard way.

Done with the Raiding!

The last weekend was extremely successful on drops: Nikkeli has won the Uu’nat’s trident (a cool one indeed), and Fearella has acquired the last Dazar’Alor piece – plate set helmet!

All LFR queues and runs are now officially off the activity map.

Well, now it’s a lull alright.

• Melaris the Bloood Elf Demon Hunter will farm Honorbound medals for 750 medal mount – currently it’s 195.
• All toons now farm emissaries to advance through azerite necklace levels and save a bit cash for the upcoming Nazjatar raid tokens.
• 3 mounts to go in warfronts, 1 transmog item from T’zane and a couple items from Ivus to go.
• Free from all activities, I’d lazily level a Kul Tiran and a Zandalari toons for reputation/heritage armor achievements through dungeon runs. My Kul Tiran is a healer druid, and my Zandalari is a shadow priest. I have not developed any bonds with them yet, and I don’t plan to play them actively after required 110. Still not a fan of both races. Maybe I’ll race swap these toons after 110 – we’ll see.
• I’m still not missing DKs, paladins and monks – the mere thought of playing these classes is boring.
• Got a few leisure old raid  transmog runs: I now have only 3 PvE set achievements to cover.
• Waiting for the patch to come.

Fun fact which is being currently actively discussed: your hearthstone. Did you know that it will remember your position when you set it?

So, here goes: if you bind your hearthstone while looking at the tavern DOOR, you’ll teleport to the inn facing it every time! It will save precious seconds of orientation in space, as well as some extra steps – if you bind it as far from innkeeper as interaction allows you. Multiply this by every toon and every hearthstone usage, and it will save you seconds, minutes and hours!

I didn’t know that!