Sideshow & Syrana

Before I dive into the 2nd ever The Link Connection, I want to let everyone know that since Capone took over the blog yesterday for a bit… the WoW Word of the Month post will be delayed until next Wednesday.

Please say hello to these two newer bloggers:

Sibyll (yay, warlock!) -  started just a short while ago and we love to see more warlockery! (I stole Fulg’s word. Shhh~)

Catryalini (yay, warlock and hunter!)  – newer blog on my radar since we’ve become Twitter buddies.  Good reads to check out!

No Stock UI – a great new resource for customizing your UI

A couple achievement highlights:

Mend Pet – Shows you how to love the cuddly critters and get rid of the nasty ones

Melted Faces – Has Part 1 and Part 2 up for pet collectors

If you haven’t done so yet, take a moment to say goodbye to Big Red Kitty (BRK).  /salute

Goodness, I’ve been flooded with a gazillion ideas and no time to forumlate sentences, let alone posts.  Well, I’ve been posting, just haven’t been able to tackle all the crazy stuff in my head.  But, it’s time for an update on my characters!

In the lead we have Syrana at level 79, which she hit over a week ago.

In second place we have Alynedarra, my hunter, at level 79, which she hit last night.

Who, oh, who will hit 80 first? My main or my “main alt”?

Some guildies seem to be making bets (not confirmed) on which toon will hit 80 first.  So this should be interesting.  Of course, Aly used to be my main.  Am I switching again? Hell naw.  But Aly did hit 70 first back in… uhm.. July 2007.  Then Syrana was born at the end of ’07 and hit 70 a few months into 2008.  And she was leveled fairly quickly (for me) and before all the experience boosts put in by Blizz.

On with the rambling!

Last week I ran Side’s new shaman alt, Keli, and Pex through RFC.  Keli shared one of the quests with me, since I apparently hadn’t done that one on Aly ever.  But, little did I realize, the quest came from Varimathras.  Yep, that’s right.  I couldn’t turn it in because he no longer exists in Aly’s world.

Grizzly PvP

On Monday night, I decided to check out some more Grizzly Hills quests and even did some of the PvP daily quests at the Blue Sky Logging Camp.  When I started to search for parts, there was a level 80 night elf druid that tried to give me some grief, but I hadn’t landed yet.  So I flew away like a scared little girl.  Then all was pretty quiet.  I saw some other Hordies there in a group.  But I was 78 at the time and by myself, like the brave huntress I am.  Then I got slaughtered by a level 80 gnome rogue.  /growl

Then the fun really came in as I finished up the dailies.  I saw a level 80 draenei deathknight.  I was hovering in the air, about to turn in my quests when I had an idea.  I figured I’d probably die, but thought I’d take my chances. (continue reading…)

Previously I posted up a list of some gaming goals I want to accomplish by December 31, 2009.  Well, we’re just a few days into February and we’ve got one done and an update on a couple others.  Plus, I have a little story about why completing the Wrathgate questline the second time was not as awesome as the first time.  (I know, sounds impossible, right?!)

Gaming Goals Update

I know I have already given a mini-update about Syrana reaching expert fishing, but I’m still amazed I have already gotten this one completed.  I thought this would take most of the year, to be honest.

Worth every copper, imo.

On my quest to collect 50 pets in order to receive Stinker (to then only work towards 75 pets to get the Fawn…) I have reached 45 pets.  #45 is very special to me.  He’s cute, he can fly, he squeaks, and he was expensive.  This dear little dark whelpling cost me 1200 gold on the Auction House, but I just couldn’t resist.  I didn’t feel like taking the time to play with the RNG for him to drop and I hadn’t seen him listed on the Auction House before.

Now, Syrana is still shy of level 79, but Alynedarra, my hunter, has gotten about halfway through level 76!  Which brings us to the next piece…

Wrathgate

For those of you have done the Wrathgate questline, you know it is epic-ly awesome.  For those of you who have not completed it yet, you may want to go do it NOW.  I would put a spoiler warning at this point, but not sure that’s necessary anymore.  I know there are still people who haven’t completed this questline, but I’m sure they’ve heard about it by now.  If not, what I’m about to share isn’t really going to spoil it for you.  And maybe, just maybe, it will be helpful.

Ohh when the weather outside is frightful~

The first time I completed this questline was on Syrana alongside Sideshow.  Things worked out well.  We loved the cinematic, we loved the scene in Thrall’s chamber, and we waited patiently with Thrall and Sylvanas before attempting to reclaim Undercity.  The battle was epic and screwed up our high damage score addons, but it was a blast.

Last night, I took Alynedarra through the last steps to Wrathgate.  I was looking forward to such an epic quest again.  I watched the cinematic all the way through again and headed off to phased Orgrimmar to speak with Thrall.  I waited for the scene there to complete before speaking with him.  I take the portal to just outside of Undercity and announce to Vol’jin that I have arrived and am reporting for duty.  He instructs me to aid Thrall and Sylvanas in the retaking of Undercity.  I take note that the top of my screen indicates they have control of the inner sanctum.

So, I ride through the courtyard – no mobs.  I ride to the elevator – still safe.  I get to the Trade District – Horde guards to be seen, but no mobs.  As I head to the outer circle, I receive my “flag” indicating I’m part of the battle and my MASSIVE buffs from Thrall and Sylvanas.  But I don’t see them anywhere.

I see nothing but level 75 elites roaming the halls.  I start battling, trying to fight my way to them.  Then it gets bad.  I get out of range of Thrall and Sylvanas (which I still couldn’t spot) and lose the flag and buffs.  I die.

So I corpse run and can’t see if there are any mobs around me while I’m a ghost in there.  I rez.  I immediately die as I’m surrounded.  Ooookay.  Corpse run again and go to the outer canal.  I duck into a little vendor stall and move close to the wall opposite of where I died.  Success, or so I thought.  I rezzed and am killed quickly by a patrol.

It then goes from bad to worse.

The information up top indicates the battle has moved into the Royal Quarter.  I am still many corpse jumps away from there.  I try to rez and run… trying to drop my body closer to my destination.  Well, those abominations and their stupid “Get over here” chains yank me back farther than where my last death spot was.  They just put my progress into the negative in a matter of seconds.  Then I try to spirit rez and take a different approach.  What that approach is, I hadn’t a clue.

This is when it got REALLY bad.  I rode into the Trade District and was killed by an abomination that was chillin’ where the cook usually is.  He used his gogogadget chain to get me when I was near the bank.  Bastard.  But still I try.  I’m not a quitter, dammit!  Until my durability reached 0%.  OMG, yes.  I have not seen that happen in quite some time.  I was frustrated.  I just wanted to finish this before bed.

So I’m stuck.  I can’t get to the battle, I can’t seem to get out alive.  I rez and hearth back to Dalaran.  I repair up (20g /cry) and portal to Orgrimmar.  I ride to Thrall’s chamber, but no portal opens for me.  Thank goodness the zeppelins still worked.  I hitched a ride on a ghost zeppelin over to Undercity.  (It was weird, no NPC’s or other players could be seen on the zeppelin while I stood on the Org tower, but once I stepped on, there were NPC’s and players on it… which disappeared as soon as I stepped off at the UC tower.  The power of phasing!)

This time I seem to have a bit more luck as the battle has already started, but it is in the courtyard.  Thank goodness.

This time there is a rogue also participating in the battle.  He kinda hurts my already tired and crabby eyes (it’s almost 1am at this point) with all his seemingly endless jumping and bouncing.  But then, he sends an unprovoked and unwelcome group invite.  First of all, bad manners in sending a ninjavite.  Secondly, there is no need to be grouped for this quest AT ALL.  The mobs during the battle drop no loot and you just have to participate to complete it.  I decline it.  He pops another a little while later, I decline again.

Rogue whispers: Invite me to ur guild i like the tabard (Really? so this is why people still use it as part of their recruitment message… huh.. I never mention the tabard in my recruitment spiel.)

Aly whispers: We have an application process before the interview process.

(no response for a few minutes)

Rogue whispers: im not taking any guild seriusly till i hit 80 so best i wait

Aly whispers: Yeah, that’s probably for the best.

The rest of the battle continues without the rogue being too bouncy within my line o’ sight and no further requests from him.  The battle comes to an end, I’m dead tired, I click for my reward selection and hit accept.  Aly is whisked away and dropped onto the zeppelin tower outside of Orgrimmar.  I open my bag to put on my new pants.

…

Crap.

I selected the Warchief’s Leggings of Valor instead of the ones listed below those.

Crapcrapcrappitycrapcrap!

I’m too tired to do anything at the moment.  I log out and decide that when I log on to her this weekend, I’ll open a ticket and see if maybe a kind GM will help me out.

So, when you do Wrathgate…. if the battle is beyond the courtyard when you arrive, wait for the reset.  And carefully select your reward choices.

/fail/sleep