Recently Big Bear Butt talked about killing the bog lord guys in the Skettis area. You know the big tree peoples? The 70-71 elites?
Much more detail can be found here by the wonderful Warlock Horns. There are great numbers associated with the drop rates that he had.
Well the druid got the idea from a hunter… and if they can solo them I DEFFINATELY could solo them.
Cause I am a Warlock and all other classes are my Minions. *clears throat after diabolical laughter*
So while doing the Daily Cooking quest up there… I try one out.
/Splat gnome paste.
Okay that didn’t go over too well.
Let’s try that again.
/cheer
They are not immune to Fear at all.
So it was a simple DoT, Fear, DoT, Fear repeat until it is dead.
After skinning the tree with my upper herbalism skills, I was rewarded…
An additional bonus was fishing out Furious Crawdads which when cooked into Spicy Crawdads gives a 30 stamina boost. Much more then the typical 20 stamina most food buff gives. These may help My Tank in Heroics while we continue to collect more gear. So as soon as I get a stack I know where they will go.
I have a new guild!
Name gifted to me by My Tank.
A La Mode
All my own.
Took me about 30 minutes to get all the signatures.
And even opened my own guild bank slot. I didn't have anything else to do with my gold after I bought all my scopes to level 55. It is a great place to put all my scopes for when I need them... *strokes shinny scopes*
and things I am waiting to sell.
The idea of a personal guild bank is fantastic!
Honor (hon·or –noun)
1. a source of credit or distinction: to be an honor to one's guild.
2. high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank: to be held in honor.
3. the privilege of being associated with or receiving a favor from a respected person, group, organization, etc.: to have the honor of serving the Alliance (or Horde).
4. chastity or purity in a woman. (I had to throw this in. It has been my evil plot on occasion when I say “I have no honor!” … because Hydra doesn’t PvP…to get responses from guildies of “You are a woman with Honor.”… *snicker*... you can be evil with honor.)
5. to show a courteous regard for: to honor an experienced PvPer.
… yada yada…
After reading Megan’s blog on the true PvPers perspective of undergeared people (like me) in BG it made sense. I enjoyed the view and learned from it. But I also KNOW I am undergeared. So I stick my undergeared self to a geared player and help them. Watch them and ask questions… occasionally they answer. I am also getting better at recognizing the different graphics for shoulders, which is how Megan suggested evaluating players. If I do get a chance too inspect, I do for the giggles. I figure my crafted shoulders say…
“Kill me first! Because I don’t know what I am doing here and you will immediately get a HK within 10 seconds.” Which is only 85% accurate… it may take 20 Seconds if I can get the fear to stick.
I don’t like dieing … but understand that with my current gear I will die… a lot. So I typically position myself near the GY to return to help out as soon as I am able.
I am still trying to understand AV… with my initial foray and then with BRK months ago… I really didn’t understand what the heck was going on. Even reading and reading it wasn’t clicking to me. But then in a game, someone said something about a “Tank”, while I was standing around wondering why no one was killing the Horde elite. I realized what AV really was…
“People try to take down bosses like in PvE but make it a PuG of random specs then add the idea of Horde vs. Alliance so they can test who can do it faster.”
While trying to understand resources I finally connected MY dieing as affecting our resources… so I am making a concerted effort to stop that. Honestly I really didn’t care about dieing. I was more concerned with getting lost.
Well AV is starting to click and you know what? It is hella fun. I thought it was going to be harder to get the 40 marks for AV when I started off with 7 marks from a few games and then my day with BRK. Well I need a couple more to reach 40 and still am a little over half way in the honor needed.
The additional honor from daily PvP quests have helped. I also found that you are grouped with more undergeared people during the hours that people are just coming home form work. It also brings out PvPers like Megan that are there for the daily quest. Most times it only takes me 2-4 games for the win.
I also have been reading posts about “farming honor”. I know that is an accurate description. But the RPer in me and the honor I have for the other player will not let me to “farm” them for points. It is not honorable and is disrespectful.
So Hydra now has marks from WSG, AB, AV, and EotS. (I so didn’t need more stuff to bank…I really need to cull through some hats.)
One last thought…
I want to say thank you to the Horde Priest that sent me mind controlled off the Lumber Mill cliff in AB. Seriously. Thank you. Because you happened to get me right after I sacrificed Sartaz (I had the wrong minion out. I was farming before being sucked in.) And since I was now out of the way and “dead” I was able to come back and kill you. Have a good day.
Hope you have a happy holiday in Azeroth and Outland.
May your travels be on epic mounts and may your blessings (or evilness depending on your preference) be many.
If that is not your speed check out BBBB Raid Song of the Week to get you in the spirit.
So just to see if it was a fluke or not... We tried Murmur again. Can you say no wipes? Yes!
Just so we are clear my evilness did Murmur in ...
Once again a fantastically fun run.
Happy yesterday Birthday to My Tank!!
What we do on her birthday? Shadow Labs!
*jumps up and down on crate* Hellmaw will give My Tank her shield NOW!
*gasps like a fish when he doesn’t*
*kicks dead Hellmaw in the eyesocket*
But our goal wasn’t just that. We haven’t tried the third boss in a long while. It has been ...
Kill first boss. reset. kill first boss. reset. kill first boss. reset. More Large Prismatic Shards for AH.
So with a Mage that had never been to SL and our core group. We head to the third boss, Vorpil.
I had never downed the 3rd boss in SL. It has not been a priority.
First go was not so good, using the strategy, go south and then north route, too much moving for Mage and me to get great DPS in. We tried the second option and stick to the West. More work for My Healer but easier for Mage and I to get in real DPS. Vorpil went down like a kitten.
*waves fist into the air* Hellmaw, you will give My Tank her shield.
Much rejoicing. But what about Murmur? I have never seen him. And no one in the group has killed him.
What is a wipe amongst friends?
Turn the corner and I see him.
WOW he is big. I have recent experience with very big bosses smoshing me.
He didn’t get any smaller close up.
The fight started and after I figured out the silly little ledge gave me LOS issues. We burned him down easy. I love how he looked dead. (I think all the crate jumping helped me move from ledge to not ledge. *grins*)
Birthday girl had to run, because she had birthday things to do. (I still have your gift!!)
So we brought in our second tank. Our GM has been working really hard with him. So we all expect this to be a tank training run.
I had went through www.wow-loot.com a few days ago and found that Oculus of the Hidden Eye is something I wanted. So off to Auchenai Crypts.
But just so we were clear... (Sorry for the spelling. But if you thought my blog was bad.)
But OMG what dropped?!! And Mage passed on!!
*stomps on crate* Look Hellmaw DROP the damn shield.
With absolutely no buffs ... I am slowly creeping up.
We finish up the crypts and it was a great run.
We are all elated on all the drops. Mage got pretties. Tanks got some too. My Rogue finished up some quests in the two dungeons that were upgrades. We were rocking!
Off to Shattered Halls!
Okay... back up... too much for training tank.
Mage was one bar from level 70. We HAVE to knock that out. We actually decided on going to one of my favorite instances The Steamvault.
Again another place I have never killed the last boss. (Are you getting the idea that we go weeks and weeks between instances before trying them again? Good. Because it is the case and how we tend to run.)
On the second boss the Mage leveled and since our GM told him to bring his level 70 set he put it all on. Gladiator gear looks nice!
Off to the last boss. He goes down the second try and what should he drop? Another pretty for the tank and a shard. (Again Hunters do not exist in my world. Now Husband did recruit one on the cruise to Hawaii. He is working his way to 70. =P )
BUT wait! What is that! OMG OMG OMG! That is a Primal Nether.
This girl never thought to see one drop till Heroics. So I don’t have mats yet for the Unyielding Girdle. But I got the hard part done now.
Three instances completed.
Two shard fragments down for
Kara attunement.
Lots of firsts for the group and LOTS and LOTS of pretties.
I don’t think I have completed this much in months. But the best part was now we having another trained Mage and Tank. Both did great and were shocked to see non-wipes when we pulled more then we thought. No one panicked and we get the job done. Mad skillz!
Go Wrathbone!
Sometimes...
You just need a reminder...
Well I was thinking about gear upgrades, I am working on my “Hydra want list”. Checked out www.wow-loot.com and pondered “friends” suggestions.
There are four avenues for gear upgrades in WoW: instances, PvP, AH, and crafted.
After months, I am finally hunkering down and saving for the Epic flying mount so buying gear on AH is not an option. I have a good start on the crafted items since I had the spellstrike hood and spellstrike pants made. The PvE option is viable but slow since we are STILL trying to get the mother f#@king shield to drop for My Tank. (*stands on crate to yell at eye level* WE WILL PREVAIL!!)
What is good for the Twink is good for the Main.
Really what is gear progression for a level 70 any different than twinking in the lower brackets? You search for the best gear for your needs and do what you can to obtain it. Just in twinking you have to worry about that little thing called experience.
PvP gear I can get myself with some footwork. So you know how I say … Hydra doesn’t PvP.
All that reading Megan’s Out of Mana may come in handy. So I started with the daily quest. Since everyone and their Elf will be in that battleground I may just have a chance to make an impact. It just so happened to be Arathi Basin. Excellent news! I have notes from Iridium about AB.
Three games in and three losses My Rogue, in shock, whispers me.
[Rogue] You doing AB?
[Me] HELP ME!
I tell you… I see now I am totally spoiled in PvP. I play with twinks that understand the game and what teamwork is… I wasn’t seeing that at all.
The two of us teamed up and had a plan. “Pick one and defend!”
The Mine was ours. With the help of a druid it was fantastic.
The other members of our PvP PUG figured out how to hold two others and we won!
I completed my first PvP daily quest. (Not counting the Hellfire towers.)
So what happens next?
Nothing!
JK
About 30 minutes later I notice that My Healer is in AB.
I whisper him.
[Me] You doing AB?
[Healidin] Help me!
Okay. He didn’t say that… there was something about morons and incoherent grumbles and language I am not typically partial too. So the three of us queue up for AB.
He tells me that his group couldn’t hold ONE node. Ouch! We will fix that, or die trying. =)
(At this point I somehow put My Rogue on ignore in the in-game voice chat and was highly agitated that I couldn’t figure it out. FYI…It is an option when you right click someone’s name in the guild panel. No it was not on purpose!)
We go in and I make a cookies dispenser for everyone… this is the first test. Do people know what the big black glowing ball is and what to do with it? Some do! Woot!
So where do we go? We watch as everyone goes Mine and Stables. Well our band of three head for the Lumber Mill.
That is where we make our stand. I eventually die and for some reason am resurrected at Stables.
That is cool because there is a mass of Horde trying to take it. That is where I make my stand.
Over voice I hear My Healer talking about leaving LM. Nope, stay. Should I go help at blacksmith? Nope, stay. You need help in Stables? Nope, stay.
Defending is boring and that is why there are loses. Only a few should be chasing the assaulting Horde NOT THE WHOLE TEAM.
Megan totally taught me about Mages too. They are very pesky to me but I totally rocked the Banish and CoTongues.
So here I am at the top of damage for Horde and Alliance. We had great healers too!
Here I am Second after the Hunter finished off some Horde at the Mine.
But what am I fighting for?
Well this would be a nice upgrade.
Notice my Kills? 113. In five games of AB I killed 1/3 of my FOREVER done kills of 333.
This was getting my feet wet. But the whole jump? We will see.
I was thinking more about this post. It could be one reason it was so hard for us to find a fifth, but not a total reason.
We have a great Mage that fills the fifth spot. But she is two hours ahead of the rest of us. And sometime you just want sleep. Go to bed before it is morning kind of sleep. On top of that My Mage is currently WoW computerless. (You totally always have a spot!! /Waiting patently for you.)
So we are fifthless once again.
Occasionally the fifth spot is filled by pallies, warriors, and anyone else we can drag through. DPS warrior needs respect? We will welcome you to our fold. As a DoT happy Warlock I so appreciate the extra Taunt.
After dragging a 61 baby pally through Auchenai Crypts to completion it was commented…
[Healadin] You know we really just 4 manned that instance.
[Me] I know.
There is no four manning heroics.
/y I WANT heroics.
Anyone that spends anytime with me knows that I make stink about NEEDing something and WANTing something.
My standard response to a want is…
“It is good to want things.”
/heroic drip to veins
I have been resisting the whole keying for things. I know nutty. Why? Because I kept getting to the point that I would have a shiny new key in my bag and … nope you don’t get to use it.
Not being Kara attuned has totally bit me since I have been invited to Kara and had to pass. I am not excited about Kara.
/y I WANT heroics.
Okay this random thought didn’t turn out the way I planned.
It is not a complaint… just… a heroic thought.
We are getting better. Leaps and bounds better. When we pick up a fifth the comments are…”I am so glad to run with an knowledgeable organized group.”
Just shy about going into Heroics… soooo close.
We have been ready. I do think I finally have the others convinced that we should at least poke our heads in. What is a wipe amongst friends?
/y I WANT heroics.
Oh OH OH!!
Congratulations to My Tank and My Healer for their epic flyers!! (I would have screenshot it yesterday if I could remember where my brain was. I don't think I unpacked it yet. Maybe it is under the snorkeling equipment. I am so not jealous … well a lot jealous.)
I thank you both for not booting me out of Shadow Labs. Sooooo rusty.
Tip to Warlocks: You cannot Seduce a mob with your Imp. No macro or talent will make that possible.
I wondered why my Imp kept laughing at me.
/level 70 warlock my a$$
/smacks head on desk
/dismiss imp
/apologizes profusely for wipe
Ready to go!
But there is two weeks of laundry and sand to shake out. I promise there will be a real post tomorrow... maybe WoW related or Hawaii related... I have a few hours to decide.
