Careful Aim

An Ancient Grudge

2009-11-10T13:36:00.001+11:00

"Mom," I said, "do you really think you should go alone?"

"We've been over this, Myrrh," she replied. "Those demons will run if they even have a hint that I have help. No, I must do this alone." I had tried to persuade Mom to at least bring Trim or Pillow but even they, she claimed, would jeopardize all.

"Well, at least bring your best gear, Mom!" I cried. "Why are you going there—alone!—with just that sword and your dragoon gun? Why are you going out wearing that dress?"

"My dear," she replied, "this is not a dress and it is not 'just that sword'... this blessed garb of—" "—of undead slaying, Mom! Undead slaying!" I must've thrown my hands up in exasperation. "Those things were designed to combat the undead, not demons!"

"I know... I know..." she said. "But in doing this, I must represent the Argent Dawn, of which I am an honorary member. Yes, these were not built specifically to combat demons, but they have no weaknesses against them either. Would you rather I went in there clothed with the shells of Cryptlords?"

"No, Mom... but don't you have any of those from the Argent Crusade? Aren't those powerful enough?"

"I had considered that, but no... if they saw me garbed in full battle gear, they would flee and tracking them down would be for naught. No, these will be sufficient... and underneath these I can wear more protection. I bring my dragoon gun as a representative of the Burning Dragoons..."

"And the sword?" I ask.

"My 'ace-in-the-hole', as they say," she replied. "Long have I searched for the smith, and I have endured many terrors to obtain this innocuous blade." I look at the blade again. It looked like a long shard cut out of purple glass, etched with designs near the edge, but as Mom unsheathed the blade, it rang like metal.

"Then," I said. "Before you go, let me please put some insurance on it."

"Alright, dear," she said. "Go ahead."

I reached into my bag and took out a small but radiant shard, some dust, and an elixir that I obtained with much difficulty. I unstoppered the small bottle and put it to my lips, filling my mouth with the precious liquid. Then I picked up the weapon and I blew, spraying the elixir evenly on every part of the blade. I gathered the dust in one of my hands and sprinkled it on the still wet blade, coating it. Then I took the shard, held it agains the blade and cried out:

"Und wenn die Welt voll Dämonen wär

Und wollt uns gar verschlingen,

So fürchten wir uns nicht so sehr,

Es soll uns doch gelingen."

Immediately, the shard was consumed and ignited the coated shard-like blade, bathing it in fire. I grasp the blade with one gloved hand, the hilt with the other, and presented it to Mom. "I have enchanted the blade..." I said. "... enchanted it with my 'ace-in-the-hole'. It will burn those whom you hunt, but no one else."

"Thank you, dear Myrrh," she said, sheathing the blade and slinging it on her back. "Now I must be off."

She had reached the threshold when I cried out "Mom! Please come back! Please come back to me! Promise me that you will come back to me!"

Mom paused at the door, and said "I will come back."

"Light be with you, Ærynn," I said. "And with you," she said. Then she was gone.

The New Arms Race

2009-10-31T20:12:00.001+11:00

"Quantities derive from measurements, figures from quantities, comparisons from figures, and victory from comparison." Sun Tzu, Art of War, IV:18

"There's no end to the arms race, is there?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

It has only been a few months, and most of the gear we won from Ulduar, not to mention Naxxramas, is now considered obsolete. Once again, I consult Shandara on what the best gear is out there.

"So, let's see what you've got..." said Shandara. I've worn all of my raiding kit for this inspection, she thoroughly examines it, her fingers flying over enchanted parchments and beads.

Helm and Cuirass

"I see you still have two pieces of the Scourgestalker set," she says. "The Conqueror's Scourgestalker Headpiece and the Conqueror's Scourgestalker Tunic; the two best pieces to retain from that set, too. Good. Good."

"Are you sure?" I ask. "I have also won the Helm of the Silver Ranger and it seems to be sturdier and has more innate power than my current headgear."

"Yes," she said. "There are plenty of good helms out there that are, on a one-on-one basis, better than your Scourgestalkers, but the collective enchant of at least two pieces in strengthening your Serpent Sting outdoes anything that these have to offer. The only pieces that can possibly be an upgrade to you would be pieces from the Triumphant Windrunner's Battlegear."

"Which version of that battlegear? The normal ones or the enhanced ones?"

"Well," she says, after a short pause and consultation of her enchanted tools. "The enhanced ones would be best, because even if you get one of either the headpiece or the tunic, you can go ahead and immediately replace your old gear. But if you can get two pieces of the normal ones, then their collective enchant will be better than your old Scourgestalker ones. It also affects your Serpent Sting, and you know how important they are to you as a markswoman."

"I see," said I. I suspect she is right. My Chimera Shot depends greatly on my Serpent Sting to be augmented. According to her calculations, I suspect that if I had broken my two-piece enchant, even with the over-all increase in my powers, it may not be able to make up for the loss of 10% of the power from two my most important shots.

Neckpiece

"Hmmmm," she says. "I see you managed to obtain a charge from Jaraxxus to protect your throat. This is the best you can until you can earn the right to get an enhanced copy. If you cannot get it, then an enhanced version of Icehowl's collar would prove to be better than what you ar wearing now."

Shoulder guards

"Ah, yes!" she cried. "Well done, you've gotten the Epaulets of the Devourer! For a while, we thought that these were even better than the enhanced Windrunner's Spaulders of Triumph and the enhanced Pauldrons of the Timeless Hunter. Of course, we now know that those latter two are better, but just by a bit. You can leave your shoulder guards to improve last until you can earn the enhanced versions."

Cloak

"Your cloak from Icehowl," she began, "is probably the best you can normally get. The only ones better than it would be an enhanced copy of it, the Cloak of the Silver Covenant if you have the skill and the daring, or..."

"Or?" I ask.

"You probably would not get it, or even see it draped on anybody else's shoulders but Vereesa's, but if you can hope and if you can earn it and suffer no losses to the Bug King, then Vereesa's cloak is currently the best out there."

Gauntlets

I show Shandara my gloves, and she snorts.

"Well, these are normal assasin's leather gloves," she says after turning them over for a while. "Silver Covenant too, I see. Ah, well... I suppose they were better than the ones you had before, but you either have to get an enhanced copy or any of the Windrunner gloves. But don't worry: for the moment those gloves are sufficient and better than anything you do have."

Belt and Boots

"Belt of Dragons... Boots of Living Scale..." she said. "Your handiwork?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Good choices. The ones better than it are only a bit better. Of course, the enhanced belts will beat this any day, but this belt can still last you to the end."

"So, I suppose these are some of the pieces I can replace last, right?"

"Your choice. But if I were you, I wouldn't hesitate to grab other belts or other boots if you can manage it."

Legguards

"Oh, you simply must replace this!" she cried. She had bent over and was examining my legguards of saronite mesh.

"Why?" I asked. "You told me they were perfectly good leggings some time ago."

"Don't get me wrong: they still are," she says. "But you there are a lot of much, much better gear out there already. This was probably sufficient for your adventures inside Ulduar, but not at the tourney and definitely not when we finally cross into Icecrown."

"What do you suggest? The Windrunner's legguards?"

"Yes... any of them. You can also try to getting your hand on (and your legs into) any of these other ones if you can manage it."

I am loath to replace them. They were comfortable and, more importantly, I won them very late into the offensive into Ulduar.

Vambraces

"Well, well, well," said Shandara. "How were you able to win the pattern to make this from others? I'm sure the competition was fierce. The only thing better would be the enhanced Bracers of the Untold Massacre."

"I didn't win it," I said in a small voice. "I bought it."

"You bought the bracers?" she asked.

"No, I bought the pattern. It's a long story." Shandara raised an eyebrow, so I went on. "When our guild obtained the pattern, I did not win it. According to the rules once one of us can make it, then any other patterns obtained after that are sold to finance the guild—the only way I can learn this pattern is to purchase it from other guilds who are selling their copies."

"These things are rare," she said at length. "It must have impoverished you."

"Yes," I replied. "Yes, it did."

Rings

"May I see your rings please," she continued. I had not put my gloves back on and had, instead, tucked them into my belt. Presently, I presented my hands to be inspected.

"Yes... yes... The Ring of Callous Aggression and the Dexterous Brightstone Ring; very good rings. About the only things better are the enchanced copies of these others."

"So I can safely leave this last to upgrade?" I asked. She nodded.

Trinkets

"I suppose your guild is one of those who no longer want to go back to that terrible place up in Ulduar?" she asked. "Yes," I replied. "Only some of the replacements still wish to go there."

"I can't blame your guild," she said. "That place is pure madness... but unfortunate, as some of trinkets better than the ones you have can be had there. Fortunately, the ones better than those are available from the tourney. Your Darkmoon Card: Greatness you can replace last, but only with a Death's Verdict (either one). Your Pyrite Infuser may be a bit difficult to replace, as it gives you both power and accuracy, so replace them only with a Death's Verdict or a Mark of Supremacy."

"But the mark's powers will have to be triggered, won't it?"

"Yes," she said. "But the infusion of power lasts longer and is more predictable. Still, your choice; it is only slightly better than the infuser anyway. What you should aim for are the trinkets dropped by Lightbane."

Ranged Weapons

I proudly handed her my Talonstrike, fully confident that only an enhanced copy would be better than this. I was surprised when she shook her head.

"Ah, the Talonstrike..." she muttered. "What a shame."

"Excuse me, but didn't you say that this was the best ranged weapon out there?"

"Yes, it was." She handed it back to me. "To be sure, the enhanced copy is still the second best out there, but there are quite a few other weapons much better than that one you are holding now. In fact, that weapon now barely makes the list."

I was shocked. This weapon was sought after and caused no small amount of drama for some guilds as to who had the right to use it.

"These weapons," she continued, "currently are much better than your Talonstrike." I looked at the list and was perplexed by some of the items.

Rhok'shalla from the Argent Tribute Chest
the Rifled Blastershot Launcher from Onyxia's Lair (she's still around?!)
the enhanced Diplomat firearm from Lightbane
the enhanced Baelgun's Heavy Crossbow from Anub'arak
the Relentless Gladiator ranged weaponry, all three types
the enhanced Talonstrike (currently 2nd best)
the BRK-1000 (currently the best)

"Excuse me," I said, after a moment. "I can understand why some of these weapons are better than mine, but why would arena gear be so much better than everything but two?"

"Because these weapons are wicked powerful," she replied at once. "To be sure, there are some Relentless Gladiator ranged weaponry which will not be more powerful than the one you have now, but these others on the list are so powerful that even your normal non-magical ammunition would hit so much harder."

"Besides," she adds. "As a marksman, you know how dependent you are on powerful weapons to augment your special shots." She speaks truly—my Chimera Shot gets most of its power from the damage the weapon is capable of dealing. A survival hunter's Explosive Shot scales much better with collective enchantments, auras and the like than Chimera. It makes sense to get the most powerful weapon.

But easier said than done. "There is no way I can obtain these weapons, can I?"

"All up to you," she said. "If you cannot fight and win in the arena, better hope you can get that gun from the Dragoness's lair."

Melee Weapon

With very little confidence, I hand my staff over to her for her perusal.

"Ah, the staff carved from the Deconstructor's twisted visage. Still a very good weapon, but..." I knew it, "currently outclassed by a few pieces out there. Very hard to replace, however. I see you've been using it to help make your shots more accurate?"

"Yes, I have."

"Yes... a pity..." she went to her parchments again, then handed a list to me.

"It goes without saying that you'll probably never see the enhanced weaponry," she said, hating her for it. "Not that it matters; you'll be confronted with the same problem of losing a lot of accuracy with these weapons (except for that one at the top of the list)... accuracy that you'll have to compensate for elsewhere. What you can do is use two one-handers as a sufficient bipod for accuracy."

This lifted my spirits up, for I had won two one-handers. "I currently have a couple of Steel Bladebreakers; would those be sufficient?"

"No," she said. "Your only real options would be a pair of Twin Spikes; a crossed pair of those would help your accuracy and be a good replacement for your staff. If you can get a hold of some of the enhanced versions of the other daggers (including the Steel Bladebreakers) they have gem slots and you can use gems to augment your accuracy. But at that level, the two-handers are actually much better so it's better to earn those instead."

I thank Shandara before leaving the hall. Ah, if only obtaining these upgrades were just as simple as pointing them out. While I find that the new system of earning the gear is, in itself, good, those who have been so used to the old system still insist on using the old methods with distributing rewards. Because of this, some can get so many trophies and not know what to do with them, while those who desperately need them (and who know for which gear they work towards) oftentimes do not get any. Dwarrow, for instance, has a trophy she won (fair and square) that she knows not how to spend, whereas I (among a few others) have ammassed great quantities of emblems but cannot purchase the ones we need for lack of a trophy. Most of the trophies end up with hired mercenaries, in fact (something that troubles those of us Dragoons who are left).

That is a story for another time. I am weary and must now retire.

Ærynn's Companions, part 2 of 2

2009-06-12T12:35:00.000+10:00

It is not an understatement to say that without my fine feathered, furred or hirsuite friends, I would not be so effective. They have come to me, or I sought them out; some have stayed, most have moved on.

Here is my current stable of companions.

Trim was the first beast that stayed with me and did not run away. I sought her out amongst the feral nightsabers of Teldrassil. Part of the reason was that I had just learned to fish, and Trim loved fish. She is still with me to this day as one of my most powerful companions. There used to be a time when she accompanied me everywhere, but since I adopted Myrrh, she has been keeping guard at home.

Nevertheless, she has a bitter grudge against the Horde and whenever she knows I am going on an offensive against them, she rushes to join my side.

I met and befriended Chilli in Terrokar Forest, but she actually hails from Northrend in Azeroth. She said that she was born in Naxxramas but ran away while she was still very little. She has since gone back there, accompanying me on her mission of revenge against the Scourge who had enslaved her mother... but also to feast on the bodies of her dead kin (which, in spider culture, is considered the only way to "bury" their dead with honor).

She is a terrific fighter, using the same Wolverine's Bite technique to horrible effect against the most powerful of adversaries. But she is a horrible dancer (having four left feet) and she shudders everytime somebody mentions Heigan the Unclean.

I found Pillow in the area of Hillsbrad. He is a very cheerful bear, and was looking for employment and lodging for him and his young son Cushion. After a bit of discussion and a brief demonstration, he joined our merry band.

He is a skillful professional, strong and powerful, and knows his job well. He is also a model father, and his son would often accompany us during our daily missions (doubtless, taking notes).

Another father and son pair, except that I met the son first during the charity function for the Stormwind orphans. Speedy is the fastest tortoise I have ever met, and he assured me that his father—who was, at the time, working as a bodyguard in Blackfathom Deeps—is not only just as swift, but strong and powerful.

After a trip down to the old temple, Amorsolo became my other tanking companion. While he is not as powerful as Pillow, he is more durable and tenacious. His son claimed that this was because he was once trained as a rogue by a giant rat. Amorsolo has neither confirmed or denied it, but I sometimes think it could be true. He is my companion of choice for when I go on solo missions in old Azeroth.

I had always been tempted to find a wolf someday for a companion but it was only recently that I found the impetus to do so. I found Navarre in Horde territory—there was no other place, as the Horde have the best wolves. It took a while to persuade him to come along; while he bore no grudge against the Nightelves and the Alliance, he would prefer not to war against the Horde, despite their current activities. In fact, I felt that the only reason why I stood a chance at convincing him was because he seemed disappointed with the events at the Wrath Gate.

He quickly proved himself in battle. After a few weeks of training together, we now work together really well. He is the one that accompanies me into the frontlines.

Myrrh, however, insists that I keep Navarre away from her "sheep". I keep telling her that it is just a stereotype; nevertheless, he has been eyeing my Elwynn lamb rather often.

Ærynn's Companions, part 1 of 2

2009-06-08T18:35:00.000+10:00

The first beastly companions I attempted to befriend was a Webwood Spider called Peter and Strigid Owl called Swoop. After several awkward days of them looking at me expectantly while I tried to engage them in conversation, they moved on to be the companions of other hunters. Later on, I was told it was because I did not take the time to give them something to eat.

Kit was a cat I found while adventuring in Darkshore. While he accompanied me on several adventures, he finally admitted that he was not really alive and that he was more comfortable haunting the Ruins of Mathystra than going around travelling on ships that float on water.

We parted ways but we still see each other once in a while when I pass by.

I met Glimfeather while I was adventuring in Winterspring. She had a very piercing shriek that echoed in the mountains, but she was so white that I was only inches away from her before I actually saw her.

Second only to Trim in length of companionship, she saw me through numerous adventures and battles, first in the Plaguelands then later in Outland. She eventually went back home to raise a family after a lengthy tour of duty fighting in the dread mage tower of Karazhan. She does not write, but she sends me some owls very regularly.

When I met Lechon Kawali, he had been dead for years. Death was not a handicap for such a jolly pig, but his secret sorrow was seeing his entire family butchered and served on plates by a man named Moroes. For some reason he, after being butchered, was able to become undead and run away.

He accompanied me to Karazhan numerous times, partly for vengeance... but I think mostly because going around adventuring with the living made him forget his grief.

After a stint in Outlands, he left to join a colony of undead pigs in the Eastern Plaguelands. I visit him sometimes whenever I go to Stratholme.

Tinik was an alien beast I met while adventuring in the Hellfire Peninsula. I must admit that our first meeting was not entirely cordial—he thought I was a tasty morsel (actually, he still thinks I am a tasty morsel) but found that friendship with me got him to go places where there were even tastier morsel to partake of.

He and Trim were great friends, frequently subbing for each other on adventures and trips to dangerous dungeons. His secret desire is to learn how to cook—he developed a fondness for cooked meat (some of which I had cooked, but mostly from some animals in Shadowmoon who are "pre-cooked"). He, of course, does not have any hands for this task, so I left him in Shadowmoon, where he can catch his prey and "cook" it by dipping it into the lava pools all around.

I have not seen him and do not know where he is.

I met Kamandag shortly after I left Tinik, but our partnership did not last very long. He was addicted to arena fighting and, for a while, we helped each other win a few matches. Eventually, he felt I was not committed enough to the gladiator lifestyle and he left me for another hunter.

We still talk once in a while.

I encountered Janice during my tour-of-duty in the Bone Wastes. She was a fine specimen of her species, being very durable and robust, able to take blows well and had a screech that weakens foes.

However, her true passion was hunting, not fighting. So while she became a constant companion in my long hunts for talbuk on the plains of Nagrand, she eventually settled down away from the noise of battle.

I can still remember her having long conversations into the night about a good day of hunting... with her other head. The only one who could tolerate her when she became like that was Glimfeather. Trim would skulk out and find some other place to sleep. She is still a good friend, but I am glad she no longer disturbs our sleep.

I met Mórrígan while adventuring in the northern parts of Outland. She became my most treasured companion, powerful in battle, proficient in the hunt, and very intelligent. Trim became a bit jealous of her for a while because I preferred her companionship for the longest time.

Eventually, they became friends, too; she was that likeable. I never once asked further about where she came from: she said that she had always remembered being there in Draenor, but that those memories were short. She could not remember when Draenor had not been fragmented into floating bits of land in the nether.

It was only later that I found out (through an event brought about by my own folly) that she was actually a druid who somehow lost all memories of her being a night elf. I still do not know how she got there... and I will never know. She has been taken from me.

My entire household misses her terribly.

Apoy was introduced to me during the Spirit of Competition military exercises. At the time, her kind was touted as the most powerful raiding companion.

Instead, she introduced me to several different epicure experiences that still makes my mouth water. She went back to her homeland after a while and I have not seen her since.

I met Kodachi in Gundrak, and she came very highly recommended. I had always shied away from raptors because of their association with trolls, but this one... she had the sweetest nature.

She belonged to one of those tribes of raptors that like wearing jewelry. She was totally ga-ga over gems. She was easily one of the most powerful of my companions and she made friends with the other raptor companions of the Dragoon hunters. Just like Glimfeather, she has taken leave to raise a family. The last I saw of her, she was caring for a very large clutch of eggs.

I met Icebearg in Howling Fjord. I had been hearing that bears were going to become some of the best tanks in Northrend, so I entered into negotiations with him to be a companion. However, he was lazy and a coward. Yes, he was strong and powerful, but he kept on going "Oh, my back! My back!" or "You're not sending me in there, are you?" and "It's too early!".

Also kept on eating up the my food stores. He would not even attack any member of the Horde. What's up with that? I fired him after just two weeks. I found out later that Horde hunters trying to give him employment had the same problems. Lazy bum.

I met this troublesome bunch in Sholazar Basin. Moe, Larry and Curly were always bickering and fighting amongst each other. I was always ashamed of bringing them around town or into sorties with the guild.

But were they good at their job. They had a high tolerance for pain, very good at engaging enemies and very good at defending me from attacks. Their growls and taunts, perfected because of constant practice, were very highly effective in fights.

In the end, they had to leave to pursue another career. I still see them around once in a while, but only very rarely. From what I hear they no longer want to work with hunters. Pity... they were good. And they always made me laugh.

Paprika became my companion shortly after the Three Stooges left for another job. Her first job was for the Sunreaver Command Taxi Service—Horde public transport. I talked her out of it and persuaded her to become one of my raiding companions. Cunning beasts like her are generally overlooked for raiding because they supposedly do not have as many attacks as their more ferocious colleagues.

But she, like all her cunning clan, had a special technique that will always hit every time an adversary dodges an initial attack. Always. In the end, she was doing as much damage as Trim and Kodachi... sometimes, even more, especially with more powerful adversaries.

Nevertheless, she was a peaceful creature and eventually went back to her old job at the taxi service.

I was despondent after Mórrígan was taken away from me. But I also needed a tanking companion to replace, so I quickly set up an ad for one. It had to be done.

It was then that this portly ape entered my service. For a while other hunters had been extolling the exploits of apes trained in Paladin tanking tactics, and I had been anxious to find an ape. When he came along, I knew he was a bit different. He asked for salary in money. He would carry his coins in a pouch hidden on his person and would ask for beer and a plate of nuts in an inn. Pay for it too.

And he would read books. Myrrh took one good look at him and declared that he, too, was actually a transformed human. She claimed he was actually a mage or something. He never told me his name, but because he was very good at organising our collection of books, we came to call him The Librarian. But he literally went ape when someone would call him the "m" word. I do not think I can afford another incident.

He disappeared one day and I have not seen him since... but he left a note saying he was taking a short trip through L-space.

Back to the frontlines

2009-05-10T22:53:00.008+10:00

I had been out of action for more than a month, initially due to illness and then later in the ordering of business. After my final talks with Mr. Vault and his leggy apprentice concerning the sales of leather and dragon scales and checking in with Sapsorrow about supplies, I went to do the errand I had been dreading—having my equipment audited.

The troops of the Burning Dragoons had already been transferred from the frontlines of Naxxramas to the halls of Ulduar. Dwarrow has already seen plenty of action, but I haven't. From all reports, the fighting there is even more terrible than the Scourge of Kel'thuzad. No wonder—these are the titans, after all... not merely the reanimated dead.

It is why I have been a bit worried about how effective I would be. So, despite my discomfort, I go once again to the Elitist Jerks for advice.

I did not go to them last year because I would have to talk to a troll hunter (a troll!) about my gear. I felt that I would not be able to bear it if she felt any distaste with dealing with an elf. But a few months ago, I felt that I had to go. It was the initial Naxxramas push, and I needed to be ready. So, it was with relief that I find that a nightelf had replaced the troll.

"Ishnu-alah, sister," I greet her. "What happened to the troll named 'Cheeky' that used to sit here?"

"Oh, she retired a long time ago. I have taken up her duties; are you here to be audited?"

I nodded, and began entering my details on a parchment she produced. She stood up with a measuring tape, and begans to inspect me. "My name is Shandara the huntress... please sign your name here... and your realm... yes... I can call up your qualifications and your battlefield experience with that, thank you... yes, yes, yes... it's kinda like magic... now hold still."

As she made her calculations and measurements, I could hear the buzz of conversation around me—other soldiers and fighters having themselves audited, or arguing the finer points of technique, school selection, and gear choices. Some of the discussions were very technical, with people doing equations on boards with chalk or bits of parchment. I felt a bit self-conscious: I was a frequent visitor of the Elitist Jerks forums, but have yet to muster the courage to speak up.

"Alright," Shandara says, giving me several sheets of parchment. "Here are your scores and potential figures; nevertheless, it is still up to you to test yourself on the training dummies. I see you aren't of the Survival School... they're currently the most powerful, but as a marksman, you bring that useful aura. Hmmmm... not the standard marksman training, eh? Still, don't be afraid to test everything... school loyalty should be secondary to viability, ok?"

I felt weighed... I felt measured... and I had been afraid to have been found wanting. But the information she gave me was very useful. It had helped me, for instance, recognize a bow, sticking out of the dead carcass of Patchwerk when we killed him a few weeks ago. A bow that was slightly better for me than the Valkyrjur crossbow.

Today, I need to be weighed, measured and judged again.

My next meeting with Shandara went well. She did not remember me from last time, but I suppose if you've been measuring so many hunters we are all a blur to her. I got my sheaf of parchment, and took a look. What's this? A gear list. I looked at Shandara quizzically.

"Oh, that's a list of equipment you can get from various sources," she said. "A lot of it is available from Dalaran after you've served a long enough tour of duty in Ulduar, but some of them can be found in Ulduar itself. The Explorers League boys have done a great job of cataloguing the stuff that you can, er, appropriate if you ever find some on enemy."

"When does one find time to go on a tour of duty?" I ask, but she was already crying "Next!" and I went away.

Looking closely at the parchment, I note that she listed several options in order of preferrence for each slot, and where they can be found. A small note near the top advised that the order of preferrence is dependent on gear I already have and my current talent build, and that the ranking can change with each gear change.

I reproduce the list below, noting what gear I already have, and ranked (with the current best-in-slot being at the very top).

Helm

Conqueror's Scourgestalker Headpiece — Ulduar-25
Valorous Scourgestalker Headpiece — Ulduar-10
Helm of the Furnace Master — Ulduar-25
Blue Aspect Helm — Eye of Eternity-25
Mimiron's Flight Goggles — Ulduar-10 Hard
Helm of the Grave — Naxxramas-25 (picked it up when I killed Sir Zeliek; stored in bank)
Furious Gladiator's Chain Helm — Season 6
Valorous Cryptstalker Headpiece — Naxxramas-25 (currently equipped)
Guise of the Midgard Serpent — Ulduar-10
Circlet of True Sight — Ulduar-10

Obviously, the first thing I need to do is get that Helm of the Grave out of the bank, and duplicate the magic gems and enchants on it. Strange that before the Ulduar campaign, that helm was actually not as good as the Crypstalker. I did not throw it away because... because...

I'm glad I did not throw it away. I will aim for the Scourgestalker.

Shoulders

Mantle of Fiery Vengeance — Ulduar-10 Hard
Shoulders of Misfortune — Ulduar-25
Ironaya's Discarded Mantle — Ulduar-10
Valorous Cryptstalker Spaulders — Naxxramas-25 (currently equipped)
Shoulderpads of the Monolith — Ulduar-25
Upstanding Spaulders — Obsidian Sanctum-25 Hard
Iron-studded Mantle — Ulduar-25
Pauldrons of the Abandoned — Naxxramas-25
Conqueror's Scourgestalker Spaulders — Ulduar-25
Valorous Scourgestalker Spaulders — Naxxramas-10

I am a bit confused that the Scourgestalkers are not as good as the Crypstalker on this list, but I guess it's because they have to be paired with another Scourgestalker from another slot for it to be more preferred.

I will aim for the Scourgestalkers.

Back

Drape of the Faceless General — Ulduar-10 Hard
Drape of the Deadly Foe — Naxxramas-25
Winter's Frigid Embrace — Ulduar-10
Drape of Icy Intent — Ulduar-25 Hard
Aged Winter Cloak — Naxxramas-25 (currently equipped)
Shawl of the Shattered Giant — Ulduar-10
Hammerhead Sharkskin Cloak — Emblem of Valor
Drape of the Lithe — Ulduar-25
Cloak of Mastery — Naxxramas-10
Cloak of Darkening — Naxxramas-10

I would have liked getting the Drape of the Deadly Foe, but I have not seen it yet. But I like the fabric of the Winter's Frigid Embrace—it's sooooo pretty!

Chest

Conqueror's Scourgestalker Tunic — Ulduar-25
Valorous Scourgestalker Tunic — Ulduar-10
Chestguard of Insidious Intent — Ulduar-25
Chestguard of Flagrant Prowess — Obsidian Sanctum-10 Hard
Embrace of the Gladiator — Ulduar-25 Hard
Chestguard of the Lasher — Ulduar-10
Valorous Cryptstalker Tunic — Naxxramas-25 (currently equipped)
Tunic of Indulgence — Naxxramas-25
Tunic of the Limber Stalker — Ulduar-10
Tunic of the Lost Pack — Naxxramas-10

I am going to aim for the Scourgestalkers, but will keep my eyes open for any of the others (they all look nice).

Gloves

Gloves of the Steady Hand — Ulduar-25 Hard
Gloves of Unerring Aim — Emblem of Conquest
Gloves of the Fiery Behemoth — Ulduar-25
Gloves of Taut Grip — Ulduar-10
Gloves of the Blind Stalker — Emblem of Conquest
Valorous Cryptstalker Handguards — Naxxramas-25 (currently equipped)
Grotesque Handgrips — Naxxramas-25
Conqueror's Scourgestalker Handguards — Ulduar-25
Gloves of Smoldering Touch — Ulduar-10
Furious Gladiator's Chain Gauntlets — Season 6

Hmmmmmm... another instance when the Scourgestalkers are not the best—I wonder how I will be able to make the two-piece set, then? Still, it seems like the most achievable would be to get the emblem gloves... I just need to have a long enough tour of duty, and I am used to waiting.

Forearms

Frost-bound Chain Bracers — Ulduar-25
Slime Stream Bands — Naxxramas-25 (currently equipped)
Fluxing Energy Coils — Ulduar-10 Hard
Bracers of the Smothering Inferno — Ulduar-10
Mechanist's Bindings — Ulduar-25
Armguard of the Tower Archer — Emblem of Valor
Bands of Anxiety — Naxxramas-10
Arachnoid Gold Band — Naxxramas-25
Sinner's Bindings — Naxxramas-25
Furious Gladiator's Wristguards of Triumph — Season 6

The Slime Stream Bands are second in rank? But I have them already! I'm glad, since I do not want to replace it yet. Still, it might change when my other gear changes, so I'll look out for the others if I come by them.

Belt

Belt of the Betrayed — Ulduar-25
Belt of Dragons — Leatherworking
Death-warmed Belt — Leatherworking
Belt of the Ardent Marksman — Emblem of Conquest
Torn Web Wrapping — Naxxramas-25 (currently equipped)
Soul-Devouring Cinch — Ulduar-10 Hard
Relic Hunter's Cord — Ulduar-25
Waistguard of the Creator — Ulduar-25
Belt of the Blood Pit — Ulduar-10
Depraved Linked Belt — Naxxramas-25 (in the bank)

I had been fortunate to have been able to pick up these to gird my loins for battle. Being a leatherworker myself, I hope to learn to make two of the belts on the list, but if the Belt of the Betrayed drops first I'll snap that up.

Pants

Legguards of Cunning Deception — Ulduar-25 Hard

Conqueror's Scourgestalker Legguards — Ulduar-25
Saronite Mesh Legguards — Ulduar-25
Leggings of the Tireless Sentry — Emblem of Conquest
Valorous Scourgestalker Legguards — Ulduar-10
Darkcore Leggings — Ulduar-25
Leggings of Failed Escape — Naxxramas-25 (currently equipped)
Leggings of the Insatiable — Ulduar-10
Valorous Cryptstalker Legguards — Naxxramas-25
Leggings of Colossal Strides — Naxxramas-25

Before the Ulduar campaign, the Leggings of Failed Escape were the best pants that could be had. In fact, at the height of our Naxxramas incursions, it was the only piece of clothing I wore that was not a Cryptstalker. They were very comfortable, too.

Now, I have my eye on the Saronite Mesh Legguards—it's clingy but looks comfy also. Still, looks like the Scourgestalker pants may be one of the two-piece set I may eventually end up with.

Shoes

Greaves of Swift Vengeance — Ulduar-25 Hard
Tempered Mercury Greaves — Ulduar-10 Hard
Footpads of Silence — Leatherworking
Boots of Living Scale — Leatherworking
Boots of the Renewed Flight — Eye of Eternity-25
Brass-lined Boots — Ulduar-25
Pack-Ice Striders — 25-man Token (currently equipped)
Boots of Unsettled Prey — Ulduar-10
Dawnwalkers — Naxxramas-25
Flamestalker Boots — Ulduar-25

I haven't exactly worn leather shoes for a while now. I had experienced that sometimes I'd rather have a well-armored pair of boots than something comfy and agile, but I am not averse to wearing leather again. The Pack-Ice Striders, with the Icewalker enchant, had proved to be very dependable.

But one can't have too many shoes.

Jewelry
I'm currently wearing the Strong-Handed and Invincibility rings... about the only other upgrades I can find that are achievable would be the Cindershard, Surge Needle, Draconic Guile, the Metallic Loop of the Sufferer. For neckpieces, the following:

Pendulum of Infinity — Ulduar-25 Hard
Favor of the Dragon Queen — Eye of Eternity-25
Broach of the Wailing Night — Emblem of Conquest
Pendant of the Dragonsworn — Eye of Eternity-10
Choker of the Abyss — Ulduar-10
Seed of Budding Carnage — Ulduar-10 Hard
Icy Blast Amulet — Naxxramas-25
Gem of Imprisoned Vassals — Naxxramas-10 (currently equipped)
Nymph Heart Charm — Ulduar-25
Fool's Trial — Naxxramas-25

Looks like my best bet would be to aim for the Broach of the Wailing Night. Nobody wants to go back to war with the Blug Dragonflight in the Eye of Eternity so I cannot get the necklace that drops there, while the current "best" pendant has only been hinted at—nobody on our realm has even seen it yet.

Still, one cannot have too many jewelry.

Magic Trinkets

Darkmoon Card: Greatness — Inscription
Mjolnir Runestone — Ulduar-10 Hard
Wrathstone — Ulduar-25
Mirror of Truth — Emblem of Heroism (currently equipped)
Fury of the Five Flights — Obsidian Sanctum-25
Bandit's Insignia — Naxxramas-25
Darkmoon Card: Death — Inscription
Loatheb's Shadow — Naxxramas (currently equipped)
Meteorite Whetstone — WotLK 5-man (somewhere in the bank)
Incisor Fragment — WotLK 5-man (somewhere in the bank)

Magic trinkets have always been good at enhancing and rounding out my powers, and I am fortunate to have two which seems to measure up pretty well. But, ah... the Darkmoon Cards—it looks so good. It's an impossible dream, however. These cards are hideously expensive. We are not wealthy and I am doing all I could to finance my own expedition into Northrend as it is. I also have Myrrh's education to think about. I think the Wrathstone or the Fury of the Five Flights would be the best I can hope for.

Weaponry
Of the heavy melee weapons, these are the best:

Lotrafen, Spear of the Damned — Ulduar-25
Rune Edge — Ulduar-25
Dreambinder — Ulduar-25 Hard
Journey's End — Naxxramas-25 (currently equipped)
Tortured Earth — Ulduar-10 Hard
Betrayer of Humanity — Naxxramas-25
Twisted Visage — Ulduar-25
Dark Edge of Depravity — Ulduar-25 Hard
Spire of Withering Dreams — Ulduar-10
Relentless Edge — Ulduar-10

Not bad... although I think I would like to return to having a nice spear or broadsword—nothing like cutting and slashing compared to blunt force k-thunk! impact with a staff. Still, if that staff can be found, I will pick it up.

The recommended light melee weapons are:

Bladetwister — Ulduar-25 Hard
Combatant's Bootblade — Ulduar-10 Hard
Fang of Oblivion — Ulduar-25 Hard
Malice — Ulduar-25
Calamity's Grasp — Naxxramas-25 (in the bank)
Void Sabre — Ulduar-10 Hard
Daschal's Bite — Ulduar-25
The Masticator — Ulduar-10 Hard
Insanity's Grip — Ulduar-25
Rune-Etched Nightblade — Ulduar-10

I still have that whirlygig contraption somewhere in my vault. It is effective, but I get strange looks when I wear it. The sword Malice looks promising, though. I shall be on the look-out for that one.

Now, for the ranged weaponry:

Skyforge Crossbow — Ulduar-25 Hard
Siren's Cry — Ulduar-25
Giant's Bane — Ulduar-25
Envoy of Mortality — Naxxramas-25
Magnetized Projectile Emitter — Ulduar-10 Hard
Avalanche — Ulduar-10
Golemheart Longbow — Ulduar-10
Arrowsong — Naxxramas-25 (currently equipped)
Rifle of the Platinum Guard — Ulduar-10
Veranus' Bane — Ulduar-25

*Sigh* The Final Voyage is not even on the list anymore. It will stay in my vault, though, along with my memento from that brave Tauren hunter.

Well, that's the list of gear Shandara gave me to keep an eye out on—if any do drop, the motto is "Beggars can't be choosers". She also scribbled notes on recommended ammo rotations, glyphs, and... what's this? Ah, still the old Ferocity beast recommendation. I guess for the Ulduar campaign, I will have to take either Trim, Kodachi or Navarre... Dwarrow did say the place was brutal. Chilli did very well in Naxxramas, but I guess she had the hometown advantage. She could use a break anyway; we've had to kill her mom in Naxxramas, and I want to give her some space.

I went by the trade channel to pick up some food, drink and other consumables, then headed back to our apartment. As soon as I get there, I will ask how Myrrh's enrollment in the School of Fire went; she's been Frost for as long as I remember.

"Hello Mom!" Myrrh called from the doorway. "How did your audit go? All good?"

"Yes, Myrrh," I answered. "I will be joining the guild on their next incursion into Ulduar on Thursday, so we still have some time before I have to embark. Zorbax will be performing a Ritual of Summoning, so I do not have to make the long boat trip, so I can stay with you until that actual time."

Dwarrow also stepped out to meet us. I acknowledged her with a nod, then continued my talk with Myrrh, "Anyway, tell me about the School of Fire. Were you able to pay the bursar the 1000 gold coins?"

Myrrh and Dwarrow both gave me wide grins. "Mom, have a seat and I'll tell you all about what happened to that bag of gold."

What's going on? Nothing seems to be wrong, as both could hardly contain their mirth. I found myself one of the wooden chairs and sat. Trim and Navarre, meanwhile, went straight to the kitchen, presumably to find some scraps to eat.

"Mom," Myrrh began, "don't get mad... but I kinda, like, didn't enroll in Fire School."

I waited patiently, looking at her... then at Dwarrow. Wait a minute... "What did you do to the one thousand gold pieces, Myrrh? Please... not another dress!"

Dwarrow and Myrrh both laughed aloud. "Look, Mom," Myrrh said. "Just because you spend your gold buying dresses doesn't mean we would. I mean, we would, but we didn't do it this time."

"Myrrh, this is no laughing matter. Where is that bag of gold?" I wanted to be mad, but somehow I cannot help grinning too.

"Mom, Auntie Dw, Auntie Sappy and Mr. Vault and I pooled our resources..." said Myrrh, her voice almost sing-song.

"Yes?"

"... coming up with 5000 or so gold pieces..."

"Yes..." I said, uneasily.

"... and since it was Mother's Day today, bought you a card with it!"

I stared incredulously at both Dwarrow and Myrrh, certain both have lost not only their minds but several weeks worth of toil. "Light defend us! What happened to the money?! What happened to the gold? I saved all of that for your education, Myrrh! What card could possibly cost five thousand pieces of gold?! Sister, what is this? Stop giggling! This is serious! Where's that gold?"

I was standing and shaking my fists, but their giggling smiles was making all this seem ridiculous somehow. My cheeks were hurting from trying not to smile, but I was so annoyed.

"Sister," Dwarrow said. "Just take the card we got you; it is the Day of Mothers. Be grateful, as it took us some time to get it."

Myrrh stepped forward with a little red card with a carnation on it. *Sigh* Another one of those stupid human festivals that demand you spend all your time and hard-earned gold... "Oh, for the love of—"

I had opened the envelope and was staring at the Mother's Day "card". "Greatness!" I cried. "But, but..."

Dwarrow let out a melodramatic sigh. "I got tired of your pitiful excuses about your supposed lack of powers," she said. "I admit it is a bit self-serving; I feel the guild will need all the firepower it can get when battling the Titans."

"Now, Myrrh," Dwarrow continued, "can you please fetch Sapsorrow, Mr. Vault and his staff so we can eat?"

The Valkyrjur's Arms

2009-04-25T02:00:00.016+10:00

A Valkyrja was one who soared over the battlefield, choosing the worthy among the slain. These Valkyrjur would then bring these warriors to the afterlife, where they are trained to fight the final battle against evil in the end.

At least, that was the story that the dwarves of the Explorer's League would tell me when I asked them about the Val'kyr, those undead Vrykul women that have joined the Lich King. This does not make any sense, though. If the Valkyrjur chose slain warriors to someday fight in the final battle against evil, what were these Val'kyr doing helping the Scourge.

"No, lassie... no, no, no...," said the dwarf. "The original Valkyrja was probably what Arthas had in mind when he named these abominations as such. All I'm sayin' is that when he was young, y'know, just a wee lad, he probably heard this story and remembered all about ladies taking the slain to where they should be—that is, he presumed that he can call them like tha'. But no, these undead things are not they."

I was sitting at an inn in Ironforge after a trip to resupply, when Greywhisker of the Explorer's League walks in and we greet each other. Knowing that they were uncovering plenty of lore even older than any known by the Kaldorei, I asked him about the Titans and the Old Gods. It was when I mentioned fighting Val'kyr that he quoted that tidbit about the Valkyrja. So, the Valkyrja was a myth that Arthas knew as a child and now presumes to entitle his undead women troops, and I tell Greywhisker this.

"Just what I've been sayin', lass," he said. "'Cept that, if our data is any accurate and the relics we found authentic, then the Valkyrjur existed. Probably very long ago, and all gone. They were living Vrykul women who did some stuff for the Titans."

"Relics?" I asked. "They left bones or graves?"

"Oh, yeah. Even weaponry, 'cept that whatever weaponry we find are usually broken. Graves disturbed, too, so no complete bodies. Looks like it isn't just dead dragons that the Scourge are trying to resurrect, but Vrykul (that is, instead of converting living Vrykul to undeath) and weapons."

"Yes, weapons," he continued, at my incredulous look. "Their arsenal may be good, but remember, we have them under siege—their production is hampered. It makes sense to merely desecrate these graves, take ready-made, Titan-inspired weaponry and corrupt them for their own use."

===========================

Corrupting weapons for the use of the Scourge. I thought long about that as I took the boat back to Northrend. Before I engaged in heavy raiding, my friend Lazaroth crafted a gun for me to use; that weapon design was, at the time, considered one of the best suited for front-line use.

Yet, in my first forays into the citadel of Naxxramas, we found plenty of corrupted weaponry and armor that was clearly superior to anything we can craft. They were so good that it was worth the karma we expended to cleanse the weapons of corruption... or at least, contain them.

With enough karma, I was able to replace the gun and my swords, and outfit myself with an accursed bow and cryptfiend polearm.

These weapons, obviously, have gone through the corruption process. As such, while they were clearly powerful, I had to spend a full night adjusting the enchantments and gems on my armor so that I am not weakened by using these implements.

That being said, we were able to salvage pieces of armor and gear that, somehow, had survived corruption... or at least, had undergone very little. Usually, these gear were those that those in the holy and restoration orders can wear. We also found that the deeper we pushed into the dread citadel, the instances of recovering uncorrupted gear grew. We found, also, that larger raiding groups were better able to accomplish this task.

Our tour of duty was not limited to just assaulting Naxxramas, but also to counter the machinations of our erstwhile ally—Malygos. I was pleased when Alextrasza (in reward for engagements against Malygos) gave me a weapon that was better than the cryptfiend one.

I mean, sure, it was a magus staff (salvaged, perhaps, from the battle magi of Malygos?) and while it did not confer as much power as the cryptfiend's bite, at least it isn't cursed. Because it had sharp, permanently frozen ice shards on the ends, I was able to use the magus staff as a polearm; furthermore, sticking one end into the ground, it helped stabilize my ranged weapons and made it easier to hit adversaries.

But two events transpired that saw me wielding two uncorrupted weapons, one ranged and one staff.

We had been fighting our way through the Death Knight academy in order to take out Kel'thuzad's line of reinforcements. At the very end, we were faced with Baron Rivendare and his three horsemen cohorts. Our losses, as one can expect, were heavy. I, myself, was so heavily injured and despaired of life when I heard the death knight on the white horse cry out to me as I engaged him: "Do not continue! Turn back while there's still time!"

I knew that voice. It belonged to he whom I loved in my youth. "Sir Zeliek?" I asked. "I- I have no choice but to obey!" he cried despairingly.

As a child, I admired him from afar—the only human I thought I had feelings for. I thought him lost... then I find him here. Turned into- into this?! I cried out and with my last ounce of strength, my arrows spent, I charged him.

Later, I was told that the other death knights had also been dispatched at the time... but after I was healed (by whom, I have forgotten... Rohdan? Dwarrow? Kaidwyn?) I walked slowly to where Zeliek lay. No, he was dead already... with no more words for me. But in his harness was an uncorrupted crossbow.

I took it.

Later, after the battle with the frostwyrm, we battled in Kel'thuzad's antechamber. In the midst of the fight, some undead nerubians came to lend assistance. Chilli, however, begged me to tell the others not to kill these—they were her uncles. With comrades and friends falling left and right around me, I was hard-pressed to grant her request. "Please," she hissed. "I assure you, they will stop attacking when Kel'thuzad has been defeated."

And so we concentrated on Kel'thuzad, while one of the paladins took the nerubians on a goose chase around the room. As soon as Kel'thuzad disappeared, Chilli's uncles, true to her word, scampered away. They, too, were undead... forced to obey... forced to kill without wanting to and begging for us to just run away.

Would I also someday plead as Chilli did when I meet Mórrígan again? Or will I just kill her, as I did with Zeliek?

Somewhere in the antechamber, I found a something that I mistook, at first, to be a hobby horse toy but turned out to be what looked like an uncorrupted Druid staff. Staris, the Burning Dragoons' leader, and Juntei of the Free Company also found some. I picked it up...

This, too, I took.

===========================

Later, in Wintergarde Keep, I met up with Greywhisker again.

"Hey there, m'lass!" he called. "How're you?"

"Good," I tell him. "Yourself?"

"Ah, you know how it is. I'm too old to go anywhere near the frontlines, but at least all the collated data filters down to us. I found out more about your Valkyrja... primarily, the weapons they used."

I stood up from where I had been sitting on the floor with my meal and walked over to him as he held up a parchment.

"These Valkyrja," he said, "they were empowered by the Titans to help usher worthy souls that have been slain to the afterlife, where dwell the brave and pure. They were also tasked with going after corrupted souls to put them at peace. Well, their mission was so sacred that eventually, they developed special ceremonial weapons—not the source of their power, naturally, but certainly good augments—that reflected their dedication to their mission."

I bent over to look over his shoulder, and stared at the illustrated manuscript I saw in his hand. The dwarf continued speaking.

"Two weapons stand out: the Final Voyage, a crossbow which symbolizes the final boat trip that these worthy warriors undertake to finally arive at their Journey's End, symbolized by this staff, where they will find happiness forever. We've been getting reports of these being found inside Naxxramas... very rare, of course, but they exist. They're nowhere near as potent as some of those Titan-made stuff, but for weapons made by mortals (of which the Vrykul once were), they're pretty much the 'best-in-slot', as they say. Hey! What've you got there?"

Greywhisker's eyes grew wide as he noticed my arms, then took out a pad and started taking notes.

Persephone

2009-04-21T01:51:00.013+10:00

This post was originally submitted as an entry to Big Bear Butt Blogger's Contest - Win your own copy of Arthas: Rise of the Lich King! and first appeared in BBBB's blog.

I groan in my troubled sleep and open my eyes. Myrrh is kneeling by my bedside, her head buried in her arms. She is finally asleep, poor child. The plague in those Wintergrasp barrels were potent, making me very ill. Thank Elune... thank the Light that the Argent Dawn can treat this—I shall not turn into undead.

War will always have its casualties. But in times like these, when I am at my weakest, I often bitterly curse my losses. Mórrígan... Oh, my Mórrígan! If only I had not been so foolish!

=================

It was the eve of the invasion of Northrend. The Beta Expeditionary Force, already there, were already engaged in numerous battles. Fresh from my victories in the battles against Magtheridon and Gruul, I had grown arrogant. "Ærynn and her stormcrow Mórrígan have a new grisly trophy!"

I had heard that Naxxramas' hold on the plaguelands was slipping. Of course, with Northrend so threatened, it was natural that Naxxramas would retreat to reinforce their holdings.

But I did not want them to retreat. At least, not yet. I longed to go to Naxxramas and gain even more glory.

A few shared my feelings; all of us found ways to find the hidden entrance deep in the eastern plaguelands. We want to in before they escaped Lordaeron forever! Oh, what did we hope to accomplish? Those more powerful than we have gone in, and have either returned as embittered veterans or returned not at all. Yet here we were, sneaking into the dread citadel itself, hunting for the glory of bringing back Kel'thuzad's head.

We all went through the portal, but on the other end was only Mórrígan and myself. Even then I should have heeded the warning in my heart. The sudden gloom was like a physical presence. The sounds of skittering feet and the distant wails of those who were being tormented drove me almost to terror. Walking around the circular vestibule, I found a madman, claiming to be a wizard and high elf (though he looked neither), wailing bitterly about a staff and how it was taken from him and broken.

Summoning my courage (or was it just hubris?), Mórrígan and I attempted to kill some of the giant spiders in one wing. We were thrashed to an inch of our lives, and only by feigning death were we able to escape.

After mending our wounds, I told Mórrígan that we will spend the night at the entrance near the "elf" and attempt to sneak past the mob. I am quite sure that if I can get close enough to Kel'thuzad, I can kill him, take his head and trigger my hearthstone to escape. Mórrígan, my Mórrígan was not so sure. She was agitated and wanted to fly away—she kept hearing voices all around us.

As we lay down to sleep, I saw a small, living cat looking at us with glowing eyes.

=================

I awoke in pain and nothingness, that is, I felt unbearable pain everywhere, but I felt that I had no body to feel that pain. I could make out two people talking.

"Yes, my lord," said a tremulous voice. "Another one of these 'adventurers'. A nightelf."

"What fools," said a loud whisper. "And they are trapped, lich? They cannot get out?"

"No, my lord," the first answered. "There are... enough of them to fully satisfy the needs of Acherus. It only remains to slay them properly and... transport them."

"Very good, Lich. Not all of them, though. Some are weak; too weak to even use as ghouls. This one, for instance," and here I felt a sharp, painful throb everywhere but nowhere, "can safely be left to rot."

"But, oh..." continued the harsh whisper. "Not this one... Not thisss one."

"Which, my lord?" his servant asked, confused. "The stormcrow? This hunter's bird?"

"No... not a bird... oh, no... not a bird. One who has lost... hurm... forrrrgotten herself. Her... true shape... Yessssss... I sssee ssstrength here! Be sure that this one reaches Razuvious. Be sure to begin... persuading her."

"It shall be done, my lord."

=================

Who had they been talking about?

Moments? Days? Weeks? I lost track of time. But, Mórrígan and I, we escaped. Or, rather, we were rescued. My daughter Myrrh and Mr. Vault petitioned an Avatar of the Great Blizzard to free me and all those trapped within. No... those voices were not talking about Mórrígan. She was right there beside me when we were restored. But Mórrígan, my poor stormcrow... she was never the same.

From being the most powerful of my beast companions, she fell into a deep melancholy and never left the stables. Every night, when I went to her, she would look into my face, showing much more intelligence and awareness, and also much more sadness than I have ever known her to show.

My marching orders came late, and I could not join my guild in Northrend. But I took Mórrígan to the Stormwind harbor, hoping the sea breezes would do her good. Together, we would watch the sun go down behind the tall lighthouse.

A week had passed and I had recovered; Mórrígan hasn't. I finally got my marching orders, and prepared to board a ship to the Borean Tundra. I had left Mórrígan behind.

As I waited for the ship, a druid walked toward me. She was dark and gaunt, and very sad.

"Ærynn," she said. "I am sorry, but I must leave. He calls to me... I hear his voice. I... I must obey."

When I turned toward her, she had already disappeared. Who was she? I thought she mistook me for someone else, but Myrrh told me later that that was the last time Mórrígan was ever seen. Then I understood. So... he took her after all. Gave her back her senses, then took her.

Since then, I had fought in every engagement against the Lich King. I knew what he turned her into.

He will pay.

The end of an era

2009-04-14T19:58:00.000+10:00

I wake with a wet towel on my head. Myrrh was arranging some flowers by the bedside. "Ah, Mom... you're awake! Are you strong enough for some food?"

"I would appreciate it greatly, Myrrh," I tell her. "Although I think I am not ready for any barbecue. Just conjure me some bread and dip it in water."

"You sure, Mom?" she asks wryly. "I will have to, like, to call upon 'the wicked arcane majicks' that 'sensible folk' would dutifully avo-..." "Oh, Myrrh!" I interject. "Are you still holding my poor choice of words from so long ago against me? Now, be a good girl, conjure your mother some food, and give me some news."

I had been ill. And, before that, I had been engaged on several different fronts. Myrrh still thinks that I pushed myself too hard... made me vulnerable to the plague barrels.

She may be right.

"Well," began Myrrh. "There's some good news, some great news and, like, not so great news. Bran Bronzebeard has returned but he, like, brought strange news. Looks like more enemies, Mom. Muster day is tomorrow."

"That's the good news?" I asked. I was biting eagerly into the conjured sourdough.

"Yes and no, Mom," she replied quickly. "That's kinda, like, the good and great news 'coz, like, for the muster we are now all hereby allowed to switch between two schools. Mom, the Hunter Civil War will be over!"

That was great news indeed; if hunters can switch between two schools, then there would be no clannishness. No more prejudice. No more "I'm better than you so you're useless." Everyone will be useful. I close my tired eyes as I listen to Myrrh talk excitedly about her own opportunity to try out either the Fire or Arcane schools.

"Myrrh... what was the bad news?" Myrrh became silent and solemn.

"Mom," Myrrh said. "The Big Red Kitty has retired."

I blinked hard at Myrrh. "Say again, child. Who retired?"

"Big Red Kitty, Mom," said Myrrh. "The dwarf hunter who, like, says if you're a marksman you're a-" I waved her to silence.

BRK calling it quits? He had sounded so excited over this next phase of this war. "Was he injured, Myrrh?" I asked.

"No, Mom. His wife and child... they needed him back home."

"Ah," I said. "So he retired with honor, then?"

"Yes, Mom," she replied.

"That is not so bad... his wife is young... his child is young. The world of warcraft, truly, should not be the mistress for one such as he."

"He did the right thing," I added.

I smiled. We were quiet for a long time, until I sensed that Myrrh still had more to say but, for some reason, would not. "Myrrh, what else should I know?"

"Mom, I'm so sorry," she cried. "His assistant was asking us to, like, write him back or something... but he sent out the invitations on Fool's Day and I kinda, like, thought that it was just another one of, like, the dwarfie's practical jokes and, like, I know that you, like, aren't into that sort of 'thang'... and you were ill and the doctor kinda, like, said you kinda needed your rest... and... and... well, it was BRK's going-away party."

We were quiet again. My mind went back to when BRK taught an inexperienced hunter how to chain trap, how to kite and maintain shot discipline. I remember his explanations on all aspects of hunting. I remember when he bolstered my spirit, telling me and others that we need to hone our skills because someday it will be needed again. I remember when he used to say that being the top damage dealer was not the hunter's priority, but being the best we could and how we can help the team. I remember his hunter school, his menagerie of pets... all his pep talks.

I remembered his debates with that Draenei marksman and that Druid hunter and his very public conversations with his brain. I also remember, with a bit of shame, how he would publicly ridicule marksmen—calling us magi—and how I bitterly rebuked him. That was the last time I ever talked to him.

"And BRK himself," I said suddenly, making Myrrh jump. "Where is he now?"

"Gone home, Mom. Back home."

"I see." I see. He will forever think of me as just another bitter marksman.

"Don't worry, Mom," Myrrh said, touching my arm. "It's just, like, a dwarfie hunter. It's not, like, he was the best out there. And you really weren't into those party thingees, were you Mom? Were you?"

"It is alright, Myrrh. Though I'm not usually in for those sort of things, I would have wanted to be part of that." But as Myrrh's face fell, I added, "But even if you had accepted the invitation, well, I was unconscious, wasn't I? I still couldn't have gone. I'm quite sure he'll be back... and when he does come back it may seem like he never left at all. No, Myrrh... he may not have been one of the most powerful (and he was very powerful) or one with the most achievements (and he had achievements that dwarf so many others) but among all of them, he was the best teacher I ever had. I will forever regret never having gone to this 'going-away party', but... well, one can't have everything."

We were silent again for a long time.

"Well, Mr. Vault's nieces were able to talk to him in Booty Bay," said Myrrh. "They thought he was really nice."

"Yes," I said. "He is, isn't he?"

I began to sing:

Where now the dwarf and frostsaber? Where is his gunfire now echoing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the long beard flowing?
Where is the hand on the bowstring, the big red cat charging?
Where now is his laughter heard, and his gray brain arguing?
He has gone to where his heart dwells, his reason for living.

"Mom?" Myrrh asked. "He was called Big Red Kitty because of his favorite technique... but did you know his real name?"

"Yes. His real name... is Daniel."

I close my eyes and sleep. And I dream, of Old Gods, Titans... and a dwarf with a flowing beard.

... and the humble shall inherit the earth

2009-03-31T23:25:00.011+11:00

It has been more than a month since I reluctantly let go of my pride and went before the survivalists for training. During the month immediately after, I was engaged in numerous encounters in the ongoing battle of Naxxramas. At the beginning I asked myself "Was this worth it?" After more than 5 weeks of after action reports, the answer was clear—Yes.

My personal DPS rank went up... there was no doubt about it. The explosive shot is probably the single most powerful ranged attack that hunters have in their arsenal. It fires very often, hits very hard, and there are times when opportunities to lock and load present themselves, allowing me to pump explosive shells even more frequently with more power. It is also notable that the more personally powerful I become, my explosive shots seem to benefit in direct proportion. It eventually became my most used shot, with it doing more damage than auto shot.

This is very different from the way I used my magical shots as a marksman. My auto shot was my primary source of damage, with chimera, arcane, stings and then the indiscriminate use of the weakened volley. As a survivalist, what need have I for magical ammo? I eschewed entirely the use of arcane, using stings to create lock and load opportunities, and just explosive shot. From 6th rank, I eventually gained 3rd... in some encounters, I even placed first.

Yes, my DPS rank went up... but for some reason, I was still doing roughly the same amount of damage. Perhaps, I reasoned, it's because I limited myself to just using normal ammo and explosive shots so I eventually tried finding ways to weave in some multi-shots... probably the odd aimed shot. My DPS went up a bit... but it was never as much an improvement as I had hoped. Before all this, my survivalist colleagues in the guild and the free company allied with us used to out-DPS me by 20%-30% when I was a marksman... and I had been expecting to improve my personal DPS by that amount.

For those who saw only rankings, what I had done was enough—I was a capable hunter once more. But I could not shake the idea that something was wrong—my DPS was roughly the same, with only a marginal improvement... and yet I outranked the other physical damage dealers in a lot of encounters. I also found that it took us a minute longer at times to kill the more powerful unit commanders in the battles in the wings of Naxxramas.

A retribution paladin made the observation that another pally in a different guild who was similarly attired to her was doing significantly more damage because of a shaman's unleashed rage. She was commenting on our forums that maybe if we had an enhancement shaman, we would benefit as well. The free company's protection paladin, however, said that unleashed rage (which only happens on occasion) is not necessary as long as there was a marksman's trueshot aura available.

True shot aura! I hurried back to the after action reports and confirmed my suspicions. While my personal DPS did not change much, those of others—notably our melee fighters (rogues, feral druids and the retribution paladin) and ranged physical DPS (the survival hunters)—were negatively affected. Our most powerful DPS (a survival hunter), who used to do so much more DPS was reduced to doing basically the same numbers as I was.

The paladin from the free company was shocked when I told him that I had gone survival. To his mind it was more important to be useful to the most number of people on the team than to just one; he said he couldn't blame me for wanting to be "powerful" but the loss of such a useful but, admittedly, not so self-serving buff clearly disturbed him.

And so, I went back to being a marksman. My DPS is comparatively lower again and, as Negathle the Tauren Hunter once remarked, being a competitive DPS takes more effort as a marksman... but at least in my weakness my team can become strong.

Was my sojourn as a survivalist worth it? Yes, it was worth it. For one thing, now that the Blizzard Devas have finally decreed that we can now have two talent builds that is not restricted by school, I have gained invaluable knowledge in how survival works.

Furthermore, there was something about the shot priorities of survival that when applied to marksmanship, makes me an even better marksman—my personal DPS is at an all-time high. In the last forays into that dread citadel and in the skirmishes of the Obsidian Sanctum and the Eye of Eternity, I have found that, while I cannot outrank my fellow hunters (who happen to be survivalists), our collective strength has noticeably increased (allowing us to defeat some of the more dangerous foes later on).

While it was pride that prevented me from leaving the marksmanship school to join with the survivalists it is with the humility that I have returned.

Link Love from BRK

2009-02-23T22:51:00.008+11:00

There was this one time that my mom, like, wrote an angry letter to this dwarf who was named after what happens when his cat gets really mad. She was, like, shocked that he said that a hunter without a pet is a mage wearing mail... and she was, like, livid at being called someone who uses arcane magic. Like, hellooooooooo! Mom, y'kinda adopted one of those "evil and misguided" arcane users.

Anyhoo, the little dwarfie who likes the big, interesting... and dangerous animals... well, he kinda sent some folks to our little patch'a da woods without telling mom. So here was my mom all kinda shocked that visitors had been to this untidy place where she just went to whenever she felt like bursting out about something huntery.

But as for lil ol me, I was pleased as peach that the little hairy dwarfee sweetums sent some folks our way! <(^o^<) (>^o^)> \(^o^)/ It was kinda getting lonely here with mom always away. Now, she'll have to be here more often to keep things tidy and receive visitors and all. Thanks, Bigredkitty; you deserve a kiss! And, welcome all you (yes the two of you) lovely people!

Jump over the threshold—I'll show you the addresses of the folks that my mom visits regularly.

[Note: Will endeavor to put this as a proper blog roll/reading list later when I have the time.]

AngryRaidLeader.com
http://angryraidleader.com/

Aspect of the Hare - You wants hunters? We gots hunters!
http://www.aspectofthehare.net/

Big Bear Butt Blogger - Feral Druids in World of Warcraft
http://thebigbearbutt.com/

Big Red Rhino
http://bigredrhino.wordpress.com/

BigRedKitty
http://www.bigredkitty.net/

Blessing of Kings
http://blessingofkings.blogspot.com/

Bremm's Musings
http://bremm.blogspot.com/

Critical QQ
http://criticalqq.wordpress.com/

Diaries of a Marksman Hunter
http://mmnassira.com/

Don't Dot the Square
http://ddts.blogspot.com/

Greedy goblin
http://greedygoblin.blogspot.com/

Honor's Code
http://honorscode.blogspot.com/

Leafshine: Lust for Flower
http://www.leafshine.net/

Less QQ, More PewPew
http://www.qqpewpew.com/

Need More Rage
http://needmorerage.blogspot.com/

Out of Mana
http://outofmana.blogspot.com/

Resto4Life
http://www.resto4life.com/

Stabilized Effort Scope
http://www.stabilizedeffortscope.com/

steady shot
http://wowwhimsy.wordpress.com/

The Angry Butterfly
http://theangrybutterfly.blogspot.com/

The Egotistical Priest : A World of Warcraft Blog :
http://egotisticalpriest.com/

The Hunter's Mark
http://www.thehuntersmark.net/

The Scout Report
http://www.scout-report.net/

Warcraft Econ
http://www.warcraftecon.net/

Pride goeth before destruction

2009-02-19T18:07:00.005+11:00

It is done. Finally? Maybe. We shall see later if my performance in Naxxramas will show if it was worth it.

I have finally gone to the Survival School and asked them to teach me their ways. Dwarrow was right. Pride had kept me in the Marksman School. Wasn't this what I wanted? The freedom to move through schools when the need arises? The school of survival is currently the most powerful... shouldn't I feel that it is the right thing to do?

Dwarrow was right that people might get the wrong idea. The raid leaders and the other dragoons who would think that I am hiding behind what is arguably the weakest school. Hiding the fact that Hyjal was a fluke... that truly, I am nobody special. Perhaps those that I scorned before as amateurish and not having any real talents were actually truly more skilled than me.

Truly, I had expected a dramatic jump in my personal DPS last night. It wasn't so dramatic. I was doing roughly the same amount of DPS as a marksman. Well, we'll see how it goes later tonight in Naxxramas... maybe with all the raid buffs and stuff I might start doing more damage.

It is what Tzivya keeps saying—Hunters are DPS and if they don't do the best DPS, they are not doing their job. Was there a time when I disagreed with that statement? It was the cause of my falling out with Khildred. I used to think that it wasn't the most powerful that was more important but team synergy, and he disagreed. I always thought that having the most powerful DPS wasn't the matter, but having enough DPS.

And yet, slowly, I am being compelled to try to be something else. Dwarrow is upset... she feels I should be top DPS again. I didn't want it before, but just because it happened once it feels like everyone expects me to do it again... or else there is something very wrong.

I must get ready for Naxxramas. Kel'Thuzad and his minions cannot be put down for long.

The Dying Beastmaster to his Spirit Beast

2009-02-11T12:25:00.004+11:00

I was walking through the Dwarven District the other day, and I heard one of the dwarves singing. It was coming from one of the houses.

He sounded sad... and drunk.

"Lie down... lie down... my spirit beast
  The joyful hunt is o’er
When once, we were not counted least
  And we had a terrible pow'r.

"With just two shots we blazed a path
  Made strong with serpent swiftness
But stronger yet was beastial wrath
  No one could find our weakness

"The marksman’s shot just wasn’t true
  The survivor had to overgear
While we fought wearing only blue
  We raided without fear

"But now a most Explosive Shot
  Was heard around the world
All good things have changed a lot
  And, thus, our vision swirled

"The Blizzard gods were not impressed
That one button we only pressed
Would always beat up all the rest
With better gear could not keep abreast

"They hit us hard, oh spirit beast
  They nerfed us to the ground
And when the dust had settled
  Few beastmasters were left around

"But patch three-point-oh-point-nine
  They say we shall rebuild...
... Shall everything then be fine
  When they almost had us killed?

"Lie down... lie down... dear spirit beast
  Our companionship is o’er
For I cannot bear to be counted least—
  Over companionship, I choose pow'r!"

Then I jumped when I heard a loud bang. It chilled me to the bone. It could have been anything, I kept telling myself as I went home. It could have been anything.

Should Mom know?

The Hunter Civil War

2009-01-29T09:18:00.005+11:00

I just realised something—hunters can be such a clannish, contentious lot. How many classes out there have ever heard of the concept of "Spec Loyalty"? How many classes even agonize over having to change specs as much as hunters? I'm sure there are some individuals out there who are die-hard Retribution Paladins, and I am in no way denigrating the rivalry between the Arcane, Fire and Frost schools amongst our magi; I am sure there are others who think about what talent build or school they prefer being in.

That being said, when their classes are attacked or maligned, they see themselves more collectively as Paladins, Magi, Warlocks, etc. and if one of their schools are nerfed, they all collectively feel pain. But hunters? When one school was nerfed, the others either rejoice at one of the schools being brought low (at worst) or thinking "Now is our time to shine!" (at best).

I have to admit that I felt a little pleased that the beastmasters were losing some of their power, being finally humbled. Only a marksman like me who has been ridiculed by beastmasters during Burning Crusade can ever feel this sort of malice.

Too late did I realise that the weakening of the beastmasters also weakened the marksmen. And now that the survivalists are, actually, the true winners of this nerf—they that had been, in the Burning Crusade, second only in power to the beastmasters... and now more powerful still. They, the survivalists, did not feel the humbling that marksmen had to suffer, and to suddenly be brought to prominence!

But notice, I call them "they" and refer to "we" and "me"... how many druids feel they have to war with other schools? How many rogues argue as to the best school, and feel bad or triumphant when one school is better at some things. They all have a unity of purpose that, when the situation calls for it, allows them freedom of movement between schools, without recrimination and without any doubt to their "loyalty".

But when BRK, the most famous and, arguably, the most powerful beastmaster suddenly left his school to become a survivalist (with the consequence of inducing more beastmasters to become survival too), it was seen as a minor tragedy. They did it to become more powerful, that much is certain. And can I blame them? The beastmasters are in such a weakened state now that they are not even viable for the front lines. Some have mentioned that those who were not loyal to their spec do so only due to lust for power... but if they really believed that, wouldn't they have turned surival when the beastmasters were the most powerful?

Dwarrow feels that I should abandon my school—what is stopping me? When the beastmasters were the dominant school, I stayed as a marksman, content to never be the most powerful hunter in the guild as long as I was "of use" and "powerful enough". For a few glorious moments in the Battle of Mt. Hyjal and in some moments in the Black Temple, I became the most powerful... even against the vaunted beastmasters. Is this what I am still aiming to do?

Am I really still trying to become the most powerful even when in a school that has a lot of its power stripped away? Is it pride driving me to show that I do not need the patronage of the Devas and can still excel? Maybe it was a bad thing for me to have tasted power even once.

For now, I have to face it—I am weak. My constitution and my frame can no longer keep up with anyone. Twice now I have been shamed by survivalists (one of them a former beastmaster), and twice now have I been ridiculed by a Paladin who fancies that he knows my class. But I can hardly blame them—despite my best efforts I can no longer jump as high as I used to, I can no longer fire as swiftly or as accurately as I used to, and so many times with the battle against Thaddius the Construct, I froze in battle, dooming the lives of others.

While I crave to redeem myself, I have to face the fact that my body is tired and old. As I wrote in my previous entry, I think I shall quietly fade away while there is still some respect for my former prowess and make myself available to the Argent Crusade and the Ebon Blade. Dwarrow (bless her) can still go eventually after this brief R&R... it is her time to shine. Not since the loss of Mórrígan so many months ago have I felt so old, so worthless... so useless.

In the end, this shadow war between the three schools of hunters is basically a civil war. In the end, despite the misguided optimism of the Devas, there will be one dominant school once again... and there will be peace for a while where each hunter will know their place. Always have, always will.

I'm afraid I won't survive

2009-01-26T23:39:00.006+11:00

I am aware that they are discussing me. Ever since this war on the Lich King was joined and the battles of Naxxramas have gone on, I have known that the raid leaders have been carefully watching our performance. If I have only myself to think about, ever since the last patch I have become much more powerful. I know this. With basically the same gear that I had before we were patched and after (except for an improved enchant to my boots), I have become more effective at dealing damage. All this despite the new regulations that our volleys and our steady shots should no longer be as powerful as it was.

Alas, I do not live alone in this world. Even though I have improved, hunters of the Survival School have been improving more, and doing more than the other schools. Their explosive shots have been made more efficient, more powerful... more deadly.

I know they are talking about me, but not in glowing terms. After the high days of the battle of Mount Hyjal and the battles for the Black Temple, I am sure that they do not see what is, compared to survival hunters, a marginal increase of lethality on my part. While I rejoice that a once obscure school is finally getting the reputation they were long due, my rank in comparison to theirs has suffered... and, thus, so have my reputation.

The shadow war between the three schools of hunters are still claiming casualties.

It is unfortunate that the marksman tree had, in the past, been the only powerful school; the beastmasters and the survivalists do not easily forget nor do they forgive. But, as it were, the beastmaster school became much too powerful during the time of the Burning Crusade... and people's memories are long.

In one fell swoop, the power of the beastmasters was severely gutted. A lot of the beastmasters have started migrating to the new, dominant school... even, if the rumor has any truth, the most famous beastmaster in the Alliance forces.

As I mentioned, because of the early dominance of the marksmen, we are not easily forgotten or forgiven... and though we have gotten back some of our power, it was only in relation to the beastmasters. The fellowship of marksmen dwindles, with those remaining becoming embittered, loud and, unfortunately, no help in dispelling the image of the haughty, elitist marksman of days past. While I, too, cannot help but be bitter—I feel that I fight harder against even more odds than those who can just lob their explosive ammo safely from a distance—I have to realize that marksmen aren't the true targets of this new pogrom but the beastmasters.

For so long the beastmaster have lorded over the battlefields with their powerful pets and swift flying arrows and shells... and they were proud. Now that they have been brought low even I find it ironic and funny that they have been so humiliated that they have to crawl to the gates of the survival school, begging for entrance just so that their guilds would not think they are losing any of their powers.

But my joviality does not last long. My guild has scrutinized me and I know they are asking why I am no longer the most powerful hunter. I never wanted to be the most powerful, and my recent glories were, themselves, just another whim of those who fight the shadow war. I know I shall lose my place on the front lines... but it is just as well. I had been working too hard, and I have not gone back to lend aid to the Argent Crusade as I had promised. Perhaps now, while they think I am weak, I can have a bit of rest.

Also, perhaps, that the other hunters who I believe never forgave me for taking their place would finally get back their past glory... and forgive me.

Dwarrow, my dear sister, would rather that I abandon my now weak school and join with the survivalists... and show them that I am still the best hunter. But, I am not, and therefore, I will not. The Lord gives, the Lord taketh away... I was powerful for a few shining moments and I will be eternally thankful.

But now is the time of realization... I am needed by the Argent Crusade and the death knights of the Ebon Blade. I will not be the best, but I will still be of use.

If I had to choose, I'd rather be wise than be mighty

2009-01-20T22:19:00.006+11:00

Sometimes, I am disappointed with Paladins... these so-called knights and warriors of the light. I suppose I have to accept that they are mortal and of the younger races, and therefore have the natural tendency to think that to be mighty is always better than being wise.

But in this, I feel I must make an effort at some apologetics—I had been accused of not being zealous enough for requesting a Greater Blessing of Wisdom from them rather than a Greater Blessing of Might. It had been implied that I did not know my job enough to make the "informed" decision to want to be powerful rather than be wise. And it was the paladin who would dare say so! The paladin! They who belong to the same order as Tirion, who long ago chose wisdom and loyalty over strength and now is the most powerful paladin alive.

I feel I must explain myself. Even a nightelf can lose face. Even a nightelf can be shamed. I am a hunter... one who aspired to be a Sentinel or a Warden. By Elune, I shall not take this lying down.

I will state it as simply as possible first, then deal with the objection. Basically, a Blessing of Wisdom allows me to delay my use of Aspect of the Viper as long as I possibly can which, in my experience, gives me more DPS because I spend more time in 100% DPS mode than when I have to frequently switch aspects to regen mana.

Objection: You are gimping your DPS if you'd rather have mana regen than an attack power buff.

With all due respect to the paladin and some other hunters out there who may think the same way, this is not strictly true. It is not that I do not want attack power buffs—I already have it. Since I made sure I do not need buffs to cap my hit rating (which means I don't need food buffs) I can safely bring buff foods and elixirs or flasks that increase my attack power already. And any hunter of any talent build will invest in talents that already increase DPS without having to resort to another class' buffs (we are a very strong soloable class, after all). What I need is hefty mana regen. It's a question of balance.

But the pally is insistent: It's better to hit hard and kill the opponent faster than to make sure your mana pool is not emptied—use your mana and if you really want your mana back, use AotV. It seems reasonable. It even seems logical. But in practice, it's impractical. Let me illustrate. I have exactly 6161 base mana, my items add an additional 5070 mana, for a total of 11,231 mana.

I use the following shots in rotation to maintain DPS:

Arcane Shot (costs 7% of my base mana or 432 mana, cooldown 6 seconds)
Serpent Sting (costs 15 mana, no cooldown)
Chimera Shot (costs 16% of my base mana or 986 mana, cooldown 10 seconds)
Steady Shot (costs 5% base mana or 308 mana, 2 second cast time)

I open with casting Hunter's Mark (with a macro to also send my pet) then cast Serpent Sting, and then I rotate by casting Chimera Shot (which refreshes the sting), then cast Arcane Shot, cast Steady Shot 3-4 times, then I rinse and repeat. Hunter's Mark costs 2% of base mana, so it's 123 mana. So, at the opening, that would be 123 + 15 + 986 + 432 + (308 * 3) = 2652 mana in that opening salvo, and 986 + 432 + (308 * 3) = 2514 mana every cycle.

Since mana regen even for hunters is actually spirit based and since no hunter would ever itemize, enchant or gem for spirit, our base mana regen has no innate bonuses whatsoever. From WoW Wiki, MP5 = 5 * (0.001 + sqrt(INT) * SPI * Base Regen) then our base MP5 = 5 * (0.001 + sqrt(431) * 105 * 0.005575). So that's 5 * (0.001 + 20.760539492026695) * 105 * 0.005575 = 5 * 20.761539492026695 * 105 * 0.005575 = 60.766430900725632928125 mana. Rounding up, that's 61 mana every 5 seconds, or 12 mana per second. But this is only true if you follow the 5-second rule (FSR) because this is the Spirit-based mana regen that even hunters have.

What does this mean? It means that this 61 MP5 only happens when:

5 seconds have passed after an instant spell is cast
5 seconds have passed after a channeled spell is begun

If I channeled exactly Steady Shot, the moment I start channeling, the FSR begins. If Steady Shot channels for 2 seconds, this 61 MP5 only begins 3 seconds later... if I am not casting anything else. But wait! Look at my shot rotation: I try to channel Steady Shot every 2 seconds, and use instant shots one after the other. What does this mean?

To dumb it down, this already paltry 61 MP5 almost never happens for me except if I pause long enough to let only Auto Shot to go. Suffice to say, I don't even consider it for my mana regen needs.

If I expend 2514 mana every cycle, with a total mana of 11,231, how many cycles am I capable of? Only four to five cycles. That's not bad. To make it simpler, let's say I did around 25,000 worth of damage (unmitaged) per cycle, each cycle lasting 10 to 12 seconds (roughly 2.5k DPS), I would be doing around 100,000-125,000 worth of damage until my mana runs dry.

Now, let's pretend that it takes only 10 seconds to refill my mana bar after I switch to AotV (pre-patch 3.0.8, this switching actually resets the GCD, so I can't shoot for 1 full second after I switch, and I can only regen mana when I'm doing damage), during that entire time (the length of one cycle) I'm doing 12,500 damage since my damage output is halved during this time.

Obviously, even the 91 MP5 that Greater Blessing of Wisdom (plus any other MP5 I get from items, both of which do not follow the FSR) will not prevent me from eventually switching to AotV... but because it does not follow the FSR it regens my mana even when I am casting.

What does this mean. If I can do even just one more cycle before running out of mana, I can potentially up my damage done by at least 25k more and reduce the time spent in AotV doing only 50% damage.

But the original objection remains: Ok, [huntard], let's say you do spend more time doing 100% damage... but if I give you an attack power buff, you'd do more than 100% of your damage even if you run out of mana. Let's inspect that (Disclaimer: to make the equations simple enough to be understood, I am not regarding the other AP bonuses my armor, food buffs, consumables and enchants already give; I mean, I already have that anyway. I am also, due to time constraints, not making the actual figures Elitist Jerks precise, but I have made the figures as close as possible in the hope that I can show that it is valid to be spending more time doing 100% damage is better than frequently doing 50% damage).

Greater Blessing of Wisdom gives us an additional 550 attack power. At level 80, self-buffed and not counting food or elixir buffs, I already have 3610 attack power (unbuffed), which, if every 14 attack power adds 1 DPS to my base DPS, already adds +257.85 DPS to my existing DPS. 3610 + 550 = 4160 RAP... which makes my RAP bonus go up to +297.14 DPS (a difference of roughly 40 more DPS.

If my base DPS is 197.1 (129.6 from the bow and 67.5 from my ammo), then DPS is:

No BoM: 454.95 DPS
With BoM: 494.24 DPS

Let's say that, due to BoW, I am able to do 6 cycles, each cycles lasting 10 seconds each, and having at least 10 seconds to regen mana with AotV. Each cycle will be doing 4549.5 damage, for a total of 27,297 damage in 6 cycles, and additional 2,274.75 damage done during AotV, for total of 29,571.75 damage done after 6 cycles and a cycle of AotV.

Let's say that, with BoM, I am only able to do 5 cycles because my mana runs out faster. Each cycle will do 4942.4 damage (wow! bigger figure)... for a total of 24,712 damage done after 5 cycles (wha-?), and additional 2471.2 damage done during AotV, for a total of 27,183.2 damage done after 5 cycles and a cycle of AotV.

Now, will I want that 29,571.75 damage done in one repetition (thanks to BoW), or 27,183.2 (with BoM)?

And that's assuming that the time spent in AotV is the same amount of time=10 seconds.

Now, these cycles are actually more complex in practice... and I only did the math right now to show how mana regen can make a difference.

The additional reason why I'd rather not run out of mana is downtime. In a typical trash mob fight, I can only go through one repetition, and I'd rather end the encounter with a bit of mana so I do not have to drink after the encounter or, if I do drink, it would not last too long. With more mana regen, I can go through 2 or even 3 waves of trash mobs before having to drink, compared to (in my experience) the having to drink after every wave with BoM.

Let me repeat: we hunters will eventually go Aspect of the Viper anyway and, especially for long boss fights, this is necessary. I am also not dissing AotV... unlike other classes with a mana regen mechanic, it allows me to still do damage while regenerating mana.

My point is that if I ask for BoW, it is not "gimping" my DPS. If there are 2 pallies that can give me BoM and BoW, I'll gladly take both.

And, even if BoM does give me some very small percentage of DPS increase, I'd rather have 2.5k DPS (which is sufficiently effective for most heroic instances) and not have to drink very often than have 2.7k DPS and go through a stack of tea.

Yes,I know there are some that will do anything just to appear at the top of the Recount meters, and they think it proves they are 1337 DPS and that they, therefore, better than the next DPS they out-DPSed by about 200 DPS. I don't get my kicks out of having some number—I get my kicks out of being effective and efficient.

I have presented this argument already with the paladin, but because two other hunters insist that BoM is better and, as a result, they are higher than me on the DPS charts, this paladin still insists on giving me this blessing even when he is the only paladin around.

In all fairness and with all due humility, I was using the Sawed-off Hand Cannon reputation reward from the Alliance Vanguard, and they both had the Drake-mounted Crossbow. Even if I had better RAP bonuses and crit ratings and was hit-capped compared to them, my base damage coefficient is much, much lower than theirs. It was this, more than anything else, that made me decide to bite the bullet and purchase a Nessingwary 4000. I didn't want to—I was perfectly happy with my blue gun and my performance was satisfactory even by Naxx standards... but I hate it when they think I'm a noob just because I make a reasonable request for what is actually a more beneficial blessing.

Even then, they still technically outgeared me (they had more epic 200 ilvl items, and I still have blue items and 1 green) and I cannot overtake their DPS—what nobody wanted to notice was that I was approaching their DPS all of a sudden with my inferior gear, but with a better balance of stat bonuses, hit rating and crit. That is, I was coming so close behind them... and all they saw was "Ha-ha, I'm over you."

5-man Dungeon Drop Gear Wish List

2008-12-29T15:40:00.003+11:00

This wish list originally appeared in the guild forums (http://burningdragoons.guildportal.com/Guild.aspx?GuildID=278392&ForumID=1324065&TabID=2336355&TopicID=7722091&Page=2) and, as I accumulated gear, I crossed it out.

I transferred this list here because it seems more appropriate to have it here where I can update it more conveniently. EDIT: This post is now defunct and is only being kept for historical purposes.

Gundrak

Slad'ran
- Cannibal's Legguards (Normal)
Drakkari Colossus
- Drakkari Hunting Bow (Normal)
Moorabi
- Fist of the Deity (Heroic)
Gal'darah
- Grips of the Beast God (Heroic)
Eck the Ferocious
- Helmet of the Shrine (Heroic; not exactly a hunter helm—more like Enhancement Shaman—but it will do until I get something better)

Halls of Lightning

Ionar
- Tornado Cuffs (Normal)
- Cord of Swirling Winds (Heroic)
Loken
- Leather-Braced Chain Leggings (Normal)
- Projectile Activator (Normal)

Halls of Stone

The Tribunal of Ages
- Linked Armor of the Sphere (Normal)
- Raging Construct Bands (Heroic)
Maiden of Grief
- Embrace of Sorrow (Normal)
Krystallus
- The Prospector's Prize (Heroic)
Sjonnir the Ironshaper
- ~~Leggings of the Stone Halls~~ ~~(Heroic)~~
- The Fleshshaper (Heroic)

The Nexus

Ormorok the Tree-Shaper
- Drakonid Arm Blade (Normal; not really very good, but I already have it's mate—Arm Blade of Augelmir—and I want to complete the set and they look kick-ass)
Anomalus
- Hauberk of the Arcane Wraith (Heroic)
Keristrasza
- Interwoven Scale Bracers (Heroic)
- Dragon Slayer's Sabatons (Heroic)

Oculus

Drakos the Interrogator
- Lifeblade of Belgaristrasz (Normal)
- The Interrogator (Heroic)
Varos Cloudstrider
- Centrifuge Core Cloak (Normal)
- Azure Ringmail Leggings (Heroic)
Mage-Lord Urom
- Spaulders of Skillful Maneuvers (Normal)
Ley-Guardian Eregos
- Headguard of Westrift (Normal)
- Wyrmclaw Battleaxe (Normal)

Utgarde Keep

Skarvald the Constructor
- Dagger of Betrayal (Heroic)
Ingvar the Plunderer
- Drake-Mounted Crossbow (Heroic)
- Plunderer's Helmet (Heroic)

Utgarde Pinnacle

Svala Sorrowgrave
- Ritualistic Athame (Normal)
- Tear-Linked Gauntlets (Normal)
Gortok Palehoof
- Trophy Gatherer (Normal)
- Massive Spaulders of the Jormungar (Heroic)
Skadi the Ruthless
- Reins of the Blue Proto-Drake (Heroic)
King Ymiron
- Vestige of Haldor (Normal)
- Ymiron's Blade (Normal)
- Sovereign's Belt (Heroic)
- Meteorite Whetstone (Heroic)

Violet Hold

Erekem
- Cloak of the Gushing Wound (Heroic)
Xevozz
- Xevozz's Belt (Normal)
- Necklace of Arcane Spheres (Heroic)
Lavanthor
- Prison Warden's Shotgun (Normal)
- The Key (Heroic; I was stupid... this dropped in a run when nobody wanted it and I thought it read "spell power" instead of attack power. So I passed. *sigh* I will be prepared the next time)
- Twin-Headed Boots (Heroic)
Cyanigosa
- Handgrips of the Savage Emissary (Heroic)

Hunter Volley, and a digression

2008-10-28T23:28:00.013+11:00

There are many reports from the Beta Expeditionary Force that was sent ahead to Northrend. I had mentioned before that we hunters will be given an opportunity for free refresher training for our abilities and talents, but some of the more exciting and, in some cases, disappointing news are those about changes in how our powers and abilities work. I had mentioned before how disappointed I was that we of the school of marksmanship will no longer be issued Scatter Shots unless we took up more Survival training, but one bit of news from the beastmaster BRK got me excited—it was that we would learn the skills necessary to deliver a better volley (he mentioned it in passing while he extoled the virtues and strengths of his new tamed primate).

So, after that little trouble I had with Naxxramas (which my daughter Myrrh and my banker Mr. Vault helped get me out of), I went with no small amount of haste to Regnus to sign up for some training. I was fortunate, that after being instructed in the basics of the new technique I learned that, a week from that time, a certain Borgoff Marcus would be holding a public demonstration.

And this is what I have to say: The new volley is now one of the more powerful tools in a hunter's arsenal in the fight against the Scourge and their Lich King. I will explain shortly why this is so, the demonstration I witnessed from the Borgoff Marcus, and my own use of the technique when the Burning Dragoons tested ourselves in the Caverns of Time versus the most plentiful supply of undead we can find in straight battle.

The first difference between the old way I used to perform this technique and the new way is that I can now keep the volley up now for as long as I am able to, whereas before I can probably only do it once every minute or so. What does this mean? When I first saw BRK's demonstration with his ape, it seemed more like a tool to be used for hunting and grinding in the wild—nothing an adventurer can actually use in the war on the undead. How little I really knew.

Then the scourge started its own invasion into the allied and horde cities, and it came at no better time. Borgoff demonstrated the new volley in Darkshire just as a group of zombies headed for us—it was a massacre. Those who were no longer alive, yet undead were brutally laid to rest.

When the Burning Dragoons went to test themselves in the past at the Battle of Mt. Hyjal five days ago, I tested this new technique for the first time for myself. Let me tell you that I was astounded at how effective they were against massed groups of undead, using what used to be their very strength (massed attacks focused on one position) against them, as there was nowhere to run. (Let me take this opportunity to note, however, that hunters were by no means the only class that became more powerful since Patch Day—I was especially impressed by the new power wielded by the Paladins!) I have never done this much damage before—and I wasn't the only one (1,2,3). My fellow hunters, one each from the other schools of beastmastery and survival, did more than well: we totally dominated the battlefield.

This happened again two days later, when we came back to try and finish the job (1,2,3). For the first time, I felt that hunters can hold their head high as useful members of a raid. Granted, we would never be like this on a one-target fight, but at least we shall no longer be perceived as relatively useless anymore.

The only thing that mars this success is the disdain that others have for it. "The Devas have nerfed them," they would say. "You are not powerful... not really. These bosses you face are crippled bosses, which can be taken down by anyone."

It is true, however, that the Blizzard Devas had declared a "nerf" on the evil elements faced by adventurers (making them easier to kill by taking away 30% of their life). But I feel that this was only done so that those left behind by adventurers leaving for Northrend shall not be discouraged or overwhelmed; those who come after us will no longer be able to "farm" dungeons for Badges of Justice or the rare drop of gear or weaponry. But Illidan, Vashj and Kael'thas must still be challenged and defeated. Or at least, thanks to the Devas, there is now a chance that those draped in quest rewards can fulfill their mission.

Nevertheless, I shall still insist that we have become powerful. Even with their lives shortened, it still takes skill, teamwork and perseverance to defeat these. I was once picked up by a raid of random adventurers to defeat Vashj—though we were powerful enough to injure her badly, we cannot defeat her because there was no coordination and no team experience. I reflected that if a unit of Burning Dragoons was on hand, it would have been a different story. But it would be a different story only because the Burning Dragoons were a more disciplined fighting unit that would have eventually challenged Kil'jaeden himself given enough time and resources.

Yet, I say we have also become weaker. Too many things we can no longer do: draenic heroism is no longer tenacious as it used to be, my combat drums no longer as persistent, and a number of other factors. We had been weakened. We had been nerfed, and all the Devas are doing is making sure that we would not fail because of these weaknesses.

It is therefore a blessing (despite what elitist adventuring jerks think).

Still, those who have been adventuring against more terrible odds have my greatest respect. However, permit us (especially marksmen) to rejoice in what little power bestowed on us... for as long as we can wield it before it is nerfed from us.

AWOL on Patch Day

2008-10-15T20:20:00.004+11:00

I was like "Oh, by Gronn! You've got to be kidding me!" when I found out what my mom did. She was like "Daughter, as the muster for the invasion is tomorrow, I shall see for myself what goes on within the dread citadel Naxxramas." And I so totally thought she was, like, kidding. I mean, like yeah, the muster coming tomorrow (which all of my friends are calling Patch Day) is so that we kinda invade the freakin' Lich King, and she was going to go to, like, go into the penthouse of Arthas' top dog? On her lonesome? I was like "Duh, whatever mom... tell me another one" and I totally forgot that night elves just don't get the hang of humor... I mean, yeah, I've been trying to teach my mom for years and I kinda thought that she was trying to be funny this time around.

6:59 p.m.

So I was so I started to freak when mom didn't show up today. I was, like, "What the orc? Where's mom?" Everyone's trying out their new toys and stuff, and the guild was going, like, "Myrrh dear, where's your mom? Is she trying out the new talent tree—" and I'd be going, like, "I don't know, Ma'am. Last I checked, she's headed to Naxxramas" and they'd be going like "Haha! Yeah, right!"

But where's mom? Was she trapped somewhere? Did Kel'thuzad the Yuck have her way with her? I'm so totally gonna Frost Bolt what's left of him to little pieces if he as much as looks at her.

What the orc was mum thinking?! Mom?! Where are you?!

7:05 p.m.

I was still hoping my mom was, like, just caught up somewhere doing some odd jobs when our financial manager/banker came along. "Good evening, Miss Curie... but have you seen your foster mother today." "No, Mr. Vault," I replied. "Why are you looking for her?" I fought the rising panic—my mom always told Vault were she was at any one time. "No, Miss Myrrh... and it is strangely unlike your mother. I generally have a stack of leather and cooked meats from her by now, and it has not arrived, and I have not been told by her that she would be away for some time. Um, Myrrh, are you alright?"

No, shorty. I'm not alright. My mum just entered the freakin' dreaded Citadel alone and I'm sure that they're already tearing her limb from limb and feasting on her night elf carcass... at least, that's what I wanted to say. Instead I said in my most dignified mage spellcaster's voice, "My mommy's in trouble."

Okay, so it wasn't so dignified, 'kay? But when somebody's your family for, like, the last five years and she's done nothing but be kind to you and, kinda like, almost died taking you home to your own kind from far away (she brought me to the dwarves, 'coz I think we all kinda look alike to her; but it's the thought that counts), then you won't, like, be freakin' okay if some undead Lich was feasting on your mom, okay?!

Mr. Vault suggested I should try to, like, get in contact with one of the Realm Masters and hope they answer my prayer soon. He kinda also told me not to worry, as he was sure lots of other adventurers were, like, foolish enough (thanks a lot, gnomey-womey) to go into Naxxramas on the eve of the muster.

I'm looking into it now.

7:24 p.m.

Okay, so I kind of went up and down the canals while I sent up my petition ticket to a Realm Master. I've never, like, had to personally deal with any of them but my mom has on my behalf during the fire festival. Mr. Vault sort of got in trouble with them once, but he, like, swears it wasn't his fault and he only got in trouble because he got into a shouting match with some gold farmer. Whatever! I still put him as one of the people to contact when the Realm Masters deigned to reply.

Ugh, walking up and down the canals is sooooooo, like, boring! So I kind of went to the hair dresser and had my hair slightly done up a bit. Honestly! when my mom comes back I'm so gonna, like, force her to get a 'do—all that nelfy long hair barneys are soooooo last dynasty.

Oh, mom... where are you?!

8:05 p.m.

I was out for, like, 30 minutes (getting my hair touched up) so I wasn't available when the honorable Realm Master Lygyryne appeared. He/she (none of us actually saw him/her so we can't be sure if he/she is, like, a him or her) talked to Mr. Vault instead; but that's fine as pine. They might respond better to suits over a giggly girl enchantress like me.

Anyway, they found my mom. Apparently, with the advance of the Beta Expeditionary force and the Ptr-whatsis going down and the official muster coming round, Naxxramas beat, like, a hasty retreat from the Eastern Plaguelands to Northrend. As way cool as that was, foolish adventurers who were within the Dread Citadel were kind of trapped in some limbo—something to do with the way Naxx was transported to Northrend that was, like, NOT good for living flesh.

Anyway, with the Blizzard Devas and the rest of the pantheon so, like, totally, running the world, they had the capability to get my mom out of trouble (hooray!). So Master Lygyryne said something like "Gimme a sec" to gnomey-womey (I'm quite sure he/she said something more grand, like "Forsooth, dear gnome... I shall seek thy mistress and rescue her from dire peril",but I'm only going on what Mr. Vault said he/she) and my mom was freed.

8:15 p.m.

I am sooo totally scolding my mom right now. She says that she couldn't remember much except that as she came in she met some nelf bro claiming to be highborne, and some evil-looking cat who introduced himself as Mr. Bigglesworth. Correctly assuming he was a spy for Kel'thuzie, she incorrectly assumed that the best course of action was to shoot to kill. As if! Sometimes, nelfs could be so dumb!

Hearken to the Echoes of Doom

2008-10-14T15:11:00.007+11:00

I am feeling a bit edgy. I have purposely tried not to think too much about the reports that have come from the Beta Expeditionary Force. Not because I did not crave news, or that I am still bitter (was I bitter, or relieved?) about not being chosen to go with the expedition. But with all the conflicting reports from the front lines and widespread confusion because of such conflicting reports, I thought it may be wiser to just wait for the morrow, when the official muster comes on the day of Aman'Thul. Then, I can make sense of all the things that will change during the invasion. There are things which I look forward to and those which I do not—and what I do not look forward to, I will have to accept.

Some reports have caused me some joy—after being a rumor for so long it is now a dead certainty: the Death Knights are coming. It has been reported that these DKs have actually been joining up with the Alliance or the Horde against Arthas himself... it seemed too much too hope that they come not to oppose us but aid us but all the reports are unanimous. And it appears that, at the start of the invasion, we will have an army of them running around. It will be sweetly ironic that we shall invade Northrend and brave the wrath of the Lich King himself aided by individuals empowered by him.

And Dalaran has risen again! With the return of the Kirin Tor, I am also looking forward to the rise of another group of people to aid us: scribes. I have not investigated the matter fully, but I have come across a document with a list of the hunter glyphs they provide that, it is promised, will greatly augment some of our powers.

Naxxramas, however, is still where it is in the Eastern Plaguelands. I know that the current objective is to try and push the dread citadel off Azerothian lands, but I do not see how this will turn out. I have only ventured into the threshold of the citadel, but had not the courage or the power to venture deeper.

But when it comes to our powers, I am in more conflict. Ever since the war on the Lich King was declared, the Devas have been working hard to ensure that we can gradually become more powerful, with new abilities, new talents and an arsenal of new weaponry. But when the muster happens tomorrow, as a necessary consequence (and favor to us) we will be wiped of most of our talents and we will have to relearn them.

Which would not be so bad, except that they've also changed the way things worked for us. For instance, the hunter talent schools, while exciting and providing new possibilities, have switched talents around. Scatter Shot shall no longer be issued to marksmen but shall, instead, be issued to survivalists.In exchange, the Devas have given the talent to "re-use" some of our special abilities in a fight. A fair exchange, but still a minor annoyance, since I've gotten used to using my scatter shots to survive. And that is just one example.

The reason why I am in conflict is because, as you know, I've been trying to be a sniper/marksman for as long as I can remember. But with some of the abilities I've been used to switched to the other schools, I've been seriously thinking that, perhaps, my days as a marksman are over. I mean, yes, from all reports marksmen shall at last partake of some of what used to be the Beastmaster school's monolopoly—high end raiding. This is still a matter of debate, as I'm sure that enterprising beastmasters tomorrow will be learning to tame the more dangerous and, consequently, more powerful beasts. With more powerful beasts, maybe it will still be a beastmaster's world?

But as Sküld mentioned, this is the least of my concerns. I am in conflict, but I have determined that, should I switch schools, I shall endeavor to be good at it and enjoy it.

Brewfest madness, Brewfest hangover

2008-10-07T23:10:00.010+11:00

I had been eagerly anticipating Brewfest for an entire year. I had gotten my rams, the goggles, my souvenir brewstein and the life-time supply of Brewfest brew last year, when it first started. I found it to be the merriest occassion I have ever been in, so I had been eagerly anticipating this year's Brewfest. I hadn't realised that my own merriment had been so dependent on everybody else's merriment... and this year people in our realm weren't very merry.

I would have loved to tell you that, this year, I had gotten myself a nice kodo. Unfortunately, this was a temporary delusion brought on by some goblin drink, as temporary as me being a Dark Iron Dwarf (this time, courtesy of some dire brew). The merriment was temporary not just for me but a lot of others because the brewfest organizers no longer had their swift mounts to sell. Bummer... bummer... bummer. I mean, I didn't need a new mount, but seeing as so many people were looking forward to getting their own lovely tan mounts and getting their hopes dashed got me down.

Oh, there was plenty of other new items to be had... not from the organizers. Oh, no. Coren Direbrew provided me with most of the lovely new stuff, but I had to insult him and beat him up in front of his crew to get it. I normally wouldn't beat up the underdog (all he ever wanted was to have his brew showcased during the Brewfest), but I was drunk. Drunk on stuff I never thought I'd have to drink; more on that later. When someone told me that the only way I can get a Brewfest Kodo was to get it from Coren, I just beat him up every night. He kept throwing his coins, his pipe, some of his solid beer (I think it was solid beer... hic!) and finally even his mug at me... even his stupid mole machine remote control. He even brought in barmaid 1 and barmaid 2 to bribe us with drinks and stuff. But no kodo. Every night I left him lying down on the floor, groaning and cursing Ironforge. I eventually took his mug, his mole machine remote and his brew—I was so pissed (that is, angry and drunk) that I threw away the rest.

The next morning, after Brewfest, I woke up with a hangover, two barmaids that I apparently promised to employ (Great! Will have to tell my banker that two more shares will have to be allocated to them) and the sinking realization that I destroyed any chance of diplomacy between Ironforge and Blackrock Depths. Good going Ærynn... such a nice example to Myrrh.

What got me so drunk that it impaired my judgement? With so many tickets from last year and plenty more tokens from this year, I bought myself a membership to the "Brew of the Month" Club. Well, there was nothing left to buy and I thought, what the heck, free brew with supposed beneficial side-effects. Not bad... not bad. I awaited my free brew.

What did I get? Some cheapo stuff, that's what. Some brew that made me speak nonsense and a syrupy light brown ale that made me see squirrels. What happened to all the fortifying stuff I had been getting? No added stamina, no spirit... nothing. They did get me drunk, though. And someone who was drunk, talking nonsense and seeing non-existent squirrels will beat up some neglected dwarf on the provocation that doing so will get me a kodo. Brilliant.

The thing is that I not only went down there, but I dragged Sküld and Dwarrow down there (along with their friends), too. I was uncharacteristically temperamental and mean to them, and for that I hope they someday forgive me.

I still look forward to Brewfest, but I should always remember that moderation is the key. Anyway, to cut a long story short—this year people weren't so happy because they were looking forward to finally purchasing their mount and instead learned they had to beat up a sad old dwarf until he coughed it up. All the other trinkets and stuff are fine, but what other thing can you get from Brewfest that can last you all the way to Northrend? All the other toys are nice, and some cheap alcohol every month is nice, but people were hoping to get the ram or the kodo this year for when we invade Northrend. This was the real reason why people had been racing and barking it up until the very end last year.

This year, there just wasn't any point.

Are we still calling them "welfare" epics?

2008-10-07T18:14:00.011+11:00

I still don't get it. Why is, like, military-grade, alliance-issue gear still seen as, like, "welfare epics". "Welfare epics"! As if! The last time I checked out what "welfare" meant, like, it would be the gray and white stuff the Turners give to guys without jobs and stuff, mostly, or what King Magni doles out to veterans with missin' limbs. "Welfare"! By Malorne's leafy horns! Does anyone know how wicked hard it is to, like, get these things?

And referring to those cowards and mercenaries afking and not contributing in a fight on the battlegrounds and still getting such groovy gear will not make getting this stuff easier. Adventuring raiders are just hopping mad that they have to put up with the perils (and costs) of their trade to get (can I say it?) their gambled loot and they think afkers can get something "just as good" for no effort.

Don't get me wrong, I'm with the adventurers here in that I hate the cowards and the mercenaries as well but, like, don't lump us in with them. For a lot of us, like, really, adventuring just isn't an option. At all. Us guys and gals who want to get bitchin' gear, for sure, we have to sign up for our tour of duty with the Alliance. We're not powerful enough to go to Outland and fight the Illidari or the Burnin' Legion, right? And you'd never willingly go down the bowels of the Molten Core or liquidate Onyxia with us because there's nothin' in it for you anymore, am I right? (My mum would go with me, she says, for sure... except that her peers are eggin' her about the coming invasion of Northrend next month. My mum and I just don't seem to be in the same place at the same time, no matter what we do. I see her sisters, for sure... but it's not the same.)

The thing is, like, it's not welfare! Even my mum who mostly gets some totally bitchin' stuff from her arena battles has to, like, earn every piece she gets. Fighting on the battlegrounds or the arenas, I mean, they're like, so personally taxing. Mano y mano, one-on-one, person-versus-person... that's mondo stressful, man! And you can't just, like, "pull it off" (even the cowards and the mercenaries have to keep a straight face when they, like, queue up to the gigantic dwarfy battlemaster to get their medals and stuff; and as an aside, that "dwarf" battlemaster is as tall as me so, like, you try staring him down). I was totally fabulous in Warsong for a while, but because I haven't fought in, like, two months I can't just wade in there and be fabulous again.

My old nelf says she gets a better chance to get more gear by just adventurin' with others in a dungeon on farm; eventually, you'll get something if you know it's down there. And if one uses the same set of rules for the sort of loot people throw dice on from raiding some old guardian's tower, one can claim that those are "welfare" too; but I'm not stupid enough to call it that. Even I know that Attumen can kill so easily the unskilled. But, in the end, there's nothing like military gear for, like, military purposes. They're more resilient, for one. Nothing is more resilient than the old army issue.

So it's totally not "welfare" epics. Whichever WoW God of the Freezing Storm who called it that was probably, like, just joking. I mean, he can't be serious. More like "insurance" epics... yeah... and the hours spent on our tours of duty is merely the premium we pay until with, like, enough honor and medals to our name,it matures in one piece of wicked armor. I divide my time now with the Sentinels and the League, mostly, and so far they have done good by me.

Burning Dragoon Ærynn

2008-10-06T14:51:00.001+11:00

I finally did as I promised my daughter and sister, and joined the guild of the Burning Dragoons today. They are very much like what Vendetta used to be, so I felt at home very quickly. I will, I think, never overcome the sense of loss for that guild... but as Myrrh would say it is time to move forward and leave the past behind.

Who's the noob?

2008-09-23T13:01:00.012+10:00

One of my frustrations as a hunter is that we are always assumed to be dumb and stupid even when they don't think we're dumb and stupid. Let me say that again, they think we are dumb and stupid even when they say they think we aren't dumb and stupid. How do they do that?

By ignoring the fact that our traps can do lots of lovely, useful things.

A paladin tank that Sküld and I once regularly quested with, for instance, does not respect hunter trapping at all as a means of crowd control until we basically forced him not to ignore it. He would pull 4 or 5 mobs onto himself and severly tax Sküld's healing prowess instead of at least trapping one. Between an experienced trapper and a newly dinged level 70 mage, for instance, he will insist that the only crowd control allowable is the polymorph.

Sometimes, I'd purposely multi-shot, pulling the mobs toward me and one on to a trap, swoon, and let the others go back to the tank... and try to chain trap that mob away from the little dwarf who does all in his power to break it. He says that CC means Constant Consecration and that's it. Sküld eventually learned to despise him when he became a follower of Leeroy Jenkins.

But what took the cake for me was an ignorant elemental shaman we used to regularly quest with also. We once found ourselves deep in the bowels of the Steamvault of Coilfang Reservoir. My younger druid sister Dwarrowdelf was the healer, one paladin of the protection order, and then the shaman, another hunter and I as the main damage dealers. This group was already composed of veterans, and our armor and weapons were those won from the more dangerous places in Outland or bestowed by G'eras the Naaru, and we assumed that this little quest for Zhareem will be a case of getting in, doing our jobs, and getting out.

Except that the shaman was, on principle, opposed to us using any traps whatsoever. "Trapping are for the undergeared," he quipped. We had two hunters who can trap and a druid with the power to envelop antagonists in a whildwind—we need not have feared wandering squads of 5 mobs. The hunters that we had, furthermore, was a marksman and the other talented in survival. Therefore we collectively had better traps that lasted longer, and a way to pull spellcasters onto these traps.

Instead, he insisted that the best way to do this is for him to "tank" the spellcasters from afar while we just concentrated on killing the ones we've marked. Lucky for us that Alliance had captured the Twin Spire Ruins that day, because "caster tanking" was not working—he would fall too quickly, leaving the spellcaster free to snipe at Dwarrow. Grudgingly, he allowed us to trap, implying that if we are so unskilled as to need traps, he's just going to let us do it.

Unfortunately, he was one of those temperamental people who makes sure that, if his plan didn't work, he'd make sure our "plan" didn't succeed either. I saw him purposely break the frozen spellcasters out of their traps several times, leaving even more loose with our traps still not properly cooled down to be laid a consecutive time. Purposely, I maintain, because (as any hunter worth her salt knows) we were pulling away from where the main action was happening and they were still getting hit. He would then go on to say "See, we're worse off. Let's just do it my way now. I'm doing more damage than any of you..." (true) "... and yet you don't trust me!"

We eventually went back to his way, but still laying our traps around for just in case we "accidentally" become too threatening, and make sure we chain-trap the melee fighters behind his back while he was engaging in a spellcaster duel (his vaunted "caster tanking"). As soon as we killed the Warlord, he immediately left our fellowship and triggered his hearthstone. I have not seen him since. To this day, I think, he believes that if we weren't stubborn and eschewed trapping altogether, then we wouldn't have been haunted by the Spirit Healer so much.

I can't blame them, really. That is, I can't blame them all the time. Because even if we can do lots of useful things with our traps (not just crowd-control) since we are not called to use it often when we party up to tackle a dungeon we have no practice. When I was levelling up in my late 30's, I watched a vision of a hunter kiting one mob from a group of 3 by using the mechanics of a freezing trap. That day I learned that traps were not mere gimmicks but important tools, and I quested all the way to the 58th level with that skill, mostly when I was questing solo.

But without much practice after that, or not much practice in group situations, the one or two times we are asked to trap (usually to freeze a mob) it doesn't go as smoothly as a mage who already has their polymorphing technique already rehearsed to boredom. But, really, when some people are more than happy to see a hunter fail, and actively try to make them fail, how can one fight that? And just to maintain the huntard stereotype they cherish in their heads, too?

Because of that, I made it a point to practice chain-trapping and theorycrafting the various situations when my other traps are useful. I don't want to give them the satisfaction of saying "See, hunter traps are for noobs."

Some instances need two healers...

2008-09-22T15:47:00.006+10:00

... It is not hard to understand. While more than one healer is not necessary for some instances, expecting just that just one healer to heal in every instance is just nonsense.

And little sissy excuses like "But I'm not specced for healing!" or "I'm no good at healing!" are just that: sissy excuses. If the main healer is down or not able to heal, those who are used to just receiving the healing should step up to give it.

Or a wipe ensues.

Pirates of the Azerothean

2008-09-20T20:00:00.002+10:00

Yarrrr, I be shanghai'ed by the Dread Captain DeMeza to join her crew fer a day. T'was a terrible thing that I didn't get to keep this bonnie pirate uniform when she left port at day's end.

Vicarious, the Legend of Cronyism (or What Price Loyalty?)

2008-08-19T16:49:00.009+10:00

Much has been written about Vicarious and the treatment that Analogkid got compared to the two hunters. Some have expressed shock at the injustice, while others have defended the cronyism as a valid and fair loot council. I purposely wrote long after the fact to see if, like Primula before him, the sting of what had happened would be lessened somewhat. I find that it hasn't, but there really isn't much that anybody can do about it.

Many have written or spoken in defense of the Vicarious legendary loot council—basically the rogue deserved to have that legendary bow given to him instead of letting the hunters roll for it because:

Hunters have rolled for rogue weapons and gear in the past—yes, we admit it, hunters have. That is why, despite all the written advice that hunters should not be afraid to roll on leather that gives you better stats, I have personally maintained a policy of only rolling on mail (despite a lot of the leather gear looking cooler than most of the ugly mail out there). Of course, this is just my personal principle, and apparently nothing hunters would ever do can shake the perception that we're a bunch of ninja-looters. (When I once offered to help take down Omen, I was rudely told off to stop pretending to help then ninja-looting the quest item [I had, by then, just finished the quest, know for a fact that anybody can get the "quest item"—which is actually a buff—no matter who killed Omen, and thought that I was doing somebody a good turn]; frankly, I've personally met more ninja mages and paladins, but what can I say? I'm one of them noob hunters.)
Analogkid has displayed his loyalty and fealty and, therefore, deserves to be rewarded over those who aren't as loyal—I can perhaps accept that a warrior tank be given these over hunters for his loyalty. But a rogue? And not just any rogue, but one who already has both legendary warglaives? I'm sure the hunters have, by now, gotten the legendary bow themselves (if what they say about having Kil'jaeden on farm is true), that is, if they had loyally stayed with Vicarious and never made a fuss. But what I hated about this "loyalty" mumbo-jumbo is that no matter what any new members can do, they can never outdo a person who's been with the guild since Kara; and implying that, just because the hunters only have recently joined therefore they aren't so loyal, is a gross insult. But, if I were one of the hunters, I probably wouldn't have made any noise either. Insult or no, unfair or no, the guild still had KJ on farm, and I'll eventually get my bow anyway... as soon as everyone on the Loyalty List gets it, that is.
Since Vicarious had KJ on farm, they will get their bow anyway—basically, since KJ is on farm anyway, don't give the drop to the ones who can make the most use of it but to the one with proven loyalty, since one can prove their loyalty by waiting for it to drop again. My question—why can't the rogue have waited if it drops so easily? What's so wrong about a rogue (who already has 2 legendaries) to wait until the 2 hunters got theirs? The reasoning is that if this group has KJ on farm, therefore, the group is already powerful; therefore, the hunters will actually just get a little bit more benefit, but really they don't need it. And since the reasoning of improvement has been casually done away with, just give it to our crony here.

To summarize: 1) Revenge on hunters (QQ moar), 2) Loyal members [cough]cronies[cough] first for epeen reasons, 3) Prove loyalty by still running with the guild after we bitch-slapped you.

I know that the wiser and shrewder course of action here is that, if you were one of the two hunters, to just bite the bullet (or arrow), grin and bear it, and just hope that nobody else on the loyalty list wants it when they want to roll for it... but it still leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I'd feel like I prostituted myself for a piece of gear, or a beggar hoping for some scraps. I don't envy the sort of choices those two hunters had to make.

Update: Of the two hunters (Tums and Zzerg) who were there in that raid, only one remains (Zzerg)... and that hunter still doesn't have the legendary bow. I guess the last hunter remaining ought to prove more loyalty, eh?

I finally got it—The Dark War Talbuk

2008-06-20T22:52:00.002+10:00

After more than a few months of farming 100 Halaa Battle Tokens and more than a year of farming 20 Halaa Research Tokens, I finally was able to purchase this beautiful PvP mount: the Dark War Talbuk.

I turn in the repeatable quest Oshu'gun Crystal Powder for the last time to get the last of the research tokens.

I hurry to the blade merchant Aldraan, who sells the mount.

I make sure that I have the required number of tokens.

Prince Melchazzar, Karazhan - 24 March 2008

2008-03-24T10:31:00.000+11:00

We one-shotted this dude the first time (but it may have been beginners' luck).

Shade of Aran, Karazhan - 23 March 2008

2008-03-23T11:13:00.000+11:00

Warchief Kargath Bladefist, Heroic Shattered Halls - 20 March 2008

2008-03-20T11:10:00.001+11:00

Chess Event, Karazhan - 11 February 2008

2008-02-11T10:27:00.000+11:00

The Curator, Karazhan - 10 February 2008

2008-02-10T10:21:00.000+11:00

Vendetta hated the Curator so much that when they were through with him, there was barely enough left of the giant robot to scrape off from the floor.

The Crone (Wizard of Oz Opera Event), Karazhan - 27 January 2008

2008-01-27T00:12:00.000+11:00

Maiden of Virtue, Karazhan - 29 December 2007

2007-12-29T10:58:00.001+11:00

Headless Horseman, Scarlet Monastery - 27 October 2007

2007-10-27T10:53:00.001+10:00

Sad, aimless thoughts

2007-09-10T21:41:00.003+10:00

Unlike family, one can choose which guild you belong to. That's what I've always been told. When the guild can no longer help you, it is time to move on. I should talk. I left my country because I felt it wasn't taking care of me. Did I leave my country because it can "no longer help me"? It didn't seem like that. Or, at least, it didn't feel like that. It's true that I have a better job here in Australia than I would in the Philippines. So much better I can afford the monthly subscription of World of WarCraft.

But for some reason I feel (yes, just a feeling... isn't it?) that when two friends (were they friends? or just people I got used to questing with) left the guild. I cannot leave. Immunity was the "bad" guild... "The Scots/Vendetta" is the good guild. But people are leaving because they've become too powerful to help. And I feel bad. I understand why they left. There is no anger, just sadness.

And more sadness since more people are taking this as precedent, as an excuse to leave. Their right to leave. It was easier when the abrasive and loud members were the ones to leave for this reason. But when good, disciplined members do so, it just gives legitimacy to those loud members who are just waiting to reach a certain level, then leave.

All we have is Khildred, they say. Vendetta is a good guild... just not a powerful one. I am willing to wait... wait until Vendetta has enough powerful level 70s to actually make a difference. But they're all leaving. For more powerful guilds. Just like back home. All the best and brightest leaving our little schools to go to the better schools... so even when those of us who were bright enough but not rich enough to go to better schools graduate, our schools didn't have enough reputation enough to get us jobs.

Vendetta will never be a powerful, raiding guild. That much is certain. We'll have some very powerful members who will stay (I don't know for how long) but because the ones who could have made a difference leave and never come back, Vendetta will always only be an in-between point.

Unless nobody leaves.

I... I will not leave. Not unless Khildred, Miss and Koryo have left. The ones who first played this game didn't have any friendly powerful lvl 70s to help them do Molten Core and all the other dungeons now being passed over by those who are infatuated with the drops in Outland. At level cap 60, they had only themselves. Guilds had to slowly build their strength, members having no choice but to learn to get strong with the guild. These days, it is different. People have gotten used to having powerful "guildies" to help them out of a tight spot, and get mad at the guild when they can't help. They suddenly get frustrated at lvl 70 group quests, because all they've gotten used to is just having to level up and get the next best "gear" to defeat what could've been defeated with tactics and strategy... finesse, in other words.

Hunters no longer pull in dungeons. Why should they? Whereas before hunters' unique pulling talents were needed to pull and kite correctly those mobs that no one had any chance of "leveling up" to defeat, or terminate it in case of bad pull... now only tanks pull. Why not? Aggro is instantly theirs and they only die if not properly geared or if the healer is lousy (and healers are always lousy if the group wipes).

I will not leave. I do not see the point in hurrying to lvl 70, getting bored with inactivity because there are not enough high level members to help do the more dangerous dungeons and grind, grind, grind for more gear. I want to take my time.

But one of them has already called me wrong to my face (my avatar's face, anyway). Maybe I am wrong. Maybe I am misplaced. Maybe in the scheme of things where I am wrong I do not deserve to help or be helped. Maybe I am supposed to hurry to lvl 70 (or 80, when the expansion comes out) and get all the gear I can.

Maybe I am supposed to use Vendetta to get the stuff I want and leave when they no longer can. Maybe I'm just a silly sentimental fool to think that maybe, maybe guilds were more than gear vending machines.

Sküld's new "flying" mount

2007-08-16T07:40:00.001+10:00

When we answered the call to help fellow guildie Deathsaid through the Deadmines, we didn't know that the gryphon flight master would give Sküld a "little" present.

Archive of old pics

2007-08-15T21:47:00.001+10:00

Ærynn's Adventures begin

2007-08-14T14:28:00.000+10:00

About the Bloggers

2007-02-24T00:23:00.002+11:00

This blog is intended to be a commentary on the game from my character's (toon's) point-of-view. Since I roleplay, each of my characters have a backstory.

Ærynn Lómëhtar

A nightelven huntress. She wanted to be a sentinel or warden, but was accepted into the school of beastmastery first, and has drifted to the survival school and, finally, to marksmanship, where she found her calling.

As a nightelf, she looks at the younger races as basically foolish, but is trying hard to be open-minded.

While adventuring, she came upon a young human orphan, Myrrh Curie, and decided to adopt her.

Myrrh Curie

Orphaned when her parents were killed in the Battle of Mount Hyjal, she had been living in Theramore, but took the boat to Auberdine in a fit of adventurism... and met the nightelf Ærynn. Befriending the older woman, she was shocked but pleased when Ærynn decides to adopt her, bring her home to her "kind" and pay for her education in the "human" arts.

Except that Ærynn brought Myrrh to Ironforge to live with the other "little" people.