WoW Weekly Report - The Overpull for 8/31/09

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Posted Tue, Sep 01, 2009 by Medeor

Welcome to The Overpull, Ten Ton Hammer's weekly newsletter that discusses all things WoW.

Now on Farm or That's a Wipe

All's quiet on the western front this week. After the flood of information from Blizzcon, it seems we are in a food-coma like saturation. Little information this week to grade, but I'll give it the college try.

Battle.Net: Even though the switch from WoW accounts to Battle.net accounts was a bit rocky, I really like where they are going with the system. Part Steam, part Station Launcher, they are cherry picking some good options for us in the future. I'm sure I will lose a lot of guildies to StarCraft2 so at least I'll be able to stalk them on the new Battle.net system.

Seal of Command: what Overpull is complete without some gratuitious Paladin pandering? Per patch notes for 3.2.2, SoC will chain to 2 other targets. Amongst some nerfs, this is a bright spot.

Blues Clues

No soup for you!
Kalgan explains why we can't get PvP weapons without being an Arena junky:
"...because we make the assumption that since WoW was engaging enough for 80 levels of play to get to the scenario you mention that most people aren't actually that horribly offended by doing pve content (which is arguably the core of the game).

Instant Worgen Level 80s?
Crygil clarifies that we probablywon't be able to use the upcoming faction-change mechanic to receive instant end-game Goblins or Worgen:
"..., we would be doing many players a disservice by allowing Race Changes to circumvent the leveling process early on in the expansions natural life cycle."

Medeor's Mishaps and Mayhem

Out of the muscle-relaxing haze and into the fantasy fire.

I was able to shake off my injury just in time to go to a fantasy football draft this weekend. This isn't one of those ordinary 2 hour draft parties, no this an event that makes Burning Man seem like an afternoon picnic at the church. We start on Friday night pretending like we're still 21 and then try and regroup on Saturday in time to pick teams. It's a grueling two days of booze, high-fat fried foods and social irresponsibility, all filed under "best weekends ever." Much like managing my army of WoW-alts, my fantasy draft is a mismash of characters who may never see action again. Was Tony Dorsett a good pick? Was starting another Blood Elf Paladin a good idea? See? Very similar.

During the ride home last night I started wondering who I would pick for an all-WoW fantasy team. Thrall would be a first round pick for certain. Arthas would have been except for his little issue of "conduct unbecoming" so he has been sent to the bench. Illidan had that substance abuse problem and grew horns so he is a conditional pick. Malfurion would be way up in the standings except for his emerald narcalepsy. The Bronzebeard clan would be going head to head on the line with the Brighthoof crew so they will cancel each other out. Jaina Proudmoore was going to lead the cheerleaders until she realized she was tougher than than the players, so she is suiting up and is definitely a first round pick.

Other picks for the All-WoW fantasy team:
Orcs of any class, and definitely some Undead for spiking the opposing team's Gatorade. Draenei might be a good choice if they can drop the "sensitive ninety's guy" act. Of course we know that all races and classes in WoW are comfortable with big shoulderpads so that is a plus. Night Elves, Blood Elves and Gnomes need not apply.

Back to business. The business end of PvP.
Do you play any differently when you go head to head with your own class on the opposing faction? I've been known to ride by a fellow Paladin as we zoom past each other with Crusader Aura on in the Field of Strife in AV. I'm not sure if that happens because we know it will be a long fight or if it's professional courtesy. I know I've seen Warlocks who tend not to DOT their own, but since 'Locks are deviant by design, it's probably because they all belong to the same cult which is neither Horde nor Alliance.

Path of Titans
One of the more intriguing features to come out of Blizzcon for me, Ghostcrawler gave a bit more insight into what it means this week:

The idea behind the paths is to offer max-level character progression over time that isn't tied to gear.

The feature is much more robust than this, but at a very conceptual level imagine that at level 85 you got a new talent point every week just for logging in. The rewards are slower than during the leveling period, but they are rewards that exist independent of gear. However on the other hand, you don't feel the need to race through them (in fact you can't) if you are focused on getting to max level and they don't bloat your spellbook with as many abilities as gaining actual whole levels (though they will add a few). Over time, the actual discussions about how to build a character will likely change and evolve in interesting ways. The new point might give you a reason to log in on non-raid nights or even if you've gotten a little burned out on raiding.

The mantra is "gated, not grindy." They will require you to do something, but they are also designed with the idea that you can't kill yourself trying to blast through them as fast as possible.

Gated not grindy is a great marketing term but I'm not sure what he means. If daily quests are considered gated then I am staring down the conveyor belt of another dreadmill. If history serves, I'm more likely to grab a bucket of fried chicken than get on a treadmill. I'm not sure what it is, but daily quests make me want to hurl. Maybe it was Netherwing, Quel'Danas or one of the other jillion dailies from BC that did me in.

From the good news department.
It's amazing, but each year our ranks swell as school gets back into session. In the middle of summer we're sure that the game is dying and we'll never see Ulduar again and then ding, the school bell rings and we're in business. Maybe by year 6 we'll remember how seasonal raiding really is.

Did you pick a good team this year? Is gated the way you want to see the game go? Did the end of summer provide the raiding salve you were hoping for? Have you noticed increased guild activity the last week or two? Stop by and let's chat in our forums.

And before I forget, I have to give a big shoutout and grats to baby Sokkah fresh off the character select screen. Mr. and Mrs. Sokkah are both WoW players who have welcomed a brand new baby boy into our realm.

Have a great week, and thanks for reading.

-Jay "Medeor" Johnson