to The
Overpull, Ten Ton Hammer's weekly newsletter that discusses all things
WoW.
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alt="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.
style="font-weight: bold;">Blues Clues
class="blue">
href="http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=19595379811&pageNo=5&sid=1#93">No
soup for you!
Kalgan explains why we can't get PvP weapons without being an Arena
junky:
"
style="font-style: italic;" class="blue">...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).
href="http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=19595520172&pageNo=1&sid=1#3">
class="blue">Instant Worgen Level 80s?
style="font-style: italic;" class="blue">
class="blue">Crygil clarifies that we
probablywon't be able to use the upcoming faction-change mechanic to
receive instant end-game Goblins or Worgen:
style="font-style: italic;">
"...
style="font-style: italic;" class="blue">, 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."
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style="font-style: italic;" class="blue">
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src="http://images.tentonhammer.com/newsletters/wow/mishapsmayhem.gif"
alt="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:
idea behind the paths is to offer max-level character progression over
time that isn't tied to gear.
class="blue">
class="blue">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.
class="blue">
class="blue">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
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=45904">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
href="http://wow.tentonhammer.com/">
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