Tree-Huggin' hippy crap!

So... 900,000 people have left WoW in the last 6 months. How does that make me a hippy? huh?

It's enough to get anyone sounding the death-knolls... except it's really not. A game like wow with 11million constant subscribers and 13million peek subscribers, is going to see variations of 900,000 all the time. Do I think that's made them step back and think? Yep! Do I think that makes Cata' a failed expansion? hell no! As someone who came in in Wrath but learnt the game from a much more long term player, I can happily say I loved both the difficulty ramp up, and Azeroth post Shattering to pre.

Just about everything felt dated and clunky in Wrath starting areas, I rolled a Space Goat, then a DK, to avoid the vanilla starting areas. All together I've rolled a Palladin, a DK tank, a Holy Preist, and my faithful Dwarf Hunter. Happy times. Righteous golden fury or mechanical pet-and-gun derived death. What more could you ask for?

Now, however, a leveling project with friends has seen me roll a Night Elf Druid... tall, poncey, glowy eyed, hippy, tree-hugger... it is the antithesis of my stout dwarf hunter with a gret' big feckin' gun!

Unfortunately Tree-huggin'-hippy-crap is turning out to be an awesome class. Thee only class that can not only heal/tank/dps but also chose between melee and ranged DPS... in fact one of the best DPS'ers in WoW at the moment (on US realms at least) plays a Boomkin.

This works out well for me because I have really enjoyed tanking in the past, I am surprised just how much I enjoy my first healer (holy priest), I know I like range DPS from my hunter but then again it'd be nice to get stuck in at close range.

It surprises me that Druid is the only class that can do EVERY role... this is also the one available to only 2 alliance classes...

To my mind Shamans should have a spec where they summon a stone elemental and tank along side that.

On that note, as BM remains a useless spec for Raid Hunters I belive it should be made into a ranged tanking spec.

It is at this point I refer you to an awesome post by one Matthew Rossi, where Warlock, Mage and the long needed Hunter Pet tanks are discussed. (Do this Blizzard!)

And then we come to Mist of Pandaria. Will this bring a Monk speck? If it does I can see the class being a melee DPS/Tank/ and Heal type, with the emphasis being on what they can do with their hands, in close combat or healing touches... Monks don't strike me as a ranged class, so Dr00ds will once again have a ridiculous share of the specs

In the mean time I'm the nature lovin' dr00d who keeps getting asked to slaughter innocent animals... they'll take away my tree-huggers card!

Cast regrowth, then

Swear Allegiance

"Smaller more frequent patches" - Totally...

Breaking news (broken news?), in line with their policy of... no... wait... flying completely in the face of - the whole "smaller patches more often" thing, Blizz' treated us to lovely, lovely 4.3 details! Curiously via an interview for the German gaming site www.gamona.de (hit up that Google translate button) and later via WoWInsider

So What are we getting?

Void Storage!
Transmogrify'ers!
New Instances!
Deathwing!

What does this all mean? click on through...

Give The People What They Want!

Rumours (potentially quite correct ones...) of the new expansion title, has sparked a whole range of really great analysis and speculation about what the 'leaked' title and what that might mean for the progression of the world of Azeroth, but leaving aside what we might see in the new expansion, I'm having a think about why "The Mists of Pandaria"

Could this expansion be "Give The People What They Want"...

The following is total speculation on my part and should definitely not be taken seriously at all, In the slightest...

WoW Yourself

Literally translate yourself into WoW

I don't mean jump into RP, I mean take a good long look at yourself and translate yourself into a WoW archetype, see if you are playing a role or role-playing your self in another world.

What do I mean? Well lets do me:

I'm new in WoW, what am I?

Well I'm human, but we're all that, so that's ignored... so what am I? Well I'm 5'9 mid-to-short for my race, I'm square built with muscle and wide shoulders... I like a drink and have a British appreciation for the art of brewing drinks, I'm half Scotish, that's a large hint!

I'm religious, a liberal christian, the Holy Light would be a friend to me then, but... I don't think I'd ever want to be all up in a fight, no sir, I like to be well away from trouble, making a difference knowing I'm well away from harm (yes, I'm a coward, because it's sensible to be one!)... now add to that I'm pretty good with a rifle (even if I think gun ownership is /insane/!) and I'm a huge dog person. Oh, and I can only play good guys.... can't get my head around even marginally bad good guys.

Okay so that's my map, and you know what? My first character was an Alliance Paladin... I didn't like it because I don't like melee DPS, I'm not a natural gamer and having lots to worry about panics me and I make mistakes.

What am I next most like, an animal loving Dwarf with a gun! Bam! That's me. In this respect my main and I are unsurprisingly the choice I go for most in RPGs.

I translate into game pretty damn well.

On the other hand, other classes I enjoy playing? Holy Priest... I love the way priest mechanics work, I feel like I might actually be a more natural healer than anything else, but I haven't had much time with this...

and Rogue although I haven't played one past level 20, and dislike melee DPS, Rogues are the exception to the rule, because they are never the centre of attention and can stealth through everything, I really like them as a potential

So there we are then, WoW yoursef out: I'm mainly a short stocky animal loving, heavy drinking Dwarf Hunter, I probably follow the Holy Light, and have a simple pet that I have a big bond with, rather than a flashy one. I'm an engineer, and despite my faith put my stock in a bloody big gun in my hand.

Yeah, that sounds like me. What about you? Who and what do you HONESTLY think you match up with?

Are you playing a spec you love but would never really be? Or are you a master of a character type you can only ever fantasise about – or even would hate in real life?

We want your answers guys!

Answers first, and then ....Swear Allegiance  

All Azeroth's a Stage

WoW is an old game, 6 years old to be exact. It has, in this time of unequaled video gaming success, to my (mildly odd) mind, become like some great Shakespearian comedy, acquiring 7 ages of player:

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players,
They have their exits and entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then, the whining schoolboy with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden, and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice
In fair round belly, with good capon lin'd,
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws, and modern instances,
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side,
His youthful hose well sav'd, a world too wide,
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again towards childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

+50 Culture Points

The epic passage, and summary of the life of one man can be quite analogous to the growth and development of the WoW player, if you have as odd a mind as I dear sir...

The difference being, that for as long as they can, a hero of Azeroth attempts to stop the boat at a point that fits her play style.