I rolled a shaman to join my guild's Monday night team. My target is level 35, and I'm at level 24 now. The shaman class is fun to play with its mix of ranged and hand-to-hand combat plus heals. The ghost wolf travel form is crazy. It's like having a mount at level 20. Fun, fun.
The Game Dame posted a couple articles with tips on playing shamans. Good stuff for a newbie shaman like me. Check it out:
Last weekend I was tapped to fill in for a Team Manaka (the guild's Saturday team) member who couldn't make it because she had to work. The all guild team consisted of a warrior, priest, mage, hunter, and shaman (me). I was nervous because I was a substitute for a regular team member, but no worries once we got rolling. Friendly, fun, and mature. That's how I describe the team. Everything clicked and we had a great run.
I've played the healer and DPS in many small group dungeons from Ragefire Chasm through Underbog (tanked a few times too). But this was the first time I was playing back up to all three of the primary roles. This was a challenge, but a fun challenge. When the priest went out of mana, I backed him up. When the mage pulled aggro, I frost shocked the mob over to me and kept it occupied. But I spent most of my time dropping totems, interrupting enemy spellcasters, and smacking things in the noggin.
I picked up a couple pieces of armor and a rolling pin. No, that wasn't a typo. A better one-handed mace dropped and I won the roll for it. Cookie's Tenderizer (I think). It looks like my toon is swinging a rolling pin though. Increased my DPS by about 15%. I'd post a screen capture... but I'm at work. Hehe.
Fun Fact Friday: In real life I worked at a small bakery for about a year. The specialty breads and pastries type of bakery. While I never had to whack a murlock over the head with a rolling pin, I made some killer sweet rolls.
Showing posts with label guild. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guild. Show all posts
Friday, December 14, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Small Group Feel Inside a Guild
I know a few people in RL that play World of Warcraft. Unfortunately their work schedules are opposite of mine or they play so infrequently that I rarely see them online. The people I liked from my old raiding guild are still in that raid-or-die mentality. While they were polite when we chatted, I got the feeling I was little more than a failed raider and ex-guildie to them. Sigh.
What is a hardcore casual player to do? I enjoy the solo play, but the group content is what takes the game to another level. I tried being a raider, but that didn't fit my play style. Pickup groups are too risky and frustrating. I like reading Wilhelm's posts over at TAGN about his regular WOW gaming group as they tackle different instances week after week.
/jealous
/sad
/QQ
That's what I want... a group of players that keep their characters within a narrow level range and meet once or twice a week to have fun and run instances. But how? How to join a group when most of my friends and family are non-gamers. If they are gamers, they're the Halo type of gamers.
Does this sound familiar to you? Keep reading.
Earlier this summer I posted a short series on why I left WOW. Stormgaard from Se7en Samurai commented on it and suggested I check out his guild. After resubbing last month, I did. The guild I recently joined, The Seven Samurai on Alleria (Alliance), is genius in how they establish teams (small play groups) within the larger guild environment. Money quote shamelessly reposted here:
There is a one-to-one relationship between characters and teams. That is, once you have one of your toons join a team, you only play on that team and on the scheduled night. (Except, obviously, to do stuff like tradeskills or training, etc.) The key is once a character joins the team you keep your character near the same level as the rest of the team. You progress through the content together.
Also, perfect if you like playing multiple toons. For example, I could have one character on the level 20 team, another on the level 45 team, and a third at 70. Plus a couple of other alts I play on the off days. That's an example of course... my new toons are currently levels 3, 11, 14, and 20.
Joining an existing team or starting a new one is simple and informal. Filling in on a team if someone is absent is also a possibility. Just ask in game or post something in the forums. So much simpler than that raiding guild I was in. Daddy likes. Hehe.
I didn't okay this with the guild ahead of time, but if you've read this far down the post, then I assume you're interested in The Seven Samurai. We play on Alleria server on the Alliance side. Players are spread across all the US time zones, so chances are there's a team for you. Post a message in the forums if you're interested in joining or ping someone online.
What is a hardcore casual player to do? I enjoy the solo play, but the group content is what takes the game to another level. I tried being a raider, but that didn't fit my play style. Pickup groups are too risky and frustrating. I like reading Wilhelm's posts over at TAGN about his regular WOW gaming group as they tackle different instances week after week.
/jealous
/sad
That's what I want... a group of players that keep their characters within a narrow level range and meet once or twice a week to have fun and run instances. But how? How to join a group when most of my friends and family are non-gamers. If they are gamers, they're the Halo type of gamers.
Does this sound familiar to you? Keep reading.
Earlier this summer I posted a short series on why I left WOW. Stormgaard from Se7en Samurai commented on it and suggested I check out his guild. After resubbing last month, I did. The guild I recently joined, The Seven Samurai on Alleria (Alliance), is genius in how they establish teams (small play groups) within the larger guild environment. Money quote shamelessly reposted here:
Our guild teams offer members the opportunity to group on a regular basis without having to worry about out-leveling each other. The secret to this is that team characters are only played on the nights specified for each team. Think of it like a weekly "Poker Night" - it's in the exact same spirit. We pick different classes that compliment each other and have a blast leveling through the game together.
Anyone may join one of our established guild teams or create their own if they wish. If you join an existing guild team it's required that stay within a workable grouping level range of the other members. If you wish to create your own team you will need to name at least one team captain so that other guild members can contact you if they have any questions.
-Stormgaard
There is a one-to-one relationship between characters and teams. That is, once you have one of your toons join a team, you only play on that team and on the scheduled night. (Except, obviously, to do stuff like tradeskills or training, etc.) The key is once a character joins the team you keep your character near the same level as the rest of the team. You progress through the content together.
Also, perfect if you like playing multiple toons. For example, I could have one character on the level 20 team, another on the level 45 team, and a third at 70. Plus a couple of other alts I play on the off days. That's an example of course... my new toons are currently levels 3, 11, 14, and 20.
Joining an existing team or starting a new one is simple and informal. Filling in on a team if someone is absent is also a possibility. Just ask in game or post something in the forums. So much simpler than that raiding guild I was in. Daddy likes. Hehe.
I didn't okay this with the guild ahead of time, but if you've read this far down the post, then I assume you're interested in The Seven Samurai. We play on Alleria server on the Alliance side. Players are spread across all the US time zones, so chances are there's a team for you. Post a message in the forums if you're interested in joining or ping someone online.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Random Junk Dec 3
Odds and ends tonight. Busy in RL over the weekend... and leveling up Alliance toons to join teams in my new guild, Seven Samurai. But more on that in a future posting.
My boss actually followed through with her promise of comp time to pay me back for the 3 weekends I worked last month. Nice. I took Monday off of work... good thing too because I went out to a bar Sunday night and indulged in a little too much holiday cheer. Never mind Daddy, kids, his tummy feels icky.
I use Google Reader and it's sitting at 150+ articles to read. I glimpsed at the titles and looks like some good stuff. I'm saving that for tomorrow morning at work. Hehe.
My wireless network frustrated me. Past tense. I was getting bumped off the Internet too frequently, which makes battlegrounds or healing in a group a very bad thing. My solution was not elegant but quick and effective instead: get wired.
Shaman is a fun class.
If you've read this far, my thanks for sticking through my rambling. Adios.
My boss actually followed through with her promise of comp time to pay me back for the 3 weekends I worked last month. Nice. I took Monday off of work... good thing too because I went out to a bar Sunday night and indulged in a little too much holiday cheer. Never mind Daddy, kids, his tummy feels icky.
I use Google Reader and it's sitting at 150+ articles to read. I glimpsed at the titles and looks like some good stuff. I'm saving that for tomorrow morning at work. Hehe.
My wireless network frustrated me. Past tense. I was getting bumped off the Internet too frequently, which makes battlegrounds or healing in a group a very bad thing. My solution was not elegant but quick and effective instead: get wired.
Shaman is a fun class.
If you've read this far, my thanks for sticking through my rambling. Adios.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Seven is a Lucky Number
Much love to my new World of Warcraft friends on Alleria server. They were gracious enough to let me join their guild: The Se7en Samurai. Check them out.
I played one Alliance toon to level 5 a lifetime ago, so this will be new content for me... at least for the first month or two. I've had fun starting over on a new server. All my other alts received gold and big bags from my upper level characters, so this "starting over from scratch" thing is a refreshing twist.
I played one Alliance toon to level 5 a lifetime ago, so this will be new content for me... at least for the first month or two. I've had fun starting over on a new server. All my other alts received gold and big bags from my upper level characters, so this "starting over from scratch" thing is a refreshing twist.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Guilded, Really?
Last night after Heroes I logged into my level 30 tauren warrior, which I left parked at the mailbox in Undercity and who was never in a guild. I was working on my UI, figuring out where to put the stance bar and toying with another new batch of addons. My bull was motionless for thirty minutes easily. Then I received a whisper from a complete stranger.
I decide this guild either immediately recognizes my skill, intelligence, charisma, and good looks OR their recruitment standards are so freaking low that they will take any random mid-level toon standing by a mailbox. I go back to working on the UI and mind my own business.
Twenty minutes later a female troll starts flirting with me at the mailbox. I, of course, start flirting back Tauren style.
Turns out this is the guild leader, and we chat for awhile. I figure what the hell and joined up. They had forty odd people logged in at 11:00 PM on a Monday night. Players were spread out between the low 20s and low 50s. Hmmmm. I tend to go with the flow, so let's see what happens.
Stranger 1: do you want to join my guild?
Me: why?
Stranger 1: why not?
Me: /who Stranger 1 ((level 17 belf warlock in guild XYZ))
Me: good point
I decide this guild either immediately recognizes my skill, intelligence, charisma, and good looks OR their recruitment standards are so freaking low that they will take any random mid-level toon standing by a mailbox. I go back to working on the UI and mind my own business.
Twenty minutes later a female troll starts flirting with me at the mailbox. I, of course, start flirting back Tauren style.
Stranger 2 blows you a kiss.
You whistle at Stranger 2.
You moooooo at Stranger 2.
Stranger 2: Would you like to join my guild? We're a fun, casual guild with 300+ members.
Me: /who Stranger 2 ((level 43 troll mage in guild XYZ))
Me: lol, is your guild on a recruitment spree? you're the second person to whisper me about joining
Turns out this is the guild leader, and we chat for awhile. I figure what the hell and joined up. They had forty odd people logged in at 11:00 PM on a Monday night. Players were spread out between the low 20s and low 50s. Hmmmm. I tend to go with the flow, so let's see what happens.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Bitter and Vindictive
I am torn. I feel guilty and petty for celebrating the misery and misfortune of others. But I can't help feeling smug and satisfied when certain people get their just deserts.
A friend at work started playing World of Warcraft a couple months before I left the game in March. I won't go over the whole leaving WOW story again because I've beat that dead horse enough. But one of the reasons I left WOW after almost a year and a half was guild drama and a painful guild split.
My friend at work told me to check out his main character in the Armory. I'd forgotten about that tool. Of course I checked out my old guild too. They had a couple dozen characters in their teens and twenties. Many of the names were old raiders from the Molten Core days. Blew me away to think they'd deleted their old characters and started over new. Good for them.
I also checked out the splinter guild... the traitors that rushed to level 70 after the expansion was released and left to form a new guild to start raiding. They're gone. Dead. I emailed someone from my old guild and he said he heard they had some big, ugly blow out a few weeks ago and a bunch transferred servers and some quit out right.
Does this make me a bad person? I'm happy they got what they deserve. Evil devouring itself or some such like that. But I also don't like being bitter. I had good times with them. If anything I should thank them for helping me decide to leave WOW. Since then I've come to a more balanced approach to video games.
There. I feel better sharing instead of letting it fester inside me. Too bad I didn't have this blog a year ago. Enough of with the feelings already. Time to log in and hunt some orcs.
A friend at work started playing World of Warcraft a couple months before I left the game in March. I won't go over the whole leaving WOW story again because I've beat that dead horse enough. But one of the reasons I left WOW after almost a year and a half was guild drama and a painful guild split.
My friend at work told me to check out his main character in the Armory. I'd forgotten about that tool. Of course I checked out my old guild too. They had a couple dozen characters in their teens and twenties. Many of the names were old raiders from the Molten Core days. Blew me away to think they'd deleted their old characters and started over new. Good for them.
I also checked out the splinter guild... the traitors that rushed to level 70 after the expansion was released and left to form a new guild to start raiding. They're gone. Dead. I emailed someone from my old guild and he said he heard they had some big, ugly blow out a few weeks ago and a bunch transferred servers and some quit out right.
Does this make me a bad person? I'm happy they got what they deserve. Evil devouring itself or some such like that. But I also don't like being bitter. I had good times with them. If anything I should thank them for helping me decide to leave WOW. Since then I've come to a more balanced approach to video games.
There. I feel better sharing instead of letting it fester inside me. Too bad I didn't have this blog a year ago. Enough of with the feelings already. Time to log in and hunt some orcs.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Leaving WOW, Part 2
Today's post is a continuation of the why-I-left-WOW mini series. I'm exploring the reasons why I left WOW five months ago. I miss the game and am tempted to rejoin, but I don't want to set myself up (in WOW or any other game) by not addressing what went wrong.
Guild drama and split
When I hit the old level cap, I thought it would be fun to try raiding. Haha. Silly rabbit. I should have peeked at that world instead of jumping down the hole feet first. About one in five raids was actually enjoyable. The rest were frustrating and boring. I'm just not a raider.
What I liked about the raiding guild was playing with a large number of adults. There were always people around to do five-man instances and battlegrounds. That was fun. Waiting around for an hour until we have enough guild members online to take on a raid boss: not so fun.
The months before the expansion we had a serious dip in raid participation, raids were cancelled, and the lewtwhrs left. Stressful but not a problem because it meant more fun running instances and battlegrounds. Those were good times, joking around with guildies in Vent and smashing gnomes in the face.
After the expansion hit, about 10 people powered up to level 70 in a week and a week after that split the guild. I was on the fence and decided to stick with the more casual element in the guild. We limped along, but the whining and complaining in guild chat was too much. The guild leader and remaining guild officers logged on less and less. More people left the guild. I started playing alts more than my main just to get a break from the negativity.
How can I avoid a similar situation if I go back to WOW or play some other MMO? Well, I can NOT join a raiding guild for starters. Duh. A big guild that is NOT raid focused is more for me. That's what I want, just a bunch of fun, mature people that I can group with or just chat with. Hohum.
Coming soon in the mini series...
- Obsessed with leveling fast
- Play conflicted with RL
- Raiding requirements
- Too much repetition
-Link
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