Shared Topic – The Pre-Expansion Slump
Over on Blog Azeroth, Jaedia proposed the following question:
With Cataclysm only months away (we can assume), a lot of players are finding themselves bored with current content. How do you, your friends, and/or your guild conquer the pre-expansion slump?
I dealt with the pre-expansion slump the same way anyone bored with current content would – running old content.
You never call anymore.
It started months ago, back when there was actual snow on the ground outside. I had grown sour with Northrend. I was at the point where I was just powering through my dailies to make my gold. Once I developed a pattern, a method to the madness, I turned my quest runs into speed trials. Every day I’d try to get 20+ quests done in the shortest amount of time, maybe ninety minutes or so, while maxing out my earnings. I wasn’t worried about missing anything by going through so quickly. I was sick of seeing jousting and snow, mammoths and snow, and snow and snow. At least running my speed trials would minimize the time I’d have to see any of them.
Other than Dwarves named Grumpy and Dopey, who could stare at this all day?
One day in Dalaran I decided it was time for a change of scenery. Time to get out of the snow and see something new, or at least different. Faced with two options, running an alt or taking Herc back to prior content, the Fury Warrior was given the nod. But this wasn’t going to be some kind of vacation. Hells no! Just because he wasn’t earning XP, this departure was going to be beneficial in some way.
The relocation spot? Nagrand. The mission? Grind rep with the Mag’har and earn a new talbuk mount. After killing a few hundred Ogres and the grind started to get to be a bit too much, Herc started killing Ogres using weapons that had not yet been capped, including his bare hands. In the end, he nailed down an achievement and a talbuk.
I want to punch this guy too.
Since then, I’ve taken a further step back into content by going after the World Explorer achievement. It’s been keeping me out of Northrend, and has me checking out zones that I will probably never see again after Cataclysm. At the end of the Azeroth World Conquest Tour, I’ll pick up the title of “Herculano the Explorer.”
After that? Maybe a Netherwing Drake.
There’s always something to do. It’s just a matter of finding it.
This is Herc the Merc, squeezing every drop out of the previous content.
Long Way Round
Sitting in a saddle for too long is not good for the butt.
I had some free time this afternoon, so I decided I would attempt to finish up a few more steps on the stairway to World Domination. During which time I would also have Herc queue up for his daily random Heroic. Multitasking – it’s what all the cool kids are doing when they’re not being cool!
As frustration would have it, the word of the day was LAG. I’m not sure why, but the past few time I logged on to play WoW I’ve really been having latency issues. I have a few suspicions as to what the culprit is, but needless to say, everything was slow going. Multiple deaths in Heroics (hard to stay out of the stupid when you die before you even know you’re in trouble), not to mention the numerous disconnects caused by riding around a zone. Booted due to sightseeing. Apparently my computer was stoned and would rather check out the birds flying overhead than send data packets to the WoW servers.
Duuuude…
While my eye twitched and I wished evil on the Gods of Red Latency (seriously, 1900-3200ms WTF), Herculano stomped through zones. His was an angry journey, but when he finally decided he’d had enough he hopped off his Talbuk and dropped his saddle-raw butt in the Zoram Strand. Herc put on the miles today, all on Goatback –
That pretty much leaves only the northern section of Kalimdor left to explore. Unfortunately, it means that Herc the Merc is probably going to be getting his hands dirty when he tries to explore the Night Elf and Space Goat Islands. Oh well, can’t make an omlette without breaking a few skulls – eggs, I meant eggs.
* * *
In other news, Blizzcon tickets went on sale this weekend. I was unable to be near a computer when they were posted, so I am currently without Blizzcon tickets. I’ve put the word out as far as buying a ticket if someone ends up with an extra, but I’m not about to pay triple the listed price on Ebay just to get one. At least, I don’t think I am.
This is Herc the Merc – There may be Alliance blood on my hands in the future, but I’d rather have my palm crossed with a Blizzcon ticket. I’ve always wondered about ‘con funk.
Anyhow, have a week.
