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Alpha to Omega – Cataclysm

Had to take a picture to remember even being there.

As with most things I do, it isn’t until after I finish something that I realize there’s something more there to discuss. Sometimes I’ll backtrack, sometimes I’ll address it in the future. I mentioned things in the last Alpha to Omega post that I should have put a bit more focus on. I feel there were topics that just didn’t get their due attention.

Take now, for example. Specifically the Elixirs of the Rapid Mind. This is great for leveling when you’ve been through the process a few times, give or take a dozen. I was actually starting to get to that leveling burnout point with Odingreen once he’d reached level 73. I was so tempted that I mentioned my dilemma on Twitter, hoping to stir some kind of conversation or at least get some feedback.

The retweet was nice at least.

So to help to get through the leveling grind, Odingreen bought a few of these elixirs from the AH and put them to work. As I mentioned in my last post, they really helped me push through the burnout wall.

Now that Odingreen had jumped into a new pool of content, the question became how to make the most of these elixirs in Cataclysm content. We’re talking five levels here. How fast could Odingreen get through those levels using the Elixir of the Rapid Mind?

Answer: Less than an hour.

There are guides on Youtube, quite a few in fact, for leveling quickly through Cataclysm. The key to them, so they say, is by grinding dungeons under the influence of the Elixir of the Rapid Mind. But those videos, for the most part, are a bit misleading. What these videos forget to mention is that for the dungeon crushing to be effective, you also need a level 100 friend to carry you through them. He (or she) kills the dungeon while you either stand at the entrance, or follow behind at a safe distance.

Of course, if you have a well-geared friend who is willing to subject himself (or herself) to this, then by all means go for it. However if you’re solo for whatever reason (we’re all friends here, we don’t judge), then just pop an E of the RM and quest. It might not be as OMG WFT BBQ fast as being carried repeatedly through dungeons, but it’s still pretty damn silly fast.

As far as Cataclysm content goes, well here’s some “sage” advice from the Muscle Mage himself, Odingreen.

Odingreen’s Tips for Leveling From 80 to 85 Using the Elixir of the Rapid Mind

Avoid Dungeons when using The Elixir. “It’s just not worth risking your time. Sure you can drink it just as the final boss is about to die, but if you’re in a PuG then you definitely don’t want to risk wasting the elixir (and gold, cause these damn things aren’t cheap) by chugging it when you first start your dungeon run. You may have facerolled through Outland and Northrend, but in my experience there are more people who tend to, how should I put this, have their head stuck up their ass as they push content. They wouldn’t know hard work if it jumped up and bit them in the ass. Adversity, for them, involves whining and kicking people who don’t overpower the content and can’t carry their lazy asses. There’s no leveling gainz to be made that way. Don’t waste your buffed time and precious gold on Johnny Waddafak knowing how to work the boss mechanics. If you want to run dungeons for loot, achievements, or whatever, then do it without wasting an elixir.”
Quest hard and often. “This is where you make fast and sizeable leveling gainz. I took a hit of the RM just as I was about to hand in four quests at a group hub, and just bounced from there. There’s plenty of questing hubs available in Mt Hyjal, Deepholm, and… well I can’t speak for the other places because I didn’t have to go there. Yeah. Five levels, two zones, fourth wall be damned.”
Finish off your RM before leaving the zone. “Cataclysm is the Land of the Song and Dance. There’s cutscenes for the cutscenes, for Chrissake! Every new zone you go to involves a production of some kind. The last thing you want to do is have RM rolling while you watch video roll, and you have to knock off a quest or two before you even get into the zone. If you’ve got plenty of time left, then risk it if you want. But generally I’d suggest sticking around and getting more quests done until the RM wears off rather than waste precious time moving from zone to zone.”
Pull the pin at 85. “That thing I just said? Yeah, about that. I did 80 to 82.5 in Mt. Hyjal, at 82.5 to 85 in Deepholm. Once you reach 85, the experience from quest rewards drop off a cliff, headfirst. I went from around 50,000 xp at 84, to 14,000 xp a couple of quests later at 85. As a mage my transition from Cataclysm to Mists of Pandaria was pretty quick because teleports. Also, I’m good like that. It probably took me about five minutes from the time I ported to Stormwind to the time I completed my first quest in Pandaria. Granted there were a couple of quests that I had to complete on my way to Panda Land, but those rewards easily offset the low xp I would have earned had I stayed in Deepholm to finish off my RM.”

Elixir of the Rapid Mind + Heirlooms = powerleveling in a bottle.

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Tags: Alpha to Omega, Cataclysm, Elixir of the Rapid Mind, Leveling, Leveling 80 to 85, Mage, Muscle Mage, Odingreen, Swole Sorcerer, WoW Tips

Alpha to Omega – Wrath of the Lich King

Oct 30

Posted by Donny Rokk

Odingreen is way too sexy for jousting.

There was exactly zero point zero hesitation when everyone’s favorite supervillain-looking mage, Odingreen, finally dinged 68. I say “finally” as if it took a long time. It didn’t, really. But as soon as Odingreen hit 68, he ported to Stormwind, put on a parka, tore the sleeves off, got on a boat, and headed straight to Northrend. With all the snow, trees, mountains, and snow, it was like taking a ship to Canada only with fewer Tim Hortons coffee shops and fewer apologies.

Not that his time in Outland was terrible or anything. To be fair, he really wasn’t there long enough to form an opinion. He landed in Hellfire Peninsula, with its red sky, red dirt, and red pigs. So it was probably less depressing to spend more time in dungeons, which he did on the regular. Most of his Burning Crusade leveling was through dungeons, and according to Recount OG kept finding himself right in the middle of the road as far as the damage he was doing. He was never kicked from a group for having what some might consider sub-par damage, so he must’ve done a decent enough job. Then again, when the rest of the group is doing double your DPS, they’re killing things too fast to notice that you’re even there.

Was it frustrating? Kinda, but really as long as the XP kept flowing at a constant rate, then his damage output and reasons for lack thereof, was secondary. Besides, sometimes you need to bang out a few pushups between pulls. Always finish your set, regardless of how many mobs get pulled. They’ll be there when you’re done, or they won’t. But that pump is totes worth it. #ProTip

Arnold Schwarzenegger also knows a thing or two about pumping. Ask his housekeeper.

Poor Zygor got a workout during this whole ordeal as well. He had to constantly update his questing path becauses Odingreen was tearing through the the alien world faster than, well, something really fast. He’d get a handful of quests done, run a dungeon or two, then move on to a new zone because he was already bored (and had outleveled the zone). In fact, he’d just gotten the quest that took him into Blade’s Edge Mountains when he dinged 68. He blew by Nagrand entirely. Never looked at Shadowmoon Valley. Missed many ugly zones, and not so ugly. He got a good tan though, so that’s something.

It was much the same thing when Odingreen hopped off the boat in Howling Fjord. Quests were done between dungeons, and zones were skipped. He did some business in Howling Fjord, had a cup of coffee in Dragonblight, then got a flier in the mail that told him the Argent Tournament was the cat’s pyjamas and he should go there ASAP.

He flexed at the mailbox. “A tournament?” he asked. “Too easy, baby. I’m the guy who brings guns to a joust fight.”

The mailbox said nothing, being a mailbox and all.

But Odingreen wasn’t dissuaded by silence from non-sentient beings. He kissed the peak of his bicep. “Lich King better start sweating! Odingreen’s a-comin’!”

Clearly the mage was stoked. He also had some leveling tips so I thought I’d add them there.

Odingreen’s Power Pro Leveling Tips

Don’t run Recount. “I know it’s tempting to see what kind of damage you’re doing in dungeons. But shut that shit off. Recount is an end-game addon to show where you are in the raid’s pecking order. Gear, level, there’s plenty of things that are gonna make a big difference in digits. And if you do run it, don’t link it in group. Bragging about your Recount numbers while you’re leveling doesn’t mean you’ve got a big dick. It means you ARE a big dick.”
Use a leveling addon. “There’s free ones out there. But I’m leet, so I use Zygor’s Leveling Guide. It’s got a bunch of other built-in functions, like auto-equipping upgrades as you get them. If you’re the kind of person who likes reading quest text, or enjoys wandering around picking flowers while you’re killing twenty of something for their ears or teeth or whatever, more power to ya. But it’s like when I go to the gym – I’m not getting paid by the hour. I’m there to do work and get going. Wasting time is stupid.”
Elixir of the Rapid Mind. “This tonic is like Viagra for your XP – it makes you uber buff for fifteen minutes. So if you’re going to take one of these, you probably want to do it when you’re in a dungeon that has a few quests in it, and a few bosses. It’s also nice to have some quests finished outside the dungeon before you drink it. Basically you want to pop this before you hand in quests. Don’t use this for grinding – that’s what spit is for.”
Get flying ASAP. “I don’t give a swollen turd what anyone says – flying is the best. You get places faster, you don’t have to deal with zombies or crabs or whatever is between you and your quest reward. If you want to pick flowers, stay on your pony. I’ll mount up on my dragon and fly, and look damn good doing it, thank you very much.”
Know your role. “Whether you’re using macros or facerolling, have an idea what your spells, talents and abilities do. Got a group buff? Know that shit at least so you don’t look like some kind of fool when you’re asked for it. Check out Wowhead or Icy Veins if you’re not sure. People will tolerate shitty damage, but if you don’t know your buffs, you can get bounced from a group. The moral of the story is that buff is good. I’m buff, I’m the stuff, and I’m flexing right now to show my appreciation for your attention. You can’t see it of course, but imagine it. There. Now’s it’s a gift for both of us.”