Korrk on Ice #4

New Things at the Grim Guzzler

The Grim Guzzler is the tavern located deep inside Blackrock Depths as part of Shadowforge City. It’s where all the Dark Iron Dwarves go to sit and drink. It acts as a break in the action from the rest of the instance, as all the patrons are neutral and will not attack you (that is until you steal the key from Plugger Spazzring or start a fight).

According to WoW Insider, the new 2.4 patch has added changes to the place, like an Arena gear vendor and a couple of goblins setting up a stage for an upcoming Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain concert, which plays every night at 8pm server time. Also a new drink is for sale that will “set your feet on fire.”

I like this. It’s good that some of the old forgotten places are getting a little touch up in character. It will be no problem for 70s to get to the tavern and rogues like me can stealth in solo and check it out. Perhaps there will be some more additions given to old Azeroth.

No truth to the rumor that Korrk will be the new drummer for Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain.

Stormwind is Under Construction

I was a little disappointed in the construction site. I assume they will blast the wall and make it bigger every couple of weeks. Right now it’s just a lot of barrels of dynamite and some Dwarves and Humans walking around. There is one Dwarf underwater in a deep dive helmet hammering away at the stone.

Improving WoW for the Future

There’s been much made that with the level cap raised to 70 and soon to be 80, the process of creating a new character and leveling them up is becoming more and more tedious. But some of the suggestions I’m reading on the WoW forums are not well thought out.

Blizzard has been making some minor adjustments to help the journey – giving more XP for completing quests, lowering the XP requirements per level, making some quests no longer elite, allowing mounts to be used at level 30 instead of 40, and in some zones like Dushwallow Marsh, adding new quests and flight paths to travel. All good, but the toll of leveling to reach the end game will continue to be a problem as each new expansion increases the cap another 10 levels.  I heard during the first BlizzCon in 2005 that 110 is projected to be the final level in a few years.  If you’re starting out at level 1 that is a mighty high hill to climb.

I’ve seen sugggestions that in the future when you create a character they should just automatically be level 60 and start off in Outland and skip Old Azeroth. This is the worst idea ever. Blizzard didn’t spend 6 years and millions of dollars in developing a complete world just to throw it all aside. Journeying through Azeroth is the lynchpin of playing the game. You learn about the world you are inhabiting, you gradually learn your classes’ abilities and you learn if you like playing it.

Another suggestion is to get rid of flight paths and just have characters teleport to each zone. I don’t like this either, atleast not in total. I agree that the time spent flying is too long. The point is to watch the flight and see all the wonderful sights and landmarks along the way, but after your 20th flight it gets old. I think that if it’s a long flight, then do what the boats and zepplins do and just show a red dot-dot-dot from X to X. If it’s a flight to the zone next door or another flight point in the same zone just show the flight.   Also I would still require that you must discover the flightmaster first before allowing this kind of travel.  I don’t think giving everyone teleport capabilities is the way to go. Besides that’s part of the fun of being a Shaman or a Mage, if everyone can just teleport anywhere in a blink do you get a good sense of the world you’re in?

I think a good suggestion to implement is to allow accounts that already have a level 55 or 60 character to create additional characters that will have an exceptionally high XP bonus throughout the journey.

As for brand new players who hear about the 10 million online playing WoW and want to join in the fun, but would get dissatisfied with grinding up to 80 and may quit a few weeks or months into the game – I would also drastically cut the XP requirements for each level.   Blizzard’s done it once, I would do it again.

I think it should take as long to get from 1 to 40 as it took to get from 1 to 25.  Make the new players feel like they are accomplishing a lot and make them feel that they will soon be able to meet up with the rest of the server population soon, but don’t just give it to them freely.    In WotLK the level cap is 80, I would say at level 55, maybe 65, slowly begin to widen the gap between levels.   The grind should have some challenge to it, if it’s too easy that could lead players to think “This game doesn’t have much for me, I’m going to play something a little more challenging.”  And as the game expands into the future and we have level 90s and 100s, then adjust those figures accordingly.

I don’t agree with cutting huge chunks of content, zones and material out of WoW by giving people level 60 characters out of the box.   I think everyone should start off in their race’s starting zone at level 1 with one bag and a set of grey gear.   Let them feel satisfaction as they build up their armory.

As for the old instances that no one goes to anymore — You can’t fix everything.  Maybe it’s good to have some content for those players who wish to take it slow and take the scenic route.   Maybe you could adjust some of them so that the bosses are Elites but not the mobs inside.  Maybe allow 3 or 4-man instances.  But something would be wrong if these places were just to be forgotten about and we have a whole generation of players who say “Maraudon? What’s that?”   Maybe adjust them so that multiple levels could try out the same dungeon with mobs equal to the group’s highest player with loot worthy of your time and effort.

I am now Revered!

Revered with the Sha’tari Skyguard.

So now I am flying a Red Nether Ray and holding a Skyguard Silver Cross.

Random Killings: Damn Damn Damn

I messed up and missed the finish for the Paladin race tonight. It started shortly after 8pm and I was able to catch the start, but then I flew to the wrong flightpoint and it delayed my journey the rest of the way and I missed the runners before they made it to Stormwind.

All level one Paladins had to be PVP flagged inorder to run the race. The route started in the Exodar -> to the ship to Darkshore -> then another boat to Menthril Harbor -> run through Wetlands to Dun Morogh to Ironforge tram station -> to the King’s chamber in Stormwind.

I had such wonderful plans for it too. I had made some Goblin Sapper Charges to throw at the group right as they were to make it to Ironforge. But I missed them

Oh well. I did have fun with them in the Exodar before the race began. I stood on a box and killed a bunch of them with my thrown knives. See the pictures below. After I picked off three of them the sight of the mass panic and watching some of them jump off the railing still makes me laugh

Lots of thanks to <Batdogi> for putting the event on. Too bad more Horde couldn’t participate to ruin it.

Banned Guild

I did a search on Google for “Top Horde Guilds US” and the top story was from a 2006 news story about Blizzard banning an entire guild for hacking Ahn’Qiraj.   I went from that story to the Overrated guild website.  According to their website most of them quit WoW permanently after the ban.  Now they play something called Team Fortress.   Also one of their female members hit rock bottom and is now doing porn.

Korrk on Ice #3

Moon Guard Event – Paladin Race Around the World

The Crosscontinent 500 race (More rules at this link)

Date of Event: Saturday, July 12th
Time of Event: begins hopefully at 7:00PM (server time) ends probably an hour and a half to two hours later.
Event Coordinator: <Maelstrom>
Location of Event, Purpose of Event & Event details: Beginning at Velen in Exodar and ending at the King in Stormwind. Level 1 Draenei Paladins will race

Level 1 Draenei Paladins Running while Flagged from Velen in Exodar to The Stormwind Kinglet in the keep.
You must be Flagged for PvP the entire race
You must remain within the RAID group the entire race so we can keep track of y’all
You must pass the checkpoints(to be announced Friday Evening in this thread) while alive

Prize of 3000 gold coins devided among the top three finishers.
1st 50%
2nd 33%
3rd 17%

WTF is with these kids?

So I was on my 70 Warlock today. She recently transfered to Moon Guard, so she was still guildless. In Orgrimmar there was some kid (and it has to be a kid) who kept spamming “Sign My Guild Charter! Pleeeeeaaasee!!!! Pleeeeeaaasee!!!!”

I was standing at the bank mailbox when he stoved his guild charter in my face. I signed it just to get it to go away. Then later while I was in Arathi Basin the guild was finally created. Several people quit when it happened. I had no interest in staying either, so I /gquit too. Right as I typed it in I get a whisper from the same kid saying “Hello. Can I have 10 Gold?” I just rolled my eyes and ignored it. Then he sent me a new invite to rejoin the guild. I declined.  Then he started sending me more whispers with Pleeeeeaaasee!!!! Pleeeeeaaasee!!!! At that point the AB game ended and I logged out and back onto Korrk just to avoid any further beggingwhiningcomplaining.

But it makes me wonder about some peoples’ social skills and manners that they don’t introduce themselves or make a formal request. They just approach random strangers and ask for lots of money and favors. Then when you decline they freak out and start whining.

These kids today, I tell ya!