Tuesday (22 Sep) - Patch Day Makes the News

Tuesday (22 Sep) - Patch Day Makes the News

Patch 3.2.2 made news not so much for the release of a scaled up version of the Onyxia encounter, but for the massive lag and unplayability of the game on Tuesday night. It is still early evening as I pen this, so things may improve, but waiting more than two minutes just to get mail to appear is a little too much. It also took three tries and ten minutes to get logged in in the first place. I'm predicting there will be no raid tonight.

I do have a little bit of extra news from JB's Monday questing in the Borean Tundra. JB was very productive, completing nearly every quest at the quest hubs of Warsong Hold, Garrosh's Landing, and Amber Ledge. JB is currently working quests out of Bor'Gorok Outpost. The rewards from these quests brought back unpleasant stories from Wild when he was levelling. Caster loot was almost always cloth, while the leather gear would inevitably be designed for feral/rogue, ignoring the needs of both resto and moonkin specs. JB has been finding the same discrimination. Quest drops with mail armor are almost always for enchancement spec or hunters. And since the leather gear she might take as an alternate for mail is aimed at feral/rogues, little of it helps JB's elemental spec. It's not too bothersome yet, as the gear level is not up to par with what JB currently has, but once she gets into the higher level zones it will really start to get irritating.

JB also discovered something which greatly improved her questing. JB has a swift flying mount (she got hers even before Wild did), but cannot use her flying mount in Northrend until she reaches level 77, when she will be able to buy the Cold Weather Flying skill for 1,000 gold. So imagine JB's shock and surprise at seeing a level 70 player at Amber Ledge flapping about on a flying mount!

That required some investigation, and JB uncovered a change made some time ago that had slipped our notice. The Cold Weather Flying skill can be purchased by any level 80 player, ie, Wild - and given to any Wild family member (on the same account) at level 68 and higher. It didn't take JB two seconds to get 1,000g to Wild, demanding to know why she hadn't been told about this and insisting he buy her the Northrend flying skill, like NOW.

Wild groused that who thought anyone but Wild was going to end up in Northrend? JB seemed perfectly happy on the Isle of Kel'danas farming rep for her new Jewelcrafting future. At a glare from JB, though, Wild hastily produced the flying skill.

Thanks in part to the speedier questing that comes with a flying mount, JB is now 81% of the way to level 75.

PS - The difficulty in logging in and the terrible lag persisted and there was no raid. Rolling restarts are planned for early Wednesday morning as Blizz attempts to fix things.