The Battle For Darkshore - Wildswench ROCKS!

The Battle For Darkshore - Wildswench ROCKS!

PS - Yes, there is a post already on the board. This is a newer Darkshore run that is WAY more fun and productive. Enjoy.

Wench began her morning at AP Level 45 and a gear score of i371. She'd been part of similar assaults in the past, but her success was below what she was capable of. For one thing, she's had trouble keeping up when large groups split off and she'd lose direction. Wench grumbled under her breath that all of the Wildshard family are prone to this unfortunate trait.

She refused to give up, though. The morning's Darkshore run was at least her fourth of fifth try to improve on her success. On this run Wench killed not just one, but two of the badder of the monsters the raid fought. With her confidence growing, she took some risks and also showed that she was learning the ropes in keeping track where the bulk of the raid was heading during the battles. Just being able to stay in range of the main group helped a lot.

The final push sent the raid off the boat dock and it disappeared into the enemy fortress. Wench paused on the dock, alone. Did she miss out? Drats! No way. Wench leaped into the water, popped into fish form and sped across the water to the waiting enemy fortress. Did she get there in time? YES! Just as she touched the enemy walls, they fell to the Horde.

After several failed tries in earlier Darkshore raids, Wench finally got her reward. Wench is now the proud wearer of a Deathstalker's Belt at level i400. Her i405 chestpiece is the only piece that is better. So how did that affect her overall gear score? Her score jumped over i371 gearcore not to i372, but to i373!! Plus 43%.

More good news. Wench's fishing is bringing in the gold. Her best seller is a fish called a redtail loach. So far she had raised her once 22k gold level all the way to her current 64k gold! Wench has been watching the Auction House for upgrades for her gear, but there is very little available and what is there is WAY to expensive. So, Wench plans to keep fishing until she can afford a truly great gear upgrade. She very much wants a new weapon. Time will tell. Overall, she has had a great morning!  

BOOM! Wench Figures out The Darkshore

BOOM!  Wench Figures out The Darkshore

Wench has been creeping forward with her gear by grabbing every piece of azerite she can get her hands on. She ground her way for AP 42 and felt blessed with a gearscore of i360. A score bolstered with two Island Exhibition trips. She felt much more comfortable on her third trip, spending a lot more time getting work done instead of just trying not to die too many times. She was able to reach the enemy camp on the latest run, and actually had fun fighting the Alliance. Point to remember - Don't go too close to the enemy ship - nasty things happen!

Even so, progress on gear improvements were slow. So Wench decided to take another stab at a Darkshore assault. Wench learned a lot on this second run, and even kept up with the traffic and almost kept pace with the front line players. She eventually got left behind, but she felt much more comfortable. Wench will be looking forward to the next run.

Wench earned some whopper gear: An i400 chest piece, ro replace her i360. Her gearscore jumped.

Wench's gear score soared to i365! She is at AP 42 plus 74%. Another upgrade is expected at AP 43 where she believes there may be an even greater reward.

BUT WAIT!

Wench went back to Nazmir to yet again to upgrade her skills. She is finally getting used to improving her skills by collecting Azerite since picking up actual pieces of improved gear is so hard to get. Gear set at around i370 and higher are nearly impossible to get outside of a dungeon or raid. Here is the current status of each piece of gear:

375 Head

366 Neck

360 Shoulder

385 Back

405 Chest

370 Wrist

375 Hands

375 Waist

370 Legs

390 Feet

375 Finger

350 Finger

365 Trinket

360 Trinket

Weapon: 350 Polearm

Overall Gearscore is i370.

AP 44 plus 11%

Swiftwind Post

Swiftwind Post

This new post in Drustvar is, by Wench's assessment, the worst post she's ever seen - not that she's seen many posts. The post is set on a hillside. The nearby stream is manned by the enemy and the town is on constant assault. Wench had to fight her way to the post. The post does have a flight path, an outdoor in keeper and a mailbox. That is the full extent of the post. Wench's fishing may have to be curtailed given the closeness of the post to the enemy held shoreline.

Warfang Hold

Warfang Hold is another safe spot where Wench can take a break. The usual amenities and a flight path are available. That was just a stopover, however. To the northwest in Dustvar Wench fought a number of battles that led to a massive series of battles at Corlane. Wench was hoping to gain some upgrades . . .  She got a large one, pushing her gearscore of i350 all the way to i353 !  She is now tied with Wildshard, each having i353 gear scores now. Whoo Hoo!

Wildshard is proud of his daughter, and continues to track her progress to the detriment of his own needs. He intends to help her where he can (without letting her know where the help is coming from).

Darkshore

Wench made another run to Darkshore, clearing what few opportunities were available. She mostly earned honor and reputation but lacking a real upgrade.

Each day she checks the auction house for bargains, and on this morning after the Darkshore run she found a potential item for sale. Her main weapon is a polearm at i340 level. There was an ilvl 350 polearm for 10,000 gold. It was time to put up or shut up, and she bought the weapon. Her gearscore edged up from i353 to i354, now surpassing Wildshard. She remained at AP 40, edging up slightly to plus 43%. On the other hand, Wench now has only 40k gold. Happyface has not offered to replace the cost of the new gear.

Small But Welcomed Steps

Wench edged another step with an upgraded shoulder enhancement, dropping an lvl i345 to pick up an i360. Her overall gear score rose  to i355. Her AP spiked as well, now at AP 40 plus 72%. On a practical note, Wench is now capable of defeating most "Normal" Elites in single combat.

Island Expedition Part Two

Wench's second foray produced even less - two dubloons. The only piece of gear she got was an i310 - and it was cloth. Sigh. This run seemed to Wench as a "you're on your own" kind of run. The other two players took off in different directions. Wench pulled her weight, killing dozens, but she soon realized that she should be farming azerite instead of battling bad guys. When Wench checked the results of the run, though, she was relieved to see that she did get some progress. She gained 150 artifact power. Wench didn't figure out there were chests to get, either. The Alliance also showed up, but only briefly, focusing more on their own gathering than fighting the horde. Wench will continue to learn. The whole thing took less that 20 minutes. Waiting for the run to start took more time than the whole run.

Finally, an Upgrade!

Wench checks the Auction House in Org every time she stops by. She fishes when she can and with sells a few hundred to help with expenses. Yesterday, she earned 2,000 gold. One would think that gear would be heavily traded, but the fact is that buying good gear is tough to find. She caught a break this morning. Her gear score was stuck at i354 with no viable quests to help improve it. Gear at prices at or below 15,000 don't get bought because that level of gear usually comes easily when leveling, Higher priced gear jumps quickly into the 30 plus thousands and higher because there are few items available. This morning Wench was making her rounds, checking and checking on available gear. A ring popped up for sale for 18,000 gold. At that price she would expect the ring to be around i330. She is wearing an i315 ring. Bottom line. The ring was listed was MUCH better than the cost should have been. Someone goofed. Wench bought the ring. Oh, so what did she change the i315 into with that 19k gold? An i350 ring. That one purchase upgraded her overall gear score from i355 to i358!

So, Gear score is now i358. AP 41 plus 41%. That's progress.

PS - Another Expedition, two dubloons, and a mere AP 41 plus 44%. A very paltry take. Sigh.