Fixing Fist's Followers
I had a whole page of explanations about the troubles and solutions concerning the lack of followers in Fist's garrison. Wild has 19 followers. Tiphaine has 19. Jocy has 23. Fist has 13.
However, the more detailed the explanations, the more boring it got. Yes, Fist had some fun rounding up some of the easier followers that were out there. She even came up with some that the other family members don't have, but now know how to get them if they wish.
Her new followers are Goldmane, Leo, Abu'Gar, Blook, and Image of Archmage Vasgoth. That raises her number of followers to 18. Fist had hoped to pick up some upgraded followers, but luck wasn't with her on that score. All of the new followers are of the basic garden variety type. But that's okay. She at least has enough followers now to get her missions underway. Task complete, and she can chase after other followers as she pleases.
That leaves a lot of space to fill in this post. Poor reader, the time has come again to invite Happy to talk money.
Topic: Boring Business Stuff or Cooking the Books?
Never make Happy unhappy. That saying goes way back, but it seems some high level members of the family have recently forgotten it.
The Auction House continues to falter while the family continues to thrust IOUs at Happy in exchange for more gold, hinting that Happy is holding out on them. Happy returned an opinion that the word "ingrate" applied, considering the wealth of gold that has passed through his coffers and into their pockets.
Happy thought it wise to remind the family that significant amounts of gold are currently in family hands. Perhaps a closer accounting of those gold coins should be taken. Nobody wants to give up the gold they already have, but they ignored Happy's veiled threat to take it back.
Nobody messes with the Guild Bank. Accountants with their account books and ledgers descended on the family. No secrets, Happy told them. Every family member will reveal just how much gold they have. In addition, all IOUs are now due, immediately, except for the minimum necessary to maintain garrisons and followers.
The audit revealed the holdings of the following family members:
Fist 12,000g
Jocy 7,000g
Tiphaine 4,000g
Wild 6,000g
JB 8,000g
The gold is being pooled together for distribution based on need. Of course, since Happy holds the purse and handles all finances, he will make the ultimate decisions.
(1) JB and Happy quickly came to an agreement. At level 87, JB has no ambitions to level further and is mostly content handling the minor alchemy needs of the family. She graciously gave up her 8k gold with only one condition - that should she one day decide to become active, she would get Happy's full support.
(2) Wild and Happy have been brokering deals with each other since the day Happy convinced Wild he would make Wild far richer than than he could ever be on his own. Wild has rarely wanted for anything that Happy could provide, and that hasn't changed. Wild was the first in the family to build a garrison, and therefore the first to make mistakes. Wild has two plots of land for stables and barn which he now wishes to knock down and replace. Wild wants to try out a Spirit Lodge, which would be a first for the family. A second structure is yet to be defined. The cost will run 3-4k per structure and Happy agreed to fund it when the time is right.
(3) Jocy has the best gear in the family at i693. She is 6 of 6 in all three Crafted sets of gear with weapon, shield and trinket. The AH remains an option for upgrades but Jocy's needs are high end with gear running over 20-30k gold apiece. Happy is not going to pay for that. Should a good deal pop up, a purchase could be considered, but Jocy is going to have to work the system and find other ways to improve. Jocy's garrison is not particularly well designed, but any changes would not benefit the family as a whole. Decision: Jocy gets no gold from Happy.
(4) Tiphaine is active in Tanaan and needs gear upgrades and some work on her garrison. Currently her gear is at i645. Of her 18 Crafted needs, she has all but the last two, which are of course the most expensive, one for legs and one for trinket estimated to cost about 35k gold. Negotiations are ongoing, but the best Happy can offer is that upgrades will be considered over time.
(5) Fist edged past Tiphaine gear-wise to i649. She is four levels short of having all of her Crafted gear. Her chosen weapon, a two-handed staff, are made with Inscription and the upgrades are particularly expensive. She has the greatest need and is the most active, but the cost will run to about 38,300 gold . . . Happy will take that under advisement, while hoping prices fall.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Monday, November 9, 2015
Vivianne Steps Up
Vivianne Steps Up
Knowing she was competing with Thor for the honor of being Fist's bodyguard, Vivianne upped her skillset to the max of i675 in both weapon and gear. Excited to be selected, she suggested to Fist they try the famous Rumble in the Jungle. They flew to the arena and got lucky. A fight was already in progress and the first boss, Akrilla, was almost dead, but Fist got in a few licks and got credit for the kill, though the other two players did most of the work. Another player arrived, and the four of us took on the second boss, Rendar. Fist raised some stunning DPS on the fight, as high as 31.2k DPS, and Rendar fell. The final boss, Eyepiercer, casts spells which stop DPS, so on this fight Fist managed only 19.2k DPS, though the kill was just as nice. Fist completed her first Rumble!
Flush with victory, Fist went looking for more dangerous challenges. Fist has a quest to take a harness off a Gronn. Not just any Gronn, but an elite Iron Wargronn surrounded by enemy soldiers in the killing zones of the Iron Harbor. They flew slowly over the field, looking for a Gronn in an area that wasn't crowded with other mobs. As soon as Fist spotted one, though, caution went to the winds and Fist dived down and tagged the elite Gronn. There were no friendlies around - Fist would not get any help. Want to know how it went? BOOM! Fist and Vivianne killed the Gronn! Fist has her first elite solo kill.
Fist has learned the brute force method of playing her brewmaster. Now she needs to incorporate the Black Ox Statue into the mix. Even more importantly, she needs to begin learning the subtleties required to get really good at it.
[] Completed all of Darktide Roost and didn't get a single piece of gear. What a rip off. Vivianne is doing a decent job so far and her AOE Blizzard spell is pretty effective. She does everything at range when she can so most of the time Fist doesn't even know where she is until the battle is over.
[] Fist really, really, really, wanted to call out the Night Haunter, but the other two players in the swamp weren't interested. Cowards.
[] And then to top that the b-tards send Fist to Sha'naar for the daily Assault! Fist hates that place. Have I mentioned that before? Oh, several times, I see. Well, it's true. The place sucks, but they got through it.
[] On the way back from Sha'naar Fist veered off and and tackled one of the elite demons along the pathway near Vol'mar. These elites aren't at Haunter level of difficulty, but they are tough. Fist invoked the White Tiger (one of her attacks in the form of a tiger) which engages in battle for 45 seconds but can only be used once every three minutes. The fight went surprisingly well and the elite died. Encouraged, she tackled a second elite demon without the White Tiger. Her health took a beating, but at just under half health she tossed a health tonic down and got back to full strength. The elite went down. Fist wonders if the Night Haunter could be handled that way, but one healing tonic wouldn't be enough, and only one can be used in any single battle. The totem . . . uh, didn't use it. Fist had better test the totem on an easier elite before testing it on the Haunter.
[] The lack of gear drops is beginning to mess with Fist's mind. She's at i649 and still behind both Jocy and Wild. "Mom" is right on her tail at i645.
[] One worrying aspect of her garrison is that Fist did not follow the planned sets of quests that lead to finding and taking in followers when she was leveling. All Fist could think of was "get to level 100" and that's what she did. Her problem now is that by this point Fist should have close to 20 followers. She has only 13. That restricts the missions she can send out, which slows down the leveling of the followers she does have. Eventually Fist is going to have to backtrack and collect the followers she's missing.
Finally, A Brief Moment - During one of Fists's trips back and forth between her garrison and Vol'mar, an old friend of Wild's, Lady Tala, showed up briefly at Vol'mar. It's been a long time since I'd seen anyone from our cabal. I thought about whispering her, but of course she doesn't know Fist. But while wondering if it mattered, she took flight and departed. Just before she dissapeared Fist buffed Lady Tala with Legacy of the White Tiger. Wild still thinks about the cabal and the friends that still hang out in the Meitha guild (which JB is a still a member of). The reality, though, is that there isn't much left but fond memories of the past.
Knowing she was competing with Thor for the honor of being Fist's bodyguard, Vivianne upped her skillset to the max of i675 in both weapon and gear. Excited to be selected, she suggested to Fist they try the famous Rumble in the Jungle. They flew to the arena and got lucky. A fight was already in progress and the first boss, Akrilla, was almost dead, but Fist got in a few licks and got credit for the kill, though the other two players did most of the work. Another player arrived, and the four of us took on the second boss, Rendar. Fist raised some stunning DPS on the fight, as high as 31.2k DPS, and Rendar fell. The final boss, Eyepiercer, casts spells which stop DPS, so on this fight Fist managed only 19.2k DPS, though the kill was just as nice. Fist completed her first Rumble!
Flush with victory, Fist went looking for more dangerous challenges. Fist has a quest to take a harness off a Gronn. Not just any Gronn, but an elite Iron Wargronn surrounded by enemy soldiers in the killing zones of the Iron Harbor. They flew slowly over the field, looking for a Gronn in an area that wasn't crowded with other mobs. As soon as Fist spotted one, though, caution went to the winds and Fist dived down and tagged the elite Gronn. There were no friendlies around - Fist would not get any help. Want to know how it went? BOOM! Fist and Vivianne killed the Gronn! Fist has her first elite solo kill.
Fist has learned the brute force method of playing her brewmaster. Now she needs to incorporate the Black Ox Statue into the mix. Even more importantly, she needs to begin learning the subtleties required to get really good at it.
[] Completed all of Darktide Roost and didn't get a single piece of gear. What a rip off. Vivianne is doing a decent job so far and her AOE Blizzard spell is pretty effective. She does everything at range when she can so most of the time Fist doesn't even know where she is until the battle is over.
[] Fist really, really, really, wanted to call out the Night Haunter, but the other two players in the swamp weren't interested. Cowards.
[] And then to top that the b-tards send Fist to Sha'naar for the daily Assault! Fist hates that place. Have I mentioned that before? Oh, several times, I see. Well, it's true. The place sucks, but they got through it.
[] On the way back from Sha'naar Fist veered off and and tackled one of the elite demons along the pathway near Vol'mar. These elites aren't at Haunter level of difficulty, but they are tough. Fist invoked the White Tiger (one of her attacks in the form of a tiger) which engages in battle for 45 seconds but can only be used once every three minutes. The fight went surprisingly well and the elite died. Encouraged, she tackled a second elite demon without the White Tiger. Her health took a beating, but at just under half health she tossed a health tonic down and got back to full strength. The elite went down. Fist wonders if the Night Haunter could be handled that way, but one healing tonic wouldn't be enough, and only one can be used in any single battle. The totem . . . uh, didn't use it. Fist had better test the totem on an easier elite before testing it on the Haunter.
[] The lack of gear drops is beginning to mess with Fist's mind. She's at i649 and still behind both Jocy and Wild. "Mom" is right on her tail at i645.
[] One worrying aspect of her garrison is that Fist did not follow the planned sets of quests that lead to finding and taking in followers when she was leveling. All Fist could think of was "get to level 100" and that's what she did. Her problem now is that by this point Fist should have close to 20 followers. She has only 13. That restricts the missions she can send out, which slows down the leveling of the followers she does have. Eventually Fist is going to have to backtrack and collect the followers she's missing.
Finally, A Brief Moment - During one of Fists's trips back and forth between her garrison and Vol'mar, an old friend of Wild's, Lady Tala, showed up briefly at Vol'mar. It's been a long time since I'd seen anyone from our cabal. I thought about whispering her, but of course she doesn't know Fist. But while wondering if it mattered, she took flight and departed. Just before she dissapeared Fist buffed Lady Tala with Legacy of the White Tiger. Wild still thinks about the cabal and the friends that still hang out in the Meitha guild (which JB is a still a member of). The reality, though, is that there isn't much left but fond memories of the past.
Friday, November 6, 2015
Getting Straightened Out
Getting Straightened Out
Note: This entry covers a bunch of stuff I wanted to get out before the weekend goes into full swing.
Fist is tired of being told she's done everything wrong since she was summarily directed to become active again. Most of those errors were more the fault of bad guidance, which she is beginning to learn to ignore, since it generally gets her into trouble.
No one has been mishandled worse than young Thor, however. When Tiphaine pulled her version of Tormmok, Mock, from Gorgrond and brought him to her garrison, the first thing she did was send him out on mission after mission until he reached level 100. That's the way it was done. No one even considered the idea that you could take your bodyguard into the field at less than level 100.
No one told Fist this. When Fist proudly brought home her version of Tormmok, Thor, she, quite accidentally, discovered that Thor was ready and able to go into the field with Fist at the tender age of 93. Off they went, and over the course of several days Thor racked up almost 3,000 points toward earning his way to the second level.
Then came the downside of that approach. Thor stayed at level 93. That was a sobering lesson which no one had ever mentioned to Fist. Followers level in two different ways. First, they must level to 100 through missions. When taken into the field as a bodyguard, they earn points to gain levels, but that is a separate process from missions. The bottom line is that what is best for Thor right now is to spend his time doing missions until he reaches level 100. Only then is he truly ready to be a full time bodyguard. While he's doing that, Fire Mage Vivianne offered to return to bodyguard duty. She's well equipped with i675 weapon and i660 armor.
It is quite remarkable how well Thor did as a level 93 bodyguard. Though new to the job, he did fine. Well, there was that time Thor tangled with two demons out of range of Fist while she was in a bit of desperate business herself. This was in Sha'naar, a zone she immediately destested.
They'd just entered the Temple of Sha'naar tunnel and lit into the first Demon they found. But there were also dogs, and warlock casters and they swarmed over Fist and Thor. Young Thor, unused to such ferocity, got separated from her. Fist fought wildly, killing everything around her while her health dropped below half. Desperate, she slew the last one and charged up to engage the demon Thor still fought. She made a fatal rookie mistake by trying to pull off and kill the demon on Thor instead of healing Thor first. The mountainous Thor groaned and toppled, dead at her feet. Fist slit the demons throat.
Fist learned more than one lesson. Thor should never have left Fist's side, but since it happened, Fist should have closed in so Thor could reconnect. They are much better as a team. Lesson #2 is DON'T FORGET YOUR SAVE ME SPELLS. She had two she could have used on Thor. Lesson #3 drew a crazed grin from Fist. Her DPS rang up close to 16k even against some lethal (though still not elite) enemies. Lesson #4 - Her health bar swung pretty far toward death more than once. The dance Fist has to play as a Brewmaster is a deadly one.
During the period Fist and Thor were working, she did some experimenting with the Brewmaster's primary taunt ability, the Black Ox Statue. It's like a totem. You set it down and it immediately begins taunting everything within a thirty yard circle around the statue.
Fist first tried it on a family of boars just outside the walls of Vol'mar. The effect was amazing. Not only did every boar in range immediately stampede to the statue, birds flying through the zone also zeroed in on it. If left in place the full fifteen minutes, I suspect that worms under the soil would come wriggling out as well.
Of course, unless there are healers supporting you, summoning the statue needs a few rules. First, don't be standing next to it when you set it down, because you then become ground zero for every mob in range. When soloing, Fist learned that the best approach is to set the statue down a good distance away. Then move in and pull mobs in smaller groups, kill them, lure in some more, rinse and repeat. With the statue active, Fist gets additional defensive spells such as Guard and Elusive Brew to help keep Fist alive. It's all still pretty strange, and she needs a lot more practice. Even more strange is that there are cases where the statue itself moves on it's own, depending on what is going on. Fist has not experienced that yet.
Fist picked up a new weapon as additional protection (not to diss Vivianne, but she can't do the things Thor can). Fist dropped her dual blades (i630 and i609) and added a two-hand staff (i675). Overall, her gear is now i643.
Also, here is some early data on the breakdown of spells being used:
Iron Harbor - the two of them (Thor is still with her here, no statue) reached 18k dps and managed to stay alive. However, they did take on one of the big Gronns, and though it was non-elite it probably would have killed them if another player hadn't helped out on the kill.
So far her damage is spread out pretty evenly, though that may be because I'm just going with whatever attack is available to me.
#1 Touch of Death, 23.7% (this is the kill spell when a mob is under 35% health)
#2 Keg Smash, 21.7% (this is the AOE spell)
#3 Melee, 19.2% (she seems to know how to use those dual blades)
#4 Tiger Palm, 11.0% (my usual starting attack after pulling with Crackling Jade Lightning)
I like using Breath of Fire (its a DoT), but it barely made the list with only 1.2% and it consumers two chi. I need to retire that one.
I'll put out another report next go around.
Note: This entry covers a bunch of stuff I wanted to get out before the weekend goes into full swing.
Fist is tired of being told she's done everything wrong since she was summarily directed to become active again. Most of those errors were more the fault of bad guidance, which she is beginning to learn to ignore, since it generally gets her into trouble.
No one has been mishandled worse than young Thor, however. When Tiphaine pulled her version of Tormmok, Mock, from Gorgrond and brought him to her garrison, the first thing she did was send him out on mission after mission until he reached level 100. That's the way it was done. No one even considered the idea that you could take your bodyguard into the field at less than level 100.
No one told Fist this. When Fist proudly brought home her version of Tormmok, Thor, she, quite accidentally, discovered that Thor was ready and able to go into the field with Fist at the tender age of 93. Off they went, and over the course of several days Thor racked up almost 3,000 points toward earning his way to the second level.
Then came the downside of that approach. Thor stayed at level 93. That was a sobering lesson which no one had ever mentioned to Fist. Followers level in two different ways. First, they must level to 100 through missions. When taken into the field as a bodyguard, they earn points to gain levels, but that is a separate process from missions. The bottom line is that what is best for Thor right now is to spend his time doing missions until he reaches level 100. Only then is he truly ready to be a full time bodyguard. While he's doing that, Fire Mage Vivianne offered to return to bodyguard duty. She's well equipped with i675 weapon and i660 armor.
It is quite remarkable how well Thor did as a level 93 bodyguard. Though new to the job, he did fine. Well, there was that time Thor tangled with two demons out of range of Fist while she was in a bit of desperate business herself. This was in Sha'naar, a zone she immediately destested.
They'd just entered the Temple of Sha'naar tunnel and lit into the first Demon they found. But there were also dogs, and warlock casters and they swarmed over Fist and Thor. Young Thor, unused to such ferocity, got separated from her. Fist fought wildly, killing everything around her while her health dropped below half. Desperate, she slew the last one and charged up to engage the demon Thor still fought. She made a fatal rookie mistake by trying to pull off and kill the demon on Thor instead of healing Thor first. The mountainous Thor groaned and toppled, dead at her feet. Fist slit the demons throat.
Fist learned more than one lesson. Thor should never have left Fist's side, but since it happened, Fist should have closed in so Thor could reconnect. They are much better as a team. Lesson #2 is DON'T FORGET YOUR SAVE ME SPELLS. She had two she could have used on Thor. Lesson #3 drew a crazed grin from Fist. Her DPS rang up close to 16k even against some lethal (though still not elite) enemies. Lesson #4 - Her health bar swung pretty far toward death more than once. The dance Fist has to play as a Brewmaster is a deadly one.
During the period Fist and Thor were working, she did some experimenting with the Brewmaster's primary taunt ability, the Black Ox Statue. It's like a totem. You set it down and it immediately begins taunting everything within a thirty yard circle around the statue.
Fist first tried it on a family of boars just outside the walls of Vol'mar. The effect was amazing. Not only did every boar in range immediately stampede to the statue, birds flying through the zone also zeroed in on it. If left in place the full fifteen minutes, I suspect that worms under the soil would come wriggling out as well.
Of course, unless there are healers supporting you, summoning the statue needs a few rules. First, don't be standing next to it when you set it down, because you then become ground zero for every mob in range. When soloing, Fist learned that the best approach is to set the statue down a good distance away. Then move in and pull mobs in smaller groups, kill them, lure in some more, rinse and repeat. With the statue active, Fist gets additional defensive spells such as Guard and Elusive Brew to help keep Fist alive. It's all still pretty strange, and she needs a lot more practice. Even more strange is that there are cases where the statue itself moves on it's own, depending on what is going on. Fist has not experienced that yet.
Fist picked up a new weapon as additional protection (not to diss Vivianne, but she can't do the things Thor can). Fist dropped her dual blades (i630 and i609) and added a two-hand staff (i675). Overall, her gear is now i643.
Also, here is some early data on the breakdown of spells being used:
Iron Harbor - the two of them (Thor is still with her here, no statue) reached 18k dps and managed to stay alive. However, they did take on one of the big Gronns, and though it was non-elite it probably would have killed them if another player hadn't helped out on the kill.
So far her damage is spread out pretty evenly, though that may be because I'm just going with whatever attack is available to me.
#1 Touch of Death, 23.7% (this is the kill spell when a mob is under 35% health)
#2 Keg Smash, 21.7% (this is the AOE spell)
#3 Melee, 19.2% (she seems to know how to use those dual blades)
#4 Tiger Palm, 11.0% (my usual starting attack after pulling with Crackling Jade Lightning)
I like using Breath of Fire (its a DoT), but it barely made the list with only 1.2% and it consumers two chi. I need to retire that one.
I'll put out another report next go around.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Shaking her Fist in Challenge
Shaking her Fist in Challenge
It's a sad thing to admit - I never got much pleasure out of playing a Monk. That's no slight to Fist. She took the challenge to level from 1-90 and performed that grueling task admirably. And then marched on to level 100. She works hard, but she knows that she's the last to get picked for a job, and without much interest in her she continues to languish despite her best efforts to participate. For me personally, the one element that really bugs me about monks are the bubbles. Being forced to hunt and wade through healing bubbles during and after battles is pure idiocy, it creates distraction, and it's even worse with a very large follower hogging up viewing space. I know, its a personal grudge, but I hate those bubbles.
This is quite a shame because Fist has some really fun tasks in front of her - She has her version of Tormmok, but he's a young level 93 and needs to be leveled. Fist has been hoping to get a Tormmok of her own and has collected a veritable armory of gear for him - once he's level 100. If Fist and Tormmok, who Fist named Thor, ever get that chance.
Then an idea came to me. Actually, it's an old idea that harkens back to Jocy's struggles as a retribution paladin. Switching from Retribution to Protection made all the difference. Tiphaine, on her return to action, noted Jocy's success with a tank spec and chose to become a Blood death knight.
Now Fist wants a chance, turning in her Windwalker for Brewmaster with the same mindset and motto as Jocy and Tiphaine: "We don't care how long it takes to kill something, as long as it dies before we do."
This is a special challenge for Fist. Both Jocy and Tiphaine wear plate armor. Fist has only leather between her and the points of her twin blades against the weapons of men and beasts.
Each of them handle damage in different ways. Jocy simply absorbs it because she can handle huge damage, and has several save me spells at her disposal. Tiphaine turns damage into self-healing, using her own attacks to build up health. As for Fist, Icy Veins says that Brewmasters survive by avoiding damage through dodging and parrying attacks, plus an ability called Stagger which spreads incoming damage over ten seconds instead of all at once. That sounds good, but the healing aspect worries Fist. Brewmasters are supposedly very steady tanks which is easy on raid healers. Fist won't have healers looking after her. She doesn't have a big save me spell, either, only a number of little ones.
Against the 85 target dummy, she did 15k. On the Raiding dummy she did 7500. I clearly have no idea what I'm doing. Fist may die a lot. Or not. In a very unscientific test, Fist and Thor attacked several groups of boars which are the favored targets when doing the 100 beasts quest. They did 16-18k DPS against the beasts. Fist took more damage than I am used to seeing, but her stupid little bubbles were there to fill her health bar after each kill.
They then tried their hand at the level 100 enemy close by Vol'mar, but they died too quickly to get a full measure, though still reaching over 20k DPS (note that these were scouts, not the more heavily armed soldiers). I have to question the validity of this test, but if anywhere close Fist is putting out DPS above the level of either Jocy or Tiphaine. I just wish I knew what I was doing. It'll take time to get used to all these new spells and the way in which they are used. Consider it a mad experiment.
Fist is going to the Iron Harbor soon, and that is where the dying is likely to happen.
It's a sad thing to admit - I never got much pleasure out of playing a Monk. That's no slight to Fist. She took the challenge to level from 1-90 and performed that grueling task admirably. And then marched on to level 100. She works hard, but she knows that she's the last to get picked for a job, and without much interest in her she continues to languish despite her best efforts to participate. For me personally, the one element that really bugs me about monks are the bubbles. Being forced to hunt and wade through healing bubbles during and after battles is pure idiocy, it creates distraction, and it's even worse with a very large follower hogging up viewing space. I know, its a personal grudge, but I hate those bubbles.
This is quite a shame because Fist has some really fun tasks in front of her - She has her version of Tormmok, but he's a young level 93 and needs to be leveled. Fist has been hoping to get a Tormmok of her own and has collected a veritable armory of gear for him - once he's level 100. If Fist and Tormmok, who Fist named Thor, ever get that chance.
Then an idea came to me. Actually, it's an old idea that harkens back to Jocy's struggles as a retribution paladin. Switching from Retribution to Protection made all the difference. Tiphaine, on her return to action, noted Jocy's success with a tank spec and chose to become a Blood death knight.
Now Fist wants a chance, turning in her Windwalker for Brewmaster with the same mindset and motto as Jocy and Tiphaine: "We don't care how long it takes to kill something, as long as it dies before we do."
This is a special challenge for Fist. Both Jocy and Tiphaine wear plate armor. Fist has only leather between her and the points of her twin blades against the weapons of men and beasts.
Each of them handle damage in different ways. Jocy simply absorbs it because she can handle huge damage, and has several save me spells at her disposal. Tiphaine turns damage into self-healing, using her own attacks to build up health. As for Fist, Icy Veins says that Brewmasters survive by avoiding damage through dodging and parrying attacks, plus an ability called Stagger which spreads incoming damage over ten seconds instead of all at once. That sounds good, but the healing aspect worries Fist. Brewmasters are supposedly very steady tanks which is easy on raid healers. Fist won't have healers looking after her. She doesn't have a big save me spell, either, only a number of little ones.
Against the 85 target dummy, she did 15k. On the Raiding dummy she did 7500. I clearly have no idea what I'm doing. Fist may die a lot. Or not. In a very unscientific test, Fist and Thor attacked several groups of boars which are the favored targets when doing the 100 beasts quest. They did 16-18k DPS against the beasts. Fist took more damage than I am used to seeing, but her stupid little bubbles were there to fill her health bar after each kill.
They then tried their hand at the level 100 enemy close by Vol'mar, but they died too quickly to get a full measure, though still reaching over 20k DPS (note that these were scouts, not the more heavily armed soldiers). I have to question the validity of this test, but if anywhere close Fist is putting out DPS above the level of either Jocy or Tiphaine. I just wish I knew what I was doing. It'll take time to get used to all these new spells and the way in which they are used. Consider it a mad experiment.
Fist is going to the Iron Harbor soon, and that is where the dying is likely to happen.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
From Tormmok to Mock to Avatar
From Tormmok to Mock to Avatar
Mock earned second level and became a Trusted Bodyguard. He added a new trait, Avatar. The new trait periodically turns Mock into a colossus for thirty seconds, doing 50% more damage. Tiphaine is delighted with the extra DPS, but really, isn't the dude big enough as he is? Now he turns Colossus!? Good grief.
Jocy and Tiphaine just love the Night Haunter. Jocy can solo it, although he does have to use his save me spell. Tiphaine was out on the swamps again doing her 100 beast kill quest and she just couldn't help herself, rounding up the wounded soldiers and calling out the Haunter. It was late evening this time, and there were several other players about. They all piled on and helped Tiphaine kill it. I've never seen anyone else call out the Haunter. The bat is tough, but its obviously killable. Maybe its too much trouble. Tiphaine is going to keep getting better until she can solo kill it.
As of Tuesday night Mock is 1080/10,000 toward level 3. Tiphaine raised her gear level from i630 to i645 and finished Rumble in the Jungle . . . "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."
Tiphaine's version: "Swarm like a dozen elite monkeys and Hammer like a Gronn."
[] Fist's Storehouse and Forge upgraded to 3. Mock gear raised to 649 weapon, 639 armor. Now we're talking.
On a whole other topic, there are going to be more changes regarding Fist. Stay tuned.
Mock earned second level and became a Trusted Bodyguard. He added a new trait, Avatar. The new trait periodically turns Mock into a colossus for thirty seconds, doing 50% more damage. Tiphaine is delighted with the extra DPS, but really, isn't the dude big enough as he is? Now he turns Colossus!? Good grief.
Jocy and Tiphaine just love the Night Haunter. Jocy can solo it, although he does have to use his save me spell. Tiphaine was out on the swamps again doing her 100 beast kill quest and she just couldn't help herself, rounding up the wounded soldiers and calling out the Haunter. It was late evening this time, and there were several other players about. They all piled on and helped Tiphaine kill it. I've never seen anyone else call out the Haunter. The bat is tough, but its obviously killable. Maybe its too much trouble. Tiphaine is going to keep getting better until she can solo kill it.
As of Tuesday night Mock is 1080/10,000 toward level 3. Tiphaine raised her gear level from i630 to i645 and finished Rumble in the Jungle . . . "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."
Tiphaine's version: "Swarm like a dozen elite monkeys and Hammer like a Gronn."
[] Fist's Storehouse and Forge upgraded to 3. Mock gear raised to 649 weapon, 639 armor. Now we're talking.
On a whole other topic, there are going to be more changes regarding Fist. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Taking Stock and Taking Names
Taking Stock and Taking Names
Tiphaine picked up the daily "kill 100 beasts" quest, but this is Saturday and the beasts in the area of Wor'var were all tapped out. Well, Jocy had shown her how to get to the swamps, where there's an endless stream of dinosaurs, snakes, flying things, frogs, and the list could go on and on.
The swamps were deserted of all players except one hunter likely on the same quest. The hunter tangled with one of the elites in the swamp - a forest walker thing - and Tiphaine helped finish it off, getting her first fragmented crystal.
Consistent with Jocy's habit of picking up possible quest goodies, Tiphaine also rounded up the parts of the quest for the Night Haunter elite without paying too much attention to it. She had no interest in taking on the elite in her current gear state.
What happened next could have been avoided. The Night Haunter quest requires saving ten wounded soldiers. I forgot that on the tenth save the fight starts, like NOW. Tiphaine found herself fighting the Night Haunter. Tiphaine doesn't know the word "retreat." The battle went decently at the start, but as time went on her health couldn't keep up with the damage she was taking. Save me spells delayed what was becoming inevitable, so she attacked even more desperately, burning her runes in the hope getting back into the fight. The hunter eventually saw that there was another elite afoot and joined in the fight. It was close, but Tiphaine didn't last the whole battle, dying with the Haunter still above 30%.
Tiphaine is fast on her feet, though, and resurrected quickly. When she got back the Haunter was a corpse, but still bleeding and still twinkling, waiting for someone to take credit for the kill. Yes! She got her credit. You can bet she'll be more cautious the next time . . . oh, wait, this is Tiphaine we're talking about. The Night Haunter better be ready the next time Tiphaine wades into the swamps. She also received an i650 baleful shoulder that the War Mill helped upgrade to i675. It replaced an i591 and raised her overall ilevel to i630. Very Nice. And those two elite kills, even though she had help, were pretty sweet, too. Mock is 9,790/10,000, which is getting pretty close to reaching the second level.
[] Ever have one of those moments out of time? Tiphaine recalled getting her first death knight blade and the rune that she impressed on it. She had a sudden desire to go back to Ebon Hold and . . . well, she wasn't sure why. There's no need for that now. It was just weird.
[] More weirdness followed. Tiphaine wondered why she didn't have a special spell that other classes have, like Wild's Mark of the Wild or Jocy's Blessing of Kings or Fist's Legacy of the White Tiger? Why doesn't death knights have something like that?
[] Well, they do, but no one in the family dared say anything out loud. Blood would be spilled if anyone let out that Tiphaine had forgotten the spell, and that it lay unused since her return from self-imposed exile. Oh so quietly the spell, Horn of Winter, appeared in her spell kit. As far as anyone would comment, it had always been there. 'Nuff said about that.
[] On a better note, Tiphaine took on the Rumble in the Jungle for the first time. She was the lone horde in a group of alliance. The group took no notice of her and she in return ignored them. Tiphaine helped kill the first and third bosses. They didn't do the second boss. No chance to solo the second boss, so she'll have to keep trying to horn in on another group to get that last boss.
Tiphaine picked up the daily "kill 100 beasts" quest, but this is Saturday and the beasts in the area of Wor'var were all tapped out. Well, Jocy had shown her how to get to the swamps, where there's an endless stream of dinosaurs, snakes, flying things, frogs, and the list could go on and on.
The swamps were deserted of all players except one hunter likely on the same quest. The hunter tangled with one of the elites in the swamp - a forest walker thing - and Tiphaine helped finish it off, getting her first fragmented crystal.
Consistent with Jocy's habit of picking up possible quest goodies, Tiphaine also rounded up the parts of the quest for the Night Haunter elite without paying too much attention to it. She had no interest in taking on the elite in her current gear state.
What happened next could have been avoided. The Night Haunter quest requires saving ten wounded soldiers. I forgot that on the tenth save the fight starts, like NOW. Tiphaine found herself fighting the Night Haunter. Tiphaine doesn't know the word "retreat." The battle went decently at the start, but as time went on her health couldn't keep up with the damage she was taking. Save me spells delayed what was becoming inevitable, so she attacked even more desperately, burning her runes in the hope getting back into the fight. The hunter eventually saw that there was another elite afoot and joined in the fight. It was close, but Tiphaine didn't last the whole battle, dying with the Haunter still above 30%.
Tiphaine is fast on her feet, though, and resurrected quickly. When she got back the Haunter was a corpse, but still bleeding and still twinkling, waiting for someone to take credit for the kill. Yes! She got her credit. You can bet she'll be more cautious the next time . . . oh, wait, this is Tiphaine we're talking about. The Night Haunter better be ready the next time Tiphaine wades into the swamps. She also received an i650 baleful shoulder that the War Mill helped upgrade to i675. It replaced an i591 and raised her overall ilevel to i630. Very Nice. And those two elite kills, even though she had help, were pretty sweet, too. Mock is 9,790/10,000, which is getting pretty close to reaching the second level.
[] Ever have one of those moments out of time? Tiphaine recalled getting her first death knight blade and the rune that she impressed on it. She had a sudden desire to go back to Ebon Hold and . . . well, she wasn't sure why. There's no need for that now. It was just weird.
[] More weirdness followed. Tiphaine wondered why she didn't have a special spell that other classes have, like Wild's Mark of the Wild or Jocy's Blessing of Kings or Fist's Legacy of the White Tiger? Why doesn't death knights have something like that?
[] Well, they do, but no one in the family dared say anything out loud. Blood would be spilled if anyone let out that Tiphaine had forgotten the spell, and that it lay unused since her return from self-imposed exile. Oh so quietly the spell, Horn of Winter, appeared in her spell kit. As far as anyone would comment, it had always been there. 'Nuff said about that.
[] On a better note, Tiphaine took on the Rumble in the Jungle for the first time. She was the lone horde in a group of alliance. The group took no notice of her and she in return ignored them. Tiphaine helped kill the first and third bosses. They didn't do the second boss. No chance to solo the second boss, so she'll have to keep trying to horn in on another group to get that last boss.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Fist's Ferocious Family
Fist's Ferocious Family
Fist knew her mother would be on her case, now that Fist was back at work. She began making immediate improvements to the Garrison. The War Mill was brought up to full capacity at Level 3. The storehouse was also raised to Level 3. She filled her last remaining open spot with a Trading Post, which will be upgraded to Level 3 as soon as possible. Fist still isn't sure what she wants to do with The Scribes Quarters. For it to be useful, Fist would have to learn how.
Her own personal status is fine. She's kept herself prepared. A Windwalker Monk, her gear (i631) isn't bad, and she'll get time to build it up as needed. Fire Mage Vivianne (i654 geared) is a decent bodyguard but has only "Blizzard" as a weapon and lacks the armor protection of the family's favorite bodyguard, Tormmock. Fist ticked off the task - bring her own Tormmock to the garrison and start his training as a bodyguard.
Fist didn't just give in, however. She countered Wild's plan for the demon hunter. "Let's say that I follow the plan," Fist suggested. "I craft the best leather gear available, and Happy gets his arm twisted and pays for the best gear upgrades available on the Auction House. With all of that gear saved up for the demon hunter, she/he could concievably reach Jocy's level of i693."
Fist let that sink in, and then went for the kill. "There are still obstacles to this plan." She began ticking them off.
"First, The new DH will start at level 98, and won't be able to use ANY of that saved gear until level 100."
"Second, assuming there is a specific training event (like the death knights have), the DH will likely level from 98 to 100 during that event and will likely have their OWN SET of level 100 GEAR when they complete the event."
"Third, the instant the DH reaches level 100 the DH will start getting Legion level gear that will eclipse every current piece of gear out there."
Fist paused for a breath. "In other words, the hundreds of hours of crafting and the thousands of gold spent will be worthless by the time the DH reaches level 101."
Fist waited - for applause, maybe. The family was silent. Finally, Tiphaine spoke. "Well said." She looked at the others shuffling their feet. "You want to be ready for Legion, do your own work to get there. And that goes for the demon hunter, too."
So, just how prepared is the Wild family for Legion in terms of getting a good start on the level grind from 100 to 110? Here they are, from top to bottom (this assumes no one jumps into a dungeon or raid - possible, but not likely):
#1 Jocy: at i693 gear level she is virtually maxed out. Bodyguard Tormmok is maxed at 675 weapon and 667 of 675 armor. He's a Trusted Bodygaurd (2nd level) and is 7,190/10,000 toward the third level (no, I don't know how many bodyguard levels there are).
#2: Wild: i653. Bodyguard Vivianne is 663/666 toward max 675. She is only 10/10,000 toward the second level. Wild never made much use of bodygaurds. He didn't learn how to use them, although that is no excuse.
#3: Fist: i631. Bodyguard Vivianne is 675/654 toward max 675. She is 670/10,000 toward the second level. She hasn't used her bodyguard much, either, so far. But then, she hasn't been given the time.
#4: Tiphaine. i623. Bodyguard Mock is at BASE LEVEL (600/600) because, well, Tiphaine has other priorities regarding her garrison and, frankly, Mock has worked out just fine as he is. He is 7,380/10,000 toward the second level. Once Tiphaine's issue with garrison resources is straightened out, she'll be able to acquire follower gear that should raise Mock's skill considerably.
"So, get off my case!" Fist demanded, reminding them who this is about. "There's a hundred other things I need to work on, including joining the ongoing battles in the Tanaan Jungle. This could get very bloody."
Fist knew her mother would be on her case, now that Fist was back at work. She began making immediate improvements to the Garrison. The War Mill was brought up to full capacity at Level 3. The storehouse was also raised to Level 3. She filled her last remaining open spot with a Trading Post, which will be upgraded to Level 3 as soon as possible. Fist still isn't sure what she wants to do with The Scribes Quarters. For it to be useful, Fist would have to learn how.
Her own personal status is fine. She's kept herself prepared. A Windwalker Monk, her gear (i631) isn't bad, and she'll get time to build it up as needed. Fire Mage Vivianne (i654 geared) is a decent bodyguard but has only "Blizzard" as a weapon and lacks the armor protection of the family's favorite bodyguard, Tormmock. Fist ticked off the task - bring her own Tormmock to the garrison and start his training as a bodyguard.
Fist didn't just give in, however. She countered Wild's plan for the demon hunter. "Let's say that I follow the plan," Fist suggested. "I craft the best leather gear available, and Happy gets his arm twisted and pays for the best gear upgrades available on the Auction House. With all of that gear saved up for the demon hunter, she/he could concievably reach Jocy's level of i693."
Fist let that sink in, and then went for the kill. "There are still obstacles to this plan." She began ticking them off.
"First, The new DH will start at level 98, and won't be able to use ANY of that saved gear until level 100."
"Second, assuming there is a specific training event (like the death knights have), the DH will likely level from 98 to 100 during that event and will likely have their OWN SET of level 100 GEAR when they complete the event."
"Third, the instant the DH reaches level 100 the DH will start getting Legion level gear that will eclipse every current piece of gear out there."
Fist paused for a breath. "In other words, the hundreds of hours of crafting and the thousands of gold spent will be worthless by the time the DH reaches level 101."
Fist waited - for applause, maybe. The family was silent. Finally, Tiphaine spoke. "Well said." She looked at the others shuffling their feet. "You want to be ready for Legion, do your own work to get there. And that goes for the demon hunter, too."
So, just how prepared is the Wild family for Legion in terms of getting a good start on the level grind from 100 to 110? Here they are, from top to bottom (this assumes no one jumps into a dungeon or raid - possible, but not likely):
#1 Jocy: at i693 gear level she is virtually maxed out. Bodyguard Tormmok is maxed at 675 weapon and 667 of 675 armor. He's a Trusted Bodygaurd (2nd level) and is 7,190/10,000 toward the third level (no, I don't know how many bodyguard levels there are).
#2: Wild: i653. Bodyguard Vivianne is 663/666 toward max 675. She is only 10/10,000 toward the second level. Wild never made much use of bodygaurds. He didn't learn how to use them, although that is no excuse.
#3: Fist: i631. Bodyguard Vivianne is 675/654 toward max 675. She is 670/10,000 toward the second level. She hasn't used her bodyguard much, either, so far. But then, she hasn't been given the time.
#4: Tiphaine. i623. Bodyguard Mock is at BASE LEVEL (600/600) because, well, Tiphaine has other priorities regarding her garrison and, frankly, Mock has worked out just fine as he is. He is 7,380/10,000 toward the second level. Once Tiphaine's issue with garrison resources is straightened out, she'll be able to acquire follower gear that should raise Mock's skill considerably.
"So, get off my case!" Fist demanded, reminding them who this is about. "There's a hundred other things I need to work on, including joining the ongoing battles in the Tanaan Jungle. This could get very bloody."
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