Wildshard Passes Mahakeya

Wildshard Passes Mahakeya

Mahakeya : Gearscore 311, AP 19 plus 18% and i325 weapon

Wildshard : Gearscore 312, AP 17 plus 10% and i340 weapon

Keya sneered. "It took five pieces of gear from the Auction House to get that status, Wild."

Then came an Update from Darkshore on the 17th:

New Gearscore 315, AP 19 plus 21% and i350 pole arm weapon

NewGearscore 316 AP 20 plus 22%

"Whatever it takes," Wild replied. "I don't care how I get there, as long as I get there."

Keya wasn't finished. "So how's the guild going, Wild? How many conscripts have you paid to join? Oh, wait, that would be zero, wouldn't it?"

"Too bad you left the Horde," Keya added. "You had friends there, two guild options you could have taken. And yet here you are, running as Alliance instead of where you should have stayed, with the Horde."

Wild said nothing. He knew Keya was right. Wild's stubborn streak may yet get him killed beyond redemption one day.

Wild shook off the ugly thoughts. The past two days were actually good for Wild. He has surpassed Keya's scores now, thanks to his efforts at the Portal to Darkshore and the Highlands.

But now, Wild told himself, he still had to make a living. Time to do some farming.

Wild's new Friends.

The 2018 Warcraft New Year's Wrap-Up

The 2018 Warcraft New Year's Wrap-Up

The Battle for Azeroth marks the Fourteenth year that the Horde and Alliance have been battling each other on their home grounds and on more than one planet.

At the end of 2017 the various families and guilds took a siesta. Keya was still around, still working on more improvements. Chaitee was on a break at her True Shot Lodge and Java took over the Auction House business. Sista handled the day to day work, such as it was. Sista was very worried about Rakta.

Unrelated to Rakta (could it have been Rakta?), the guild family decided to remove all add-ons. None of them were working properly. Frankly, things became easier with the add-ons gone. The Auction House was the biggest worry, but even that settled down over time. Meanwhile, Argus was becoming the center focus.

In March, there was a flurry of activity involving the Horde. There were voices raised demanding that the Horde Faction (which Wild is part of) shut down for lack of activity. Obviously, Tiphaine and her Alliance guild was both happy and complicit. The complications would be enormous.

Meanwhile, Java dumped the Auction House, bored beyond tears. Chaitee happily took back the reins, loudly emphasized by Chaitee's cat, Taz.

Then, on March 29th, Wildshard went to the Alliance side.

Quote: "Whoa! What a rush! Wildshard remains himself in his new incarnation as an Alliance Night Elf and Gaurdian Druid. He also kept his name. Clean shaven, too. I must say he makes a dashing figure. Wild's slouch is gone, too."

But as the days passed Wildshard began to have second thoughts. He still sees himself as a healer. Quote: "There are reminders every time he opens a bag and out spills things with intellect on them. Wild was a healer in his heyday. A good one. Dungeon and raid successes. The Glory days. Now he doesn't even have a Guild.

It's April and I Quote: "When Wildshard reaches max level it is always past midnight. Call it coincidence, call it fate, but it always falls that way. Last night was the first exception. Usually Wild has someone to talk to while doing that midnight work, but this time Wild was alone. Wild also typically goes fishing on the nights that turn into leveling, and that didn't happen this time, either. Make of it what you will.Wild still reached level 110.

Much of the year revolved around fishing. Both Keya and Wild are avid fishermen and both would win their own Underlight Angler fishing poles.

In May Demon Hunter Mahakeya returned to action.

Keya owns three legendary items of gear:

She has her Underlight.
She has the Cinidaria, the Simbiote, an i970 belt.
She also has The Sentinel's Eternal Refuge, an  i970 pair of boots.

About the same time, guild less Wild was welcomed into the Goblin Gearworks Guild.

May wound down with Wildshard doing the impossible - he joined a raid. The target was a super elite target and the raid leader was looking for volunteers, specifically another tank. Wild got the call. He did well, stayed alive, and only twice did he get into serious trouble. The healers had Wild's back, and Wild thanked them for the help. And he was still standing when the boss elite went down. The highlight may also be retirement for the elderly druid.

Wildshard stayed with the Gearworks for awhile but things were just not the same. Wild quietly left the guild. Age is catching up. Wild catches himself thinking more about the past than the future.

Wild has in mind going on a walkabout. A journey of introspection and discovery. At some point in his journey he may want company. Or he may not. Which means he needs to be prepared for both options. And for that to work, Wild is going to create his own guild. Should he take that approach, Wild already has a name for the guild: BloodNtheWater.

So there goes the last word on the 2018 Campaign. Read the last post on December 29th.

"The Revival of Wildshard" Read it.

PS - As for Guilds Wildshard once belonged to, they are still here. Rhonna's guild Warchild is still listed. Raid Progression shows a 8/8 Uldir on LFR. Still active.

The Horde Fate Sealed is also still active. Ramux is still Guild Leader. Horde. Four Mythic guild runs successful.

The Horde Meitha Guild is active as well. Grrbaby is still the Guild Leader.

The local Order of the Dragon is also on the Horde side of the family.  

Question to Ponder - The list of Wild's guilds all fall into the Horde camp. So why is Wild in the Alliance?

A Splurge at the Auction House

A Splurge at the Auction House

Note: Wild's return and swift progress from nothing to max iLevel 120  had a number of twists and curves. Fun and intense, but then Wild is just one of many who have trod those paths. Wild opted to forgo all that commentary and get to the point. 

Wildshard has now reached max iLevel 120 with an overall gear score of i275. Wild is happy about that milestone, but it is not yet good enough. He's been holding on to his gold, hoping Chaitee could steer him to any bargains he might get on weapon buys. 

Wild has 43,387 gold  in his pocket and entered the Auction House determined to make the most of it. His highest level piece of gear is his i275 staff. He loves that staff, simple though it is.

Then Wildshard started spending.

His first piece of upgraded gear was an ilevel 340 wrist piece. Yes, a jump from i275 to i340. Wild then broke a few records with additional purchases, adding i340 hands, waist, legs, and feet. His biggest need turned out to be cheaper than expected, a two handed i340 Mace. When Chaitee tallied the cost of the upgrades, she told Wild he had only 13k gold left.

Wild's new ensemble gave him an overall gear score of i305.

Wild's new dudes look good - mostly. Wild likes the dark grey overall tone and has been able to keep that, but when out in the field Wild cares only that he has the best gear he can get.

That said, Wild HATES the comical look of his mace, so he makes sure he gets plenty of gore plastered on his kills.

Wild has some decisions to make now that he has upped his game. He wants to get his guild in place. He also has to get more serious about earning Artifact Power (AP) , which is the defacto method of leveling once level 120 was reached.

Wild's AP is currently AP 12 plus 75% toward AP 13.

For comparison, Demon Hunter Keya's gear score is i311. Wild still has a way to go if he decides to overtake Mahakeya. And of course Keya will have something to say about that, too.

Wild's Grey Outfit

Wild's more outlandish gear to follow in next post. 

The Revival of Wildshard

The Revival of Wildshard

Has anyone noticed that the character who laid the foundation for all that has happened in the World of Warcraft has all but disappeared from view? Among all of the current active players, Wildshard has fared the worst, particularly in the new lands of Boralus.

Having barely reached Level 110, Wild's Artifact Power (AP) is barely visible at AP Level ONE! and is still short 32% to reach level 2. This is the Druid that's fought and triumphed over hundreds of dungeon runs and raids and is still standing in this fourteenth round of world building.

How far ye have fallen, someone once said. How did this happen? Somewhere along the line Wildshard and Guild Leader Tiphaine departed ways. Wild had it in his mind that he would start his own guild. What happened to that goal is buried somewhere in the past. Wild himself can remember little of it and is still searching the records for facts.

It's time to bring Wildshard back into the light. Sure, Wild will continue to help out the guild. But he has his own aspirations as a guild leader. He wants to revive that goal in his own way. Think of it this way, Wild told Tiphaine. Wild has always been a loner, more comfortable in the shadows instead of at the head of the march, so to speak. Wild's first attempt to bring that to fruition fell short. Wild became frustrated with a process that seemed determined to see him fail.

Wild is going to try again. He will revive his moribund guild aspirations with a new kind of liberty. Wild still wants his own guild, and he now thinks he has a way. The new dungeons, raids, and scenarios may not be what Wild wants, but he has his eyes on the three man runs that are new. Island expeditions they are, and require only three players. So what if he sucks at it? The worst that happens is he'll get kicked. So what? Try again with another group. Get better at it.

At the same time, keep asking random strangers to join his guild, and then they can stay or leave once it's firmly in place. Wild only needs four players to give him a helping hand.

For all of that above to become true, Wild has to greatly improve all aspects of his game. No one will take him into a three man island expedition with such a poor set of gear. Get to work.

Wild's "in process" guild is called BloodNtheWater. Wild wasn't sure his charter was still valid since it has been months ago when he applied. So Wild went to the Dalaran Visitor Center to find out. He spoke to Guild Master Matthews and confirmed that the charter was still valid.

"You need signatures," he told Wild. "Four of them. How you get them is up to you."

How to get a signature - (1) Find the guild charter in your bag. (2) Right Click the charter and request signature. (3) The charter should show up on the person's screen and he can then sign it. (4) Note that a player must be guildless in order to sign a guild charter. Obvious, but just saying. Once the guild has the four signers and the guild is officially recognized, the signees don't have to stay. In fact, Wild will thank them, pay them if gold is involved, and remove them. Wild plans to accost low level players in Stormwind hoping to get them to sign the petition. If gold is asked for, Wild will sweeten the pot.

NOT SO FAST - Oh My.

Sometimes expectations go beyond reality. And sometimes one wants something so bad that wishes seem true. Wildshard is Level 110. Repeat that - Wildshard is LEVEL 110. The lowest rung on the ladder.

Wildshard thought he was already at level 120. That has to hurt. No one is going to join a fledgling guild with a guild leader that hasn't even taken the first step toward level 120.

Okay, reality check. It really is time to get to work.

The Limits of Gear

The Limits of Gear

Sista recently earned a piece of gear rated at i340. That is the largest single item of gear that the Tiphaine family has earned.

Ever wondered what the max limit is? Theoretically, there is no limit. Checking on that, Keya has seen high end players with gear levels in the i900's. Keya's own gear is i311. Among that gear are two pieces of i340 gear. As a practical matter, there is really no limit, since the Tiphaine family does not raid.

Sista is determined to improve on that score. Think of it this way. The higher level of skill, the faster Sista can farm the mats she needs. Farming mats entails not just picking flowers and rocks. In the world of Boralas, killing humanoids drop tons of mats such as tidespray linen and many others.

BUT . . .  with a gear level currently at i302, and competitors with gear as high as i900s, Sista is at a huge disadvantage. Sure, she can still farm, and will continue to do so. It's a fantasy that Sista could ever challenge the big players.

However, if she works at it, she hopes to carve out a niche that would at least help the guild prosper and move forward. That is why Sista keeps pushing and continues to press the big players in the market.

Tiphaine has also accepted that buying gear is now acceptable. Keya has the record for a piece of gear - 100,000 gold. Most likely, though, such purchases are rare. The "reasonable" priced gear is too easy to get and already in use. The truly good upgrades can run in the millions. It's Chiatee's job to pick and choose gear that will help the guild without breaking the bank.

Here is a real life example. Sista's current weapon is an i325 two-handed staff. At the Auction House, Sista is looking at an i340 two-hander she can afford at 10,000 gold. As a practical matter, this is a no-brainer. Sista bought the gear, a two-handed mace. The next best piece of gear for sale had an asking price of 50,000 gold. Chance plays a huge part, which is why Sista pounced on that two-handed mace. The mace is ugly, but functional and will help keep her alive. The downside is that an hour from now Sista might win a battle and EARN an i340 two-hander, which is a lot more fun than just buying one. You take your chances.

The final tally is that Sista's gear score has risen from i298 to i304, and she has become a bit more deadly. Even though the weapon you rely on is ugly ugly. 

The UGLY Mace

The Pretty Staff

 

Market Price Fixing and a Change of Subject

Market Price Fixing and a

Change of Subject

Marketeers Gloras and Sincow have effectively cornered the market on a wide swath of goods. Chaitee and Sista have been fighting a losing battle against the two behemoths. They are determined to continue the fight despite the heavy odd against them.

Silkweave Satchel - (24 slot) - 300 gold.

The latest assault from the Marketeers is Silkweave satchel, maintaining control of a 300 gold price for the bag, and watched with glee as the cost of mats to make the bags reach new highs. The price for shal dorei silk is now at 5 gold on the auction house, well above the cost to make the bags. So the Marketeers hold the monopoly.

Embersilk Bags (22 slot) - price varies depending on availability and price of other bags.

Sista has a small foothold on this decent seller with 22 slots. Farming mats are easy (Twilight Highlands farming) but there's a twist. Hypnotic Dust is required, which uses - guess what - embersilk. So half of the mats farmed must go to making hypnotic dust first. The result is that only limited amounts embersilk bags can be produced in quantity and are subject to large swings in price.

Frostweave Bags (20 slot) - The cheapest of general bags, they are easy to farm at Naxramas. Sista, Wildshard, and Atkar can farm it once a week. The pricing of frostweave depends largely on the big sellers. For some weeks Sista has held on to a 220 gold price for the bags. That changed this morning when Gloras/Sincow suddenly dropped the price to 150 gold to chase off other bidders. They'll accept the temporary losses until the thinning competition fades away and will then pump the price back up for their advantage. So - Chaitee will not be selling frostweave bags until the prices go back up. Sigh.

Hexweave Bags (30 slot) - Crafted over a period of days, the price for these have been relentlessly falling since new bags came out. The price has recently dropped below 1,000 gold and will likely stay around the price of the new bags as long as someone wants to craft them.

Deep Sea Bags - There are two types - (1) The new 30 slot bag will eventually eliminate the current hexweave bags. (2) The new embroidered 32 slot deep sea bag is ridiculously hard to craft due to cost and time to gather the required mats.

The 30 slot deep sea bag pricing is still in flux. Today it sells for 1400 gold, but that price will fall as mats get more plentiful. The 32 slot deep sea bag has a very steep price of over 9000 gold, and there are players willing to pay that price for two extra slots. Unfortunately, the pricing and the difficulty in gathering mats for this ultimate bag is out of range of Tiphaine's coffers. Note - as this is being written, the price of the 30 slot deep sea bag fell to 1298 gold, a drop of 200 gold.

Change of Subject - The new view of leveling is becoming more comfortable, and in fact seems to be working pretty well. Before Boralas and the new continents splattered onto the world, character leveling eventually ended. Permanently. Level 120 is as high as it goes. But now, the world has Artifact Power (AP). Gear is now improved by collecting AP. Though similar to the old leveling process, the new process has no forced limit. Sista's AP is at Level 19 and will continue to grow indefinitely as far as we know. Simple. Which is how we like it.

Sista Hits Mythic Dungeon Wall

Sista Hits Mythic Dungeon Wall

Sista has been looking over the mats that she will need to craft higher level gear for her guild. It didn't take her long to realize that all of the faults from Legion regarding crafting are still alive and killing the crafting market in Azeroth. Key elements, such as Hydrocore, can only be gathered in Mythic Dungeons, and are rare enough that no regular player outside a large guild could every get the required mats.

In summary, Sista and other players that need crafting mats will have to have guild support to progress.

Once upon a time a single player could level and excel without needing massive support from major guilds. Once upon a time . . .  but not anymore.

Sista plans to go as far as she can at improving her gear. She'll continue to provide such mats as she can, but crafting higher end gear is simply not possible under the restrictions Blizzard has set.

Sista's crafting level is 102/150. Enchanting is 3/150. She will put more effort into Enchanting, since she can still craft Ring and Glove enchants for the guild.

That also means that Chaitee has to pay more attention to Gloom Dust, which is used to make enchants. Sista now has both ring and glove enchants. The rest of the level 120 guildies will get enchants as gloom dust is available.

Gloom dust is currently posted at 24 gold apiece. Chaitee needs to get that cost down. One enchant costs 288 gold at the current price.