To SL or not to SL

I kill things. It is what I enjoy. I have killed animals, elementals, machinery, and demons the same way for over a year. I am an AFFLICTION lock. It is the way I enjoy playing.

Early on in my 70s I played with a demonology and destruction build. I didn’t like either very much. I speced out of both so quickly I didn’t even blog about the experience. I just didn’t like it.

…

So there is this PvP thing. You know where you kill other players. I am sure you have heard of it.

The most common build for warlocks in PvP is SL/SL build. You go into the affliction build to get Siphon Life and into the demonology to get Soul Link. The focus is outlasting the opponent (but isn’t all PvP?). Increasing your stamina, improving your life draining abilities, and reduce your damage taken.

I am trying this out for a few days. I lost some things that I am getting use to not having. Dark Pact providing a mana battery out of my minion. Unstable Affliction silencing dispell happy mages, pallies, and priests. The talent I miss the most is my instant Howl of Terror. *cry*

New spells I get to play with are Fel Domination, Demonic Sacrifice, and Soul Link. I don’t even know WHEN these are helpful. But I am trying to understand the strategy behind the play. I have this feeling that I am over thinking it and what I am trying to actually do is manage my pet more.

I am going onto battlegrounds learning this new spec with the intention of doing arenas this weekend. I am still focusing on what I don’t have anymore. My first thoughts after one day…

• I have no idea when to use Soul Link.
• Demonic Sacrifice seems to be a talent point to let you get Soul Link. It doesn’t look helpful in PvP.
• Fel Domination is only useful if minion is killed. Talking to another lock this happens a lot. I never found this to be true but that maybe because I was not demonology spec.
• I need to use drain life more.
• Before it was Corruption then Siphon Life. Now the first dot up needs to be Siphon Life.
• Not having instant HoT with a stun locking rogue makes it impossible for me to survive.
• I am trying NOT to hate it. Just haven't started to LIKE it.
  

After some reading on Arenajunkies.com there is spellstone!! I haven’t used that since I picked up the spell… and ran around Desolace with it pre BC. Should I be starting with a spellstone in my wand slot then once it is used change to my wand? Not sure.

I would love to find a lock video that is narrated like this mage one. I will keep searching maybe I will find something fun.

Since my Arathi Basin marks started going to the mail. I found the list on wowwiiki.com showing the cost of arena rewards by season very useful. I rewarded myself with my first Season 4 gear the Guardian's Dreadweave Belt.

Like I have said … Hydra doesn’t PvP. I just kill things.

Warlock vs Rogue

All locks and rogues were harmed in the making of this video. I thought it was a great use of vanish and it would have worked if not for that quick response time of the lock.

My PvP Reputation Proceeds Me

I was on vent discussing stuff with one of my 5v5 team. Talking about different gear, strategies, ways we can improve our play, and how much fun we have been having. She mentioned her friend…

[PvP partner] My housemate has been really enjoying the game lately. She has built a 29 twink. *with excited respect* She has joined up with this really intense dedicated twink guild. They spend hundreds of gold on just one enchant. They play hard.

[Me] What is the guild name? (I have seen many 29s floating around, I didn’t want to assume.)

[PvP partner] It is Farstriders something

[Me] Farstriders Elite?

[PvP partner] Yea! That is the one. They have been really helpful to her and it is amazing at how much they know. Freely helping out and making recommendations.

[Me] *uncontrolled laughter*

I informed her that I was an officer of said guild. Which lead her to get her housemate.

[PvP partner] Hey you know that girl’s voice you have been hearing coming out of my vent while I PvP, running Kara, and in the 25s, that is Aurum from FE.

*blush*

I apologized to the housemate because I think I was terribly rude to her on FE Vent earlier that day. My curtness had no excuse but I was trying to get something done because my 5v5 team was calling me in. That was when she told me she was glad to have met me because everyone talked highly of me. *grin* It is funny how small a server can be.

She knew of me. I have “reputation”.

Then the three of us chatted about PvP. I realized this was a girl chat. The three of us were talking a mile a minute about PvP, gear, other players (mostly the guys on vent, yes I did call Jackyll a sweetheart. Shhh. Don’t tell him.). Asking and answering questions with ease. You know what I mean, right? Where you flow from one topic to another faster then the thought of any man listening.

I was so proud of what we had built in this twink guild of core friends. Because the excitement I heard on her voice told me that she was having fun. The respect I heard on my PvP partner made me proud. Over all I was impressed and reminded that this guild of mine is special.

Doom in AV for Horde

It is alway nice to run into someone you know.

LF Ranged DPS, Have Tanks and Healers

Tuesdays night’s raid was canceled. We have had trouble filling a full raid of 25 Tuesday thru Thursday. Even though people say they would be available they are not signing up. Making it hard for the raid leaders to plan since those were the nights everyone said they would be able to attend. From other blogs and talking with other guilds it looks like this is prevalent in all raiding guilds. I think it is just a summer, WotLK, and Alt thing.

Our only raiding prot pally says in guild. [G][Pally]: Kara badge run!”

Then one of our priest said they would go… and a warrior.

Well that sounded promising. I announced my interest too. Seems with 22 people on we could make a quick Kara group to farm the place for badges. I might even get my hat!

I waited a few minutes. No one was doing invites. No one was taking initiative. *sigh* I have a feeling it is not going to happen if I don’t organize this.

So I start inviting.

A hunter would like to take their dps warrior. Another hunter would like to take their rogue. And second hunter had a friend that could heal. A healer who wanted to take their hunter.

I sent invites. I got whispers “I am not taking this toon.”

I need to know where we stand with bodies. What classes we need to fill. I have NEVER paid attention. I just sign up for these things. I don’t lead these things. Here I was with four people whispering me. Trying to ask questions myself on how many tanks and healers we need. How geared each new-to-me character was. I even looked up our guest in armory! I needed to know if I needed a third healer or not.

I didn’t sign up for this position. But I was looking at a raid of eight. With me as lead.

By this time my rogue was going to be home in 20 minutes. So I would make him the ninth. I have some pull there. *grin* But with two rogues and a dps warrior we were a little thin on ranged and casters. So that is what I had to fill.

It took me 20 plus minutes to fill that tenth raid spot. Friends talked to people and other people. I whispered to guildies. Finally when my rogue logged on I received a whisper from one of the other guild locks. YES! Off we went.

The healer friend was the only one who had never been all the way through Kara. He had coaching. Form his friend, the other healer, and the healer on her hunter. So I didn’t worry. Lots of loot was picked up for healer friend, alts, and fun to play around with. So we actually didn’t shard as much as I thought.

We had a hitch with Moroes. Mostly because I never pay attention to who gets killed first, shacked, trapped, and tanked. My solution?

[RL] [Me]: You all mark the one you CC.

They did, everyone agreed and we cleared up the kill order for everyone and proceeded. We did end up killing the shacked mob before Moroes because it got dotted. No, it wasn’t me. *shrug* Moroes still died.

I made fun of prot pally for going off and giving the healers heart attacks by almost dieing. To the point I put a raid icon on his head so we could keep track of him. From then on the icon kept changing. And they reduced their healing so he didn’t get mana back so fast so they could get theirs.

We took a peek at Nightbane. I finally got my urn. Our hunter switched out to her healer. But we still didn’t get him down. I know we could. I wanted to finish up the quest to get it out of my log. But this was a farming run and it was decided to move on quickly. We wanted Prince since he had the most loot on him for the raid. I restrained myself from being disappointed. I was really hopping to get that done.

We got Big Bad Wolf for the Opera event. No hat for me. But my rogue picked up the Big Bad Wolf's Paw to play with.

We breezed through the fights. I only brought up reminders kill sparks first, wait on mana before next pull, and don’t move on flame wreath. We did wipe. Had a bad pull on the way to Maiden.

It took three tries on Prince. On the run back I reminded them to repair at the vendor standing before chess.

I had whispers about this being the latest they could stay. Sleepy raiders get sloppy.

[RL][Me]: No more dieing allowed.

We changed around tanks and healing. Down he went.

I know I had it easy. They knew the fights. I still had to establish loot rules, deal with the whispers, the organizing, final decisions and every random thing that came up. I have always had high respect for my raid leaders. I know it is not an easy job. You are in charge of the fun and personalities of the raid. I was responsible for nine others.

I didn’t realize I was doing it. While we were raiding, after each kill, I congratulated the raid. Told people thanks for remembering things and focusing.

In the end I was excited at how much loot was distributed. Gearing alts and getting items for offspec that had no DKP cost from a normal raid. I told the raid it was fun. And they concurred.

It wasn’t horrible. We cleared everything but the two dragons. Giving us 18 badges. I have some interest to go back and clear the dragons for quests from others in the guild. So a full clear might happen. Now we will have to see if I ever do a run like this ever again.

Nice place you have Kael’thas

Guild did new trash in The Eye. The other affliction lock and I had to fear and keep UA up on the Battle Mages. It went really well. I do have to say that both of us agreed that chasing down the mob to re-fear was very odd. It would not be so bad if they were not running 300% faster then us. The Boar Speed on my boots made little difference.

Then we got our first look at Kael'thas Sunstrider.

Since I was coming in to check out the lay of the land I figured it would only be appropriate to go up to greet the host.

We didn’t take a shot at him this first night because it was raid time. One of our Mages did decide to get all up close and personal. Chaos ensued as raiders ran and hearthed. Someone stated on vent “You could have at least put up a portal to Shatt first.” I thought it was funny. It was a good ending to a Winterchill, Al’ar, and Solarian raid night.

We did go back the next night to actually attempt Kael’thas. This fight is going to take some work. No learning this boss in a night or two. The organization and timing has to be exact. I can see this fight weeding out raiders who want loot and raiders who want a boss down.

Those who are just looking for loot will stop signing up. I have watched that. Some are upfront with it. I respect them knowing their own mind. There are others that are kidding themselves with discontent.

I have some personal bets on which raiders are stronger then others. WHEN I win I get to smirk.

Tale of a Halo

I am going to punch SMACK someone in the face up side the head. I want IT for myself. Before Hydra could go to the Horde capital cities I went. I didn’t wait.

Thunder Bluff was my first target. In my 32nd season, I ran through the Barrens making a quick stop to snuff out the Crossroads flame. I went straight to Mulgore pausing briefly at Bloodhoof Village. I made it to the foot of the lift to Thunder Bluff.

Then I danced with a nice Horde druid. I dodged guards. I stealthed around vendors. I wisp explored where the fire was located. I stripped down to my pants to save some of my gear. Then had to abandon those since they we no longer helpful. I was naked in a city of Tauren.

I made it.

I snuffed out the flame and picked up the Flame of Thunder Bluff.

You asinine Hogger loving booger … (Cussing and item throwing was removed. You will have to just imagine the tantrum here. ~Hydra)
… and your dog too.

You have to be season 50 to be allowed to complete this task.

I WANTed a halo of my own. *glower*

/sigh

After Iuncusia wore herself out… I finished my notes to Aurum about her banking and how the gems, primals, and enchanting materials were selling. With Season 4 well on its way, it is going quite well. We have a hitch with some of the gems. Overall I made gold.

I made a deal with Iuncusia.

Every single one would be desecrated. No Horde fire would be unvisited. They will all be snuffed out.

I ran around putting out Horde fires and honoring the Alliance fires. Not one flame was unvisited in Kalimdor, Eastern Kingdoms, or Outland.

I had my captured flame from last year. I didn’t need to spend blossoms to get mine. Maybe I will get the complete outfit from the festival. I have not decided yet.

Iuncusia was quite happy with the results.
Of all of Azeroth I find this as one of my favorite places. The atmosphere if fantastic. Any guesses of land and subregion?