Pet Tracker!

Wearing my 'lucky tamer bunny ears', see they work! Get back over here so I can tame you!

Gaming time has been cut short lately. I decided we need more exercise, over the weekend we went out to look at skates and since then we've been rollerblading in the evenings- which has had me wiped out. I am a huge klutz, it has taken a massive amount of practice to learn to stay upright, lol. I've not fallen (knock on wood) but it is hard to totter around like a (towering 6ft) five year old on skates, hard on ones dignity! I picked up roller-skates and blades, the blades have been much better, except I'm using my son's old pair as they are an expensive pair with ankle support, good for an old spaghetti noodle like me. Good thing we wear the same size.

I've never been good on skates but I decided I wanted us to do something different that gets us out of the house. My son is a pro, so he's been holding his poor mom's hand and teaching her! It has been fun but leaves me quite tired. It is much easier to learn when you're a kid, and that was probably the last time I tried to skate! Now at 35 it is tiring but I love getting out and getting exercise, plus my son has been so excited, he has been asking me to skate for the past year. Practice makes perfect, right? I make them get out every evening and skate, sometimes Dire slacks and skips an evening, but my son has asked if for his birthday I'll go to the skating rink with him and skate. So I need a LOT of practice! I'm going to plan a party there too, as it is his favorite hobby.

Anyhow, that's the biggest reason for lack of posts, in the evenings I log into WoW a little, do some daily quests then crash. I logged into Vanguard over the weekend and got 16 on my cleric there, and a really cool item from a lock box, but more on that in another VG post as I plan on playing more now that I'm 90 in WoW. I just need more time and energy!

Last night I was doing my fishing dailies for the anglers and noticed some tracks. Oh! Rare hunter taming tracks! I followed them around and lost them, backtracked, decided to look up what the mob was. Found the tracks leading forward, found where the creature was, all the while Dire laughing at how bad of a tracker I was... *sniff*. Eventually I tamed him, a large turtle, with a black shell and red skin. I wasn't really after a turtle but why not tame him? I was happy when I finally got him tamed.

Some things to note- Ice trap did not always stick, damage did not cause him to aggro me and thinking back I figured I should have used hunter's mark. If you are after these pets that needs to be the first thing you cast on them! That is the best advice I can give, because as soon as they are out of the flare, well, they just invis again. Also, taming, get on top of them and start it, they will keep walking, they don't attack so you really want to make sure you get close enough to tame as they walk away! I found icetrap doesn't always stick, I think due to them moving out of the flare it sort of conflicts if not stepped upon at just the right time.

I decided I wanted to see what other rare beasts I could track and tame. I ended up with four all together! Luckily they were up and after reading up on WoW Head, I only had to sit and camp one- Glimmer. I camped him about 15 minutes and he showed up. The rest I flew around until I found tracks. Another one to note would be Hexapos, his tracks are backwards. You don't follow the direction they are going but the opposite direction! The rest were uneventful really, well as far as surprises go.

It was pretty neat tracking these pets, hoping someone else didn't tame them when I was looking, following the tracks, knowing I was sooo close but not knowing exactly where they were (they turn a lot, lol)! I liked it better than in the past where the rare hunter pets would be up (those that had no rare drops) but others could still kill them, causing hunters to wail in despair, as the time spent camping these pets skyrocketed. I spent a lot of time taming many of my pets, this was a nice change, time consuming but not nearly as bad. I read most of these are only around two hours for respawn.

Fun stuff! They are all 90. The water-striders are quite awesome as I use them for fishing all time time! If you don't find these guys after about twenty minutes, I say come back another time. They are probably not as hunted as they were at the start of the expansion, I didn't see any other hunters, maybe I was just lucky. Good luck if you are looking for them, I still have a few more to tame, though my stable is full and I don't know who to release.... We really need more stable slots!! Pics below.

Because of phasing in the Jade forest, this spot on the map is the best place to 'camp' Glimmer, as this is where he crosses over the water. The pic below shows where I was standing, I just set the flare below, traps don't always seem to work. (triangle on the map!) And... tracks are harder to see here, make sure to turn your ground clutter all the way down if you're not in a static camp spot. 

Glimmer! He is a neat looking strider. 

Bloodtooth, a dark colored turtle. Not as flashy as the one I tamed in Cataclysm but he's cool, very sleek and mean looking!

Hexapos, he's a tall one. At first I wasn't a fan of these guys but they're so soft and sparkly looking! Plus, it is cool to have a big pet sometimes! Great for the ability to walk on water, perfect pet for an angler!

Portent. This one comes in many colors, I like this scheme, he's pretty dark and impressive looking. This one randomly spawns in one of four colors. Pretty easy to track, you can see the tracks easily enough, note there is one in the pic. 

90- Late To The Party

Mmm.. Chicken.

Over the weekend I finally hit 90 in WoW. I still have a couple characters sitting at 88 and another at 85 but I think I will focus on my hunter for now and experience everything I've been working towards- Which is a lot. There are so many daily quests with so many factions! I do not have time to do them all but I make sure to do my favorites like The Tillers, I want to get my farm decked out! 

Speaking of farming, it is kind of neat. I like checking in on it, growing stuff, selling it. It doesn't really feel like housing at all to me, some people compare it. IMO, after playing some of the better housing out there, well, it cannot compare, but it is still quite nifty in it's own. I mean, who doesn't want their own farm if given the chance to have one? Plus, next patch we'll be able to own it, no buying it either, freeeeee! Well, once you max everything out, which I am still working on.

But yeah, so much to do now in this expansion. I thought things would slow down once I hit 90, nope, so much to do. The other expansions always had stuff to do but it really feels like MoP just expanded things. There are some fun factions to work on, way too many daily quests- not a bad thing and you never run out of things to do, right? Pet battles, fishing ($$$), trade skills in general, old instances and achievements, raids, five man instances, scenarios, rares to hunt... I really feel like there is always something to do, which is good! 

I have read the complaints about 'too much' to do, speaking of daily quests and factions in particular, but for me I just pace myself. I'm here for fun not to stress over maxing everything out asap. I mean I'd love to but I don't rush myself to burnout. I'll get there eventually, as I did with 90, heh. I'm always the last one to join in on the party. I like to call it fashionably late ;) 

I've done a couple of instances and a scenario, over the past few days. Had some decent people in the instances, the scenario was rather quiet and I was lost as hell, at first, but I picked up on what to do. Then there is the Valentine instance to do every day, hope to get the rocket mount this year!

For now, tons of things to do, enjoying that. I doubt I'll really raid, I can't sit still long enough to want to, but the odd instance or scenario here and there should be fun. On top of all this, even more in the next patch, more daily quests with a new area. It does feel like Blizzard is keeping the pace at a decent rate, but maybe I've been gone for too long? 

Quit buggin' me, we're almost there... 

Any relation to Jiminy Cricket?

King Varian makes it to Pandaria. 

Caring for baby.

This little guy is the last of his kind, son of Deathwing. 

New(s)tuff

We have a barber now! My Bella got a makeover!

Lots going on out there in 'MMO Land'. Glitch is closing it's doors in December, which is very sad. I think a lot of niche games like this would flourish better on the mobile platforms. I really would have played the heck out of it on my Android, I had often wished it was a mobile game. I think it is something developers should consider in the future: Is this a game that will survive as a PC game or would it really flourish as a mobile game? When I sit down at my PC I'm not wanting to play a FB game or something so laid back, I can do that on my mobile device, just something that crossed my mind. It is sad to see this cute little game go away though, I enjoyed it, such a unique game, but never played it enough to be able to help fund it.

GW2 has some new content and an event kicking off this weekend, The Lost Shores. After the last event I'm not sure how much I feel like logging in to try it, but I think I may pop in and at least see how it starts off. Looks like weapon skins will be available in the cash shop this time. There is a new area and I've read players will be up-scaled if they are too low to participate, for the weekend event.

There is also a hot debate about the direction of gear, the new gear grind being added to GW2. There is a massive, massive forum topic you can check out here. It does seem to go against the projected image of the game, the initial direction of the game. As others have stated, you can make another gear grinding centered MMO, nothing wrong with that, you just can't expect people to be happy when you claim you're game is going another direction and then turn it into another gear grind. All I can think is GW2 has some very poor management. ANet has gotten a lot of heat with recent choices. It is a fabulous game, at the core, I do hope they don't try to milk it for all it is worth and run it into the ground.

However, I do want to pop in, since I own the game. I really had high hopes for GW2, especially since I enjoyed the first title and how the game was handled, it was great. We'll see how this event goes, I wonder if the new gear deal is going to overshadow it though.

ToR went F2P and I'd like to pop in but I'm wondering about the restrictions, I don't know if I'd even enjoy it. I do plan on trying it again, at some point. I hope the game does better but with all the silly choices going live with F2P I don't know. Paying to hide a head slot or to add more action bars? I do wish them the best though... maybe I also wish them to get real with some of these ideas, heh.

WoW is getting even more to do in the next patch and I haven't even it 90! I really love the expansion, I am enjoying the content. I think it is a really refreshing expansion but I think I am just kind of bored sometimes. I log in still but not for more than an hour a day tops. It isn't the game it is just me I suppose. Still enjoying it, just not playing as much lately. I'm sure in a few weeks or so I'll get a second wind and pick back up.

Rift is very exciting, even though I'm not able to participate in the newest content Storm Legion offers. I'm doing a lot of instant adventures, which I love. Boom, boom, boom, tons of xp and very enjoyable. People seem to work together well, most of the time. While we don't always talk we seem to have a synergy of sticking together and helping each other, it's weird. People seem to be pretty nice here too. I suppose because, here in Rift, we have more things that help promote being kinder to people, they are on your server, you will run into them again. I find myself throwing heals to keep up members, watching after those lower levels w/o mounts, who always seem to lag along at the back of the pack and get all the adds. I guess that is just me, it is always great to work as a team and have reasons to support your allies. I love it.

While I haven't grouped in an instance I am having a total blast with instant adventures. I can see them taking over most of my leveling progression. I'm still popping into zones as I level, I want to see more of the game. Instant adventures are very addicting though! These groups grow and shrink, people come and go. Sometimes they are huge groups, all of us working together to defeat massive waves of mobs, other times it is just one other stranger and I working together to complete a goal we have in general. I find myself more inclined to talk in these groups than I would in other random groups in different games.

Anyhow, enough gushing. The game has changed a lot. No longer do I have problems exploring and riding across zones, I don't have masses of mobs chasing me like I did at release. It seems more polished with lots more to do. I'm working on a Necro/Chloro build that is decent for soloing and helpful with random rifts and events. Not the best DPS oriented build I'd guess, but for what I want and need, it is pretty stable, exactly what I am looking for. I'm very glad I picked up the mage again. I did manage to try the Harbinger pre-made build which was very cool, I think I need more levels for it to truly shine though. Very awesome concept, I can myself playing it lots more around 50 or so.

It is all shiny and new again, refreshing, lots to so, different specs to play around with. I think that is what I needed to get me excited about a game again. I'm glad I am back, it's been quite enjoyable! And... Ding 30. I picked back up at 23 and I'm looking forward to seeing more levels!

Hope everyone has a great weekend, leaving some lovely shots from Rift!

Off to another instant adventure.

A clicky item I had in my bags, I could use at level 30. I think this was from Rift's first world event.

Fishing, I really enjoy this profession in any game. Rift seems to have nailed it.

Following the pack.

A gorgeous Death Rift ahead.

Another lovely sight to see, though sometimes there are too many of these around, lol.

Visiting a gorgeous dimension. This is the one I want... 500p!! I have a lot of saving up to do.

The grand canyon? LoL.

An invasion boss.

Fire rift.

Smelling The Roses

Yesterday was a pretty good day in WoW. I managed to get about half of a level in, which is more than I have been able to for the last few days, 88 will be mine today- on the lock. I explore and look around a lot, take too many pictures but it sometimes pays off. I managed to kill two rares which spawned while I was doing my thing, puttering around. Hey' where'd that guy come from.... He doesn't seem to fit in here... Oh it's a rare! I managed to get a cool trinket, which summons a Terracotta Warrior which will fight for you for ten minutes, one hour cool down, very cool! So, I managed to find two rares yesterday, only one had decent stuff but it was exciting. Pretty easy to solo as the lock.

I also managed to finish up another transmog set I have been wanting to work on. I've wanted one of those neat robes from AQ (pictured up top), they come in gold, pink and blue... Any of them would have made me happy. I run AQ fairly often to try to get one, the bigger zone is more of a problem with the first boss mezzing me then resetting, but I finally got past him and worked my way into the bosses who drop the robes.  I had no luck in the smaller AQ zone, the first boss is an easy kill and drops the pink robe, for me he never drops it, lol. Loving this new set, I've always wanted one of these robes, never had any luck on any casters!

Dire is almost caught up to me in levels, he's often tired and doesn't play every day but he's enjoying when he does get to play. He's looking forward to leveling up multiple characters and also running some old content with me once we hit 90, seeing just what we can do. He's sticking with the DK first then he has a lot of others to choose from.

I've cleared through the first two zones, making my way through the wilds now. I've even bumbled through an alliance outpost and flagged myself a time or two. I just kind of mosey around exploring everything, lol. 'Oh, hey there alliance guards, I gotta run. Buh-Bye!' 

One thing I was thinking last night was how WoW always feels like the same game, it's hard to explain as Dire doesn't understand where I am coming from. No matter where I go in WoW it always has the same feel, unlike other games I play. New expansions and art direction often make games feel different as you travel through different expansions. Maybe I'm just rambling nonsense, but it always feels like home when I'm there, not so alienated and different. 

Screenshots because I take too many!

Flying a kite in the rain... 

A flying fox...?

My cool terracotta warrior.

Swimming!

I really love some of these buildings, such a nice design in MoP.

Taking a rest on a lily pad!

Gazing at a scroll, one minute later a rare pops behind me!

Relaxing Days In The Mists (WoW - MoP)

Ah, questing in Pandaria. It has been so very relaxing, fun and entertaining. I've really enjoyed the stories as well, I find myself reading more of the quest text as I make my way through the zones, which is something I don't always do these days. I suppose it helps to immerse yourself into these beautiful lands, the writing is quite good.

My Lock has made it to 87, I'm goofing off a lot still, this week I plan on cracking down and working through more questing and getting to 90. I really love this class, it has been the most enjoyable to quest with in MoP so far.

I could go on and on about MoP but I'm like the last person on the planet to level 90, well, Dire and I, lol. So glad he is playing again. I'm sure everyone has already read about the zones I'm going through or experienced them already. Instead of being truly uninspiring today I'll share some pics and captions of my favorite moments through MoP last week.

Also- Check out my article here if you want to read about some good mobile apps I've been playing.

A pretty moment with all these fluttering wings passing by!

Checking out the brewery with Chen.

A sight to revel in.

Demonic gate... Playing at the farm. 

Hit it, punch that turnip!

Bad plant! PUT ME DOWN!! I swear this is the last time you get watered!

Drinking in the scenery.

That's one BIG bananna.

All these moths make me sleepy.

Gathering water, he's quite strong- no pandaren were harmed or given hernias for this picture.

Taking a peek over the edge.

Terrible Turnip!!

Come here little buddy!

Weeding.

MC :)

The demon crew and I.

Training!

A cosy alcove.

Ah, such a relaxing scene.