Gaming Thoughts: September 2017

Why do I only want to play WoW when I’m least able to? I’ve had zero craving for it for almost 6 months and now it’s almost October and because I’m about to go back to uni… I want to play.

Except I also don’t want to play. And I guess that’s okay.

My issue is really the same as it’s always been, a combo of three things:

1. I don’t have time to play the way I want to and do all the content I wish I could do;
2. I don’t really enjoy the way the story is going
3. I’m terrible at time management and have no idea how much time I should be putting aside for WoW vs work.

I really, badly want to play, but at the same time I don’t know how to start and manage my time well. But… I have to learn how to effectively manage my time well. Putting this off is not going to help.

And probably, the best thing to do if I want to create a healthy video gaming habit, rather than ignoring it, is regular check-ins. So… I guess, consider this the start of an ongoing series.

Moving forward, I think I should outline a few things that I want as goals to aim for:

1. I’d like to not get bogged down in a ‘chore’ list, but rather outline a weekly or long-term goal to pursue.
2. I’m going to do, on a daily basis, what strikes my fancy rather than feeling obligated to do something.
3. It would be nice to raid once a week.
4. It is impossible to multi-main in this expansion, so I will focus on finishing class quests and levelling professions on my alts.
5. If I’m bored and want to level an alt rather than play a main, I’m not going to feel bad about it.

Therefore, I’m going to try limiting myself to 1 1/2 hours on weekdays, and 3 hours on weekends – and re-look at these goals midway through term. Wish me luck!

Nostalgic Without Time

I’ve been on a retro games kick recently, but also on an Overwatch kick, which I started after the last free weekend. It’s actually quite fun, which is something I never thought I’d say about an FPS game. But the thing that’s been occupying my mind recently is how fast time seems to slip away.

I also turned 21 last week, which may be somewhat to do with this. But I have also been thinking a lot about the games I played when I was younger. Many of them were MMOs, and many I drifted between in a time when more MMOs were P2P and I was still a very young gamer, before I eventually settled on WoW. Despite the fact that I ended up playing some of these games for little more than an afternoon, and certainly never progressed far in any of them, they all do collectively hold a place in my happy childhood memories, and the music in all of them is still very evocative to me.

Part of the reason for this consideration has also been the fact that in 2016 I’ve become a much more varied gamer. Most of my teenage years were spent exclusively on WoW, but I’ve realised that as I grow older I simply do have less time for it. Hell, I don’t think I’ve been on the game in about 8 weeks now, and while it is still a favourite when on holiday, at university I just don’t have the time to fit it in (or a computer that can play it decently). I’ve really enjoyed games like Stardew Valley and Tomb Raider this year that I never before thought were genres that interested me, and now as we head towards Christmas I’m looking at a wider variety of things to have a go with.

I simply don’t have the time to play WoW, do all my academic work and write and read for leisure, which is something that’s been quite aggravating to me over my university career. Part of this inevitably comes down to my fatal flaw of timing and planning, but part is also simply the fact that university is so busy and filled with things that I consider more important. Gaming is a great release and wind-down for me, rather than an all-consuming hobby, and so WoW sort of fades back into the background. If I don’t have the time to dedicate to making it fun, what’s the point of playing it when I can play something that is immediately fun?

I think that’s part of the reason why I’ve been so occupied with a time where I was more innocent and where games were just fun whatever I did. There’s something that is unbeatable about the feeling of just starting a game, having no idea where anything or what anything is, and just finding out by accident. I don’t think I’m alone in trying to recreate that, whether through expansions, different game modes or indeed different genres.

But in the end, I guess I have to keep moving forward and just try to make time – like I am doing now, instead of writing an essay.

There’ll always be more games, at least – and the last part of the reason for this occupation of my mind is that Maplestory 2 is finally on its way to North American servers! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f_oWzZSGCI&t=31s

Dusk

[Report in the Communication Tome]

Success and failure. We met up with an army sent by Silvermoon to proceed to Duskwither on foot – Magisters were sent by boat to disrupt Legion attempts to summon a ship into Quel’thalas.

Minimal casualties from our side, and quickly made our way into Duskwither. With aid from tank, quickly took out the crystals being used to summon in more demons. Another new demon present – hooded and robed, blind, skilled in magic – but main eredar in charge was on verge of manifesting in Azeroth, possessing a magistrix whom we’d had dealings with before.

She hired us to retrieve bloodcrystals to power the Ziggurats and Sanctum of the Moon – the same bloodcrystals used to open Legion portals at those locations. We were played like fools by the eredar all along.

The magistrix is dead, and we have no way of proving our innocence in this plot. Though Quel’thalas is safe for now, we are being arrested for treason.

They say Vol’jin is dead, that the Broken Shore was a disaster, that Sylvanas is now Warchief.

Anrithen, Thelnarion, if you live, please come home.

– Keliera

Pushing Forward

[Report in the Communication Tome]

We have crossed from the Ghostlands into Eversong, opening up a channel between the Farstrider Enclave and the Retreat. Last night, we reclaimed a tank from one of our allies, and prevented technology from the abandoned holdings in the Ghostlands falling into the Legion’s hands.

The Farstrider Retreat was under heavy siege when we reached it, with the ground floor occupied by legions of felguard, and the upper floors reinforced by more of the vicious gan’arg and mysterious bat-demons, which we have affectionately taken to calling ‘woop woops’ due to their incessant screams.

Aided by the tank, we were able to draw the demons out towards the river to the southwest, while a group of rangers from the Enclave flanked from the east to relieve those on the top floor who had barricaded themselves against the demons. Most of the bats fell quickly, and the tank – combined with our forces, and numerous mercenaries who we had managed to call in – took out most of the felguards.

However, reinforcements came quickly, with the ranged group falling under attack from more felguards and several felhunters. We were able to keep our foothold, freezing most of the demons in place while the two groups of rangers co-ordinated their attacks, felling the bats and the ground forces.

It was at this moment that we aroused the ire of the Legion’s main forces in Duskwither Spire, with more bats flying in, combined with several infernals, an overfiend and sustained mental attacks by an eredar. However, the distractions caused by the rangers up top allowed the ground forces to regroup, and the infernals were swiftly dealt with, and the overfiend captured through swift spellwork, robbing the demons of a commander.

Our victory was then assured, the eredar withdrawing following a parting shot from a sharpshooter.

In total, we saved fourteen of the Retreat’s rangers, who would certainly have died had we not acted sooner. With the Retreat strengthened, the Legion’s two bases are cut off from each other, and we can make plans for an assault on Duskwither Spire.

Lok’tar Ogar!
– Keliera Dawndancer

New Fires

[Report in the Communication Tome]

Greetings, brothers, sisters and allies. My apologies for the delay of this message, but we have only recently had our tome passed on to us.

Currently, the main breadth of the Convocation are in Quel’thalas, with most of our fighters, including our Overseer, en-route to the Broken Isles to shut down the Legion’s operations there.

We have encountered the Legion’s forces recently on several occasions. Following several omens, we set off from Pandaria several weeks ago to return to Quel’thalas, however, our ship was attacked by a flock of demons we have not seen before, and after taking significant damage from an infernal, we made an emergency landing in Gilneas.

The demons still have yet to be identified, even by those in our membership who are veterans of past conflicts against the Legion. If anything, they faintly resemble undead gargoyles – but far more devastating, with fel-fire breath attacks and sharp claws. They are small, but not to be underestimated.

Around two weeks ago, following our shipwreck, we headed over-land to try reach Forsaken territory. Gilneas proved more difficult than anticipated, as on several occasions we came into conflict with corrupted worgen. It appears the feral worgen who held out against the Forsaken have also turned to sinister powers, and we narrowly left Gilneas as infernals started to fall from the sky.

We then took a ship from Keel Harbour to Tirisfal, before riding to the Eastern Plaguelands to see the departure of the Argent Crusade’s armada. It was then – around a week ago – that we were critically distracted by a small demonic incursion against the Ebon Blade, an act that allowed a man’ari eredar to sneak past the barriers into the High Kingdom.

We gave chase, but were too late. As I write this, at least two Legion portals have been established, thanks to the help of the aforementioned eredar and several escaped Legion cultists whom we captured during our travels in Tanaan. At least one, if not more of these agents are undercover within Eversong.

We managed to disable the first portal we came across – at the Howling Ziggurat, east of the Dead Scar – at the cost of the structural integrity of the reclaimed temple. However, the forces at the second portal – located at the Sanctum of the Moon – pushed us back, forcing a retreat from Tranquillien first to the Sanctum of the Sun, and now to the Farstrider Enclave.

Most of those evacuated have made it intact, though the local Farstriders have been severely damaged – first spread thin by the departure of Silvermoon’s army for the Broken Isles, now by this incursion. We managed to briefly disperse the form of the ground commander, an overfiend who we previously encountered in Draenor – however, given the active portals still within the region, it is only a matter of time before he returns.

Shutting these portals down is our highest priority, thus once our members have recovered we will be heading north, first to the Farstrider Retreat, and then to the location we believe the Legion to be operating from – Duskwither Spire, the only place in Eversong with enough magical reserves to power these portals.

The Light stands with us, and we shall push these demons back. Lok’tar Ogar!
– Keliera Dawndancer, Arcanist of the Horde.

A New End

[Report in the Communication Tome]

This is Keliera Dawndancer of the Convocation, reporting on our recent pitched battle with the flighted forces of the Sethekk. Despite significant casualties, I am pleased to report significant successes.

For several weeks in Tanaan, we have been dogged by a high-ranking lieutenant of the Sethekk, whom we initially encountered in Highmaul, where she stole an ancient arakkoan weapon from the caches of the Magisters there. This artefact drained one of our own of their powers of the Light, and as such, she has been a significant target during our time in Tanaan.

Setting up in the Thundertail Wallow, an open lagoon southwest of Lion’s Watch, we utilised an Apexis containment relic alongside several priest-created angelic feathers to provide a source of Light enough to bait the forces of the fel arakkoa. Aided by our allies in the Order of the Awakened, we initially killed three fel-corrupted dread ravens and a flock of fel kaliri before the arakkoa army showed themselves.

The battle progressed swiftly, with the hostile arakkoa summoning numerous felfire elementals and an infernal to initially attack us. We avoided significant wounds during this stage of the battle, and the infernal was fortunately downed with only minimal injury from its death throes.

Following this, a flock of fel bladewings and sages set upon us, aided by their commander, using both powers of Light and Fel thanks to the weapon she possessed. Thanks to our allies taking on her army, we were able to catch her with chains and nets, dragging her to the floor before engaging in combat.

While the battle initially went in our favour, the arakkoa, a corrupted sage, managed to activate our apexis artefact, releasing a powerful void creature from its prison to aid her. Quick thinking from our magi and priests stunned it while we recovered the weapon, using its powers of the Light to banish the void being.

A note to our allies – this creature is one none of us have encountered before. It is less powerful than a void god, but far superior to a void walker, unbound in shape with powerful wings. It is similar to void signals we have detected within the Citadel, suggesting the Legion has access to this previously unseen creature. We urge utmost caution if anyone else encounters such a creature, as it was able to absorb several of the arakkoa and devour their souls without issue.

Despite this uphill struggle, the arakkoa were ultimately defeated, and several useful Apexis artefacts recovered from their army. A vital member of the Sethekk upper caste has been defeated, which will hopefully clear the way to gaining control over the Apexis ruins in the jungle’s northwest and isolating the Sethekk within the Citadel. The power of the ravens over the skies has been curtailed, and we expect travel to now be less risky for all.

Despite our success, we experienced significant damage from the fel magic used, and will have to spend some time recovering before we are able to rejoin our allies’ campaign against the Iron Horde. Until then, we will be recovering in the Refuge, and wish our allies honour and victory.

Lok’tar Ogar!
– Keliera Dawndancer

Pushback

[Report in the Communication Tome]

Our luck in the arakkoa ruins has not held. We attempted to reach the upper tier tonight, but found it reinforced and significantly saturated with fel energy, which made movement and healing much harder for our forces.

We initially succeeded in killing the guards to the tier, but found that beyond it, the Sethekk arakkoa have summoned large numbers of demons and are using fel-powered apexis golems to defend their holdings. Additionally, unlike the arakkoa we have previously fought, the arakkoa here have retained their wings, and consequently are faster, stronger and recover faster than regular arakkoa bladewings. We were able to blow up several crystals before being forced to retreat.

While we escaped without fatalities, we have yet to reach the highest tier, where Iskar’s lieutenants are fortified. The demons in the area include shivarra and wrathguards, as well as the imps and observers we reported yesterday.

We are now low on supplies, but managed to heal our party with a crate of medical supplies recovered by members of the Hand of the Titans, to whom we are very thankful. While we are invested in helping end the threat here, we are not strong enough at present, and so will be returning to Rangari Refuge soon to resupply and meet up with the rest of our allies, to determine our next move.

We hope that the fight goes well elsewhere. Lok’tar Ogar!
-Arcanist Keliera Dawndancer

Reclamation

[Report in the Communication Tome]

The Convocation proceeded into the Ruins of Kra’nak tonight, backed up by our own arakkoa allies, in a first strike against the Legion-allied Sethekk and their Shadow Council allies. The arakkoa of Aktar’s Post are eager for blood and have proved helpful so far. Our camp is safely warded and has yet to be attacked by the Legion, which has provided a welcome respite.

On the first tier we encountered three hostile groups of arakkoa warlocks and a fel raven similar to those we fought yesterday. We dispatched them without significant casualty, and uncovered a sunstone similar to others used to power Apexis relics, however, significantly corrupted by the warlocks.

The Ruins themselves are Apexis, and are separated into several tiers. The tier closest to the camp is second-highest, with one above and two below. We detected significant fel presences in the upper tier, and chose to forego exploring it. Our magi and the arakkoa detected a different magical presence in the lowest tier, so we chose to explore the remaining tier.

Proceeding into the second-lowest tier by a ramp, we saw several groups of warlocks, and were immediately noticed by an observer. Our forces stunned the observer, incapacitating its warlock master and distracting from our arrival. Another group of warlocks and a felblood crusher were then dispatched.

It was at this point that our luck began to turn. With the observer dead, another two groups of arakkoa and orc warlocks set upon us, while the magical presence from below – an extremely powerful ogre warlock – approached, along with three imps and a second observer. We managed to banish the observer, but were forced into a retreat. The ogre threw several chaos bolts at us as we retreated, though we were able to prevent it following by using the corrupted sunstone to destroy the ramp.

Ultimately, we made it back to the camp just before several fel-tainted arakkoa caught us. The arakkoa forces lost two of their number, but were able to plant numerous explosives that helped take out more warlocks. The following enemies were eliminated:
9 Legion-Affiliated Arakkoa
5 Orc Warlocks
1 Fel-Corrupted Dread Raven
1 Demonic Observer (Killed)
1 Demonic Observer (Banished)

This was close, but a good battle. With the first tier of the ruins close to being secured, hopefully this leaves us more breathing room to push back against the arakkoa and remove the Shadow Council’s presence here.

Lok’tar!
– Arcanist Keliera Dawndancer of the Convocation of Elrendar.

Dawn of the Sethekk

[Report in the Communication Tome]

This is Keliera Dawndancer, writing on behalf of Overseer Anrithen Eirvaness while he tends to our supplies and wounded.

Today the Convocation set out from Vol’mar to rendezvous with our arakkoa allies at Aktar’s Post, near a set of ancient arakkoan ruins in the northwestern hills of the Jungle, by way of a mountain path that stretches past Zeth’gol. Due to our prior struggles with the northern side of the jungle, we took the long route, passing Lion’s Watch and heading through the Zorammarsh to the main road.

Fortunately, we encountered no difficulties from the Iron Horde’s orcs on our travels, but the roads are significantly more dangerous than when we have traversed them previously. On our way through Zorammarsh, corrupted ravens (of similar scale to those you can see in the wild in the Spires of Arak) attacked us, demonstrating sharp talons as well as a firebreathing ability. While we survived this initial attack, we encountered more serious difficulties later on.

While scaling the mountain pass to Aktar’s Post, a survivor of the previous battle set upon us again, causing significant wounds to several of our party via felfire, while at the same time several arakkoa set upon us. These arakkoa were fel-corrupted members of the Sethekk caste and had gained new wings, suggesting that the power offered to them by the Legion is greater than we first thought.

Fortunately, intervention by the arakkoa of the Order of the Awakened prevented fatalities, but we lost several crates of supplies to felfire. Three Sethekk arakkoa and three fel-corrupted ravens were slain.

We urge all our allies to be extremely careful on the roads as the Sethekk appear to be becoming more bold in their attacks. The Sethekk’s leader, an arakkoa known to the Order as Iskar, controls tainted kaliri which are scouting the jungle, and we were unable to shake their eyes throughout our entire journey. If any of you count shaman, warlocks or mages in your number, we suggest looking for any ways possible to hide yourselves from the kaliri.

We hope that our allies’ recent successes will help find a way to cut off the Sethekk’s powers of observation. Morale is lower here than we would like, but the arakkoa here appear poised to make significant gains against their Legion-worshipping brethren.

Wishing all our allies success against the Legion,
Arcanist Keliera Dawndancer of the Convocation of Elrendar.

Gorian Gifts

Text in the Communications Tome:
Notes on the Ogre Waygate System for the Perusal and Illumination of Our Allies

Following our arrival in Tanaan Jungle and the establishment of Lion’s Watch, our forces uncovered an unusual waygate of Gorian make, along the riverbank leading southwest from the Watch. Fortunately, the forces of Gul’dan do not appear concerned with it, which has left it free for our study.

Like others reported across the continent, the waygate is placed upon a strong ley-line nexus (and the strongest we have found within Tanaan), suggesting a mastery of portal-magic by the Witch-Lords of the Gorian Empire. These nexuses allow each waygate a sizable mana pool, helping to lessen the impact of opening portals on individual mages. The waygate appears in ruins, but the magical framework required to open portals is still well-maintained, which I theorise is down to the spirit of an ancient ogre-mage tied to the waygate. The spirit appears non-hostile and has not reacted to our attempts at communication, nor nearby sparring, so it appears safe to ignore it.

To activate the waygate, a mage trained on portals should tap into the magical framework, at which point they will be able to detect and select other available nexuses. In coordination with regular portal magic from the mage, the waygate will activate a one-way portal to the target location, which will remain open for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, dependent on the strength of the nexus at the time.

Of course, this presents a problem if we want to move supplies into Tanaan, as no waygate is close to our supply lines. Research in the Lunarfall garrison has revealed that a substitute can be made, by routing portal magic through the waystones used by Draenor’s ogre-magi. A portal created in this way mimics a waygate and can connect to others until the stones’ inherent magic is drained, at which point they are inert until they naturally recharge (we have theorised that their magic is a blend of elemental and arcane, allowing for it to naturally replenish itself). These imitation portals are dependent on the supply of waystones, as a waystone takes several days to recharge itself. Currently, our supply allows us to create a portal once every second day. To establish a permanent regular supply route, a large supply of waystones should be stored.

Alongside several copies of the above notes, which are circulated among those of magical inclination in Rangari Refuge, the following Report appears in the Communication Tome:

These notes have been copied by arcanist Keliera Dawndancer of the Convocation of Elrendar for dissemination among our allies, so that we of the Horde may co-ordinate safer and faster supply deliveries to help us in the campaign against the forces of the Burning Legion in Tanaan. To this end, my thanks go to Magus Cynndia of the Violet Shroud, who initially compiled these research notes and graciously allowed me access to them; and to her comrades, especially Sergeant Dalathar Locke, with whom we have come to a cordial agreement allowing the Horde use of the waygate detailed within these notes. We hope this will lead to continued bountiful co-operation.

Given the contents of these notes, the Horde will need to amass its own store of waystones to create a long-term supply chain, unless we route our supplies via Lunarfall, which will come at significant time and financial cost. If any member of the Horde has obtained any of these waystones, they are welcome to donate them to their commanders in Vol’mar or Rangari Refuge – provided that they check themselves that these are waystones, and not compacted clefthoof dung.

A choice of where we open our own portal has yet to be made, but for ease of use by our allies it is likely to be within one of the Frostfire garrisons nearest Draka’s Reach. We are also yet to decide on a form of signal with the Alliance to show when each is making use of the portal, in order to prevent shipment clashes. Until this is settled, it will be simple enough to do on an ad-hoc manner via the Communications Tomes, as only the commanders need inform each other until a permanent schedule is settled.

Finally, we have recorded signs of attempted interference with the portal by arakkoa since our initial meeting with the Violet Shroud, and suggest that any parties sent to recover shipments are well-armed in case of ambush, and also sent before the shipment is due to arrive, in case of theft.

With a strong supply route on our side, the Horde can begin moving out from Vol’mar and pushing the Fel Iron Horde towards the Citadel, and towards our ultimate victory over the Legion. Lok’tar!

– Arcanist Keliera Dawndancer of the Convocation of Elrendar.