Let's play/blog World of Warcraft | Way of the Warrior | 20 - 30 | #3

Hello everyone! welcome to my third lets play/blog series as we follow the keen adventures and exploration of my brand new character Vay, the drunken Dwarf Warrior. It has been a absolute blast so far and I have to admit, I did not think I would have this much fun. Its an incredible class to play, especially fury. I decided for this level bracket I would try out some dungeons and before I knew it I was already 30. The class feels wild, it feels unrelenting and Its so much fun! So sit back, relax and enjoy... Lets blog Warcraft... Warrior style!

Here we are again folks! Questing and killing our way through the leveling brackets! Last week we was adventuring through Loch Modan, a beautiful location set between the rolling hills and tranquil mountain ranges of Dun Morogh and the wetlands. As much as I have enjoyed the questing in the dwarf themed areas, I decided to hit up some dungeons and before I knew it, It was time to get some material for a new blog post! So below is a list of the dungeons and I encountered and a little bit of a back story for them.

Shadowfang Keep - This haunted keep sits right above the borderline to Gilneas overlooking a small village called Pyrewood inhabited by wolves and other evil animals. It's home to a demented and cursed Vincent Godfrey, A traitor to his homeland and forsaken. This instance is the residence of a whole range of undead, and you wont find much trace of the old inhabitant anywhere in the dark and twisted halls. The creatures here are in small packs which make it great for some fury warrior damage. Plus the bosses are unique and different from each other.

Blackfathom Deeps - A incredible dungeon, one of the few underwater instances that drags you through many daunting caverns and leaking pathways that open on to ancient architecture which is probably nightelf origin, that is now over run with the twilight cult who are also joined by a mix of creatures and Naga to defend their holy demi god, Aku'Mai, a huge dragon like Hydra. This instance is a difficult one to find, but once the Temple is found to the far west of ashenvale along the coats line, it can be found after a short underground swim, So if you wish to find the entrance, don't forget your flippers and a waterproof map. This also had a re work for WoD and some of the boss encounters have some great mechanics. My new healing spell was great here along with Victory rush.

Scarlet Halls - This dungeon is located with its other counterparts in Tirisfal glades, slightly north of Undercity. This instance was re worked and now is home to what seem to be crazed Zealots and crusaders, defending their keeps from what was only Undead nightmares to pretty much anything living. The Scarlet crusade have a history of doing so, with anything that is attempting to disrupt their holy ground is an enemy. This particular instance is home to a Houndmaster, Armsmaster and a Wizard by the name of Koegler, Don't stand in the fire!

Level 25 was fast approaching so I took a look at some of the ones I thought would be great as you unlock a Major and a Minor slot at level 25, 50 and 75! From what I saw, the rage increasing glyphs was mandatory and the minor glyphs are only cosmetic so I decided to rock the burning anger one!

Once I hit level 30 I realized I had another set of talents to choose from, from what I can see from these, they are our healing utility. Below are the ones you unlock!  

Enraged Regeneration Second Wind Impending Victory 

The Idea of being able to heal myself when needed although for a very small amount was beneficial to my leveling, so as you can see from the image above, I decided to go with Enraged Regeneration. The others sound great and I can see their uses but I kill things fast enough that Victory Rush  takes care of my health most of the time. 

I also gained some interesting abilities while leveling!

Heroic Throw
Pummel
Whirlwind
Raging Blow

Raging Blow cosmetic looks amazing and hits like a truck, As a dwarf you leap in the air and hit targets with both weapons (Like a glorified Mutilate) But way cooler! I also gained an interrupt which will be valuable during my adventures.

So that's it from me Ladies and Gents, I hope you liked this some what different blog post due to the nature of my leveling this week but I have to say its been a blast as always. Again, thank you all for your continued support on the forums. I am really glad that other people can enjoy this adventure with me and if people would like to see more of my leveling, I may start a live stream! Until then folks follow me on the usual twitter/armory and I shall see you soon! - Vay. 

Episode 1
Episode 2

Vay
Twitter

Warlords Of Draenor: Through The Dark Portal

So it begins, with the Iron horde flooding on to our homelands we're forced to travel through the once quiet portal and face a new menace! I will get some shots of my travels and document my experiences throughout Draenor. Despite the obvious lag which is something out of our control and the buggy quests its been a blast and a real change of pace. I wont be covering every single detail but I'm sure you will get the picture! So please sit back, relax and take your mind of the loading screen bosses and ridiculous ques in my first post of WoD! 

So we begin our adventure through the merciless Iron horde forces that occupy Tanaan Jungle. Similar to Hellfire in BC both factions start there, however it is instanced so in the famous words of Corporal Jones, DON'T PANIC! Here you will transverse through a dense jungle that serves as home of the bleeding hollow clan.  Together with Thrall, Khadgar & Maraad you will be on the run from forces at work, destroying caves, shooting a huge cannon... YES CANNONS! and much more! 

As you can see the story telling is incredible and the use of the new 3D texts on key characters is really outstanding. So even if you are not familiar with the names, the story telling will get you caught up to speed easily and really do a great job at immersing you in to the quests. You really do feel like you're on the run and these suckers are hunting you down! After all you did just take control of a huge inferno machine from the help of a dwarf and nuke the hell out of them! SAVAGE! 

After a few hours, give or take you will be rushing towards the end of the introduction quest were you will jump on a ship of sorts and be off to Shadowmoon Valley, Here you will meet up with the epic Draenei Velen (named after me of course) Here you will embark on adventure from the get go. First you will establish your garrison, to start with you will be collecting lumber and killing the ravens inhabiting the area. 

Shortly after you will then be on your way through out the valley. You will meet a ton of new folk, doing all kinds of quests (have not had to pick up cleft poop as of yet) which are all enveloped around your garrison. Quests can reward you with followers for missions from common to epic, much like battle pets and these can be sent off on there way to complete missions of sorts. I love how all the quests effect your garrisons and have the potential to make it better.

Your garrisons will continue to work, complete orders, rank up as you quest through Draenor. Its great to set up some missions and then be off on your own quests. The blueprints you use drop from quest mobs and so on which I think relate to your professions you have currently. As you can see from the photos above they also include that awesome 3D text as you rank up and build new parts to your garrison. The random quests you can complete like defending your town are also really interesting. I have only been in one so far but I hope they are different! 

As you can see, Shadowmoon is incredible and I really do prefer it to the Horde counterpart. It's lush environments are awesome. Going back to the garrisons a little, I do wish there was a way you could build it in any of the WoD zones like they said at last Blizzcon but to be honest, it is stunning here, WHY WOULD YOU NOT!? it also makes sense to have it here as this is your first real touch on Draenor soil, lets defend this beauty shall we? 

The locations even throughout SMV are stunning and so diverse. One minute your in a farm the next your in a glade full of plant like creatures and all sorts of pretty things! (some have a nasty sting so watch out) These places also have some great exploration opportunities and a ton of rares added in for good measure. 

Initial thoughts 
Although I doubt I will be able to get on due to all these server issues which to be honest is hard to forgive considering we have had a year or so on Garrosh, you would of thought these would of been stress tested enough to expect such a jump in players.. I am now finished here and level 92 and by the gods of RNG I got my first perk which was empowered chi! Yeah baby! I have loved it, despite the lag, its been great fun and I hope you guys enjoy it just as much! 

 GM of Forged Legacy.

Wanderer In The Mist #6

Hello ladies and gents! It's been a crazy week with my new job which is tiring me out so much I find it tough getting on Warcraft for a good few hours as well as balancing IRL things. Luckily I finished work early today so its time to get down with this funky stuff and explore more of the in depth world of Azeroth. In this episode we take a break from spending our time chasing rainbows and go in to the dark and remote locations of some of my most haunted spots in Warcrat. Expect to find ghosts, limbs and horrors waiting for our arrival! This will be a great fun so as always, grab your finest brew and torch, You will need it! 

So the time has come to put away our sun block and steer away from the weather chasing for now. I wanted to have a different theme to this exploration post so I thought outside of the box a little. We have had a look at some of the more beautiful places around Azeroth. From the freezing lakes of Winterspring to the boiling hot deserts of Uldum.. all of which were amazing, but we have not been to the deepest parts of Azeroth, to the locations forced to be forgotten due to its spooky history. Tonight we take a look at these locations and try and unearth some of their mystery. 

Dawning Wood Catacombs 
Deep in Alliance territory lies a forest south of the main city and across one of many lakes coursing through Eastern Kingdoms. Past this river lies the misty and silent Duskwood. This Location sets the tone perfectly for were we are heading out too! Under the Raven hill cemetery to the west homes some of the lost souls lost through out history and now plays a part in the recreation of the undead creatures roaming around the area.

Not much is known of this location but members of the alliance are fortunate enough to follow a great quest chain that will eventually lead you through this place of death. The structure is separated into two parts, the eastern entrance pushes you through the rooms filled with Skeletons and spirits roaming the halls, the second part then takes you through the rooms packed with ghouls.

It's in this second hall you will find the main culprit for the reincarnations of his brethren, He or she is harnessing power from death itself to cause more agony to those living in the surrounding villages and settlements, Raven hill being the closest. Once you pass this hall you will then go in to what seems like a room full of tombs bodies.. A little creepy!

Following the stairs towards the end of the corridor you will finally be out of harms way, but during this walk, peer left and right and you will see more tombs with imprints on them, its still unsure what they mean, more research will be needed! But nonetheless a great place for you to explore!

The Tomb of Invincible 
As you may know I'm a sucker for some good ol' Lich king lore, this small location sets the tone that accompanies my recent post on the voices that can be heard within the throne room of Undercity. Here you can listen to the events of what plagued this city way before the present day. Arthas during his days of a young boy had a brilliant horse named invincible, his best friend. During a small ride through the hill lands in the middle of a harsh winter, close to the city walls his beloved horse fell as it lost its grip while trying to jump a fallen tree. The Horse was injured and Arthas knew, even at his age that the horse could not suffer any more pain so he grabbed what courage he had and put the creature in a forever lasting slumber. He placed his blade were the horses heart would be, and push with all his strength. At his request Arthas wanted to bury his steed at the same farm in which he was born on. Balnir Farmstead was one of the most well known stables that produced some of the best mares in all of the land.

At  his grave site there is a tablet on the stone that reads the following:

Invincible
Beloved steed of prince Arthas Menethil,
Loyal and great in heart of life, may you find peace in death.
Pure streams and green pastures, devoted friend.

As events unfold, Arthas now returned as the lich king, he came to this very spot to resurrect his fallen companion so that they can live together again, and torment more unwary souls. To me this event was the starting point to his corruption and the start to one hell of a story!

The Corrupted Ashbringer 
Now, I know what you're thinking.. Vaylen! Why a weapon?! Why write some dribble about a sword and not a location we can visit ourselves?! Let me explain why I wanted to implement this remarkable weapon. For a start it has one hell of a story line within its self, more than any other location I have mentioned recently. What also makes this weapon special is because back in the day, these types of items were incredibly rare, if you had one you was considered a god of your realm. Now days blizzard have made legendary items far to easy to obtain, but this one.. this one has something special about it. This weapon made you feel incredible and I just wish blizzard implemented something like this again!

 
This weapon could originally be seen in Naxxramas wielded by Alexandros Mograine, believed to be one of the leading figures in the scarlet crusade. He was also known as the ashbringer for the weapon he carried (before it was corrupted), Unfortunately, due to greed and the lust for power his son Renault killed him and brought him back to life as a death knight for Kel'thuzad who clearly had control over the boy.  Equipping this incredible weapon while in the Scarlet monastery also triggered an event that unlocked more to the story.. But it does not end there..

Whispers could be heard as the item struck a foe, the voice is said to be Alexandros Mograine himself! Of course the item is no longer in the game but with the use of sound scripts you can hear them from anywhere for yourself. I do warn you though, its spooky as hell, so stand by Undercity, with your lights low and enjoy the awesomeness! Here is the dialog you can hear and below each sentence is the exact script you copy in to your chat box and hit enter.

- I was pure once.
/script PlaySoundFile("Sound\\Creature\\Ashbringer\\ASH_SPEAK_01.wav")
- fought for righteousness .
/script PlaySoundFile("Sound\\Creature\\Ashbringer\\ASH_SPEAK_02.wav")
- I was called Ashbringer.
/script PlaySoundFile("Sound\\Creature\\Ashbringer\\ASH_SPEAK_03.wav")
- Betrayed by my order.
/script PlaySoundFile("Sound\\Creature\\Ashbringer\\ASH_SPEAK_04.wav")
- Destroyed by Kel'Thuzad.
/script PlaySoundFile("Sound\\Creature\\Ashbringer\\ASH_SPEAK_05.wav")
- Suffer pain to serve.
/script PlaySoundFile("Sound\\Creature\\Ashbringer\\ASH_SPEAK_06.wav")
- My son watched me die.
/script PlaySoundFile("Sound\\Creature\\Ashbringer\\ASH_SPEAK_07.wav")
- Crusades fed his rage.
/script PlaySoundFile("Sound\\Creature\\Ashbringer\\ASH_SPEAK_08.wav")
- Truth is unknown to him.
/script PlaySoundFile("Sound\\Creature\\Ashbringer\\ASH_SPEAK_09.wav")
- Scarlet crusade is pure no longer.
/script PlaySoundFile("Sound\\Creature\\Ashbringer\\ASH_SPEAK_10.wav")
- Balnazzar's crusade corrupted my son.
/script PlaySoundFile("Sound\\Creature\\Ashbringer\\ASH_SPEAK_11.wav")
- KILL THEM ALL! 
/script PlaySoundFile("Sound\\Creature\\Ashbringer\\ASH_SPEAK_12.wav")

The sound effects are so spooky and and I swear you can hear Kel'thuzad murmuring in the back ground... Very strange indeed but something you have to listen too! nothing beats listening to a bit of history. As I said before I really hope blizzard work on these kind of items that hold such a huge story line in themselves... Lets keep our fingers crossed!

So that's it from this episode folks, wanted to keep this one short and sweet! Next Friday we will have another exploration post as well as the announcment of the winner for my 30k Blog views competition but until then, stay safe and happy hunting! - Vaylen.

Wanderer In The Mist #5

Adventurers and people in need of some vitamin D! Today we head towards some of the more sunnier locations in Warcraft. Last week we dipped our boots in to some rather cold locations I enjoyed playing through and today we venture to the dry and remote locations that offer plenty of exploring but don't forget your brew! You will need it out here folks. Sit back, relax and enjoy.. Wanderer In The Mist! 

The winter is behind us and today we get to explore and show off some of the most beautiful locations in Azeroth. These two spots in particular are my favorites, there are many other spots like these through out the continents such as Blasted lands, Shadowmoon valley and Badlands etc but to me, these two have a special place in my heart. So lets get to it! 

Uldum

Our first location out of the two we're visiting is the sunny and remote southern region in Kalimdor. We first ventured here in Cataclysm and even to this date players still enjoy questing through here, myself included because nothing beats questing in great underground tombs and beautiful rolling sand dunes. Much like Uldaman and Ulduar, Uldum is one of three locations to home some of the creations built by the titans which visually makes this one of the most incredible places blizzard have built. I actually remember the PTR footage of this place and I was so excited to explore it myself! 

The geography of this location really does reflect on its inhabitants. throughout the desert there is a large river that leads down in to an oasis surrounded by Tol'vir and some nasty snapping crocs. Stay away from the waters edge! Unless you're on of those flower picking lovers! The surrounding areas and main capital is home to the Ramkahen, This serves as their training grounds and trading center. This was one of the greatest spots to see Blizzards new graphic engine working well! It looked so good! 

Much of the surrounding locations form the city here are constantly in battle with the strong winds commanded by Al'akir's elemental minions that are recently causing more and more explorers to go missing. The Tol'vir are also here guarding the titan secrets dwelling within the sands, but to be honest these constructions are so large they are really not that hard to miss :P and they don't do a great job in doing so! 

Another great feature here is the unique quest lines. They wont ever bore you! From questing with the Ramkahen to one of the more noble and crazy characters Harrison Jones. He will help you discover your more adventurous side by taking you through some crazy locations. Get that screenshot button ready folks! On to our next location! 

Tanaris 

Our last location in this episode and to most it comes to no surprise that this spot was picked to be mentioned. Tanaris has a huge place in my heart, it was here that my very first world PvP experience really took off. Of course there was those moments in STV but at this level and not so many end game players roaming the sand dunes here you could get some great fights going on! most of trouble brewing was around the main neutral town of Gadgetzan but that never stopped us from going out further into the desert! 

Home to a number of races and creatures the more noticeable and well known resident here is the great Nozdormu, the leader of great Bronze dragon flight and the keeper of time. This desert also holds some titan features much like its brother next door, Uldum. Below the sands of this vast desert is were the great dragon flight resides deep within the caverns of time. Here you will go back through the fabrics of time to see some great moments in Azeroth history like Thralls escape of Durnholde and the opening of the dark portal in the Black morass that connects Azeroth too Draenor. 

Another bold feature here is the amount of space that is infested with pirates, hooligans and drunks. The pirates of the south sea dwell in the cliffs hiding from the rest of the world. This side of the zone has had a dramatic past due to the weather changes during the cataclysm caused by deathwings return. A colossal tidal wave crashed over the eastern shoreline and has changed it for ever, so you will notice alot more water in land, Thanks Deathwing! I'm not a good swimmer!  

During your adventures here you will notice the odd sandstorm roaming over the land. This is one of blizzards well implemented weather effects but its on a rather sporadic time. I wanted to try and get some clean screenshots for you guys but I waited over an hour for it to pass over but it kept going and going so I thought.. Lets go screenshot crazy anyway! So if you do get caught out here during the storm, head for cover or be ready to dig yourself a new home for a few hours! 

So that's it for this episode folks! next week we take our maps and tools with us to some of the more haunted locations. We dive deep below the earths surface in to some of the forgotten catacombs home to undying spirits and horrors of the deep. Until then, have a great weekend everyone! - Vaylen.

Tune in tonight(2/22/2014) at 5PM GMT for the special episode of monk meditation podcast! Drop by twitch.tv/wowmonk and chat to us!