Back to Rift

I have been playing the hell out of Mists of Pandaria since its release and after four level 90s am a bit burned out.  I still have to continue to play to a degree-enough to write about it for OnRPG but for the most part am taking a break from dailies, scenarios, levelling, etc. I am also still playing GW2, again, because I write about it for OnRPG but I could use a bit of a break from that as well.

Luckily, Storm Legion, the first Rift expansion was released recently. This weekend is a freebie for everyone to try it so of course I have been and of course I re-subbed. I did say I would go back to Rift when the first expansion came out. 

There has been so many changes it is a bit overwhelming looking at my three 50s. So. I decided since my sister and brother in law are playing too I would play on their US realm. 

On EU I have a mage, a rogue and a cleric. So it was only natural to make a warrior on US with the added bonus of the new soul.  So I am now playing a ranged warrior, which is essentially, as far as I can determine, a caster in plate. Really fun but it is still early days. She is only level 12.

Monk v Monk

Ian tells me my new video is unfair as I don't show pummel or that stupid spinning kick thing on the WoW monk.

The WoW monk has always had a lot to live up to for me. I've played monks in AD&D and my first character in EQ2 was a monk (see below). I am still playing her because she is awesome.

I just feel like WoW monks are a bit of a joke and probably intended that way in their animations.

Anyway-Monks:

EQ2-I'm back

Last week Darren, my editor at OnRPG, asked if he were to give me a code for the collector's edition of Chains of Eternity (the next expansion for EQ2) would I write about it.  Does a bear shit in the woods? Is the Pope Catholic? You get the idea.  Of course, I would!

EQ2 has always been one of my favourite games but when it went F2P I wasn't receptive to the idea so stopped playing.  I went ahead and got the gold sub for the next couple months for playing while I wait for this expansion and then write about it.  I was very pleased that the game hasn't changed that much since going to F2P.  If you sub, mind.  If you try to F2P with a previously subbed account your bags get locked, characters get locked, etc.    My 80s were naked and bags locked and overflowing.  Bah,  But subbing again means it is all back to normal including my much loved houses.

Monk's house in Queynos

Inquisitor's house in Freeport

Assassin's rooftop garden in Freeport

A neat thing that has been added since I've been gone is the housing leaderboard which allows players to rate houses.  Needless to say I have spent some time since coming back travelling to and and from other players houses to have a sneaky peek and rate them.

Who broke my mage?

Is my mage broken?

It used to be I could kill equal level mobs at max level and have them dead before they even reached me. Now, killing equal level mobs is not so easy and requires far more button presses. It could be a question of gear as I have just started gearing her.

I am not a theorycrafter or number cruncher but I know she is "off".  I can't find hit cap numbers or where my dps should be for, say, heroics.  Maybe it is too early but I thought at least Elists Jerks would know something.

Do you play a mage in WoW? Does it feel different to you?

Don't call me hun

I have a pet peeve when playing online with other women and that is they refer to each other and myself as "hun".  Why does it annoy me so bad? It is derogatory for one.

Not only is it derogatory but the butchering of the endearment sets my teeth on edge. The word is honey with the shortened form being hon. A hun is something entirely different ( a certain group of nomadic people). Pedantic much? You bet. Men don't refer to each other in such a dismissive way. If anything the way they refer to each other evokes a feeling of camaraderie. Mate, dude, bro, man. So why must women, to my mind, belittle each other buy using terms of endearment meant for loved ones especially children? What makes it even more bizarre is the fact these women are strangers and don't know each other from a hole in the ground.

I don't even care when I get referred to as mate, man, dude, bro what have you. I prefer it. At least I am being included instead being of talked down to.

I have my theories on why women do this but I am not going to go into at present.

I don't refer to women in game as hun, sweetie or other such nonsense. I save that for my young nieces.

My mage

I am coming up to my 8th anniversary of playing WoW. Yes, you read that right. In that time I have created countless mages though never getting them higher than level ten. I knew I was going to love the class but I couldn't get into playing the available races at that time. Human females and their square feet drive me to distraction and the other races for whatever reason weren't right. The closest was the undead female but I am saving that for when I finally make a warlock. Not to mention one of my priests is undead.

When I started playing it was on a female human rogue and orc shaman.  Eventually I would make a night elf druid and my love of night elves was born.  Not only were they tall and lovely but, and I can't stress the importance of this, they flip.

What I did know was that if ever I could make a female night elf mage I would. That would be the combo that would work. I just knew it. So when Blizzard announced that would be possible come cataclysm I nearly squeed myself.

Here she is. My mage Viatrix. Flipping.

I'd rather be...

I got Idgie to 90 a few days ago and have been doing scenarios and some regular dungeons.  I should be starting heroics and doing dailies but I haven't felt like it. After some soul searching (dramatic!) have concluded it is in fact because I don't like melee unless I am soloing.

I find it annoying constantly moving in and out of things (fire, whirlwind, and whatever else Blizzard chucks in there).  It is much easier to avoid things, I find, as ranged. As ranged I can see the whole area and not just some monsters ass crack. Not to mention tanks moving mobs around making positional attacks a pain (like backstab obviously).

I still adore rogues and the theory behind them.  What I don't enjoy is grouping on a rogue in WoW. I think I will just relegate Idgie to being my jewelcrafter and opening locked boxes while raiding on a ranged DPS class.

Which leaves me two choices. My mage or shadow priest.  Though the priest was meant to be a healer but honestly after years of healing I just can't be arsed.  So that leaves my mage. More on her later.