My Feelings On Ulduar..

OK so here it is; Ulduar.

In a previous post I mentioned a large amount of excitement for this patch- but even then I wondered if my Notorious Nether Needs would be satisfied, and in my opinion they were. Firstly we'll get down to buiness. Ulduar itself. The raid instance. The mostly highly anticipated part of the patch on par with Dual Spec. What does Kromus think to this new labyrinth. I think that

its red hot. First time I walked inside, i graced the field of Mechnical beings and thought- maybe im out of my depth. I took a while to contemplate the amount of tactics there may be for it, this place looks intense, but there wasn't too much. Mostly common sense *and a lack of it now days*. By now im excited but my palms are sweating, even my Imp is claiming he left the oven on, my head says "Run" but my Incinerate says "Lets get cookin".

Thus far, I am overally impressed with Ulduar, its got range all the way- all the bosses are different, and today I found a boss i may well propose to- and I call him "The Hand Man". This fight is amazing, you have to DPS not just the boss, but a choice of three body parts to weaken him- but they respawn. This is very intresting. And to make it better he fires lasors out his eyes. Im hooked. I want to wipe- I want to do it more, but unfornatly, Kologarn went down- and we then progressed to Iron Council- but thats another story.

What makes me like Ulduar? I think its the diversity. Some fights maybe be super hard and fun at first but tidious after- these fights however, wont ever get tidious. Outcomes change. Several ways you can do a boss *and several amounts of controversy, who should do what job?* and this is how a game should be, not just WoW.

Hard, but, fun.

Warlocks:
Destruction is still amazing. Blue posts suggests it got nerfed' but if anything it just stayed the same but a little less intresting, but still great- I like being able to PvP with the same spec i can kick Ulduar's ass with.

I've Also been toying with Affliction, and its pretty good. I've always hated it until now, but its quite good- but for you Warlock's out there, if your going to try new specs, make sure you buy the lower rank spells from your trainer! Id be rich if i got a gold for every time i forgot :P.

As for Dual Spec, im not sure on my opinion yet...but i'll keep you updated!

Work Critted Me For Over 9000!

OK, so its a bit of a exaggeration- but it still hurt!

Work and play.
Ying and Yang.
Fire and Brimstone.
Sun and moon.

Work and play doesn't fit in that list to me. Equal value is something I believe in; if no good then no evil, no dark no light, etc. I'm a believer in chain reactions too, so yes, i do not believe in Physical time travel, but i believe you can do it mentally. -(On a side note I don't believe time exists).

Do you ever feel like playing WoW instead of work? but when you get to WoW- it makes you feel so unproductive, even when you've finished for the day- you just wanna scream? cos' i do.
Whenever I'm revising hard for exams i lose my will to play for too long, as i feel like I'm committing a seven deadly sin- I can't handle the relaxed pace.

This is why i think work and play does not fit, like Ying and Yang- but more so work blinds play and oppresses it to believe it is sinful, when it truly is not- but feels like it until you realise it.

Although i do not believe in time (In terms of philosophy, i still use watches and stuff don't worry, but that's not time as we know it), i would still like to practically have a time machine so i can do all my work then play for a small eternity- but not too long- as I'll miss the responsibility.

Raiding feels more productive though- so i can do that for long periods of time. I'm achieving something.

Gone Fishing'

Recently we had a post on the guild forum; and it pretty much stated that were were running low on fish feasts, and if we were to continue using them, we would need a bit more fishing from everybody rather than lots from just two or three people. This is when i thought to myself.

Slacker.

My Fishing was low- i think it was 45, if that. I couldn't stand fishing. Having to change fishing spots to correspond with the level- i loved fishing at Stormwind, but it can only last so long.
Until patch 3.1. Fishing can now occur everywhere, but your fishing has to match the level of that area to fish anything of use- instead of driftwood. You heard correct. You can fish and level up in Northrend even if your fishing is level 1. But is fishing boring? Most people say yes. They call it a burden, but for some reason, I'm in love.

I love fishing. I'm hypnotized by the feathers on that bobber. I love the brief excitement of catch or crap when you loot. I enjoyed leveling up- i enjoyed fishing up old Ironjaw (in 5 casts). It keeps me calm. I've found a pre-bedtime past time. It helps me relax.

This weekend alone I've got my fishing skill to 300, caught 100 nettlefish for the guild bank, and successfully found myself a new past-time in WoW- and whats even better is the possibility of the Turtle Aqua mount, adding even more excitement to each cast.
(Remember, you can only have a chance of catching the turtle by fishing from Northrend fish schools).

So there you have it. A new hobby that i love inspired by a Guild bank request. Lets see what happens next, and if i get the turtle mount, ill sure be posting it on here :)

First Time.

Today I'm going to give blood. Its my first time- don't look away, this isn't unrelated to WoW.

I'm going to give blood for the first time, and last night, i was slightly nervous.
A pint(or close to) of blood is going to leave my body- it seems such a big thing, it helps many people- and i know by doing it I'll feel better for it knowing I've saved somebody.

Its that first Step; and after reading Larisa's post (Here) about her daughter wanting to snowboard, first times, etc- It reminded me of all the "First times" we all face, in and out of WoW.

My first time in Karazhan. Magical. What a beautiful doorway. Look at the carvings on the wall, whats that door for? whats that one? better not ask- I'll seem a noob. Back then it was still KTM threat meter, and i hadn't got a recount like addon- i was doing naff all DPS and i knew it. I dare not over-aggro- i dare not falter- i dare not die.

Today i feel like I'm re-living that Karazhan scenario. Whats the reactions to giving blood? why does it help? should i be nervous- better not admit it.

I've seen people heroically deal with their first times without sweat or second thought- but i do not envy them. The first time nervous experience is something to look back on- when today(hopefully) goes ahead, ill know it wasn't such a big deal(in terms of sacrifice, it makes a huge deal for the patient). It was the same with Karazhan, Malygos.....Even three drakes, we killed for the second time last night, calmly.

The first time can be something to look back on- a memoir of how scared you were.
Buck up ol' kromie. Its for the greater good. Maybe ill meet Atunmen the Huntsman at the donation hall.

We'll see.

Leveling, Wanting a Goal as Much as I Dont.

We'll take a mage portal back to my time in TBC(which, atm, I wish I could do back to)- Ignore the swirls and hurls, loops and all'. You'll get over the sickness- no tip required this mage owes me a favour. I loved playing my priest on the days i wasn't raiding or instancing on Kromus-

It was new. Any DPS only class will understand me here. Ever felt useless? i have, will, do.
I've watched the tank's impending doom in the form of a crit-- i've cried out wanting to give an offheal in the chance of an avoided wipe- i cant. But a priest- oh but a priest. Priests dont just heal- they heal and dps, dps and heal- buff the raid- they are deemed as light bearers, soulflayers and judgement holders all in one bundle of robes. I level as holy, the best frickin' spec. Good dps, high demand in instances. I was in love,

but don't tell my girlfriend ;). Even at level 2,4,6 the heal- it wasn't a matter of power, heck my heals sucked- it was something even in the real world people cry for. The choice. The decision.
Free will.

12,14,16, hey hey, new spells today! i was getting more excited- but what drove me more?
-Day 1; Raid Canceled- Healers needed
-Day 2; Raid Canceled- Healers needed

My guild at that time screamed for healers, but i was too far off to make a difference, but id of loved that- knight in shining armour- grace the raid with heals- and once more it wouldn't be a burden, i want to heal. I want to. The choice.

20, 22,24.

30

40

50

57...
57. 57. 57. Still 57?

is it 58 yet? no. Come on. No more Azeroth- i wanna relive Outland. 57. 57. The thought raced around. 57. 50--7. 58. 58? 58!

58. This is where it became a dream- everything i did on Kromus is about to relived. All of a sudden my alt doesn't seem an alt. It seems important- "Gz on 58 Kromus"- Don't call me Kromus. Theres a new cowboy in town- Im Arkanite by name, Kromus by nature- get it the right way around!

As the adventure unfolded my destiny to become a healer became stronger- people constantly complimented me on my healing abilities- more so then my warlock abilities. Was this healer appreciation? or genuine fact? I don't know, and right now- i don't care.


69...
I'm in a instance, 1 bar from ding- i know by the end of this run I'm guaranteed eternal glory- but how long? i can't bear it. I'm looking at skipped groups screaming "Please pull them- PLEASE".
and it happened.

70. You can guess the rest, Karazhan, Pakistan, you name it. I raid it. It was wondrous- i loved it, we wiped, boy we wiped. But i healed, boy i healed. Kromus was still important, heck his DPS was unmatched- Things were unbalanced, shadow bolt spam wins medals. But heals- boy did i heal. The dream would never die. The dream would never die. The dream would never die.

It did;
but not by choice.
Wrath of the lich king.
Suddenly, 10 more levels. After doing it on Kromus, i dont want to do it again.
I hate it.
I cant wait.
I want to heal instances.
I don't want to level.
I need to. I cant.

I want to heal again. I've seen groups pleading for a healer, Ive wanted to go, but i cant. An unworthy apprentice. Will i ever muster the strength to level again? only time will tell.

What Horde Race Dominates Stormrage?

This post is Continued from "What Race Dominates Stormrage?"; and i left the post on a bit of a loose end, which horde race would dominate? Heres my Pre-Thought.

Personally, one thing that drew me to play the horde for the first time was the thought of being a Blood Elf; an attractive yet sinister race, addicted to magic in a way people who deem unimaginable- just look at Kael'Thalas. I also feel that Undead are in with a chance, as they are my 2nd favorite race- i love being Undead; i love the story of the forsaken, i love how dense the storie lines can be in that direction, and the metaphor of life(human) and death(forsaken) fighting for a place in this world.

Thats my prediction, in a nutshell, Undead Or Blood elf, now heres the results;

Right on the bill; Blood Elfs. Its hardly suprising but still nice to see a correct prediciton :).
In second place however, although only 1% Difference, is Tauren > Undead. Tauren can be just as cool, but i still expected more Undead, but again this is why i love statistics, seeing my opinions and predictions counter by hard facts. Was this surprising for you?


So Humans and Blood Elves Dominate the server; and the Blood Elves being rather charming and relatively human, this makes perfect sense. I prefer being a human in a fantasy world, but there is nothing wrong in wanting it the other way around.



Hope you enjoyed this two part-post blog :)


Kromus.

What Race Dominates Stormrage?

Not from Stormrage?

No matter, this is a popular trend(but not 100%, some servers are unusual)- I'd like to look why.

Statistics:

Surprised? Not Surprised? either way its interesting. This graph is taken from a census of alliance stormrage, and EU server of world of warcraft. (The census is not my own, its completely taken off of warcraftrealms.com, and there is no guarantee in its solidarity).

34% are humans- i can relate to this. I love fantasy games, but i prefer being myself, or as close as, in a fantasy environment. (so if you dropped me into world of warcraft id prefer that over being a gnoll of some sort). I don't know why- i just know and prefer it- So i can understand why this is. Second at 28% is Night Elf- a popular wow race and not too far off human. Again, any relation? at 3rd is Dranai, but i would relate this to its freshness and shaman links- i myself own an Enhancement Shaman, but hate Dranai, so its safe to say i wear a blindfold whilst playing.

Now, here's my surprise; Dwarves and Gnomes.
I, personally, own neither. I love them, but i hate being one. However, I'm surprised at this result, i know a lot of gnomes, but this is why statistics can be interesting.

So, if Humans dominate Stormrage Alliance- what dominates the horde of stormrage? My guess is bloodelf- humanish and because freshness and paladin links- buts that's my guess, whats yours?

Three Drakes Down, Shepperd.

Just recently, , downed Sartherion with three drakes up for the first time- nothing left but 10 man 3d now.

Such Glory,
Such Achievement,
but have i been given a poison chalice?

I wasn't there for that fight. Id recently attended plenty of wipe-fests, but not the kill (due to my recent part-time absence). For me i feel, kind of strange really. I know i have contributed, we all have in the guild for being in the guild- but feel that my soul can not truly be at rest with this.

I was like a Shepperd, peering down at my meadow of satisfied sheep grazing to full growth and potential, but doing none of the grazing myself. It's a strange feeling- i could be wrong, but i don't know weather to put the kill under my belt or not-

Can anybody else relate to this? or maybe I'm alone in my nether of thoughts.

Even so, its a fantastic kill- im proud to be in my guild for doing such a hard task in a casual way.
We've truly got a great guild going on'.