Redwolf's Journal (continued)

... the tank probably did something wrong. So I'm back to take a stab at the druid class in their Restoration build as healers. And trees. I really have to wonder about that. Who was it that thought "well, we need an alternate form for druids when they do healing - I know, we'll make them walking trees?" Still, a majority of my tanking experience in Wrath has been with a druid at my back, mostly Ailara, then Ajeya. It's been fairly recent that we've had a priest, Velnor, on the roster regularly. P.S. Feel free to correct/elaborate as needed, Ajeya. Research is good. Experience is usually better. ;) Build The big distinction I see in builds is whether a druid is designing for tank healing or raid healing. A couple popular builds are this and this . There's some flexibility, though, depending on purpose. - Tree of Life: Sort of a no-brainer talent for Restoration druids, it's the one that defines them. It limits what can be cast, but gives bon...

I've caught a few movies on TV recently that make me ponder things about then I don't usually - or haven't in the past, at least. Highlander How can such horrible elements combine into something so great? The special effects are cheesy (that's supposed to be blood?), the flow is disjointed, the acting is... well, I can't say that I think the acting is good and yet I'm fond of the performances. You even get a survivalist gun nut with an uzi thrown in for no apparent reason. And the swordplay. Oh my god that's terrible, and I've cringed ever since when I see someone block a straight-on swing with a katana. And yet, it's great. The idea was so out there and didn't require an explanation (no one knows why there are immortals or why the game has "rules," it just is). The scene transitions are artistically done. The music is cohesive. Overall, the movie is inspiring and "cool." It may well be responsible for biasing an entir...

Hmmm... less than four hours 'til I start tonight's Star Wars session. Maybe. o.o; Four players, one of which found out last night he's working late enough show about halfway through our playtime window. E-mailed everyone for opinions. I've heard back from all of one of the others, who seems to be saying "let's just play as normal anyway." I dunno, I expected a little more response and a little more sympathy, I guess. I suppose I'm just strange that way. I've been holding off comments on the ongoing Shadowrun game because... well, I didn't want to be negative. I don't want to slam the game or hurt anyone's feelings. My initial problems with the game were very me -oriented, and I certainly didn't want to come down on things due to my own inability to get into my character. But... even with all that, I think we've still got a problem. It isn't my character anymore - though I might still like to "find" more to h...

Finishing a book/series always leaves me feeling... empty somehow. I may be left thoughtful of the tale related, but there's always a sense of loss at the cessation of of ideas. This last six months or so, I really have come to appreciate just how much reading fantasy novels makes me feel more inspired. I just finished Warbreaker . I put it off initially because it's in hardcover. As I thought about it, though, Brandon Sanderson is one of perhaps two authors I'd splurge for the expense on rather than waiting for a paperback version. That, coupled with the fact that he's now finishing out the Wheel of Time series for the late Robert Jordan - which I probably won't read as I gave up on that series years ago, convinced me to go ahead and buy it. I'm not sorry I did. While it's not quite as fleshed out or, perhaps, "grand" as the Mistborn trilogy, it stands alone well. Sanderson has another unique (to my knowledge) sort of magic in this world and...

WoW I've been taking a break of sorts, spending less time on due to 1) some daily quest burnout and 2) enough activity on the MUCK to warrant attention. My death knight has gained a few levels in the last week or two, but I'm not trying real hard there either. Saturday rocked, though. Relatively early for us, we got a group together and went to hit the daily dungeons, both on heroic. Utgarde Pinnacle went pretty well, with one little wipe at Palehoof when he feared us and immediately killed the healer. Before getting to the first boss in Utgarde Keep, we had our hunter lose connection. After some discussion, we pressed on... and 4-manned the instance with no wipes. While a Protection warrior with some dps gear doesn't do a lot of dps, this confirmed heroic UK is cake. The back-to-back dungeons went quick, clean, and fun - that's exactly what I'd like to see when the new emblem rewards are in place. This morning I heard about a guildmember who apparently got thei...

Wishy-washy whiners! And I'm kinda sick of it. Ongoing with two characters, and I've seen it from a third repeatedly. It's not really that many, but I feel so smothered by it - they keep seeming to come to me for advice in some form. Pick a bloody direction and follow it. You can't be a (good) daimyo if you're constantly worried about a far off land. You can't serve as instrument of a god's will if you act contrary to their orders. You're not showing a new god your devotion by clinging to trappings of the old clergy you served. That's just the way it is, deal with it. And quit asking me "what should I do?" I don't know. It's your (character's) life! Make a decision you (they) can live with and go with it. Quit dragging on in this neither-here-nor-there limbo day after day, week after week. Pick something ! Refusing to commit just makes things worse for everyone involved (and frustrating for those of us who, in some cases, ...

Reading through some patch notes for 3.2 - none of that stuff is really final yet, they're not even testing on the PTR this early. - Lower-level mounts and faster base flying speed. Nift. I feel a little cheated, for having done this "the hard way," but it makes it faster and easier to level. - Block value is getting boosted (doubled from items, except base value on shields). - Lots of paladin stuff that I'm not sure how to feel about yet. Positive change to Ardent Defender. Exorcism is getting a casting time (though an Art of War proc will let it be instant-cast). Seal of the Martyr is being taken out. And a slew of other stuff. - Target casting bars will indicate if a spell can be interrupted. That's neat. - Drakes in Oculus will scale with worn item level. - New 5-man dungeon. Yay! - New 10-man and 25-man raid... that also has a heroic verion of each. That's a change from Wrath's approach where there's a 10-man raid and the heroic version is...