Over the long weekend I finally managed to get the first of my characters to level 85.
Decado the Druid to be exact.
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As soon as I did I hit Teleport: Moonglade to go learn my new skills, just like every other time I had made it to the level cap. Then a funny thing happened.
I just sat there staring at the screen thinking “well, now what?”
I could go run a dungeon I suppose. Then I got to thinking.
Going to run an instance would require me to wait in the queue long enough to say fuggit and log off if I were to go as a Dps.
The only way to actually go run something with the time I have available for play would be to spec for Tanking or Healing, not that that’s a bad thing.
Both are things I want to do, in fact I intend to be specced Feral (tanking) and Resto. I just don’t think I want to try learning an unfamiliar spec in an unfamiliar instance filled with unfamiliar people.
That and all my quest gear is Dps gear, as I was using it for leveling.
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Speaking of gear, I decided to grab the couple of quest blues I had out of the bank and go check the Auction House for upgrades. If this expansion is anything like the last I should be able to go pick up a set of crafted blue PvP gear at a semi-reasonable price and use that to get started.
Thats when I realised that folks had lost their damned minds when it comes to selling things. I tallied up the odds and ends it would take to flesh out both specs…
Sorry folks, I am not spending 20,000 gold for the privilege of learning to tank and/or heal in a pug.
Screw that.
Well, I reasoned, I am a skinner. I can just go farm up the mats and find a leatherworker that will craft the gear for me for a tip. Thats always worked in the past.
Tabbing out to Wowhead to make myself a shopping list I found out why Leatherworkers are charging what they are for the sets. 160 Heavy Savage Leather? and 160 assorted volatiles on top of that? Plus more for relics, jewelry, and a cape?
I thought long and hard about the grind for gear. Whether I chose to farm and have crafted, farm ore for money and buy off the AH, or grind rep till I could get faction stuff, I was looking at a grind.
Visions of the Sons of Bitches Hodir flashed through my mind and I simply logged off him in disgust.
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Logging over to my Hunter I had a good bit of fun running my first Cata instance (Stonecore) with folks from The Zug Initiave. I still found myself irritated by the change to focus however. I suppose if I played it long enough the changes would click, but for now I still find the mechanics irritating.
Thats how it comes that I am sitting here this morning thinking not about what I am going to do on my max level character, or even about how I am going to level through those last three levels on my Hunter. I’m sitting here thinking of what I might want to level next.
Right now I am thinking Paladin.
One on each side.
A Dwarf and a Tauren.
That should keep me busy for a while before I have to think about the gear up grind again.
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Filed under: World of Warcraft |
Dechion's Place 
Man, I cannot agree with you more. Arrens sits in a mishmash of blues, one even from a heroic 5-man. But worrying about gearing him up, particularly since I have no intention of stepping foot inside a raid instance, seems moot. So I log onto alts and farm ore or herbs, or I do archeology. And the possibility of doing that for ~2 years until the next expansion just doesn’t sound like a ringing endorsement to me.
Yup, the mats are insane for things to get crafted, and it’s not cheap to buy them either. I think the markets still haven’t settled down all the way, but we’re looking at some definite inflation this expansion. After all, there’s more gold given for quests being completed.
But it does seem a bit of a grind to gear up, especially if you’re not going to instances. Fortunately, I haven’t had this sticker shock yet while leveling up Misha, as I’m still 84. Though I’ve been collecting both healing and dps (enhancement) gear as I quest (instead of vendoring most quest gear), so I don’t think it will be too bad when I get to max level.
I actually did the same with gathering gear as I leveled, equipping the agi/stam gear for kitty leveling and banking the int/spi gear for future healing. Still, most of that is mid range greens.
I suppose I could just equip what I have and give it a go. That might work for healing, but for tanking…
Having leveled up engineering and smithing, I totally feels yer pain. Is fuggerbelly expensive fer ta craft gear.
If’n yer gonna level a new toon, is an open invitation ta join Free Radicals on Kael’thas, Alliance side. We run a few dungeons every Thursday night and level slowlies (currently most folks is about 35, some higher, some lower).
Ya know, I has this long neglected 30 something Space Goat Pally over there what could use some of the dust knocked off of her armor… A bank alt from my days in the Sidhe Devils as I recollect.
I might just take you up on that.
I’d give it a go! The worse that can happen is that the groups fail, and get new healers/tanks. I jumped straight into healing normals on hitting 85, although I had a lot of wrath healing experience (not that that was worth that much :))
I have no doubt that just jumping in and healing would work out. I just havn’t been able to get into it since they did away with my perma-tree.
Don’t know why, all my spells still work, I just can’t get into it.
Healing is very different. If you want to tank – well I believe the cat gear IS tank gear. There’s no difference any more except in enchants/gems. Even jewellry you are better off with AGI dps than with STR tank items. It’s only the trinkets that need tank-specific items. I’d reforge as much dodge as possible and give it a whirl – as a tank you will need to watch fight videos first I would think. (Because people wont want to explain)
If you don’t want to learn to tank in “starting normals” gear with people you don’t know then that’s a different issue, and it is a problem with the game, or with people not being patient anyway. However 318 greens _is_ sufficient for normals.
The instances themselves are pretty good, imo. Well worth playing through a few times.
For me it’s more of a learning with strangers thing. I have never been the best at learning encounters from videos, though I have tried. I am one of those that learns by doing.
I am also having a bit of trouble with initial threat in the group questing type things I have done (I tanked the cata version of ring of blood for instance). Once I get going I am fine, but early threat generation, especially AoE threat generation, is a problem for me. Tanking on my Druid just seems much harder than on my Pally, or even my DK.
I think you’re fine for giving normals a shot at tanking. Just take your time, make sure you’re not busting anyone’s CC (if they know to use it), and don’t let your healer die.
And remember that your defensive cooldowns as a tank are meant to be used, even if they’re used on trash. In Wrath I never burned my tanking cooldowns, even on the majority of boss fights, so using them in Cataclysm has been an adjustment, but I know my healers thank me when I do remember.
Other than that it’s really not a big deal. Just let the group know beforehand that you’re new to the Cata’tanking.
I hear you about focus and Cobra Shot seemingly takes FOREVARRRRRR!!!!! to cast while you watch your pet do all the work. It’s a change that I’m still adjusting to. Finding the balance tween generating focus and doing some actual damage is tricky…
I’m actually pretty sure I will end up changing mains because of it. Now if I could just find a class that will click.
I know how you feel. I’ve been playing the game since it was still in beta, with the odd break over the years.
Upon reaching 85 on my Mage I had the exact same feeling, wondering what I could/wanted to do next. After scrounging together a bit of gear from the normal dungeons (which I quite enjoyed), I tried my hand at heroics. The combination of 20+ minute queues, very lengthy dungeons when you eventually do get in and PUG’ers who think cc is some kind of peculiar animal, made me give up heroics quite quickly.
I tried my hand at the BWD raid with my guild, but I found Im’ just not willing to spend 3+ hours continuesly glued to my screen anymore.
I’ve spent some time leveling my archeology, leveled up my warrior and am now doing some 2v2 arenas with a friend of mine on both the Mage and the Warrior. Occasionaly I’ll do some dailies, pvp a bit, enjoy the scenery…a bit of everything.
I’m leveling a Goblin Priest as well (and loving it), so that should keep me busy for a while. I found that ignoring the grind-parts of the game and approaching the Cataclysm in a more laid-back style of play has kept me more than interested in the game.
You know, you might just have hit the nail right on the head. I am no longer willing (or able) to spend 3+ hours glued to the screen either. That might go a long way towards explaining that “what now” feelling.