Welcome back, fellow enthusiasts! The WoW Diary now carries the added title “Warcraft Traveler” as it seems like an appropriate moniker for this thing.
Let’s jump into my wild week spent rambling through the Warcraft universe. Of special note, I finally reached the ultimate goal in Classic Hardcore and it felt damn good! (If you’d like to catch last week’s Warcraft Traveler – you can find it here).
WoW Retail: Dragonflight
When it’s this late in an expansion’s life, my time with the current game is usually limited. This week was no exception. I did log in and play my Mechagnome Warrior, Topper on a few occasions.
While questing in Chromie-Time Zangarmarsh, I slew the Coilfang Emissary and grabbed the “Medium Rare” achievement. Not long after, Topper hit level 30 and unlocked flying (and the “Into The Wild Blue Yonder” cheevo). Soaring through the otherworldly skies of The Burning Crusade will make the rest of Topper’s leveling journey faster and more enjoyable.
On a side note, it looks like flying mounts will unlock at level 20 in The War Within. I know flying in WoW can be a divisive issue, but I’ve greatly enjoyed it since its introduction in early-2007. Looking ahead, I’ll likely split my time between Skyriding and Steady Flight as each has its benefits and disadvantages. I love the speed and maneuverability of Skyriding-Dragonriding but find myself missing Steady Flight’s precise movement and ability to hover.
Mists of Pandaria: Remix
I continue to spend the majority of my playtime in MoP: Remix. I fired up a fourth Timerunning character and leveled him to the cap. This time around, the lucky race-class combo was Void Elf – Prot Warrior. Buzzkill was a blast to play and hit 70 turning in quests at the Burlap Waystation in Kun-Lai Summit.
Here we go again!
Buzzkill’s time from 10 to 70 clocked in at 14 hours and 4 minutes. I shaved an hour off my previous best-time. He earned 69k Bronze and I blew almost all of it on nine mounts; Thundering Onyx Cloud Serpent, Amber Pterrordax, Mogu Hazeblazer, Tropical Riding Crane, Gilded Riding Crane, Kafa Yak, Forest Windsteed, Palehide Mushan Beast, and Guardian Quilen. Whew! My total mount collection now stands at 318.
Cloud Serpents for the win!
Late in the week, I also ran around the Timeless Isle with my Timerunning Hunter, Tincan and had a blast. Getting back into the groove of the island, killing tons of mobs while completing quests, earning Timeless Coins, Bronze, and reputation, was an addicting pleasure.
World of Warcraft Classic Hardcore
The real standout of my week in Warcraft was finally, after six months of dangerous grinding, hitting the level cap in Classic Hardcore. Thank the Light! I achieved a “no-deaths” run to level 60 with Slickstick, the Human Rogue (See celebration pic at the top of the post).
The moment of glory happened in Silithus after slaying a Dredge Striker. The server-wide notice went out: “Slickstick has reached level 60!” and I was surprised to receive half a dozen “grats” whispers from strangers. The friendliness of the Hardcore community warmed the cockles of my jaded old heart.
I had tried multiple times over the past months to level a Hunter to the cap but at some point a disastrous death always occurred. A few Frost Mages also met untimely ends on their aborted journeys to 60. I’ve got to give great credit to the Rogue’s Stealth and Vanish abilities for saving me from certain death time and time again. Total playtime for Slick to hit level 60: 249 hours. Yeah, it took some work.
Sweet mother of pearl, finally!
I haven’t logged back into Hardcore in the few days since hitting the cap but I’m fairly certain I’ll be back after a mental rest. I’ve got over 500 gold in the bank and a level 36 Warlock tantalizingly close to his free mount.
WoW: The War Within Beta Test (Mild Spoiler Alert)
The stability of The War Within Beta Test seems to have improved in recent days and I ran my first two Delves; The Earthcrawl Mines and Fungal Folly. Both can be found on the Isle of Dorn.
My early assessment of Delves is a positive one and I enjoyed my run-throughs. I’m not ecstatic about the feature yet but definitely glad they’ve been added. They’ll offer more to do for players running around solo or with a friend or two. And the prospect of decent loot on higher difficulties is enticing.
On the first run, in Earthcrawl Mines, I rescued lost miners and helped move their mine cart towards the end boss and exit. This initial delve was set to Tier 1 and the loot reward (aka Expeditionary Spoils) was a paltry 215 item level. Nowhere near my copied-over Prot Warrior’s 400ish ilevel.
The second delve, Fungal Folly, was set to Tier 2 and the final loot drop was an actual upgrade which made the mushroom-filled experience feel much more rewarding. I equipped my new 415 ilevel shield (Unhinged Vault-Hatch) and called it a night.
Go on, spoil me!
Warcraft Rumble
Lastly, it occurs to me that I’ve yet to mention Warcraft Rumble here. I’ve been chipping way, slowly but surely, at the mobile game since its launch in November 2023. And I’m pretty sure I’m terrible at it.
My primary army is mostly Alliance-based with Jaina Proudmoore as Leader. My fave units, my “ol’ reliables,” are Footmen and Darkspear Troll. I spent 99 cents in the game’s opening week. Mostly to see how that worked and what value-for-money felt like. But I haven’t spent anything additional so far.
I primarily play Rumble on my phone. I’d like to play it on my tablet, but it’s an older device and the game loads slowly and crashes constantly there. What I really want, is for the game to come to PC (ala Hearthstone). Until then, I’ll keep straining my eyes and tapping away.
Dioniss aca!