Project Lore

I'd like to talk about the Paladin class, but more specifically about the idea of dual speccing. I started WoW on the day it was released, and up until about six months ago, I was a retribution pally. I stuck to my guns and took all the punishment Blizzard gave us, but when they supposedly fixed us and gave us amazing DPS only to take it away a month later I finally had enough. It was then I decided to read up on tanking. I spent weeks researching the spec and trying out different talent specs to get the most out of my paladin. Currently I've become the Main Tank for my guild on Kargath, and we are kicking Naxx’s butt right now. A few weeks ago I got to a point where I was stuck, though. I've obtained every upgrade I possibly can for my tank spec outside of Naxx. So I asked myself, what do I do now? I'm still running heroics and collecting badges for more gear, and during recent Naxx trips plate healing gear has been dropping left and right. Since nobody else wants it, I've started collecting it all. Now I'm spending those badges from heroics on healing gear. So aside from my tank gear I now have an epic healing set that's got my skills as follows: 2005 Bonus Healing, 26% Crit rating, 388 mana regen and a 17K+ mana pool, all unbuffed. Now that I have the gear, I've changed specs many times to work on my healing skills simply because I find it fun. The problem is I've done it so many times I'm capped at 50g per talent point reset. Personally I find this to be stupid and annoying. I know there are several things in the game that act as money sinks (Haris Pilton's bag for instance) but respeccing? Come 3.1, Blizzard is going to give us "Dual Specs" that will be 1000g and it will even change our glyphs and action bars. Great, but without an ETA on the horizon why don't they just remove the fee to reset for now? Why are players penalized for wanting to try something new? I've even had to pay twice simply because I've put a talent point in the wrong spot once and had to reset (which they addressed finally). What's worse is if I'm specced as a tank and my guild needs a healer, it costs me 100g to go holy and then back to protection. Anyway, I'm curious to see how many more people are out there that play an active role in two specs in their guild and if they are tired of the fees. Do you think that while we wait for the dual spec feature, we should get the option to change for free or are you ok with paying 50g per switch till 3.1 and then paying another 1000g to have the option?

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What a weekend. I told myself that I would have to get to level 67 on my Priest, if I wanted to make sure that she was ready for Wrath. I informed my girlfriend of my goal, and although she doesn't know too much about the game (“Worlds of Warcrafts”), or exactly how it works (read, time consuming), she said it was fine. So there I was, a level 66 Priest with solid healing gear, Holy specced, itching to instance and grind, with nothing to hold me back from garnering tens of thousands of experience. Then it hit me, an Ambush from a decked out level 70 Rogue. Queue Spirit of Redemption (haven't respecced yet).

Let me lay it out for you, I absolutely suck at PvP on my Priest. My inability to defend my squishy self is mostly due to inexperience, but I doubt a Holy spec would be a good defender anyways; Discipline would seem like the better candidate. While questing in Terokkar Forest, the zone PvP objective, Spirits of Auchindoun, popped, and I jumped at the chance for some PvP, while getting another quest done. After struggling to capture towers, I spirit resurrected and attempted to ninja one that had been left alone since the start of the contests. I failed, and the Horde won the towers shortly thereafter.

I figured that I was safe from additional PvP due to my sickness, however I was wrong. As I hung out at the Refugee Camp, kiting Bonelashers into the defenders for the kill, I meet the business end of a dagger, while still under the sickness...Why the hell would he kill me? He didn't gain anything. Was it a friend on a horde account just screwing with me? Perhaps a reader who didn't agree with a blog post?

It didn't end there. The Rogue in question continued to kill me a few more times, once more while I was still sick. Being the stubborn person that I am, I simply kept going about my business, killing the Bonelashers. The Rogue must have realized my objective, because he stopped killing me and focused on the buzzards. Once they were all dead, he went back to his old habit.

Obviously, this “Champion of Naaru,” was screwing with me. I am all for a good prank and good fun, but I was supposed to be leveling! Time is becoming scarce and this backstabbing Undead Rogue halted my progress for a solid hour. I swear, this guy must have had an Alliance account, because no matter where I went in Terokkar Forest to grind, he appeared shortly after to kill me, my target mobs, or both.

Cheers to you Silith, I had a chuckle and congratulate you on your dedication to one-shotting. But please, next time have the common decency to ask if it is okay to tea bag me.

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You ever get to the point on your main WoW toon that the game seems to loose it's luster? Days in AV for honor points or hours Raiding Hyjal for the chance at a drop that 20 other people want? Well, I have a solution for you: Make an alt!

Not some simpleton bank mule or AH stand-in - make a real alt that you will play.

Why you ask? Several reasons:

1. To know another class as well as your main. This helps you understand the dynamics of working in a party or raid better.
2. To have two additional potential money making professions. Gathering professions on an alt can sometimes be key to making huge money in WoW
3. To re-experience the wonder of playing the easy, fun low level content.
4. To challenge yourself to level faster and more efficiently
5. To see the interactions people have with your new class that may be different from your main's class. There's nothing like playing a huge DPS toon then becoming a holy healer. People openly seem to love DPS and tend to forget the healers. Come on people - let's show some love here.

And those are just a few reasons.

So go make an alt.

And play another 85 days... lol

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