Project Lore

I know feelings were very mixed, but I personally thought that the scourge invasion has been awesome. I loved the whole zombie thing, it was unique enough to really get attention, and it completely changed the world (…of Warcraft) for a few days. Furthermore, it was short enough that it didn’t get a chance to get really annoying. The necropolis attacks have been great fun as well. I loved flying from zone to zone looking to the skies for piles of undead to blow through. For me, the opportunity to pick up some one time only rewards has been very satisfying. It may be my Paladin bias, but I think it was all well executed and most importantly fun. All that being said, I’m worried. This event that started so fast and furious had all the potential in the world. But now it’s all but stopped. Sure, zones are still being attacked, but nothing new has happened in quite a while. Most people got their runes and have moved on. The world event felt so alive when every new day brought a new stage in the invasion, and a new phase of the plague, but now most people don’t even noticed it is still here. This has all been a bit disappointing to me. I am assuming that something else will happen, but when it does it had better be epic. I feel that so much momentum has been lost during this lull that it risks turning the event from a huge success to an utter failure. Right now things are just plain quiet. In my mind great world changing events shouldn’t start suddenly build up insane momentum, stop overnight, then pick back up a week and a half later. In the end I guess we will all have to wait and see. Perhaps this is all part of Blizzard’s master plan, or perhaps there was a bit too much QQ so they decided to take a break. Either way I would appreciate an explanation, or at the very least a new development. Come on Blizz, get us excited again! Northrend calls!

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I accomplished two different tasks at the same time this weekend. First and foremost, I put my new Mutilate build to the test in an actual raid setting. That is assuming one believes Karazhan, post Patch 3.0.2 nerf, can be called a raid.   I enjoyed the new build, and it performed nicely, managed to take second in overall DPS.  Thus, I will be sticking with it for the foreseeable future. Along with that accomplishment came the second achievement, tackling the Invasion boss, Tenris Mirkblood.

New content is always a good thing, such as the recently closed Hallow's End, but new bosses are even better. Headless Horseman is cool and all, but a tad last year. I managed to get a PUG together for Karazhan just a few days before Mirkblood and his sect of Lich King worshiping elves disappear. Seeing as it was a PUG, it wasn't all fun and games. I brought along my Refer-a-Friend partner, a Resto Druid that hit 70 just a few hours before, and even a Mage who hit 70 not even 20 minutes before zoning in. With all these undergeared players you'd think we would have wiped a lot. Thankfully, we didn't.  On the flip side we did get hit with crappy overall DPS, causing the raid to take nearly four hours.

Our first attempt at Tenris was a messy one. The tank didn't realize that opening the door would pull him, causing the fight to start with most of the players still getting mana, and myself still going over the strategy. Although we were completely unprepared we managed to bring him close to 50% before the off tank backed into some of the hall mobs we hadn't cleared. The second attempt was much worse, thanks to a Warrior who was leaving the raid, pulling

the half-blood prince to cause us to wipe a second time. The joy of PUGing.

Finally, attempt three we decided to do things right. We went with the common strategy of kiting Tenris around the ring, as myself and the green-geared Mage screamed at people to stop DPS on Blood Mirror. A few trips around the hallway and he was dead, with no deaths to Blood Mirror or the Sanguine Spirit's explosion. The use of Blood Mirror especially touched me because I loved Spirit Walkers in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, which have essentially the same ability. The Demonology Warlocks out there should be appreciative, and jealous of it, because Tenris' visual effect is much cooler. All in all, I enjoyed the encounter as a whole, its design, the lore and the link into the Scourge Invasion. Just wish I could wield the Arcanite Ripper...

Now if only Blizzard would confirm that Tenris is indeed a nod to Harry Potter.

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I was around during the initial Scourge Invasion.  In fact, I was still playing WoW hours upon hours a day, many of them spent in raids, instances or just farming for gold.  Yet, I never really joined in on the fun of the Scourge Invasion.  I checked it out, but you wouldn't find me there day in and day out, in an attempt to stop the Necropoli from taking over.  I can't recall my reasoning, but it probably had something to do with the fact that I already had the Argent Dawn reputation that I needed for Naxxaramas.  This time around, I have been all over the invasion. This year's invasion started off with the infamous plague that turned so many of Azeroth's heroes into minions for the Scourge.  The Horde and Alliance put aside their differences, got together, and rid the lands of the threat in only a few days time.  But the plague was only an attempt by the Lich King to weaken Azeroth before sending out his Necropoli and Undead fodder. I enjoyed the plague for all that it was worth, and the continuation into the Scourge Invasion is partially what sucked me into the re-hashed event.  Invasion 2.0 is not all that different from the original pre-Naxxaramas event, if I remember correctly.  We have the areas under attack by the Necropoli, Necrotic Shards, Shadow of Dooms, Undead weapon enchants, and extra bosses in select instances. Only a few things have been added, namely rewards for participating.  Rather than receiving superior gear for our efforts, players can now select from almost Karazhan-quality gear that bump up one's Undead slaughtering capabilities.  We even have a few trinkets that summon an Argent Dawn agent or abilities to our side.  On the content side of things, players can still tackle the new Karazhan boss, Tenris Mirkblood, who seems to be the only thing remaining from the plague days gone by.  Not to mention, the only thing I have found that could really link the two events. This Rogue and Priest combo will be continuing the purging of the Undead from the Plaguelands until the event ends.  I am mainly doing it so I can try out Solidsamm's new spec, but I tend to be a sucker for summonable buddies.  So if you see a purple skull appear on your map (and are on Magtheridon), I will likely be in their base, killing their mans.  To bad the Argent Dawn reputation has been replaced by the Argent Crusade in Wrath of the Lich King and will be useless. Sadly, I haven't seen many other people partaking in the Scourge Invasion, is it just too old hat for you?  Or are you burned out from the plague - as the Lich King intended?

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