Level 60
In a timely manner, Psynister published his next installment, Paladin Leveling, 50-69 Protection. I highly recommend his suggestions. I also greatly appreciate his explanations, which make understanding why certain talents are taken and how certain actions work together, etc. It's good stuff. Of course, I needed to review my macros, re-spec, and fix my action bars. I managed to do that while watching a movie with the family and listening to the blizzard outside. Finally I was ready to go.
It took more time to earn this level than the prior ones. The quest hubs required a bit more back and forth and I was without a flying mount. Knowing I'll want some Honor Hold marks, I've been keeping an eye open for chances to pick up one of the PvP targets. A group was picking them up and I needed one, so I joined and turned in my daily, earning my first marks, Insignia of the Alliance and Freedom of the Alliance.
I then worked on quests and eventually I dinged. I immediately went to train and buy my griffon. I felt this was a good place to stop.
Showing posts with label 50-59. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 50-59. Show all posts
Day Forty Eight - 31 Jan 2011
Level 59
Would you like a quick means of knowing the difference in leveling in the Outland compared to the redesigned questing experience in Azeroth?
Ding 85's Alliance Hellfire Peninsula Guide: If not yet 59, return to the The Legion Front and kill demons until you reach Level 59.
This is the definition of Grind and was once very common as the means for quick leveling, but has disappeared from the 1-60 experience. For most of us, we're perfectly happy with that.
As I did my grind this morning, dinging 59 with about 15 minutes of effort, I was reminded of a "pro" I'd forgotten. I had accumulated a stack of Netherweave cloth! Different grinds in the past could reward good farming materials. There was always the possibility to select a grind target for rewards you needed, a double dip of sorts. There will be a crop of new players that won't learn this lesson as quickly.
Kallixta didn't get much attention this weekend, but I did manage to sneak in one quick level.
Would you like a quick means of knowing the difference in leveling in the Outland compared to the redesigned questing experience in Azeroth?
Ding 85's Alliance Hellfire Peninsula Guide: If not yet 59, return to the The Legion Front and kill demons until you reach Level 59.
This is the definition of Grind and was once very common as the means for quick leveling, but has disappeared from the 1-60 experience. For most of us, we're perfectly happy with that.
As I did my grind this morning, dinging 59 with about 15 minutes of effort, I was reminded of a "pro" I'd forgotten. I had accumulated a stack of Netherweave cloth! Different grinds in the past could reward good farming materials. There was always the possibility to select a grind target for rewards you needed, a double dip of sorts. There will be a crop of new players that won't learn this lesson as quickly.
Kallixta didn't get much attention this weekend, but I did manage to sneak in one quick level.
Day Forty Seven - 23 Jan 2011
Lunar Festival
Kallixta is not supposed to be about achievements, but doing things I haven't done before. Still, my current mode is all about leveling quickly and seeing an easy quest confused me. So I did an elder and had the Coin of Ancestry achievement surprise me!
Blasted Lands
I like the changes in the Blasted Lands. I felt there was too much grind before and I like how the new quest storyline works. I also like the use of many new "mini-boss" mobs that have names yet aren't full elites. There's enough trepidation before the fight and accomplishment after. I'm not sure how much of that pleasure is dependent upon my running a protection paladin. Would these be as fun as a fragile mage?
The big moment in this zone came with the completion of the Razelikh quest chain. First, I hadn't read the text carefully enough, so after killing the body, I didn't realize I needed to use the knife to seal the soul. Instead I fought the mob down to zero, yet he didn't go away. Eventually the quest failed and I was stuck on top of the Rise of the Defiler without a means to teleport down. I'd recently used by hearthstone, so decided I'd just jump.
I thought I'd found the best place to jump, and in one sense I did. After all, I survived. Still, I was shocked at seeing the Going Down? message pop up! Everything went correctly on my second try, although this time I actually read the quest text and consulted with wowhead for comments. They mentioned that things had changed so if the boss tossed you off the Rise, your buddy cast a spell that saved you from the big fall. I had killed him too quickly before and had never been tossed on my first try. This time he tossed me twice!
I dinged level 58 with only 28 / 35 Blasted Lands Quests. I could have finished up with zone's quests, but both of today's achievements reminded me that's not my objective. I had the satisfaction of completing the big story line and earning the Band of Noble Deeds for myself. That was the last rare I got from the LFD and everything I wear now are quest rewards or crafted. Since I'm at least 16 levels higher now than when I ran a random dungeon, it shows the sacrifice. Do you want quick XP or great items? Anybody else notice this difference?
I allowed myself the chance to enjoy running up the stairs and walking through the Dark Portal, committing myself to the Outland. I don't remember it as being that special when it happened for Martuska. Her hearthstone was already saved to Shattrath before that. One of those consequences of the loss of convenient portals was to make this moment a bit more special for me. So the next time you bitterly grumble about paying for a mage portal, here's something to think about.
Hellfire Peninsula
The contrast in quest design shows up right away. The Outland was not redesigned for good quest hubs and storylines. I was soon running to a quest hub west of Honor Hold yet needing to run east of Honor Hold to accomplish them. In fact, I was riding a LOT and deeply regreting arriving out here before level 60 and the joy of flying mounts. I didn't particularly notice the lack of flight on Kallixta while in Azeroth, because the game design was geared for it. Once in the Outland, the difference was obvious and I'm unhappy. Luckily XP still drops quickly enough and I anticipate level 60 on my next session, which might not be until next weekend.
One last thing that happened before finishing up was that I hit 500 Quests. All three of the achievements today caught me by surprise. I think that's unusual.
Kallixta is not supposed to be about achievements, but doing things I haven't done before. Still, my current mode is all about leveling quickly and seeing an easy quest confused me. So I did an elder and had the Coin of Ancestry achievement surprise me!
Blasted Lands
I like the changes in the Blasted Lands. I felt there was too much grind before and I like how the new quest storyline works. I also like the use of many new "mini-boss" mobs that have names yet aren't full elites. There's enough trepidation before the fight and accomplishment after. I'm not sure how much of that pleasure is dependent upon my running a protection paladin. Would these be as fun as a fragile mage?
The big moment in this zone came with the completion of the Razelikh quest chain. First, I hadn't read the text carefully enough, so after killing the body, I didn't realize I needed to use the knife to seal the soul. Instead I fought the mob down to zero, yet he didn't go away. Eventually the quest failed and I was stuck on top of the Rise of the Defiler without a means to teleport down. I'd recently used by hearthstone, so decided I'd just jump.
I thought I'd found the best place to jump, and in one sense I did. After all, I survived. Still, I was shocked at seeing the Going Down? message pop up! Everything went correctly on my second try, although this time I actually read the quest text and consulted with wowhead for comments. They mentioned that things had changed so if the boss tossed you off the Rise, your buddy cast a spell that saved you from the big fall. I had killed him too quickly before and had never been tossed on my first try. This time he tossed me twice!
I dinged level 58 with only 28 / 35 Blasted Lands Quests. I could have finished up with zone's quests, but both of today's achievements reminded me that's not my objective. I had the satisfaction of completing the big story line and earning the Band of Noble Deeds for myself. That was the last rare I got from the LFD and everything I wear now are quest rewards or crafted. Since I'm at least 16 levels higher now than when I ran a random dungeon, it shows the sacrifice. Do you want quick XP or great items? Anybody else notice this difference?
I allowed myself the chance to enjoy running up the stairs and walking through the Dark Portal, committing myself to the Outland. I don't remember it as being that special when it happened for Martuska. Her hearthstone was already saved to Shattrath before that. One of those consequences of the loss of convenient portals was to make this moment a bit more special for me. So the next time you bitterly grumble about paying for a mage portal, here's something to think about.
Hellfire Peninsula
The contrast in quest design shows up right away. The Outland was not redesigned for good quest hubs and storylines. I was soon running to a quest hub west of Honor Hold yet needing to run east of Honor Hold to accomplish them. In fact, I was riding a LOT and deeply regreting arriving out here before level 60 and the joy of flying mounts. I didn't particularly notice the lack of flight on Kallixta while in Azeroth, because the game design was geared for it. Once in the Outland, the difference was obvious and I'm unhappy. Luckily XP still drops quickly enough and I anticipate level 60 on my next session, which might not be until next weekend.
One last thing that happened before finishing up was that I hit 500 Quests. All three of the achievements today caught me by surprise. I think that's unusual.
Day Forty Six - 22 Jan 2011
Outland
Despite being only level 54, Kallixta wanted to make a visit to Shattrath. Someone answered my portal request promptly and BAM, there I was. I confirmed I didn't need to pick up the flight path. I could fly to Honor Hold and the Dark Portal itself. Asking a guard got me to the Blacksmith Trainer. I needed 5 more skill levels before I could train up. Luckily I had a bunch of Thorium from mining in Un'Goro, so I popped out some Imperial Plate items to reach the necessary minimum. Done.
There isn't a Mining Trainer in Shattrath and I wasn't close on First Aid or Fishing, but I found the cooking trainer. I now recall leveling up to max on Pilgrim's Bounty.
I took the flight to Honor Hold and confirmed I couldn't get flying early. I'll need to wait for level 60 as expected, but I did train in Mining, opening myself up to leveling that while picking up more Thorium in Azeroth.
Un'Goro Crater
After the server reset, Kallixta finally managed to get back to the Hot Springs and the crazy Maxmillian of La Mancha or whatever. I followed the storyline, dinged 55 and completed Explore Un'Goro Crater and Un'Goro Crater Quests, so it was time to return to find a new Call for Heroes!
The Blasted Lands
I've finished 12 /35 of Blasted Land Quests and dinged level 56 in short order. I've more Rested XP that should see me through another level or two. The plan should see me hitting level 58 once I've finished here and I'll move back through the Dark Portal.c
Despite being only level 54, Kallixta wanted to make a visit to Shattrath. Someone answered my portal request promptly and BAM, there I was. I confirmed I didn't need to pick up the flight path. I could fly to Honor Hold and the Dark Portal itself. Asking a guard got me to the Blacksmith Trainer. I needed 5 more skill levels before I could train up. Luckily I had a bunch of Thorium from mining in Un'Goro, so I popped out some Imperial Plate items to reach the necessary minimum. Done.
There isn't a Mining Trainer in Shattrath and I wasn't close on First Aid or Fishing, but I found the cooking trainer. I now recall leveling up to max on Pilgrim's Bounty.
I took the flight to Honor Hold and confirmed I couldn't get flying early. I'll need to wait for level 60 as expected, but I did train in Mining, opening myself up to leveling that while picking up more Thorium in Azeroth.
Un'Goro Crater
After the server reset, Kallixta finally managed to get back to the Hot Springs and the crazy Maxmillian of La Mancha or whatever. I followed the storyline, dinged 55 and completed Explore Un'Goro Crater and Un'Goro Crater Quests, so it was time to return to find a new Call for Heroes!
The Blasted Lands
I've finished 12 /35 of Blasted Land Quests and dinged level 56 in short order. I've more Rested XP that should see me through another level or two. The plan should see me hitting level 58 once I've finished here and I'll move back through the Dark Portal.c
Day Forty Five - 16 Jan 2011
Un'Goro Crater
The day started and ended in Un'Goro crater for Kallixta, but in between she managed to earn another couple of levels, reaching level 54. All the prior leveling had eliminated the accumulated rested XP, but quests and mobs still rewarded well. Somehow the crater doesn't feel as crowded. Has anybody else noticed it seems easier to run in some direction without gathering too many dinosaurs chasing you?
I deliberately spent more travel time close to the crater wall where Mining Nodes were plentiful. It was no trouble mining up to my level cap. I had a lot of trouble with one mini-boss. It killed me three times before I realized how bad some of my habits had become. I wasn't taking advantage of things like Lay-on-hands! My positioning was obviously bad, so I tried concentrating on that, without noticing perfect positioning wasn't needed. It's a little scary to think of how much I'm not using and will need to retrain myself in before long.
Burning Crusade
As a reminder, up to this point there have been two accounts in the household. Martuska has been on the old same account as Syylia which was upgraded to Cataclysm, but Kallixta and Aldonza were on a second account. I've now upgraded that account to Burning Crusade. The spark for this was two-fold. First, the price has dropped drastically and it made an easy late Christmas present to myself. Second, Kallixta is close to the top. I considered what it would be like to keep her level capped and explore things like Vanilla raids at level. I'm not sure of everything that has changed in my thinking, but using Kallixta to explore Cataclysm end-game content has become a stronger interest. I don't think it'd be practical to try things like Molten Core without the strong intentional support of a like-minded crew.
With BC, I could now add a Draenei, Budgie Elf, Death Knight, or Jewelcrafter. Of those, I'll probably roll a Death Knight first, but probably not for a few months. I'll probably need to include the Wrath expansion before I do that.
Equipment
The shift from LFD to Questing has finally caught up to Kallixta's equipment. She's no longer earning blue upgrades and the final few Un'Goro quests rewarded her with some greens that actually were improvements on her existing choices. So during one break, due to frustration over that difficult mini-boss, I took the time to switch her equipment. Chest, Wrist, Hand, Mace, and Shield were all replaced. I realized how used to seeing that shield I'd become. I'm going to miss it. When Kallixta upgraded to plate, many changes weren't seen, being under the tabard, and I don't have the helm visible. The shield alone makes a big difference in my perception of her. I imagine I'll adjust, but I haven't yet.
One consequence of this change underscored that not only were the blues of superior value, they were also of high item level. Everything but my current bracers is flagged as "low level". I don't believe them to be too low level, but I expect it means things like Rugged Armor Kits actually are providing a bigger relative improvement than before. It'll be something to keep an eye on.
By the way, I finally discovered how to resync Kallixta on wowhead. It was another habit I was too lazy to push. It's not like it was some big secret, just different than how I used to do it.
The Short Term Plan
Do y'all spend much time plotting out where you will take a character next? I'm mostly following Ding85, which will probably get Kallixta to level 56 in Un'Goro Crater, but next it suggests Swamp of Sorrows, before hitting the Blasted Lands. The intention is that this plan gets you to level 58 at which time you head to Outland, but I'm leveling faster than the plan. I'll probably skip Swamp of Sorrows, but as long as the Blasted Lands aren't boring and grindy, I'll complete it instead of heading out as soon as I ding 58. However, I will probably jump to Shattrath early so I can train up my Mining and Blacksmithing. Sound good?
The day started and ended in Un'Goro crater for Kallixta, but in between she managed to earn another couple of levels, reaching level 54. All the prior leveling had eliminated the accumulated rested XP, but quests and mobs still rewarded well. Somehow the crater doesn't feel as crowded. Has anybody else noticed it seems easier to run in some direction without gathering too many dinosaurs chasing you?
I deliberately spent more travel time close to the crater wall where Mining Nodes were plentiful. It was no trouble mining up to my level cap. I had a lot of trouble with one mini-boss. It killed me three times before I realized how bad some of my habits had become. I wasn't taking advantage of things like Lay-on-hands! My positioning was obviously bad, so I tried concentrating on that, without noticing perfect positioning wasn't needed. It's a little scary to think of how much I'm not using and will need to retrain myself in before long.
Burning Crusade
As a reminder, up to this point there have been two accounts in the household. Martuska has been on the old same account as Syylia which was upgraded to Cataclysm, but Kallixta and Aldonza were on a second account. I've now upgraded that account to Burning Crusade. The spark for this was two-fold. First, the price has dropped drastically and it made an easy late Christmas present to myself. Second, Kallixta is close to the top. I considered what it would be like to keep her level capped and explore things like Vanilla raids at level. I'm not sure of everything that has changed in my thinking, but using Kallixta to explore Cataclysm end-game content has become a stronger interest. I don't think it'd be practical to try things like Molten Core without the strong intentional support of a like-minded crew.
With BC, I could now add a Draenei, Budgie Elf, Death Knight, or Jewelcrafter. Of those, I'll probably roll a Death Knight first, but probably not for a few months. I'll probably need to include the Wrath expansion before I do that.
Equipment
The shift from LFD to Questing has finally caught up to Kallixta's equipment. She's no longer earning blue upgrades and the final few Un'Goro quests rewarded her with some greens that actually were improvements on her existing choices. So during one break, due to frustration over that difficult mini-boss, I took the time to switch her equipment. Chest, Wrist, Hand, Mace, and Shield were all replaced. I realized how used to seeing that shield I'd become. I'm going to miss it. When Kallixta upgraded to plate, many changes weren't seen, being under the tabard, and I don't have the helm visible. The shield alone makes a big difference in my perception of her. I imagine I'll adjust, but I haven't yet.
One consequence of this change underscored that not only were the blues of superior value, they were also of high item level. Everything but my current bracers is flagged as "low level". I don't believe them to be too low level, but I expect it means things like Rugged Armor Kits actually are providing a bigger relative improvement than before. It'll be something to keep an eye on.
By the way, I finally discovered how to resync Kallixta on wowhead. It was another habit I was too lazy to push. It's not like it was some big secret, just different than how I used to do it.
The Short Term Plan
Do y'all spend much time plotting out where you will take a character next? I'm mostly following Ding85, which will probably get Kallixta to level 56 in Un'Goro Crater, but next it suggests Swamp of Sorrows, before hitting the Blasted Lands. The intention is that this plan gets you to level 58 at which time you head to Outland, but I'm leveling faster than the plan. I'll probably skip Swamp of Sorrows, but as long as the Blasted Lands aren't boring and grindy, I'll complete it instead of heading out as soon as I ding 58. However, I will probably jump to Shattrath early so I can train up my Mining and Blacksmithing. Sound good?
Day Forty Four - 15 Jan 2011
Searing Gorge
Kallixta found plenty of time to play on Saturday, flying to Thorium Point to start some quests. Martuska never spent much time in the Plaguelands questing, but I could still remember running around Searing Gorge. I would be able to compare the changes from the Shattering. One of those changes was the added fun of Lunk's search for adventure!
While silly, it didn't really make the quests easier or harder, just more fun. I noticed that while terrain and random mobs were mostly familiar, the quests were vastly changed. I managed 22 / 35 towards Searing Gorge Quests before deciding I wanted to follow Ding85's quest guide in Tanaris. So I finished what I needed for Explore Searing Gorge and moved on.
Tanaris
This was another location where I still had memory of questing, so I could see the minor differences in all those pirate quests. The layout was enjoyable it is seemed to take little time to complete both Tanaris Quests and Explore Tanaris! Again there were some quests that were just fun!
Before I logged off for the day, I had the Level 50 achievement, level 52 without any achievement, and settled in at the new Marshal's Stand camp in Un'Goro Crater.
Kallixta found plenty of time to play on Saturday, flying to Thorium Point to start some quests. Martuska never spent much time in the Plaguelands questing, but I could still remember running around Searing Gorge. I would be able to compare the changes from the Shattering. One of those changes was the added fun of Lunk's search for adventure!
While silly, it didn't really make the quests easier or harder, just more fun. I noticed that while terrain and random mobs were mostly familiar, the quests were vastly changed. I managed 22 / 35 towards Searing Gorge Quests before deciding I wanted to follow Ding85's quest guide in Tanaris. So I finished what I needed for Explore Searing Gorge and moved on.
Tanaris
This was another location where I still had memory of questing, so I could see the minor differences in all those pirate quests. The layout was enjoyable it is seemed to take little time to complete both Tanaris Quests and Explore Tanaris! Again there were some quests that were just fun!
Before I logged off for the day, I had the Level 50 achievement, level 52 without any achievement, and settled in at the new Marshal's Stand camp in Un'Goro Crater.
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