A ninja by any other name

The Hub was victim to a ninja the other night, it seems. I had not been sleeping well the past few nights, and actually wiped out just before 8pm. After tucking me in with my stuffed menagerie, he came back downstairs and logged into WoW for a bit.

While on his Alliance Priest, he received a whispered invitation for a Mara run through. He delightedly accepted, and found himself the only at-level clothy in a full party, headed by a friendly level 80. At some point during the run, an epic BOE mace dropped. Long story short, the Rogue rolled "need," and an outcry among the party members ensued. The Rogue claimed that the purple tanking mace was better than what he had equipped, and was finally convinced that it did not suit his character.

At this point, all party members agreed to roll again, and the Hub actually won. Unfortunately, however, this rogue refused to trade the item over to him. He also refused to equip it, claiming that he had been told by the 80 leading the party "to just sell it." When reminded that it was not the 80 who had won the roll, his response was that they were all "getting a run through so just shut up."

Coincidentally, I logged on to WoW.com yesterday morning to find this on the front page:

Heroes of Warcraft on EU Stormrage sure does try to justify their ninja in this thread -- they have paragraphs and paragraphs about why it was a "tactical choice" to ignore a roll and give an item to one of their guildies. But in the end, a ninja is a ninja -- if you decide to roll, and someone wins, and you give it to someone else, that's a ninja. No amount of explanation and squirming is going to get you out of it.

Why, oh why, after all this time, do people insists on being greedy bastards and trying to sneak off with things that do not belong to them? Don't they realize what they are setting themselves up for?

And before anyone starts in with that "mara is srs business" crap, might I remind you that it isn't the item that dropped, or even the gold it could have been sold for - it's a matter of being the kind of person that other players can trust and will enjoy running with. And I don't care if someone bogarts my freaking hat, they aren't getting the opportunity to do it twice.

I have withheld said Rogue's name from this post, mainly because I still haven't decided whether or not this is the end of the story.

See, I gotta mean streak.

C'mon, Aion open beta

It really can't get here soon enough. There are just so many things that I'm itching to try out, for instance, the Spirit Master class. I'm wondering how similar to WoW's Warlock that will be, or if it should more logically be compared to the Magus in Warhammer Online. I've never played a Ranger-type class that didn't have a pet, so trying out the Scout's Ranger spec also looks to be pretty fun.

While in the closed beta, I messed around a bit with Handicrafting, Sewing, Alchemy, and Cooking. While the Handicrafting looks fun and has jewelry recipes, it also creates bows and staves - neither of which fit my Sorcerer, Templar, or Assassin classes. So, trying out a Ranger or Chanter with Handicrafting should prove to be of more use.

I am definitely sure that I need an Alchemist; the HP, MP, Cleansing, and Flight potions are all essential, I'm convinced.

For those of you who'd like to get a glimpse of life as a Sorcerer, ENJOY!

Aion Sorcerer Class Guide - Levels 10-19

Re-visiting the lowbie game

I've found my way back to WoW, in just little dribs and drabs, lately. I haven't so much as touched my high level toons, though. Instead, I've been leveling a couple of Draenei alts back on the server where D and I played Alliance way back when. If you happen by Dalaran say hi to drama-queen Emnyte the Shaman and Draece the Clumsy Hunter.

I have them both on the cusp of level 30, and - other than the DK I made there to farm gold for me (Turette the potty mouth) - it's pretty much the highest I've ever leveled an Alliance character.

You know, I take that back. I do have Colbi the cheesy Night Elf Druid languishing in her mid-30s, but other than getting her a new 'do and checking out the pink cat form, she isn't seeing any love either.

What I have REALLY enjoyed, though, is that leveling is no longer the monstrous ass-ache it used to be with the running back and forth and spending hours just getting from one place to the next. Say what you will about ruining the game, I'm DIGGING having early-access to mounts. What do you think?

Recent WoW mount changes re-vitalize the lowbie game

Got to wear the hat that my baby done sewed.

http://www.brighthub.com/video-games/mmo/articles/46101.aspx

I'm totally digging Aion. After participating in 3 closed beta events, I'm now waiting breathlessly for the open beta, coming "soon."

Crafting and farming materials has always been one of my favorite parts of any MMO, and even of single-player RPGs. God only knows how many days of my life have been devoted to gathering mushrooms in Oblivion, searching for a Skooma recipe in Morrowind, and mining copper ore in World of Warcraft.

And yet, the flawed afterthought of a profession scheme in Warhammer Online left me cold. I could have loved spending time butchering animals, growing my own herbs, and whittling myself some Talismans for multiple purposes.

Lucky for me, NCSoft's upcoming MMO appears to be holding on to some of that ol' black magic I crave. Stay tuned for more, especially with open beta!

Guild Loot Rules - which system does your guild use?

Loot Distribution Systems for Guilds

Writing this article created some interesting questions for me. My own small guild of RL friends and family has always used a combination of Need / Greed and a very - VERY - casual Loot Council. For instance, something drops and one of us in the party will exclaim, "Pally shoulders! Woot!" or something to that effect. If an item drops and benefits more than one person in the party, the guild drama typically starts like this:

"You take it. It goes with your robe."
"No, no, I couldn't! I just got a ring! YOU take it."
"No, I'm serious, I really want YOU to have it."

Then we'll all have a good cry and spend a few moments calling each other 'sweetheart' and finally someone will equip the damn thing so we can move on. Of course, we've only been running retro-raids lately, so the item in question was probably the wrench-shoulders or the Bullwinkle hat, or something like that.

I can only imagine how much drama loot could cause in a guild where people aren't there strictly for the companionship. Okay, that's not true, I have participated in such guilds and I know for SURE that the resentment can build fast and furious if not successfully squelched early on.

So how does YOUR guild hand out the swag? And when the llama rears its ugly head, who gets to step on it, and how?

Exploring my dark side

What? I play the classes which are the epitome of evil. Death Knight, Warlock, Shadow Priest... what would I possibly consider worse than that?

I spent some time over the weekend on a long-abandoned toon, on the server where D and I keep our small, low-level Alliance toons. Here's a confession: I actually have a Night Elf Druid. Yup - I'm not proud of it, but there it is. Colbi managed 4 levels over the weekend, from 26 to 31. She's now the proud owner of a Striped Nightsaber mount, which imho is totally worth all the pain.

I'm leveling her Feral, since my leveling buddy is a Disc Priest, but I'm also compiling a set of healy / boomkin gear just in case. It really has been pretty fun and interesting to see the game from the other side. I have to say, though, after 3 years it's really hard for me to be comfortable walking around inside Southshore. I keep looking over my shoulder. And everytime I see a Gnome, I shudder. I hear that's common even with people who always play Alliance, but I'm hoping to be able to overcome that panicky reaction.

There should totally be some kind of counselor this. You know, there's grief counselors, and marriage counselors, and those who deal with addiction and troubled teens, and gender issues... where is my cross-faction counselor? WTB WoW-Yellow Pages so I can look one up.

Managing Your Minions - the Bonus Pets

What are these 'bonus pets' of which I speak? Ah... those would be the minions that you can only control briefly. And not by giving them wedgies. Ba Dum Shhhhhh.

Enslave(d) Demon

The spell becomes available at level 30. For the cost of a Soul Shard, you can appropriate just about any demon you like of appropriate level as your own personal minion for up to 5 minutes. Your new friend will replace any existing minion you have out and comes with his own ability bar (leash not included).

Pros: The spell is introduced right about the time a young Warlock will be visiting Desolace, making her visit to Mannoroc Coven a much more pleasant experience. For some odd reason, the Maraudon instance is also located in this zone. Although you won't be back for it until the high 40s - early 50s, Enslaving in Mara is also a real blast. You'll also enjoy this spell in Felwood and Blades Edge, but don't expect much use for it in Northrend.

Cons: While Banishing works for both Demons & Elementals, that's the not case for Enslave. Your target must be a Demon. When the spell breaks, you're going to have to deal with it. If you've Enslaved an elite, just banish it while you re-summon your Void, Sac for the bubble, and run.

Infernal

Speaking of Felwood, level 50-ish 'Locks should seek out Niby the Almighty while exploring the zone. He will start you on your quest to receive the Inferno spell. Back when Mal did this, D was for some reason not available to help me. I can't remember why. What I DO remember is that the end boss of the quest chain was an Elite and a total PITA for a nublock like me to kill. IIRC, it took me a good 5-6 tries, using techniques like 1) enslaving a nearby Infernal to tank for me, 2) Fearing, dotting, fearing - dying, and 3) slowly funneling the Infernal while keeping only one DoT on the boss.

However - this was by and large one of the most hilarious things I've ever seen in WoW, and you do not want to miss it. If you're looking for some background on why this quest exists, make sure to read the comments on Wowhead and watch the video.**




Pros: Primary use is to drop an Inferno on the boss when he's got about a minute or so to live for extra dps. You can also summon them in lowbie starting zones to watch the newbies freak out, but really, that's about it.

Cons: Unlike Enslaved demons, the Infernal will simply go "poof!" when his spell wears off. He will, however, still leave you without a pet.

Doomguard

There are two different ways to get a temporary Doomguard of your very own; both require you to be at least level 60. The easy way is by using the Curse of Doom spell. If a mob dies from the damage of that curse, a Doomguard will spawn (when that mob gives XP, that is). Note that the mob must die from that spell - easiest way to accomplish this is to apply the curse to a demon or elemental and then immediately use a 30-second Banish. As soon as the Banish wears off, hit it again, this time with the 20-second version. Your mob will break free just in time to die of the Curse.

The more difficult option involves a quest. In order to get started, you must seek out Daio in the Tainted Scar area of the Blasted Lands zone. He will offer you two quests: The Prison's Bindings and The Prison's Casings. Neither are particularly easy for a level 60 'Lock to complete, but with the help of just one high-level friend (and the key to Dire Maul) you can reasonably expect to knock these out in short time. Return to Daio to receive the Suppression quest. Make sure to pick up the item near your entrapped Doomguard - without it you won't receive credit!

Pros: You only get the little guy for 15 minutes, so make good use of him! He will substantially increase your dps in dungeons, so it's definitely worth it. Plus, he's so just so damn cool. His abilities include a Stomp and a Rain of Fire, so he offers some great AoE potential.

Cons: He's temporary. /sad face. Also, you need to make sure you're carrying around a supply of Demonic Figurines if you choose to summon him via Ritual; since bag-space is a premium for 'Locks, that's a consideration.


**There is an encounter in Molten Core where one member of the raid becomes "the bomb." One Warlock, Biny, received that debuff on his minion. He promptly dismissed the minion. This did not, however, remove the debuff. When he resummoned his minion, it blew up causing massive AoE damage to all players in the vicinity. He then began using this trick to blow up players hanging out in Stormwind, which is actually pretty hilarious when you think about. /salute Biny, now THAT's evil.