Month: December 2024

Posted in World of Warcraft

WoW Classic: Dreading the Druid

Posted on by Syp

I gave my neglected Druid some love. I suspect that, in the long run, this is the class that I may want for its sheer variety and flexibility. However, these first 20 levels are a pure slog. It’s kind of interesting to swap in and out of bear form, but the kill rate is slow no matter which route I go. Gotta stick with it!

As I pushed into the upper teens, I got the quest to get my aquatic form. My youngest son was sitting with me that day, and so the two of us went on a world-spanning adventure to collect the halves of the locket and finally burn into a weird seal-thing. I had fun being a tour guide around the zones and cities as he watched, entranced, and I think this game made another fan that day. Not too long after, I acquired the cat, so my Druid kit started to fill out nicely.

I actually had a really fun Druid moment when I was level 20 in Redridge. I had a quest to kill a bunch of Orcs and noticed that the area was being overrun by other players. So I started inviting everyone I saw running around, and ended up with a group of four warriors… and me. We camped an area for about 45 minutes, slaughtering everything and generating a toooon of XP. I reverted to a healing role, which was challenging because I had no drinks nor any talents specced for that. But nobody died and we had a great time, so there’s that.

I’m still having more fun on my Hunter, though, especially as I adventure through Darkshire. This is kind of the cheerier version of Tirisfal Glades, a comfy Halloween zone with plenty of werewolves, ghosts, skeletons, and crypts to enjoy. There are also plenty of quests to accomplish, which is perfect for this level range.

Hitting level 30 on my Hunter felt like a good achievement. I’m nowhere near the midpoint of this journey yet, but that’s OK, as long as I’m having fun. And now I’ve got spirit bond, feign death, and — as of a trip to the auction house — a blue gun with a +5 damage scope. Come get some. Some hugs!

Even though I am nowhere near the halfway point on this character, I’ve been thinking about what I’ll be doing when I do hit 60 with her. There will be a LOT of time between then and whenever TBC comes out, so additional goals are needed for a non-raider such as I. And there are a few goals that I know I’ll pursue, such as saving up for an epic mount and trying to gear up as best I can. I’ll also be looking into some fun farms, maybe in lower level dungeons I can run solo at that point. And then there are always alts — such as my Druid.

Posted in Star Wars: The Old Republic

SWTOR: Volcanoes and city slums

Posted on by Syp

I really do appreciate the work put into the final setpiece of Ord Mantell, which is to go through this giant volcano base and complete a good half-dozen quests while working the way up to the Seperatist leader. And while it’s ridiculous to put a base around a volcano in the first place, I’m only disappointed you can’t actually make it erupt. Gotta be a bomb for that, right?

Farewell Ord Mantell, hello Coruscant! I don’t hate this planet but I have no great love for it, either. Big nonstop cities don’t feel like “planets” to me, but at least it’s clean and easy on the eyes. And I’m sure my smuggler can get into a lot of trouble here.

For some reason I thought you couldn’t get a speeder license on a F2P account until level 20, so it was a pleasant surprise to see that I could do this at level 10. It’s a huge quality-of-life improvement, even if I have to use this uncomfortable-looking device to travel.

The only — the ONLY — good thing about having Corso as your companion is taking any opportunity to insult him. I relish it.

The more I play SWTOR, the more my mind keeps wandering back to the wonder and excitement of this game’s initial year or three. I miss this being an MMO that a whole lot of people were talking about, and while there is still a community and the game’s still getting development, it feels like it’s been forgotten by the larger MMO genre. And that’s a shame, because like RIFT, this is still a very very solid MMORPG with a host of great features.

Oh no, I’ve been slimed! Playing SWTOR gives me a double hit of nostalgia — nostalgia for my original years in this game, and nostalgia for Knights of the Old Republic that occupied several great months back in the early 2000s. I’m pleased that the overall look holds up too, although the repeated animations during the cutscenes do irk me.

I haven’t settled into a build or even a solid combat rotation yet, but it doesn’t feel that pressing that I do so right now. I’m killing stuff just fine, mostly missiles and sweeping gunfire, and I like the simplicity of that.

When I revisit favorite old MMOs, I like to do a lot of rubbernecking at the environment that we were all hot to sprint by the first time around. I like how some areas of Coruscant feel more trashy and lawless just by how it looks.

Posted in Lord of the Rings Online

LOTRO: Indiana Syp and the expansion of doom!

Posted on by Syp

This right here is photographic PROOF that I’ve actually left the first zone of Legacy of Morgoth and am now in [checks map] some place called Khud Zagin. I think this is a good time as any to talk about LOTRO’s map and naming conventions. Some of these are obviously drawn from the official books and maps, but the devs have made up several along the way as well. And what you’ll notice is that, with few exceptions, they have very strange names when compared to other MMOs. I suppose this helps solidify the cohesiveness of this world, but it also gives us a barrage of bizarre monikers that are hard to remember. I am not going to recall “Khud Zagin” on my deathbed, let’s just say that.

While I’m not the biggest fan of video game deserts, I like the introduction of several new elements in this zone. There are a couple enemies I haven’t seen before — jackals and cobras — and there’s a very neat effect of sand blowing on the top of the ground. It’s quite atmospheric!

Where there’s a desert in a video game, sooner or later there’s going to be an oasis. And here we’ve got a cool one, nestled in some canyons and home to the rebellion. So far, this expansion is shaping up to be an easy-to-understand evil empire vs. plucky native rebels tale, and I am here for it.

What I am not here for, right now, is general enthusiasm for LOTRO. As I push into December, I find my interest level really dipping despite so much to do — this new expansion plus Mines of Moria on the legendary server. It’s simply the nature of continued play combined with a current fierce passion I have for WoW Classic that’s drowning out other titles that’s affecting me this way. I’m not willing to fully step away from LOTRO right now, so I’ll simply acknowledge the dip in my zeal and hope that it rejuvenates by early next year.

You know how there’s that MMO trope where you show up in a new town and everyone is SUPER suspicious of you until you do some quests for them and suddenly they’re your best friends? And then you have to keep proving yourself to every successive town?  Here in Jirush, it’s that same trope fourfold, as you’ve got to win over a quartet of elders by doing a whole string of related quests.

I did blow an entire gaming session shuffling around a lot of cosmetic items that were sitting in one particular character’s vault to the shared vault (my wardrobe is literally overflowing and can’t be expanded). That way, I was able to recreate my Indiana Jones outfit on my Minstrel for her continued adventures in the desert. Seemed fitting!

It’s hard to convey this in a still screenshot — you really need to see it animated — but the new sandstorm effects are really engaging. It makes the world feel more alive and really sells the desert setting.

Posted in Lord of the Rings Online

LOTRO: Making my way back into Moria

Posted on by Syp

With the Mines of Moria expansion released on Angmar, I got to experience a joyous reunion with my Captain as the community surged into the underground kingdom. As a nice welcome back bonus, the first day’s Yule Hobbit Present gave me a full set of armor. Unfortunately, it was all borked and wouldn’t show up in the right slots, but still, nice to have.

After spending weeks in Umbar on my Minstrel, it was great to get back to some “classic” Middle-earth regions and questing. I’m very much taking my time, going through all of the quests and deeds without feeling any pressure to rush through. I don’t know how much time we have in Moria, exactly, but at least four months minimum. Maybe five or six. That’s plenty.

Usually I skip these optional side quests leading up to the doors of Moria, but as I said, I’m in no rush and am trying to see all that there is here. Plus, there’s always the chance of a nice cosmetic drop, so fingers crossed for that.

I do relish the build-up to Moria even though I want to get into the place. There’s some good atmospheric storytelling going on with the Watcher and the pool. As a side note, I really wish there was a questline to unclog the dam at the far end and drain this place so that the river could flow again. That always bugs me. You’d think Dwarves would be up for the task.

Look at that: Moria again at last. Am I ready to climb the stairs and go through all of this all over again? You betcha, one quest at a time.

It’s weird to say this, but there’s a coziness to Moria. Maybe a nostalgic familiarity is a better way to put it. But the first zone here greets me like an old friend, and it’s a good feeling to be back. Out of here with you, glass spider!

So I logged in one day and got the most heart-stopping notice — “Your kinship has been disbanded.” I’ve honestly never seen that before, and it made me blink in confusion for a minute. I hadn’t gotten any mail about our incredibly active kinship disbanding, and then when I went to check Discord, the chat server was completely gone. After asking in world chat, I was directed to a new Discord and told that apparently our former kinship leader disbanded everything in the middle of the night with no explanation and blocked everyone. So the officers are in the process of rebuilding the kinship and trying to find everyone. It’s a complete mess, but at least it’s not gone completely.

Meanwhile, Yule Festival started back up — and gave me a dilemma. I really do need to be running Winter-home dailies on this character, as there are a TON of great cosmetic unlocks. But that’s going to take precious time away from Moria, maybe up to a month, which will put pressure to catch up there later.

Posted in World of Warcraft

WoW Classic: Stitches leaves me in stitches

Posted on by Syp

My WoW Classic Hunter reached level 24 and moved on to questing in Ashenvale. I always feel divided about the first three Night Elf zones. They do nail a magical forest vibe that’s hard to beat (along with some pretty killer music), but the navigation and sightlines are abysmal because everything’s so cluttered. I guess you have to roll with it, but it’s not my favorite the way it’s some others’.

I was pretty chuffed to get Rapid Fire when I visited the Hunter trainer. It’s a small thing, a speed increase every five minutes, but since auto-attacking is kind of boring, anything to spice it up is welcome.

Continuing with the themes of improvements, at level 26 I upgraded my gun with a much better one (and added a scope, too) as well as swapped out my ammo for solid shot. This combined led to a noticeable DPS increase, which was needed now that I was on safari in the Wetlands.

It’s fun bumping into those rites of passage in Classic, such as getting steamrolled by a surprise Stitches in Darkshire. Hey buddy!

I also gave in to a hankering to make a Priest, which I decided to fashion as an Undead named Gwentia (it was the best my feeble brain could manage the other day). It’s not a round of Classic without a trip back to the Forsaken lands, after all! And Priest is a class I’ve never gotten to the level cap in Classic OR retail, so this should be a different experience. I know I’ve bailed on them before feeling that if I wanted to wand and DOT stuff down, I should have a pet and be a warlock already. But maybe there’s something more here?

First night on Horde-side went surprisingly well. I fell in with a nice guild with a long history of Classic, and one of the members made me a pair of wands and gifted me a whole gold for free. Suffice to say, this was a HUGE help to a newbie Priest with no resources, because now I could wand like crazy and afford a set of starting bags.

Posted in Gaming Goals

Syp’s general gaming goals for all of 2025… go go go!

Posted on by Syp

The end/beginning of a year is usually a good time to pause to take stock of where I’m at and lay out general plans or goals for the future. So as we head into 2025, here’s what I’m thinking about playing and accomplishing next year.

First of all, I don’t foresee any change in playing my trinity of games right now — WoW, WoW Classic, and LOTRO. I think 2025 is going to be a slow burn in Blizzard’s games as we count down the months to Midnight (and housing!) and Burning Crusade, so I don’t feel a lot of rush and urgency there. LOTRO? I have no idea what they’ll be doing, so right now I’m anticipating going through Moria and Mirkwood on Angmar and finishing up the latest expansion on Landroval.

As for other established MMOs, there are a field of possibilities. As I type this, the strongest potentials for future play are trying out Pantheon and Path of Exile 2, continuing through a full playthrough of SWTOR, mayyyyyybe going back to Guild Wars 2 at some point, and giving New World another try (unless it looks like the whole game is tanking hard). Fallout 76 is always good for another go, and Palia is calling out to me for a second look. Oh, and giving Project Gorgon another shot because it deserves it and I’ve never penetrated very far into that game.

That leaves upcoming possibilities, of which there aren’t a lot that look guaranteed for next year. The biggest one of these is Dune Awakening, which is an automatic play for me — not because I like the Dune franchise (don’t care for it) or deserts (ditto) but because it’s scifi, it’s Funcom, and it’s an interesting blend of MMO and base building. It looks like Funcom is putting a lot of muscle behind this, and I don’t want to miss out.

I’m dreaming at this point, because I don’t have the time, but I do wish that I could work in some indie game exploration as well. It’s something that’s been on my wish list for a while along with a growing pile of quirky titles. But as if often the case, when time presents itself, it’s easier to go back to a familiar MMO than learn some finite new game.

That’s probably more than enough to keep me busy and engaged over 12 months, I would think. But it doesn’t rule out whims that may suddenly pull me in a certain direction, or the launch or event of a certain MMO that triggers strong FOMO.

Posted in Gaming Goals

Looking back at my MMO gaming journey in 2024

Posted on by Syp

I can’t believe it’s the end of the year already, but here we are! And as is my tradition (borrowed from other bloggers who do this as well), I like to create a quick spreadsheet chart showing which MMOs I’ve played across the past 12 months. Time for a little retrospection!

We’ll start with the greatest and most obvious trends this year, which is that I played LOTRO and WoW for 12 months unbroken. LOTRO was split between several different characters — mainly doing the two Umbar expansions on my Minstrel, leveling up a new Captain on the Angmar server, and occasionally fiddling with a completionist Burglar. Solid, dependable gameplay for the most part. It wasn’t the most exciting year of LOTRO, not like 2023, but I had a good time even so.

WoW went through a few phases. I spent the early part of the year wrapping up Dragonflight on my Death Knight, then scrapped ALL my characters when Pandaria Remix came out in favor of moving to another server and leveling up five or six new characters there. After Remix, there was The War Within, and I’ve been playing that mostly with my (new) DK.

You’ll notice that while I began the year with my toe in WoW Classic’s waters, I pretty much ejected from that scene until November, the 20th anniversary, and the new fresh start servers came around. Then Classic became my passion once again.

The next two MMOs that got the most attention from me this year were SWTOR and ESO. SWTOR was an on-again, off-again flirtation with various characters, if I’m being honest, while ESO tried to push through a couple more zones with my Warden. I fizzled out of ESO by the fall and haven’t felt a desire to come back.

Everything else on this list represents smaller dalliances. I tried to go back to Guild Wars 2 a couple times, didn’t take. I thought I’d be staging a big DDO comeback with its new 64-bit server, and that lasted a record three days before I was like, “Yeah, no, not for me right now.” Fallout 76 got some good sessions out of me, but it wasn’t quite as captivating as previous years. And while I indulged in some early 2024 cozy gaming with FFXIV, I bounced off of that as I often did.

So what about old favorite MMOs that I didn’t even touch this year? RIFT probably won’t get me back unless a miracle happens with its ownership. I’m also waiting for the official relaunch of Fallen Earth, if and when that ever happens. Star Trek Online and Neverwinter are currently no-gos considering that Cryptic essentially dissolved this year. And it’s been a long time since I touched either version of The Secret World.

I’ll be talking about overall 2025 plans in an upcoming post, but looking back, it was an enjoyable and satisfying year of gaming for me.

Posted in World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft: Time is money, pal!

Posted on by Syp

I’m sure I’m not alone in approaching World of Warcraft from a different angle ever since the housing announcement. Now that we’ve got a year(?) until Midnight gets here, there is plenty of time to speculate on what will go into this system. And honestly, that could include almost any art asset in the world, which is why I’m starting to look at the game in a somewhat new way. I envison establishing a cozy little bedroom with a couch, fireplace, and a few pets to keep me company as I lick my wounds from my latest defeat.

Now that my gear is in a good place, a lot of weekly options kind of fell off my plate. I don’t feel a pressing need, for example, to run tons of T8 delves and fill out the great vault. Almost anything I get now is going to be disenchanted to sell on the auction house, so I’m not sweating it. This does a lot to free me up to pursue other activities, such as working to clear out my overburdened quest log.

Uh-oh, I’m starting to fade out of existence. I can only assume that time travel tomfoolery have separated my parents and prevented my birth. Oh well, nice to know ya!

The trading post for December was a big disappointment. Most of it was either Christmas weapons or like this dark Valentine’s stuff, neither of which were deserving of being part of my wardrobe. So I guess I’ll simply bank my tender this month and wait until January! Meanwhile, I’ll make some friends with underground chompers. They seem like good people.

The one thing that I do miss with this expansion is any real sense of character growth. Yeah, we got heroic talents, but those were all passive and kind of fade into the background.

While I’m not pushing myself as hard to do all of the weeklies, there are a few that I try to hit in rapid succession every Tuesday. I particularly enjoy the fun chaos of the theater event. It’s funny, it keeps things interesting with all of the little activities, and it truly feels like a public quest.

And while I said I wasn’t really doing many delves right now, I did pump out a few of them to finish a trio of weeklies. Hey, time is money, pal!