VGGEN.com

> PC Gaming

• Home
• Games Index
• News
• Reviews
• Previews
• Release List
• Features

> Xbox 360

> Xbox

> Nintendo Wii

> GameCube

> Nintendo DS

> Game Boy

> PlayStation 3

> PlayStation 2

> PSP

The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of VGGEN.com as a whole or any of its affiliates. This is simply one writer's opinion, and should be accepted as such.

Hello all! I just wanted to introduce myself as a new writer for the WoW Weekly column. Nick & I will be alternating content each week so that we can keep this column alive and well. In terms of gaming, I have been an avid WoW player since shortly after its launch. The class variety, different factions and storylines keep me engaged, and despite the disappointing news that the expansion won’t be released until January, will likely keep me engaged for quite some time…

Currently my “main” is an undead warlock that I mostly raid with, and my pet project is a midlevel druid. My goal is to get him up to 60 by the time the expansion comes out.  I also have a purpled out rogue and a pre-raid 60 shaman. While I enjoy all these characters, I have definitely caught the “altitis” bug, which means that every few months I immerse myself in a new character.

My goals for this column are to present some of my thoughts and critiques of the game in a fun, casual manner. Beyond that, it’s a bit fuzzy still, since I would like to explore different types of writing (review, critiques, stories told from the point of view of in-game characters etc).  So please let me know what you all think, what you like, what you don’t like… I’m told that you are responsive and outspoken readers, so I’m looking forward to your comments.

I hit 60 about 3 months ago, and after trying out a few guilds, I finally found one with the right mix of casual and hardcore players for me. I am in the unfortunate position of wanting to be a hard core raider, (“and have some guy named Puff telling me what to do”), but given my real life obligation to pay for rent and an occasional exotic vacation, I have to settle for something more casual. This means mostly joining ZG and/or AQ20 raids on the weekend, with an occasional foray in Molten Core or BWL. 

ZG and AQ20 instances are great examples of what I think future instances in WoW should be. Staffing a 20-man raid is quite doable for a small guild, or alliance of small guilds. Even though playing with casual raiders means that the class composition of the raid can change quite dramatically from week to week (e.g. 6 warriors one week, then 4 druids and 3 priests the next), these raids are doable with a minimum of cooperation.  The class imbalance hiccups can also make for interesting stories, such as “Remember the time we pulled Venoxis with my imp?” or “You successfully let a druid tank Ossirian? Awesome!” or “You had 7 warriors and still wiped???”

Anyway, I particularly like that they are shorter instances and drop class-specific quest items that, unlike the long and arduous tier 0.5 upgrades, lead to near top-of-the-game gear. In addition, it feels good to have the chance to roll on a few class-specific items and have a decent chance of winning something.  The catch is that you need to have the adequate amounts of reputation with the right faction.  Personally, I think this is a masterful way for Blizzard to keep us paying our monthly server fees just a few more months.  What’s a few months between addicts? Right…  So in summary: a greater chance for loot but a longer grind for reputation = more money for Blizzard and better gear for us.

Money making strategies aside, I have to say that I really like AQ20 and ZG. It’s easy to get into a group, and the content is a lot of fun. The bosses in ZG remind me Indiana Jones type adventures and AQ20 looks like an alien planet from Stargate.  Kind of fun and varied universes to immerse oneself in! And compared to Molten Chore/BWL runs, which can last 3-6 hrs depending on the group, I feel that I get more bang for my time.  Helmet off to you hardcore raiders that dedicate the time, discipline and energy necessary to master them! Personally, I like to get some fresh air and a bathroom break when I need it!!!

Sure the loot is better and more varied in 40-man instances, which is commensurate with the difficulty level, but these instances are long and more of a grind.  I prefer running a 2-3hr instance with a group of fun, laid back people to wading through a 5hr marathon in Blackrock Mountain. I feel that I can get my WoW “fix” during this short time period, have a good time, get some loot and still meet some friends for dinner.

Having said that, I find myself really looking forward to the expansion. I hit exalted in ZG, but am still a good 15,000 rep away from exalted with Cenarion Circle, so am really in need of a change. I find that reputation number a bit daunting and ridiculous, and am also a bit sad for my warlock because this means that he will probably never get his Kris of Unspoken Names. Oh well, such are my choices!

As much I as I love these two instances, I am also getting a bit bored with running them over and over. Unlike the 40-man raids, the downside is that there is less loot to keep you interested all the way to exalted. The likelihood that you will have all your quest items and the few other items that you want from ZG and AQ20 before you hit your reputation maximum is great. I hope that Blizzard will balance that a bit more for later instances. 

As usual, if you have any comments, complaints, concerns, or fan mail, send them to weeklywow@vggen.com. I’ll try to answer all E-mails personally, and you may wind up in a future mailbag column.

Posted: 11/05/2006

Copyright © 2008, VGGEN.com - All Rights Reserved. All content contained herein is property of VGGEN. VGGEN is not affiliated with any video game developers or publishers. Logos, trademarks, names, and images are property of their respective companies.