Category: Holidays

8th Anniversary: I Hoped for More but Glad for What I Got.

I know, a blog post about this can come to no good.  Either I’m not going to be coming down on Blizzard hard enough  and am a lolblizzardfangirl or I should be ingratiatingly thankful that they deign to allow me to play this game… Oh I’ve read some of the entries on the forums and I’ve seen both extremes.  There now, that’s out of the way.

 
I AM thankful for the tabard.  It’s a great thing for someone like me.  I’ve ground everything to exalted on my main and am finally able to really look at some serious alt leveling.  I would wish for it to be an 8% increase for questing as I am a quester but it’s probably too soon for that sort of boost so all good.

 
I think it’s fantastic that World of Warcraft is on it’s 8th year… that’s pretty amazing and I’ve been a part of it for most of those 8 years.  I started playing because Endyme gave it to me for a Christmas present and shortly after my then boyfriend, now husband got an account and subscribed.  We play together – we’re a team and a pretty fabulous one if I do say so.  He’s stayed on his paladin and I’ve moved from my warlock to my death knight.  We co-tank and that is probably the most fun part of the game for me – two tanks moving as one unit.  We’re usually decently in sync but on occasion we achieve that level of perfect synergy and that is a bit of a high.  A paladin and a death knight – who’d have thunk it?

 

Anyway, I confess, I find it a bit silly that Blizzard wouldn’t work for some perfection themselves with anniversaries…  Oh, yeah I’d love a pet but that’s not what I’m talking about.  I’m talking about sending us the same mail as they did last year.

 

Yeah, probably a glitch.  Maybe someone didn’t think about it.  It’s the thought that counts…

 

But wait…

 

Sending me the same letter indicates no thought was given.  That’s my real problem here.  I mean I could sit here right now and write out a new thank you note in about what, three minutes?

 

Unless Deathwing really is coming back…Then we’re all in trouble! 😛

 

I don’t expect perfection from Blizzard nor do I really believe I’m a valued subscriber.  I haven’t thought that since my Cataclysm beta experience which really soured me.  But enjoying the game as I do means I don’t think about that all that much.

 

Except they sent me the same note… so I had no choice but to think about it.

Outland Fires

Flame Warden of Outland
Blade’s Edge Mountains – Sylvanaar
Hellfire Peninsula – Honor Hold
Nagrand – Telaar
Netherstorm – Area 52
Shadowmoon Valley – Wildhammer Stronghold
Terokkar Forest – Allerian Stronghold
Zangarmarsh – Telredor

Extinguishing Outland
Blade’s Edge Mountains – Thunderlord Stronghold
Hellfire Peninsula – Thrallmar
Nagrand – Garadar
Netherstorm – Area 52
Shadowmoon Valley – Shadowmoon Village
Terokkar Forest – Stonebreaker Hold
Zangarmarsh – Zabra’jin

Northrend Fires

Flame Warden of Northrend
Dragonblight – Wintergarde
Crystalsong Forest – Windrunner’s Overlook
Howling Fjord – Fort Wildervar
Sholazar Basin – River’s Heart
Storm Peaks – K3
Zul’ Drak – Argent Stand
Grizzly Hills – Amberpine Lodge
Borean Tundra –  Fizzcrank Airport

Extinguishing Northrend
Dragonblight – Agmar’s Hammer
Crystalsong Forest – Sunreaver’s Command
Howling Fjord – Camp Winterhoof
Sholazar Basin – River’s Heart
Storm Peaks – K3
Zul’ Drak – Argent Stand
Grizzly Hills – Conquest Hold
Borean Tundra –  Bor’Gorok Outpost


Kalimdor Fires

Flame Warden of Kalimdor
Ashenvale – Forest Song
Azuremyst Isle – Azure Watch
Bloodmyst Isle – Blood Watch
Darkshore – Lordanel
Desolace – Nijel’s Point
Dustwallow Marsh – Theramore
Feralas – Feathermoon Stronghold
Silithus – Cenarion Hold
Southern Barrens – Fort Triumph
Tanaris – Gadgetzan
Teldrassil – Dolannar
Winterspring – Everlook

Extinguishing Kalimdor
Ashenvale – Silverwind Refuge
Desolace – Shadowprey Village
Durotar – Razor Hill
Dustwallow Marsh – Brackenwall Village
Feralas – Camp Mojache
Mulgore – Bloodhoof Village
Northern Barrens – Crossroads
Silithus – Cenarion Hold
Southern Barrens – Desolation Hold
Stonetalon Mountains – Sun Rock Retreat
Tanaris – Gadgetzan
Winterspring – Everlook

Eastern Kingdom Fires

Flame Warden of Eastern Kingdoms:
Arathi Highlands – Refuge Point [north side]
Blasted Lands – Nethergarde Keep [out front gates]
Burning Steppes – Morgan’s Vigil
Dun Morogh – Kharanos [North of flight point]
Duskwood – Darkshire [SW]
Elwynn Forest – [Goldshire]
Loch Modan – Thelsamar
Northern Stranglethorn – Fort Livingston
Redridge Mountains – Lakeshire
The Cape of Stranglethorn – Booty Bay
The Hinterlands – Aerie Peak
Western Plaguelands – Chillwind Camp
Westfall – Moonbrook
Wetlands – Menethil Harbor

Extinguishing Eastern Kingdoms:
Arathi Highlands – Hammerfall
Badlands – New Kargath
Burning Steppes – Flame Crest
Eversong Woods – North Sanctum
Ghostlands – Tranquillien
Hillsbrad Foothills – Tarren Mill
Northern Stranglethorn – Grom’Gol
Silverpine Forest – Sepulcher
Swamp of Sorrows – Bogpaddle
The Cape of Stranglethorn – Booty Bay
The Hinterlands – Revantusk Village
Tirisfal Glades – Brill

Undercity/Silvermoon

Other Fires in EK:
Bogpaddle – Alliance fire
Badlands – Alliance Fire [Dragon’s Mouth]

List of Midsummer Fires: Cataclysm Areas and Northrend

Since there’s no achievement for these, thought I’d throw a list up.

Cataclysm:
Hyjal – Nordrassil
Vashjir – Silver Tide Hollow
Deepholm – Temple of Earth
Uldum – Ramkahen [H/A]
Twilight Highlands – H: Bloodgulch/A: Thundermar

Northrend:
Borean Tundra – H: BorGorok Outpost/A: Fizzcrank Airport
Dragonblight – H: Agmar’s Hammer/A: Wintergarde Keep
Grizzly Hills – H: Conquest Hold/A: Amberpine Lodge
Zul’Drak – H/A – Argent Stand
Howling Fjord – H: Camp Winterhoof/A: Fort Wildevar
Storm Peaks – H/A – K3
Crystalsong Forest – H: Sunreavers Command/A: Windrunner’s Overlook
Sholazar – H/A – River’s Heart

Various and Sundry Things…

LICH KING:
Our ten man group took a few new people and downed him for the second time on Friday.  It was only afterwards that I realized it was mostly our original team, several of whom had to drop out due to scheduling changes and such.  Also a major grats to Endyme and Kidichka‘s group for downing LK the night before in a very intense battle.  Our third ten man is working on him as well as has scheduled a couple extra nights to get him down [they’re at that point of tasting it], so best of luck this evening guys!

PILGRIM’S BOUNTY:
One of the best things about this holiday is easily being able to level your cooking to 300.  Cynwise has a great guide here to powerleveling cooking during this holiday and it’s well worth a look.

ELEMENTAL INVASION:
Major let down.  Sure, the invasions in the cities are kinda cool…but a low pop server never gets Stormwind finished…  I think it’s been three or four days since we had access to those instances.  The questlines were good money and XP but relatively unimaginative.  Still waiting for the mind blowing Blizz…  And the bugs don’t help.

THE SHATTERING:
Is coming.  I’m actually excited about it…  I’ll be able to do more, see more, etc.

Out with Hallow’s End, In with Day of the Dead

Hallow’s End is now over…  Still wishing I’d gotten the horseman mount on my main but eh, four alts managed to get it [two of them got it twice – darn it for not being boa!].  I finished out the toons that needed it and even managed to help hubby get the Hallowed achievement on his level 35 pally.

Day of the Dead has an achievement attached to it for dancing with Catrina.  Catrina is located at graveyards associated with the major cities [SW/IF/Darn/Ex/Dalaran/Org/UC/TB/Silvermoon].  The easiest thing I found was to go to the one in Dalaran as I have all of my toon’s hearthstones set there.  It’s between the enchanting trainer’s building and the reagent vendor’s [in the graveyard there :P].  Just target Catrina and /dance for the achievement.  You’ll be turned into an undead for 12hours [see your debuff – Honor the dead].

The vendor next to her can sell you a recipe for Bread of the Dead.  While this recipe only works on the Day of the Dead, it still counts in your recipe count.

You can also purchase a “Bouquet of Orange Marigolds” or an “Orange Marigold”.  Using those items will reveal the “dead” quest giver.  The quest giver wants you to make some Bread of the Dead for them.  If you have it made up ahead of time, you won’t need a second Orange Marigold to access the quest giver again.  You turn it in and get a temporary pet – Macabre Marionette – which is sorta fun to have trailing behind you in instances :P.