Showing posts with label world of warcraft anniversary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label world of warcraft anniversary. Show all posts

May 26, 2017

Expansion Memories

The end of the month is nearing. This has been a wonderful celebration, and I loved sitting down and thinking back on all the great memories this game has brought to me over the past 10 years! Before we bring this celebration to a close, I have one more post dedicated to my favorite memories from each expansion. Though not all of the expansions were as good as I would have liked them to be, I always try to make the best of things. I still continue to play this way to this day.

Burning Crusade


It's hard for me to say this is my all time favorite expansion, but it is a definite favorite because it was when I started playing the game. I raided in a top guild on my server, and I have great and frustrating memories of raid progression. The one kill that meant the most to me was Leotheras the Blind in SSC because it felt like we were stuck on him forever! On the night we were finally able to down him, I got an amazing sword that I kept with my up until the wardrobe was released! I also have really fond memories of doing dailies on the Isle of Quel'Danas when Sunwell was released. Me and Pigletoos felt like badasses once we became exalted and were able to afford those expensive (for the time) titles!

Wrath of the Lich King


I hear so many great things about this expansion, but to be honest, I took a long break during this one. I don't have as many memories during this time, but the ones I do have are pretty fun. I think this expansion event was one of my all time favorites. I loved seeing the necropolis popping up outside each major city and having the plague spread. I'm pretty sure I was one of the first to be infected on my server. I was in Undercity at the time I turned into a zombie. I managed to escape through the sewers and made it to Brill where I was sadly killed. After that, I spent most of my time in Shattrath City so I wouldn't be infected in the faction cities. The only other memory I have is spending way too much time in the Dalaran Sewers trying to fish up that ugly Giant Sewer Rat!

Cataclysm


During this expansion, my play style changed as I began to focus more on solo content and collecting. The addition of LFR definitely helped me become super casual. I have no regrets about that at all. This is the expansion where I got lucky in getting quite a few rare mount drops (Alar, TLPD, Aeonaxx) and this kick started a new obsession with mount collecting. Other than that, the only other memorable thing was being out in the world and coming back to a burning corpse because Deathwing passed over the zone. *sigh* This is also the expansion where most of my guild started playing. They definitely picked a perfect time as I think Cataclysm definitely turned the game to something newer players could easily set foot into.

Mists of Pandaria


I know a lot of people hated this expansion because LOLPANDAS, but sitting back and looking over everything, this is my all time favorite expansion. Everything was unique, looked so different, and the lore for the zones was really awesome. It seemed everywhere I turned I was either stopping to take a screenshot or to appreciate all the little details that was put into areas. During this time, my guild also began running things with me and Pigletoos. I also have really fond memories of us on the Timeless Isle. The day that it was released, I spent 12 hours online! Many other nights there I spent with my friends chatting and waiting for rare spawns to pop up (Huolon up!). The entire expansion was just wonderful in my eyes, and I often go back to those zones to relax and listen to the music.

Warlords of Draenor


As I said in my opening, despite an expansion not being so fun, I still try to make the best of it. While Warlords was probably my least favorite, I give props to Blizzard for telling a very good story through the questing in each zone. Sadly the end game suffered. I took advantage of garrisons and turned them into "gold farms". This expansion also gave me a chance to branch out with alts and focus on starting to roleplay with my worgen warlock. If I was too busy at the time, I don't think things would have worked out as well as they did. Once Tanaan Jungle came out, I do have fun memories of me and my guild doing our dailies late at night and pulling so much stuff! I can hear Rey screaming "RUN RUN!" over voice chat and us falling into the fel only to die a few seconds later. I live for silly moments like that.

I'm not going to put Legion on here since we're still in this expansion and there are still more things to experience. Of course there will be a post for that later on! Again, I want to thank you all for sticking with me during this month. I hope whether you're an older follower or a new one, I made you stop and think back on some memories you may have. Once again another successful celebration has happened, and I look forward to doing something again next year!

May 19, 2017

Orc's Hot Coco

Since the release of the Warcraft cookbook, I've been cooking many things from it. This gave me a spark to sit down and sift through some of the recipes I've collected through the years. As I was shuffling though many handwritten sheets, this one little page fell out. It was written on a small piece of notebook paper and it was titled "Orc's Hot Coco". It was a small recipe and something that a person could easily remember though I decided to write it down since I'm very forgetful. I must have stuck it in with my books and forgot about it. Though I may have forgotten that I had this recipe, I definitely did not forget the person it came from.


I've been really fortunate to make many friends throughout the years that I've played WoW, and surprisingly some of those friends came from the first "real" guild I was ever in. I was only there for a few months, but we would PvP, run dungeons, and do other silly things. The guild name was Epic, but it contained silly alt characters. The guild is now lost to time, but I kept in touch with some of those people up until around MoP when I shifted around social media and became more private.

One of those people in that guild went by the name Orcofsteel. This all happened so long ago so details can be hard to remember. I do remember that yes, they played an orc, and I think it may have been a warrior. Most of us in the guild were around the same age, so naturally we just clicked. Everyone was easy to talk to and share things with. I remember one late night that Orc shared his favorite way to drink a relaxing mug of hot chocolate. It was nothing fancy at all, but I always loved hot drinks so I wrote down the ingredients (without any instructions) to try it out later on.

Many weeks later I remember Orc began to change. Something happened in his personal life, and he confided in the guild. I also remember him switching his character from an orc to an undead with the new name, Deathbearer. I remember some of our late night chats just sitting out near the sea, and I was lucky enough to still have a screenshot of one of those evenings. Eventually his playtime became less and less until one day he just stopped logging on. I'm not exactly sure what happened to him as there was no Real ID to add to keep track of friends at that time. I hope wherever he is, he's happy. I hope that if he sees this someday, it brings back some good memories of the guild.


So I sit here and enjoy my own mug of the stuff. I'm going to share it with you all because this post wouldn't be complete without the actual recipe. So here it is, a little more of a refined version of Orc's Hot Coco. Aka'Magosh!

Orc's Hot Coco (Makes 2 servings)

2 cups milk (use whatever kind you like)
2 tablespoons hot chocolate mix (this is my favorite)
1 Chai tea bag
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice (buy pre-mixed or make your own)
Cool-whip (optional)

Place the milk, hot chocolate mix, vanilla, and pumpkin spice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until all ingredients are dissolved. Turn off heat and steep Chai tea bag in the milk for 3-5 minutes (depending on how strong you want it). Discard tea bag and carefully pour into two mugs. Top with a dollop of Cool-whip (optional), grab your favorite Warcraft book, sit back and enjoy!

Drink may be hot so please sip carefully!

May 10, 2017

Newbie Storytime

Here we kick off the second week in honor of my ten years in Azeroth. Back when I started playing, I was a classic noob. I knew nothing, and since there weren't many huge communities that exist like today, Thottbot and word of mouth were my only savior. In the past, I focused on a few stories about the dumb mistakes I made as a new player. Do I have a dozen more of those? You bet!

Lost in Kalimdor

I'm Forsaken so my questing experience started out in Eastern Kingdoms. At that time, I really had no concept to how large the world of Azeroth was. This was during the BC era so there were still only two continents aside from Outland. I remained on Eastern Kingdoms, and around level 30 one of my friends sent me a whisper: "Hey. You been to Orgrimmar yet?" Now my boyfriend and most of his other friends all picked races that started on Kalimdor. It had occurred to me that I could go over there, but the truth was, I had no idea how to even get there!

I replied: "No, I haven't." He came to me and guided me to the zeppelin. He explained that I could use this to get back and fourth to each continent. Before I knew it, we were in Durator. Everything was so desert like and very different from Eastern Kindgoms. He showed me the city and I ogled all the high level players. He brought me around Durator and showed me the troll village. We were having fun then suddenly he had to log. Alright. There I was, stuck in Durator with little knowledge on how to get back to the zeppelin. I left the troll area and began making my way up the road. I knew the zeppelin was around the gates of Orgrimmar (it used to be outside before the revamp), so I figured once I got close I would see it.


Suddenly I stopped dead in my tracks. In front of me was a town that I didn't remember going through. We had walked along the coast because my friend wanted to show me the crag harpies. I was told that gold dragons around a name meant to stay away because I'd die. In fact, I'm sure I was having Son of Arugal flashbacks. These guards around the town not only had a dragon around their name but were also a red skull level to me. I was scared, so instead of going through the town, I went back around, fighting my way through harpies. I eventually made it to the zeppelin and back to the comfort of Eastern Kingdoms. This little adventure slipped my mind until way later when I was a higher level. I realized the town I stumbled upon was no other than Razor Hill and would have posed no threat to me. I felt really silly looking back on it. I eventually let my friends know about this little story, and they all had a laugh at my expense as well.


The Tale of the Holy Shroud

I have vivid memories of running certain dungeons over and over. Those dungeons include Wailing Caverns, the three in Scarlet Monastery, and Shadowfang Keep. Shadowfang Keep has earned it's place as one of my all time favorite dungeons. I liked it back then, and I still enjoy the revamp. I ran the place so much, that I saw an item called the Holy Shroud drop twice. My alt priest got the first one, and I decided to sell the second one. I was still new to the game, so I had no idea it was a decent helm for a healing twink. I put it up on the AH for probably a fraction of what it was worth and didn't think about it again.


I remember I was questing through Stranglethorn Vale at the time when I received a message from someone asking about the shroud. They said they were a bit short on what I was asking and wondered if I could sell it to them via trade for what they had. Since they asked so nicely, I decided to just give them the item free of cost - Ouch. They were very grateful, thanked me a ton, and we both went on our separate ways. The thought of that exchange never crossed my mind after that day.

Fast forward to quite some time later. I was max level, in a raiding guild, and doing pretty good for myself in terms of gold. I get a random whisper from this person: "Hey! Remember me?" My mind started thinking of PUGs ran with and even old guildies, but nothing clicked. I told the player: "No, I'm sorry I don't remember you." His next reply: "You gave me a Holy Shroud a long time ago when I didn't have the gold." What?! I have no idea how they remembered, but they did. After a small exchange, they asked to meet up and paid me back for my kindness with a lot more gold than I originally had the shroud listed for. I guess the moral of this story is that sometimes a little kindness effects a person in a bigger way than you could imagine.

While the first was an embarrassing moment, the second story definitely left a lasting impression on me. Nice players so make for a positive impact in the game. I hoped you enjoyed these two small stories. I'm sure later in the future I will continue to tell the ones that I haven't really discussed. Before I go, I want to remind everyone of the battle pet giveaway I promised last week. It is now live and will run until 5-15. You can find out more information about it by following the link to the tweet right here! Good luck!

May 3, 2017

10 Years in Azeroth!

On May 5th in 2007, little Velgana took her first steps out into the big world of Azeroth. Since then, I have logged over 400 days on her and have tried to progress her to the best of my ability. To say that I've always enjoyed the game without any struggles or boredom would be a lie. However, I've always taken a step back and jumped back in, finding enjoyment in many other ways such as collecting and exploring the world. I've also made countless of friends throughout this journey. Some of those people I still am in contact with today while others have gone their separate ways. Everyone I've ever met through this game has touched my life in one way or another, positive and negative experiences combined.


During this month, each week will feature a blog post on different times in my WoW life. It will start with some of my lesser known noob moments and end with my most memorable events from each expansion spanning from the Burning Crusade to Warlords of Draenor. I wanted to do this because ten years encompasses a very long amount of time, and there are still many un-shared moments that I think are worth mentioning. If you follow me on Twitter, there will also be a battle pet giveaway going on as well. Keep an eye out for more information on that!

This month I will also be celebrating nine years of blogging here! I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Thank you to those of you who follow me, like and retweet my stuff, read this blog, and interact with me on a regular basis. You have all made my time in Azeroth a little more interesting, and if it weren't for the great people in this community, I don't think I would have continued doing this. Much love to you all! Here's to ten years and hopefully many more!

January 12, 2015

A Nod to the Past

The 10th Anniversary event was supposed to end this past week but due to a blunder over at Blizzard, it was extended. Me and Pigletoos ended up running Molten Core during the first week that it came out. We had prepped a good bit beforehand by doing dungeons, and I even got my Darkmoon Faire trinket made. The run was pretty smooth, and we had no wipes. Of course I didn't get the cosmetic enchant or the mini pet. I ended up buying my Hatespark the Tiny on a different server for a pretty decent deal considering the rarity of the little thing. I really wish that the drop rate for both things were a bit higher considering some of the long queue times I've heard people talking about.

Too soon!
Southshore vs. Tarren Mill was something I was more excited to participate in. I remember leveling up through Hillsbrad Foothills back in BC and always seeing world PvP going on around the area. It took me quite a while before Horde managed to push through and win a game. I actually won my match the day that Highmaul was released, so maybe all the really good Alliance players were raiding that night! Thinking about that makes me giggle. Anyway, while the throwback was fun, I don't think I'd like to do that over and over again. I'm sure there are some that would disagree with me.


This makes me think of a semi heated conversation I had last week with an online friend that used to play WoW. They were basically saying the game isn't like it was in BC, and that gear is super easy to come by, and when you killed a boss back then it actually meant something. Well, I didn't agree with them at all. Yes, the game is definitely not the same game as it was... even a year ago! It evolves and changes with every expansion. I also didn't really find gear was that difficult to come by even in BC. When I stepped into my first raid, I had a full Spellfire set with my other two pieces of Spellstrike. Sure it took me sometime to craft all of it, but doing cloth trades made it much easier. I eventually replaced things as I ran raids and collected badges of justice. Lastly, as for feeling that killing a boss isn't epic anymore, there is mythic raiding. I admire and respect the guilds who are clearing that place. I love seeing my Twitter friends getting excited on their boss kills. They worked hard for that and should be proud.

While events like this give us a tiny glimpse into the past, I personally think that the game is much better than it was back then. My only complaint with WoD right now is that garrisons can be quite tedious if you have a ton of alts, and I wish the Apexis daily gave a little rep with a faction on turn in. Sometimes it's better if we take off the rose colored glasses and look at the game how it's meant to be seen currently. It's nice to look back on the past and think about those feats we achieved, but we must move on and adapt with the new times. I think Garrosh said it best himself.


August 15, 2014

10 Years 10 Questions

Last week, AlternativeChat posed a unique little challenge for us in honor of WoW's 10th Anniversary - 10 Years 10 Questions. Since I wanted to take part, and I'm not really good with talking or recording videos, I decided to answer the questions here on my blog. If you would also like to participate, please click the link above to the Godmother's site and check it out. Now, here are my answers.


1. Why did you start playing Warcraft?
I started playing WoW because many of my friends at the time were playing. When my boyfriend set up his account, I ended up making my first character there to try out the game. I was hooked ever since! If it weren't for my friends pushing me to give it a chance, I don't think I would have ever tried it because I thought paying a monthly fee for a game was silly.

2. What was the first ever character you rolled?
My first character was a troll priest that I originally made on my boyfriend's account. I'm not sure what I named her, but I know I was questing in The Barrens eventually. Sadly, she is no longer with us today.

3. Which factors determined your faction choice in game?
Hm, I'm not really sure. I definitely knew that all of my friends were playing Horde at the time, so that definitely swayed me into going with that faction. I also saw most of the Alliance races as being boring and bland. While I do have Alliance characters now, my allegiance remains true to the Horde!
Lok'tar ogar!
4. What has been your most memorable moment in Warcraft and why?
My most memorable moment has to be when my Burning Crusade guild finally downed Leotheras the Blind. I don't know why it was such a glorious moment, but it was. I guess it was because we were working on him for a long time. It was also the night that I got my Fang of the Leviathan, so that's why that sword is so special to me.

5. What is your favourite aspect of the game and has this always been the case?
Collecting! I've always been a collector. My bank and bags were always filled with mini pets and mounts. I also used to collect old gear and wear it around the city before we had transmog. I'm definitely grateful for Blizzard continuing to add more storage options, because I really do need it! Hah!

6. Do you have an area in game that you always return to?
Yes, it's Azshara. I used to like it back in BC because it was a quiet place I could go and level up my fishing. Now I visit from time to time when I'm passing through Orgrimmar. I still love the colors of the zone, but I'm sad a lot of my favorite places there aren't in game anymore.

7. How long have you /played and has that been continuous?
I've been playing WoW since 2007. I took a two/three month break during WotLK when I was having computer issues and my old guild was falling apart. Since then, I have played continuously. Below is the amount of time I've played on Vel.

8. Admit it: do you read quest text or not?
I always read quest text on my first play through. So usually on Vel, it takes me a while to finish off leveling because I like to know what's going on in each zone through the questing. On my alts, I usually just blaze through it, unless it's my Alliance character. Sometimes they have quests that aren't available to Horde. I like to read those also. :)

9. Are there any regrets from your time in game?
Not really. I've always been nice, and did pretty much what I wanted. If I could go back, maybe I would have joined a new raiding guild for WotLK, because I think experiencing ICC with a guild for the first time would have been pretty amazing.

10. What effect has Warcraft had on your life outside gaming? 
Warcraft has brought me together with so many people I would have probably never met if I hadn't played the game. It has offered me many funny times to share with my friends. It's empowered me to take risks in life, be the adventurer I want to be, forge my own legacy. It's inspired me to continue writing. To me, WoW will always have a special place in my heart. :)