A new year! Part one

     Ah, a new year is upon us. For many people this means many different things, new years resolutions, last party before the next semester, or just an opportunity to sit back and look at what we've accomplished.

     In this first post I'll cover what I've accomplished in WoW, I'll cover what I've done in real life tomorrow, or maybe Tuesday.

     Where was I at the start of last year? I was fiddling around on my rogue on Silvermoon, kinda hanging out with some old friends, making a few new ones, just generally wasting time, not even trying to accomplish anything. 

      Well, that changed shortly afterwards when my brother invited me over to play on Kael'thas with some of his blogger friends. Wanted me to transfer characters and all. I thought he was kinda nuts myself, I mean, really? You read these peoples blogs and you want me to change servers to play with ya'll? Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerd alert!

     But reservations aside I hoped over to 3B's site and read the guild charter, and was actually pretty intrigued. I mean, it sounded like a pretty good set up of intelligent people acting like adults. However I was not to be swayed that easily! It's fairly easy to put down a beautifully sounding charter on paper, but acting one out can be much more difficult.

     So I decided to roll an alt, you know, just a quick something so I could say I tried and then go back to my rogue and friends-who-were-slowly-not-playing-anymore on Silvermoon. Rolled a human pally, why? Well, I'd heard paladins could solo insane amounts of murlocs with very little trouble and that appealed to me...but also the RP behind them.

     Now, I don't RP, pretty much ever. I do however associate with my characters. While I may not be them myself, I have to be able to see something in them that I would want to be around. This is why I've never gotten a warlock past level 20-something. I honestly don't think I'd hang out with someone who had a succubus at their beck and call, even if they never did call it. But a paladin? I'd so hang out with a paladin, he heals, he smites undead and demons (I really don't see much of a difference), and he protects what is important to him, the people.

     Anyways, so I roll a toon, apply on the guildportal and start playing. Well whaddya know? The people acted pretty much the way the people I hang out with act. Nice, friendly, and a few people I can jab in the ribs with sharp sticks in return for jabs (that goes for you Aloix/Ash if ya'll still read it). Oh, and they're helpful, need help with an instance? They'd almost fight over it sometimes! To many people sign up for something? They would fight over who sat out, and I mean they wanted to sit out so other could get their giggles.

     This inspired me, I mean, playing was fun again, for more than just the game. So in a fairly short, not record setting by any means, but fast for me, I made it up to level 70, my first toon to hit max level. That's where the fun stuff started happening.

     First, I had researched how to tank and what was needed, after all I didn't want to come off as a complete idiot (though I know I did at times). But, well, do you know who writes guides to how to tank as a paladin? Main tanks. I don't know of a single guide out there on how to offtank something. So when I finally got into raids I had no idea how to not be the main guy, but no actual experience (or much of the needed gear).

    Second, well, my personality in normal 5-mans started coming out. I like doing stuff, I like doing it in waves and quickly, being spontaneous and off the wall. This might have gotten us wiped a few times. Just a few. So I ended up getting compared to the famous Leroy Jenkins. A lot.

     But eventually I did manage to get to doing a good job tanking though. No where near the level of a certain tank we all know and love, but I could get the job done, usually anyways.

     However time passes and with the new expansion coming out last Nov I had a chance to do something I had never done before: actually do new content as it came out. Is it important to do stuff right off the bat before other people do it? Nope. Should you put important stuff to the side so you can be the first one to do that mob? Heck no! Is it really fun to do it when you can though? Oh heck yeah!

     So I started looking for a raiding guild, but I was hampered by something. You see, not only are the Sidhe Devils an awesome group of people (and the new guild would have to live up to them) but I heartily believe that RL comes first, and that's part of what made live with the SD easy. If RL stuff hits the fan theres not a person in there that will try to guilt you into playing the game instead of taking care of whatever needs to be done. Family always comes first.

     But I waited long enough and good things came! While in NM for my mom's graduation and subsequent birthday (go you mom!) I ran across some people who thought I'd fit in with them and we gave it a shot. It went beautifully, the raid times matched pretty well for me and off we went.

     Since then I've cleared 10-man Naxx, almost all of 25-man Naxx, and 25-man Sarth. Were we server first? Nope. Did I have a lot of fun doing it? Heck yeah! Did I possibly spend to much time to do it? Eeeeh, maybe.

     Anyways, that catches me up to where we are these days, and it's far past time for me to hit the sack. But I have one last question before I go. Just out of general curiosity, why do you play the class you play? Is it the class mechanics? The RP? The fact that it's the one you got leveled and you don't want to bother leveling another? Just out of curiosity.

~ishvi/joe

p.s. Sorry about the long unorganized post, I started writing it while tired, and just kept going