The deed is all but done.  My Warrior is now officially higher up than my Druid.  Well, he’s not TECHNICALLY higher, as they are both 71.  The Warrior, however, is just a few bubbles from 72, while the Druid sits right at 71. 

So while I’ve been making this transition away from the character I have focused on for nearly two years, I’ve spent a lot of time wondering WHY I was making the switch.  I think I’m finally understanding the true reason for my switch.

I don’t like playing the game in a pre-scripted manner.  What I mean by that is I don’t like using a defined spell/ability rotation on mob after mob ad infinitum.  I’m an "in your face" kind of player.  I like to jump right in and get my hands dirty, and REACT to what is happening to me.  As a Boomkin, I was doing the same thing every time.  Here is how combat went with my Boomkin:

Moonfire –> Insect Swarm –> Wrath –> Starfire –> Moonfire and/or Wrath (depending on the mob’s remaining health)

I had fun at first, I really did.  It was such a huge improvement over my old Resto soloing style that I didn’t notice how boring it really was.  I enjoyed some of the big crits going off, and I enjoyed how fast things were going down.  But then, I noticed if I was tired I could literally nod off in the middle of combat.  I’m not even exaggerating.  I would FALL ASLEEP playing the Boomkin spec.

At the time I realized I was bored, I was right on the precipice of 71.  I finished off the level, and decided it was time for a change, at least temporarily.  The early areas were also VERY camped, so I liked the idea of heading back to my warrior who was in his early 60s in Outland.

So the abandonment of my Druid started slowly, a mere trickle.

I had a LOT of fun with the Warrior.  I had BEEN having fun with him since 3.02 dropped.  The new Arms spec was fierce!  I could take single mobs quickly, or I could take multiple mobs, especially once I got to the 51 point talent, Bladestorm.  You’ve all heard of my love for the Arms spec.  At the time I thought it was the huge weapons, the massive crits, and the shiny, bulky, beautiful plate armor.  All of those things were indeed a factor, but the real reason was the play style.

With the Warrior, every fight is different.  The only "rotation" with him starts at the very beginning.  After that, though, Warrior combat is purely reactive.  Overpower is up, use it.  Execute is up, use it.  Got an add – pop Demo shout, TC and Sweeping Strikes.  It’s not that I have a massive number of skills to keep track of, but I always have to be paying attention in combat to use them.  It’s not the mindless mashing of one or two keys, it’s a dance.

A dance of death.

That’s where I find myself now.  My old main, the Druid, is hanging out in the Valiance Keep Inn.  At this point, I’m not sure if I’ll ever seriously revisit him.  He had some great gear for the end of BC, and he saw a lot.  It just might be time for him to retire to a cabin out in Ashenvale, I don’t know.  One thing I am SURE of though, is that if I ever do decide to pick him back up, the first thing he will do is pay the 15 gold or whatever it is for a respec to Feral.

Boomkin, with all of its big crits and feathers, just is not for me. 

For now, though, I’m happy with where I am.  I took the Warrior out to Northrend just shy of level 70.  I waited until I could get mining to 375 with him, as I didn’t want to miss any cobalt nodes as I leveled.  He also has Blacksmithing up to 365, and is making the early Northrend armor.  One of the great things about him is he is a true level 70 newb.  Nearly every quest reward is an upgrade for him.  I listen to my guildies bemoan the drops and quest rewards that they have to vendor while I equip every one with gleeful anticipation. 

I’ll talk more of this later, though.  I’m keeping track of his gear progress to get an idea of how GREAT early Northrend gear is for a FRESH level 70.  Thanks for reading, now don’t you have some questing to do in Grizzly Hills?

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 23rd, 2008 at 9:38 pm and is filed under Warrior. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.