My priest is now sitting about halfway through level 62.  I spent some time leveling his fishing, which is now up to 308.  I am now making a nice profit from fishing in the Outlands, and I’m glad I took the time.  I can now also make my own stinking golden fish sticks and won’t be raiding the GB or hitting the AH every week.  Yay!

Anywho, I’ve started to think about my priest’s future.  Luckily, I made him "later" in my WoW life, so have made some excellent decisions.  He is at 316 enchanting and 364 tailoring, and I’m sure I’ll have no problems finishing off tailoring before I hit 70.  Enchanting I won’t worry so much about, I’ll just level it while I can.  I’m quite happy that I chose tradeskills that worked well with the class.  Of course it helps that this pair works together well and really is a slam dunk for the class.  

The question is, what do I do with him when I hit 70?  Stay Shadow, and contribute as a support/DPS class in raids, or go the Holy route, and see healing from another perspective?

Obviously, I already have a healer, he is very experienced and has pretty decent gear.  I enjoy Druidic healing, and I’m not sure if I’d have the same love for Priestly healing, as it seems to be a whole different ball game.  I’d have to worry about things like down-ranking, when to use flash heal vs. greater heal, when to use Prayer of Healing and when to use Circle of Healing.  It appears as if Priestly healing is a little more complex.  With the druid, healing is largely a matter of watching timers and managing the GCD.  I’m quite adept at weaving in all my little tricks without sacrificing my Lifebloom stack on the tank(s).

Would I have as much fun as a healy Priest?  I’m not sure.

Also, I kind of made the Priest with Shadow in mind.  We don’t have many Shadow Priests that regularly make raids, and I’m sure, once geared, mine would be a welcome addition.  I also relish the idea of seeing raids from a different perspective, mainly concentrating on melting mobs faces, rather than being so focused on my Raid UI.  One thing that holds me BACK a little is that I know Shadow Priests don’t dish out the highest DPS numbers, but I also know it’s also helpful to have a mana battery around. 

Of course if I want to fight for a top spot on the DPS meters, I could start bringing my Hunter to raids.  (I do plan to do just that, I just have to find the right 25 man.  A Saturday night SSC or TK would be great, but it would be more difficult for me to make the times that those raids go.)

I do have the advantage of tailoring playing nicely with either spec.  I can make the PMC set if I go holy, and the FSW set if I stay shadow.  For right now I am PMC spec’d, as I can make that at any moonwell.  Spellfire was out due to the mob you have to fight, and Shadowcloth requires you to go to SMV, and I am still only 62.  I figure I’ll just stockpile PMC as I level, maybe selling it here and there, and make a decision when I get to 70. 

So, what should I do?

Before we get started, a riddle.  What do you get when you combine the Cubs’ curse, toilet humor, and a Thundercats reference?

The answer?  My interview on Twisted Nether!  Go listen now!

Anyhow, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Part Time Druid is largely a Wrath-free zone.  I’m not in the beta, and there are other, better sites to get your dose of news and analysis about the beta.  Now, if someone were kind enough to drop a beta key in my lap, that might change.

But I digress.  One of the things that has everyone in a tizzy is the introduction of the first new class since the inception of WoW, the Death Knight.  No, I’m not going to get into the role of the DK, or how OP they are going to be, or what tradeskills will work best with the new class.  No.  I only really want to talk about one thing.

Death Knights start at level 55.  At first, it was suggested that you would need a level 55 ON the server you intend to make the DK, and you could only have one per server.  Now I hear that you just need a 55 anywhere, and you can make a DK at 55.  (I wonder, though, does this include PvP?  Being a carebear, could I roll a 55 DK on Warsong if I so chose?)

Anyhow, I am very excited by Blizzard’s decision, and I think it was the right one.  If they had decided that new DKs would start at level 1 like everyone else, that would have favored the more “hard core” amongst us in a big way.  I still remember how after just a few days of BC I saw level 50-60 Draenei Shammys running around.  At first I was jealous, then I started to wonder how they relieved themselves.  Anyway…  The point is it would take a LONG TIME, without the 55 boost, to get a DK to the end game.  Especially since the level cap will be raised to 80.

So my question is, why are only DKs getting such a leg up?  Why couldn’t an established player make ANY character and start them at 55?

One argument that I’ve heard relating to this is that such a change would literally kill the old world content, and be detrimental to new people to the game as they try to level up.  Honestly, though, isn’t that already the case?  When someone who has one or more 70s levels an alt, do they spend their time helping out new players, and teaching them how to survive in Azeroth?  Or do they blow through the lower levels as quickly as they possibly can, either alone, multi-boxed, or with guildmates?

I think we all know the answer to that question.  They try to set leveling records, and get their new toons up to speed as quickly as possible.  So I don’t accept that it would “kill the old content” and hinder new players.

So are there other reasons they wouldn’t do this?  I suppose you could argue that it would be too easy to make strong farming or tradeskill toons.  I can buy that, but I also have an answer.  Limit it.  Limit it just like they are with Death Knights.  I’d be happy if they only allowed me ONE level 55 alt.  Hell, I’d be thrilled with one free level 55, as I always seem to hit a roadblock around 40!

I’ve even dreamt up an interesting way to implement it.  Make it a quest.

“Recovering Lost Allies”

It would be a quest in the Caverns of Time.  The quest involves saving a hero from ages past, maybe someone who died at the Battle of Mount Hyjal.  This someone just happens to be level 55.  Maybe it’s part of a long chain, you have to gather this, kill this boss, blah blah blah.  In the end, though, you pull a hero from the past into the present.  This would activate a special slot on the character creation screen, with a shadowy, unrecognizable character.  You fill in the relevant details, and boom!  Level 55 Paladin or Druid or whatever.

I would figure this would require you to have a level 70 character.  Maybe some Keepers of Time rep, too…Honored or Revered.  I would also limit this as either a ONE TIME quest, or perhaps make it so it was repeatable every 3 months.

Honestly though, think about how hard it is now to get a character from 1-70 if you decide you want to finally get a Pally to end game?  Sure, maybe not all that tough for some of you, but the part-time players out there know it takes a LONG time.  Now imagine trying to get from 1-80.  Ugh, it makes me cringe!  Blizz is already boosting leveling from 60-70 to go along with the boost from 20-60 from 2.3.  Why not just cut some corners, and let me start at 55!

Oh, and Blizzard, if you want to implement this, I’m more than willing to be a guinea pig.  And, as long as I have your attention, where’s my beta key?

My apologies to Fimlys of Asleep at the WoW, and to his guild.  Many thanks for being so welcoming, and I enjoyed my time with you.

But…

It just wasn’t meant to be.  If you remember, dear readers, I contemplated moving to Fim’s server full-time for a number of reasons.  Draenor is a West Coast server, so it would be more compatible with my play times, for one.  There are also more than a couple bloggers that are playing over there as well, including Lady Jess and Awlbiste. So in early June I moved my highest level alt, a level 52 Shadow Priest over there.

I had some good times over there, sure, and Fim’s guild was more than welcoming.  They are also progressing nicely, running Kara quite a bit and even stepping into ZA and some 25 man content.

It just wasn’t meant to be, though.

I’m a part-time player, hence the blog title, and splitting my part-time play-time in two was just not going well.  I only play about half as much as most people, and then try to split that half into quarters spread across two servers and 3 characters…well…you get the picture.  I found myself mostly ignoring my priest over there, and my priest also happened to be my highest level alt.  Aside from that, the priest is a high level enchanter and tailor, and I don’t have a replacement back on my “home” server.  I’m already tired of vendoring high level greens.

So a decision had to be made.  For this to work, all my characters must be together.  It was time for me either to go whole hog or go back home.  Sure, we their play-times aren’t 100% compatible with mine, but I love my guild.  It’s a great group of people, and in case you haven’t noticed I even got to raid the Black Temple recently.  The decision seemed all too easy.

So it was that I tucked my shadow priestly tail between my legs and went back home.  I completed the transfer back to Whisperwind with my priest this morning.  I do have a couple low level alts still on Draenor, though.  And one of them has a fantastic name for a Gnome Warrior (Halftime) and a fully tricked out, enchanted to the hilt set of white gear.  He’s one bad-ass level 10 warrior.   Maybe I’ll just play him from time to time to still hang out with Fim’s awesome guild and the other bloggers.

Anyhow, sorry I couldn’t stay, but thanks for being so kind.  Just don’t ignore me if I ask for a run through the Deadmines sometime soon! 

Hello.  My name is PTD, and I’m an anti Fish-ite.  What the heck does that mean?  Well, it means I hate fishing!  Not that I dislike the people that fish, per se, but just that I couldn’t ever see myself leveling fishing.  I thought it was a HUGE waste of time.

Now, before you go off and judge me, I will say that I did TRY to like fishing on a few occasions.  I started many alts with the intention of working on all THREE secondary professions as I leveled.  It just never worked out that way.  I cooked.  I made bandages.  I didn’t fish.  You see, for me, it was always easy to fit in cooking or first aid while I did other things.  I could always find time to make bandages while waiting for groups to form, and cooking was always a quick stop in any capital city (usually IF for me) after hitting up the AH.  Fishing, though, always seemed like a waste of time.

Cast.  Stare at the screen, waiting for the stupid bobber to move.  Don’t DARE look away from the screen, otherwise you’ll wonder if the bobber moved while you looked elsewhere!  Right click the bobber once it moves, and hope the fish doesn’t get away.  Ugh.  With cooking, or first aid, or any other tradeskill, you can set it and forget it, at least a little.  I can make all the roasted clefthoof I have the mats for with one click.  I can make exactly 17 heavy netherweave bandages with just a few clicks.

Fishing?  Forget about it.  You better be ready to focus, son.

So I think the highest I ever got with fishing was in the mid 40s.  And that was with my old, forgotten alchemist, when I wanted to be able to fish up oily blackmouths.

That was the highest, until yesterday.

I finally faced my fears, and made an effort to level fishing a bit with my priest.  My priest is 62 now, and he had been shelved for a long time when I got him to about level 26.  Leveling had slowed to a crawl with him, and I couldn’t take it.  So at some point he became a tradeskill alt, leveling Tailoring and Enchanting.    That was all good and fine until he capped out his skill due to level.

Anyhow, that’s unimportant to this post. I picked him back up, got shadowform, blah blah blah.  Now he is my “main” alt, and the alt most likely to next hit 70.  He has his Tailoring at 360 and Enchanting at 300.  I am VERY thankful that I did pick him back up, as those two skills are very useful.

“So, PTD, what the heck does this have to do with fishing?”

Well, the other day I found myself in IF with the priest.  I realized that since I had parked him as a tradeskill alt for a long time, I never picked up a secondary tradeskill.  Not a one.  No cooking, no first aid, and yes, no fishing.  In interest of leveling cooking quickly and cheaply, I had read on Lootables.com (where I go for ALL my tradeskill leveling info) that the best way to do that was to fish.

Fine.  I’ll fish.

And they were right.  In no time at all, I had both fishing and cooking up to 150.  Along with that, it was the perfect opportunity for me to level my Enchanting skill a bit to boot.  I’m finally at the point where some people might actually WANT some of the enchants I can do, so I offered up the orange ones that I had mats for in trade for decent prices.  So not only did I get my fishing and cooking up, but I also got up to 311 in enchanting, and MADE MONEY DOING IT!

Woot!

Everything is better if you can make money!

And it helped me realize another miracle, you can actually MAKE MONEY from some professions.  (Poor, ill-informed sod that I am, my two 70s have probably the 2 least profitable tradeskills…Leatherworking and Engineering.  I rarely make much off of either, other than primals occasionally with the Engineer.)  Wonder of wonders, I think I found a new way to pass the time.  Fish in Stormwind while hocking enchants.  Yay for multi-tasking!

So now, dear fish lovers out there, I understand you.  I am ready to admit that I had an irrational hatred of the profession, and I’m here to come clean and ask that you allow me in your ranks.  Heck, if this continues, I may even soften my position on Murlocs.

It’s been a little quiet around here lately, sorry about that.  I’m a key player in a HUUUUGE project at work, and our launch is this weekend.  It’s been one of those weeks.  I’m sur a lot of you out there can sympathize.  Anyhow, here’s a little bit about the latest goings on with PTD.

The Shammy Ditches the Elekk

As a lot of you know, I’ve been working my Stormwind rep so I can dump the hated Elekk with my Shammy.  I’m so sick of getting STUCK everywhere, I can’t take it anymore.  Well, the deed is done.  I conveniently saved the last couple of turnins that would push me to exalted for the mini quest hub in Elwynn where horses are sold.  The first thing I did was destroy that stupid Elekk mount.  Poor guy, don’t tell PETA.

Do I want to delete? HELL YEAH! I hopped on the cheapest horse on the lot, a beat up Pinto.

Wow, I sure look big on that thing.  I actually feel kinda sorry for that horse.  I hope he has a warranty!

So there it is.  Exalted Stormwind rep with my Shammy.  As an added bonus, I know where I’ll be vendoring and repairing from here on out!

Hunter Gears Up in Karazhan

I also put together a Kara run last night.  It seemed like it might not go off, and I actually half-cancelled it, when suddenly two of our best tanks threw their hats in the ring.  We had 2 priests, a Warrior and Pally for tanks, and a mix of DPS that included my Hunter, 2 Mages, an Enhance Shammy, Kitty Druid and a Fury Warrior.  Interesting mix, to be sure.  Luckily we had the Shammy along who made the melee DPS very strong.

We blasted through pretty much everything.  We had one wipe after the ramp leading to opera, where we accidentally pulled the whole room.  Other than that, we one shot everything, skipping only Illhoof and Netherspite.  We would have gone back, but a couple people had to bail so we called it a night.

Loot-wise, it was both good and bad for me.  I actually got one of the best cloaks a Hunter can have in the Drape of the Dark Reavers.  Nice. I also happened to pick up TWO pairs of gaunts. I got the Gloves of Quickening from Maiden and my T4 gloves, the Demon Stalker Gauntlets from Curator. I already have the Crystalhide Handwraps, so I have some thinking to do there. Anyone have any thoughts on those three? None have enchants as of yet, the Crystalhide are gemmed but with easily replaceable stuff, no epics.

Anyhow, what I REALLY wanted though was a new ranged weapon.  No dice.  No Crossbow from Attumen, no Gun from the BBW (which I REALLY want…I am a dwarf!) and no bow from the Prince.  Bah, humbug.  Someday I will upgrade from my old, blue Valanos’.  I just don’t know when.

Well, that’s about all for now.  I do have some more in depth posts brewing, I just haven’t had the time.  Next week things should start to clear up, right about the time all the adulation and cash starts rolling in at work for the great job I did on the site.  We’ll see.  Thanks for reading!