My poor, poor F5 key.  I know mine is getting a workout, and I’m sure I’m not alone.  I’ll be hoping against hope that I can get an invite to the beta, but at the same time I realize the prospects aren’t all that great.  (And no, having a resonably successful WoW blog gets your nowhere in that department.)  They’ve said its purely random, and with 10 million plus playing, maybe I should give the F5 key a rest.

The good thing is that SHOULD I get in, there is no NDA, so I can blog about it at will.  And believe me, I will.

In other blog related news, PartTimeDruid hit some big milestones this week.  I’ve topped 200 subscribers, which I was hoping to reach by the end of the month.  Yay for being ahead of schedule!  We’ll see if I can maintain that level. Also, I reached the 25,000 overall hits mark for the blog.  Woohoo!

It’s funny, when I started this thing I had perhaps a dozen subs in the first month or so, and roughly 40-50 hits a day.  Now I have over 200 subscribers and regularly average 300 or more hits per day.  This is all thanks to you guys, the readers.  I’m glad you’ve enjoyed my blog.

I figure it’s a good time to highlight what the most popular posts have been.  Here is what people have loved to read:

1. Fresh 70 Resto Druid Gear Cheat Sheet (4,140 reads) This has been a popular post from the beginning. I tried to put something together that was simple and direct. Most gear posts are more “gear lists,” I tried to give very specific direction in what you should get for each slot to gear up quickly.
2. Casual Druid Shopping List: 2.4 Badge Gear (2,138 reads) People love the 2.4 badge gear, and this was my attempt to simplify things for the druiding types. Again, I tried to give REAL opinions, not just a list.
3. Magisters’ Terrace: Resto Druid Gear (1,257 reads) Let’s face it, people love gear posts. They will continue as gear is added in Wrath and beyond.
4. Resto Druid: 5 Things You Should Know (1,256 reads) This was my first post that put me on the map. I roused the interest of some big time bloggers (Phaelia, for one) that in turn roused more interest in my blog. I will probably do a rehash of this post at some point, as it was a little on the harsh side.
5. Top 5: Fighting WoW Apathy (1,079 reads) This was the next post that really pushed me a long. It got the notice of WoW Insider, and a post about my post really helped me out. Some people love WI, some people hate WI, for me I’m glad it’s there.

It’s heavy on gear posts, for sure, but I can see why. I’m a big fan of them myself, or I wouldn’t write them! They take a little more work than your average post, and you’re bound to miss stuff with them, but I still enjoy writing them. Anyhow, that’s all for now. Thanks to everyone who has read and continues to read my blog. I appreciate it!

We’ve all been there before. Even the tightest guilds, filled with RL friends and mature players get bitten by the guild drama bug occasionally. In a game that necessitates so many people working together, it’s bound to happen. It’s human nature. It can also come in a variety of forms, so I thought we’d look at a few that crop up regularly.

Casuals vs. Raiders

The Problem

This is the type that bites my guild in its collective arse most often. My guild is casual at its core, though we do have a contingent of people that like to raid and progress. I don’t think we have enough players that fit the raider mold to make us a “casual raiding” guild, so occasionally the two camps have to battle it out a little.

You see, casual players do LIKE to raid, at least many of them do, but they aren’t necessarily devoted to it. They don’t spend their days poring over spreadsheets, reading boss strategies or studying gear. They want to see the content, they just aren’t really gung ho about it. The way that WoW is presently constituted, you need a certain level of devotion to progress in the raiding environment. (Keep in mind that when I talk about raiding, I’m talking about 25 man content. To me, Kara is more an extension of five man content than anything else.)

The true raiders in the guild, however, can get frustrated if people aren’t as prepared for a raid as they should be. If they don’t bring basic consumables, or if they don’t show up on time.

What this does is causes occasional rifts, where our boards go a little sour as vocal members of both camps argue over what being a member of our guild really means. It can get heated, and it causes problems and hurt feelings occasionally.

The Remedy

So how do you combat this? By being very open, and very frank about what you expect from the guild. There has to be some compromise about the stance of the guild on this issue. Ultimately, you have to decide as a guild which direction you want to take. Take raiding more seriously, or stick with the easy stuff, like Kara?

Another thing that helps my guild is the alliance we are in. We have banded with other casual guilds to run 25 man content, and it’s been pretty successful. There is a defined path for the raiders to take, and the more casual guild members can go about their business.

Phat Lewtz Syndrome

The Problem

Ahh yes, loot drama. This is part and parcel of WoW and any other MMORPG, for the most part. Everybody wants new shinies to look at, and it can cause real problems.

“Why should he get Loot X for his alt, when I still haven’t gotten anything for my main!”

“Why is it he gets 2 pieces of loot, and I get none?”

“I’ve done this dungeon 1.5 thousand times, he’s only done it twice, I should automatically get that drop!”

I’m sure we’ve all seen these situations. I don’t think I need to spell this one out any more, everybody wants loot, and people often want the same drop.

The Remedy

So how do you fix it? Again, this comes down to being very frank, and very up front. You should have very clear loot rules that are understood by everyone. If you have to go over them at the start of every run, so be it. Just make sure that everyone is aware of how things work. You might have rules that state loot goes to “main specs” before “off specs.” One purple per run, something to that effect. If you really have to, look into a more defined loot system, like Suicide Kings or DKP.  IMO, the actual system doesn’t matter so much as a strict adherence to it, and an understanding by EVERYONE on how it works.

The Invasion of General Apathy

The Problem

It seems there are quite a few cases of this going around at the present time. We’re in a bit of a WoW downturn, as people have grown tired of what 2.4 had to offer, and now we wait patiently (or not so patiently) for Wrath. It’s happened before, and it will happen again. Sometimes large groups of people just get a little burned out all at once.

The Remedy

How do you fix it? Well, you can read a detailed post I wrote about it here, but I can try to sum up a few quick thoughts as well. You can focus more on alts, maybe polish off a tradeskill. Perhaps you need to start scheduling five man runs like you do raids. It’ll take more work to keep things going during an apathetic phase, but as long as you still have some dedicated players you can weather the storm.

The Bad Apple

The Problem

So you get a new guildy. He gets through the normal process to be added to your guild, whatever that may be, and things go swimmingly for a week or so. Then the problems start to surface. Maybe you got the guy that’s always looking for handouts from his guild, or always looking for help with literally everything. Perhaps you got yourselves a loot ninja in disguise (luckily, those never seem to last long – once you know someone is a loot ninja, they get escorted out of the bar fairly quickly). Heck, maybe you found the guy that, once he gets comfortable, likes to spurt racial or sexual epithets in chat. If nothing else, maybe he just turns out to be a real jerk.

Whatever it is, you recruited the wrong guy. The problem with the bad apple is that if you don’t take care of it quickly, the Bad Apple can cause widespread discontent. The saying “one bad apple can spoil the bunch” isn’t far from the truth. A Bad Apple allowed to spread his disease can turn off other members in the process. They also have a knack for making your whole guild look bad.

The Remedy

If you get a Bad Apple, don’t expect them to change.  The chances are pretty good that if someone shows bad behavior repeatedly, they aren’t suddenly going to turn over a new leaf.  Heck, in real life people seldom change at the urging of others – why would we expect them to do it in a game?  Therefore, if you identify a Bad Apple, kick them to the curb.  Don’t worry about being so nice, your guild is paying for the Bad Apple’s indiscretions.  /gkick them and don’t look back.

You might also want to look at HOW this guy slipped through.  Do you interview prospective guild members?  If you don’t, why not?  Do they get a trial run?  Maybe it’s time you tightened the recruiting reigns a bit.  This is one area where my guild does an excellent job.  We don’t just take anyone, we have a whole interview process that can be very in depth.  We have to KNOW you will fit in before any guild invites come your way.  We pride ourselves on being a mature, friendly guild.  One of the ways we keep it that way is through strict recruitment policies.

Conclusion

I wrote this post largely due to the third entry, General Apathy.  The sort of downturn that WoW is presently in has destroyed many a strong guild.  If you are going to keep things going until Wrath, you’re really going to have to be on your guild ball.  That means identifying other instances of guild drama and taking care of them expeditiously.  My guild weathered the storm before BC was released, and I am 100% positive that we will weather this one as well.  It takes some work, but it can be done.  Thanks for reading!

Have no fear, this will not be a teary eyed goodbye to WoW or to the blog. I still cannot foresee a situation where I cancel my account or stop writing. I have a sizable list of topics I’d still like to cover, and I get new ideas to add to it every day.

This is about the WoW apathy I see around me. The release of Age of Conan took a minor toll on my guild, and I’m sure I’m not alone. I don’t think we flat out lost anyone permanently, but some key members have been spending most of their time in AoC.

Now, I could rail and complain about this, but I can’t blame them. Many of them have all the 2.4 badge gear they want, have run every instance in the game 20 times over, and can only really progress through raiding. The funny thing is, with the 2.4 badge gear, we really have to start hitting BT to start progressing some of them. Oh well, I hope they’re having fun over there, I really do.

The problem is most of them were key members of the guild. People who were on often, and available to run instances and such. Our best geared tank is one of them, as a matter of fact. For those of us who remain, it has made things a bit more difficult as far as regular five mans, heroics and Kara, which for a long time have been our bread and butter. More than one run has had to be cancelled recently due to lack of interest.

This is particularly difficult for me, as I already have a hard time getting into guild groups due to the times that I play.

So, has your guild lost some people to AoC? Have you had a more difficult time of late because of it? I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve come up with a few ways to fight through it.

Get Raid Organized for 5 Man Content

If you’re in the situation I am in, it might be a good idea to start treating five man runs like raids. What do I mean by that? Plan ahead. Set a date and time, and get some signups going. It might be the most effective way to still get five mans off the ground. Sure, it was easy to make runs on the fly a little while back, but now you might have to really work at it. You might as well use your raiding tools to do it. Don’t be afraid to make a post on the guild boards to organize a regular Shadow Labyrinth run! This might also help you find the people in the guild that are like you, still devoted to WoW and looking to get things done.

Help Out the Lowbies

I know who you are. In the past you ignored the calls for help in guild. When someone needed a hand to take down VanCleef, you were busy in Shattered Halls. When your guildy was trying to clear his quest logs of group quests in Loch Modan, you were tied up in SSC. Well, now is the time to change your feathers. Be that guy. The guy that drops everything to help out people with “old” and “newbie” stuff. The guy who ports and flies to the very ends of Azeroth to help those in need. Remember, a lowbie you help today will be a 70 down the road to maybe fill YOUR Kara run.

Get Back to that Alt

You know, that beloved Shadow Priest or whatver that has been on the back burner for a long time. The one you swore you’d get to 70 before Wrath. Now is the time to really get it in gear. (To make things easier, Jame has now updated parts 1 and 2 of his Alliance leveling guides to reflect the changes in 2.3. Go take a look. I can’t tell you how great his guides are. Trust me, give it a look.) I’ve personally been sitting on a host of characters in their 40s, and I now have to pick who to focus on and run with it. I’d certainly rather level an alt than go PUG crazy! It’s also an opportunity to work on a new tradeskill, or perhaps just get a devoted mat farmer for your main with a Mining/Herb/Skinning mix of skills.

Finally Farm That 5k Gold

Yes, I haven’t been talking about it, but even your good old PTD is close to getting an epic flyer. With the Sunwell dailies, it’s actually been quite painless. I mean, there is still a whole “farming” aspect to it that I don’t like much, but I’m sitting at around 4400g right now, and I’ve been working at it for about a month. A long time, I know, but that’s what Part Time is all about.

Quick tip for casual dailies: just focus on the ones that are ON Quel’Danas. Don’t bother with the ones that send you to blade’s edge, Netherstorm, etc. When time is an issue, the best bang for your buck is right on the island. You can grind out all the ones there in about 40 minutes, maybe less. Sure, you don’t net any of the Shattered Sun Supplies for possible badges, but it’s been a long time since I saw one out of a pack anyhow. So I no longer care.

PvP

While it helps to have premades for battlegrounds, it’s not entirely necessary. This is something that’s not reliant on your guild to participate. You can be the only one logged on and still get into a BG. Heck, you might even find you like it. The great part about this option is that if you can stick with it, you can get yourself some pretty nice gear. Welfare epics they may be, but I never saw a purple I didn’t like. Maybe you’ll find your a whiz at PvP and end up decked out in Season 4 gear some time down the road. It could happen!

There are my five meager suggestions to help you pass the time. I know it might be a little painful now for those of us that are ignoring AoC, but I have a strong feeling most of those people will be back. This is just a gut feeling, but I don’t see AoC having real staying power. As Wrath approaches, I’m sure the guild will build itself back up to full strength – it’s only a matter of time. Thanks for reading!

Batten down the hatches, it’s List Time! I don’t know if you realize this, but there are approximately 1.5 million WoW blogs out there. They cover theory, specific classes, patches, everything. So how is one to find their way amongst an ocean of reading on WoW? Well, in my own little way I’ll try to help by giving you some insight into my favorites. There are many, many more than I read, but it’s only the Top 5. The Best of the Best, at least for me. In no particular order, here they are!

1. Resto4Life

It’s best to start from the beginning. This is the first blog I ever read on a regular basis. It may have been the first blog I read period. I am a Resto Druid, after all. Her blog is also the reason that I am writing this today. If I hadn’t found her blog, I might have never started my own. Phaelia’s blog screams quality from front to back. The formatting is always impeccable, and it’s liberally sprinkled with both interesting and useful images. If you are a Resto Druid, this is one of the first places you should always go, IMO. Phaelia keeps her blog fresh by using a nice variety of posts from light, fun stuff to hardcore theorycrafting. If there is one thing I couldn’t tackle, it’s hardcore WoW math. Phaelia does it, and does it well. Phaelia even took issue with one of my posts once, but I still love her blog all the same. (And in retrospect, I may have been a bit harsh…I’ll remedy that some day soon!)

2. Big Bear Butt Blogger

If you read WoW blogs at all, there’s a good chance you already know about this one. This is usually the first blog I read, every day. Part of that is due to the alphabetization of my Google reader list, but it still counts! If he was the Really Big Bear Butt Blogger I’d probably still read him first or second. BBB is great for a lot of the same reasons that I like most blogs. Variety and quality. He’s not afraid to steer away from strictly WoW topics, and at the same time can churn out a gear-centric or strategy type post as well as anyone. His blog can also make me laugh, as few can. I’m notoriously stoic. If you’re a feral druid, or a WoW player at all really, you should read this blog. You can even hear BBB on the WoW Insider Show on WCRadio.

3. World of Matticus

Matt’s blog is one of the best, IMO, from a true “reference” stand point. If there is something I want to know about raiding, healing, or game mechanics in general, WoM is one of the first places I go. Matt has personally helped myself and my guild as we learn the ropes in SSC, and his blog has been an invaluable resource to me for quite some time. Matt’s blog is not only a great source for WoW knowledge, but also tremendously helpful if you write a blog and need some help. He’s great at both promoting and helping the WoW blogging community at large. He really knows his stuff, and his site has a unique, clean, and easily navigable design.

4. Tobold’s MMORPG Blog

If I want pure, unadulterated opinion, this is where I go. Tobold always has interesting, thoughtful ideas about both WoW and the MMORPG industry in general. Yes, I know it is not ALL about WoW, but there is a lot of great info about WoW and other games to be found here. Heck, you can even find out about Age of Conan here if you like. Now, don’t expect any nice design when you hit this blog, it’s all about the content. When you get down to it, though, he has some of the best content out there. He’s like the Bill Moyer’s of WoW, he can make anything interesting.

5. Banana Shoulders

While I Phalia’s blog was the first I ever read, Siha’s Paladin blog was the second. I know, it seems odd. Why would I read a Paladin-centric blog anyhow? Well, in my experience, Siha puts up some of the most USEFUL posts out there. if you check out her site today, you’ll find some great stuff like her guide to the 2.4 dailies (which she was putting up LONG before anyone else) and stuff like one of my most often visited posts, her Jewelcrafting Quick Reference Sheet. Heck, I read it whenever I can, and my highest level Paladin is 8. That’s got to say SOMETHING about the quality of her blog, right?

This is by no means a list of the only blogs I read. I’m sometimes intimidated when I open up my Reader and see how many new posts have stacked up over night! There are a lot of great bloggers out there, and it was tough to list just my top 5. I read blogs of every type there is, and there are at least 30 that I read EVERY post.  That says a lot both about the breadth of WoW and the WoW blogging community.  Thanks for reading!

I know it’s getting a bit like High Fidelity around here, but what can I say? I like lists!  I thought we’d dial things down a notch and attack a fun topic: The Top 5 Reasons I Hate Murlocs. Starting from the bottom:

5. Too Many Blasted Casters

I don’t know about you, but I hate mobs that are casters. You can’t pull them away from a crowd, as they’ll just sit there and blast away, inviting their buddies to join in the fun. They also have a tendency to sneak up on me while I’m fighting other mobs. Sometimes I won’t even realize I’m getting seared in the back repeatedly with lightning bolts. I hate casters no matter what class I’m playing, their equally irritating to any playstyle. Murlocs also seem to have at least 2 or 3 casters roaming around. With camps like Ogres or humans, there’s usually maybe one or two casters at most. With Murlocs they’re like a disease. If they make such great casters, why aren’t they a playable race?

4. Murlocs are EVERYWHERE

If I had my druthers, I’d nuke every zone with a Murloc presence, but then I’m afraid there wouldn’t be many places left to go. Murlocs are there from the beginning, and they seem to follow you around, like a piece of toilet paper stuck to your shoe. I first saw the twerps near Goldshire, and they whacked me around then. They taunted me with their treasure chests strewn about, and dared me to try and take them. They tortured me in Southshore, refusing to drop their stupid heads. They even embarrassed me in the expansion, when I made my new Draenei, they attacked me by surprise, while I was just fishing!

When I got to 70, I thought I was done with them. Boy, was I wrong. Then they had to slap me and the whole raid around in SSC. Gigantic warrior Murlocs? Are you kidding me? They’re like a disease, without any cure.

3. Murlocs are Unskinnable

I would get such pleasure out of skinning their fishy bodies after killing them, but no such luck. They sure look skinnable to me, what’s the problem? I could surely make a nice pair of boots out of them, maybe a belt!

[Murloc Boots]
Binds when picked up Leather
+25 Stamina
+25 Spirit
Equip: Increases Coolness Rating by 10,000
Equip: Activates Title: Murloc Bane

2. Murlocs RUN

I hate runners. Seriously. They cramp my style, and often lead to death – which I also hate. Obviously, this is less of a problem with some classes than others, like with a hunter or ranged class, for instance. I still much prefer a mob that stands there and takes it. The problem with running Murlocs is they often run right to the aforementioned casters. Smart, those Murlocs. Devious.

1. The NOISE

You knew it had to be this. What the heck IS that noise anyway? I truly wish I could do a good imitation of a Murloc noise, but I have no such skill. If your coffeemaker were taken over by the devil, I think it would sound similar.

That noise just evokes an instant loathing, deep in my bones. It drives me to turn around instantly and start hacking at its source. The problem is, I often turn around to about 10 Murlocs coming right at me. Lightning bolts flying, nets being launched, a full-on frontal Murloc Assault. It’s like the Shock and Awe of World of Warcraft.

So there you have it. I could have easily stretched this list further, adding things like their irritating, constant dropping of mostly useless Shiny Fish Scales and Fish Oil. If there were Murlocs IRL, I’d gladly mount one of their heads on my wall, and I’m a pacifist!  I’m well aware that I’m far from the only one who hates Murlocs. Sadly, I also know there are those who love them. Crazy, I say. Crazy.