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 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!