Random Acts of Uberness: The voice of reason
"Reading this column always makes me want to go out and be randomly awesome for someone," mused JenniferKinnison in the comments of last week's Random Acts of Uberness. "Which, of course, is part of the point. Plus, it's just the right thing to do to help another person out. It's so unexpected these days that it's to be treasured all the more when it happens."
Caught being uber: Avelianah, Draenor (US-Alliance) I and a friend were in one of those LFR groups that give people chills (not the good kind), full of newer folks trying to gear and perhaps not knowing the fights as well as they could have. There were a couple of uber nasty trolls doing their best to rip apart anyone they thought "deserved" it, and trying to kick multiple people. I would like to send out a hug of appreciation to the repeated voice of kindness and sanity that was Avelianah from Draenor. From giving out pointers, explanations, kind words and discouraging the L33T kicks to the 'thanks for the group' at the end of the instance, she was real class. -- Anonymous
Our next Random Act of Uberness appears to be a golden oldie, which we almost disallowed based on age until we realized that such a deep, lasting impression made the kudo that much more cool!
Caught being uber: Night elf druid on Winterhoof (US-Alliance) I've always had a problem with keeping my character count under control; I've hit the account limit multiple times. This issue started early in my WoW days, mid-Wrath of the Lich King, so naturally I never had much gold. But I was content to wander, explore, and reroll whenever I felt like it.
Several weeks in, I had once again switched toons, this time to a night elf druid on Winterhoof. As I was entering Stormwind by way of Darnassus, a fellow night elf druid whispered me. I can't quite recall the exact conversation but by the end of our chat, she'd given me gold, gear, and crafting advice and had even offered to give me more gear as I leveled. I repeatedly thanked her but she told me it was okay because "Druids stick together."
Sometime afterward, while I was still fairly new, I tripped into becoming a guild master. I received a guild invite, didn't know what it meant, clicked accept, and then promptly forgot about it. At some point, the GM passed his mantle to me; it took me weeks to notice. I eventually dropped this inactive guild and made a new one, still not completely understanding what it meant to have a guild. This guild was more successful than the last and I suddenly found myself in charge of helping a dozen-plus online members at any one time (pre-guild leveling days). Thankfully, by then I had learned to look up talent trees, quests, items, etc. and was able to help my own newbies navigate their way around Azeroth.
But still, I had very little wealth of my own. I didn't farm often, I never took from my gbank, and I often found myself busy helping others when online. At level ~70, I still hadn't purchased dual spec, which at that time was 1,000 gold. I had nowhere near 1,000 gold and I was constantly tapped as our only dedicated healer for dungeon runs which drained me pretty quickly. Pre-RDF, I scheduled dungeon runs to help everyone see content they would normally miss; this required hoofing it to nearby summoning stones hours before the run was to start and parking.
This same druid saw me around Stormwind, whispered me again, and asked if I had bought my dual spec yet. I told her no, that I couldn't afford it, and she gave me the gold right on the spot! Suddenly, I had a second spec to play with! I hadn't been anything but restoration in months! This breathed a breath of fresh air into my WoW experience and helped to catapult me to level 80, my druid being the first of my characters to cap.
I don't play her anymore but she's still sitting in the same guild, with the same name, on the same server. No matter how much character pruning I do, she always remains. I think it was this player's influence that taught me to help others when I can just like she helped me years ago. -- @dollfaise
Send us your tales of awesomeness
Send us your kudos and shout-outs for players who made your day! We know you can't always remember everyone's names or realms, and that's OK. Tell us what you do remember: what day of the week it was, what time of day, your own home realm, any details you recall about the other player, where you were and what you were doing in game. If the players involved read WoW Insider, we're betting they'll recognize your story!
Email your Random Acts of Uberness to lisa@wowinsider.com. Be sure to include your character's name, realm and faction if you'd like that to be published.
