About the Bloggers: Dan O'Halloran
What do you do for WoW Insider?
I'm one of the Lead Writers of the site. Which is fancy talk for a lot of behind the scenes administrative work. But the fun part is I get to hire writers as well as oversee a staff of exceptionally talented people who not only are passionate about the game, but who also know how to put words together in a coherent and entertaining fashion. And occasionally I get to test drive $5k laptops for a few brief, but glorious weeks. Not a bad gig if you can swing it.
What's your main right now?
My main is my very first character in the game, a Druid. I was Resto for the first 60 levels. Hey, don't knock it, Feral wasn't really an option pre-BC. But with the arrival of Burning Crusade (which, yes, I stood in line at midnight for) I went Feral and never looked back except for a brief flirtation with Moonkin spec in my mid-60s. I can currently be found switching specs between Feral and Resto as needed by my group, but I mainly like to be in cat form.
For the Horde or Glory to the Alliance?
Alliance, thanks.
Favorite thing to do in Azeroth?
Run a 5-man with my friends. I've been playing MMOs with this group on a regular basis after we met in EverQuest 8 years ago (taking out the trash in Unrest!). They are a joy to work with. Not because they are particularly talented players, but because they don't care if we wipe, accidentally pull the whole room or forget to bring a much needed reagent. We take gaming for what it is: fun. But, boy, they're hell on my repair bill.
What's the best instance in the game?
For a Druid who loves to use all his forms like me, Auchenai Crypts is one of my favorites. Cat DPS the trash up to the first boss. Then switch to secondary healer for the Shirrak fight at the bridge. Then Hurricane the skeletons with AE spell damage to clear the way to the second boss. And finally, back up tank in the fight against Exarch Maladaar (he wipes aggro and spawns an add.) It's a shapeshifter's dream run.
Favorite piece of loot?
My preeecccioooouussss would have to be my little buddy, the Sprite Darter Hatchling. He's the result of a quest chain out of Feralas I did back in the day. He just feels like a pet a Night Elf Druid would have.
What's the number one thing Blizzard could do better?
Communicate.
The best way to make money ingame is...
Run quests. Not the repeatable kind, but the outdoor zones in Outlands. Not only do you get cash, equipment upgrades and vendor trash to sell, but it's not nearly as grindy as the other methods Also, you don't need a group for most of them and you get to follow a story in every zone if you pay attention.
That being said, I've recently gone the Disenchanter/Jewlerycrafter route. I'll let you know how that turns out if I get Epic Flight Form before the 3rd WoW expansion launches in 2020.
Favorite mount?
Druid flight form, baby. Instacast, badass looking and you can use it to Rawr bomb.
When I'm not playing WoW, I'm...
Working my day job in Television Advertising, raising two children ("No, son, you never ever rush the boss mob without calling for a ready check") and, of course, writing for WoW Insider (and Massively.)
What accomplishment in-game are you most proud of?
Showing pick up groups what cat druids can contribute to a 5-man run. They get not just melee dps, but back up healing, secondary tanking and ranged spell dps. I tell people I'm not the 5th man in your group, but your 6th, 7th and 8th, too.
If you could add one touch of personal flair to your main, what would it be?
An outfit that didn't make me look like a clown at a kids party. Thank Elune that I spend most of my time shapeshifted.
If you had 10 more hours to play every week, what would you spend them doing?
Making more money in-game. I'm very focused right now on gathering the 5,000 gold necessary to train epic flight skill so I can start my Druid Epic Flight Form quest. Having just dumped most of my available funds into hopefully profitable tradeskills, I have 4,916 gold to go.
