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Breakfast Topic: How do you view your followers?
Greatmother Geyah is a total name-dropper. Every time I run into her, she asks how her son is doing, and just has to point out that she's talking about Durotan, just in case I wasn't aware that she was the mother of the Frostwolf chieftain. Meanwhile, Phylarch the Evergreen is some sort of meditative genius, as he spends a lot of his time sitting in midair, when he isn't making my other followers cry. Botani, right? Meanwhile, I'm not sure about Aeda Brightdawn, because despite her name she's a warlock and she's taken to speaking in demonic when she thinks I'm not paying attention. I tend to think of my followers like people, because the AI for them is pretty good -- they notice when I walk by, they'll make a comment in my direction every now and again, and they even talk to each other, sometimes with disastrous results. Milhouse Manastorm spends a lot of his time laughing at my peons and making them feel bad, for example. It's interesting because it's so lively, but it's also interesting because I've noticed other people doing the same thing -- they'll send certain followers on missions together because, in their heads, those two followers totally belong together. They'd hit it off. They'd be best friends. This humanizing of what is essentially a decent AI system and a bit of random dialogue is kind of fascinating to me. I like making up stories, I like writing stories, so making up personalities and stories in my head is pretty much right up my alley. I'm kind of delighted to see that I'm not the only one that does so -- and I'm also curious, just how widespread is this habit? Do you guys view your followers with different personalities? Do you make up stories for them? Do you treat them any differently for how they act in your garrison? Do you tend to group the same followers together? Or are they all just mechanical minions to be sent out at your whim?
Breakfast Topic: What do you like about legendary quests?
I've been diligently plugging away at the legendary quest chain via LFR, follower missions and the occasional stone found in my piles of work orders. Today I was pleasantly surprised to note that I now have 75 of the things -- sure, I have 50 to go, but I should be done with the entirety of it pretty soon. I don't mind the stone collecting so much, I mean it's something that is by and large passively going on while I'm getting other stuff done, but it's definitely not my favorite kind of legendary quest. I've managed to collect a small pile of legendary weapons over the years, both by killing bosses and by completing various quests. I think my favorite kind of legendary quests so far have been the ones that send me out to actively do things -- with the Fangs of the Father chain, the section that sent rogues to stealth through Gilneas was frustrating at times but ultimately pretty satisfying. So was the solo scenario that Wrathion dragged you off to on the Isle of Thunder as part of the legendary Mists chain. I liked the bit in this particular chain where you met up with Khadgar and a friend in Nagrand to take care of some unfinished business. Basically, I prefer legendary quests where I'm actively doing something, rather than passively letting something happen or pile up over time. Don't get me wrong, though -- I still prefer this method over the old school once-in-a-million drop from a particular raid boss. It feels better when a legendary is something you work to obtain, rather than a ridiculously lucky drop. What do you guys think? What's your favorite part of legendary quests and items? Do you like the solo scenario method? The individual quests? Do you prefer the collecting rather than having to do any additional questing at all? Or did you really like the old days and extremely low drop rates for weapons of the past?
Breakfast Topic: All Hail Maraad
If I had to list the one character in Warlords of Draenor who already existed, but who improved the most in this expansion, my choice would absolutely be Vindicator Maraad. Before this expansion, all we ever got to see from him was his appearances in the comic book, a brief cameo in Northrend, and his appearance in the Prophet's Lesson short story (which was pretty cool). The first hint we got that he was going to be a big part of Warlords was his appearance in a Pandaria short story, and that hint was confirmed by his appearance in the Lords of War shorts, then his role in the Warlords of Draenor cinematics and as you level through the game. So I ask you - who was your favorite established NPC in Warlords? Was it Cho'gall? Teron'gor? Thrall? Velen? Garrosh? Let me know.
Breakfast Topic: Do you like alts?
I've lost my taste for alts this expansion. With the Garrison being so important it feels like I'd be wasting effort to level another character, even though I could theoretically end up with a lot more materials that way. It just seems like a lot of time and effort spent leveling which I could be using on follower missions and so on. But on the other hand, I could very well set my stuff on my main then switch over to an alt, so maybe I'm wrong. This is complicated by the fact that I've never really been a big altoholic - I mean, I play a lot of warriors, but that was mostly because of a neurological disorder I have. Most people wouldn't do that. So I'm stuck on the fence. What do you think? Do you like alts? Is Warlords the wrong time to experiment with the idea of starting up a host of them? Let us know. Let me know. I need help to make this decision.
Breakfast Topic: Thank You Suspension of Disbelief
I remember, back before mounts and pets just existed in a special book, that we actually had to carry them around in our bags. Many, many jokes about this were told. Jokes about how an entire horse took up as much bag space as a roll of bandages, a cherry pie, a dagger, or a greatsword. And even today the game is absolutely chock full of moments that, if you really think about them, confuse and bewilder. To this day, there are items like food and bandages that you simply can't use unless you're of a certain power level - there are people out there making pies that simply cannot be eaten until you've killed enough things. Clothes you cannot wear, weapons you cannot use, even earrings and rings and necklaces that will laugh if you attempt to don them before you master a certain degree of power. We accept this because we have been trained to do so - the game makes these assumptions and we go along with them. Why wouldn't we? We always have. We have always been at war with the other faction, we have always constantly discovered new foodstuffs, new pants and new earrings that can't be used until we grow sufficiently strong. Any doubts we have are suspended, because we trust the fictive element, or because we simply do not care about the inconsistencies. But every so often I balk. Where do I even keep all these mounts? How can I possibly be carrying over thirty weapons and piece of plate armor in my bags and not topple over? I have like ten greatswords and greataxes on me! So I ask you - what do you sometimes find yourself unable to believe?
Breakfast Topic: What should be account bound?
Should Apexis Crystals be account bound? Should Garrison Resources? This is me asking - I've seen a lot of debate on the issue of these kinds of things making Warlords more alt-friendly, and I'm curious what you guys think. I'd kind of like it, I think - I'd feel freer to play a leveling up alt if I knew he or she could still contribute to my main. But I can imagine all sort of problems - players with multiple alts grinding up a ton of Apexis in a couple of frenzied days, for example. So here's your chance to tell me what you think. More stuff account bound, or keep it the way it is now?
Breakfast Topic: If I could put my garrison anywhere...
As much as I love Shadowmoon Valley (and it's a lot) I often wish I could move my garrison. There's something about the idea of planting it in Talador and making a bold statement about retaking Shattrath from the Iron Horde that just appeals to me - I know SMV and Frostfire are were we first arrived, but considering there was at least one other failed garrison (the Spires of Arak saw Admiral Taylor start one) I feel like we could be a bit more flexible about where we put the things. If I were playing Horde I'd love to put my garrison in Gorgrond. Gorgrond just feels like a Horde zone to me - all that giant primal monster battling, I guess. So where would you put your garrison. if you could put it anywhere? I often dream of relocating it to Winterspring once this expansion is over.
Breakfast Topic: How powerful are your followers?
I now have a dozen followers with an ilvl of 645. This means that they can trek into Highmaul on missions and bring me back stuff -- really good stuff, all things considered. Still, I keep experiencing these moments of odd discontent, although the process of sending my followers on missions is pretty satisfying. I think this has little to do with the process itself, and more to do with the fact that my character's ilvl is only 643, which means I've got a dozen minions who are arguably stronger than I am. And that seems a little strange, if I'm the commander, doesn't it? But I can't really argue with the end result, especially when that end result is legendary stones, or gear from Highmaul difficulty levels that I'm not even trying to approach. Sure, they might be stronger than I am -- but I eagerly await the day that the little guys successfully go out and come back from a heroic level raid. Heck, if they can handle mythic difficulty content, so much the better for me -- my ilvl will climb soon enough, and these guys seem to be stuck at 655, for now. So I'll continue leveling and upgrading my followers at every opportunity, and see how much further they can do. What about you guys? Have you actively been working on follower missions and gearing your followers? Have they brought back anything interesting for you? Are they going into raids yet? What do you think of the follower gameplay -- is it fun, or a chore for you?
Breakfast Topic: Where would your house be?
There was a pretty good post on reddit the other day that posed the question of homes and Azeroth. If you were given a deed to a home in Warcraft's universe -- that includes Outland and Draenor along with all Azeroth continents -- where would you choose? I had to think about that one long and hard, because there are plenty of places on Azeroth alone that I'd consider house-worthy. I think, given the choice, I'd like an apartment in Dalaran. Who doesn't love a floating mage city? And the decor holds up even after all the years since we've left Northrend. But then you consider Draenor, and honestly I like the idea of having a house in the Alliance garrison, too. It's a cute little village and the scenery outside is really nice, provided you ignore that whole bordering-a-forest-of-dangerous-animals part of things. And the orc problem. It's kind of a big problem, so maybe property there would be pretty cheap. What about you guys? If you were allowed to rent a place or buy a place anywhere in Azeroth, Outland, or Draenor, where would you go? Would you want to be in a major city, or would you rather have a little plot of land far from civilization?
Breakfast Topic: The ultimate what if
Warlords of Draenor is kind of a what if expansion, and that's got me wondering. We've talked about going to the alternate Azeroth where the Horde never showed up, but why should that be the only potential what if we explore? Could we potentially end up on an Argus where we could perhaps prevent the eredar from falling for Sargeras' sales pitch? An Azeroth where Arthas said "You know, if both Jaina and Uther are against this, maybe I shouldn't cull Stratholme." There are so many pivotal moments in Warcraft history, you could easily wring several dungeons, raids, maybe an entire expansion out of going from timestream to timestream seeing what might have happened. So here's a question for you - what's your ultimate what if scenario for Warcraft? What if someone just killed Gul'dan instead of listening to him for once? What if Medivh had died on one of his adventures with Anduin Lothar and Llane Wrynn? What if Gul'dan's assassins had failed to kill Durotan and Draka? Hit us with your best shot.
Breakfast Topic: And 2015 begins
Let's not waste a lot of time here in our new year. 2015. Warlords is two months old. What are your plans for the future? What are you working on in-game? Do you have any game-related resolutions? Have you even gotten to 100 yet? Share, discuss, elucidate. It's a new year. Make it yours.
Breakfast Topic: 2014 ends
It's the end of the year as we know it and I feel fine. 2014 was a year with a lot of big changes for World of Warcraft - Warlords debuted in November of this year, after all - but also, it's the year which saw Siege of Orgrimmar last a very long time, and Mists of Pandaria outstay its welcome for a lot of players. But again, it's also the year that WoW got over ten million subs again, with one of the most successful expansion launches in the game's history. So a lot of ups and downs for World of Warcraft this 10th anniversary. Since this is the last day of 2014, how better to celebrate than to look forward to 2015? What are your goals, your expectations, your predictions for this year in WoW? Go nuts, the comments await you.
Breakfast Topic: Draenor raids yet to come
So we know we have Highmaul fully unlocked and Blackrock Foundry will be unlocking some time in February (if I'm understanding 8 weeks after Highmaul correctly) and that leaves me wondering - how long will these two raids be expected to last? I doubt patch 6.1 will have a new raid, which might means 6.2 will - but what will it be? Will we be raiding the Iron Horde seat of power that quickly? If not, what will we be raiding? Where will it be? Will it be in the Spires of Arak, some forgotten bastion of antiquity in Gorgrond? Perhaps we'll find ourselves back on Azeroth raiding a troll raid (it's happened before) before returning our focus to the Iron Horde. What do you think the next raid or raids will be?
Breakfast Topic: Anniversaries
This year, being the tenth anniversary of World of Warcraft, we actually saw quite a bit - we got the 40 man LFR version of Molten Core and the Tarren Mill/Southshore PvP deathmatch BG, both of which are going away soon. What this leads me to wonder is, what will we get for the 11th anniversary? Are they even going to try and top this year? Or will it be more like previous years, with a tabard and a note at most? I'd personally be disappointed if we backslid in that way, but then again, what else could we really reasonably expect - 40 man LFR Naxxramas? Crossroads as a deathmatch BG? What's left? Or maybe a better question is, what would you want to see? What would be the best way to go forward with anniversary celebrations? Should we save big celebrations for numbers like five, ten, maybe fifteen?
Breakfast Topic: Revisiting the question of flight
The developers' decision to remove flight from Warlords of Draenor zones was controversial to say the least -- some were fans of the decision and others were decidedly not. We've been without it for awhile now. After having experienced Draenor without it, how do you feel? Personally, I was a fan of removing flight. Getting my first flying mount back in Burning Crusade was a magical moment, I'll admit. Over time, though, I felt its inclusion detracted from World of Warcraft have a cohesive, meaningful world. It's often said that if you don't like flight, you don't have to use it. While that's true, players are going to use all of the tools available in a video game, myself included. I didn't like flight, but the game had flight, so I wasn't going to intentionally make my experience more difficult than that of everyone else. I stand by that. In general, I'm a fan of a no-flying Warlords of Draenor and continue to be. There is one exception: Nagrand. Treasure hunting in Nagrand proved frustrating. Those treasures felt like the developers created a zone intended for flying mounts prior to removing them. Trying to use the Steamwheedle gliders only infuriated me more -- I couldn't even see half of the treasures in the game world to know where to aim even though they were on my map. The glider moved too fast for me to look around and spot it. It's entirely possible (and likely) that I am just bad at navigation with those things, but I gave up on getting those treasures and most of them still lay unclaimed. Trying to get them made me rage more than a little, and for the first time, I wished flight was still a thing. I'm also perplexed why they added an item such as Aviana's Feather in the expansion in which they took a stand against flight. With its relatively short 10 minute cooldown, I can use it to get wherever I want to go without partaking in the actual world whatsoever, much like a flying mount. A glider-on-demand is apparently okay, but flying mounts are not. Bizarre, I think.
Breakfast Topic: WoW needs a Boxing Day
If y'all don't know what Boxing Day is (I didn't until I moved up here) it's basically pretty awesome. It started out as a day where the people who ended up having to work on Christmas (people like servants of nobles or tradesfolk) would still get something from the people they worked for. It goes at least as far back as the 1600s, and might actually date back further. Nowadays, it's mostly an excuse for sales as companies try and shift their unsold stock and people bring presents they didn't want in to be exchanged. What with folks trying so hard to get that specific present under the tree yesterday (and it not always working out for them) I think it would be cool if there was a Boxing Day which allowed us to go exchange stuff we didn't want for stuff we did. But I guess that depends -- did it work out as you intended? Do you wish you could make a switch? Or did you get what you were looking for?
What was under your Winter Veil tree?
Everyone loves loot drops, and for many of us, today is the biggest real-world loot drop of the year. So today seems like the ideal time to talk about holiday gifts: just what did you find under your (real-life) Winter Veil tree this year? Did you snag any great gaming gifts or did you just find lumps of coal (or cheerfully tacky holiday sweaters) in your gift haul this year? And if you're not celebrating (or got a disappointing gift selection), what's the best in-game gift you've gotten this holiday season? Happy holidays, everyone!
Breakfast Topic: The Day At Last
Hopefully, if today is a holiday for you, you're spending it with loved ones of some description, or enjoying it in whatever way you like best. For some of us, that includes a heaping helping of World of Warcraft - in past years I participated in special raids on Christmas day, or did a day of dungeons, or even ran AV all day (this was back in the day, of course). So it behooves me to ask you, if you're going to be playing WoW today, and if so, what're you up to in the game? And have a happy holiday, if you're celebrating.
Breakfast Topic: What do you want to see in Winter Veil?
World of Warcraft's holidays are a fun change of pace from the normal daily grind, but after a while even they can seem a bit same-old, same-old. Take a look at Winter Veil, for example, which brings festive decor and quests across the land throughout the holiday season... but some of these things -- like those cookies you always forget to farm eggs for -- have been the same since the holiday first appeared. Sure, there are some additions this year, but much of the holiday can be filed under "been there, done that," even if the holiday decorations are always nice to see. So for today's discussion: just what would you like to see added to Winter Veil in the future? Personally, I'd love to be able to bring Winter Veil my garrison for the holiday, placing excessive quantities of holiday lights on everything. That's what the holiday season is all about, right?
Breakfast Topic: Where would you draw the line?
So we're going to potentially be able to buy game time tokens and sell them in game for gold. This has been called buying gold, which is interesting to me, since it's not really much different than when we could buy the Guardian Cub and sell that in game for gold. But what the discussion really got me thinking about was this - what would be the line, the one thing they could introduce that would be too much for me to go along with? I can buy 90 out of a 100 levels, I can buy transmog gear, what do I think is absolutely not a good idea to sell for real life money? For me, it's actual in game epic gear. If Blizzard started selling best in slot or even just good gear for max level characters, that would be too much. One of the reasons I'm a little leery of the game time for gold transaction is that right now, some good epic gear is available for gold, and if you make gold something you can pick up with IRL money... you see where that would go. So now it's your turn. What's too far for you?
