WoW basics for purchase consideration

Nethack ended though. Substantial difference. 8)

Set items are alluded to in the docs.

Speaking of huge, have you noticed how the Horde/Alliance races breakdown by size?

[size=5]Alliance:[/size]

Dwarves: Small, Stocky
Gnomes: Very Small, Slender
Humans: Average, Average
Night Elves: Tall, Slender

[size=5]Horde:[/size]

Orcs: Average, Stocky
Taurens: Tall, Stocky
Trolls: Tall, Slender
Undead: Tall, Slender (don’t ask me why the Undead are taller than the Humans they supposedly originated from, a magical effect of the reanimation perhaps. Yeah, that’s it. Although since the Undead hunch over they are Average height while hunched).

If this was Basketball, the Horde would kick so much ass. Or NOT, because Blizzard would probably balance that too. Gnomish shotblockers!

Cool, what level are you? And where did you find it?[/quote]

Level 19, and we found it in the Wailing Caverns (I think it was), an instanced dungeon near-ish to Ratchet (which puts it way the hell out of the way for us alliance types). This being my first instance ever I was mightily impressed. Of course, part of that is probably because it seemed tailor made for my druid, with beasts to hibernate, people to heal when we got too many, and the ability to do damage to stuff to good effect in the meantime.

There was a named turtle who dropped a turtle shield for our paladin in there too. It was amusing because, well, it looked like a turtle shell.

Ahh, thought it might be an instance. Cause I played to 30 in beta and 23 (so far) in retail and have yet to see a set item. As you say, no close low level instances for the Alliance (at least Night Elf).

I didn’t say that. There’s some instance I got a quest to as a night elf druid at 18 or 19 or something (don’t remember if I got it this level or last) that seems to be off of Ashenvale (Starts with a B, but I’ll be darned if I can remember what it is… has to do with Naga though.)

We actually ended up in this instance because there are quest NPC’s with a 10 slot bag quest related to the critters in the instance. I mean, uber set loots are one thing, but 10 slot bags… now that’s worth crossing half the world for!

Oh yeah, I think know what one you’re talking about, the Blackfathom Deeps?

I had read once that it was an instance, but when I did a quest in there in beta, there was no loading or anything, and other people were coming in and out. Does it not turn into an instance until you get quite a ways into it or what?

Well, that’s what I was thinking about, but I haven’t been there yet. I was told it was an instance, but I’m not sure. Though judging by Wailing Caverns it’s quite possible there’s stuff up top that’s shallow and not instanced, then there’s an instance farther in.

I’m going to be disappointed if it’s not actually an instance but just a little elite cavern (like the Ogre stuff over near Loch Modan). On the other hand, I heartily recommend making the trip to Wailing Caverns, though you’ll have to be careful swimming into Booty Bay and avoid all the high level critters that I was told roam there.

There’s an instance inside Blackfathom.

Why World of Warcraft makes you feel better:

As a level 24 gnomish thief, I find it fairly easy to kill monsters that are several levels above me.

I never played WOW Beta.

By comparison, in EQ 1 (PreKunark) a level 24 would probably have to struggle to fight monsters that are lower level. A level 50 could get killed by a level 35 monster (minimum that gives experience IIRC?)

Wondering if this will hold true at higher levels.

Wondering if this will hold true at higher levels.

It does. Mostly.

I have never understood this complaint. All RPG games are like that. Diablo is like that. Baldur’s Gate is like that. Fallout is like that. What matters is whether the time you spend getting from one level to the next is fun. In games where the journey is fun–like Fallout, or (IMO) WoW–it doesn’t matter that all you’re basically doing is fighting, leveling, and then fighting even tougher stuff. When people talk about a game being a grind, it’s because the stuff in between levels is repetitive and not that fun. If you think WoW’s gameplay is repetitive and unfun, that’s one thing. But to say it’s a grind and a treadmill just because all you do is level and fight harder monsters is kind of pointless. You might as well just say “I hate RPGs” or “I hate most computer games” and be done with it. Even stuff like shooters–is it so different to fight guys so you can find a better weapon to fight tougher guys?

I still have crap to do in there but nobody to go with me =(

Zoram’Gar has a series of quests that send you in, and the last couple tell you to go into the instance. We were going to do it last week but some alliance were just running around ganking for no purpose I could fathom. They were much higher level than we were (8 levels to ??)

Hey, I haven’t done that stuff either, Euri. We’ll get there sometime. If it makes you feel any better, they’re still green quests at level 33.

There’s a chance of getting a Blackened Defias Belt near the end of the VanCleef mission in Westfall. It’s part of a set, and mousing over the item reveals the list of the other pieces. But you’ll want to be at least level 22 and in a full, balanced party before you tackle VC. I think it’s bind on pickup, so you won’t see it getting traded at the auction house.

Actually, they aren’t bind on pickup, and (at least on Proudmoore) there’s a bunch of 'em at the auction house.

Thus far, I have 3 of the 5 Blackened Defias items :)

I’m thinking of buying WoW. But since the Euro launch is at least two months away, and I’m of to California over Christmas, I thought I’d buy it the US and save some money (the dollar is way cheap now).

But is this a good idea, to buy the US WoW now and play on the US servers if you’re located in EU? Lag and such shouldn’t be a big problem, I think. (they’re upgrading our network to 100Mbit in January).

And is the current version for sale in the US locked in some way to the US servers, or will you be able to pick any server regardless of location when they launch in the rest of the world?
Are there any other things to consider?

I was playing with someone from Australia the other day, if that’s any help.

You can’t play if you’re not in a country where it’s already released without a credit card address in one of those countries. If you want to play on the US servers, that’ll mean you need a US or Aussie CC address I believe.

I don’t know whether the US copy will be able to select Euro servers ever. I’m guessing yes, eventually, but who knows how long the differential will be between when those servers come up and when American accounts can select them.

I have never understood this complaint. All RPG games are like that. Diablo is like that. Baldur’s Gate is like that. Fallout is like that. What matters is whether the time you spend getting from one level to the next is fun. In games where the journey is fun–like Fallout, or (IMO) WoW–it doesn’t matter that all you’re basically doing is fighting, leveling, and then fighting even tougher stuff. When people talk about a game being a grind, it’s because the stuff in between levels is repetitive and not that fun. If you think WoW’s gameplay is repetitive and unfun, that’s one thing. But to say it’s a grind and a treadmill just because all you do is level and fight harder monsters is kind of pointless. You might as well just say “I hate RPGs” or “I hate most computer games” and be done with it. Even stuff like shooters–is it so different to fight guys so you can find a better weapon to fight tougher guys?[/quote]
You’re right - all games are inherently repetitive. But that wasn’t my point. ;) My point was that WoW, for all its many fine qualities, is a lot like all the other major MMORPGs, like CoH: the treadmill / grind / whatever you want to call it is the game. If you’re expecting some larger point, some end-game scenario, or some major paradigm shifts in gameplay dynamics in WoW, you’ve come to the wrong game. It’s a refinement on a existing formula, not some brand-new invention. If Houngan thought CoH eventually got tedious and repetitive, chances are he might eventually feel the same about WoW, because it follows a lot of the same game design decisions - and that’s the caveat I was trying to make. WoW’s a great game, but it’s not for everyone.

Sidebar, but I think that the fundamental difference between single-player vs MMO RPGs is that the former has a plot with an end; there’s some final objective (usually in the beat-the-Foozle sense) that the player is always working towards. In MMORPGs - or at least the ones I’ve tried - that isn’t the case; at best, your character experiences a series of short-story vignettes (in the form of quests) before maxing out your character - then starting all over. I have a friend who’s a big SP RPG nut - right now he’s deeply immersed in KOTOR 2 - but MMORPGs leave him cold, because there’s no satisfying narrative arc for him to sink his teeth into.