10K Crits and Earth Hour

Ah! I have been crit for 10K! Fortunately, its a good kind of crit. Some time in my sleep last night this little bitty Druid Kitty blog hit 10,000 views! For a blog that not so long ago only got 5 hits a day, this is pretty awesome. Thank you, thank you, for everyone who keeps coming to the site to read what I have to say.

Earth Hour is coming up this Saturday, March 28th. What is Earth Hour, you say?

Earth Hour is an international event organised by the WWF and held on the last Saturday of March each year, which asks households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change. (Wiki)

How do you participate? Well, it couldn’t be simpler. At 8:30 PM local time just shut off all the lights in your house, and leave them off for one full hour. Anyone anywhere in the world can join in – and this year the WWF is hoping to have 1 Billion people participate.

Why do this? While shutting off the lights for one hour may not save the world nor stop Global Warming, it does show us the difference we can make by just making a few simple changes. It is a simple way you can help send a huge message: that we support and love our Earth.

Remember that we can’t build our own Exodar spaceship and we can’t just teleport to Outland or any other planet when the going gets tough. We only have one Earth, and making a few small changes is enough to help keep it healthy for generations to come.

Why do I care? I do play a Druid after all.  WoW may be my hobby, but being Eco-Friendly is part of my life style. I’m a vegetarian that eats Organic when ever possible. I buy local food via our local Farmer’s Markets. I shut off the lights whenever I leave a room and use CFL bulbs. I clean my home with natural cleaning products and use natural health and body products. Druids are very in touch with their natural surroundings in WoW, and I feel that way in my own life, too. And if I can pass on the message of Earth Hour to just one person through this blog, than it makes it all worth while.

So what can you do once you turn the lights off? (Or really, can you still play WoW?) Yes!! You can still play WoW, (unless you play on a light bulb?), just try to shut off as many lights in your house as possible. If you do decide to WoW it up during Earth Hour, here are a few things you can do to lower your power consumption, and your energy bill in the process!:

• Remember that a CRT Monitor takes up way more energy than an LCD Monitor does, so if you can, use an LCD for the night. LCDs on average use half to two thirds less energy than CRTs. If you are in the market for a new Monitor, look for one that is Energy-Star rated or is “Halogen-Reduced” (like the Dell Ultra Sharp 2009W) that avoids the use of Halogen in its parts.
• If you have a dual-monitor set-up, just turn one off for the night. Sure it can up your productivity to have two, but you will survive for one hour (or more!).
• A laptop takes even less energy than a desktop, so if you have one that can run WoW, unplug it and use it to cut down on your energy consumption.
• Use a headset! A headset uses less energy than a big speaker system, so turn off the speakers, put on a headset, and get into your WoW zone. I love playing with a headset because I get more into the game, and Northrend has such beautiful music you can enjoy while you play!
• Use a wired mouse! Wireless mice require batteries, which add a lot more garbage to landfills because people seldom recycle them properly. If you do decide to use a wireless mouse, use rechargeable batteries. It cuts down on waste and also saves you money in the long run. I personally prefer wired mice over wireless because they have a faster response time and are much more accurate for gaming.
• Turn off other electronics and appliances you don’t need while you play WoW. You don’t really need to have that TV or Radio on while you play. You will be more focused on your game and save a little energy while you are at it.

Last year I participated in Earth Hour by shutting off the lights in my house. This year I plan to shut off all the lights, the TV, and the computers and do something that doesn’t require any energy at all.

If you also decide to log off of WoW and shut down, there is plenty to do.  Many major cities around the globe also have events going on for Earth Hour (mine, unfortunately, does not), so check out the happenings in your own city. You can also check out this list from U.S. News and World Report for some ideas on what to do once the lights are out.

Still want to stay connected to the world during Earth Hour? You can use Twitter.com on your mobile phone or on your iPod Touch – and you can follow Earth Hour here!

For more information and to sign up to participate in Earth Hour, please visit their official website.

I thank you all again for helping me reach 10,000+ blog views. If you plan on participating in Earth Hour, please feel free to comment below and tell me what you will be up to!

March Madness

I have been a bad, bad blogger and I know it – but this March has been rough for me. There’s been a lot going on for me both in the game and in real life. I’ve been so overwhelmed with things going on that I’ve kinda pushed this blog onto the back burner. I have tons of ideas for posts, and I’ve started writing some, but I keep running out of steam or hitting some major writers block.

I have checked out the PTR some – unfortunately I haven’t raided Ulduar yet, but I have been inside it empty and the place is beautiful and huge. I’ve also played around with creating what will be my 3.1 Spec, so long as Blizz doesn’t do a massive change of things again for Ferals. Primal Gore, which grants periodic damage from Rake, Lacerate, Rip the chance to crit, is awesome and I think will help bump up our overall DPS numbers. The change to Improved Mark of the Wild which now increases all attributes by 2% is a welcome change for myself, as I have picked up the talent because I often end up being the only druid in 10 mans, and want my group to have the best buffs possible. I have also been checking out MMO-Champion daily to look over the Feral changes, new gear, and new weapons. (I hope to have a post up soon with more 3.1 data.)

Two things are apparent about the above picture. One is that I have been doing a lot of quests, the other is that I am guild less. I got my “Seeker” title a few weeks ago, without even realizing I was that close to completing 3,000 quests. I have done many more since then, as I am working on getting the “Loremaster” achievements and title. (I have roughly 200 quests left to go). I have been working on achievements hard core this past week because I’m not raiding, because of the guild less thing.

I left my guild <Leviathan> about a week ago because I wasn’t happy with the direction the guild was taking. Being that I was basically a Co-GM type of Officer, it was kind of a big deal to all the guild members. The other officers who were same rank as me were starting to miss the point on a lot of things I thought were major points on how to run a guild. They have this idea that in a serious Raiding Guild there is no place for “nice”. I wholeheartedly disagree. I think that there needs to be a balance of tough and nice, strict and respectful. They are fine with being assholes to everyone from fellow Officers to Trial ranks. I am of the mindset that the name over my head says a lot of me, and if I can’t stand behind my guild I can’t be in it. So I left. They just assume I will come back even though the officers are not really acknowledging the problems, and are not wanting to do anything about them.

So am I LFG? Maybe? I don’t know if I want to transfer to a new server. But for the record:  Alliance Feral DPS Druid seeks highly ranked Raiding Guild. 3.5K DPS, 5K Achievement Points. Have downed all bosses Normal and Heroic. Downed Sarth 2D. Highest ranked Alliance Feral Druid on Dalvengyr according to WoW-Heroes. Raids after 8PM EST. Prefer guild with other female raiders, no annoying teen players, and room for advancement.

I have a lot of new posts in the works. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things here soon. Thanks for the continued readership.

Sick Kitty

I have been a sick little kitty for the past few weeks on and off, dealing with this stinky cold I seem to get every Winter. I seem to be mostly over it, though – and hope to get all caught up with reading the constantly changing PTR Patch notes, and actually get in a raid or two in Ulduar soon. Once I can sift through all my thoughts and put something cohesive together, I will get back to posting. Promise!

In between cups of tea and boxes of tissues I have gotten a lot of raiding done the past week or so, too (since that is one thing I can do comfortably in my pajamas) – so I have some more thoughts on that to share as well.

Hope everyone else is fairing better. Spring is just around the corner now (I hope!).

More coming soon!

PTR Patch 3.1 Notes

As a blogger, there should be a rule against going to sleep early. Last night I decided to hit the hay a little earlier than normal, therefor missing the release of the Patch notes and all the hub-bub that went along with it. And now the PTRs are up! And, why of course, it has to be a hectic day for me otherwise, so I am just sitting down to digest all the patch notes and changes now.

Here is the PTR Patch 3.1 Notes Digest for Druids:

Druid Tier 8 !

Finally we get our first look at what our Tier 8 gear will look like for us. I was concerned after seeing what the Rogues had to work with, but am very pleasantly surprised that our T8 is quite Druidic indeed! Check it out here! I love all the paw prints, vines, and moons!!

Druid Glyph Changes

There are a few changes as well as a bunch of additions for all druids. No say on whether these will be Major or Minor glyphs, but it is nice to see a few additions that interest me. Feral Glyphs are bold.

• Glyph of Rebirth — Players resurrected by Rebirth are returned to life with 100% health. (Old: Increases the amount of health on a character brought back to life via Rebirth by 100%.)
• Glyph of Starfall  — Reduces the cooldown of Starfall by 90 sec. (Old: Increases the duration of Starfall by 2 sec.)
• Glyph of Berserk *new*  — Increases the duration of Berserk by 5 sec.
• Glyph of Wild Growth *new*  — Wild Growth now affects up to 6 targets.
• Glyph of Nourish *new*  — Your Nourish heals an additional 6% for each of your heal over time effects present on the target.
• Glyph of Savage Roar *new*  — Your Savage Roar ability grants an additional 6% bonus damage done.
• Glyph of Typhoon *new*  — Reduces the cooldown of your Typhoon spell by 3 sec.
• Glyph of Barkskin *new*  — Reduces the chance you’ll be critically hit by melee attacks by 1 to 0% while Barkskin is active.

Druid Class Changes

It’s nice to see changes across the board for all Druid Specs. Many changes for us Ferals. I will post more on what the changes will mean to me very soon.

Balance

• Faerie Fire now decreases armor by 5%. (Previously decreased armor by a set amount)
• Owlkin Frenzy (Tier 8 ) now procs off physical melee and ranged attacks. (Previously was triggered by all attacks)
• Owlkin Frenzy is now properly considered an Enrage effect.

Feral Combat

• Faerie Fire now decreases armor by 5%. (Previously decreased armor by a set amount)
• Savage Roar changed to increase physical damage done by 30%. (Previously increased attack power by 40%)
• Maim now stuns the target instead of incapacitate.
• *New Spell* Savage Defense, 1 rank, level 40 – Each time you deal a melee critical strike, you gain Savage Defense, reducing the damage taken from the next physical attack that strikes you by 25% of your attack power.
• Survival of the Fittest (Tier 6) now increases your armor contribution from cloth and leather items in Bear Form and Dire Bear Form by 11/22/33%. (Previously 22/44/66%)

• Predatory Strikes (Tier 4) now increases now includes Moonkin Form in its effect.
• *New Talent* Primal Gore, Tier 10, 1 point talent – Grants the periodic damage from your Rake, Lacerate and Rip abilities the ability to critically hit.
• Savage Roar is now considered an Enrage effect.

Restoration

• Abolish Poison now ticks every 3 secs for 12 secs. (Previously ticked every 2 secs for 8 secs)
• Replenish (Tier 9) : This talent is now re-named “Revitalize” and now also works with Wild Growth.

• Improved Regrowth (Tier 6) renamed Nature’s Bounty. Increases the critical effect chance of your Regrowth and Nourish spells by 5/10/15/20/25%. (Previously increased just regrowth crit by 10/20/30/40/50%)
• Intensity (Tier 3) now allows 17/33/50% of mana regeneration to continue while casting. (Previously 10/20/30%)
• Improved Mark of the Wild (Tier 1) now also increases all of your total attributes by 1/2%.
• *New Talent* Improved Barkskin, Tier 10, 2 point talent – Increases the damage reduction granted by your Barkskin spell by 5/10%, and increases resistance to Dispel mechanics by 30/60% while under the effect of Barkskin.
• Living Seed: This talent now accounts for your ineffective healing, rather than effective.
• Replenish: This talent is now re-named “Revitalize” and now also works with Wild Growth.
• Tree of Life: You can now use Nature’s Grasp and Thorns while within this form.

There are many, many other changes that will have an affect on myself and many druids regarding dual specs, mounts, raids, gear, among other things, that I plan to discuss soon.

These changes will certainly be tweaked many times before they ever hit us on the live Realms. I am trying my best to get my Druid copied to the PTR so I can mess around will all the changes (and maybe get in Ulduar raiding) before it does go live. There is also no set date for when this will go live.

Want to stay up to date with all Patch 3.1 goodness? Check out MMO-Champion.com for their great coverage on all the changes coming to the game we love.

Sixth Screenshot

It’s been making its way around the WoW Blogosphere, and now it is my turn! The rules are simple; just post the sixth screenshot from your WoW screenshot folder.

As I have been playing WoW for years, I had hundreds, if not thousands, of screenshots. Unfortunately, at the end of last year my hard drive crashed and I lost all my data, including screenshots. So while this isn’t the sixth shot I’ve ever taken, it is what I’ve got.

And it is Leviathan’s First 10 man Sapphiron Kill! My, my, how things have changed since then!

I think I will also copy Shawndra’s idea over on wishfullthought.blogspot.com of showing the sixth image from other locations. This is the sixth image from my image folder here on my WordPress blog.

Me in my fabulous Tier 4 showing off my Hippogryph!

If you would also like to participate in this little WoW blog meme, just show off your sixth screenshot! It’s as easy as that!

Blizzcon 2009, here I come!

Today Blizzard announced plans for this year’s Blizzcon 2009 Convention in Anaheim, CA. The two day event will take place on Friday, August 21st and Saturday, August 22nd.

To read the entire press release, head to Blizzard’s site.

It is way too early for me to make any predicitons on what they will be showing off, or what new games they will be announcing, but with the fact that Blizzard will not be attending E3 this year, I’m sure much will be in store for all Blizzcon attendees.

They have not released any information about when tickets will be going on sale, but they have mentioned that the convention will be explanding from 3 halls to 4 in the Anaheim Convention Center, which leads me to conclude that they will have many more tickets available for sale this year that last year and hopefully can avoid a similar ticket fiasco which prevented me from going last year.

I am going this year though!, as long as I can save up for the airfare and the hotel. (Thanks to a very awesomely connected friend I will not have to worry about getting the tickets the normal way.) So anyone with any recomendations on hotels, please pass the information along.

I should start brainstorming costume ideas. I could reuse my NE Druid (caster form) costume from a few years ago, or wear my NE Druid Cat form hoodie-costume from this past Halloween, but I think I will think up something new. I think it may be hot in California in August. Just a hunch…

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a Murloc pet.

Site Update

I figured it was about time to do some work on the site. I made the best of a sick day and changed the WordPress theme, as well as created a new Blog Header for the site with some art I have been working on for a new Twitter theme.

I hope the site is more easily navigated now that I have added categories to all my old stories.

Hope you like!

Starting Fresh

A brand new year is a great time to start over fresh, and WoW is no exception. I’ve certainly gone through my fair share of getting dealt the short end of the stick lately, and its been time for change.

So, I went ahead and made that change.

I honestly expected my first real post of the year to be about finding a great new guild on a great new server, and about making a whole batch of new friends there. After I began looking at other servers, I found many new opportunities awaiting me across many realms. Many sounded promising and would give me the chance to be rid of all the drama, grief, and other baggage Dalvengyr has given me over the years. I had even found a guild so promising I started seriously looking at what I had to do for a server transfer.

I was so excited about this other server and guild that I just had to tell my friends. I had long told them that if I was going to leave I would tell them in advance. So I logged onto their guild vent to talk to them, of course when their GM (yes, that GM) wasn’t logged on, to tell them what I was thinking.

And I think it was the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back”.

They had been toying around with the idea of starting our own guild for a few weeks now, ever since all the drama between their GM and I began. They even went and created the guild, just in case. Despite all this, I still wasn’t sure how seriously they had thought about leaving “Paradigm Shift”, especially as it seemed not everyone knew about the existence of the back-up guild.

I’m not sure if me talking about transferring was what kicked them into gear, but it sure felt that way. I think a few of them honestly believed that their GM would get over all the made-up issues and I would eventually be welcomed back with open arms. He didn’t get over anything; instead he just started calling me the “C” word. He was becoming more and more a tyrant, kicking anyone who flat out didn’t agree with him. And everyone was growing weary of his behavior.

We made our plan: they would all GQuit the next day, after they talked to the GM to try and leave on good terms. I was hopeful, but still not convinced they would actually leave and all join the new guild. They set out to talk to everyone who we wanted to follow us, stayed away from the GM’s “lapdogs”, and spread the word. I hoped that this time it was for real.

The next day I log on, half expecting to see them all still in “Paradigm Shift”, and with them all having changed their minds. Much to my delight, and surprise, a few had already made the switch over to our new home: “Leviathan”. And slowly but surely, one by one, everyone logged on, GQuit, and joined up with us in our new home.

No one had any luck in leaving on a good note. I’m not sure what was said, but I do know that he didn’t like anything he heard. Eventually so many people left “Paradigm Shift” to either join us, or other guilds, that he disbanded the guild and took the remaining members to another guild. It has only been a few days now, but we are having more and more of them trickle back to us. We’ve even been yelled at for poaching his members. We aren’t. He doesn’t realize that people can think for themselves, and see when something is wrong. He doesn’t realize that one qualification to being a good GM is to be nice, to be fair, and not to be an asshole.

I am honestly sorry for him, but more sorry for the guild he has invaded with his hopeless followers. But, like with all things, the truth will eventually come out. More people will see how messed up he is, and I’m sure that a few of them will follow our lead to “Leviathan”.

In the few short days that we have been a guild, we have already downed 10-Man Obsidian Sanctum, and all Four 10-Man Naxxramas Quarters, with several attempts on Sapphiron tonight. No drama, no fighting over loot, just good times. I was even able to get my fiancé’s Rogue into the raid Naxx, his first ever, as he just dinged 80 on New Year’s Day. After just a few days, we now stand at #20 (according to WoWjustsu) on our server over all.

I know what you all must be thinking. How do I know I’m not going to get screwed over again? After all, it is still essentially the same guild, just minus one key member, and with a new name. I obviously can’t know that; no one can know something like that. But I never do anything half-heartedly. And I trust these guys. After all, they were the ones that stopped me from transferring. Not by saying “Hey don’t transfer!!”, but by their actions. And we all know, actions speak so much louder than words. And they let my fiancé join the guild, without having to apply this time! And, and… and!!!

Ok, so I have a little more reassurance than that. We have no GM. Technically, we do, because we have to. But all the guild leading functions, actions, and decisions are shared by a group of Senior Officers. And they made me, yes me, a Senior Officer. Which means there is no way they can make stupid rules or invite stupid people or do stupid anything else without my say on the matter. And they have also made me in charge of our guild’s website, which deserves a whole other blog post of it’s own.

My biggest reassurance, however, isn’t a rank they can give me, or something they can put me in charge of. No, my biggest reassurance is that I know these guys, and I know that they really are good guys, despite what some idiot GM said or did. I trust them. And we all respect each other.

I never really saw how hard it was for a girl to gain any respect gaming until my whole experience with “Paradigm Shift” and its GM. But this whole entire experience has proved to me why it is so important to gain that respect, and why it is so, so very worth it.

Happy New Year!!!

I hope everyone had a happy and safe night! I decided to log on shortly after the ball dropped to check in on the festivities in Stormwind. Much drinking, dancing, and having a merry time.

A Year in Review

It’s hard to believe that a year ago I had never stepped foot inside any Raid instance. Back then I was still running my first real guild “Order of Cenarius”, trying to recruit a solid 10 members so we could finally raid Karazhan. I was level 70, trial-and-error learning my way to how to tank. DPS was something I only did soloing, or when we found a better tank. I certainly wasn’t an expert at anything I was doing then, and I certainly wasn’t expecting to ever become a “hardcore” raider.

In early 2008, after losing many members to larger guilds, the most active members of “Order of Cenarius” and I set out to find a new guild to call home. After trying to PUG Kara, and joining other Kara PUGS, we knew we couldn’t do it on our own. We decided to find a guild that would take us all, and that guild was “Brilliance”. We quickly embarked out on Karazhan, learning everything as we went, growing stronger and stronger with each week of experience and loot. I became a raid leader and main tank for my Kara group, and after many attempts we finally cleared all of Kara. As a guild we progressed on to defeat Gruul and Magtheridon, and eventually on to Void Reaver who we downed once. Yet, after all these successful raids, the guild began to crumble beneath us due to disputes and drama. Many of the members, including me, splintered off into a new guild, named “Intolerance”. I however quickly lost my tolerance for them, then decided to set off on my own to find a new guild.

After applying to many guilds, and a few short stays with some guilds I really didn’t like, I settled down with “Maelstrom”. I took a step back in my own raiding progression to join them, heading back into Karazhan raiding and prepping for 25 mans. We raided together very sucessfully through the summer of 2008, downing Gruul, Magtheridon, and Void Reaver yet again. As the summer waned, people started raiding less which in turn led to more drama and then once again, the guild fell apart due to disputes and drama.

By this point I was spending only part of my gaming time playing WoW, as I was participating in the Wrath of the Lich King Beta. I put my raiding career on hold, as Wrath was only a few months away, and spent the time I had playing around in Beta and farming gold in BC. I rejoined my old guild “Order of Cenarius”, which at this point had become just a bank for all of my characters’ junk.

In early November I decided it was time for me to start looking for a guild who planned to raid in Northrend. After a lot of searching, I came upon the guild “Luminosity”, and joined them as a trial member. Next thing I know I am in Black Temple, killing lots of baddies. I eventually backtracked with them and saw some more TK, SSC, and Mount Hyjal. I never got to down Archimonde or Illidan with them, but the experience of being in those big 25man raids was enough. This guild, too, suffered from more problems and the guild dis banned. Many of the members reformed as “Evolution” which also bit the dust after not very long. Once again many of the members reformed into yet another new guild. This one being “Paradigm Shift”.

Then we all got what we were really waiting for: Wrath of the Lich King. The members of “Paradigm Shift” quickly leveled up and began gearing up for Naxxramas. Two weeks after WotLK hit, I was already level 80. Next thing I know we are in Naxxramas and wiping, next thing I know after that we are in Naxxramas and downing stuff. It was definetly quite a high. But, alas, all good things must come to an end. A few weeks into raiding and I am out of “Paradigm Shift”. I don’t need to rehash out all the details, and frankly it all doesn’t matter anymore.

With just a few days left to the year, my boys of “Paradigm Shift” finally hang up their hats with that guild and that GM, and join our new guild, “Leviathan”. All my friends have come together to be in this guild, and we are running it right this time. We haven’t started raiding together yet, but that will all come in the new year. I will not be screwed over in this guild, I know it. We all respect each other more and know each other so well. I’ve also been made a Senior Officer, which is basically a Co-GM-type rank that a few of us share. I am also in charge of the guild website. It feels nice to be in this kind of guild. I’m looking forward to a lot in 2009 with these guys.

- – -

I started this blog in early August of 2008 to document all of this. In the beginning I barely had any traffic, other than my fiancé and one or two friends. I really began blogging for myself more than for anyone else, that people were reading and enjoying my blog was a huge bonus, but just a bonus. I started using Twitter not long after, and then became friends with many of the so-called “WoW Twitteratti” on there, which increased my blog traffic slightly. Then thanks to another WoW Blogger, Matticus from over on WorldofMatticus.com, and a link featured in an article on his site, my blog traffic went up exponentially. In the entire month of November I had a whole 52 views. In all of Decemeber my views had gone up to 836. While I haven’t gotten near the almost 200 hits I got on the day the Matticus post went up, I have averaged around 50 views a day since.

One of the more satisfying things for me though is seeing how many people come over from links and searches, versus how many come to the site without being referred through another site. The traffic from Google searches has certainly gone up a lot, with my Winter Veil guides I have written bringing in many people. But the thing I have noticed lately is that the number of people that come to the site directly has climbed higher than the number coming in over links. Which means I have a lot of people that come here on purpose, to read my bloggings.

I have a lot planned for DruidKitty the blog and Kathoid the actualy Druid Kitty for the year to come. 2009 will be a great year for me.

Thanks to all my readers that have made 2008 an amazing blogging year for me.

Love, Peace, and Best Wishes for this brand new year ahead of us.

-Kathoid