I post to the Forum, trying to organize a group to do something, and don't get enough response to make a viable group.
I respond to other's postings trying to get something organized and the same happens to them.
I sit in Ironforge for hours looking for a 'pubbie' group and am often rejected because I'm a hunter, and there are too many of us. Alternately, I get into a group that doesn't make because they can't find a healer and people get tired and leave. Alternately, I get into a group and we start rolling, and run into some minor difficulty on the run and the whole thing unravels. In the last two weeks I've sat on my ass endlessly in Ironforge and gotten into One pubbie group that actually accomplished it's goal, and the primary purpose of that was to get ready for Tahapanes group that was supposed to run today that didn't happen.
I've never enjoyed PvP, and shouldn't have tried it.

I'd like to thanks Hykim for getting me into this... it's been real fun. I'd also like to thank Niniuin (Wherever you are now), and Rylea, and Flyndar, and Tahapenes, and Lochnar... The bestest times were when the 6 of us were coming up together I really really enjoyed it a lot. I've never capped a character before, and you are the reason I was able to, plus, Hunters Rock.

I'd also like to that Sabramage, and Sharanna, and Gnolack, and Etheramwen, and Celethirian, and the cast of 1000 Malts... Thanks for making me feel welcome.

Soloing rocked... being able to solo till something came up and then hop into that rocked... Not being able to do anything unless you get a blanaced group of 5, or 10, or 15, or 40 people all with a common purpose and goal for an extended block of time, trying to organize it and wait... oh lord i hate the waiting... while people get ready to go just so doesn't... It's the thing I hated most about EQ, and, unfortuantely, this game, which held all appearances of being different in the beginnning, degenerated into the same thing, it just took a little longer.

Have fun, Stay Alive;

Cat

Seems to me that all your frustrations revolve around being level 60

Have you thought about levelling up a Hunter on the other side?

Or a different class? I don't play my 60 paladin hardly at all (once last week) due to the same things you are experiencing. I don't have the patience you do however -- if I can't immediately find something interesting to do I'll switch over. I agree with you -- if it isn't fun don't bother.

But if you loved soloing (with opportunistic grouping), by all means try it again! Pick a different race/class/faction, level up in different areas, and the game is almost brand new again.

Playing a primary healer is giving me a new perspective, and so is playing the Horde. I'll never see Onyxia, or MC (or probably even UBRS) but like me it sounds like you loved the pre-60 game, and there is still a lot more to experience...

Cat does have other characters, even horde ones. I can't speak up for Cat though and say whether or not those other characters are fun enough to stick it out, but Cat does indeed have and plays other characters and factions.

Sorry to see you go.

If it aint fun, it aint fun. I was glad I got to group with you a few times finally, it was always good times. I know Treesh is struggling with whether or not the game is something she wants to continue with as well. I hope she finds her groove, but I understand there just may not be one. Looks like you are there.

The malts will still be there if you want to come back. Can't say if it'll make any difference for you but that's that.

Have fun with whatever else you may find to do with you time!

I'm playing my 5th character class now, and I can definitely confirm that WOW is - in its current state - NOT a game for the solo player, especially the casual solo player. And I'm saying this after playing my 5th character class that is allegedly well suited for solo gaming most of the time (Shaman, Warlock, Hunter, Druid, (offensive) Warrior). The statement "WOW is solo playable from level 1 to 60" must be clarified. Yeah, you can play WOW solo from level 1 to 60 if you accept the following:

- Stick to normal, non-elite type monsters whose rewards are not nearly as good as that of elite monsters, let alone elite boss monsters
- Stick to grinding monsters that are equal to your level, but are better 2-3 levels lower than you (because of the high probability of adds)
- Stick to grinding monsters with no more than 2 expected adds (max.)
- Forget elite quests of your level (and their desirable rewards) unless you find a 5-people party you can trust
- Forget (elite) instances of your level unless you find a 5-people party you can trust
- Avoid the PvP servers where ganking seems to be some kind of fun sport, courtesy of Blizzard's definition of "honor" - 'nuff said
- Accept the fact that you will never be, for example, a high level 300 armor or weapon smith unless you spend ages of ore farming in areas that are completely overrun (i.e. Searing Gorge, Burning Steppes) and spend ages, or a lot of money, for the insanely rare high level crafting recipe drops (mostly from elite instances)
- Avoid to become an Enchanter, because your's truly master teacher sits DEEP in the catacombs of the elite instance Uldaman
- Accept the fact that the items that you could potentially craft are almost all (much) weaker than most instance (boss) drops, and on top of that require ingredients that are so insanely rare that you will hardly be able to collect them all alone

That's just some things I can think of at the moment. There's certainly more.

So, what could you do instead of canceling your account (the obvious), and wait while Blizzard implements the (promised) solo contents?

1.) Make a main character, play it to level 60, and then grind good items for your next characters. Soloing (elite) instances up to level 45 for that purpose is possible with a level 60 character, if you are a bit careful.

2.) Instead of playing just 1 new, additional character class, make more and give them all a different set of professions. Money and items are coming from you main (grinding) character in the beginning. The bonus of playing more new characters is that a.) things shouldn't get too boring anymore and b.) that you can profit from a quite big 200% experience bonus while the other characters, who you're not playing in the meantime, enjoy an extended rest state. This speeds up leveling your newbies a lot. The more additional characters you play, the better is that overall bonus on average.

3.) Once your new characters and their professions have reached a high enough level, start selling the good stuff in the auction houses. Example: My main UD Warrior is a Thorium and Arcane crystal farmer (being mostly a solo player, I've currently given up the insane task of becoming a level 300 armor smith). My UD Warlock (2nd char, Tailoring/Enchanting) will be used to enchant that Thorium and sell it for good money, and also provide 12-slot (and better) bags for my other new characters. My Orc Shaman (3rd char, Herbalism/Alchemy) will transform the Arcane crystals of my UD Warrior into the very expensive Arcanite bars and sell them for big money in the auction houses, and also provide the others with good potions. It's a small company, so to speak, and once these three characters are high enough, the cash flow will be very good. From that cash, you can then buy mounts and items for every new character, and finally buy the one or other epic item for your main character that you could previously not get or afford. By the way, Tailoring/Enchanting are an excellent choice for a 2nd character, because you can hand down a lot of cloth and unusable items (for Disenchanting) from your main character. These two professions are THE best choice if you want to "push" professions using other characters.

4.) Blizzard promised that there WILL be (a lot) more (casual) solo player content in the future. Although Blizzard promises a lot, there is a good chance that it will come in the near future, because the voices of unsatisfied customers have become louder lately.

Well, this are basically my suggestions for the soloist - Don't stick to just one character, beause as a soloist, you will be highly disappointed with WOW in its current state once you reach the higher ranks.

Last, but not least, I have to note: No matter how well done and innovative WOW is as the Internet game of the "next generation", the age-old "quickie" hack-and-slash Diablo/Diablo II were and still are damn good, uncomplicated multiplayer Internet games for the casual (solo) player, whose addiction potential probably surpasses that of WOW just because the underlying game principle is so simple implemented.

First, to stay on topic, I'm sad to see you go, Catlyn, though I haven't had a chance to play with you, as I haven't played on SR. If you start an alt on Tich or, for some reason, Warsong horde, look me up.


Nobbie, I agree with you WoW is not completely friendly to a solo player in that not all, or even most content is open to a solo player. That said, pre-60, they can do most quests, and level in most areas. On a Normal or RP server, solo players are largely quite safe to do these things, and most areas are available... only instances and elite quests are unavailable for solo players. While this does block solo players from the best loot, they still have good access to random drops (the same as anyone else, really), and there are many quest rewards. Besides, shouldn't parties be rewarded for organizing a well oiled multi-man killing machine as opposed to the usual 1 man killing machine.

At 60, I'll agree with you that most content seems group oriented, and the solo experience for capped characters is lacking. That said, it's hard to think of something that solo capped characters would enjoy, as they already have all the levels they couold gain. Perhaps an ever-shifting instanced Labyrinth, generated with challenges based on class, with fun consumable item rewards, or more soloable crafting quests? Something more could be done, I suppose.

That said, I have to say WoW feels like a very soloable RPG, especially after playing FFXI, where, past level 10, literally nothing could be done without a group except maybe fishing. For an MMO, this is as solo friendly as I've ever seen.

Yes, but at the moment, grinding throuh equal or lower level mobs and/or quests are the only options for the (casual) solo player in WOW. That's not enough for a game that calls itself "solo friendly for everyone", even if it's an MMOG. We'll see what Blizzard will do about that in the (near) future.

With all these current disadvantages though, what keeps me playing WOW - even as soloist - is the fact that Blizzard actually seems to be successful in their fight against cheats and hacks. For the first time, I have the impression that a Blizzard game is "clean", meaning the economy is intact (stable prices and few very good items in the auction houses seem to be testament to this). For that reason alone, I'd pay the 10 bucks monthly, and there's no way that I'll ever go back to a completely destroyed gaming realm like the Diablo II Battle.net, even if they are "free".

I don't understand how you think PvP isn't fun (though I've heard Hunters outright suck in solo combat), but to each his own, I guess.

My advice is to take a week or two off and come back. Every time I've taken a week off, I've come back with renewed interest.

And Catlyn, if you do decide that this is just a break, rather than a separation, I for one will be more than happy to see you again.

For your persistance, you have my respect, and for your ever ready good advice to me, you have my warmest personal regards.

La Mage would never have made it to Gadg without you.

The enchanter isn't THAT deep into uldaman... if you take the back entrance.

Though I'm sorry to see you go, Catlyn, the path you're on is a fairly familiar one for quite a few MMO addicts. Though WoW has kept my interest more solidly and longer than any other MMO so far, it seems the pattern of most MMO players I know to play a game (somewhat obsessively) for a while and then to move on to something else. I'll hope that if we don't see each other again in WoW, we'll meet up in some other game. Good luck, and remember that having fun is the most important part.

Where is the Uldaman back entrance?

Looking at the badlands map, there is a cave south-east of the main entrance, probably a 2-3 minute ride. IIRC, there is only a few beasts and a set of nonelite scorpions between there and the enchanter.

Using your void walker taunt, then shield, you might be able to get past the elites, then soul stone and suffering -> Rain of Fire to beat the nonelites....maybe. I haven't tried this, but it might work.

A single moderately equipped 60 warrior can escort someone's level 35 enchanter alt into Uldaman through the back entrance to the trainer in less than 20 minutes. I did so last week. Even easier if the alt has healing skills.

Thanks for the tip, I'll try that immediately.

Completely OT, but I've just heard in TV that Michael Jackson is NOT guilty in all 10 cases. Go(o)d has prevailed again, and Evil take note: You can't jail God's children, no matter how hard you try!

No we don't suck

Yesterday, at level 51 I killed a level 57 one on one. When I was 47 me and a 48 Rogue killed a level 58.

I have killed every class in a fair or disadvantaged fight and in turn lost to most of the classes.

It's fun to pvp with a class which wins some and loses some I think rather than a Rogue (win every time if you're careful and somewhat ruthless) or a Pally (draw every time). I really think Hunter does let you win quite extreme fights if it all goes well but is balanced by the class's occasional tendency to completely unravel.

I think the new battlegrounds suit hunters well. In fact our reputation seems to be growing from pvp minnows to one of the more scary classes. Our Horde team was very intimidated today by an opposition with 4 hunters

I gather from another thread that you had a bad experience of pvp, Catlyn, and I hope you can put it behind you

"Go(o)d has prevailed again, and Evil take note: You can't jail God's children, no matter how hard you try!"

I don't want to steer this thread off topic, but I hope you are kidding. Good people are jailed and killed every minute, and plenty of bad ones evade justice (at least in this life).

Michael Jackson, for one.

Can we take this discussion to a seperate thread outside of the WoW forums please?

I'm in the same boat with a main as a Hunter, only a little behind you.

My only advice for what it is worth would be to set it aside for a bit, play an alt, or play something else, or go outside and get a tan, whatever you enjoy. If a raid is forming up, then jump in if you can, if you want. If you want to be in high demand all the time for instances then build a healer (ask Treesh, or Hillary), or a main tank (ask Tal or GG).

I believe we should choose a set day and time (offset with CA or GoE) for Stormrage Lurkers to organize a raid on one of Scholo, BRD, BRS, or Strat. I say "raid" so that the most number of people can attend, with the sole purpose of gearing up. This means that we will need to encourage, cajole, persuade all our tanks and all our healers to rotate in and help and not burn out the same people.

But, without patience I would have been frustrated months ago. Remember that everyone who is playing as we do has goals of things they are trying to get done as well. Maybe give back a little of what you got (or didn't get, but wanted). I built some alts who were able to lead a number of groups through the Deadmines, and BFD. I've learned Gnomeregan, Scarlet Monestary, Uldaman, and now Maraudon enough to lead groups through them. I need more time in all the others.

This is already in the works, from my understanding. CA's planning 2 nights a week for a raid? Darian, can you confirm that for me? Thursdays are the CA raiding nights and will be filled with Lurkers AFTER CA members have all logged on. The other night is more of a free form Lurkers/CA thing. I think if we had full attendance on both sides we'd have more than enough to man 2 raids at the same time. The hard part is timing. Not everyone is always on at the same time. I know Catlyn could only raid really on weekends, and I'm not around then. Fridays and Saturdays I'm almost always a no. Sundays are easier for me, but then that's the day most families have cookouts etc, so it's sketchy at best.

Just my 2 cents, from someone who organizes A LOT of stuff.

>Shhhhh<

I'll reply to this. Artega, the fact is, I tried PvP when Honor came out, I've done some BG this past week, and found it fun, *but*, not fun enough to pull me away from tanking instances with guild, 2-guild, and even pubbie groups, or pull me away from my alts. (note: the pubbie groups, I'm usually pulled into by someone I know, so they're not *completely* random). Note I didn't say BG wasn't fun, because it is, but I have other stuff that's more fun.

It's just different strokes for different folks. Nothing more or less.

And a note on hunters.....my troll war (arms/fury) just *loves* to eat hunters for lunch. Their pets just can't hurt me enough to slow me down in killing the hunter in a fluid multi-person PvP situation, like Battlegrounds. (So, you see, I *do* PvP some, just not a ton)

I'll ramble a sec. I now have a 60. 60 Human Warrior, about 2/3 tank spec, including concussion blow. Main arms/fury points are for tac mastery, cruelty, and piercing howl, the rest in protection. She loves to tank. And I like the challenge. So, about half the nights, I do exactly that. I tank instances, I tank for guildies to help them, I group with guildies to do elite quests, I tank for my duo-buddy, whatever. Yes, a lot of content up here requires another person. There's still a lot of stuff I can do solo and have fun.

The rest of the time I spend playing my alts. Right now, I'm raising my current stable of alts to 20 to see which one will become the 2nd main, to start leveling a little harder. To me, the variety of things you can do in this game is staggering, really.

However, having said all that: If it's not fun, it's time to go. Whether permanently or temporarily, you need to step away, and see if it pulls you back. If it doesn't, then you can go on without it, and if it does, we'll welcome you back.

My $.02, FWIW

Yeah, my 60 war did exactly that this week. Nothing hard, really. For the non-elite scorps, I just pulled into the middle of them, popped thunderclap, then challenging shout to keep them on me for 6 seconds while my buddy AOE'd them, and i just piercing howl'ed to keep them slowed down while he finished the AOE. No problem.

That's pretty much correct, although CA itself is close to reaching the point where we'll have too many people for one raid on Thursdays unless we say to hell with it and do Onyxia. (EDIT: Meaning we're probably going to have to start running two raids on Thursdays, and therefore we'll have plenty of space to invite you guys.)

CA's schedule at this point:

Mondays (starting next week): raid night, open invites to Lurkers without preference to CA
Thursdays: raid night, CA first, invites to Lurkers if there's still space to fill
another night or day yet to be determined: PvP

Thanks for the map. That should help a lot as I expect at least 3-4 visits at the Master Enchanter in Uldaman to get to crafting level 300

If you bring enough gold and mats with you, you can skill up, learn all her tricks right there and only need one trip. I have no idea how much they cost though.

Here is a plan;

Bring within what you can carry for re-sale later (Plate gloves, rogue or hunter boots, plate bracers) or bring people who will carry stuff or want these enchants.

225-230 Enchant Gloves - Strength // 2x LNE, 1x Vision
230-235 Enchant Shield - Greater Spirit (worthless enchant, btw) // 1xGNE, 2xDream
235-240 Enchant Boots - Agility // 2xGNE
240-245 Enchant Bracer - Strength // 1xGNE, 2xDream
245-250 Enchant Bracer - Stamina // 5xDream

Minimum total mats needed;
10x LNE, 5xVision, 20xGNE, 45xDream
(I'd bring some extra's just in case)

Her top enchants are at 250, then you can learn them all.

I find it rather funny that the backdoor is to the SE of the main entrance, while inside the instance, it's actually slightly NW.

I really like this schedule. With it, and my work schedule, if I miss one, I can catch the other. As I made last nights, for instance, I will miss Thursdays. Next week I'd miss mondays, but catch Thursday.

Many times small maps are not oriented with north on the top

Kinda like how Ironforge is pretty much due north of Stormwind...but the Deeprun Tram runs East/West...

My level 40 Warlock just made the trip through the Uldaman "backdoor" to the Master Enchantress Annora with the help of some friends. Through the backdoor, she is actually right around the corner. The trip lasted less than ten minutes (with the help of a Thottbot map). For a solo level 50+ Warlock (or Mage/Priest), that trip would still be too difficult though, because of a.) (elite) adds and b.) the mass of nasty (non-elite) scorpions that must be killed before Annora walks to her tent and is available for talking at all!

Anyway, I had put piles of disenchanted ingredients into my backpacks before (Greater Nether Essence, Vision Dust, Dream Dust etc) and actually managed to learn all her tricks up to Enchanting level 250 during that trip. So, thanks again for the hint; my young level 40 Warlock is now a level 250/300 Enchanter (and a level 260/300 Tailor), which is very good for that character level. Enchanting/Tailoring was an excellent choice for my second character (my first one is a level 60 Warrior), because she could push her professions very quickly through the materials my level 60 Warrior has grinded in the meantime