A hodge-podge of topics

One thing I forgot to mention when I wrote about it initially that I did like about VWars is that the vampires aren’t one size fits all. The type of vampire you are is based on DNA, so it manages to incorporate all the different types of vampires from around the world… well, except without actually going around the world. The different types are mentioned, but not all of them are seen. Props to the writer who chose to make their main character a Chinese hopping vampire, though!

In Warcraft news, I decided — now that the expansion is almost over, of course — that I wanted to try to get the legendary cloak. All the buffs Blizzard has been giving out pushed me over the edge into committing to the long-ass quest chain.

So far, it’s not difficult so much as it is a grindy pain in the ass. I’d already gotten almost to exalted with Wrathion from doing the Isle of Thunder rep grind, and I finished off getting the initial set of drop items from LFR when Blizzard had the first round of increased drop rates. Then I hit the “gather 3000 valor points” part. For those who aren’t familiar with the game, you can only earn 1000 valor points per week, and it starts from the time you pick up the quest. Well, I’d already collected quite a few vp that week because I was doing Pandaria faction dailies in my quest to hit exalted with all the main faction reps and buy all the faction mounts.

Side note: mission accomplished. The only reps I don’t have at exalted are Emperor Shaohao, Shieldwall (but I did all that on a different character, so I’m not in a rush to do it on my monk), and the Shado-pan Assault. So I have a new achievement and a new kite mount. Also a lot less gold.

ANYWAY. I could only earn about 200 more vp that week, so my quest to hit 3000 vp took a little longer. But I did it… and now I’m at the PvP part.

I hate PvP. I don’t enjoy it. I’m not good at it. I hated it when I was working on What A Long, Strange Trip It’s Been for the violet protodrake back in Wrath (yes, I got my violet proto before the achievements went account-wide), and I hate it now. I’m sure the PvPers hate it too because they get us PvEers flailing around in their battlegrounds, but believe me, guys, we don’t want to be there anymore than you want us to be there.

The worst thing is, Blizzard has released a drop rate buff from now until the 29th, so I have got to get the PvP part done so I can hit LFR and get as many of the Secrets of the Empire as possible in the next couple of days before Real Life kicks in, then do it again next week and pray I get close to 20 secrets before the buff goes away.

I really don’t mind the gathering parts. It’s grindy, and if the things you need don’t drop, you’re out of luck because after you run the necessary raids once, none of the Secrets (or whichever you’re looking for) will drop again, so you have to wait until the weekly reset. It’s a pain, but it’s not difficult. For me, the PvP aspect is difficult, and I suspect I’ll be running through the solo Nalak scenario more than once. But mostly, the quest chain is time-consuming. This is a weeks — possibly running into months — long commitment, but by golly, I’m going to stick with it because if I can do it, it means I’ll have my first legendary ever and it’ll still be current content.

I devoted a year to What a Long Strange Trip, so two-three months isn’t that bad in comparison. Or that’s what I keep telling myself as I keep queuing for battlegrounds after losing again.

I’m also on a mission to hit 200 mounts before the Warlords of Draenor xpac is released. I’m at 181, and I’ve reached the point where there are aren’t any mounts left I can get without a lot of gold or a lot of luck except the Argent Tournament ones (the expensive ones that cost 100-150 champion seals). So of course I’ve been hightailing it to Icecrown to do those dailies. I’m scrounging up gold so I can create a ruby panther, which is the last of the four Jewelcrafting panthers I need. I’m not going to try to make the onyx one because the idea of trying to make four more of the ruby/jade/sunstone/sapphire panthers is soul-crushing. I’m also trying to slap a mount out of Baron Rivendare in Stratholme, but so far, all I’m getting is cheese. Lots and lots of cheese. And moonberry juice. Skadi isn’t being very forthcoming either. He keeps giving me swords.

But sometimes I need a break from my monk, so I rolled a couple of new characters, including a worgen druid. I got him through the Gilneas starting zone, and he ended up with the weapon that always amuses me. It looks like a spiked banjo.