It’s been a while. A long while. And at least a decade since I updated this site with even a modicum of regularity or enthusiasm.

But I’m feeling the urge to resurface, return to posting, and attempt to resuscitate the community and see if there are signs of life.

Like many of you, I’m incredibly excited for WarCraft Forever.

And as with many of you, my life is very different now than it was 20+ years ago when I first explored Azeroth. I’m thrilled to start my journey all over again with a slightly different mindset and perspective, but with a similar sense of wonder and zest for adventure that I first experienced over two decades ago.

And of course I am going to main a hunter.

I’ll most certainly spec Beast Mastery.

And I’m feeling the urge to do it as a mustachioed, silver-haired Night Elf, because it’s just what needs to happen. I’ve truly enjoyed leveling a human hunter in the beta, but between the rush of nostalgia that comes with leveling in Teldrassil and Darkshore, combined with those updated racials, I’ve decided this next journey begins in Shadowglen.

I can’t wait.

As for the Huntsman’s Lodge, I’ve resurrected it from the grave. Almost literally, as I just became aware this past week that the site had been offline since September 2025. It was shocking for me to realize I hadn’t even visited it in over a year.

But I’m here now. I’ve re-entered the building and I’ve turned the lights back on.

Priorities have shifted significantly over the years, but I’m about to reshuffle them a bit.

Warcraft Forever feels like a pretty good reason to light the hearth, reopen the doors, and see who wanders back into the ol’ Lodge.

I don’t anticipate going too hard on any guides, but as I get myself ready for adventure, I’ll post what I’m doing and what’s working for me. And I’m certain I’ll have some stories, so I look forward to future conversation around our shared experiences.

If anyone is still out there, what are your thoughts on WarCraft Forever? Who else will be joining me?

Horde or Alliance?

SD or HD models?

What do you think of the reworked survival tree?

Excited for the new pet abilities?

And are you as confused and troubled as I am over Blizz’s decision to give dwarves a racial bonus for maces vs guns? Dwarf hunter is literally the face of this new game, yet they’re arguably the least viable race for a hunter now.

Not sure if Blizzard is trolling, but I certainly hope there’s an update incoming. It’s off-brand and just plain wrong to not give dwarves a gun racial.

But that’s not all… The moment I dinged 65 I joined a group for the Direbrew daily and I won the Swift Brewfest Ram! This was easily one of my most coveted mounts in WoW retail and yet I’d never seen it drop, so you can imagine my delight when I not only saw it drop but then won the roll!

What’s even crazier is that both mounts dropped on the same kill! Our entire group needed on both – with me rolling a 13 on the Swift Brewfest Kodo and a winning 94 on the ram. It simply was meant to be.

After all these years, I still get a lot of satisfaction from this game.

I’m feeling the urge again. The excitement around Shadowlands and the longing for some classic huntering has brought me back. After this last extended break I’m feeling renewed and possibly ready to make a few updates to the site *gasp*.

This month marks the 12 year anniversary of this website. It’s wild to think how much time has passed and the changes that have taken place – inside and outside of the game – yet WoW is still going strong. Who would have thought..?

If you’re into nostalgia, here’s a look at which pet I was leveling 12 years ago today (just after the launch of the Wrath of the Lich King pre-patch) and the reason why.

Since I last posted, I did return for WoW Classic for a short while and thoroughly enjoyed it. This time around I was influenced to main horde, but I was of course fixed on the class choice. I’m still partial to the night elf flavor and lore, but there isn’t much to not like about troll hunter.

The demands of life outside the game got the best of me and I decided to hang up my bow and stable my bat end of last year, but my leisure time window is about to crack open again. In addition to checking out the Shadowlands pre-patch, I look forward to getting back to Classic as well.

Anyone else planning to return for Shadowlands? Those of you playing Classic, what do you think?

I’ve been disengaged the past few years. Legion was good forward progress in this era of accessible WoW, but BFA has been a complete poop show. I love the aesthetics, soundtrack and ambiance, but the game play and replayability (or lack thereof) is as the kids would say… trash.

Classic cannot come soon enough! More to come…

Despite the less than welcomed hunter changes Blizzard force fed us for Legion, I am really enjoying this expansion so far. I mean…I am really, REALLY enjoying it.

Although I was up in arms over our shattered class, after some debate and soul-searching, I decided that starting this expansion on any class other than hunter would just feel…well…

wrong.

The hunter is strong in me. I still can’t bring myself to enjoy Blizzard’s melee hunter class fantasy or their Tarzan spec, but I am experiencing some satisfaction as a Marksman. While not terribly complicated to play, it is a frenetic spec with a bit of a skill cap, and when played correctly, the damage is oh-so-nice.

I do miss my traps, however.

And Master’s Call.

But I am learning to adapt.

I’m still feeling a wee bit squishy, though not as bad as before, and MM is maybe a little bit too cleave-happy, but it’ll be my spec of choice until Blizzard revisits Beast Mastery and makes it into a spec I can enjoy once again.

I love, love, love the artifact weapon system. I had my doubts at first, but wow…they did a bang-up job with this, IMO. Weapon progression has that rewarding feel that I haven’t experienced for some time, and treasure-hunting for that sweet, sweet artifact power is a blast.

And my god, is this game pretty now. The detail which was added to the environments, and the little things like the current actually moving you when you’re in a rapidly moving stream, adds a whole new layer of depth.

Also, the artwork and quest lore is far superior to anything I’ve seen from this game in some time. The questing experience has been truly immersive.

I’d say that apart their disappointing approach to “reinventing” the hunter class, Blizz knocked it out of the park with this expansion, from a leveling standpoint anyway. I have been enjoying the leveling experience so much, that I’ve been taking my time – making sure that I stop to smell the roses. So much so, in fact, that I still haven’t hit max level.

I’ve also been overhauling my UI, which has slowed me down as well, but with all of these changes, I’ve found it necessary to adapt my interface to the new and simpler, yet proc-happy play-style.

All in all, Legion has been a sheer pleasure so far and I’m hopeful that Blizzard will listen to our cries and work towards a compromise with the hunter community – introducing updates and changes that will help to fix some of what they’ve wronged. Until then, I am going to…

How are you guys enjoying Legion? Which spec have you found to be most pleasing? Let us know in the comments.