Legends of the Beast

Legends of the Beast Chapter 1 page 3

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:20:00 +0000

Althoran then gave his sister a big hug as he greeted her. “I’m gonna miss you little D, you know?” he murmured.

“Yeah, I know. You’ve always been a softie.” Deandris said with a slight grin, her dimple almost showing.

“When will we see each other again?” She asked as her eyes suddenly filled with an air of uncertainty.

"I don't know for sure. I wish that I did, but I have something for you" he said.

"Here." Althoran said as he pressed a woven bracelet into her palm. I want you to keep this so that when you are sad or need a pick me up, you can look at it and know that I love you,” he said putting his hands onto her lithe shoulders.

Althoran had picked out this bracelet because it had the colors of his sisters yellow eyes woven in a twisting pattern around a course brown material that was somehow extracted from the Trees of Teldrassil. They were difficult to obtain, but he knew it would be worth the appreciation his sister would have for it. However, Althoran had his own selfish reason for giving this bracelet to his sister. There was something else that was special about this bracelet. He had taken in to his fellow Elune brethren and they had put an aura on it that made it possible for him to feel the presence of his sister wherever his travels would carry him. This gave his the ability to check in on his little sister and get a feeling for how she was doing.

"Keep his on, ok?, he said, I've got to get going or I won't make it in time."

“Thanks Alth, I’ll never take it off my wrist. You make sure to take care ok?” She said.

“I will, no doubt about it,” he said grinning.

With his goodbyes being said, Althoran turned and began his journey toward Teldrassil. Luckily for him, these goodbyes had been easier than he thought they would. Althoran figured that it must be due to the feeling he had in his chest that he was going to make a difference......

I've got a fever.....

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:06:00 +0000

....and the only prescription is more cowbell!!!

In my meaderings yesterday I came across this. I am not sure how I ended up there, but I found in the end that it somehow related to WoW.
At the end of the clip you see the name "In memoriam: Gene Frenkel: 1950-2000." Well I googled the name "Gene Frenkel" and reviewed the results. I decided to click on the Wikipedia result. As I read through the information there, I found that there are some WOW quests that are related to this hilarious skit:

The only cure is more green glow (the comparison here is the only cure...) and
Needs more cowbell. (more cowbell!!!)

I think that this is one of the things that makes WoW what it is. You have little nuggets like this hidden into quests or NPC's that make you laugh - but the key is that you have to really be paying attention to get it.

Thanks Blizz!

Fox Trot

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:03:00 +0000

One of the comics that I really like is Fox Trot. Especially the ones that has the younger son Jason playing a game very similar to WOW. I don't know how long it'll be up but go check it out:

http://www.foxtrot.com/. Good stuff!!!
One of my favorites is when he is playing and he gets like the best loot in the game to drop and right before he goes to grab it, somone in the corporate office accidentily unplugs the server and he doesn't get the weapon. Pretty funny I thought.
Fox Trot....For the Win!!!

Edit: Below is an image of the comic.....

Sorry if it's to small!!!

A couple thoughts about WOTLK

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:27:00 +0000

So I have been following Mania's site and going over all of the cool information that is on her site about the new pet changes in WOTLK. She has been really diligent in putting awesome information together and has been getting help from other hunter's in the beta which is cool.
I think that it is so cool all of the changes that they are making for pets and making more and more pets viable to have for different hunters. I am excited to see what the smack animation looks like! Variety is always a good thing. Mania posted today that currently Blizz is thinking about having 4 stable slots - awesome!

I think that it is a great idea because not only will hunters want to test out the 3 different talent trees that are available, but also the unique skill that each pet family has. To be honest though, I was kinda bummed that cats have prowl - a cool skill yes, but when compared to some of the other ones kinda makes it lacking when you consider how many cats are in the game right now.
It will be interesting to see what Blizz does with cooldowns and focus cost on some of these abilities - some of them make a certain family more inviting than others due to their special abilities. All in all though It makes for a lot of fun for hunters in trying out different pets for different situations. I am so pumped to see what kind of exotic pets and skills will be available.

Warcraft and other Hooha had a great post about the Death Knight quest chain that gave a good insight into what you have to do to become a Death Knight and an interesting take on it - a good read - go check it out!

Legends of the Beast Chapter 1 Page 2

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:29:00 +0000

Adoris gently fastened it around his neck and kissed his cheek. “I will miss you,” she said looking into his eyes.

“And I you,” Althoran said. ”Where is Deandris?”

“She is down at the moonwell,” Adoris replied. “Ande'thoras-ethil my son.”

Althoran replied “Elune-adore mother, I love you.”

Without another word Althoran turned and headed out the door of the cozy elven cottage and headed toward the middle of town where the moonwell was located. His sister Deandris often went there for her druidic meditations. Althoran loved his twin sister and since their youth, they had been very close. As hard as it was to say goodbye to his mother, he knew it would be even harder to say goodbye to his best friend.

The world was still in turmoil. There was always a need for a new hero to join the alliance’s quest for peace. Althoran had decided for some time now that he needed to stand up for what he felt in his heart was right. That feeling had now motivated him to travel to Shadowglen so that he could join up with other Night Elves in training there that had joined the cause of the Alliance. Although he still did not feel trust towards the other races of the alliance just yet, he knew that there must be some good in them if they had joined the cause that the Night Elves had embraced.

As Althoran traveled through the streets to the moonwell he saw his sister. As she sat in meditation, Althoran smiled to himself. Deandris had a dimple on the left side of her face just under her markings – it always became more visible the harder she was in concentration or when she was really happy.

As Althoran approached she stopped her meditation and got up to greet him in one fluid motion. Althoran hugged her and then mouthed the words to a small blessing. Althoran had been initiated into the Elune brotherhood and due to this had access to a few blessings and spells that other did not. This one was his favorite because it brought hope and warmth and blessed the individual with Elune’s guidance.

Top 10 favorite memories of WoW

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:08:00 +0000

In no particular order:

When I realized how awesome my pet was! - I was questing in SV on the goblins on the hill (strip miners I think?) and as I was doing this an undead toon goes flying up the hill and then later comes back down with a train that decided I would be its final destination. Well my pet started attacking them and there were like 4 or 5 of them. I decided to employ the old run far enough away and then recall the pet before he dies. Well I got a little ways away when Malpherious (Humar) started tearing into them - I turned around in amazement and helped him finish them off - it was awesome.
Tanking as a Paladin in the Stockades with a PUG - This was my favorite pug ever - there were a couple guys from all over and they had me tank and they all stood back and did there thing (all casters I think) It was the funnest experience I have ever had in an instance. I can see why it would be fulfilling to be a good tank (not that I was mind you! - but I did well enough that we pretty much breezed right through the instance.)
Getting my 1st EPIC piece of gear - yep my Epic Helm!
Participating in an AV shootout - in the little experience that I have in PVP being in a battle fest where spells are blowing up all over and people are running everywhere and being able to be in the midst of it is just awesome.
Finding a name you like for your pet - when you finally get it right - the name just matches and grooves with your pet.
Meeting another blogger in game - I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Faeldray from Petaholics Anonymous - one of my funnest memories.
Getting my Hunter to Level 70 (my first 70) - A huge accomplishment that I really kind of never thought would happen.
Getting a flying mount. How fun is flying? May I someday be able to enjoy the Epic flying mount.
Having a Horde toon help me down something I was trying to solo so I can finish a quest. I know that I wouldn't have been able to accomplish some of the Elite Mastery quests in Nagrand.
Benefiting from the kindness of strangers - and hopefully I did the same for someone sometime. I am especially grateful for those players who have helped me in the past so that I didn't have to do it completely solo. :)

My First Epic PRPLZ Gear!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:19:00 +0000

YES!!!!!!!! IT....IS.......MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is this not the coolest looking Hunter helm? I love it!!!

And it is glorious!!!!!! I had to grind out some AV's (quite a few no thanks to the Horde :)) on Friday night late into the manana, but oh is it worth it. For me this is a huge accomplishment being able to get this helm - even if it is what some consider a "welfare epic." I am really grateful that Blizzard allows gamers that can't get the epic loot from PVE for one reason or another to get items such as this. WOOT!!!!

(P.S. Bonus points for naming the Tavern the screenshot was taken in)

The pet that I have been using recently and have really enjoyed is the Black Outland Raptor model. One of my favorite drinks is Sobe's Lizz Blizz and it just seemed to fit my new pet because he is a Lizard and well Blizzard is the games creator. So here is Sobe:

Nothing like a Big Red Raptor!!!

I am bummed that I was not able to get the Gladiator's Chain Spaulder's to match the helm, but there are so many hours in a day and day's in a week, etc. Anyhow, I think that the Merciless Gladiator's Chain Spaulders might actually still look cool with this helm.

Now the big question. I have been eyeing the Merciless Gladiator's Crossbow of the Phoenix. With the new patch today this will become avaiable to me once I get the honor.

I know that this is big for PVP, but with the 3.0 weapon speed and considering I am a Beastmaster Hunter, I am wondering if this would be a decent upgrade from my Valanos' Longbow. Decisions Decisions. Any advice would be appreciated :).

Ok and the next "page" of Legends of the Beast will be coming soon!

Whew....now what?

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:04:00 +0000

Two Big Whew's for me!

Well the last couple of weeks have been crazy to say the least.

Whew # 1

About a week and a half ago I dinged 70 WOOT! I promptly grinded out the gold that I needed to get my flying mount. I chose the white griffon. And man, isn't flying awesome!!! It's definately one of the coolest things in game I think.
I then went and grinded out the rest of the needed reagents (and a couple of items from the auction house) to complete my felstalker set. Once I completed that...Onto PVP baby!!! This is the first time that I have officially been into PVP....I waited because I wanted to be level 70. It's a lot of fun!!! Alterac Valley has been a blast. It's just crazy when their is a group of Hordies and Alliance players duking it out all in a big group. All the spells and stuff going crazy...it's insane!!! I love it!!
Anyhow I am trying to grind to get the Helm and Spaulders quick because I think they are going to be replaced soon? I just really like the look of them - and they are a definite upgrade!
Also I got my bracers enchanted! Kinda nice! I can start working on my enchants and picking out better gems and stuff.
So now what? I'm seventy, what do I do? Well, I've got some plans. I really wish that I could raid, but right now time restraints are going to keep me from that - hopefully in the future? So that being said, I am going to work on Sha'tari Skyguard rep and also on my Netherwing rep.
I am looking forward to improving in PVP to.

Whew # 2

Last Saturday I finished my MBA!!!! WOOT. I think that it's safe to say that a masters is as far as I am going to go. I can actually get to know my family again :D

So now what? Ah yes the epic grind to get my C.P.A.

Anyhow, that's what's been keeping me busy!

So does anyone have any good thoughts or pointers on grinding honor points? Does one Battleground yield more than the other? I've gotten about 30 Alterac Valley tokens but only a little over 6 grand in honor points. And since I am a noob at PVP - are say the guys that are in Shadowmoon valley that are marked as PVP worth honor points?

Also now that I am seventy Drotara's guides on Enchants and Gems are especially helpful. Check'em out if you haven't allready!

What the....He's finally lost it

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:31:00 +0000

Yeah that's what was going through Sobe's (My newest pet - black raptor - and I rather like the name - For the Win!) mind last night....I can only imagine.....
Ok follow Althoran around Wildhammer Stronghold...check. Kill what he tells me too...check.
Wait what's he asking....attack? Attack what? What the crap? What's he doing?....what's he shooting at?...Well he is taking damage and he is swinging at something.....and now he's eating.....woah don't look at me like that...you are the one going crazy! Now you know how I feel when I do all the work and you just sit back and pew pew. Although at least the mobs I attack are real!!!
Switching back to Althoran's mindset.....what is up with Sobe? No help on these guys? Oh...yeah duh he doesn't have the spectrecles. He can't see what I am attacking!
Yeah that's one of the quests that I worked on last night. I couldn't figure out how to get Sobe to attack so I just Aimed shotted, Serpent Stinged Steady Shot and Wing clipped my way through it. Good practice. - But I tell you what Sobe was wondering around with a funny look on his face. I think that he was a bit bewildered by my actions:)
Man griding Motes of air to get primal air is tough....3 Down and only 15 to go....bleh!

LW & Gold Grindage

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:04:00 +0000

Allright. I've hit 69 Woot! And now I've got to grind grind grind. I am behind on making sure I've got enough gold to get my flying mount once I hit 70, but I am confident that I can do it.
I did get equip this right away once I hit 69 though :)....now I just gotta save up for the +35 AGI enchant.

Now of course being 69 I should be immediately equipping a Felstaker Belt. But there's just a small problem...I'm not at the 350 LW skill. Last night I got up to 345 and now I just need to grind to 350. Once you get this high into the skill it really starts to get tough. I figure I will GRIND 345 to 350 making these. I figure it's easier to grind those instead of trying to grind mats (or rep) for the other options. I then plan from 350 to 355 to make these and then make the Felstalker Belt to get to 356 (or I may try and throw in a Riding Crop to move faster) and then going back to the Armor Kits to get to 360 - again thinking that it will be easier to grind through those as it is just Knothide Leather- even though it is a gamble at that. Why not use one of the Clefthoof recipes, right? Well I think I want to save that for the 360 to 365 grind.
Once I get to 360 though, I can then complete the Felstalker Set getting the Bracers and Breastplate for when I hit 70. :)

So as I am grinding my way getting Knothide Leather, this dropped off of a Clefthoof Bull. Sweet, I should be able to sell it for something! Always a plus to get stuff like that when you are grinding. It's like getting a prize with your Happy Meal. :)

Ok so in order to get enough bling for my flying mount(s) I've found something that sells for a pretty good amount on my server. Netherweb Spider Silk. Not a bad drop rate and it brings in quite a bit of cash.

Ok well enough rambling.....that's what I'm working on for now.

Hoovyr's first pet

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Fri, 23 May 2008 18:05:00 +0000

I have decided to keep Hoovyr on Moon guard :)

So I thought I would add a poll to see if I can get some help as to what Hoovyr's first pet should be. I've narrowed it down to four *although I am kinda leaning towards the Corrupted Scorpid cause they look cool and I want to see what scorpid poison is like *:

Your vote is appreciated!!!

Thanks

P.S. As always, thanks to Mania for the awesome awesome Database!!!

Wishfull Thinking

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:18:00 +0000

So last night I logged on and said hey to Niqora. I just might be tempted to keep my new Horde Hunter Hoovyr so I can say hi every once in awhile. I felt very welcomed and it was nice to have someone I know to chat with while playing. I know that Dammerung from Two and a half Orcs has talked about that before - I totally get what he means. I feel like an orphan on Doomhammer as I play at odd hours and sometimes for not very long which equals not knowing very many people. So anyhow - thanks Niqora for making me feel welcome! I guess it's kinda ironic cause I chose a Tauren character and they are a nomadic race.

I was thinking of something that would be cool for the game mechanics in WOW. Wouldn't it be cool if Alliance and Horde were able to group up for a particular instance or dungeon or something?

Somehow it could be connected with a particular rep group or something? Or even if there was a zone where an alliance could be made between them? That would be cool. I mean Thrall and Jaina Proudmoore hooked up so why shouldn't we be able to?
Can you imagine? Bashing heads together with the likes of the other faction? That'd be sweet.

Anyhow. Just a thought.

In other news I gots me a new Ol reliable. This will probably be my last ranged weapon change until 70 which I have this in the ol alt bank. Thanks to the Hordies that helped me kill the elites and a special thanks to the Alliance Priest that grouped up with me to take down Tusker. He came over to help me after I sent out a general request - I am truly grateful!!!

A Forsaken smiled!?!

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:05:00 +0000

Yes, that's right a forsaken smiled at me! Being the noob hunter that I am, I was trying to practice kiting Arrazius the Cruel so that I could get my Bladefist's Breadth. The first attempt did not go well as I accidentily pulled him while trying to clean out the trash mobs around him. I though ah well and began kiting him. It was all well and good until (being low on hp) I jumped down the wrong canyon and splattered all over the bottom!

The second attempt started out much better until I still was trying to go down the wrong canyon slot (again..../sigh) and Arrazius decided to get stuck and then disappeared back onto the platform.

The third attempt is when it happened! I began kiting Arrazius down (and this time I knew which canyon) I was so stoked...this is it...I can finally prove my worth as a hunter by kiting something worthy, when he stopped at the foot of the platform and began fighting someone else....I thought, wow someone is helping me....sweet!!! Commence firing!!!!! Go get him Grover!!!!! It didn't take long until I saw the sweet words....Arrazius the Cruel Slain 1/1. Yes!!! New trinket here we come...more crit here we come!!! And I stopped to /bow before the person who helped me when I noticed it was an undead rogue? Wait what? And then he smiled and went on his merry undead way!!!

How could this happen? I don't know. Maybe he knew that I had been cracking skulls in Scarlet Monestary the day before because he noticed I was carrying this. But I, I like to think that before his forsaken lineage maybe, just maybe he knew that we were somehow related and he decided to help me out. Whatever the reason....Thanks for helping me get my new trinket Cous!!!

In other news......while in the Scarlet Monestary I went 0 for 2 trying to get this.

Grover and I took down Torgos and Teribus to get this and this respectively. Not bad, not bad at all!!! That pushes me to over 20% crit which I am happy about, but I still need to work on my hit and attack power, and get my leatherworking up to par.

So much to do and so little time!!!

Red Rover.....Red Grover?

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:12:00 +0000

Red Grover Red Grover Let me send my new big red pet right over!!!

I had a really intersting experience in WOW. I have liked a variety of pets in WOW and have tamed a lot of cool pets. I have tamed Humar the pridelord and the Ghost Saber, King B and Rak Shiri. Humar and King B by far I have kept the longest. My plan was to keep Maximus (King B) ,a ravager and get an outland raptor. I would be set for my three pets. That all changed when I traveled from Zangarmarsh to Blade's Edge. As I was traveling through I came across the Grovestalker Lynx's. Well I think that this is the first time that I have really just flat out wanted one for a pet. I love the look of them (similar ears to my night elf maybe?) and the fact that they have the cat druid skin - somehow we just have made a connection. Anyhow I have found the pet I want at my side now permanently. I still want to get an Outland raptor...which I will...oh yes...I will, but for now let me introduce you to my new best friend Grover:

Something Happy

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:05:00 +0000

Sometimes you just find something that makes you happy. This is one of those things:

Big Red Pig!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:45:00 +0000

Beastmaster's Big Red Piggy!!!

Dressing Room....Enhanced!!

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 02:20:00 +0000

I am always curious to see what a certain type of weapon or armor looks like on my toon. Sometimes it can make or break why I am interested in keeping it or not. Sometimes I want to see more than a picture of what it looks like on a submitted pic on Wowhead or Thottbot.

In my looking aroun for stuff I came across WOW model Viewer. This is a 3-D model viewer that requires the latest installed version and patch of WOW. You can have lots of fun dressing up our toon with this or that. You can download any toon's armory profile right into it and see what they look like. Not only that, you can ee what various actions look like from shooting a weapon to dancing.

Currently my toon looks like this sans tabard:

Right Now at level 64 and just drooling and hoping to make it to LVL 65. Cause when I do I have a Glorious War-Axe of Agility waiting for me and as a Dragonscale leatherworker the Golden Dragonstrike Breastplate. Not to mention that I want to get a killer Outland Raptor - the Black Model.

Now when I reach LVL 70, I initially want to start out looking like this:

Give or take a piece here or there :) and just to start out with :).

Oh and I want to do this ASAP:

Well, that's probably enough from me for now. It's fun to dream about what might be!!!

Some days don’t you feel like a survival hunter in RL?

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:26:00 +0000

Some days I do. It feels like a bunch of troubles or problems are trying to bear down on you and take you out (mobs) and you feel like all you can do is just chain trap and wing clip your way out of it until you can take down a specific problem one on one. I feel like I am in survivor mode trying to get each problem out of the way one at a time and it’s the only thing I can do to survive. :P
Other days I feel like a Beastmaster though and with the help of my supped up trusty sidekick I can take on any mob(s) that comes at me as long as I have my Big Red Pet taking it on with me. Eventually after the dust settles and no matter how long it has been, it’s just us will a whole bunch of mobs lying in the dust at our feet.
Then the rest of the days I feel Like a Marksman hunter where with short bursts of damage I can take out problems real quick like. With these short bursts of energy I can take out the problems real quick and no more seem to pop up.
It’s funny how each particular day can feel so different. Too bad I can’t respect for a particular day’s problems!!!
Lately I feel like I am in survivor mode though cause I have been so busy time just seems to disappear. Too many problems and not enough time to take them on all at once.
Anyone else feel that way sometimes?

A quick post

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:59:00 +0000

So last night I was able to talk to my brother-in-law. I haven't talked to him in ages and we started to talk about WOW. He gave me a hard time about not having a shot rotation macro. So today what happens? Bang Drotara does a good post about shot rotation macros here. Good stuff - cause there is always a chance you just might need to use it for one reason or another.

And a quick shout out to Petoholics Anonymous. This is one of the coolest looking blog's out there. The design on it is awesome - plus Faeldray has added a cool naming device.
Check it out! ;)

K - gotta go study now - epic Managerial Economics Test and paper to study/do.

Farewells...Chapter 1....page 1

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:58:00 +0000

Well awhile back I was trying to get my 3 oldest girls -3 of 4 ;)- to fall asleep and I decided to try and tell them a story. Well I launched into a story about my WOW Hunter Althoran and an adventure that he had had. They loved it so much and have asked for it and enjoy me telling them about it that I decided to try and write a novel about it...so without further adieu....

Althoran tugged one last time at the strap on his weathered leather carrying pack to make sure it was snug, knowing that in a moment the part he most dreaded was about to come to pass. He knew that he must bid farewell to his Mother and Sister. He looked up from his carrying pack and looked toward the kitchen where his mother was cleaning up breakfast.
He spoke gently to his mother saying “Mom, you and I both knew that this day would come.”
“I know,” she replied, “I just wasn’t prepared for how fast it was. I feel that you will always need my protection.”
She walked over to a cabinet and pulled open a drawer and reached inside. She reached in and pulled something out and held it in her hands. Turning around she began walking quietly over to Althoran.
It was easy to see where Althoran got his agility – his mother. The grace and elegance that Adoris displayed just in walking always amazed him. It was no surprise to anyone in the small fishing village of Kael’Ath that she was the best archer of anyone who lived there. Indeed Althoran’s skill with the bow came from watching his mother shoot and following her instruction.
“Please hold out your hands,” Adoris stated looking up into Althoran’s eyes.
Althoran did so and Adoris gently pressed a silver medallion into his hands. “I want you to take this with you,” she said “so that a part of me can always be with you to help you.”
Althoran gasped. “But Mother, this was the medallion that Father gave you when he asked you to wed, and it is what has reminded you of him since his passing.”
“I know, but you remind me so much of him that I want you to have it. It will bring you need to carry on in the difficult situations that you will face for where you are going.”

Why tame that beast?

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:14:00 +0000

I have been thinking about pets lately and wanted to put my thoughts into writing as to why I pick the pets that I do. There is a lot that goes into the decision of which pet you are going to keep at your side and there are a few points that I wanted to go over of what makes the right pet for me. Before starting, please note that anything that anyone would like to know about what type of Hunter pets are in the game please, please, please go to Petopia, and you will find a wealth of wonderful and helpful information. This is THE hunter pet site. So now lets jump right in:

Appearance.

This is a big one for me. I like to have a cool looking pet at my side - now what is cool to one person may not be cool to another so personal taste takes the cake here. There are many unique pets available in the game which can be really fun. Some of the neat pets that I have tamed are the Ghost Saber (translucent appearance), Humar the Pride Lord (only black tiger in the game) and Rak Shiri (Teal riding tiger skin). Something I have noticed about the cats in the game is that there are two kinds of tiger skins - the riding tiger and then the regular tiger. The riding tiger skin looks a little bit more muscled and the face is slightly different. See the difference by comparing this with this.

Hunter Race.

My personal feeling here is that certain pet types match up with the look of the different races that play hunters. For example, my personal preference is that a boar should go with a dwarf thus with my night elf I haven't tamed a boar. But I love the little guy with my dwarf hunter. (Alliance side speaking - as I haven't rolled a Horde toon yet long enough to get a pet)
I like having King B (Maximus) with my white frostsaber mount for matching purposes. Any how, this is something I consider when I tame a pet is how it looks alongside my toon - if it matches well - I guess this could go along with appearance. :)

Animations.

These would include any type of movements the pet does in it's rest state (for example cats stretch) and when it attacks (which could go hand in hand with the skills of the pet). I love the claw animation as it it has the 3 claw marks slashing sideways in red, so I prefer a pet that has claw. If a pet has a particular animation that annoys you, then it's time to move on.

Sounds.

This is an interesting attribute to consider. Personally I love the growl that the tiger makes right when you ask it to attack something. I have heard that some people like crocolisks but can't stand the hissing sound that they make. So this is definitely something to consider. Even within the same pet family there are differences. As mentioned above with the tigers - there is a difference in sound - the riding tiger skin will growl when it stretches and the regular tiger skin remains silent during it's stretch. It's a pretty cool sound, so that may play into your decision as to whether you like the silent type of pet or not.

Skills.

Here is where your type of play style will factor in. I am not qualified to detail which pet is best for each type of play style, but can only recommend that you research what you want your pet to do and then find the type of pet that has the modifier and skills to match it.
PVP/Arena, PVE, Raiding, Farming - these will all factor into how you spec your pet and will help you decide what type of pet to pursue.

Name.

Now this might seem silly to some, but I think after making all of the above decisions, a name can make or break whether you feel close to your pet or not and may determine whether or not you keep them permanently.
I tried this recently with a ravager. I liked the Quillfang Ravager look and I decided since they are good DPSers that I would tame one. I haven't particularly liked the ravager skin but thought that I could overcome this by naming him "Tad." The name made him more likable for me.He's stabled for now but who knows if giving him the right name might put him over the top of my dislike for the look. (Again personal preference as I am sure there are many that love the look of their ravagers.)

So after doing all of these things and with the level being capped at 70 for now all you have to do is plan which 3 pets you want and make sure you have all of the pet skills at the highest rank before taming all 3 and then you are good to go.........until WLK comes out anyhow. :)

How close?............pretty darn!

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:34:00 +0000

So, tomorrow my goal is to get the next rank of claw for my kitties. Through the wonders of Petopia, I was able to determine that the Male Kaliri Hatchling has that rank.

Ever seen the Secret of NIMH? I am totally convinced that Blizzard got their inspiration for the owls in World of Warcraft from the Great Owl in that movie.

To steal a line from Disney's The Kid....How close?......Pretty Darn!

Getting back on Track

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:33:00 +0000

This last little bit I have been trying to get my professions caught up so that I can level them up as I make my journey to Level 70. I dinged to Artisan Fishing this morning...and as I was able to grab some Nightfin Snappers... I made some Nightfin Soup. This helped get my Cooking up to 287. Can I say I think it's actually a little bit relaxing to fish? Anyhow, this means I can get the cooking quest that will get me to 300 a little bit faster than leveling up my fishing and then cooking the fish. I have wanted to improve my cooking skill in order to get some better food for the pets. So tommorrow a jaunt to Sithilus and cranking up the cooking to 300.
Having completed all of that should put me pretty close to returning to Outland. I am pretty stoked. I love leveling in this game - and the fact that there are so many things to level - no wonder it is so addicting. I think it makes the game so appealing because if you get tired of doing something there are so many other options of things that are different (i.e. professions) that you can work on. It's great.
I also was stoked to down the Green Drake so that I can get the Devilsaur Eye Trinket. This is a personal victory for me because I don't ever get to group up very often and I had to go solo with Spyros. I am pleased with the chance to upgrade to a better trinket.
All of this has been good too, as it gives me more of an opportunity to free up more quest spots for Outland.

A funny thing happened on the way to Broken Hill...

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 17:14:00 +0000

Well I digress I guess it wasn't on the way to Broken Hill.....

OK so I play on a PVE/PVP server which means I can toggle PVP on and off when I want to. (I know, I know a carebear server but it's what I started on and it's too late now to change - a transfer in the future...maybe). One of the places that I have been toggling on and off PVP is Broken Hill, The Stadium and the Overlook in order to get honor tokens. (I got my ring that I wanted yesterday!).

I had helped capture two of the three places that day except I think it was Broken Hill and finally the Horde had taken it over. There seemed to be a pretty good battle going on mostly for the overlook as I noticed many level seventy's for both factions flying around overhead and running by. Well I was kinda just waiting by Broken Hill waiting for a chance to capture it when I had my chance and so I ran over......and nobody was there. So I proceeded to take over Broken Hill with ease as no one challenged me.

Then it happened...hovering in the air a Level 70 (I was 61 mind you) Orc Warlock. He kinda hovered down so that I could see him and just waited. Well I wasn't sure what to do...I in no way am versed (yet - future goal) in PVP, but I wasn't about to just run away...it didn't seem right. So he hovered a little bit closer...and I backed up a bit. The bar that tells you how much of the advantage you have of each station was still popping up. So then he hovered a little bit closer and...and I backed up a little bit more. I have to give him credit...he must have known that I was a total noob cause I wouldn't run away from someone who obviously would totally pwn me. Well he could tell that I wasn't going to back off so he dismounted and came at me. I sent my pet in on him...but it was in vain. He immediately feared me and it was a quick battle....however...I think I might have at least caused a little damage :)...unless he came into the fight without full health....heh, oh well...I like to think I at least scratched his armor. :) Obviously I still have a lot to learn.

But hey, I got a new ring out of my efforts and I was able to socket my first item with a red gem...wahoo!

Some Random Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Althoran) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:08:00 +0000

So I was reading TJ this morning who referred me to an article on Aggro here. Priceless.

This morning I was running around in Hellfire peninsula when I grabbed Aggro from one of these. Of course it was while I was attacking another mob. :) That noise always makes me nervous.

Moved a lot of furniture around last night and we moved the desktop from its usual place and I have to play on the laptop until I can get the desktop wireless. I have a junky old monitor so it's kinda fun to play on the laptop cause it looks cooler. I need a new Monitor! Also I haven't looked hard yet, but if anyone could leave an idea on how to expand the view in WOW I would appreciate it - the dragons on the action bars are cut off - Is it a WOW thing or a monitor thing? - any ideas would be helpful. Heh, IF anyone is out there :) Thanks.

Lastly I don't have the opportunity to play WOW at night like I do in the morning. So if I don't get up to play before work I am SOL. So when I log in the last couple of days I have been able to get some Marks of Honor Hold pretty easily cause not many are up that early! Hopefully in a couple of days I will have .....my precioussss.