Summertime schedule

Ah, summer.

It means two things. First, the schools are out and the Wold of Azeroth is constantly full of students on leave. Material prizes fluctuate more than over the rest of the year, you can score great deals both buying and selling and generally the population is more on the jerk side.

Secondly, the summer vacation of the blogger. As a working dad and all, the summer weather poses serious hazard to the game time, even though there are a few projects I've taken to keep myself occupied over the furious outdoors living.

I - the one who resents PvP in all forms and functions - have started new toons on a PvP server. And I've locked already a rogue to lv 19. My baby warlock is about to be locked at 14, just to accommodate a more casual bracket. So the big, big project will be to level up that DK who will provide materials and money to these two. I'm now contemplating over the professions for the DK to a) generate nice nest money, b) to help the twinks gearing and enchanting and c) create a nice income to accommodate more toons in different brackets.

The second project is to level up an enhancement shaman along with my son, who's warlock is going to join the Three Stooges on their scheme of world domination. As soon as that addition to our team is geared up, the Three Stooges and Son will take on heroics and Wrath raids (stay tuned for more spectacular failures!).

Of course there is always my pet, Gnomore. I've played him once or twice now, without an update, but rest assured, when I need to slow down my pace in killing things and ... bigger things, I will return to him.

As a recap, summertime causes some delays in the posting schedule. Despite of this, the toons are going strong and my banker is now sitting on 280k (again!!!) with over 250 stacks of Cataclysm herbs in his mailbox, waiting to be milled.

Wishing you a warm and relaxing summer.

C out
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Gnomore: You really shouldn't be here

Gnomore pictorial 31

Now you may wonder why only one - the same as before - level in this update. The reason is simply that Blizzard really doesn't want to reward exploration and to be even more precise, those who do not take the beaten path but trek their own winding paths around the world. In short, it's Blizzard's way of saying what the guy said to me in Rift beta: You shouldn't even be here at that level.

Let us begin, so you can tell yourself. It all began in Ironforge, by the bank, where Gnomore was checking his mail. Money as usual, nothing more.

All sales, no challenge. (sidenote: Gnomore broke 4k the other day, but that's on the next update)

So, off we went. The first thought: go to Gnomeregan to finish a quest. Naturally the quest was inside the Gnomeregan instance, even though the minimap showed the question mark outside it. But hey, who doesn't like to enter the shining whirly-thingies from time to time?!

Too bad the continuing mission was to kill ten something, so off we went. As Dun Morogh was still not totally 'explored', Gnomore took the dark passage to the Dwarven starter area - Coldridge Valley - to get things done.

Oh those nasties. Or as Brann Bronzebeard says: "Troggs... Why does it have to be Troggs..." in Halls of Origination.

Do you know what the frustrating part of this exploration was? To notice that the only place needed for the achievement is off bounds till Gnomore gains wings, as it is the Ironforge Airfield. Yes, it would be reachable if Gnomore would kill some nasties and took the plane to continue the quest chain, but as you know it's quite impossible at the moment.

On the way, though, there were some nicer quests available in the Quarry, though, and it was the first place Gnomore felt he was doing something good for the people.

And the exit was quite typical for Gnomore, too.

Disappointed by the game mechanics yet again, I decided to take on a challenge. As the game is more or less ruined for us off the beaten path types by the phasing (you do know they took the Undercity part away from the Wrathgate quest chain, now did you?), we decided to go and see how far we really could go...

Does that ring a bell? Of course, the gathering skills at Gnomore's level - even though they have already outlevelled the actual character levels - are useless out there.

First it was the easy one.

As usual, the door was open, but Gnomore was not let in. How rude can the game get? How obnoxiously elitistic the system really is? Why not open all the instances to all character levels and just let the mobs do the darn selection of the fittest?

Just think of it: how cool would it be to rampage in a vastly over levelled instance with 20 similarly levelled toons? Of course there should be safeguards to keep the boosting at minimum, but still. That's only technicality.

But what I really loved was...

Even though the mobs just needed to look at my general direction to get Gnomore killed. Really put my fancy stealth skills to new perspective!

The other thing is the fact that when Gnomore finally (?!) reached the first settlement on the road, the Flight Master coldly informed him that there are no flightpoints to connect with this particular point!

That was the only sensible conclusion, and after that it was easy to make the decision. It was either to hearth out, or continue trekking down the path which wasn't there.

Guess what Gnomore chose?

Sightseeing.

After which it was time to take drastic measures (ok, he died twice before that, after the last photo) and to change area. After hearthing out, there was a lovely sight in Darnassus waiting for Gnomore.

As customary with Gnomore, it would have been too easy to just fly there. Instead, he went through Ashenvale

Stonetalon Peaks (where another pair of rares were showed on his face!)

 until he finally reached his destination in Southern Barrens.

This is where the story rests, and as you can see, this part was done before patch 4.1. came in. There are a few things which occurred to me on my next session which came in with the patch, making life easier but less interesting if you want to view it that way.

Conlusion: exploration itself doesn't pay in the game. Gnomore went through pain and desperation and didn't even gain a level over the four-six hours of play due to the fact that he went on exploring in an area which is vastly above his level. That is a shame, as it lowers the levelling by gathering and exploration to a mining node-herbalism node-archeology-grind in the end. We'll see when the boredom overcomes the excitement of bare evasions.
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Gnomore, Hinterlands Explorer

Gnomore pictorial 29-31

Deeprun tram to Ironforge and a flight to Dun Morogh for a quest. For some reason or another the griffon takes the turn at the right spot and gives me a chance to take another nice shot of a spot that came pretty familiar to Gnomore in the beginning of his career.

The quest was to find a lost pilot: everyone and their cousins - provided you have ever played a gnome or a dwarf, naturally - knows the location of this miserable wreck. Anyhow, it's just a jump from the questgiver and a stroll down the hill. But why is it so that you are always stealing from the dead?

Another nice thing the game teaches you.

My great big idea was to run to an area where the mining and herbalism could be improved. The initial thought was to run to Arathi Highlands to do the gathering, but on my way I noticed that I have an Archeology site in Dun Morogh area. Off we went, Gnomore on the lead, to the familiar spot.

Here I learned an important lesson about Archeology. You see, the last time I was here, digging for fame and fortune, I couldn't get the third excavation done. Those pesky troggs were at too close a level and caused some real trouble, you see. However, this time I got to dug that one spot only.

Lesson learned: if you leave that one excavation undone, you will have to come and finish it, it doesn't "get old" and reset.

Stupid thing.

You may have noticed that I have a slight problem with Gnomore: he tends to run the way he wants to. Especially when there are possibilities to explore, see new sights and - usually because of the former two - die. So it was this time, too, and only because of this view:

Yes. Uldaman. Badlands.

And there we went, even though I wanted to steer the little gnome to Arathi. Granted, that wouldn't have been a bit safer, but at least a bit.

Long story short...

And off to Arathi it was. Where it became clear that Gnomore has a mind of his own. Instead of wanting to explore the are any further, there was this one nice spot and it's repercussions...

Oh, bugger. Machinery and tunnel. You know gnomes, right? One leads to another and then to another and...

Before you know, something completely unexpected happens.

Gnomore, the Hinterlands Explorer Magnifique. Quite a surprise after all that running around Jintha'Alor and picking bottles and feeding griffons and...

Ok. We didn't... no, I didn't expect to end up in here to begin with:

But in the end, Gnomore is again in Ironforge, on his way to Gnomeregan which is still outpaced and most probably he will be unable to return the quest he was given on the way there.

The phasing sucks, big time, just because you cannot pass the story designed. Why can't it just 'restructure' itself if you pass certain level range above the fundamental change?

Gnomore is at lv31, with a bit over 3k gold and he's already an Artisan in Herbalism. Mining is just a few points short of that. After those skills cap, he will be stuck to picking up grey ores and herbs, forcing me to guide him around the world in search of adventure, exploration and pretty sights to see.

Till next time!
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Stonetalon Gnomore

Gnomore pictorial 27-29

The spot where Gnomore was left in the end of the earlier run was excellent. There was both Tin ore node as well as a node of Wild Steelbloom. A great start for a different kind of run it was, really.

The scenery in the South-Western part of Stonetalon has gone through the biggest change (if we do not take into account the new spots and the green, living forest of the Charred Vale).

However, I had already decided that this time I would make it way deeper into the areas in search of good spot for Gnomore's mining and herbalism. That means also going deeper into the areas in which Gnomore has no reason to be.

So it was through this rabbit hole Gnomore had to crawl...

As it happens, there is not much reason to go back to Stonetalon, except to get that exploration achievement. The ores and herbs are pretty meh and do not provide any progress in any way, be it monetary, skill or levelling.

Desolace, however, is completely different story. The area is a bit over Gnomore's level, and thus is both challenging and rewarding. For some reason those two words - and concepts - should always be connected, and tightly so.

To put the record straight, here is challenge to you.

Satyrs everywhere and quest starting point out there. The Sargeron area is full of nice little challenges in forms of 'go there' and 'collect these'.

And invisible mobs. Have to hate them for sure. Because of them I decided to postpone certain quests in that area, and instead took a trip to the seashore. Map tells it all...

The shore adventure proved that there are interesting quests available, even though while you're flying on a mount doing nothing except admiring the view, you tend to forget the reason to this.

Desolace has become much more interesting, at least from the point of view of a small gnome not into martial endeavors. However, there are certain things that will not change, like the animosity of the centaurs. Now I think they are both hostile towards the player character until you take your side after a killing quest. Only to get to kill one tribe of them.

But I can tell they both loved Gnomore the same way.

You can just guess how nice it was to see the terrain change in the following manner...

Ah, Feralas. That would be the best place to learn more of mining and herbalism. Gnomore is still short few points in mining to get to the Artisan level, but after being chased by a yeti

into the soup bowl of a RARE satyr

and some other rares

Gnomore got to get his Herbalism up to Artisan level.

Snap visit to the Priestess in Dalaran ushered him to Stormwind, changing the continent for the next episode. Which was refreshing, as all the running away from the mobs really started to hurt my fingers (I know, I know, Gnomore doesn't run faster even if I push my finger through the keyboard...).

Conclusion: It's more fun to run in the areas in which Gnomore has no reason to be due to his low level and pacifistic view of life. Then again, he has already over levelled the areas in which he can gain anything in his main skills, mining and herbalism, so it's next to boring to just keep picking the grey herbs just for the experience they provide.

I rather dare the game and go where he's not supposed to be. Like Hinterlands or Western Plaguelands...
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On the way to Stonetalon Mountains

Gnomore pictorial 26-27

Last time, in the short update, Gnomore was left again in Darnassus, with his AH bulging with stuff and things to sell. Needless to say, half of that stuff got sold over the week and the current balances are not too flattering. Then again, for a character which has never killed a single target granting honor or experience (ha!), having over 2000g at level 26 is nice. It's much more than needed at this point of the game and it will easily carry for a long time. Plus he has nice goggles and a Haunt.

Then again, Gnomore is about to enter the mining and herbalism skill range, where the gathering skills can - and will - generate some real money. The next range after iron-mithril-truesilver is the herbalism range of Outlands.

To our story of the day: Gnomore let the archeological survey decide the way to proceed. This time the choice was Ashenvale, and the southern outpost to be exact. After running around that small spot for digging, Gnomore remembered that he had some gnomes to save from a wagon. Too bad you had to kill the driver of that wagon, so the only thing Gnomore could do was to bid goodbye to the guys and be sorry.

 The next spot was in the Zoram Strand, where the outpost people had some nice quests to run while digging.

The whole roundabout proved a serious reason for the lack of Night Elven Engineering in the game. They simply do not have the knack.

Like I could have told you they are locked and all...

Note, he needed ten statuettes to come to the conclusion that they all have a hidden compartment and that hidden compartment was locked...

The going about along the archeological sites took Gnomore to Forest Song again, to pick some rotten wood for some night elf and to seek out a goblet. Too simple for this resourceful little gnome, so he had to check what was behind door number two. I mean, before the portal at the end of the road.

Not only a huge army of dracolisk guardians, but two dragons guarding the portal. I still wonder where the portals would lead if they hadn't been made defunct...

Along the way, Gnomore ran into Gnarl, who had another nice quest to do: collect the assorted bits and pieces of his cousins and relatives, whom the orcs had sawed into lumber. Nice distraction from the actual aim of the day, which was fully realized after this quest was done.

What little did that little gnome know... because on the way there, he ran into the encampment of orcs and goblins, with their huge machines of destruction, and even bigger balls bomb for which Gnomore had to die for.

Can you imagine? The Night Elven commander at the outpost didn't even believe this little gnome. See for yourself!

Then it was time to move on, anyhow. Off to Stonetalon, to higher gains and glory.

Eww... I really shouldn't be here...

In the end, after serious doubts about the sense of being at challenging area, Gnomore found a place to rest.

All I can say at this point is that the rest came on purpose, because the next time Gnomore was out, he got even deeper into areas where he shouldn't have been.

But that's a story for another time!!!
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