Spec improved Recruit a Friend!

Looking at my accounts, one thing is certain: Not enough characters! When one is used to playing five chars, then leveling a single char feels like slow-motion. In anticipation of the expansion being launched in November, I therefore decided to get two additional four char teams up to 60 and at the same time collect gift levels to boost two chars I had idle for a good while.

To do this effectively, I created two new accounts using the RAF program and started playing four dwarf hunters. With only a few hours spent, I am almost level 30 now, which is where 60% speed mount is now available.

I decided not to bother with any gear and created non-binding uniforms instead. Happily enough, Beerfest is up at the moment! This allowed me to round out my character's outfit with the groovy hats you see in the picture. =]

Great Brewfest Kodo

Today, on my 8th private try, I got lucky! Coren realized that I wouldn't give him any peace unless he coughs up the kodo. And so he submitted! yay!

I also got a bunch of the 45 stamina trinkets, both in the healing over time and damage over time version and all the trinkets I could use. Considering that one can not sell unwanted trinkets to vendors, the yield per time is not that high - without the lure of the mount. =]

I also bagged two Direbrew's Remote. Those do have a one hour cooldown, but are basically like a mage gate to the Grim Guzzler in BRD. They can be used anywhere. In instances, in battlegrounds. Fun! 18 players have left the battleground. Ooops! =]

1609 - S4 chest here I come!

In the past month I have been between 1500 and 1600 rating. Whatever points we won was lost not soon afterwards. Often to teams which by their gear, with S4 head or S3 shoulders clearly show that they reformed, dropped their team rating to 1500 and then go and steamroll the people who are actually at that range. I had that happen a lot to me. Looking at the timeline, of me hitting 70 just ahead of the season 4 start and needing a while to get geared with pvp gear. At first everyone was at 1500, and by the time I learned enough and gathered enough kit, people were reforming. This gives the impression of treating water with no end in sight.

If that wouldn't be bad enough, my healing buddy will not have the time to play with me or much at all past next week, so I was looking at finding a new arena buddy in short order. Then, we got pushed back all the way to 1500 in a streak of losses last week. Doom! Black doom!

But! Alas, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Light in the shape of a paladin whom I talked to about the matter previously. 11 games played and won later, the 1600 line was crossed. Funny enough, the 10th game found us looking in a bit of confusing at a warrior running in all alone and being fried. Then a mage did the same. On investigation I found what looked like three boxed shaman in the other team's starting room. I guess control trouble. That won us 3 points and brought me to 1598. I couldn't say anything for fear of jinxing our luck, but we won the next game, which turned out to be a real fight.

/dances the happy dance!

Mount Mount mount mount! mount! waaaaah

You will never guess it, but I have not been lucky so far and am therefore still searching for that special mount for my main tankadin.

I diligently go and kill both the Bloodlord Mandokir and the tiger boss in Zul'Gurub every 3 days, but besides some improvements in the total time to do so, there have not been any occasions to celebrate. My best time for both of them is 21 minutes, from the entrance to looting the second boss. That is of course with dodging basically all trash mobs.

I also have gone after Coren Direbrew in the Grim Guzzler. He already tried to bribe me with a bunch of stuff, including the Coren's Lucky Coin and 3x Dark Iron Smoking Pipe. I could of course have bought the badge equivalent of those, but I didn't really feel the need for them, considering that my current trinkets are better for my primary use of the respective characters.

Admittedly, I can see a giggle effect in having 4x Balebrew Charm. But what I really want, is of course the Great Brewfest Kodo. So of course that is what I am missing so far. I got one Swift Brewfest Ram, but considering that I play alliance and can easily get the PvP Ram or one of the Dwarven Rams, that is more a teaser price than any consolation.

On the good side, I have 9 tries per day, using my main and nine of my multibox chars. We'll see how my luck goes during the few days that brewfest lasts!

Zul'Gurub fun

Today, I went back to Zul'Gurub. I have always wanted the raptor mount that the Bloodlord can drop. I have seen both the tiger and the raptor drop back in the day of vanilla WoW and level 60 raiding, but alas - the dice were not with me.

Of course the dice situation is a bit more sunny when there are just five characters instead of 20. Of course, the difference between 20 players and one player is even more helpful in helping me rig the outcome for the loot distribution. =]

Other Multiboxers have successfully done both the tiger and the bloodlord bosses in ZG, and reported about it in blogs, posts and with youtube movies. So there was absolutely no question if it was possible. It is.

However, I have previously tried going after the Bloodlord, augumenting my Tankadin with my Priest, two Warlocks and one Mage. Back then I was using the same tactics as we used back in the day. And it went badly. Since then I have been mostly boxing my four Shaman, therefore I decided to take the Tankadin and the four Shaman.

Today, I dropped the Bloodlord without any problem on the first go. I also went for the Tiger boss just after it. Here I ran out of mana due to not countering the healing done by one of the adds effectively. Luckily the encounter can be reset by running out of his immediate area. On the second go, I made it. =]

Alas, no mount. Lucky enough ZG resets tonight, so I can go again tomorrow.