29 October, 2007 |

My alter ego(s)

Okay, I agree-I have entered the world of warcraft at a time when most people are so experienced that I had a sense of great foreboding that I would be disregarded as a n00b. But the journey had to begin…and it did. Before you go on, let me tell you that this is not a guide of any sort. I just included some explanations where required. If there is a term that you do not understand, just go to www.wowwiki.com, and search for it.

WoW (no-the capitalization is fine) brought promise to act out a fantasy in my heart of living life as an elf, warcraft style. A Night Elf to be more precise, since I started with the trail version, I could not choose to be a Blood Elf. I probably would have given preference to Night elves even if I had the option to choose their fair skinned bloodthirsty (or rather, mana-thirsty) cousins. Race issues settled, I had to think about a class. I always wanted a pet, and though I like the idea of being a druid or warrior better, it was the ability to have a faithful companion that made me choose ‘Hunter’ as my class. And thank god, for it suited my play-style perfectly.

 

Thus began my journey in Azeroth, where I was the protagonist in a land filled with over 7 million people. That is the beauty of the game’s design-it makes you feel you are the most important character even when you know there are at least another five thousand on your server (called ‘Realms’)feeling the same way!

 

As I got the full version, I came across the wonder that is the Alliance Auction House (AH). The same principles apply for the Horde AH too. But that is what holds the most complicated part of the whole warcraft economy. Gold farmers have driven the prices of epic items to obscene prices, and many kinds of equipment are quite legally supposed to be expensive are, well – expensive.

 

That was only my initiation at how complicated things were in this world. Soon I discovered I had to pay a lot more attention to my armor, my trade skills, my weapon’s stats and upgrade where necessary to stay on top of my game. It was more than mindless killing or time-bound quests most RPG fare consists of. It was a game where a carefully coordinated effort can see you outlive the monster you are trying to slay, if only by a single health point. And then, because I was a hunter, I had to look after the stats of my faithful companion too – YES, I am talking about my pet!

Contrary to my fears, I found the high level players to be extremely helpful. A fact that proved to enhance its truth after I joined a ‘Guild’. Guilds are basically “clans” form other games, but so much more that that. Higher members gave me advice and helped me with free stuff on more than one occasion. As my level started to rise, I paid back by helping new members of the guild get through difficult low level situations and donating stuff that I would not need, but would be a valuable addition to a low level character’s gear or inventory. The guild is your extended family, and as it happens everywhere, the older people look after the kids.

 

As I start inching towards the highest levels of the game, I now need to pay more attention to my gear and especially what stats they are affecting. For as I so painfully realized, my mana capacity was awfully low, enough to put a hunter five levels below me to shame. My ‘agility’, the most important component of a hunter’s stats was uber for my level, but while concentrating on agility, I had forgotten to consider the other aspects like stamina and intellect, which have a bearing on your health and mana capacity respectively. So now, I am busy hunting for gear to give me the right mix of stats, and as expected, my guild members are helping a lot. I have reached a stage when free stuff is no longer expected or dished out, so all guidance I get at this stage is invaluable. I have to be ready with proper gear as Onyxia is now within reach, and I have nothing on me worthy of being called “Raid Gear”

In the meantime, I also created a few more characters, notably a Gnome Warlock and an Orc Warrior. I realized I love warriors as much as I love hunters, despite the huge differences in playing style. The warlock is a pure spellcaster and any attempt to use weapons is pure insanity. It is a playing style that I am still learning to adapt to and definitely enjoying every bit of it!

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