Peeking.

I don't have the beta, yet.  I don't know what that sign up for beta thing did for me at Blizzcon, but it didn't get me Warlords of Draenor.  Maybe it got me Heroes of the Storm, and if so, well thanks, but it's just not my style. Still, there is a lot I can glean from those that are in the beta. If I wanted to know, there are posts on Cymre's blog about rares and such, and Alt:ernative has posted about garrisons.  Others have posted beautiful screenshots which I looked at longingly and closed pretty quickly, because spoilers!

There is one thing I have been really wanting to know about the expansion, and that is how my characters will survive their character model updates. Thankfully, anyone can see that by going to WoWhead and using their profiler to look up a character on the armory. You can verify it to keep it as your own character by following some simple steps, but it is not necessary for this function.

New, but improved?

My Del

Not too thrilled with the changes here. WoWhead has a set of all the faces available, and I like a few of them. I really don't like the pairing here. Del goes from looking sweet to looking a little tart and snobbish. And the Popeye arms? Why?

Stern, Savage, and Strong.

Flirty and Vacuous.

I like this change. This takes Carlatta from young and naive looking to the battle hardened huntress I know her to be.

Older and Wiser.

Airhead.

I like this change, too. ♥ She does look a little perturbed.

Huh?

All business.

I like the new face, I really do. Its just not Anselma.

Love it, but what is that thing on her robe?

Cute Kissy Face.

Searbh is a slow leveler.  She'll probably pick up the pace when she gets an update. Maybe.

!!!!!

Old Lady.

This is my daughter's priest, Yeselda. No, I don't have a priest problem! There is no going back to old frumpy model when this one happens. She wants to transfer this one off my account someday. I don't see it happening now. Sorry, Amanda.

new elf.

old elf.

I guess I killed off all my other elves, as I had to make one just for this. I'm sure I could have looked up anyone else, but I wanted it to be mine, so Bryonia was born. She may end up dying after sitting sad and lonely in the inn in the starter area, but I did work, and it was good! I like that the new gal isn't as leggy, and my daughter is happy about the weird hairline they fixed.

No changes show for Troll, Tauren, or Blood Elf women yet. I have to say I don't care about the male figures because I don't play them. On the whole, the new models are a win. Maybe a reshuffle on the Undead faces would help, or the option to choose another face. 

What do you think? Sorry, I cant give any cool spoilers like all the special people who have beta invites. *sniff sniff * I hope this at least has you wondering enough to check out your own, since no beta is required for this! 

I'm off to finish out some quests in Hearthstone, and work on a deck or three to defeat the Naxxramas Heroic Modes in the Arachnid Quarter. Is there any reward for doing this? What do you think of your main character's new look? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

Stuff and Nonsense

It is nearing the end of the expansion. How do I know this? Old friends are turning up on my Real ID list, I'm skipping merrily between Alliance and Horde alts, and I refuse to play one that isn't transmogged.  Shawndra has been gearing up through Ordos and Timeless Isle, with an LFR thrown in here and there for good measure.  I wanted her back the way I always picture her, in the Hyperion armor set with her Halberd of Smiting.  I think I got pretty close.

Commander's Armor Set.

The fire of the Hyperion set is alluring, but it didn't look as good with her skin tone, and this was all available on the auction house. Cenarius is not linked with any other realms yet (and I hope it never is), so transmog shopping takes a little longer than it did for my recently linked Alliance server, Borean Tundra/Shadowsong. The Halberd is a copycat from the Thunder Isle, the belt is from the Onslaught set, and the shoulders are a tier token piece from Gruul's Lair.

Bittsee before I shipped her clothes off to another server.

I showed you all Racy a few days ago. I had Bittsee transmogged as well, but with shifting heirlooms between servers, her mog has to be reapplied, and I figured I would wait a bit to put it back on since she matches in her heirlooms, for now.

Cenarius Horde World Boss Wednesday Mammoth Chorus Line.

I am raiding, sort of, sometimes as a healer in flex on Halinka, and sometimes as damage on Delgada in regular or flex, as I continue to keep the bench nice and toasty in the Go Postal group. Carlatta runs a LFR now and then, a little more lately due to the pressure from the Black Prince buff to get another cloak. I changed her transmog from some gaudy silver and gold concoction to something more suiting my flower picking alchemist hunter.

Brown.

Mail of Crimson Coins drops somewhere in Icecrown Citadel. The pants are current tier, belt, boots and gloves I picked up off the auction house, and I just love the shoulders from the crafted pvp gear. I think she looks like business with a little fun thrown in, which she is.

Halinka and the one who will roll against her for pretty dressies, Lava.

I'm sure I have mentioned that I am in a WoW Meetup group before, and that about a third of us are named Jennifer. Halinka's guild mistress is one of them. Hearts of Darkness, a social guild on the merged servers of Borean Tundra and Shadowsong, is looking for members. We are a social guild with hopes to raid and the skills to do so. We like to hang out together, help each other out, and roll need on transmog items that other people want. Lucky for Lava, none dropped tonight, but there will be another run, and he had better watch out!

Sorry I have been so absent, but no matter how hard I try, real life stomps all over my desire to write anything game related down here. I have needed the escape more than I have needed to write about it.  I hope this finds you enjoying life and friends in and out of Azeroth. Catch you later!

Yarrr!

Swabby Racy

I love this little rogue to pieces. She has been acting as keeper of the loot and seller of the goods for a while, leveling through the random dungeon finder when she has full rested experience. As with all my characters, I have changed her style, because I have yet to like what they are forced to wear through level or design. Still, I found I wanted even more for this gal as, when she was picking ogre loincloths in Dire Maul, she was getting heavy junkboxes. "Isn't there a rogue faction that takes these and gives reputation for them?" I asked myself.  WoWhead confirmed that Ravenholdt Manor was the turn in place for these, but I also decided that Racy was destined to be a pirate. So, at 49, she shoved all those heavy junkboxes in the bank, posted her last few auctions, and headed out to Faldir's Cove in the Arathi Highlands. Why? Because there be pirates, and the kind that give reputation points with the Bloodsail Buccaneers for repeatedly bashing their scurvy brains in.

No great Shakes here (bad pun, I know!)

Shakes O'Breen grants 5-6 reputation per kill and respawns every 10 or so seconds, which means he is the guy Racy hides behind while watching the others. He's the only one that you can pickpocket. At 49, she can sometimes one shot him, and he does no damage to her at all. I imagine that a level 29 could even start killing the NPCs at this location, gaining levels and rep at the same time. Shakes is a quest giver, so I tried to stand back and allow people to do the event he runs. Careful, if you are near when the event starts, he will attack (thank Blizzard for Vanish!), and his death fails the event.

Deckhand Moishe.

This guy is a pain, and I only killed him when there were people in the area needing to use the quest givers. He gives 5-6 reputation points and respawns between 5 and 7 minutes after he is killed. His path is messed up, as he clips through the ship and stands on the prow of the boat for a while before he magically pops onto the deck pictured, which is the only place I found he wouldn't evade. If you have killed the Captain, he says, "Captain's dead.", though it doesn't seem to bother him too much.

Lolo the Lookout.

Can't kill him, he doesn't attack, he just stands there. Jerk.

First Mate Nilzlix.

This fella gives 27-28 reputation per kill, 25 if you don't have the guild buff. I should remember to get to the Faire and get the Whee buff! to add a bit more to this sad little bit of reputation gain. He isn't a quest giver, so if he is up, don't hesitate to kill him. He comes back to life 5 to 7 minutes after he dies.

Captain Steelhorn.

Racy is such a show off. The Captain gives 27-28 reputation points. He s a quest giver, so wait until the young'uns leave before slaughtering this guy. He takes about 5 or more minutes to respawn.

Doctor Draxlegauge.

This guy gives two quests, one to take you to see Shakes, and another of his own. He only gives 5 reputation, and is a bit of a hike from Shakes, so unless the others are up and the area is free of questers, I leave him alone. He respawns in about 5 or more minutes.

Professor Phizzlethorpe.

The professor is also a quest giver, and normally you cannot kill him, unless... Take his quest and as he walks off, then abandon it. He will be hostile every time he comes up after, until someone else does his quest or you leave the area or log out. He only gives 5 reputation, so I only kill him under the same conditions as the doctor, but it's nice to have him ready to kill. He respawns in about 5 minutes, sometimes sooner.

Yo Ho Yo Ho!

Racy is now 306 points into friendly, and has received her Bloodsail Uniform. It takes exalted to get the title and to complete the quest for the hat. Some of these guys stop giving reputation pretty early on, so soon it will be difficult to get the points she needs. Good thing Faldir's Cove is beautiful, and not too far from a mailbox. Racy plans to hang out there until the points run dry, leveling through the random dungeon finder and killing pirates in between.

Oh, if your intended pirate is a hunter, there is a lovely rare cockatiel just around the corner from Lolo.

A Pirate's Best Friend.