It shouldn't be allowed

I've been neglecting Tennant over the past few days. The fact is, Agyeman and I have been rather enamoured with our hunter/warlock team on the US realms. We tear through mobs at a pace that's frankly shocking. What we lose in XP for constantly playing as a duo (we have a deal – no one's allowed to solo-play these characters for the moment), we more than make up for by just turning in quests at an astonishing rate.

At level 10, after I helped Agyeman with his voidwalker quest (and that was tough – I don't see how he could have soloed it), we hopped over to Ghostlands, where we're currently based. It's been a nice, easy run there so far – all the better for getting used to the patch 2.4 improvements. I'm loving the combat log (although I'm looking forward to this week's 2.4.1, which apparently addresses the fact that it won't save settings after log out), and I can't praise Blizzard enough for the incredibly sensible redesign of the interface options menu. That old one was a huge, imposing, confusing panel of 'buh?'; now it's a breeze, not a chore, to hop in and change various settings.

I also like that there seems to be a built-in tab for handling your add-on options. We've been trying out Omen (and I'm also playing with Fizzwidget's hunter mods), and the ability to easily find the settings for those – in a sensible place – is a hell of a boon.

2.4 introduced Quel'Danas, and 2.3 put Mudsprocket and its attendant new content in Dustwallow Marsh. I'm really hoping this is a pattern, that each new patch puts a significant chunk of stuff in the game. As was the case with Dustwallow Marsh, there's plenty of space in the 'old world' for new towns, quest hubs, features or whatever. You don't need to build a whole new island every time. (If there's one place that could do with an overhaul, for example, it's the Badlands. Does anyone actually go there to quest?) And adventuring in Ghostlands – as well as looking forward to Mudsprocket with Tennant – I'm reminded of just how much better Blizzard has got at making content since the start of the game. So, yes: more please!

Updating

The US WoW client is installed, and accounts set up, for both Agyeman and myself. We've created our characters and, inspired by our upcoming summer holiday in Italy, we have picked a pair of lovely names.

Me: a troll hunter named Tuscany (for I have tusks, you see); him: Umbria, an orc warlock. When I get my first pet, I'm so naming it 'Florence'...

It's too early to say how much I like the hunter, but I will say that a hunter/warlock combo just eats through mobs. So far, we're unstoppable, and I can only see that getting better when I have Florence in tow.

We played a little bit on the US servers at the weekend and, even from over here in the UK, noticed no nasty lag. Although there was an astonishing amount of power-levelling whisper-spam while we played in the Valley of Trials. I haven't seen anything like this for ages – Outland EU has its fair share of gold-selling /say spam in Orgrimmar, but I've yet to come across that horribly invasive /w business there. At least it stopped when we stepped outside into the wider wilds of Durotar.

We played for an hour or so on Easter Sunday and managed to grab a couple of Noblegarden eggs each – but there was nothing more exciting than sweets in any of them.

Now, of course, patch 2.4 has been released on both sides of the Atlantic. Having left my level 70 for dead, it's going to be a long time till I see the Isle of Quel'Danas, but I'm intrigued to see the improvements to the combat log. I also want to see if Warsong Gulch games play out faster, now they've introduced the debuff to the flag character.

And I like this tiny change: "Ambient level 1 creatures will no longer be picked as subsequent targets by chaining spells and abilities." I once inadvertently offed a squirrel with my paladin's Avenger's Shield, having crawled nobly through 50-odd levels without once spanking a critter for the fun of it. As well as being upsetting, it was a total waste of damage.

That said, we've not played since the weekend, due in part to real-life obligations and in part to the collapse of our net connection for a couple of days. Maybe I'll hop on there tonight and see what's been spruced up.

Narrowing down

OK, so we're looking for a character for my US server exploits. I don't want to waste time messing around with alts (I have my EU account for that), so I want to find something I'll like – and something that preferably I haven't taken to high levels before – to take up my time on the other side of the pond.

So, what kind of things do I like? Casters, mainly. If I'm playing a game where magic use (or something similar, say the biotic abilities in Mass Effect) is an option, that's the one I'll pick. It's a flavour thing for me: I just like magic.

Therefore, that discounts warriors and rogues. Is that cutting off two decent options? Maybe for some, but not, I think, for me. I've only ever taken either of those classes to the mid-teens, simply because they've never really chimed with me. Rogues are too much like hard work, if you ask me, skipping about to always have the tactical advantage against your enemy... Guh. That's not for me. And warriors? That almost wholly railroads me into the tank role at high levels, and I'm not sure I can hack the responsibility. (Although I have tanked as a paladin in some instances, and quite enjoyed it...)

I need something that's just out-and-out fun. That's for definite.

I'll also need something I can level quickly. This character, basically, has a two-year lifespan. I don't want to spend all that time levelling.

I can already see my options narrowing down to two classes: hunter and warlock, both of which are reputed to be the fastest levelling classes in the game, and perfect for soloing thanks to their combat pets. I've taken a warlock to something like level 28, and kind of enjoyed it. The reduced-price mounts are tempting, too. But, but, but. Another clothie? And given that Tennant is shadow-specced and I want him to stay that way, another shadow-based clothie?

OK, so what about a hunter? I've never really taken one far out of the teen levels, and those first ten levels hurt, without a pet to keep you safe. Also, I hate having to lose one bag slot for ammo – but then, if I went with a warlock, I'd lose a bag slot for all my soul shards too. But the pet really appeals: unlike the warlock, having the freedom to choose what creature you work with is an appealing prospect. And, having faced them (and hated them) in PvP quite often now, I know just how spectacular hunters' damage output can be...

When I sit back and think about it, as well as hunters and warlocks, I feel drawn to mages and shamans (if we're discounting priests, anyway). If we're avoiding cloth-wearing classes, that brings me down to hunters and shamans. Shamans? Hmm. The totem-management thing really annoys me. I don't think I want that level of micromanagement.

I think I know what I've talked myself into. And if I am called a 'huntard', and am playing in 'easy mode', then so be it!

Oh, and...

Agyeman and I have – and I can't quite believe this – bought tickets for the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Paris this June. May as well make the most of Europe while we're still in it!

I'm really looking forward to it – it should be great fun. And I'm very excited to find out what my new vanity pet will be...

Interesting times

Since hitting 30, I've been concentrating on levelling instead of indulging my passion for battlegrounds. It's slow going: partly because life on a PvP server means you spend some time dodging ganks (or – *cackle* – handing them out...), and partly because I've been spending time adventuring with one particular guy from the guild. It's always great making firm friends in-game, but it cuts into your XP haul! But a new real-life development has thrown an interesting spanner in the works...

It looks like, in a few months, my partner and I will be relocating to San Francisco for a couple of years. When we do, we're going to start playing on the US servers. That's a definite – the US copies of the game have already been bought in preparation! The big reason for wanting to do this is that we have two good friends who live and play over there: Iresine and Shadrachgrey. They play on Earthen Ring (a US RP-PvE server), and are part of Alea Iacta Est, a guild heavily connected with The Instance, among other podcasts. (Is that enough links for you?!) We hear great things about the guild, and it would be a hoot to play with those friends, too.

So, that's all fair enough. The thing is... Tennant may only be level 33 right now, but I already feel heavily invested in him and his life on EU Outland server. I feel really strongly connected to this toon, more so than any other I've played in a long time. It only takes a small amount of thinking to realise why: the switch to Horde and a PvP server has made me work more to get connected with the character; because it's such a leap from my play experience over the last three years, that work has resulted in a totally fresh approach and a totally fresh appreciation of the game. It feels like I'm taking nothing for granted, which has made my love of the game sparkle anew.

And our guild, on the whole, rocks. A clear effort is made to get to know the real people behind the toons, displayed most obviously in the use of everyone's real first name, constant Ventrillo chatter and a Facebook group. This is no anonymous in-game-only guild: these are people who have something in common (we're all gay – there I've said it!), and give a damn about each other, not just the pixels on the screen.

So, I don't want to give up on Tennant and walk away from the EU game for two years. Nor do I want to miss out on the fun of adventuring on a PvP server. What I'm hoping, therefore, is that I can hit 70 with Tennant within the next six months or so – which is how much longer I'll be in the UK. BY doing that, I can stay involved with guild business, whether that be raiding or PvP or whatever, without feeling like I've got to put levelling time in on that toon. So, that leaves me free after that to concentrate on playing around on US Earthen Ring, levelling up with a new bunch of people and hanging out with my US friends.

I can't quite believe that, going forward, I'm going to end up having two ongoing WoW accounts on opposite sides of the Atlantic. That's a bit bonkers, isn't it? But there's no way I'm walking away from Tennant and my guildmates for two years; equally, I'm not going to miss out the chance to get into the US side of things while I'm out there for such an extended period of time.

Sorry, I've gone on a bit again! I've all sorts of gank stories to impart (some frustrating, some glorious), and I still want to talk about the biggest annoyance I've found about Horde adventuring in the Eastern Kingdoms. And I want to start talking about all the classes in turn, mainly so I can start to make my mind up about what to level when I'm in the US (because, love them as I do, I'm not having two priests as my two mains). Maybe I'll get to these topics over the next few days...

You learn something new every day...

Oh my word. I'm ashamed to say this, but I had no idea that the priest spell Mind Control was usable against players of the opposite faction. For some reason, although it's a CC spell – like a mage's Polymorph, which I've seen used countless times in PvP combat – I'd always assumed it was solely a PvE thang.

I've just been reading Misery, a rather nifty shadow priest blog, which is where I discovered this. Prior to that, my only experience of the spell was in some Shadow Labyrinth runs, with my old guild and my old nelf priest. Just as we were coming up to Blackheart the Inciter (one of my all-time favourite bosses in the game – I've no idea why people hate Shadow Lab so much, when you've got him and Murmur, both tough, but both incredibly good fun), I would be asked to Mind Control a mob or two as we were clearing the room.

(Incidentally, I never enjoyed using the spell. OK, there was the vicarious thrill of turning the mob against its fellows – the Shadow Lab mob (and I'm sorry, but I can't remember what it was, but it could have been one of these) had a useful buff I could pass on to my guildmates, which is why they wanted me to Control it, I guess. But having to very quickly get used to a new control scheme, and figure out a new set of abilities, all before the minute (maximum) the spell lasts is up, was a little bit too much for my feeble brain.)

But now I know I can throw down the MC on those hated Allies in the battlegrounds... Well, you can count on me doing it as soon as I ding 30, and get access to the spell. Just the idea of taking one of those godforsaken rogues in Arathi Basin and running him underwater, keeping him there till he drowns... <sighs with pleasure>. Or, when I hit the high levels, taking control of people in Eye of the Storm and just running them off the edge of the floating Netherstorm islands... Or taking over the mind of the enemy flag-carrier in Warsong Gulch...

Oh, the possibilties are endless.

Violence breeds violence

I was just ganked a couple of times by a pair of Allies accompanied by a level ?? friend. I passed the love on when I saw a lone, unprotected druid running down the road a little later. HKs FTW!

(Dear Druid: you have Entangling Roots, no? Entangle me, then try to run away! Silly.)

Today was my first Warsong Gulch at level 29, and therefore at the top of the bracket. And it was a stormer. Note in the picture below the elapsed time – WSG fills my heart with dread, because you never know if it's going to drag on and on. But not this time. And it was the daily quest, so hello to some bonus honour, experience and extra silver. Lovely.

This is the ranking by number of HKs, and there's me at number two:

And the next one is ranked by the number of killing blows – and I didn't do too shabbily there, either! Note (if you can, by looking right at the top of the image) that we won three-nil. It was a spectacular match, hugely good fun. For a long time, we had the Alliance on the ropes as we gathered in a huge mob just beneath their graveyard. They ploughed into the battlefield valiantly as they were resurrected, only to be met by messy death at our hands...

And if you look carefully, you'll see that I was ranked number three on the total damage dealt. After all that worrying about joining a PvP server... Well, the phrase "like a duck to water" springs to mind.