December 16, 2018 Sunday Meeting
5:00
P.M. Eastern time (-5 GMT)
Discord:
Valar Guild/meeting_place
Back to News
Transcript work by Varda.
Attending (and
spoke): (4)
Discord:
Arien, Ar-Pharazon, Falco, Varda (presiding)
Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership news:
Congratulations to Miriel on her birthday!
Web:
Updated pages for the News, Membership, 21st
Anniversary
Gaming:
General report.
Tolkien:
Topic: How do we see the
arts used by the characters in JRRT's works?
After-meeting:
Flashgaming Reviews by
Ar-Pharazon.
top
Before-meeting
(times are in Central from Varda's Discord, so add one hour for
Eastern. Example: 4pm Central in the transcript is 5pm Eastern)
VardaToday at 3:59 PM
Aiya : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 3:59 PM
Aiya!
VardaToday at 4:00 PM
Good to see you, Phar. : )
ArienVToday at 4:02 PM
Aiya
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:02 PM
Aiya Arien
ArienVToday at 4:02 PM
Aiya, Phari
VardaToday at 4:02 PM
Aiya Sunshine : )
ArienVToday at 4:02 PM
Aiya Varda
VardaToday at 4:03 PM
heh, can
heh, can't just do webwork, have to upload it. What a concept.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:03 PM
Was that one line your riddle on the forum, Varda?
VardaToday at 4:05 PM
Yes. Guess I should make longer ones.
ArienVToday at 4:06 PM
I put a guess there hoom hoom
VardaToday at 4:06 PM
And your answer was right!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:06 PM
Aw, beat me to it? And I had a good riddle lined up.
VardaToday at 4:07 PM
Just marked it, thanks for the reminder, gang.
Well, answer Arien's new one quickly and you get to do it!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:07 PM
Will do!
ArienVToday at 4:07 PM
you can do it Phari , I had the last one
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:07 PM
Oh, and just got 26000 achievement points
VardaToday at 4:07 PM
Woohoo!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:07 PM
Hmm, doesn't seem fair.
VardaToday at 4:07 PM
Nope, Arien gets to put one up. Then Phar answers and puts one up.
Be quick as a bunny!
Since I actually had the last one. cough
ArienVToday at 4:09 PM
All right . you win ^^ you make the rules
VardaToday at 4:10 PM
Trying to keep it fair instead of changing rules as we go along.
ArienVToday at 4:11 PM
There you go
your answer Phari
VardaToday at 4:12 PM
Arwen says she's about to head out for work.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:13 PM
Hmm, I have to guess it first...
Made my guess.
VardaToday at 4:14 PM
Go go go!
ArienVToday at 4:14 PM
I hope she has a good shift
FalcoToday at 4:14 PM
Aiya Kin!
VardaToday at 4:14 PM
Aiya Falco : )
ArienVToday at 4:15 PM
Aiya Falcol :smiley:
VardaToday at 4:15 PM
Welcome! We're playing with the riddles on the forum. : )
ArienVToday at 4:16 PM
correct Phari
that was right
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:16 PM
Right, my turn :wink:
VardaToday at 4:16 PM
Ah hah!
I'm harassing people with pokes. : )
What's going on at the moment is answering the forum riddles, found
at http://valarguild.proboards.com/
Home | Valar Guild
Visit our forum at: valarguild.proboards.com
Near the bottom, you can find the most recent posts and click it, if
you like.
top
Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:22 PM
(posted)
VardaToday at 4:23 PM
(just to make the meeting start official)
Thanks, Phar.
Membership:
Elwing is visiting at our house, having fun in LotRO and
doing sketches with the family. : )
We enjoy drawing a bit.
Any other membership news?
ArienVToday at 4:24 PM
i am back at work after two weeks vacation ^^
VardaToday at 4:25 PM
yay? Have to make the gold to pay for gaming!
ArienVToday at 4:25 PM
and funny enough two days off tomorrow and Tuesday chuckles
VardaToday at 4:25 PM
hahahahaha
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:25 PM
Fladrif spotted in Hearthstone, talked to about
Warcraft 3 reforged, and his apparent plans to come back to the
Netherlands around Christmas.
VardaToday at 4:25 PM
Ohh, nice!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:26 PM
He's not as interested in Reforged as I am right now, it seems, but
plans have been made to team up now and then anyway as the versions
should be compatible :smiley:
ArienVToday at 4:27 PM
sounds good :smiley:
VardaToday at 4:29 PM
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Web:
Eonwe and I have been trying to make the new Games Site pages for
LotRO Anor and Ithil and Landroval for Players more updated. Feel
free to send corrections to Eonwe or me, email with a CC to the
other of us would be a kindness; Discord messages work too.
We can't update daily, but fairly often at least.
[Note: More web update news at the end of
After-meeting.]
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Games:
Eonwe's been working away with the general news. Feel free to send
him news for your game during the week.
World of WarCraft:
This week's bonus event: Battlegrounds.
The PvP Brawl: Arathi Blizzard began Tuesday and runs through
December 18th.
The Feast of Winter Veil begins today and runs through January 2nd.
Check out the Patch 8.1: Tides of Vengeance patch notes.
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/22824892/tides-of-vengeance-update-notes
World of Warcraft
Tides of Vengeance Update Notes - WoW
The war raging across Azeroth between Alliance
and Horde has intensified. As the Alliance lays plans to retake
Darkshore and regain a foothold in Kalimdor, both factions have
redoubled their attacks across the zones of Kul Tiras and Zandalar.
Check out the Live VoD Q&A.
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/22824892/tides-of-vengeance-update-notes
World of Warcraft
Tides of Vengeance Update Notes - WoW
The war raging across Azeroth between Alliance
and Horde has intensified. As the Alliance lays plans to retake
Darkshore and regain a foothold in Kalimdor, both factions have
redoubled their attacks across the zones of Kul Tiras and Zandalar.
Hotfixes. See them here:
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/22824893/hotfixes-december-14-2018
World of Warcraft
Hotfixes: December 14, 2018 - WoW
Here you'll find a list of hotfixes that address
various issues related to World of Warcraft:Battle For Azeroth.
Diablo 3:
If you haven't heard yet, Season 15 ends January 6th.
https://us.battle.net/forums/en/d3/topic/20770676889
Season 15 End / Season 16 Start Dates - Diablo
III Forums
Hey everyone, In order to ensure a smooth
transition between Seasons, and give players extra time to enjoy the
Double Bounty Cache buff, we will be ending Season 15 on January 6.
With this, Season 16 is scheduled to begin on
January 11. As a quick heads-up, we will also be re...
Heroes of the Storm:
A patch came out earlier this week,
https://heroesofthestorm.com/en-us/blog/22821338/heroes-of-the-storm-patch-notes-december-11-2018-2018-12-11/
Heroes of the Storm
Legendary heroes and villains from Warcraft,
StarCraft and Diablo are summoned to the Nexus. Choose your hero and
prepare to fight in Heroes of the Storm!
and also some hotfixes.
https://heroesofthestorm.com/en-us/blog/22819173/heroes-of-the-storm-hotfix-patch-notes-december-13-2018-2018-12-13/
Heroes of the Storm
Legendary heroes and villains from Warcraft,
StarCraft and Diablo are summoned to the Nexus. Choose your hero and
prepare to fight in Heroes of the Storm!
Hearthstone:
Rumble Run has Begun!
https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/blog/22821792/rumble-run-has-begun
Rumble Run has Begun!
It�s time to smash down the gates and take
Gurubashi Arena by storm! Rumble Run has begun!
Lord of the Rings Online:
LotRO Beacon Issue # 90 is out.
https://www.lotro.com/en/game/articles/lotro-beacon-issue-90
The Lord of the Rings Online
The LOTRO Beacon: Issue 90
LotRO's Yuletide Festival runs now through January 14th.
Latest +Cord of the Rings:
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/345890254
Twitch
+Cord of the Rings - Lord of the Rings Online
ArienVToday at 4:37 PM
ah i wondered why my rthree season characters are stiill in the
race in D 3 :smiley:
exected it to end on 15th
VardaToday at 4:37 PM
Update 23.1.7 release notes (LotRO):
https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthread.php?669822-Update-23-1-7-Release-Notes
Update 23.1.7 Release Notes
Here are the Release Notes for Update 23.1.7,
released on Thursday, December 13th.
Of Special Note:
New Seasonal Instances
Any other general gaming news? Eve, other?
ArienVToday at 4:39 PM
had a quck look on Rift and Guild Wars 2 last week ,
true to my habit to visit long neglected games in my vatiosn
:smiley:
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:40 PM
Calling Guild Wars 2 a long neglected game saddens me...
I've still got my Guild Wars 1 ranger around somewhere.
ArienVToday at 4:41 PM
oh i had a look on that a few months back as well :smiley:
still quite nice actually
VardaToday at 4:44 PM
Anyone play Eve this last week? Figure several, but might
not be available at the moment.
ArienVToday at 4:47 PM
not me Varda
VardaToday at 4:47 PM
okie dokie
Any other news? Requests for a stranded character to join a kin
branch, other?
ArienVToday at 4:48 PM
let me see .. i think i have one or two in fact
VardaToday at 4:48 PM
Ok, I'll pop in while we talk. Which kin branch? [Note:Went to side
tells for the game business.]
Meanwhile...
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Tolkien!
If anyone has a Tolkien question or moment you'd like to try out on
us, let us know now or toss me a whisper if you think of one later.
Topic:
How do we see the arts used in JRRT's works?
First, what do we mean by the arts? This can be subjective.
This is distinct from the smithing of Aule's type, another good
subject.
It might be part of it, such as amazing filigree on armor, or other
often meaningful embellishments.
It could be music, writing, sculpting, making jewelry, and the like.
By in JRRT's works, I mean how do various characters use the arts in
the stories?
This can be any of the stories, off the top of your head, or looked
up if nothing comes to mind.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:52 PM
Feanor was good at art, though his craft had practical purposes as
well.
VardaToday at 4:53 PM
Aye to that
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:53 PM
Dwarves made this pretty necklace for something Feanor made.
Oh, and apparently everyone was really big on singing.
VardaToday at 4:53 PM
hehe, very true.
The Valar were very big on it and we see that echoed in the elves,
always singing.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:54 PM
Elves were singing, hobbits were singing, even dwarves were singing!
VardaToday at 4:54 PM
That's true!
I hear even Men?
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:54 PM
I bet the orcs had some lewd songs around the campfire.
VardaToday at 4:54 PM
Most probably
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:54 PM
Or maybe a marching song...
VardaToday at 4:54 PM
We know of that, aye
Nerdanel was a sculptor. She was so good that some thought they were
real.
ArienVToday at 5:01 PM
oh definitely
VardaToday at 5:01 PM
The Argonath - famous huge sculptures
ArienVToday at 5:01 PM
we see the Goblinking and even the spiders sort of singing
even if that was something like "shrip shrap in the sack* or
to that effefct :smiley:
VardaToday at 5:02 PM
hehe
Music of some sort could be expected to be in the DNA of all of
Arda. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:03 PM
The music all the atoms dance to.
ArienVToday at 5:04 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hfam-6DM2M
YouTube
Sidhion
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended
Edition - Goblin King's...
VardaToday at 5:04 PM
Even in Mordor. The Watchers were stone statue gate posts in which
Maiar of Sauron/Morgoth stayed as sentries. Didn't have to have
living hosts, apparently.
Thanks, Phar about the atoms, and Arien for the orc "music".
Glingal is another type of art. To quote Anarion-V in the guild:
The 'Hanging Flame', Turgon's image of Laurelin upon the Golden Gate
in Gondolin, made of topaz and strings of gold, and shining.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:07 PM
Architecture, definitely art.
Look at all those towers, too... Orthanc was a pretty good piece of
work.
VardaToday at 5:07 PM
Architectural beauty, aye.
The dwarves made a beautiful necklace for the silmaril: the
Nauglamir
Maybe crowns? We hear of several different ones. The Iron Crown was
probably impressive, if only because Morgoth was wearing it.
and it had 3 silmarils.s
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:09 PM
Also impressive.
And quite bright, I imagine.
What about sun and moon boats?
VardaToday at 5:11 PM
The Elendilmir was a jewel set in the crown of the fillet type, a
narrow headband, used by the Kings of Arnor. They didn't wear
a crown, but used that instead.
Maybe so!
The Elessar was the clear green stone that Aragorn wore, that gave
him one of his names.
ArienVToday at 5:15 PM
and Arwen made the black banner for the Army of the Dead
VardaToday at 5:15 PM
It was given to him by Galadriel, with layers of meaning.
Aye, Arwen made a beautiful flag to declare Aragorn's kingship,
first brought to him as they were about to gather the Oathbreakers
and used to declare himself at Gondor and to bug Sauron on the way
to Mordor.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:17 PM
And they didn't unfurl it until the Pelennor, r ight?
VardaToday at 5:18 PM
The Ring of Barahir that passed on to Aragorn.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:18 PM
Would've been embarrassing if she'd messed it up...
VardaToday at 5:18 PM
I'm not entirely sure when they formally first used it. Halbarad
brought it.
ArienVToday at 5:19 PM
didnt Aragorn show it at the Stone of Erech or was that only movie?
VardaToday at 5:20 PM
He may have - I don't remember. We can look it up. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:20 PM
Did he even have it in the movie?
VardaToday at 5:20 PM
It's a interesting question, when was the flag first used?
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:20 PM
Grey Company was just Elrond dropping off a sword, as I recall.
VardaToday at 5:21 PM
That was so bogus, hah. Saves time I guess.
Makes me think of 20-sided Dice. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:21 PM
:smile:
VardaToday at 5:22 PM
The Passing of the Grey Company is where Halbarad meets up with
Aragorn
ArienVToday at 5:23 PM
and yes it was at the stone of Erech it was used first
"The passing of the grey company * towards the end
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:23 PM
Testing it out on a bunch of ghosts. Good enough.
VardaToday at 5:23 PM
Thanks!
They needed to see his bona fides, too.
And Aragorn was called the King of the Dead on the tremendous ride.
Kind of like the Wild Ride or Wild Flight. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:25 PM
" Your girlfriend's good at making banners! Yep, you're our king."
VardaToday at 5:25 PM
haha
(Miriel-V says hi, celebrating her birthday right now.) yay!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:26 PM
Aiya!
VardaToday at 5:26 PM
Yay for barley wine!
ArienVToday at 5:27 PM
"The hour has comme at last. Now i go to Pelargir
upon Anduin and ye shall come after me. And when all this
land is cleean of the servants of Sauron , I will hold the the
oath fulfilled, an ye shall have peace and depart for ever. For I
am Ellessar, Isildur's heir of Gondor " And with that he
bade Halbarad unfurl the great standard which he had brought and
behold! It was black, and if there was any device upon it, it was
hidden in the darkness. Then there was silence , and not a whisper
or sound was heard again all the long night." Quote end
VardaToday at 5:28 PM
Drama! Thank you, Arien.
Turns out there was a device on it, but in the dark it was unseen,
and really fit the atmosphere.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:28 PM
I imagine ghosts can see in the dark.
Especially those who live inside a mountain.
ArienVToday at 5:33 PM
i think so
VardaToday at 5:36 PM
The Last Debate tells more about the ride of the Oathbreakers with
Aragorn
There the King of the Dead is the Oathbreaker king
The dead needed no weapon but fear.
After arriving in Gondor, they unfurled the great banner again
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:40 PM
According to the power of dramatic reveals, I suppose here the
object on the banner became visible?
VardaToday at 5:41 PM
I'm trying to find where it tells the appearance. It's there
somewhere. diggity dig
The banner of the Tree and Stars
ArienVToday at 5:43 PM
The Battle on the pelenor fields
VardaToday at 5:43 PM
was raised before the Black Gate
ArienVToday at 5:43 PM
Battle of the Pelennor fields
VardaToday at 5:44 PM
I know it has details on what it looks like... I have to leave
temporarily as Elwing is about to take off.
Back soon
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:49 PM
In the meantime, have a fun Christmas comic at http://datingforgeeks.tumblr.com/post/181101333728
it's in Dutch though, I can try translating it in here if you don't
want to take up the challenge :wink:
Tumblr
Dating for Geeks
datingforgeeks
Extra lange bonus strip!
(eerder verschenen in 2017 in Stripblad Eppo)
ArienVToday at 5:50 PM
"And then wonder took him, and a great joy< and he
cast his sword up in the sunlight and sang as he caught it. And
all eyes followed his gazer, and behold! upoln the foremost ship a
great standard broke. and the wind displayed it as she turned
towards the Harlond. There flowered a White Tree, and that
was for Gondor, but Seven Stars flamed in the Sunlight, for they
were wrought of gems by Arwen daughter of Elrond, and the crown
was bright in the morning, for it was wrought of mithril and gold.
Thus came Aragorn son of Arathorn, Elessar , Isildur ' s heir, out
of the Paths of the Dead, borne upon a wind from the Sea to the
kingdom of Gondor, and the mirth of the Rohirrim was a torrent of
laughter and a flashing of swords, and the joy and wonder of the
City was a music of Trumpets and a ringing of bells. But the hosts
fof Mordor were seized with bewilderment ..." Quote end
without the typing mistakes of course ..
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:50 PM
Expensive banner too.
ArienVToday at 5:58 PM
chuckles at the comic can i have a Mogwai too :D?
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:59 PM
hehe
better than myrrh, eh?
VardaToday at 6:05 PM
back
O thank you, Arien, for finding the quote!
What chapter was it?
Cute comic. Hope it has an English version
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:08 PM
I've seen people translate them in the comments below, but not
often.
VardaToday at 6:08 PM
ok, thanks. That particular one works even without translation, and
I can figure out some of it.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:09 PM
Yeah, most of it is pretty clear from the graphics, like those 3
warning signs :smiley:
VardaToday at 6:12 PM
Still, why is part in English at all?
Such as the title.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:13 PM
The title of the comic overall is in English, yes, but not of this
specific page?
VardaToday at 6:14 PM
ok, the gavel hammers are jumping up and down wanting to come out.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:14 PM
hehe
VardaToday at 6:14 PM
They had to vote on one.
the hammer proudly sails forth, banner unfurled
the hammer plants the flag on the hammerpad
thummmmmp!
As the hammer returns, the hammerpad tosses a salute with
unexpected stick arms and tiny fingers
top
After-meeting!
Free chat. : )
We have an index for art-in-the-stories, could use more, but here it
is!
http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/articles/a/art/art.htm
Art created by Tolkien's characters
Articles: art made by characters in Tolkien's works
Feel free to add to it.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:17 PM
Like a hammerpad with stick arms and fingers?
ArienVToday at 6:18 PM
The chapter is The Battle of the Pelennor fields Varda
VardaToday at 6:18 PM
Oh thank you! [Note: apologies to Arien for missing all the times
she said the chapter name before, real life was happening. She's
wonderfully patient, thanks!]
ArienVToday at 6:19 PM
it is quite interesting to see that this quote is quite the opposite
to the one i quoted before at Erech
look at it .. colors and atmosphere . one creating fear .. the other
one hope
VardaToday at 6:20 PM
Very different atmospheres, aye!
The word-painting of Tolkien. : )
ArienVToday at 6:20 PM
I love it :smiley:
Something that Christie Golden is an excellent student of :smiley:
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:23 PM
Gaming report time!
ArienVToday at 6:27 PM
i ll say Namarie first .. i ll read it up the next time i ll get on
discord .. its been a long day yawns
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:27 PM
Namarie, then!
VardaToday at 6:27 PM
We are in after-meeting. Sleep well!
I also post it on the News in the transcript
on the website.
Namarie Arien
ArienVToday at 6:28 PM
:smiley:
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Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:35 PM
Flashgaming: 3 games for you this week!
http://www.freewebarcade.com/game/rogues-like-beer/
is the first! (doesn't seem to work on the website I normally use,
but was worth looking up here)
Takes place in what seems to be an Irish pub. The beer's run out,
and the idea is to go down to the cellar through a series of puzzle
rooms. Play around with stones, planks, and even explosives! You can
use up to 2 characters, and if one dies, just switch characters to
get a new one. Infinite lives, and items that are lost, respawn. So
keep trying!
Nice Irish music too :smiley:
http://www.onemorelevel.com/game/milt_xmas_presents
for the second game! Retro puzzle thingy, get to the gift by moving
around, and only stopping when you hit a wall. But with a twist: The
path you take becomes solid, so you can't cross your own path, but
you can use it as a wall to get where you're going.
Milt Xmas Presents - OneMoreLevel.com
And for the last, https://www.kongregate.com/games/Pixelante/pixel-legions
was a badge of the day I didn't have yet, though I did have an
easier badge for that same game, so might have linked it in the
past. A cell war game where you spawn pixels from your mobile base,
and try to defeat the other pixel armies. Hint: Fighting on top of
another base prevents it from producing pixels, but you can continue
to reinforce yours if you're free. Send your troops around the enemy
forces for pincer attacks :smiley:
Kongregate
Pixel Legions
Armies of glowing pixels wage war in this
fast-paced tactical action game. Employ a mix of clever strategy and
brute force to dominate your opponents. New surp...
Oh, and with multiple enemies, try to play them against each other.
top
VardaToday at 6:48 PM
Breaking in for a sec:
Forgot to mention the LotRO report for kinfolk seen in the past week
[Note: on three different servers]:
Landroval:
Ancalagon
Bregalad
Elwing
Eonwe
Erkenbrand
Fangorn
Lenwe
Mirabella
Nar
Thranduil
Varda
Anor:
Dis
Falco
Fangorn
Varda
Walda
Ithil:
Arien
Dis
Falco
Varda
Done. All yours. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:50 PM
(oh, and nice music too :wink:
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 7:03 PM
Blizzard gaming!
Hearthstone:
Classes approaching halfway to the next level now. Steadily chugging
onwards. Haven't tried the Rumble Run yet, I'm sure some quests will
show up for it eventually :smiley: There doesn't seem to be much
repeat value anyway, the class-choices you get are random and
there's only a reward for finishing it once.
The brawl is fun though, new random deck recipes with Rumble cards
for whatever class you choose.
Heroes of the Storm:
Interesting week, leading to an interesting month. New toy event
started for this winter, where you roll the dice, move around a
board, get quests wherever you land, and larger special quests for
other pieces you knock over as you go along. Specific reward sets
for each special quests, as well as for going around the board once.
Going around more often gives you random lootchests, but with the
amount I get to play I'll be happy to just finish it once during the
next month.
In fact, it seems so quick, that I'm skipping regular daily quests
and focusing on the event quests instead, though combining the two
if possible is a nice bonus.
One level got this week, from 321 to 322. Not sure where I got my
level.. I suspect Li Li. Brawl is the Snow Brawl, where you throw
snowballs at the other team, build snowmen to follow you around and
fight with you, and fight over presents which do heavy damage to
enemy bases. Quite hectic, but fun once you get the hang of it
:smiley:
WoW:
Christmas break started for the raiding. A bit early, but our
numbers are low, so might as well. We hope to be back in January,
before the next raid hits, to at least test out our new talents and
class changes.
For me, guardian spec has barely changed (though our damage has
increased overall), but feral has gotten a bit of a talent shake-up.
No longer able to have both lunar inspiration (moonfire in catform)
and sabertooth (automatic refresh of rip through ferocious bite),
I've said goodbye to the latter, though having to incorporate that
change into my rotation is still taking some getting used to. I did,
however, get a new aoe-rip talent, which does a bit more direct
damage but only lasts half as long, so it's good if you can build up
aoe combo points on multiple enemies, but much worse on
single-target. As it should be! Fun talent, damage could be higher,
but feral is also getting a damage increase across the board next
week (tomorrow?), so that's good!
I got a bit of questing done in Zuldazar, with an archaeological dig
near Xibala, with a magnificent dinosaur skeleton embedded into the
terrain, which even looks great on the minimap. I was really
impressed with that area. There's even a quest to go into the
skeleton's mouth, where a questmob is waiting in a cave.
After that I fought some intelligent gorillas to the west of the
Zandalari capital, and then went to unlock the Seeker's Outpost
flightpoint at the tortollan base. Plan was to start questing
there.... but then the patch hit.
So much new stuff to do! I've not even started the new questlines
yet for Darkshore and the War Campaign, which will have to wait
until I've got the previous chapters done anyway... but other new
stuff started taking up my time.
I resumed my mythic expeditions (with simplified reward drop
system), for which now 3 are needed to complete the weekly quest,
for a treasure map mission-starter which can give one of the random
expedition rewards by itself. Mounts and pets have been reported,
but I myself just got a green belt for a death knight set. Still,
transmog's always nice to collect.
I also ended up with the mythic Jorundall achievement, as well as my
first expedition pet, a tunneler worm thingy.
And another project I've started is doing the Arathi world quests
every day (while we have access to the zone as alliance) for 5
service medals. The total medals to collect is over 2000, but I need
200 for the mount I want, the azure krolusk. 5 a day is not much,
but I've not gotten myself involved with the other sources yet,
which are the Darkshore warfront and the faction incursions. So
this'll have to do. I do know 7th legion paragon caches give 20
medals a piece. So that's good.
Lessee... ah yes, patch came with the Meat Wagon mount for those who
pre-order the special edition for warcraft 3 reforged. Quite nice,
get to fling meat into the distance :wink: Another mount added in
the patch is the Hivemind, the new secret mount, which has already
been figured out how to get. I can't spend much time on it yet, and
parts of it require 5 players, so I hope it'll still be doable by
the time I get around to it.
Continued to do more world quests too! Got exalted with the 7th
legion tonight through those, so another achievement there, which
got me to 26000 achievement points total. I visited the
quartermaster for that faction, and there doesn't seem to be an
exalted mount, though. But I did get the lil' siege tower pet
:smiley:
And that leaves my two biggest time-wasters this week... one of them
being the battleground weekly quest, which I decided to do entirely
through the brawl and rated battleground groups. All 4 went smooth
enough once we got in, but actually getting the groups for the rated
bgs took some time, which can't be spent doing quests and
worldquests while sitting in a raid.
It did get me to 1600 rating though, giving me an achievement which
should make future battleground-group-finding a bit easier.
And possibly the biggest time-waster I did not see coming was the
new family battler quest, requiring the defeat of 15 out of 19 world
quest petbattlers with a team of each family.
They can be fought now without the world quest being up, but just
like the pet battle achievement for Argus I prefer to wait until
their quests are up anyway, for extra rewards. The fights can be
pretty tough, though, and the strategies found online are still a
work in progress... with a number of them requiring pets caught in
the new expansion's zones, of which I had none until this week.
But out of necessity for those tactics, I did decide to hunt for
rare versions of each pet required, and picking up any rare versions
of backline pets I didn't have yet either.
So I got 7 new Zandalar and Kul Tiras wild pets along the way, such
as a bunch of crabs, frogs (including a large pink one), and an
otter.
Oh! And to finish off the report, there was a world quest in the
Waycrest Manor this week which provided the key to another rare pet:
The world quest fight was against a bunch of chefs, and letting them
throw a chicken at you and then roasting it would give a quest,
leading to an npc in Booty Bay who turns the roasted chicken into a
robotic Vengeful Chicken pet, thematically akin to Robocop. So after
reading about that, I took a group of friends there to make sure we
all knew what to do, and we all got our chickens :smiley:
And that's my report for the week!
VardaToday at 7:45 PM
Thank you, Phar. : )
VardaToday at 8:04 PM
For Web, a mention that all the news before
December has been archived. This should improve the speed of the News page's
loading
The 2018 Membership
page has been somewhat updated, getting ready for 2019.
The Poetry
page could use entries before 2018 is gone.
Updated the 21st
Anniversary page.
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