Valar Guild

August 23, 2020 Sunday Meeting

5:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Savings Time
Discord: Valar Guild/meeting_place

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Transcript work by
Varda.
[times are Central Time from Varda's Discord. Add one hour for Eastern.]
["slight smile" is the same as we are used to using as a regular smiley]

Attending (and spoke): (6)
    Discord: Arien, Ar-Pharazon, Eonwe (Before-meeting), Ioreth (After-meeting), Irmo,  Varda (presiding)

Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership news:
    23rd Anniversary of the Valar Guild coming in October. During this meeting, we picked the theme of "boats".
Web
Gaming:
    General reports: Lord of the Rings Online, ...
 Tolkien:
    Topic 1: Why did Sauron try and convince Pharazon to attack Valinor knowing that was pointless, instead of turning his attention on Middle Earth?
    Topic 2: How did Numenor beat Sauron wearing and using the one ring?
Gaming, the Reboot:
    General reports: Lord of the Rings Online, World of Warcraft, Heroes of the Storm, Hearthstone
After-meeting:
    PTR for WoW by Ioreth
    Flashgaming Reviews by Ar-Pharazon.
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Before-meeting

Eonwe Valar08/19/2020
There, no more for my Paladin to collect from the Argent Tournament.

Eonwe Valar08/19/2020
Just completed the Val'anyr legendary. We already have guild credit for it, thanks to either Nob or Bofur though. It was a while back but I remember it was one of them. The guild achievement doesn't tell me which though, hehe.(edited)
[3:00 AM]
*Val'anyr is from Ulduar, about 5 expansions back, just so no one unfamiliar thinks I completed anything current, hehe.(edited)

Eonwe Valar08/19/2020
Ugh, I just realized I have to go back to the Molten Front for transmogs.

Eonwe Valar08/19/2020
Hmm, looks like not so bad. Just had to pay gold, not the currency of the time.
[3:31 AM]
That was the missing part to my T8 25-man appearance too.

Eonwe Valar08/19/2020
Tol Barad, though, though will be a painful grind.
August 21, 2020

Eonwe Valar08/21/2020
The Nazjatar Battle Commendation grind has been surprisingly not painful. Just got enough for the mount, now just need for the toys and I suppose the essences too.
August 23, 2020

VardaToday at 3:59 PM
Aiya : )
[3:59 PM]
Fangorn, Elwing, and I just completed an instance despite waves of lag
[4:00 PM]
External problem they're trying to mitigate.
[4:02 PM]
@Bounder Hurray! It's time to meet up again! Come on in!

ArienValarToday at 4:03 PM
Aiya Varda and rest

VardaToday at 4:03 PM
Aiya Arien : )

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:05 PM
Aiya!

VardaToday at 4:05 PM
Aiya Phar : )

IrmoToday at 4:06 PM
Greetings and good evening Varda, Phar, Arien...

ArienValarToday at 4:07 PM
Aiya Irmo

VardaToday at 4:07 PM
Aiya Irmo : )
[4:08 PM]

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Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
[4:08 PM]

Membership:
[4:08 PM]
Elwing is visiting with us and playing LotRO right now with Fangorn and myself. : )
[4:09 PM]
Irmo is in LotRO too, yay!
[4:09 PM]
Any other membership news we'd like to pass along?
[4:09 PM]
Fellow Valarites we've seen?

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:09 PM
Fladrif spotted, we played a Hearthstone match

ArienValarToday at 4:10 PM
Helm spotted a couple of times on Bnet but we haven't spoken

VardaToday at 4:11 PM
Glad they are still around. : )
[4:11 PM]
Even if we can't play together, we can join up for the Tolkien Site, or send in game reviews for the Gaming Site.
[4:11 PM]
Maybe they will have a chance to join us on Discord sometime
[4:12 PM]

top

Web:
[4:12 PM]
I don't have anything new for you this past week. I need to get down and write something!
[4:12 PM]

top

Gaming:
[4:13 PM]

LotRO:
In LotRO, we still have a game despite whatever the outside attacks are.
[4:13 PM]
The slowdowns don't last long and there's a wide space between where we can play fine.

IrmoToday at 4:13 PM
Probably DDoS

VardaToday at 4:14 PM
Likely. They may need some really big buffer servers in between, very expensive?

IrmoToday at 4:14 PM
They are very bad during Euro daytime, and then get less and less during the evening/US afternoon

VardaToday at 4:14 PM
It's afternoon now for us. It was worse earlier?

IrmoToday at 4:15 PM
Building DDoS defense takes either lost of competence, or lotds of money, I am afraid Standing Stones Gaming have neither

VardaToday at 4:15 PM
4 pm Central, 5 pm Eastern

IrmoToday at 4:15 PM
Yes, in our DAYTIME IT IS OFTEN UNPLAYABLE

VardaToday at 4:15 PM
It has seemed to improve
[4:15 PM]
ugh

IrmoToday at 4:15 PM
sorry caps

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:15 PM
(only plays games in the evening)

IrmoToday at 4:16 PM
Tomorrow work starts again for me

VardaToday at 4:16 PM
Do you have a Tolkien topic or news you'd like to drop on us before you have to leave?

IrmoToday at 4:16 PM
Anyway, Black desert Online had strikingly similar attacks a year ago, trunred out they were Russians, hence the timezone of the attacks

VardaToday at 4:17 PM
Thus the European time suggests something similar?
[4:17 PM]
Sad, because lots of Russians enjoy playing LotRO.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:17 PM
It wasn't me!

VardaToday at 4:17 PM
hmm, so he says...
[4:17 PM]
ok, it's not you. : )

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:17 PM
I have neither the equipment nor the knowhow

VardaToday at 4:17 PM
heh

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:18 PM
...Nor the inclination, for what that's worth!

VardaToday at 4:18 PM
The most possible.

Tolkien:

IrmoToday at 4:18 PM
Ok, here is my topic: why did Sauron try and convince Pharazon to attack Valinor knowing that was pointless, instead of turning his attention on Middle Earth?

VardaToday at 4:19 PM
Thank you.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:19 PM
I think Numenor was an actual threat on his domain at the time, and so he wanted to get rid of the threat as well as take revenge on them at the same time.
[4:20 PM]
He was a patient guy and could always return after the navy got squished.
[4:20 PM]
Going down with the island was somewhat unexpected.

IrmoToday at 4:20 PM
So...just an unfortunate gamble?

VardaToday at 4:21 PM
Numenoreans had just threatened Sauron's rule, taken him captive, and he was intent on their destruction.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:21 PM
The gamble paid off, the price was just higher than expected.

VardaToday at 4:21 PM
Aye

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:22 PM
Take em down from the inside out if outright war isn't going to lead to victory any time soon.

IrmoToday at 4:23 PM
Alright methinks that is a valid explanation, so not a vewry thrilling topic  Lets find something else ..

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:23 PM
Also I think he took some enjoyment out of it

IrmoToday at 4:24 PM
He had 1000 years of downtime <grin>
[4:25 PM]
Well, not that much actually ..
[4:26 PM]
A mere 300 or so
[4:27 PM]
So I agree, the price of seeing the force of Numenor dimished was probably worth the gamble
[4:29 PM]
realisaing thet it is actually odd that only 300 years after Akkalabetrh Sauron was already up and running again

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:29 PM
Was it 300? I remember 100... odd, should be my specialty era

IrmoToday at 4:29 PM
Not sure really

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:30 PM
3319     Ar-Pharazôn sets foot on Aman; the World is Changed: Aman and Tol Eressëa are removed from Arda, Númenor is drowned, and the world is made round.

VardaToday at 4:30 PM
A thousand years here or there. Undying tend to not really get the difference.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:30 PM
3428     Sauron beseiges Minas Ithil.
War of the Last Alliance begins.

IrmoToday at 4:30 PM
100 would be stunningly fast

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:30 PM
Maiar can work fast.
[4:31 PM]
Drift home, pick up ring, form a body.
[4:31 PM]
Breed some orcs.

IrmoToday at 4:31 PM
What I do know by heart is that Elendil was young when he escaped the downfall, and 322 or so when he died at Dagorlad
[4:32 PM]
Ah thanks Phar, I see those dates, well, that is stunning

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:32 PM
Well, his sons were already grown when they left.
[4:32 PM]
In fact, looking at these dates, he was a gramps already.

IrmoToday at 4:34 PM
So I learned today that that is hardly a 100 years between Akkalabeth and the War pf the Last Allinace, and that means that Sauron has actually been able to make and corropt the rings in between

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:34 PM
Nup. Rings were made in mid-second age.
[4:34 PM]
Before Pharazon's invasion.

IrmoToday at 4:35 PM
Errr he had made the One when he came to Numenor???

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:35 PM
Yes. But left it behind, I think?

IrmoToday at 4:36 PM
Now I am confused
[4:36 PM]
Even more than I was

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:36 PM
All that Eregion stuff happened almost 2000 years earlier, I think.

IrmoToday at 4:37 PM
Obvioudsly time for me to do some re-readingg <grin>

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:37 PM
hehe

VardaToday at 4:37 PM
This will help:
[4:38 PM]
http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/events/timeline/Second_Age.htm
    The Second Age
    Timeline for the Second Age of the Sun
[4:38 PM]
It's on that page

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:38 PM
There you go

IrmoToday at 4:39 PM
Good, did we ever had the topic: How did Numenor beat Sauron WEARING AND USING the one ring?

VardaToday at 4:40 PM
It strikes me as more of a trap by Sauron.
[4:41 PM]
He has a known modus operandi of seeming to be a friend or not dangerous, then backstabbing in an odd fashion.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:41 PM
It was definitely a trap, but I think Sauron definitely saw Numenor as a nuisance if not a threat.
[4:41 PM]
I don't think Sauron was confident he'd beat Numenor in an outright war, even with the Ring. They'd just keep coming back.
[4:42 PM]
So he bided his time and took a different approach.
[4:42 PM]
One which, as Varda says, he was quite experienced in
[4:44 PM]
In fact, it was his preferred method of operating instead of direct war, and only when he lost his fair form in the fall he had to resort to military conquest thereafter.
[4:46 PM]
As well as fear and secrecy, of course.

VardaToday at 4:47 PM
That was a good topic. It was a weird thing when we think of the Ring as such a super weapon.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:48 PM
Well, the glory of Numenor, eh

VardaToday at 4:48 PM
Numenor's rep was destroyed too
[4:48 PM]
Great numbers killed, land sunk.

IrmoToday at 4:48 PM
In hindsight we might conclude that our wrath (the Valars that is) about Phar and Numor was a bit too unspecific, allowing Sauron to come back in a short time with his ring...
[4:49 PM]
Did at that point in time Sauron more or less outwit us? (The Valar that is)

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:50 PM
It might just have been moving up the inevitable. The rift between Numenor and the Valar was already quite big at the time.

VardaToday at 4:50 PM
The Valar turned over the punishment for the Numenorean invasion to Eru.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:50 PM
Sauron could've held out, perhaps.

IrmoToday at 4:50 PM
Ah good point Varda

VardaToday at 4:50 PM
Eru sank the land while separating Valinor from the rest of the world.
[4:51 PM]
Eru was far harsher than the Valar would have been.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:51 PM
On the other hand he could've assumed that we were pretty good friends with the elves and Valar still, and worried that if he tried to kick our butts with his Ring, we'd get some powerful reinforcements.

IrmoToday at 4:51 PM
He was called to deal with his own

VardaToday at 4:51 PM
Exactly
[4:52 PM]
Good point about reinforcements

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:52 PM
nods perhaps he thought his best bet was to divide and conquer

IrmoToday at 4:52 PM
But still, Akkalabeth was all Sauroons doing, he should not have been able to get away with that so easily in my opinion

VardaToday at 4:53 PM
He was forced to show his hand

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:53 PM
He did lose a nice form, though, Irmo
[4:54 PM]
and if he'd had the Ring with him things wouldn't have gone so well for him either.
[4:54 PM]
Losing the One Ring in the Akallabeth...

IrmoToday at 4:54 PM
Yeah, and that made him so much nicer personality too
[4:55 PM]
So you think he left the ring behind in ME on purpose? Interesting and ... indeed..likely I see now

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:56 PM
He must've, though I'm not sure how. Maybe he was betting on not being able to escape bodily anyway, or was worried Pharazon'd take it for himself.
[4:57 PM]
*not sure why

VardaToday at 4:57 PM
He had ringwraiths to watch over it

IrmoToday at 4:57 PM
Numenoreans

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:57 PM
That too  Though he didn't have their rings at the time, either.
[4:57 PM]
What kept them from rebelling?
[4:58 PM]
When the maia's away, the wraiths will play.

IrmoToday at 4:58 PM
Good qwuestion
[4:59 PM]
Did we ever speculate onw here and by whom it was guarded between Saurons depart for Numor and his awakening?

VardaToday at 4:59 PM
The ringwraiths had become enslaved to the One Ring.
[4:59 PM]
The One Ring is an extension of Sauron
[5:00 PM]
Their will was no longer their own

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:00 PM
Alright.

IrmoToday at 5:00 PM
He still took a big risk there

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:00 PM
Yep. What if someone invaded Numenor while he was away?
[5:00 PM]
...
[5:01 PM]
Mordor, I mean

IrmoToday at 5:01 PM
Ah yes, that maybe the anqwer: who at that time WAS there to invade?

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:02 PM
Could've been some Noldor seeing an opportunity, I guess...
[5:02 PM]
Possibly the King's Men stationed there.
[5:02 PM]
Might even be Haradrim or Easterlings if his grip over them hadn't taken yet.

VardaToday at 5:04 PM
Ringwraiths and others right there handy

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:04 PM
I guess it also depends on how much troops had been lost during my invasion.
[5:05 PM]
Or rather, how many were left

IrmoToday at 5:07 PM
Methinks the only ones who knew about and had interest inretaking the ring were Gil-Galad/Elrond one hand and the Loyals of Pellargir on the other, I guess Sauron estimated thast neither paries would be aggressive enough to go for it...
[5:08 PM]
My typing isd horrible, sorry
[5:08 PM]
Anyway, that was nice - and for me a lot of refreshing knowledge too - thanks folks!

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:09 PM
Hmm, I always like a bit of refreshing on this time period as well

VardaToday at 5:09 PM
Thank you for the topic : )

IrmoToday at 5:10 PM
Until we meet again , namarië and good night!

VardaToday at 5:10 PM
Namarie Irmo!

IrmoToday at 5:10 PM
(in bed wayyy too late)

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:10 PM
namarie!

VardaToday at 5:10 PM
Sleeeeep

IrmoToday at 5:11 PM
Yes Bossy One

VardaToday at 5:11 PM
It was kind of fun to do the Tolkien section earlier. : )
[5:11 PM]
heh
[5:11 PM]
wake up if you want to then. : )

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:11 PM
reads back oh right, we were still in gaming

VardaToday at 5:12 PM

Gaming, the Reboot!
[5:12 PM]

LotRO:
[5:13 PM]
Update 27.3 came out this week.
[5:13 PM]
There were some issues this week, including the Steam Wallet not functioning currently for LotRO.
[5:13 PM]
https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthread.php?682665-Steam-Wallet-Currently-Unavailable
    Steam Wallet Currently Unavailable
    Payments using the Steam Wallet are currently not available, and we are working to restore this service. We will keep you updated.
[5:14 PM]
Some kind of infrastructure and environment problems outside the company have been impacting the LotRO servers causing periods of instablity which we players experience as heavy lag. They are taking steps to mitigate these challenges.

LotRO kinmates this past week:

Landroval server:
Arien
Elwing
Fangorn
Hurin
Irmo
Lenwe
Miriel
Morwe
Nar
Varda

Ithil server:
Falco
Varda

Anor server:
Varda
[5:14 PM]
World of Warcraft:
[5:15 PM]
This week's Bonus Event: Arena Skirmishes.
[5:15 PM]
The PvP Brawl: Deep Six began the 18th and runs through Tuesday, August 25th.
[5:15 PM]
For those interested in the music from Battle for Azeroth, check out the blog: Follow the Tides of Music From Battle for Azeroth.
[5:15 PM]
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23492553/follow-the-tides-of-music-from-battle-for-azeroth
    World of Warcraft
    Follow the Tides of Music From Battle for Azeroth - WoW
    Get swept away on an auditory journey through the music of the Tides of Vengeance, Rise of Azshara, and Visions of N’Zoth content updates.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:16 PM
Some good stuff in there, though the tracks are long

VardaToday at 5:16 PM
That's good if you just want background. : )

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:16 PM
It's about 7 hours total.

VardaToday at 5:16 PM
There's new work on the companion app for Shadowlands. Check it out: Shadowlands Preview: A New Look for the WoW Companion App.
[5:16 PM]
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23492552/shadowlands-preview-a-new-look-for-the-wow-companion-app
    World of Warcraft
    Shadowlands Preview: A New Look for the WoW Companion App - WoW
    Take World of Warcraft anywhere you go with multiple expansion support.

[5:16 PM]
Check out new tech coming in Shadowlands in Engineer’s Workshop: Enabling Ray-Traced Shadows in Shadowlands.
[5:17 PM]
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23494819/engineers-workshop-enabling-ray-traced-shadows-in-shadowlands
World of Warcraft
Engineer’s Workshop: Enabling Ray-Traced Shadows in Shadowlands - W...
With the arrival of Shadowlands, you’ll be able to experience World of Warcraft in greater clarity and definition with the newly added ray-traced shadows feature.

[5:17 PM]
Also check out what it took for the Ahn'Qiraj War Effort in Classic WoW: Engineer’s Workshop: Recreating the Ahn’Qiraj War Effort.
[5:17 PM]
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23504702/engineers-workshop-recreating-the-ahnqiraj-war-effort
    World of Warcraft
    Engineer’s Workshop: Recreating the Ahn’Qiraj War Effort - WoW
    Join us for a behind-the-scenes deep dive on recreating one of World of Warcraft’s most iconic events, the Ahn’Qiraj war effort.

[5:17 PM]
If you haven't already got all the collectibles from the Cataclysm expansion, check out the blog Cataclysm: Mounts, Pets, and More.
[5:18 PM]
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23492555/cataclysm-mounts-pets-and-more
    World of Warcraft
    Cataclysm: Mounts, Pets, and More - WoW
    As a part of our ongoing series of articles featuring many of the collectibles in World of Warcraft, we’ve set our sights on Cataclysm. Dig into the many riches found in this expansion.

[5:18 PM]
Check out this week's hotfixes.
[5:18 PM]
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23277654/hotfixes-august-21-2020
    World of Warcraft
    Hotfixes: August 21, 2020 - WoW
    Here you'll find a list of hotfixes that address various issues related to World of Warcraft: Battle For Azeroth and WoW Classic.

[5:19 PM]
.
[5:19 PM]
Heroes of the Storm:
[5:19 PM]
A new balance patch is out this week.
[5:19 PM]
https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/heroes-of-the-storm/23499824/heroes-of-the-storm-balance-patch-notes-august-19-2020
    Heroes of the Storm Balance Patch Notes - August 19, 2020
    Heroes of the Storm has just been updated with Hero balance changes! Read on for details.

[5:19 PM]
Hearthstone:
[5:19 PM]
Patch 18.0.2 is out this week.
[5:19 PM]
.
[5:20 PM]
Any other gaming news? Eve Online maybe?
[5:20 PM]
I see the Elder Scrolls Online, Divinity Original Sin 2, and others on the side of our channel being played. : )
[5:21 PM]
StarCraft 2 played this last week by Fangorn, Eowyn, and Faramir
[5:23 PM]

Tolkien Part 2:
[5:23 PM]
Check out the Forum rp story for Phar's post!

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:23 PM
Ooh, one person's playing Minecraft, too
[5:23 PM]
Classic, though I've never played myself.
[5:23 PM]
And yes!
[5:23 PM]
One of the shortest I've ever made, I think.
[5:24 PM]
But I just figured I'd follow your lead, ask some questions. Bombard poor Auros.

VardaToday at 5:24 PM
hehe
[5:25 PM]
I know at least two that play Minecraft, surely more.  : )
[5:25 PM]
We are now overlong by almost half an hour. Do we have any last things to tie down before we go?

ArienValarToday at 5:29 PM
uhm my head to the pillow i think :)?

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:30 PM
Tying your head to the pillow seems uncomfortable.

ArienValarToday at 5:30 PM
Namarie dear people have fun and rest when you get to it
[5:30 PM]
hehe you know what i mean

VardaToday at 5:31 PM
Namarie Sunshine : )
[5:31 PM]
the gavel bounces cheerfully to the hammerpad
the hammerpad rolls sideways for a different sound
gonnnnng

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:31 PM
Namarie!

top

VardaToday at 5:31 PM

After-meeting!

ArienValarToday at 5:31 PM
Piing
[5:32 PM]
Namarie

VardaToday at 5:32 PM
That's a different sound too. : )

IorethToday at 5:51 PM
I been playing on the PTR. I broke the horde side progression quest on the new starting zone.  Did it good and they aren't bothering to fix it. I have since done on another server with no problems. What I did was tame a quest boss that I was supposed to kill. I'm used to it breaking the quest for the hunter I am on. Never before had it break it for the whole zone.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:52 PM
Well, that's the PTR for you. Did you report it?

IorethToday at 5:55 PM
many times... lol... it said it could be tamed and it was a pet model that normally isn't available for way higher. What to they expect any hunter worth their salt to do?

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:56 PM
Well, they say the best thing you can do on a PTR is break things.
[5:56 PM]
So.. good job breaking it, hero

IorethToday at 5:57 PM
I was Horde when I tamed it

image

VardaToday at 5:58 PM
Very good! That's fantastic. : )

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:58 PM
Very nice birdy

VardaToday at 5:58 PM
Now away for supper

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:59 PM
Enjoy!

IorethToday at 6:01 PM
Guess what I'm going to do when it goes live

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:01 PM
Break more stuff!

IorethToday at 6:09 PM
the barbershop has a mess of fun things to do now, especially for the older races.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:09 PM
Hmhm. I already put it on my list to check all the options with each of my characters, because I've seen so many good ideas that I can't remember them

IorethToday at 6:12 PM
several races (mostly horde probably) have tats, tauren has a nice palamino color and some new horn variations. Worgen has a lovely white skin and you can fix up the human form of a worgen completely separate than the wolf form

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:12 PM
Sounds good.

IorethToday at 6:12 PM
there is a negro verson of every human type form, including hairstyle

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:13 PM
I have 3 night elves, and for 2 of them I'm probably going the vine way, and for one I saw a nice moon headdress...

IorethToday at 6:13 PM
accessories sometimes have quite a lot of choices.  Blood Elves have a nice short ear choice that isn't higher than their head. Night Elf does NOT have short ears, sigh

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:14 PM
Hmm, they had shorter ones, I think...
[6:14 PM]
Though not looking very good last I saw the option.
[6:14 PM]
but honestly it wouldn't be a night elf to me if it didn't have long ears and eyebrows

IorethToday at 6:15 PM
you can choose your druid's animal forms in the barber shop, and it applies to all stances, no more wearing clunky fist weapons just because you want that skin

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:15 PM
Yes! That I heard. Gonna be good for my druid main.

IorethToday at 6:15 PM
glyphs are still available and usable
[6:16 PM]
so my druid has the star form in balance

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:18 PM
I'm a guardian/feral, and have already decided on the forms I'm gonna start SL with

IorethToday at 6:19 PM
but it doesn't matter your specialization, the customization is across the board. Some people won't like it

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:19 PM
Hmm, yes, different forms per spec. I can understand that.
[6:20 PM]
Right now I'm using 2 weapons with 2 different corruptions, and using a different cat/bearform to differentiate between them. Can't do that in SL.

IorethToday at 6:20 PM
If you configure your green cat in cat form, then switch to bear, your cat will still be the green cat rather than the vanilla one it is now

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:21 PM
Yep.
[6:21 PM]
I guess we'll have to get used to it.
[6:21 PM]
At least we can mog our weapons now

IorethToday at 6:21 PM
the weapon thing will still work, I know a druid who uses a weapon to switch to the ape-bear thing

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:22 PM
In SL?

IorethToday at 6:22 PM
well, is working in PTR so I'm assuming it will stay

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:22 PM
Interesting. So weaponmog overwrites barbershop.

IorethToday at 6:23 PM
I'll test and make sure. I saw that I could use the mog, I did not actually look to see if it worked

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:23 PM
Alright

IorethToday at 6:24 PM
First thing I did when I saw the bear and kitty forms in the barbershop was jump on my mount and see that they were still there,  I didn't even think about testing it!
[6:25 PM]
I'm still having giggles over the 200 hunter stable slots. Some dev must be thinking "now nobody will complain about running out of space" - yeh right, we'll fill it up!

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:25 PM

[6:26 PM]
No more excuse not to level my beastmaster huntress.

IorethToday at 6:28 PM
on the new start area, they give you the ability to tame right away, and nearly immediately give access to a stable. If you tame one of everything on the island it will be probably a dozen different pets, add a few more for color variations. Of course I'm going to tame that quest boss!!!(edited)

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:28 PM
grin

IorethToday at 6:29 PM
They don't, however, teach the abandon command until about level 10 or so... lol

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:30 PM
So you can time right away. That's actually a relief.
[6:30 PM]
My huntress mentioned above is 20something now, and I was wondering if I had to give her a few levels so she doesn't scale down too low to keep her pet.
[6:30 PM]
*tame
[6:30 PM]
But if taming's from level 1, she's fine.

IorethToday at 6:31 PM
Well, by the time you walk up the beach to where the trainer is, you'll be level 2

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:31 PM
Yeah, okay
[6:32 PM]
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-gb/character/eu/argent-dawn/caliona level 25
    World of Warcraft
    Caliona - Character - WoW
    Caliona (Argent Dawn) ❮The High Guard❯ - 25 Night Elf Beast Mastery Hunter, 13 ilvl

[6:32 PM]
Shouldn't scale down below level 2

IorethToday at 6:32 PM
It's nicely organized, simple, has a side quest with a perfectly tamable mob.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:32 PM
(for our forum RPers, check out name and first pet!)

IorethToday at 6:33 PM
on an existing hunter you won't be able to get there, is new old race characters.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:33 PM
Yes, I know, but I was worried about losing pet by scaling down.

IorethToday at 6:33 PM
I switched race on a new character and was kicked out to capital city.  good thing these are not "keeper" characters

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:33 PM
hah

IorethToday at 6:35 PM
there are some neat hunter quests that you have to watch for. say if you started with a gnome. there is a point where you build an ice trap (so it is trained) then you use it to catch some mysterious thing (mech bunny) so that way you have the start pet you usually  have
[6:36 PM]
it's a cute little segway, tailored for each race so that you get your start pet. I think I've made like six old race hunters now just so I can play on the island

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:36 PM
hehe
[6:37 PM]
Honestly I don't know when/if I'll be poking that island. I have only one new character planned for SL and that's a panda DK.
[6:37 PM]
I already have something for each class and on top of that something for each allied race.
[6:37 PM]
Maybe if I make a second official hordy...

IorethToday at 6:38 PM
that's what PTR is for! it's amazing how many little hints of past things there are. lots of things just kinda look familiar

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:39 PM
True.

IorethToday at 6:39 PM
I'll probably run one thing through when it goes live - probably just to see if I can still tame that pet... lol
[6:41 PM]
when you get out of the island you are level 10, DK start at level 8, DH start at 10, the new races start at 10. BFA content starts at 10
[6:41 PM]
flying doesn't start until like 19!

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:41 PM
gasp

IorethToday at 6:42 PM
draenor flying is included in the package YAY!
[6:42 PM]
there are the rest of the advanced riding skills you buy after level 19
[6:44 PM]
they basically negated any area except for BFA unless you just want to do them. Now this is PTR, so anything can change. What we are working on they call "prepatch"

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:45 PM
Yeah, that's just PTR. And new accounts. For new characters by players who've already got old ones, you get to choose.

IorethToday at 6:46 PM
we, new characters, whether they are new accounts or old.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:46 PM
When SL is live, I mean, you'll get to choose.

IorethToday at 6:48 PM
but the barbershop will be a blast. some folks are disappointed about the talents. They chopped off the bottom of the talent table then plucked a few skills and replaced things that were left, so some people lost their favorite skills
[6:49 PM]
BM hunter was interesting, they restored some spells I don't think I've seen for 5 years

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:57 PM
Anyway, personal gaming report time!
[6:58 PM]

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Flashgaming: 1 new game, 2 old but good
[6:58 PM]
https://www.kongregate.com/games/baba_s/economical is the first game! A platformer where you collect coins and use those to buy platforms so you can get to the goal. But the more gold you have left at the end of the level, the better, so buy wisely!
    Kongregate
    Economical
    2D puzzle action game where saving coin is important!

    Aiming for a goal using items.

    Make a way with blocks.
    Break a block with a hammer.
    etc...

    Item is use...

[7:01 PM]
80 levels as well, so a lot of time to waste

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 7:37 PM
...And since that line I've done about 30 levels in the last half hour... better move to the next game

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 8:28 PM
https://www.kongregate.com/games/Moonkey/hexiom-connect for the second game! A hex puzzle where you have to swap tiles to make all the connections meet.
    Kongregate
    Hexiom Connect
    Hexiom is back, with a new twist! Rearrange the tiles to light up all the color coded connections.

[8:28 PM]
Some come with fixed tiles, but others... have fun experimenting. And you can do randomized as well!

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 8:59 PM
Ehr. Too much flashgaming, getting really late. Let's hurry this up!
[8:59 PM]
https://www.kongregate.com/games/scriptwelder/dont-escape for third game, a point and click game where you have to prevent escaping.
    Kongregate
    Don't Escape
    I woke up in a room... It is not locked and I remember everything. I#39m a werewolf. Tonight I will turn and people will die, unless I find a way to prevent myse...

[8:59 PM]
During the daytime you do a lot of stuff to delay yourself, while at night you turn into a werewolf who tries to escape.
[9:00 PM]
Make maximum use of your time
[9:00 PM]

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Blizzard gaming:
[9:00 PM]

Starcraft II:
Down to the last tier now, only 3 or so fights left for the warchest?!
[9:00 PM]
*!
[9:01 PM]
Heroes of the Storm:
No new levels, still 426  Didn't win any brawls, though I did get to play with good heroes, including trying a build for Chromie.
[9:03 PM]
Hearthstone:
No new levels, packs still stacking up.. brawl is an old one with 2 Medivhs against each other, using a lot of portals  Need luck, but I got it done pretty quickly, overpowering my opponent over time.
[9:04 PM]
WoW:
[9:04 PM]
More raiding! Got 2 more people their heroic N'Zoth kills, with mounts and achievements included.
[9:06 PM]
Also a poke at mythic Dazar'alor instead of achievement raid (though we still got achievements for completing mythic fights), which went rather well. We brought 6 bosses down and have been struggling with Mekkatorque. We'll go back there at a later point, but basically only need to kill him once.. after you defeat mythic Jaina you get a shortcut for later weeks.
[9:07 PM]
Another 4-mask Stormwind, going smoother and smoother... also got all the chests, so another 4k mementos gotten! 3 more runs until I have the mount and the cloak, by my calculation.
[9:07 PM]
And with the corruption resistance boost reward, no more eye of corruption in either spec
[9:08 PM]
Weekly event is arenas, which is going well! Was a bug where it started later in the week, so had to do 5 on 1 day, but after that one arena a day is perfect again
[9:08 PM]
Bunch of rare drops!

Got the Blackpaw mount and the Twiddle Twirler: Shredder Blade toy from Darkshore rares, leaving only 4 items to get from there.
[9:09 PM]
Got a Jade Defender pet from the Rajani paragon supplies, quite jade dog
[9:09 PM]
*cute
[9:10 PM]
And a toy from expeditions, the Magic Monkey Banana, turns me into a Hozen!
[9:10 PM]
Just a shame it disappears on combat.
[9:11 PM]
And finally, more questing! Did the entire Xalatath questline, including a visit to N'Zoth where I dropped off 3 items and received a Gift of N'Zoth on my head - can remove it through quest and get a toy version, but not done so yet - and then later raided the place in LFR to get those items back.
[9:11 PM]
Only to find that the dagger was gone, supposedly to the Horde!
[9:12 PM]
When you have the Gift you can also see it on other people, but this late in the expansion most people have gotten rid of it. I'll wait a bit more, see if I can find other people who have it
[9:13 PM]
Total Annihilation's
going great! Had a bunch of time spent on it. Cleared levels 6 to 10, completing the entire third planet, which is always nice to visit with the large amounts of metal deposits.
[9:14 PM]
On the fourth planet metal is really scarce, but we got the Moho Metal Maker available now, though you have to tech up a bit to get there. So up to that point, you're really short on the stuff.
[9:14 PM]
Which is a problem at this point, since enemy attacks are harsh... on level 11 I've had to restart once and reload a certain savepoint a bunch of times.
[9:15 PM]
But after some lucky defenses and buildups I'm pretty sure I can take anything they throw at me now, though I need to keep cranking out basic attack planes.
[9:15 PM]
So the teching up is really slow, but I don't think they can stop me progressing now...
[9:16 PM]
So next week I hope to be in the last level, level 12, or even done with the game
[9:16 PM]
And that's my report for the week!

VardaToday at 9:18 PM
Thank you, Phar. : )

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 9:22 PM
namarie!

VardaToday at 9:23 PM
Namarie

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