I have MOVED

I have decided to go elsewhere with my posting.


Check me out at: http://www.morethanaportal.com




Thank you Everyone!!!

Ranting a Bit

I rarely read the forums but when I do, I tend to only read the class forums centering around...the mage...obviously. 

The other day, I casually strolled over to the forums in some spare time I had and discovered a few interesting posts:

1. Guide for Mages who are New to Level 80

2. Ghostcrawler Q&A for Mages (this is an older post, but I just now discovered it)

So, props to the person who made the "New 80 Mage" guide. I wish I had discovered it when ding'd, but, alas, I didn't and instead ran around doing basically nothing until my guild at the time said they'd run me through some heroics so I could get some basic gear. So yes, I was the level 80 mage sitting in my crappy blues leveling up my cooking skill.

This guide covers EVERYTHING I would have wanted to know, and I'm wishing a little that I had written it, but, I do not have that kind of patience. Also, this guide is updated for patch 3.3, so it's not out-of-date like a lot of the things I had found at the time.

So, if you didn't click the link, because you're waiting for me to give you a rundown on the guide, here is the ToC, and that's about as much as you'll get from me. You just basically have to check it out:

I. The Gear Game 
A. Crafted Gear and BoEs
B. Emblem Gear
C. The Land of Heroics
II. The Little Things That Count 
A. Be Enchanted!
B. Gems are Shiny
C. Glyph It! Glyph it Good!
D. Get a Job! (Profession Choices)
E. Mmm! Food, Flasks, and More
III. Raiding Tips 
A. Stats, Specs, and Rotation
B. Good Mage Manners
C. Gear Score and You
D. General Tips
E. Addons and UI
F. Macros
G. Why Do I Suck? [Sadface]*
H. Further Reading* 

So yes, it includes a lot, and yes, you should read it. Now, if I could just find a great PvP guide. I really know nothing about PvP..I have 45 honor points total and I've literally dueled about 2 people in my entire WoW career. It's just something I've never tried. The only reason I have any honor points at all is because some Blood Elf rogue came and sliced me while I was talking to the vendor in Wintergrasp, so, as soon as I rez'd I had to go show him what's what...and after that I saw some other Hordie up in the sky, so I parked myself on a tower and shot him down. So yeah, that's the end of my PvP'ing. I wonder if I'd like it...I just don't know how to get started or if I should be wearing different gear for it, or anything. Sigh, PvP noobness. 

So anyway, the second item in the list is the Q&A for Mages that was posted sometime back in June of 2009. So yeah, it's older, and yeah, it sucks. I read through it expecting to get some awesome ideas for my blog and instead, came back and started thinking about how I really didn't get much out of this. 

In fact, one of the replies advises that they could have saved some time:

Q: What do you think about mages?

A: Mages are fine

And then we wouldn't have had to read anything else. I kind of agree with that statement. I read a lot of non-mage posts that advises that their class got a lot of attention in the Q&A and a lot of technical questions were answered, so, they're surprised at the lack of information that the mage class received. 

So, I posted it just so I could get your take on it and if you thought it was pointless or not.

I decided not to write about the Cataclysm post today, just because I know other DPS casters already posted on a lot of it, and I'm waiting for something more interesting -- or maybe I'm waiting until I have something more interesting to say -- you get to choose, I guess.

Okay, so, I think I'm gonna finish this off for now. I need to get better about posting more often..sigh...blog noobness. 

Rotface...sigh...

So last night my raiding group (it's not mine literally, btw, I just go) downed the Stinky, Precious, and Festergut and then wiped on Rotface for about an hour and 15 minutes (maybe more). Each time we attempted the disgusting twin, we got a little closer, mastered a few more of the mechanics, but ultimately, still got our ...everything...handed to us.

It's definitely a rough fight. I read a few of the mage mechanics that might be necessary, and offered those up just in case...but it still just wasn't enough.

For instance, it's important, as a mage, that you know to NOT cast mirror image but DO cast Slow (Arcane Spec only) on the oozes (both big and small when you can).

I think a bit of the blame for our consistent wiping status was definitely on me as I did not read up on the fight nearly enough PLUS I had a fever and was hopped up on cold medication...so, let's just say I wasn't completely there.

Does anyone know any strategy on how to down this Mo' Fo'? Or at least recommend something better than WoWWiki? Please let me know! Also, mages out there, let me know what you've been doing to get through this fight!

Sorry guys, still feeling...horrible...so, short post today. More to come later!

Absolutely Pointless

Okay, so I know I haven't posted anything in a while, and I apologize for this. I was wanting to do like a "post with some artwork" sort of thing, but I haven't felt compelled to draw anything. 


I thought, "I should draw my raid group"...but man, that's a lot of work..


Then I thought "I should draw some more ICC bosses"...but unless I was fighting the boss and it was amazing, I didn't know what to write to tie into the boss drawing.


So I gave up, and just decided to spend a little more time talking about how addicted I am to changing my UI.


Since my last post where I talked about the mods I use, etc. I have completely gone full-force into changing and modifying my UI and trying different things -- including: MACROS.


Now, I've never been a macro person (when it comes to gaming at least -- macros for Excel rock my life), so when I decided to create my first macro, I had absolutely no clue what I wanted. 


I started with something simple: Ice Block. 


Ice Block is the mage's "Oh Scheisse" handle. It comes in extremely handy when you're not watching Omen and you pull all the threat and the boss comes storming at you and you know you're a clothie' and that you probably won't even be able to take one hit from him (or her, accordingly). So when that happens, you cast Ice Block and you end up being surrounded by Ice and you're immune to the poundage that you'd ultimately face in the end. 


The downside:  Ice Block lasts 30 seconds, which is FAR too long because most likely your tank will pick up the boss after about 2-3 seconds of you pulling the threat. So, you find yourself in Ice Block and you've got a few options (not an extensive list -- see a friggin' WoWWiki article if you want the full monty):

1. Wait the full 30 seconds and do zero DPS during this time
2. Right-click on your Ice Block "buff" to remove the block
3. Create a way awesome macro that allows you to click one button to Ice Block and the same button to remove the effect

So anyway, what you've all been waiting for (and most of you have probably already created -- I'm way behind in the times) is the macro code:

/cast Ice Block

/cancelaura Ice Block

Yep, so that's it. The amazing code for my first macro -- yep, I'm a complete noob.

However, since that macro, I have created at least 2 more for my most used spells during raid boss fights (and the occasional instance if I feel like it). I'll share the code when I share my UI screenshot, because, quite frankly, I forget what they each do.


My UI (like I promised):

 I think I might stop there, though -- unless someone can tell me  some more mage macros that could be completely amazing if I created them.

Other than my macro frenzy, I, like I said above, am an addict to UI mods.

I have installed...a bunch...of them...and surprisingly...no crashing yet! I am completely happy with my UI at this point, but if anyone knows of anything terrifically mage related that is  A MUST HAVE ...please...tell..me.

The end. I promise I will write more and better...more better.

                        

Icecrown Citadel and Raiding

Last night, my raiding group (and I) slaughtered Festergut:

 It took us a few attempts, but for not being a raiding guild, and only attempting ICC for a couple of hours one night a week, I was actually impressed that we could pull it off. 

Based on our attempts from last week, I was almost positive that we'd be stuck there for at least a few weeks...but, we weren't! Hooray!

So, after beaming from the success of the kill, I started thinking about raiding and this is what I decided:

I love raiding, I think it is the best part of the game. It combines the social aspect of the game with challenging tasks that make you work as a team in order to succeed.

I hate working in teams. I have always hated it. I am, without a doubt, a complete introvert. I become extremely shy in public and feel awkward in almost all social situations.

Why, then, do I enjoy raiding so much? 

When I'm put on a team for work or for maybe a school project, I always feel as though I probably could have done a better job on my own. However, with raiding, it is completely the opposite. You CANNOT do this on your own, you HAVE to have the others strengths and skills in order to succeed. 

You still have that worry about whether or not someone will hold up their end of the deal, but that thought gets pushed to the back of your mind, because, most of the time, at least in my raiding experience, people are trying their best and if they're not, they'll let you know that, "hey guys, that was totally my fault". In teams at work or at school, it's the complete opposite. No one wants to take the blame for something that happened, and in the same regard, nothing is analyzed afterward to determine how make it better.

I love raiding. I have always loved it. I am, without a doubt, a complete introvert. I become extremely shy in public and feel awkward in almost all social situations. Yet, I love working with my team.


P.S. No making fun of my drawing skillz -- Festergut is one ugly beast.

Customized UI? Anyone?

So yesterday, after a failed attempt at trying to play the World of Warcraft board game (btw, if anyone knows how to play this game, please, tell me how to make it fun), I became very lame, and hence, no blog for yesterday.

Todays topic? The Super Bowl!!!!

Nah, nevermind -- I don't feel like writing about sports. Mostly because a) I'd have to do about 100 time more research in order to make sense in this post and b) who comes to an Arcane Mage blog to read about the Super Bowl?

Because I was away from home yesterday, I ended up having to play WoW on my laptop (not preferable), and I had forgotten the burden of adjusting back to the normal game interface after using a customized UI. Which made me wonder how many of you use a customized UI, macros, scripts, mods, etc? 

Currently, I use the following (and this is the complete list):

• Deadly Boss Mods 
• Enchantrix
• PortalBox
• Recount 
• Bagnon 
• Auctioneer
• Quest Helper 
• Mage Nuggets 
• Decursive 
• Omen 
• Bartender4 
• Chatter 
• Postal 
• Sell-o-Matic 

Note: All of these can be found by just doing a Google search -- and almost all are available through Curse.

The list above is all of the mods I use to either maximize my DPS or customize my UI. I use zero macros and scripts because I've never tried to create any. I might try it someday, but, I think I'd have to be pretty bored.

So anyway, after I opened up my laptop and found that I had zero mods installed, I almost went insane, but it definitely got me thinking about how much I depend on things to hand-hold me through the game. Up until I started raiding, the only mod I had was quest helper, and since the current releases, I'm not even sure having quest helper is necessary anymore. 

However, when I hit 80 and was about to go to my first raid, I was told by my guild that I needed to get Deadly Boss Mods or die, so I did, and then it got me thinking about all the other things I could download to help me out...and then it exploded. 

In conclusion, I'd like to know if anyone thinks it's wrong to customize their UI or use a ton of mods to make your game play easier. Please, tell me.

P.S. I'll post a pic of my UI sometime, if anyone is interested -- and as soon as I gather the energy to...walk up my stairs.

Professions

Greetings Everyone!


I took a break from the blog last night (even though I probably shouldn't) because, well, I had a raid to get to.


So, after the semi-decent ICC run, I felt guilty for blowing off my blog, so I pondered all night about what I wanted to write about today and all I could come up with was professions. 


I have recently read a few forums, whatever, where people were comparing their RL professions to the professions they've chosen in-game with the obvious notion that you choose your professions based on your RL personality. I do not agree with this at all, and here's why:

1. I know you've all been wondering what I do for a living, when I'm not writing this incredibly insightful blog...okay, maybe not. Well anyway, in real life, I work in Tech Support. I know, it's so completely glamorous that you don't know how to react. (Note: I am working to get out of tech support ASAP as I feel I am over-qualified to be taking phone calls from crappy customers who don't know where the Start menu is located).
2. My professions in-game, and if you've looked up from the armory you'd know are: Tailoring and Enchanting. 
1. Tailoring might exist in real life, and maybe at one point I wished I could make my own clothes because I watched Project Runway and thought, maybe, that'd be cool, but I in no way want to be a seamstress nor do I want to be one of those people you bring your pants to because you've gained weight, lost weight, etc. (like on that horrible yogurt commercial).
2. Enchanting, I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong -- doesn't really exist in RL. I don't know what I'd compare it to...mostly because I haven't thought about it enough.
3. Sure, blacksmithing, mining, alchemy, herbalism, fishing, cooking, first aid, leatherworking, engineering, skinning, jewelcrafting, etc. exist in RL in some fashion, but do you really think that a person (let's say Warrior) chose to take up blacksmithing because either a) he's a blacksmith in RL or b) he has always wanted to be a blacksmith? I don't think so...

Now you all might completely disagree with me, and that's fine. However, the way I see it is that you choose a profession based on  your character's needs. If your character just needs gold and you don't care about anything else, you might pick up those gathering professions that make my eyes bleed. If your character (like mine) wears a certain type of armor that can be created and it might save you money in the long-run to simply craft items, you might pick up something like, tailoring or blacksmithing or leatherworking. 

I think, rather than professions, we choose our character class or race or faction based on our personalities. I don't know how to justify the fact that my main character is a mage and that I am a hordie by heart with tidbits from my personality in RL, but I know the link has to exist somewhere.

I hate hate hate playing a DK, why? It has nothing to do with melee fighting, but more than likely fight mechanics or something like that. I know for a fact that I do not want to play a healer -- most likely because I don't want the group I play with to rely on me for something important -- like, living or dying. I think in RL, I probably don't want people to depend on me too much, either. Not to say that I'm not dependable, because I am -- if you ask me to be somewhere, I'll be there, and I'll probably be early. I just don't think I want the stress that might come if people started depending on me for important things, so I tend to stray away from that type of persona even in my fantasy land.

My mage is a boom-pow. The purpose of my mage is to top DPS charts while using different skills and abilities to make them an almost essential part of a group (intellect buffs, focus magic, mana biscuits, remove curse, polymorph, spellsteal, etc.). This, is me. 

I want to be at the top of almost everything I do. I want to be doing my best, so I play a character that can offer me that (most of the time). I have skills and abilities in real life that might make me an essential member of a team or project. 

So, I feel like I've ranted a bit -- but oh wellz, if you got this far, I guess I can give you hope that it's almost over. 

People don't pick professions because of their personality rather, they pick everything else.