WoW Journal - 15-May-2005

Another weekend, another character. While I have been extremely disciplined in sticking to leveling Raslebol to 54, this weekend I played a new character. And that on a new server, so I couldn't even twink. That is because the fifth guy in my D&D group has started playing World of Warcraft, and so the others all created characters on a French server, Khaz Modan, to play together. The four guys are level 12 to 21, so I joined them on that server and am trying to catch up.

We are playing Alliance, and the others have 2 paladin, a rogue, and a mage. I *should* have played a healer, if I had wanted maximum efficiency. But I already played an Alliance druid, and wasn't feeling like another low level priest next to Kyroc. So I went for something completely different, being in a silly mood, and created a cute, female gnome warlock, with pink hair. I named her Honey, but in retrospect I should have thought of "Dotty" instead. Because I found that the warlock is the master of DOT (damage over time) spells.

I have no idea why warlocks are not more popular. Okay, the soul shards are a hassle. But with some experience of advanced tactics from other MMORPG, the WoW warlock is a powerhouse. He makes the EQ necro look like a wimp. I easily solo mobs three levels above me, as long as I don't get any adds. Starting from level 10 you get the Voidwalker demon, who is the perfect tank, taunting the mobs off you, and being rather tough to kill. And even at these low levels you already have three DOT spells. Three DOTs, one attacking pet, plus whatever shadowbolts or life-draining channeling spells you put on the mob let his hitpoints drop like a stone. And then you can still cast fear on him, and fear-kite him, so he doesn't deal any damage at all.

Most warlocks seem to put their talent points into Affliction, but my first 8 points go into Demonology, to maximize Improved Voidwalker. Only then will I start putting points into Affliction, totally ignoring the Destruction branch. Hey, I'm not a mage, you need to know what your class is all about.

After playing Friday evening, and all Saturday long, Honey is now level 16. I was a bit disappointed by the spells you get at level 16. Horribly expensive, and no help at all in combat. You only get Underwater Breathing, which is only useful in rare underwater fights, and rank 2 of Life Tap, which converts health into mana. I must be missing something with that Life Tap spell, I never used it yet. Relying more on DOTs and the pet means I don't use that much mana.

My main problem is lack of money. Khaz Modan is a young server, there aren't any level 60 yet. So people aren't paying lots of money for equipment and crafting resources for their twinks. I took skinning just to sell the leather, and tailoring to make myself armor and bags. But the tailoring up to now is eating up more money than it is saving or earning, and the light leather I get up to now from skinning isn't making me rich. And the spells plus the grimoires you need to buy for your pets cost a lot of money. Well, maybe I should stop killing stuff which is above me in level and farm greens for some hours.
- posted by Tobold @ 12:03 PM Permanent Link