Bahdgar

Khadgar. Dear, sweet old Khadgar (who’s really not even that old, btw!). The man who has been at the helm of our operations for years now after randomly reappearing in Stormwind telling you to meet him in the Blasted Lands back at the start of WoD.

You were excited when you saw him, weren’t you? If you knew who he was in lore, previous games, events, etc., then you knew you were about to spend time chilling with one of Azeroth’s most iconic figures. You were even more excited to know that he was going to create for you a ring of immeasurable power that you could use to defend your world against the Time/Space Horde.

If you didn’t know who Khadgar was yet because you were still a MoP baby, like me, you wondered who dis old guy in the badass robes was. And, you wondered why everyone seemed to be so excited to see him. But, much like your in-the-know fellow players, his words moved you to action, and you were excited to get that ring.

You followed Khadgar blindly through the portal because he clearly had the means and ideas to save Azeroth. Khadgar was a genius. And you knew that whatever work he asked you to do would be important work. So you played on, and you’ve played on for many years, with perhaps a bit of growing consternation. Which brings us to the present. After so many years spent fighting the Iron Horde and now the return of the

That time you were killing countless demons and Khaddydaddy killed a Legion Lampost. 😀

Legion, you can assume that your character and Khadgar have become close. I mean, he’s nearly killed you at least three times now, and you’ve saved his life at least once (so like, that makes sense, right?). You’ve gone to numerous worlds together, and you’ve saved countless lives. But when was the turning point exactly that made  it OK for Khadgar to be cracking puns at you while he pats you on the head and sends you back out onto the Broken Shore to face down a hurricane of demons on your own? Why… why does he gotta be like that?

Don’t get me wrong, I give a chuckle-groan each time I hear his Dad jokes for the first time. But then, as I’m out there at the same WQ point for the 700th time, and he’s still making the same stupid joke (of course this is obviously just a matter of game writing/mechanics), I sometimes wonder, as I think a lot of us do, just why the hell any of us are putting up with him anymore, and why we don’t suggest he just joins us on our next weekend fishing trip instead.

Titans love you, Khadgar, but you are a menace: an adorable, well-meaning, and seemingly accidentally genius menace. The fact he somehow manages to show up at every major plot point and give his two cents all the while demanding an increasing amount of resources for whatever miraculously viable new scheme he’s recently hatched is actually somewhat unnerving. It’s common enough now, since the first time that he nearly smote Den as he created her ring… that Dadgar treads a very fine line of genius/lucky goofball. If he had agreed to take up the role of Guardian, I believe we actually might  have been able to free ourselves from the threat of the Legion a lot earlier. I can imagine Sargeras coming to Azeroth and and Khaddydaddy just punning him endlessy until the fallen Titan simply gives up and leaves, grumbling to himself about “what is this wicked sorcery” as he returns to the Twisthing Nether (What’s wrong, Sargeras? Something really seems to have you burning up…. If you want to destroy this world, you’ll have to have a much better demon-stration of power…).

But, isn’t this why we all love Khadgar so much? And presumably this is why our heroes keep him around. Surely everyone in our circle has headaches from the eye-rolling he initiates. But I guess there’s that one guy in every party that somehow makes gold from dirt, most of the time without even knowing it. And let’s be real folks, while Medivh was powerful and serious, even if he had not been possessed by Sargeras, I would still be glad to have lived in the age of Khadgar as Guardian rather than he. It’s probably safe to assume that a lovable nut like Bhadgar probably only wants half the baubles and shinies that Medivh would have asked for. I’m willing to trade puns for another 2,000 nethershards any day.

Genius

Looking For Group

Legion is the first expansion in which I’ve pushed myself to play at a higher level than I ever have. This is thanks mostly to joining a guild that was founded on the principle of being open, helpful and accepting of all play styles and capabilities. But for a long time, WoW was just me and and a couple other running about in the darkness, shying away from those just beyond the light of our amusement, for fear we’d be gobbled up by those in the core of the community that would deem us not worthy. Overall, even while I’m safely ensconced in the the little group of people I now play with, I know there is a shitstorm of community out there, doing its best to impose some sort of weird caste system on our game. It disheartens me, but also gets me thinking.

Right now, Denaise is pushing 930 ilvl (sure not bleeding edge score, but still). I’m also pretty close to H Tos 9/9. I’m not about to call myself the best player in Wow. And I’m not about to claim I deserve any special treatment. But, even while I’m not running through mythic, I know and understand my own capabilities quite well. I know that I’ve watched a million videos on ToS on Heroic difficulty, I’ve read notes people have posted, I have researched bugs and strats, and I have pushed myself to gain the best understanding of fights I will have to learn to call in real time. I recognize that my raid leading comes from a place of theory. And that’s simply because until I got my KJ AotC recently, no one was going to pick me up for a pug Heroic. Because our game is filled with people who think they quite simply can’t be bothered with people they feel must be inferior. Even while I was trying to pug a normal ToS on a 911 alt the other day, I got denied because I didn’t have a “high enough” item level. And, I know that I’m not the only one who has observed this problem. We all know it’s a problem. But what really gets my own personal goat and makes it so much worse for me is the fact that when I do finally get into pugs, I know the fights better than 2/3’s of the people in there, simply because I have to know them that well. But I have no way of providing proof without being picked up to go.

So really, what is the truth behind the denials that are so swift in coming to us as we try to pug in LFG? I’ll tell it to you flat out: it’s not really about wanting to push through a quick run for AP, it’s about the power and thrill that comes with deeming yourself better than another even while, in all likelihood this is not the case. The power of being able to deny some one something they deserve and have worked for so hard and maybe just haven’t had the resources or time to get into their clutches yet…. that must be some sick kind of cocaine for people. It’s frustrating. And, the thing of it is that I’m not all that bad off myself. I have the strings to get through the content I want to see, but it’s my own choice to not pull them. If I have, it’s only because I’ve felt I’m at a point where I need to see something in order to help others.

And I feel the need to help when I can because of the fact I might be a little bit better off in terms of what I have access to in game. I don’t take for granted how lucky I am that I’ve found a safe place to flourish while so much of the community seems to be eating itself, still, in a sort of jealousy-fueled fury. Thing is about humans? We only get what we give. That is… some of the harshest or sweetest reality depending on how you choose to exist. When Chazz and I run pugs, we don’t much worry about “quick” runs or demonstrated skill. Item level means literally nothing anymore (seriously, take it from a Spriest who has at least three pieces 935 gear in her bags but can’t use them because she’ll lose haste…. ha ha ha ahadjfklaskdfjdkadlfkajfksdlafkdjf WHYYYYY). What I’m trying to say is, people tend to do better in the long run when you’re open to letting them make mistakes, or willing to let them try a harder thing they never thought they’d becapable of. If some one did their first ToS pug with me and learned something, or saw that they could actually do  the content without being denied outright? That’s one more person who might be empowered to keep pushing themselves. I know it worked for me.

Alternatively, destroying the confidence of fellow players, or being vicious and snotty goes on to create more little monsters who enjoy headgames and can’t wait to pay the negativity forward. If you’re one of those people who have screamed at some one after being removed from a group, you’re part of the problem here. You’ve been treated one way, and now you think it’s acceptable. Or maybe you just want to lash out. Or maybe you think that pushing your weight around will gain you some kind of terrified respect. Quite the opposite. You’re in a pug. None of us care about what you think of us or yourself. We’re there, just like you, to push through, get our stuff and learn, maybe, even. Don’t make it any harder than it has to be.

Denial is a potent factor in WoW. It can sometimes fuck up your whole day in game. If it’s happened to you (and it probably has), I’m truly sorry. But there are those of us out there who just want to have fun, get some loot and push ourselves in a disciplined way without having to resort to cussing some one out. You can always find me at Denaise-Cenarius. I’m about as chill as it gets, and I’ll never deny you time of day depending on the energy you put out.

Deny

Interest in Antorus

With 7.3 dropping last month and Blizzcon on the way next month with promises of an upcoming expansion, there is a lot going on in game right now that has maybe held your attention. Or, maybe you find Argus exhausting and a bit boring and grinding away AP to get an RNG based weapon trait, so you’ve taken to leveling alts like I have. Seriously, I’m so glad I waited to level many of my true-alts. I can’t do Argus day in and day out… and even running Cata dungeons is a nice way to take the edge off.

However, it still seems like not too long ago, we were hopping through the front door of Sargeras’s tomb and killing Goroth (with surprising ease for most of us, I’m sure). And then maybe Mistress gave you a flat slap in the face. And then Avatar chuckled while you tried to DPS him and he just gobbled up the Maiden and consumed all her health and you found yourself falling through the floor and suddenly back up to 50% health. And then you maybe got to KJ and your healers yelped helplessly as the black shrouded you in Intermission 2 and you just flat out died in the dark on your own. Blizzard literally made you die alone in the dark. Thanks for that, guys.

And I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t wait to leave Tomb, and the last time I see KJ’s red terror of a face will be among the best moments of Legion so far. The fact of the matter is that Tomb has not been fun for me. Maybe this is because I started researching and learning it crazy early to make sure we were prepared (ha ha yes prepared, Illidan yadda yadda yadda) going in, and so my interest in it has waned quicker than some. But, I think overall, even as I was organizing, highlighting and writing notes in shorthand in the margins of my boss printouts (shut up, don’t judge me), I sort of knew I wasn’t going to be big on ToS. An army of forgettable demons once more knocking on Azeroth’s door, fel flecked floors and ominous ancient Night Elf sculptures were actually sort of a letdown after the terrifying beauty of the Nighthold… where everything is so well preserved… the intricate beauty of its spires and arches were such a magnificent juxtaposition to the fury of the bosses that pummeled you.

Sometimes, while waiting for raid time, I’ll find myself flying away from tomb to land on Krosus’s bridge. And I’ll oscillate between looking back at Nighthold and forward at Tomb and I already have nostalgia over the Suramar instance… even while I was so ready to get out of it by the time June came around. The old feeling of longing and the fresh awe of a return trip to the zone when you’ve not been down in awhile is refreshing after you spend time on Argus or the Broken Shore.

And now, here we are with probably just a bit over a month until Arthritis… er… Antnortussis.. no.. Antorus… yeah (I literally called it Arthritis for a week until I could remember the name). That’s it. So, I’m honestly really looking forward to it. And all my interest is in learning these new clashes. Something about fighting members of the pantheon gives me goosebumps. Here we are saving the souls of those that created us. As the dragons told us in Cata, it really is the time of the mortals if we are saving our creators. The lore is going to be rich here, and now our characters are at the heart of it, they will be the heroes of the stories that they’re great great grandtoons would grow up with. We’re not fighting avatars and ghosts and right hand men this time. We are taking it to the bigwigs themselves.

And I won’t spoil anything for people who aren’t peeking but that Eonar wing… hoooooooly moooooooooly. If for nothing else, I can’t wait to get in there and run through those hallways and across that lush greenery. Even if she turns out to be the scariest boss in there… it will be a glorious place to eat dirt until rez for sure.

Also, here we are at the end of the expac and even if you haven’t accidentally seen all of the spoilers WoWhead has thrown out there about what happens next, I think you’ll be alright. Take it from some one who stopped caring about spoilers for herself with the release of Tomb: you’re not going to be disappointed. Your focus and your character’s focus will be clear cut and you are going to buy in 100%. I’m more than excited to hopefully be moving on from our Fel-filled big baddies and onto what might be the heart of the problem.

You got my interest back, Blizzard. Let’s do this…..
Interest