Peter's Blog

Redefining the Impossible

WoW Daily News Issue 89

WoW Daily News Issue 89

Submitted by Peter on Tue May 08 2007 07:57 about 1 year ago
  • I have continued levelling, following the levelling guide. The guide makes things easy in that most fighting is against lower level enemies. Since I'm still following the guide I won't go into detail about every step. I have got as far as:
    • Player level 18
    • Colin level 18
    • Cooking just over 100: cooking is proving useful for turning plain meat into something palatable for Colin. He doesn't need feeding all that much but I have to watch the food situation. The problem with cooking is knowing the recipies, having the ingredients and finding a cooking fire.
    • Herbalism in the 90's
    • Alchemy in the 90's: the healing pots have saved my skin a few times and it's nice having a regular supply. I have three one-hour buff pots I can make (armour, stamina, health dribble). I haven't really bothered trying to sell anything yet, I'm focused on levelling.
    • Fishing about 30
    • First Aid: um, in the 70's I think. TBH haven't been using the bandages much, don't get injured enough. I decided to have a bandage making session and found I could make over seventy bandages: with all the carnage I've gathered huge stocks of linen, I've been dumping it when my bags are full.
  • I need to spend more time fishing. In Lakeshire the skill wasn't high enough to fish. I tried using a bauble which brought the fish skill up such that I could fish but everything got away. A pond in Westfall works, I'll have to grind there a bit. The fishing is proving useful for food for Colin. I think the rule is to keep your profession skills at five times your player level so I need another 60 levels of fishing sad
  • As I mentioned above, I haven't been doing anything about making money with the Hunter yet. The money she can make is peanuts compared to what the Paladin can rake in so I haven't worried about it.
  • As a commenter has confirmed, Hunters suffer badly from inventory problems. I've equipped her with three 16 slot netherweave bags and she has her original 16 slot bag and an ammo pouch. After ten minutes of emptying at a vendor the bags are full again and I'm constantly having to decide what to destroy. I've put the herb bag in the bank and am using another netherweave bag instead. Since we are following the levelling guide we don't visit the bank much and carry all the baggage around. I put a load of low-level healing pots in the bank and vendored the rest when she got the next level healing pot recipe: then I discovered that the low-level healing pot is needed to make the next level healing pot. I just made some low-level pots in the field and then upgraded them. I carry a stack of vials in case I need to whip anything up.
  • She is picking up green drops at a nice rate and these are being sent to the Auction Alt for disenchanting. This is the main money maker right now. The investment in Netherweave bags means she is running at a loss, she's had about 30g spending money sent to her so far and she has 9g left.
  • My hunter skills are still evolving but here is my current attack method:
    • put Hunters Mark on target (you've all seen it, it's nothing to do with the pet but it increases ranged damage).
    • Send Colin in
    • When Colin engages, use his 'Growl' so that he keeps agro. If I don't do this the monster is likely to come running at me when I start shooting
    • Fire Serpent Sting at monster for a DoT (doesn't work on elementals)
    • Fire Arcane shot for burst damage
    • by now gun is into auto-shot, it will fire automatically till monster is dead or in melee range
    • Get Colin to Claw for a bit more damage and to see blood spurting
    • Wait for auto-shot to kill, repeating Serpent Sting if the DoT expires or repeating Arcane Shot when the cooldown expires (if the monster lives that long, doesn't normally).
  • When it comes to multiple enemies, we can handle about three. Four starts to get tough. One enemy on me is ok too but more than that and it's time to run. The Hunter isn't totally squishy but she's not a tank.
  • For attacking camps I have found it is better to pull monsters out using the gun than to send Colin in. If I send Colin in it usually causes chaos, agros the whole camp and Colin ends up dead. If I pull a monster out with the gun I may get one or two come with him but this is not a stretch, apart from the little problem that they are coming for me and I have to get Colin to intercept quick. In theory Colin dying in the camp is not a big deal, I could revive him and repeat but apart from the animal cruelty issues I don't think this is the most efficient way of dealing with the problem (reviving Colin and feeding him is down time).
  • I'm happy with Colin as a pet and I'm not tempted yet by a different creature to get more DPS for example. I use him as a tank and I've given him every armour and stamina boost I can find and his stats for these are better than mine by some margin (his armour is about 1500 for example, not too shabby). I think this is the best approach for tackling multiple monsters, my protection paladin experience is coming out here. The hunter's dps is such that we can still kill quite quickly, it's not like a classic protection pally with poor dps and waiting for the foe to die.
  • In my WoW book there is a useful table of all the animal talents that can be learned and which animals to learn them from. This table could save me hours compared with having to tame every type of animal to see what skills it has. I found I could tame a wolf in Dun Murogh and learn the 'Bite' skill from it which I could then teach to Colin. I had to repeat this in Westfall so that he could learn rank 2 (rank one gave 6 damage when his normal strikes were dealing 25 so it needed upgrading badly). Once I have learned the talents from the wolves I've abandoned them. When you abandon them they just disappear: I guess this is so that you can't abandon some level 65 horror in the Ironforge auction house and let it run riot.
  • Talent wise, I'm going down the Beast Master route, since I like the pet aspect so much. The points I've used so far have all been improving stamina/armour. The three talent trees are along these lines:
    • Beast Master: improves abilities with pet. This is favoured by Big Red Kitty, a hunter blog that has been recommended to me a few times. The writing is amusing if you like rampant hubris.
    • Marksman: these talents improve your ranged firepower. This is favoured in raiding groups and turns you into a 'mage in mail'. You shoot things.
    • Survival: you get improved traps and suchlike and I think (but am not sure) that your focus is more on melee fighting. I'm not sure why anyone would choose this and not roll a Warrior or Paladin if they like melee but maybe the traps and things make it interesting? The only trap I have so far deals a fire damage DoT if a monster walks over it. I've been forgetting to use it and this hasn't been a handicap.
  • Let's talk guns. I'm using a level 14 gun, nothing special but it kills things. There was a blue level 16 weapon in the auction house, 'Tommy's Pea Shooter' (update: make that 'Lil Timmys Pea Shooter') which had impressive dps but it was very expensive (60g) and I figured that at the rate I was levelling it would be obsolete in a few days so I passed. I was on the AH this morning and saw a level 53 blue gun for 6g so I grabbed it. I'll either wait for level 53 or flog it for profit.
  • I haven't found a crossbow to try yet and I haven't investigated bows and arrows. I haven't yet looked into theory on shooting speed and how it affects dps. As I mentioned earlier, killing things isn't a problem at the moment, I'm not sure this becomes an issue until the late 20's like it did with the pally.
  • While I was in Westfall I couldn't resist doing the secret chicken quest (which isn't in the levelling guide). This goes like this:
    • target chicken in Saldean's Farm
    • use /chicken a few times
    • if chicken's name doesn't turn green, find another chicken and repeat
    • right click chicken and get quest
    • buy some chicken feed from farmer Saldean
    • find chicken again and /cluck (update: should be /cheer, see comments).
    • give chicken feed
    • get an egg
  • The chicken egg is used to summon a chicken pet! It didn't take me that long to get one, maybe 30 /chickens. Now I run around with two pets, Colin and the chicken! A team! This is most amusing, especially when the three of us are diving. The chicken's dps is very poor but he's very low threat and doesn't generate much agro. Here are my chicken egg tips:
    • the chicken that worked for me was across the field from the farm, in the corner near an old barn
    • create a /chicken macro and bind it to an icon unless you like typing
    • mix use of /chicken with grinding
    • turn the sound off or the chicken noises will drive you mad
    • if someone kills the chicken you are talking to, ignore them (bastard).
  • In summary, hunting continues to be fun, although I am wondering if the levelling guide is making things too easy. In Westfall I found one of the whirlwind things and started blasting before I realised it was level 19 while Colin and I were level 15. It died easily.

Filed under: games warcraft wow

Dean Not Verified Says:

Tue May 08 2007 11:26 about 1 year ago

So much detail, getting scared know. Anyway I wonder if anyone has a dual PC set up and plays 2 characters at once?

Peter Says:

Tue May 08 2007 11:36 about 1 year ago

I've heard of someone running five characters at once. Yes five, that's £45 a month's worth of subscriptions on top of five computers.

Peter

Floyd Says:

Tue May 08 2007 12:21 about 1 year ago

Peter,

Glad to hear your enjoying yourself in the game again, you and Colin sound like your having fun tearing up Azeroth.

On a seperate note slightly upset you've not named your chicken yet sad

Peter Says:

Tue May 08 2007 12:45 about 1 year ago

Its name tag says 'Prarie Chicken'. I cannot give it an official name like I can Colin but then again Snowy has no official name slot (I miss Snowy).

The name Mavis just popped into my head so we'll go with that.

I've thought about joining Mercz but at the moment she (the hunter not Mavis) can't contribute much and I don't want to be seen to be after a run through Deadmines unless someone wants Pook to run their alt through in exchange.

Peter

Vyaaren Says:

Tue May 08 2007 17:14 about 1 year ago

As a hunter with Fluffy, my fearsome grizzly bear, I was doing the quest for the Captain's Chest just off the coast of Wetlands just passed the Murlocs. The skeleton crew have a debuff which turns you into a skeleton. Fluffy got a dose and I underwent a paradigm shift when Fluffy turned into a lady skeleton pirate. My big masculine bear was a girl! I have never been the same since.

Colin might be Coleen....

You'd be most welcome to a Dead Mines or perhaps a Wailing Caverns or a Scarlet run later.

Vy

Nibuca Says:

Tue May 08 2007 17:20 about 1 year ago

My understanding is that /chicken repeatedly at any chicken in the game will give you the C.L.U.C.K. quest (even horde can get it), but you can only buy the chicken feed from Framer Saldean in Westfall. After you have the quest (and the feed) you can /cheer any chicken and feed them to get the egg to have a chicken pet. Horde players -can- get a chicken pet but it requires Alliance collusion (My Horde guild is named Bawk Bawk.. we all have Prarie chicken pets. It's a hoot to see us run by 10-12 Blood Elves.. and 10-12 chickens).

WRT first aid: keep in mind this is an easy way to heal Colin without expending mana.

Galoheart Says:

Tue May 08 2007 21:37 about 1 year ago

Sounds like things coming along for ya! Its amuzing reading tales from the Hunt! Maybe i try a hunter someday, who knows.

However here is a thought and i'm sure everyone can think of this than just me: Why not do a run for your HUNTER through a few low level instance you solo your 60+ pally and in less than 30-45 min you get all the Blue/Green, epic gear if lucky and now you have all Uber gear to gear up your HUNTER. So now you really have a super twinked up HUNTER and now you can really go on a super killing spree with you and the pet leveling and questing all in Nice gear; All thanks of course to your high level Pally, who at your level can run through a low level instane agro any and everything and have them kill them selve on your shield. You should not to spend much money buying much AH gear for your HUNTER to gear up when you have a high level pally than can solo through a instance and collect all the gear to outfit your hunter and left over to shell on AH.

Oh that 'Tommy's Pea Shooter' i saw on my server yesterday for 7-11g, and i was thinking thats high on my server, 60g on your server is a killer.

Alchemy at lower level is good for the 1H buffs and best to collect to make those especially the +5 healing all the time regen ones. The best ALchemy stuff at your level is ANYTHING that gives you a stat boost, buff over time (Agility for Hunters). For your hunter i would say you will need the best healing pot at all times, since you can't bubble like a pally heal, you only get one shot to pop a potion.

If you doing fishing. Fish low level water ponds, easiest to raise fishing, till it your going longer without leveling. However best place to fish is the ocean relative to your level. In fishing you will level up irregardless as long as your fishing. If its too high a level fish it will usually get away, use best lore available.

It sucks you have such small amount of bag space, but at low level the bags are an investment is space as you do need it.

Peter Says:

Wed May 09 2007 07:40 about 1 year ago

I heard there was some kind of trick for horde to get the chicken and that they need help from an alliance to buy the feed or something.

So far I haven't been having mana problems as I don't need to heal Colin that much (I resurrect him more often sad ). The first aid is sliding at the moment although I have a feeling I will be needing it later.

Peter

Peter Says:

Wed May 09 2007 07:46 about 1 year ago

I've thought about ways for the pally to run the hunter through deadmines but I think the problem is they need to be in the same group for the instance. I could maybe do it with outside assistance: a group leader who needn't even be in the fight but would allow me to rejoin the group whenever I logged out on one character (presumably dropping me out the group but not sure) and logged in with another.

The next problem is if the hunter met a patrol...

If money was no object I'd get a second account and then transfer one of them to that second account but that's money and downtime while the transfer went through.

Peter

Galoheart Says:

Wed May 09 2007 10:29 about 1 year ago

What i was saying was not the Hunter going to the instance specifically, but actually YOU the pally going to the instance your self solo and doing a run through for the only reason to collect Blue/Green "Bind on Equip" gear on loot drop to return with it and then you can transfer it over to your Hunter to gear up. If anything it be just fun for you doing the pally run through the instance as a cake walk. Getting the looted gear is just the goal for whatever does drop.

I have my Alt lvl 18 priest in Silvermoon i call him the mail/ AH runner for Galo. However over next week or so, i'm gona go twink him up a bit in gear if i can by running through, WC, Deadmines, Shadow Fang and collect whatever gear drops transfer it to the priest. I can run all those instances at my level easily solo in 30-45 min. Walla!! Twinked up priest or Twinked up mail runner even if he's just sitting in the Inn always waiting on Mail/AH.

Peter Says:

Wed May 09 2007 10:31 about 1 year ago

If Vy and your new druid/priest want to exchange run throughs with Pooky and Maevyn (caught the vy meme there) then that's fine.

I've never met VC: when I solo'd it at 45ish I stopped at the doors (RL intervened) and I haven't been back as the drops weren't worth it, even at level 45. Some blue BoP's for Maevyn would be nice though.

Peter

Peter Says:

Wed May 09 2007 10:38 about 1 year ago

Oh I see. Yes I can do that, it's just that all the really nice stuff seems to be BoP but you're right, I could maybe farm some blue BoE's.

I got as far as the doors to VC at level 45 solo, at level 63 I might try it using only the retribution aura and harsh stares.

Peter

Floyd Says:

Wed May 09 2007 12:19 about 1 year ago

Peter,

Deadmines Solo as a 60+ Pally is slaughter, did it a couple of weeks ago when mining in the area (got bored so thought what the hell), you do get loads of green drops I got a couple of blues which were BoP.I even run out of bag space and dumped the BoP's as no good for me and could not sell. Also enjoyed aggroing loads of miners then just standing there hitting consecration then waiting for them to die, its funny when they all die in unison it makes me laugh smile.

If you do want to take your Hunter through let me know i would be happy running you, colin and mavis through, or if you would like to try it as a pure level run and dont mind waiting a week Im nearly at lvl 20 with my druid and am looking for a run then.

One final note people in the guild have missed you, and when you feel ready we look forward to you being back with us.

Keep up the levelling, having fun and blogging mate.

Peter Says:

Wed May 09 2007 12:45 about 1 year ago

Sounds like fun. I need to roll pooky out soon as I've made my auction alt an engineer and want to farm masses of copper, tin and stone to get him to a level where he can make the hunter guns, scopes and ammo.

Anyway, while he's in the area he can go through dead mines.

Didn't know you had an alt as well. Maybe he/she, Maevyn and Vy's priest (and probably a couple of other Mercz alts) can do a run?

Peter

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