Brief WoW-Hiatus

My raiding guild stopped raiding a few weeks ago, and Obsolete was probably the most progressed guild I have been in. It might be the most progressed guild I will ever be in. So with that guild announcement, I have started looking beyond WoW for my entertainment and I definitely feel better for it.

I've played through BioShock 1 & 2, saving Little Sisters and resisting the thirst for vengeance (thus yielding the super-good endings). I thoroughly enjoyed both games, and Rapture certainly continues to be a terrific setting for storytelling. I have yet to try multi-player (available in the sequel, only) but I hear it's a successful complement to the solo game.

I am currently working my way through StarCraft (the original) without cheating. In the past I've been a little too quick to skip missions and I aim to better myself in this respect. I've almost finished the original Protoss campaign, and then I'll move on to Brood War. I was not one of the incredibly lucky recipients of StarCraft 2 beta keys, so this is how I'll get my fix. I pray to Blizzard every night before going to bed. :P

I am moving house in a few weeks, so I'm trying to stay out of WoW until I've settled into the new place. It wouldn't seem fair to apply to a new guild (or sub-guild) and then suddenly be unavailable while I wait for the new ADSL connection. Also, I hear my favourite Death Knight tree, Frost, will be getting some love in 3.3.3, so until that patch is released I would just be /sighing alot.

So I'm continuing my little break for the next few weeks. Until I return, may all your /rolls be 100.

Killing Machine: It Slices, It Dices

In a continuation of my Death Knight column (focusing on the class in general, as well as my very own Vocah) I am delighted to announce that my [Shadow's Edge] has now tasted 1000 souls harvested within Icecrown Citadel! NOMNOMNOM! I got a few hundred from a farming run (resetting the raid before reaching Lord Marrowgar) and quite alot during attempts on Valithria Dreamwalker.

The next three tasks require me to steal essence from the Unholy, Blood and Frost wings in that order. I have to hop back into the guild queue for this, so it might be some time before I see much progress in this regard. After that, we're back in a familiar situation to [Val'anyr], with bosses (25-man only) having a chance to drop 1 of the 50 [Shadowfrost Shards] required for the final phase.

In a related matter, I won a [Battered Hilt] a week or so ago, and today I took the final plunge and subdued [Quel'Delar, Cunning of the Shadows]. I currently have it paired with the [Frost Giant's Cleaver], and I'm a bite-sized, slashing, chopping little maniac with them. :) Some people recommended I just sell it, but I figured my Frost build could use an upgrade and there's an achievement that I'd otherwise never ... umm ... achieve.

The quest-chain is fairly epic, requiring you to gather reagents from the Pit of Saron, temper it in the Forge of Souls, and finally face the blade itself when merely bringing it near Frostmourne in the Halls of Reflection causes it to go on a murderous rampage. I was quite moved when asked to participate in the re-enactment of Thalorien Dawnseeker's last stand before the Sunwell.

My only gripe is Quel'Delar doesn't mount on my back. I'd really like a checkbox to force weapons to mount on my back or my waist. That would be great, Blizzard. Go to it.