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Post by gnotash on Jul 14, 2015 14:41:07 GMT -5
I realize this forum is kind of dead but I may as well make a journal of my travels. Gnotash-Lightbringer - Gnome Mage
My guild recently transferred off server and I had way to many alts to join them (around 30 level 90+, 11 of those at 100). I decided to go ahead and quit the game as it started to feel like a bit of a chore juggling all of my alts. After a few weeks of boredom with other games I thought it might be a good idea to join my guildies on the new server but to be social and just play at my own pace doing Ironman and forgetting about all of my other characters. So begins Gnotash's journey:
I started in Gnomeregan and by level 6 had already almost died. Went afk in a "safe" spot and was hunted by a red it seemed. When I got back I was near death but barely managed to escape. Working my way through Kharanos was fairly easy. I made sure to grind out extra mobs here and there. After finishing the entire Dun Morogh quests (including killing 3-4 rares) I was 13 and near 14.
Walking into Loch Modan at 14 was a game changer. I didn't expect it to feel like a challenge already though after killing all mobs in 3 hits (FFB, FFB, FB) in Dun Morogh mobs were taking 7-8 hits each to go down in the Loch. Even aggroing two mobs was a bit ridiculous. I went back to Dun Morogh and grinded out to 14 before returning. This didn't help a whole lot but I felt a bit safer. With Loch Modan and its caves I made sure to take my time. I know respawns in caves are a game ender for a clothy gnome. Though time consuming thus far Loch Modan has not given me any close calls and has been fairly easy after getting used to the time it takes to kill mobs. I should mention that named mobs were killed by getting max distance before starting to attack so I had as much time as possible without having to kite. That said I have not resorted to kiting anything yet to kill it.
I reached level 17 in the loch and decided to go grab my mage ports. I assume I am around halfway through the loch. The only quest I have is Resupplying the Excavation. At the time of this post I have made it 40% through level 17.
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Post by gnotash on Jul 15, 2015 9:48:40 GMT -5
The loch started getting a bit tougher since my last post. I was having to eat food constantly. No close calls until I did the dumbest thing I have yet in this challenge: tried to complete the Gor'kresh quest. Moving through the cave and killing the ogres was a bit scary but when I got to Gor'kresh himself it was not pretty. He has 1k health and hits fairly hard. I kited Frost Nova'd blinked and luckily didn't pull any other mobs. I ended the fight with 40 health. Way too close for comfort.
After all of that I decided I needed to play a bit smarter. I decided to stop doing current level quests and go to a green area. I was 1 bar from 21 when I left the loch so I decided to head to redridge. Everything has been smooth so far here. Currently at level 22 (23% in) and on the quest to recruit the fighter in the bottom of the inn.
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Xaya
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Post by Xaya on Jul 15, 2015 20:51:03 GMT -5
Be careful in redridge, the quest 'prisoners of war' is quite tricky
Xayaforsi lvl 100 pandaren hunter (alive) Wyrmrest Accord Xayalock lvl 26 worgen warlock (alive) Wyrmrest Accord
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Post by gnotash on Jul 16, 2015 14:40:57 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice. Yeah I remember dying on that quest with full BoA alts so I went ahead and left Redridge as soon as I got to it.
There is something too gloomy about Duskwood that I feared it would be where I die (still could be). But since I was so close I decided to start the quests there after leaving Redridge. It was slow going there and after getting through a decent amount of the starting quests I ended up with four yellow quests (Classy Glass, Ogre Thieves, In A Dark Corner, The Rotting Orchard). It has been awhile since I went through Duskwood but I remember those quests being a bit troublesome so I went ahead and left for the Wetlands. I had just barely hit 25 so I figured it would be easier there doing some green quests.
Wetlands has so far held no real challenge. I managed to hit 26 there after leaving the cave where you gather ore. The one slightly scary part was completing the quest "Down in Thelgen Rock". After you click on the seismograph a mob will spawn (Torrention) this mob has almost 1200 health and will spawn adds with 30 health each. I ran as soon as I clicked the seismograph (after having cleared a path) and got out of combat. I attempted killing Torrention right after I lost aggro on him, got him down to half health froze his spawns and decided it wasn't worth attempting to kill him. If you feel like you can he does drop an item that starts a quest for some experience.
Anyway my next quest is to go to Menethil so I have stopped there for now at level 26 (18% in).
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Post by gnotash on Jul 16, 2015 15:07:11 GMT -5
Couple of random things. I haven't read a whole lot of the forum posts and tips and tricks. I know I will if I ever make it close to level 60 (odds are low as history shows for mages).
Potions/quest gear. One of the scariest things for me has been looting potions and green quest rewards. I know on my other characters I have accidentally used potions many times while trying to vendor them or equipped something on accident doing the same. I have made vendoring almost a sub-challenge, being very anal about what I am doing and triple checking I am on the right vendor tab. Usually I still vendor other items first to make sure it is working correctly. I know I am probably crazy but I really don't want to get red flagged over something like that.
The water strider. Though I realize it was not in the rules I have avoided using my strider so far. Walking over water in certain areas would just feel kind of cheap considering all the other crazy things I am subjecting myself to. That said mounting is also a little scary as I am so used to just mount running through tons of mobs carefree on my other characters. I have had to reteach myself to stop and watch where I am going in case I get dismounted, as I do not need to be dismounted with 3+ mobs after me.
Gold. Though I am on a new server I know how easy it would be for me to ask a transferred guildy for 1k. I have decided not to do this and just go with what I can make. Currently just from selling cloth and the other random gold that is coming in I am at 80g. I was able to afford the mount training on my own. It will be more interesting when and if I get to where I can fly and whether I have gained enough gold for it.
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Post by gnotash on Jul 17, 2015 10:06:11 GMT -5
The first quest in Menethil (Assault on Menethil Keep) was not easy. You have to kill Horghast Flarecrazed. I was level 26 and he added some sort of stacking buff to himself. I had to Ice Block to wait out the stacks. Ended the fight around 25% health but I think it could have been death without the Ice Block.
After that it was slow but steady until the quest area with the undead Sailers and Marines (did the murloc quests without a problem just was careful of the runners). The captain was not too much trouble. I kited him to the shore and had at least 75% health at the end of the fight. It was right after getting his key when you have to swim into the ship to turn in the quest. There were a lot of mobs around. I ended up only killing two to get to it and luckily nothing else aggroed on me. I had Frost Nova and Blink waiting just in case.
At level 27 my Duskwood quests turned green while my Wetlands were still yellow so I decided to head back over to Duskwood.
The Rotting Orchard/In A Dark Corner! I knew there was a reason to not do this area. Getting close to it I remembered all the stealthed worgens. Despite this fact I went in anyway. I took my time and went around the perimeter. Slowly aggroing any stealthed mob. This worked really well actually. I managed to complete both quests. The biggest issue was that the stealthed Worgens hurt, a lot!. A single one easily gets me below half health and I cannot kite for fear of aggroing more.
On my way out I made my last mistake. I aggroed one and just sheeped it and moved on since I was so close to the road. I then aggroed another near the road and Frost Nova'd it. I Blinked the hell out of there but the worgens have a leap. It leaped and did me in. So ends Gnotash... He was a brave Gnome. RIP.
13 Hours 50 minutes - Level 27 (40% in) - 168g
(I may make another Gnotash if so I will update this thread once I get him to Level 27/28)
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Xaya
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Post by Xaya on Jul 18, 2015 5:28:20 GMT -5
RIP 27 is a good first run, and on a mage even!
Xayaforsi lvl 100 pandaren hunter (alive) Wyrmrest Accord Xayalock lvl 30 worgen warlock (alive) Wyrmrest Accord
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Post by gnotash on Jul 20, 2015 22:48:57 GMT -5
My first death was merely a setback! Back and going strong just hit 29. Here is Gnotash, the Second Comings journey:
Grinded to 10 Hogger/Westfall to 16 Loch Modan to 22 Redridge to 24 Wetlands to 29
Nothing special no real issues or close calls though I did kill Torrention in Wetlands this time around. Even though I will out level it I am planning to quest some in Duskwood next. It depends on how slow that goes but I am wanting to play it a bit safe.
Making better time currently at 12hr 38 min with 243g. I gave away all my previous gold as each of my challenge characters have to pay their own way. Oh also I have a Blood Thirsty character I may play now and then: Thirstyash currently level 15 with 0 quests completed.
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Post by gnotash on Jul 21, 2015 12:51:15 GMT -5
Got to Level 30 20% in and died to a tiny weak spider after a blip in my power... So frustrating. I did do that quest that killed Gnotash Sr. I still would not recommend it even being level 29 at the time I had my closest call of my entire leveling doing that quest extremely slowly.
Not sure if I will create another. Losing a character to something you can't control is just too annoying. Any mob at any time can kill you as a mage if you lag out for 10 seconds.
14 Hours 24 minutes - Level 30 (21% in) - 334g
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Post by 'Ster on Jul 21, 2015 20:39:16 GMT -5
Dang, sorry about that. But roll again, don't give up. Many of the irons who are at the upper levels have dozens of dead irons left behind. Keep one of those dead irons and continue leveling it. Use it as a "scout" for quests, bosses, zones, etc. before sending in the living iron.
You're doing good time-wise and level wise for just a couple of toons. With some patience and determination, you could go farther.
BTW - if you go back and kill that little spider, its very satisfying. I've gone back to Hellfire a few times to kill the Fel Reaver
:-)
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Xaya
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Post by Xaya on Jul 22, 2015 5:08:09 GMT -5
RIP Getting to the top takes time. Like Ster said, you can keep that toon alive to use as a scout for quests before you get there with you real iron toon. Getting to 100 on the second try would be quite an achievment, took me more than 40 to reach 100, and haven't been able to get another one past 80 since. And I've lost toons to something as stupid as loosing my mount while flying over Wintergrasp by mistake. Ironman is like a marathon: you can't expect to run 42km in less than 3 hours the first time...
Xayaforsi lvl 100 pandaren hunter (alive) Wyrmrest Accord Xayalock lvl 38 worgen warlock (alive) Wyrmrest Accord
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Post by gnotash on Jul 30, 2015 13:56:09 GMT -5
Yeah I realize it takes take and practice and I am completely okay with that and actually have had more fun playing doing the challenge than I have playing WoW normally in awhile. My problem is d/cing. I am currently using a wireless connection while some construction is happening on my house and I get d/c'd a few times a day, sometimes hourly. Ironman is just impossible that way unless you are the luckiest person ever and get dc'd at the right time, everytime. When I last died from the split second blip in power (which didn't even reset my computer) the spider I was attacking was less than 5% health and I was greater than 95% health. Even though I got back in about 10 seconds later it was RIP. If I die from being stupid and making a mistake I can learn and improve but I would rather not leave 14 and what could end up being 100s of hours up to the gods of randomness. That is until I get off this wireless connection!
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Xaya
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Post by Xaya on Jul 30, 2015 15:48:09 GMT -5
Yeah I realize it takes take and practice and I am completely okay with that and actually have had more fun playing doing the challenge than I have playing WoW normally in awhile. My problem is d/cing. I am currently using a wireless connection while some construction is happening on my house and I get d/c'd a few times a day, sometimes hourly. Ironman is just impossible that way unless you are the luckiest person ever and get dc'd at the right time, everytime. When I last died from the split second blip in power (which didn't even reset my computer) the spider I was attacking was less than 5% health and I was greater than 95% health. Even though I got back in about 10 seconds later it was RIP. If I die from being stupid and making a mistake I can learn and improve but I would rather not leave 14 and what could end up being 100s of hours up to the gods of randomness. That is until I get off this wireless connection! in that case, you are etter to wait indeed
Xayaforsi lvl 100 pandaren hunter (alive) Wyrmrest Accord Xayamonk lvl 36 night elf monk (alive) Wyrmrest Accord
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