Adventures in stuff!

Happy Monday everyone! You may be wondering what I, our intrepid blogger, have been up to, or maybe not. Well, I'm going to tell you....

There has been raiding, LFR (with amazingly fail DPS on occasion), and Twilight heroics. There's also been me being told that 15k dps is not enough to be in the new heroics, and that if I'm not willing to switch specs to Survival, I should go farm old raids for gear. Since Garetia is almost entirely decked out in older raid gear (mostly bought with points, but still), I found that confusing. Also, if there are rogues trying to do Ultraxion (which is still a DPS race in LFR) with under 10 k DPS, I feel that 15 is more than adequate for any heroic. MARKS FOR LIFE, DAMN IT!

Redeemed continues to kick arse and take names in Dragon Soul. We're extending our raid lockout to work on Spine of Deathwing, and hope to kill Deathwing this week or next, before one of our tanks takes a much needed break. On that note, Redeemed is currently recruiting, mostly melee DPS. I should point out that the current raiding plan involves killing Deathwing, then taking it easy, doing fun runs, and relaxing a bit before the pandas attack. But if that sounds good to you, you don't mind slightly insane in the entertaining way, and you're on Shadow Council Horde-side, look us up!

In other news, I've wandered over to Norrath. Yup, a new year, trying a "new to me" MMO. My conclusions thus far:

EQ2 feels far less polished and more buggy than WoW. I've seen bugged animations, gathering nodes in midair, and my favorite bug, the ever popular "zone in, can't interact with anything, get kicked back to character selection screen and wait for a bit then try again". Best part is that I've had this happen on two different computers, running different operating systems, with the game installed two different ways. In other words, it isn't me, it's the game.

On the other hand, the world feels so much bigger than Azeroth does. I love the crafting (and I can gather all the things!). There just feels like there's much more to do, and the game is more complicated. Remember when WoW had weapon skills and spell ranks? Well, EQ2 still does. There's lore quests, where you find out about particular types of creatures by studying stuff they drop when you kill them, language quests, collections (shells, butterflies, that sort of thing), and crafting's more complicated too.

And here's screencaps!

 Leveling in the frozen North with a class, well, think elemental warlock with pet.

 My wizard looking at her home city (it's inside the volcano).

 Heehee, I'm a fairy! Also, this is the most relaxing starting zone I've ever encountered.

Wizard again, in her starting zone, Timorous Deeps

MMO Reviews from a Wow Addict (games I tried in 2011)

Figured rather than write a sum-up of 2011, I'd sum up the MMOs I tried and what I think WoW players might like or not like. So, without further ado...

Lord of the Rings Online
LIKE:
Free to play
Gorgeous world
Lots of character customization
Appearance tab (so you can look like you're wearing an awesome outfit no matter what mess you're actually in)
Epic Lore
Housing!
Semi-sane community (less STFU NOOB sort of thing)
You can PVP as a monster

DISLIKE:
Limited Storage Space (need to purchase)
Free to play is more like free to play till level 20 or so
Lack of actual wizards (for lore reasons)
Travel's much more complicated than WoW (though you can buy stuff to make it easier)
PVP is not free to play

COULD GO EITHER WAY
Leveling's much slower than WoW, but endgame doesn't feel as important
Loads of achievements (and you get abilities from said achievements rather than from talent trees)

WHY TO TRY IT
If you're looking for another fantasy MMO, like Middle Earth, or are just looking for a slightly slower pace, this is a great game. I still stick my head in now and again.

Champions Online
I played this for about 3 hours before uninstalling it, so I don't have much to say

LIKE:
Yay Superheroes
Free to play

DISLIKE (personally):
Art Style
Combat

WHY TO TRY IT
I'd say it's worth a try if you like the superhero genre and want more active combat. I'm not a huge superhero person, and I hated the combat (but that's a personal taste thing).

Kingdom of Loathing
You can argue that this isn't a true MMO. I'm reviewing it anyway.

LIKE:
Great humor
Runs in a browser window
Free to play
Nice crafting system

DISLIKE:
Limited amount of actions at a time because you have a limited amount of adventures and once they run out you need to go do something else

COULD GO EITHER WAY
Art Style. I think the stick figures are great, but they're not everyone's cup of tea.

WHY TO TRY IT
You don't have to install or download anything and it's free.

City of Heroes/Villains


LIKE
Character creator. Best character creator ever.
Loads of Customization Options (including the ability to customize what colors your powers use)
Great-looking world
Free to play

DISLIKE
slower-paced combat for the most part
can get grindy
there's only so many sewers, warehouses, and office buildings you want to go into
Very limited character slots for free to play
PVP not a big thing (from what I experienced)

COULD GO EITHER WAY
Loot (or lack thereof). You get stuff to customize your powers, potionlike stuff, and crafting stuff, but no gear.

WHY TO TRY IT
Because the character creator is beyond awesome. Seriously, it alone is worth the download. Also, it's the granddaddy of all superhero MMOs. Oh, and you can fly and beat up bad guys (or good guys).

So there you have it.  This year I'm hoping to continue trying new to me MMOs, starting with EQ2, and possibly hitting up Age of Conan, Warhammer Online, and whatever else sounds shiny and free. If you'd like to suggest a free to play MMO (or you want me to try a pay to play and are willing to pay for a subscription and box), comment or hit me up on twitter or email.