Changing Seasons

Maybe it is the changing of the seasons but I've been feeling like changing things up a bit lately in the play rotation, visiting some games I have been away from for a bit. Sometimes, for me at least, it is so much fun to go and play through those old starting zones and get a real feel for if I want to come back. Sometimes those are the most fun I have these days, leveling up through familiar haunts, it was great with GW2 last month.

I'm excited about the GW2 expansion later this month and have things ready to go and mostly I log in for daily rewards. I think the excitement kind of drowns out the 'now' game. I decided to go with my new ranger, I can't wait to tame some new pets. I have a couple of flashy ones from HoT, the smokescale and a fire wyvern, both very cool pets but the new ones look so neat too. For now it's on the back burner, I expect to have plenty to do with the launch and then the Halloween stuff.

Upon wandering off to other stuff to play, I first poked into EverQuest, since I am subbed to EQ2 may as well. I puttered around on a low level necro alt. It was very enjoyable and simple. I dinged a few levels over a couple of days and saw some old zones I always like to go back to. The Commonlands, North Ro, I think I even managed to stumble into Befallen and then across to the moon Luclin, always such a favorite place to level.

But a few nights before I had puttered around in WoW. With the 'trial' version enabling me to play a new character to level 20 on my main account. I decided to go with a mage, because I have played them so little over the years, something fresh and new. It was bitter sweet when I hit level 20. I love the combat in WoW, more so than most games, even after the revamps, it is simplistic and familiar, yet polished.  Oh and there's new casting animations and spell effects! Glowy, sparkly stuff! I love the new look of spells, and while I have seen a lot of complaining on the forums about not liking the animations, they are so neat! I like that my character doesn't just stand there with her arms to her sides, she is ready to battle. Very nice changes to come back and see.

Back to the trial. I had so much fun, Dire asked what I was going to do now? I wasn't sure. The questing is so fluid now, you get to dabble in all the old places but you can hop around for variety as you out level most places rather fast. I decided to give it a day and think on it. It was so refreshing starting over and even if I don't enjoy the endgame as much, it was worth playing because I enjoyed it so much. I guess it fit like an old shoe, polished up and shiny. I had a lot of fun there, but EverQuest was relaxing and enjoyable too, just in a different way. Maybe I should just stick with that. Why not toy around with both? So, that is what I am doing.

I did decide to start over on different server where I have zero characters in WoW, Argent Dawn. I was considering if these servers were different than the others? RP servers that is. Do they utilize CRZ (Cross Real Zones), or do they have a different system? Which one is the best? The quietest, as in not as much general chat spam and anal jokes? Turns out AD, while linked to the Scryers, it still utilizes, as do all RP realms, a different type of phasing/CRZ and sharding; Which is a new technology used to split zones when the population becomes to the point of causing lag issues. I looked around on a few before deciding. Moon Guard I have heard some crazy stories about, though a friend pulled me over there in CRZ and it was SO alive and friendly. It was pretty awesome. I heard Garrosh is not linked to another realm, but that still seemed to be pretty hopping and I wanted somewhere quiet and peaceful to level. So AD it was, which is an EU server but whatever, it is nice there thus far and I mostly play on RP servers or special ruleset servers in most of my games these days. It is a lot different than Silvermoon and Mok'Nathal, where I usually play, with starting areas full of people racing towards mobs you are about to tag, though with the new tag system it isn't a big deal. But yeah, quiet and subdued, just what I needed. People are around but it just feels nice, like I have space.

So AD it is. Having no money there I decided to sell a few pets to get some money there for a few things to make life easier. Transmog and glyps, mount training. I should be good for quite awhile. The new 7.3 patch just dropped but I think I'll take my time getting around to it and enjoy the new server and character first. Dire poked in on the AD server for a few with a new character and also in EQ with me, I am not sure what he wants to play but I am hoping he will play around in one with me and take a much needed break from D3 as he is starting to get a bit burnt out.

Still poking around in EQ2, doing the weekly summer quest has been great. My alt is getting geared out well enough that I may make her my main after all of this. I am slowly working through the KA quest timeline, which I just finished up on another character so I am slowly working on it again. I am mostly playing on the IoR server, which is nice too. There are new bonuses there, which make it even sweeter to play on. My guild on AB looks like it finally dried up completely as the Guild Hall is locked, so it was about time to find some other place to call home. It happens more often than I'd like. Find a nice guild and slowly it just fades away as people no longer log in. I guess it happens a lot more when you have small guilds, I love small friendly guilds, they just feel so much more welcoming. But, if you're looking for a nice server in the future with nice bonuses and people, I rather like IoR.

Anyhow that's it for today. Praying for those in the path of Hurricane Irma! Safe adventures wherever you may be.