TJ does something incorrectly, by Phil
January 18th, 2010 | by Phil |“Look at my new hunter.”
“Aw, cute.”
“You should totally start a Druid so we can play together.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Why?”
“Because we never level past 12 when we do that.”
“Well, this time we will.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to level past 12.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t like playing with you, you always want to level professions and not follow the guide.”
“Ummm ok, well, how about I play your way?”
“Nope, because you’ll be a d-bag about following the guide.”
“I won’t, I promise.”
“Lie.”
Though I have asked the “are you doing that right” question before and rightfully been told to shove it, this time I feel that I am actually correct in my statement that TJ WoWs WRONG!!!
Evidence:
1. We both use add-ons to guide us, Tom-Tom and Tour guide, they are both great tools to help find quests and level. We have both done most of these quests way too many times and just want to maximize the leveling in the shortest amount of time. I, however, will deviate from the guide as necessary – skipping quests I’m too high or low level for, getting things down in my own way as needed. She will not. When the new LFG thingie came out she freaked out because her priest was leveling in instances and passing where she was in the guide. She followed the guide to the letter anyway, killing gray mobs for low level quests. So, when we group up I know that I will have to follow the guide to the letter.
2. She hates professions. We both have toons on many different servers, so most of the time it’s not a big deal. I can just send my alt whatever we need. However, she has started toons on new servers, where neither of us has a high level, and not picked up any professions. Thus, no income. She will play with 6 and 8 slot bags well into the 20s and 30s. I was amazed when she picked up skinning on her now 70 Priest at level 15. When we have played toons together she won’t pick up any at all.
3. She will put her talent points in all willy-nilly. I don’t know why this one bothers me, but it really does. I have even offered to research talent builds for her. She does not take me up on my offer. She just puts points where she feels like putting them, with no plan or particular goal in mind.
4. I bought Wrath for both of us the day it came out. Instead of leveling her 70 Warlock, she rolled a hunter and leveled that to 70 and stopped. Not just stopped playing that toon, but stopped playing all together for months and months. Granted we both stopped playing for a while, but when we picked it back up I was excited to go explore all the new content I paid for. I admit I didn’t go back to my 70 Warlock, I went to a new server and started a brand new Warlock and leveled him to 80. I love alts. So when TJ started a new Priest, (sadly on a completely different server), I understood that she could not yet explore the new content. So she leveled her little Priest and was seemingly having fun, until she hit 70. She hit 70 and not only stopped playing her Priest, she has stopped playing WoW all together. Again. She may pick it back up, but my guess is that when she does it will be with a level one something on a server neither of us has toons on.
In short – she won’t play with me because I don’t play correctly. However, she refuses to deviate from a guide even when she outlevels it by several levels, refuses to take up professions, does no research into where she sticks her talent points and won’t play a toon past level 70 for some reason. Maybe I make sandwiches wrong, and maybe I interpret the word “dry” wrong, and maybe I have accused her of doing something wrong unjustly. However, in this case, I AM NOT WRONG. SHE IS THE ONE WHO IS WRONG.
SHE PLAYS WOW WRONG.
By Awlbiste on Jan 18, 2010
I think 3 would give me hives. Sorry TJ.
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Phil Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:36 pm
Number 3 gives me brain pain.
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Adlib Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
I didn’t put any talents in my very first toon AT ALL until my 40s. No wonder I hated playing a warrior so much. Only after did I finally put points in places did I find I killed stuff faster.
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TJ Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
To be fair (TO ME), just because I don’t do internet research and follow some prescribed talent build to the letter doesn’t mean I’m completely nuts. I put points where I want to put them, but it’s not like I’m doing it blindfolded. I taken talents that sound good and work with the way I play. Damn!
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Awlbiste Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 8:01 pm
One time, quite awhile ago in vanilla WoW, when I was one of those snooty “hardcore” (ha!) raiding people, we had a warrior apply who had 1 (of 5) pt in every weapon spec just in case he picked up a different kind of weapon and wanted to use it.
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Ahami Reply:
January 19th, 2010 at 1:32 am
I have to unlurk to back up TJ here. You put the points where you want them, and then see how close you got to the cookie cutter when you hit 80. Less pressure that way, too.
… Hi, TJ!
OK, back to lurking.
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TJ Reply:
January 19th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Exactly! Thank you! Hello!
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By Jacey on Jan 18, 2010
Oh my god. I have to side with Phil here. You’d break my brain with this style of play. I mean, I am always in full support of playing the way that makes you happy, but I can’t condone inflicting something like that on someone else.
And really, as a side note? Northrend rocks. The quests are fun and full of lore. I’m sad you won’t go and see. I think some of the most interesting and emotionally involving questlines are up in Storm Peaks and Ice Crown. A couple made me cry. More than once since I did them on alts.
Stay strong, Phil. I sympathize, sir.
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Phil Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
I loved playing though Northreand. You are correct that the lore and quests are pretty much awesome.
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Adlib Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:44 pm
I have to strongly agree on the Northrend quests. Does TJ know there are vehicles now? And that you can run over horde with them in PvP? My favorite quests are the ones where you are riding something throwing stuff at mobs that are chasing you.
I have also almost cried at several of the quests as well. Very cool.
I hardly ever level through dungeons, but the new LFG tool helps with that. However, I am kind of compulsive about finishing zones, but I won’t do quests that are even green for me. WoW also has a pretty great questhelper in-game now too.
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TJ Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
I hate the vehicles. I hate PvP. I hate throwing things quests. So, you know, I’m not convinced.
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Adlib Reply:
January 19th, 2010 at 6:02 am
Oh well, I tried!
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By Lady Jess on Jan 18, 2010
While I may or may not agree with either of your play styles, I’m more interested in where exactly I should send the flowers for the upcoming funeral?
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Phil Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
I send everything I write nowadays to her for editing so she saw this before it was posted.
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Lady Jess Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Well of course! But you do have to sleep some time:P
Ok the talents thing I’m guilty of just not in WoW. My dragon age character would give you heart attack.
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By Katy on Jan 18, 2010
Oh noes! I’m sorry to say this TJ, but Phil is right; you play WoW wrong. My husband used to play like that… he refused to drop gray quests in crappy zones that we hated. So we had to finish the lame quests before we could move on to somewhere more appropriate. Once you learn to drop quests and move on to new zones your play time will be more fun and productive. And the guide may complain, but once you set it to a new zone it forgives you. I promise.
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Phil Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
When I first started I would save all of my old armor and weapons in my bank. I thought that I might need them again one day.
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By Jade on Jan 18, 2010
Can I just say one thing?
It’s.just.a.game. ;) Enjoy playing it the way you like to.
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Phil Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
you are correct that it’s just a game, however I find that investing the time to do all the stuff we hate early we maximizes the fun.
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Jade Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
Touché. My problem is that my DH levels much faster than I do because he is a workhorse in the game. I like to play a little here, a little there, while gearing up my main. I mean, he has four 80s, and has another halfway there. His four are the highest geared in our guild.
I can’t keep up at his pace, so he’s just chewing on his nails to get his pally leveled because I’m slowly leveling my mage with him. But he’s dealing with it, because he has to. :D
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By Sarah on Jan 18, 2010
Obviously though, she doesn’t like to otherwise she would still be playing. I have to side with Phil on this.
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Phil Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
we both come and go with WoW.
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By Fyurae on Jan 18, 2010
I daresay TJ plays WoW like a girl.
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Jacey Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:36 pm
Hey now. I take offense at that. :P
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Risqtish Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 10:19 pm
I also take offense.
My GM is only really half the leader. The other half is his wife, watching from the background and helping him out with guild drama stuff!
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Phil Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
“literally”
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By Will on Jan 18, 2010
Like most of the above commenters, I find myself siding with Phil. Such a playstyle would drive me crazy.
It occurs to me that I stopped lurking to satisfy her delurker demands (and the allure of the survey, I admit), and my first comment after that is me siding with Phil on something.
I have a sudden tingling sensation between my shoulderblades…
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Phil Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
Thank you for seeing my side. :) That pain between your shoulder blades is your Michael Stipe senses tingling. Make sure you shut your closet door.
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TJ Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
HAAAAAAAAA.
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By Bernie on Jan 18, 2010
She plays it wrong. I mean. How can you take irrationality to that level?! Phil. Earn the title, the Patient. It is so yours
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Phil Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
I just recently got the Patient title and I received the PUG yesterday.
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By Tami on Jan 18, 2010
Aside from the absurdity of playing wow right or wrong, on my non-raiding toon, I was MUCH closer to TJ’s playstyle than Phil’s.
Abandoning a quest felt like betrayal, no matter how gray it was. Moneymaking was boring for me – I’d prefer to quest than to play the AH or try to level up professions. And after doing all the math and crazy talent point geometry for my raiding priest, my hunter placed talent points into whatever seemed fun.
That being said, the Northrend quests are fun, TJ. PVP can bite me, and I hate hate hate vehicle battle, but the questlines themselves were fun. =]
Plus. Baby murlocs.
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By John on Jan 18, 2010
Phil,
Be happy with how things are. I follow the guide to the letter too. If I roll a human char, I’ll following the guide for the human starting area. THEN I’ll go follow the guide for the dwarf/gnome starting area. THEN off to night elf land, and then follow with of course the draenei. Only then can I move up to the next human area. Rinse. Repeat. Imagine how insane it would be if she did THAT.
BTW, if she totally starts to do that, it’s NOT MY FAULT!
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By Haleh on Jan 18, 2010
Oh, TJ! Try Northrend. It’s awesome. And the Grizzly Hills outhouse quest was a blast. I wish I could start all my alts at 68 or 70! (so much for lurking.)
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By Katie on Jan 18, 2010
I hate professions too >_> I have my rogues almost maxed..but it’s taken almost 4 years to get there.
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By Ebby on Jan 19, 2010
Gaaah. *Twitchies* I too must side with Phil. Of course, I also have mining and skinning on all toons I intend to get anywhere with and I love using them. It’s no hassle for me, at least one Titanium Ore is found a day (though usually two or more. Once I got five. That was a very nice day) and I am rolling in money. I have bought three guild members their epic flying and two their Cold Weather flying because I am just rolling in money between those two professions and dailies. >_> Don’t be jealous, I might enjoy doing it, but it’s still hard work.
Still, to play devil’s advocate a minute, I used to have no clue where to put my talent points either. Granted I did it with some illusion of order, but overhauling it made me so much more epic than before.
But why would she not want to go to Northrend? There are awesome mounts there and the Gorlocs! The cute little Gorlocs!
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By T-Sonn on Jan 19, 2010
I used to be that way, about dropping quests. But the Hub is a total explorer, and every time we logged in during my first toon he’d be all, “let’s go see what’s in the next zone,” and I got used to being all over the place like that.
The talent thingy… I often deviate from the cookie cutter specs. I LIKE having an instant Howl, even in my PvE spec, for example. But I almost always have a plan, and I almost always know where my next 10 points are going to go on any given toon I’m leveling.
Also, professions? You’re missing out. I’ve had SO MUCH FUN with tailoring and enchanting and herbalism and alchemy and inscription and jewelcrafting and mining–okay, not mining–and farming the stuff to craft. It’s like a whole other game within the game. I dig it.
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By HokieJayBee on Jan 19, 2010
i answered the delurker survey for more Phil, and then i get it! what service TJ, thank you.
and, and, and – he’s totally right too. you play WoW wrong.
for the “normal” way to play, you play wrong even for a casual player. because being inefficient on purpose doesn’t make sense. unless of course you understand your way is not proper and you’re simply playing your way now merely to annoy Phil, in which case i don’t have that gene as i am an anal-retentive near OCD enginerd male, but i can’t argue that the satisfaction you get from that purposeful annoyance isn’t worth the “wrong” playstyle.
in an effort simply to get you to throw something edible at him at dinner tonight, i enter this into the conversation: he paid for the two copies of WotLK, who pays for the $15/month on your account? oooof! Phil, however, don’t ever, ever, ever use anything along the lines of “my way or highway”. i have the welts from flying dinner material to know that now. [if TJ pays for the account(s) monthly fees, she plays WoW right]
it is a game, play it your way, but maybe you’ll get something out of the play together, and can find a compromise in the middle of the playstyles?
one note that i can’t get over, even as i jokingly toss barbs that someone plays a game “wrong”……TJ is anal-retentive about following the guide for leveling/quests – playing “right” and “normal” – but not about talent trees and professions? makes no sense she does.
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By lak on Jan 19, 2010
With the way she plays, sounds to me like you should be thankful she refuses to level a toon with you! lol
=)
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By Ylee on Jan 19, 2010
I agree with Phil here. My wife and I level together most of the time but only because she is absolutely clueless with directions. I have 4 level 80s, she has 3 80s and she still can’t remember quests or where to go for what. So, I lead and she follows. But if I had to follow a guide to the letter I would scream. I tried using one of them once, and did okay for a while, but if I got to the point of having grey quests or mobs, I would drop them, and try to find out where in the guide I was supposed to be for my level.
Also, I can’t imagine not researching builds, or not having maxed professions or not having been to Northrend. It is beautiful up there and the storyline is wonderful. TJ you should really play around up there. And there are tons of quests that don’t involve vehicles.
It is a game, and you can play how you want, so maybe how TJ plays isn’t “wrong” it just may not be the most logical.
:D
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By Keristrazja on Jan 19, 2010
I’m all for playing how it makes you happy, but stopping at 70 and not going to Northrend is classifiable as a crime against humanity.
Northrend literally takes my breath away every time I bring a new toon through it. It has, imho, some of the best design in the game, and shouldn’t be ignored.
Leveling through the Dragonblight, and seeing the Wrathgate for the first time, I had to hand it to Blizz. I was absolutely ENRAGED with what happened there, and wanted to wage war upon the perpetrators!
TJ, you really need to give NR a chance.
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By motobu on Jan 19, 2010
i guess each person has to ask themselves:
What’s the point?
of playing WoW I mean. If it is to have fun leveling characters, and you are having fun leveling characters, then you’re doing it right. Even if you have crazy talent builds, no professions, and grey armor. However, even if that is the point for TJ, then why stop at 70? Some irrational fear of the unknown? The northrend quests are nice, but so are the dungeons, zones, graphics, and eventually even the raids…
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By Bernie on Jan 20, 2010
Pssst. Pssst. Hey, over here behind the stack of boxes. Phil is right.
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By Delicia on Jan 21, 2010
Well my husband and I are hardcore Wow players.. in fact we met playing WoW (he saved me from a Devilsaur that was trying (and succeeding) to stomp my face in. Yes, he rode up like a knight in shining..er.. leather.. on his noble..um.. cat.
Anyway.. we’ve leveled a bunch of toons, and I find it REALLY hard to level with him. First.. we don’t like to group while leveling. Call us greedy, but I hate sharing quest and mob killing XP.
Also, we like different zones. He’s a dirty stinking tree-hugger, and I want rep boosts and quests I’m familiar with that don’t drag me all over creation.
We both use James’ leveling guides, but he’s more of a stickler and I do sometimes hold onto quests to complete (though not when they are grey).
And he annoys me if he outlevels me. A lot. So basically we don’t level together. If one of us needs a run through something the other will hop on an 80 and help out.
Oh and TJ? You really need to go to Northrend. It’s beautiful, a lot of the quests are FUN, and just think of all the blogging material you’ll get!
Del
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