The Price is First (But is it Right?)

It is strange what can happen in just a week, even in a fantasy world inhabited by Panda's and blue space goats who fight alongside brilliant men who are typically found in your backyard. This time last week we were all eagerly awaiting the release of Mists. It turns out some of us were awaiting it more than others.

The Beta for Mists was unique in comparison to previous editions for upcoming expansions. This time around the number of participants was hugely increased thanks to Blizzard's Annual Pass which for a subscription commitment of 12 months, players were guaranteed access to Mists Beta servers. I applaud the move as both a wise business decision and a factor in improving the release product which found its way into our virtual lives not five days ago.

It did provide another benefit for a select group of players. With the introduction of each expansion there has always been a leveling race; players would compete in an annual (sometimes biannual) race to reach the level cap first and claim the glory of a Feat of Strength. Previously, a select few lucky enough to gain invites to Beta were at a huge advantage in being able to plan their leveling route and highlight which methods were more effective than others. Those that did not have Beta access were going in almost blind and it made for some unbalanced races. It did however make for some absolutely brilliant competition on servers where nobody interested in racing for the realm first titles got Beta access... the races were longer, more unpredictable and thrilling.

What gives me the right to make such a claim? Well, unless you've stalked me in-game or spent a little long searching my armory profile, then you wouldn't know that I was once a successful leveler. If I depart from strictly Saurfang events for a brief moment, then I remember back to the release of Wrath of the Lich King. At that stage <Ajantis> was still on the server of Aman'thul and our beloved home of Saurfang was at that stage unborn. With the release of Wrath, I logged in three hours after servers opened and casually started making my way through the first few zones. I quickly gained momentum and halfway through 72 I decided to make a go of it.

To my advantage was the obvious fact that very few people had attained Wrath Beta access and the simple reality that in leveling to 80 it was going to take significantly longer than it did to get to 90 in Mists (the five extra levels helped, but the general effort required was more). I ended up taking a 6 hour sleep on the first night and made it to 80 mid way through the 3rd day of release. I lost realm first by a good 6 hours to a Paladin who nobody ever heard of again (a dedicated leveler who had no real interest in the long term game). Back in Wrath (for those who were not playing the game then) they had realm first achievements for specific races (before race change was enabled) and I managed to get the one for the Forsaken. It was a fun time and I enjoyed myself but there were substantial differences between my approach and the one taken by many this week on Saurfang. I quested the entire way and was far from 'hardcore' in my efforts. I did no research and made no attempt to exploit. It was good, old fashioned and very naive.

So, getting back to Saurfang and the events of Tuesday release, the server first titles all went within a very short time frame. The amount of experience needed to level was in my opinion far too low. Coupled with the amount of intensive research put into the race by some players, the levels fell with little fanfare or credible resistance.

I had initially planned to do an interview with the first player on the server to reach level 90, but I rapidly changed my thinking upon reading this thread and having a few conversations with well placed individuals in-game. I have been deep in thought about how to approach the whole controversial affair, and if I even want too.

Eventually I decided I wanted to address a few points, but on topics not already covered by others. So, here are my views on the subject

• On playing to the "spirit of the game". The final word is that the achievements earned by some of the first to reach 90 will remain with them. The method in which they reached their goal is ultimately okay within the game rules, due to the basic fact that Blizzard have deemed their particular strategy permissible. While I don't wish to take a particular side and say that what was done was 'cheating' or simply 'immoral', I also don't agree with the adage of 'winning at all costs'. Of far more interest to me is the attitude of the players to this game; it means very different things to very different people. Are we to remember ourselves and each other for the achievements we gained, or the manner in which we scaled the heights themselves? Either way, we are concerned with the opinons of others and we are forever subject to individual taste and fickleness alike

• On the "pride of the server" notion. Reading through the thread on the Realm Forums, there is one thing that is undeniable; there is feeling and passion amongst the top players on the server. Oh boy is there some feeling! Raiding has not yet begun in earnest and already the gauntlet has been laid down. For now the interactions are mostly amicable but there is a real sense of competition about and it will be interesting to see if the varying approaches to the levelling race are continued in the raiding scene.

So, things didn't turn out as planned for many people and there will be a bitter taste in the mouths of some for months to come. While most will turn the page and focus on far more important aspirations, I guarantee that the perceived injustices of the last week will continue to stoke the fires of some players well into the foreseeable future.

What an interesting time to be a Saurfangian. 

The Histories: Cataclysm (Rated Battlegrounds - Part 4)

The Histories are a series of articles that recounts past periods of World of Warcraft, experienced from my point of view on Saurfang playing my mage Nastre.

With the end of Season 9 the ABC (Ajantis Battleground Crew) was extremely well placed. Starting from nothing, the team had enjoyed a pretty respectable first season with a large number of 2000 rated players with many going onto further honours at 2200 and above. Players who had at first been skeptical of the concept were now very interested (after the hard work had been done in laying the foundations, it's natural to have people suddenly wanting a piece of the pie). The team swelled in size and in the first few weeks of Season 10, we had over three full 10 man rated battleground teams in operation. To think of that number, it's quite incredible. While 25 man raids were dying and recruitment seemed a near impossible task, the ABC had enough members for a full raid with plenty to spare.

In hindsight, the success of the team was it's own worst enemy. It had two consequences, both of which I take the blame for. Firstly, it got to big for me to control without burning me out. Leading a group of 30+ is difficult but not impossible. Doing it with three separate teams, constantly mixed, when I can only be in one team at a time... very difficult, maybe impossible. I also was disappointed at a lack of maturity from some members, who refused to play with others or made it extremely uncomfortable when they did so. Perhaps my expectations were too altruistic. Regardless, in hindsight I should have capped numbers and learned to say 'no' more often.

The second consequence was burn out. I've suffered from it in the past (a story for another time) but with my retirement from raiding, Rated Battlegrounds were intended to be a one night commitment from me in which I could still contribute to <Ajantis> in some format. It rapidly became a victim of its own success and I failed to control my own commitment. In the end I felt exhausted and lost my enjoyment for the game. It resulted in my second break from WoW and it would last until just a few weeks ago.

The ABC continued on, albeit in a largely diminished form. Here is a report on the ABC post-Nastre era from Infarct, who took over leadership of the group (and did a great job, all things considered).

Toward the end of Season 10 and the start of Season 11 started tumultuous with leadership changing 3 times with it finally resting on Infarcts shoulders. The reluctant leader with a few diehard devotees established a team with some new faces.  

As with all new teams and new roles namely for myself stepping into the healer role and Uthred and Swirly taking the offensive lead we faced a new challenge in establishing ourselves as a successful team. Challenges we faced was cohesiveness and often had to call upon non regular players to fill our ranks on occasion. 

With content exhaustion and struggle to maintain a regular team I was proud of the fact that most of the regular team was able to achieve on average 1800 rating with some individuals breaking into the higher brackets as well. With Brute as our toughest Flag carrier to ever grace the battlefield we dominated Warsong Gulch and Twin Peaks, however with the reintroduction of Eye of the Storm and the multitude of strategies and one small victory on a node would result in a one sided event, this was considered our toughest Battleground to be successful. 

Over the course of Season 11 we saw the rise of the dreaded, brutal and unrelenting “Dot Cleave” teams which was made possible with Legendary armed DOT Casters (Laser Chickens, Affliction Locks, Fire Mages and Shadow Priests) with Heroic Cunning of the Cruel combined with the on demand burst from the Death Knight and Legendary armed Rogue. Towards the latter half of the season majority of the teams consisted of this makeup and would often dominate the matches with overwhelming damage to the whole team which would inevitability overburden the healing team with blanket silences.  

With this nasty trend of DOT Cleave teams and content exhaustion we decided to call it a day for Rated Battlegrounds for Cataclysm.  

However, it is time for the ABC to rise again! I have begun setting up the team to return to the fields of Warsong and the lightning struck rock faces of Eye of the Storm in an attempt to see Saurfang represented again in the Rated Battleground format. This time I am limiting the team to a roster of 12. Interest has been massive from within the guild and I'm going to have to say 'sorry' to at least 15 people. It is a decision that will hurt, but it must be done to avoid the problems of last time. With a smaller team I also hope we can push for ratings of a much higher nature.

Expect to see more of us in the future and I promise to report on matches and developments of interesting nature on this blog from time to time.

Out with the Old, in with the New

So Mists of Pandaria is due to go live in just under 30 minutes. For now we say goodbye to Cataclysm and hello to Pandaria. Must say it feels good to have a new continent to explore.

In terms of this blog I will take the customary break from writing until the Friday of this week. I'll try be online and get a little play done this week but my time is limited. I will try record some footage on fraps from the Tuesday night, things should be rather exciting.

As for the blog, I did not get the chance to talk to In Another Castle or As Is Tradition. What I will try and do is speak with them in the weekend and maybe get their interview done, with a couple of "what are your first impression" questions.

For those who are curious, the blog has exploded in popularity. The first weekend saw the blog get a maximum of 92 hits on the Saturday. The weekend just been saw the blog get over 230 hits on Saturday night with strong showings on Friday and Sunday as well. With it being live for just over two weeks there have been over 1,500 unique visitors from a massive variety of countries (hello to my brahs from Hungary!)

If you enjoy reading this blog, please do recommend it to your friends. I can't wait to write about our adventures in Mists and I will endeavour to keep providing interesting and proper conversation for you to browse at your leisure.

PS: I'll be leveling flagged the whole time in Mists, so... bring it. I'm ready, are you?

The Interviews: Saurfang PVE with Ajantis (Horde)

The Interviews are a series of one-on-one conversations between myself and the GM's/Raid Leaders of the guilds of Saurfang that are likely to feature in the race for PVE supremacy. They are designed to provide an insight into the community before the release of the Mists of Pandaria expansion and to generate interest in what is likely to be a fascinating next few months.

Next on the interview list is a guild that is obviously close to home for me. I spoke with Medissalyn who is the GM of <Ajantis> (Horde). Ajantis has been a premier guild on Saurfang ever since the birth of the realm, but went through a tough time in Cataclysm. Signs are positive however that the current group of members are ready to lead the way into a new age.

Nastre: Mists of Pandaria is mere sleeps away. What's the general feeling in the guild like heading into the fourth WoW expansion?

Medissalyn: The guild is humming with excitement. I feel most people are completely 'over' Cataclysm, and in particular Dragon Soul.

Seen enough of that raid for a lifetime?

Very much so. Although I personally enjoy some of the encounters, many of them (Spine and Madness) are tedious and horrible to constantly complete.

Well we can only hope Blizzard follows through with their promise to release content more regularly in the future. As a guild what are your ambitions for MoP in terms of raiding accomplishments?

 Ideally to improve upon our end ranking at the conclusion of Dragon Soul. In terms of specific targets we ended Dragon Soul ranked 385 in the world for 25 mans, so anywhere between 300-350 would be nice. Lower is always good though.

Give an overall impression of the Saurfang PVE scene and who you consider your main rivals for server first kills.

In the 10 man scene I feel <Blizzard Mentor Horde> may reign supreme, followed by <In Another Castle>. However, as Cast said in his interview IAC could nab some early server first kills due to their earlier raid times. I can't comment on the other 10 mans too well as I have no idea about them.

In 25 mans I believe Ominous have moved back to the 25 man format but I am unsure as to how they are going so I can't give a good answer for that. However I have confidence in Ajantis' raid team and I feel we can come out on top in MoP

A diplomatic and fair answer. The 10 man vs 25 man debate. What are your thoughts on the merits and future of each format?

For me the two formats have too many inconsistencies to be compared properly. This isn't a "my difficulty is harder than your difficulty" statement, it simply shows that the two can not be compared properly as they aren't in the same classification. 

However it is undeniable that 25 man raiding took a dive in the last expansion. Many guilds (including Ajantis itself) almost died and went to 10 man raiding. I feel that the logistic side of management is the primary reason for this movement.   

I might be biased, but I think you and the other officers have done a wonderful job to navigate what was a tough expansion for Saurfang's oldest topflight raiding guild. It appears everyone agrees Ajantis is in a much stronger position for MoP than it was in Cataclysm. Surely you take heart from that?

I do. Tier 11/12 were difficult times for various reasons that you know about. When I was handed the GMship in the later portion of Firelands, I was not confident in the guilds ability to go forward in the future of the game. However, we had a startling turnaround come Dragon Soul. There were challenges aplenty with an almost entirely new roster (Mhorac was the only consistent healer). We managed to overcome our obstacles and the guild is now in its strongest position since the kill of Heroic Lich King in Wrath. 

I'm proud to say that the officers and I turned the guild around, from a time when I wasn't sure we could do it.

 You have to choose one player from Saurfang, past or present, Horde or Alliance, and who is not currently in your guild to take in your raid (any class). Who do you take and why?

Tough question - I would say Eternal, but he is still techinically in Ajantis. I don't know all that many people on Saurfang. Probably Lithh as a lot of people who I would nominate are still in guild but retired in Ajantis. Lithh was a holy paladin in Ajantis in Tier 10, great healer, great guy. Last we talked he had become an officer in < Ascension >

He was a major asset in the Heroic Lich King kill for sure. Last question, describe your guild and what you hope to achieve in MoP in three words

Discipline, Focus, Intelligence.

Awesome Medi, that's a wrap. Very professional and well spoken interview, thanks for your time.

The Interviews: Saurfang PVE with Ominous (Alliance)

The Interviews are a series of one-on-one conversations between myself and the GM's/Raid Leaders of the guilds of Saurfang that are likely to feature in the race for PVE supremacy. They are designed to provide an insight into the community before the release of the Mists of Pandaria expansion and to generate interest in what is likely to be a fascinating next few months.

Tonight I had the chance to interview one of the Alliance guilds who will leave their mark on Mists of Pandaria in a big way. I had the pleasure of speaking with Jackripster, GM of the raiding guild <Ominous>. <Ominous> has a proud history on the server and are guaranteed to continue this legacy into Mists and beyond. Here is what Jack had to say when I threw some questions his way.

Nastre: Mists of Pandaria is mere sleeps away. What's the general feeling in the guild like heading into the fourth WoW expansion?

 

Jackripster: Everyone’s really pumped for MoP, i guess thats a standard reply. But i think extra so for us going back to 25s from 2 x 10 man teams for the last tier in Cata. Having farmed Dragon Soul as 25s for the last few months it was great getting the players together from each team. We took a bit of a risk with two teams, we had concerns it could divide the guild but to the players credit they all supported each other all the way through. All players showed commitment to their team and guild, they both cleared the heroic content in good competitive time. I think our second team were second alliance which we’re proud of. It made our decision going back to 25s relatively easy.

 

Personally I think it's great you are going back to 25 man raiding. Wonderful to see a top tier guild return to the bigger stage. As a guild what are your ambitions for MoP in terms of raiding accomplishments?

 

As people would know that have raided with us, our No1 priority has always been to clear heroic content in good time. Its important to us we do that with a mature group that values the time and commitment of their teammates. If we achieve those goals and hopefully strengthen our squad along the way we’ll be more than happy.

 

Noble ambitions for sure. Give an overall impression of the Saurfang PVE scene and who you consider your main rivals for server first kills.

 

We dont really focus on server firsts. Dont get me wrong we play hard and keep an eye on the rankings, we’re a competitive raiding guild after all. But as long as we give our best and clear heroic content in a competitive manner we’ve achieved our goal. If that ends up a server first then great, but being 25s we’ll probably keep just as close an eye on Oceanic standings amongst other 25 man teams. Basically we concern ourselves more with whats in our control and because of that we dont worry too much about what other guilds are doing. Theres many great teams that could achieve server first.

 

As a side note our server has gone from strength to strength, it was pleasing to see our player base support various guilds as they helped lift Saurfang’s oceanic ranking. Good luck to all our raiding guilds! 

 
With a genuine response like that it's not hard to see why <Ominous> has the respect and good reputation amongst the server! The 10 man vs 25 man debate. What are your thoughts on the merits and future of each format?

 

Well at the start of Cata i knew 25s would struggle, we debated for sometime about making the switch to 10s for cata. We stuck with 25s to start with and as expected recruitment was brutal. It was no surprise to see 25 man guilds falling over everywhere. For many players the dream of doing it their way with their own guild would be strong, putting further pressure on 25 recruitment which was already tough. My gut feel now from talking to players, watching player movement and some encouraging dialog from Blizz i feel 25s might see a small resurgence. I think more of the player base realises smaller raid teams has its advantages but also disadvantages, including often not having players around outside of normal raid hours. In short 10s will remain strong while we see a bit of a shift back to 25s.  

 

I have read the same 'encouraging dialogue' you speak of. I wonder what design changes Blizzard will end up making? Maybe separate Server First titles for 10s and 25s? Anyway, next question. You have to choose one player from Saurfang, past or present, Horde or Alliance, and who is not currently in your guild to take in your raid (any class). Who do you take and why?

 

Cmon what sort of question is this? Nastre for awesome interview skills! Seriously though, there been so many quality players its hard to pick purely on skill. But i would give you the nod tbh. Pretty much all Ajantis players who have played with us have said your ability to raid lead and problem solve quickly was outstanding. I [know] just how hard and how valuable that is particularly in a 25 man setting while maintaining high person performance.

 

Agreed. Until you have to run on auto pilot and still do an excellent job in your role while devoting 90% of your energy to the likes of strategy and impromptu decision making, it's hard to understand what raid leaders have to do.Last question, describe your guild and what you hope to achieve in MoP in three words

 

Clear heroic content

Clear and concise! Thanks for your comments Jack, many Alliance players were looking forward to hearing from you and I'm sure they won't be disappointed. Best of luck for <Ominous> in Mists and hopefully we can catch up down the track. 

The Interviews: Saurfang PVE with Lotion (Alliance)

The Interviews are a series of one-on-one conversations between myself and the GM's/Raid Leaders of the guilds of Saurfang that are likely to feature in the race for PVE supremacy. They are designed to provide an insight into the community before the release of the Mists of Pandaria expansion and to generate interest in what is likely to be a fascinating next few months.

The next in my series of interviews was with Jepsen, the Guild Master of the relatively young guild <Lotion> (Alliance). After a turbulent beginning, the guild has settled nicely and boasts a roster more than capable of challenging for the number one ranking on the server. They also hold strong PVP ambitions, which pleases this writer even more...

Nastre: Mists of Pandaria is mere sleeps away. What's the general feeling in the guild like heading into the fourth WoW expansion?

Jepsen: It's hard to express how excited people are, I'm not sure if it comes from boredom of Dragon Soul and Cata or the fact that MoP looks so promising, but people can't wait. One particular person has told me how "keen" he is literally over one hundred times.

If I was to suggest this person was a certain Paladin that cried tears of joy when he killed Heroic Lich King on 25 man difficulty, would I be correct?

Haha, yes.

As a guild what are your ambitions for MoP in terms of raiding accomplishments?

We have talked a lot about the potential to get realm firsts. Many of our members have achieved them before and know the feeling and we would love to relive that more than anything. Personally it is not so much about being the best, but the thrill of the achievement and knowing you just spammed the server. But we realise there is strong competition from other guilds and we won't be surprised if we aren't first, but it is a nice aim to have.

Nothing like server spam to get the juices flowing! Give an overall impression of the Saurfang PVE scene and who you consider your main rivals for server first kills.

I would say our biggest competition would come from Blizzard Mentor Horde, there team is looking very strong and we eagerly await a competitive battle. In Another Castle have been very silent from our perspective, we don't know much about them but from what we have heard they will be competitive. We just don't know HOW competitive.

Lastly, for Horde <Photonics> is a bit of dark horse with a number of ex S-Key members. They are working on a team with the potential to be amazing and smash everything, or fall apart soon after MoP releases. They are a big unknown. No way to tell yet, but definitely a group to keep an eye on.

As for Alliance <As Is Tradition> is a strong team but they have lost a few members and may be struggling. The 25 man guilds will have an awesome race but I'm not sure how they will fare against the 10 man guilds. Getting 25 players together is a mission, but I would not rule them out completely.

So in the race between Ajantis and Ominous for 25 man glory, who are you backing?

Well I love an underdog story so it would be awesome to see Ominous pull ahead but as of right now I think Ajantis has a better group and more synergy. I know Ominous take a lot of friends to their 25 mans.

Good points, I know that race in itself will prove a talking point in months to come. The 10 man vs 25 man debate. What are your thoughts on the merits and future of each format?

When I came back to Cata, I didn't even consider 10 man raiding to be worthwhile. I barely considerd it real raiding, but after doing DS I realise it has its own individual challenges. A 25 man is far harder to manage with the inflated roster but there are advantages in terms of cooldown usage and a wider buff pool. This makes some encounters easier (but some harder as well).

While a 10 man is far easier to manage, you can carry 1-2 people in a 25 man, which you just can't do in a 10 man. Losing a player after using the single Battle Resurrection available can often mean a wipe during progression. Whereas I know from Wrath we managed many kills with 23-24 people alive.

It seems many are framing it as a battle between the individual challenge and larger team environment with 10 vs 25 mans. Would you concur with that comment?

Yeah, I'd agree with that to some degree, but I wouldn't take away the  individual challenge from 25 mans as well.

Cast mentioned the idea of a 15 man raiding format. What do you think of the idea? 

Yeah, when I read that in his interview I thought that was a great idea. 15 mans would be an ideal combination of ease of management stacked with the epicness that 25 man raids bring. A setup of 2 tanks, 4 healers and 9 dps would be awesome.

Next question. You have to choose one player from Saurfang, past or present, Horde or Alliance, and who is not currently in your guild to take in your raid (any class). Who do you take and why?

You already know what my answer will be <3 I've never raided with someone who influences the likliehood of a boss going down more than yourself. You inspire a raid like no other. Failing that because of your schedule, Id go with Quann (Hunter from Ajantis). 

That means a lot coming from someone of your calibre mate, really does. I hope to see the "new blood" write their own stories in Mists, will be fascinating to watch from my perspective.

Last question. Describe your guild and what you hope to achieve in MoP in three words"

Wow, that's hard. We have PVP ambitions as well as PVE.

For PVE, "Oceanic Top 10". It would be great to see Saurfang back in that elite bracket. It's more of a realm goal than just a guild one however. As long as someone from Saurfang can do it.

For PVP, "Gladiator, HoTA, Tealc"

Perfect summary. Thanks Jepsen. Lotion is a guild of ambition and it's going to be one of the must-see in the weeks ahead. Best of luck for MoP and hopefully we can do another interview a few months down the track.

The Histories: Cataclysm (Rated Battlegrounds - Part 3)

The Histories are a series of articles that recounts past periods of World of Warcraft, experienced from my point of view on Saurfang playing my mage Nastre.

The final part of the first season of Rated Battlegrounds was an amazing time to be part of the Ajantis Battleground Crew (ABC). Many of the players in the squad had never participated in organised PVP of any kind before and had developed into decent players in the final months. They were rewarded with titles and rankings which had seemed like a pipe-dream when the project was conceived.

There were a few other games in the season that stood out for being particularly exciting. One such match was to take place in Warsong Gulch. The Alliance team we were matched up against was one that traded blow for blow with us as we struggled to control mid. The two sides were practically equal and it was clear the game was to go the full twenty five minutes. We went down an early cap and were fighting to keep their lead from blowing out to 2 - 0. Momentum is a key factor in almost all competitive arenas and the pendulum swung back our way. In a short 5 minute period we capped twice to their one. Importantly, we had the final cap to bring it to 2 - 2 and if the scored stayed level, we would end up the victors.

The final few minutes saw strategies out the windows as regular flag runners were hunted by packs of players who refused to let the walls of health points reach the room of the opposing team. Instead, desperation gave rise to opportunity and all manner of dps attempted to carry. With a stacking debuff and cooldowns blown on sight, flag carriers were dropping in a gcd. With less than 30 seconds on the clock, the Alliance team had managed to get our flag to the spot in their base, reading to cap as soon as they returned. As things had somehow conspired to have the focus on myself, I was carrying the flag in a vein attempt to make it to our tunnel and to safety, trying desparately to hold onto the draw and claim the win by having made the last cap. I gave it everything I had and our healers threw everything they had at me. I don't think I or they could have done anything differently.

I went down. With 3 seconds to go in the game I had died and they had returned the flag. Game over.

And yet... they didn't cap. The scoreboard flashed up with the victors... HORDE! Ventrilo was immediately drowned with screams of disbelief mixed with elation. We had benefited from a common issue in RBG's in WSG; even when standing on the return spot with the flag, sometimes the server fails to recognise you are there and you need to run away from the spot and return to it with annoying irregularity. Even when standing in the perfect position, the game took at least 3 seconds to register a cap. Many times we had been denied a return or a cap by this latency issue, but today we benefited from it. I felt sorry for the other team, they rightly deserved the win. Yet for us it was a major coup; their MMR was much higher than ours and everyone gained significant points. That was the last game we played that day, the nerves of everyone were gone and the adrenalin rush had left us emotionally exhausted.

The very final weeks of the season saw a successful push for titles. While many reached the 2200 mark, some players could progress no further than early 2000's due to Blizzard's horrible personal ranking systems that saw a few players have massively inflated MMR's while others lost points on a regular basis. Those unlucky members were selfless enough to help the fortunate push for their maximum ranks and the camaraderie in the team was evident. It was a proud moment of co-operation.

Personally the season ended on a massive highlight for me. With the birth of Saurfang in Wrath of the Lich King I was the first player (along with my partner Deadlychaos - miss you bro) to gain the Gladiator title. Season 9 and Cataclsym saw the introduction of a new form of rated PVP and I was once again lucky enough to lead Saurfang with the Rated Battleground title equivalent of Gladiator in earning "Hero of the Horde". I could not have done this without the assistance of all the members of the ABC and I still dedicate the achievement to them. It was an honour to lead the ABC.

The end of Season 9 marked the conclusion of the first round of Rated Battlegrounds. The ABC was a completely new aspect to Ajantis and we had managed to secure a ranking of Realm 1, Oceanic 8th (2nd of the PVE Servers), US 214th and World 516. Nothing spectacular to be sure but considering the fact that most of the players were new and our status as a small PVE server, it was a notable return.

Hopes were high for Season 10, but things were not to eventuate as planned. I'll cover the decline of the ABC in my last article on The Histories: Cataclysm (Rated Battlegrounds). However, I will say you may not have seen the last of the ABC just yet...

___________________________________________________________________________

For those looking forward to the next round of The Interviews with the major PVE players on Saurfang, I will have them up shortly when the candidates are online to be interviewed!

The Interviews: Saurfang PVE with Blizzard Mentor Horde (Horde)

The Interviews are a series of one-on-one conversations between myself and the GM's/Raid Leaders of the guilds of Saurfang that are likely to feature in the race for PVE supremacy. They are designed to provide an insight into the community before the release of the Mists of Pandaria expansion and to generate interest in what is likely to be a fascinating next few months.

My first interview was conducted with Cast, the Guild Master of Blizzard Mentor Horde (formerly known as Antiquus). The guild has grown in stature and enjoyed a strong Cataclysm experience and is a personal bet to feature very strongly in the PVE scene for months to come.

Here is what Cast had to say on their upcoming Mists of Pandaria prospects.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Nastre: Mists of Pandaria is mere sleeps away. What's the general feeling in the guild like heading into the fourth WoW expansion?

Cast: Our guild consists of a variety of players but the main raiding team is excited for numerous reasons. Partly due to the endless nature of the current expansion and partly because the team is looking pretty hot and keen to dive in.

Sounds promising! As a guild what are your ambitions for MoP in terms of raiding accomplishments?

Hmmm. Well I guess there is a silent hope within the raiding team to be first at the end. The Heroic Elite mode appears like it needs to be conquered in a timely manner. We have several new strategies that we hope can put us into the lead by a significant margin compared to how things have been done in recent tiers. We hope they are successful. 

Give an overall impression of the Saurfang PVE scene and who you consider your main rivals for server first kills.

I think for the size of the server there are some pretty solid teams... there are going to be some instances where it may be in the best interest to let other teams get a server first kill, particularly as we are focused on the end and not individual bosses.

As for main rivals, the leadership of IAC (In Another Castle - Horde) is not to be sneezed at and they are rocking a strong team. They would be the main ones [rivals]. Lotion (Alliance) have been vocal but there are a few variables that make it hard to place them. 

With Ominous (Alliance) going to 25 man mode I think they may be in for a rude shock. However they did manage to retain many of their old members but I think Ajantis (Horde) will beat them. [Ajantis] are in a better place than they were in Dragon Soul, even with their golden age behind them.

As Is Tradition (Alliance) have some fine members but appear to lack the hunger for server firsts and instead progress at their own pace. I think the biggest factor facing guilds is the length of tier and success will depend on avoiding massive issues while maintaining team spirit.

I think IAC will get a few initial server first kills, due to their raids starting slightly early by a few hours.

A truly indepth answer! The 10 man vs 25 man debate. What are your thoughts on the merits and future of each format?

Well it has been a tricky question since Tier 11. I guess it comes down to a lot of what people want to do. This in turn affects the ability to recruit the skill required for 25 mans. In Tier 11 a lot of people saw it [10 mans] as an easier way to get the same thing but as the tiers go on I suspect some people will want to make the change to 25 man raiding, as long as the leadership is strong.

Most 10 man guilds seem to avoid many of the issues facing 25 man groups. There are more people to afk, dc, lag. However there are merits in 25 man raiding that can benefit your roster that I particularly like. These include the cooldown options and a 'sense of awesomeness', if you are into that. 

10 mans are not without there issues however. If you lose one person you need... it can hurt. But I suspect there is less chance of a 'mass exit'. 10 mans can also feel more personal while larger raids can take on a corporate feel. A lot of 10 man guilds who raided this tier also swapped to the 25 man format in order to see more of the loot individuals desired. 

If Blizzard maintains the status quo then I do see a future for 25 man raiding. I would much rather throw a massive spanner in the works and see the introduction of 15 man raids!

An interesting concept for sure. I agree on a lot of your points. Having played since Vanilla, 10 mans will always feel like UBRS runs for me. To small to be a raid. Feels more epic with 25, but I realise I'm a little antiquated with that view. 

Next question. You have to choose one player from Saurfang, past or present, Horde or Alliance, and who is not currently in your guild to take in your raid (any class). Who do you take and why?

Nastre, because he never misses a beat :P

Humbled! Last question. Describe your guild and what you hope to achieve in MoP in three words"

Wow, not giving me many words to play with! 

Efficiently Kill Shit!

Love it. Thanks Cast. I'm sure everyone will love reading about the thoughts of a major player ahead of the next expansion. Best of luck for MoP and hopefully we can do another interview a few months down the track.

Thanks mate. Also, a final shout-out to Tealc and Muffle!

_____________________________________________________________________________

That's it for today. I hope to bring you an interview with an Alliance guild tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Upcoming News

The blog has been live for little over a week now and the initial reaction has been great. I'm loving writing again and from the traffic this blog is getting, it seems most people are enjoying reading! The target audience is limited by the size of our realm, but please recommend this blog to your friends/guildmates if you feel it deserves it. Currently peaking at around ~100 unique visitors a day on weekends when I am at my most prolific writing wise.

In terms of upcoming content, things will die off a bit during the week as my time gets burnt trying to earn a living. However I have a few great ideas in the works for the upcoming weekend. One of these involves some interviews with the GM's and Officers of some of the guilds (Horde and Alliance) likely to feature prominently in the MoP PVE race. I'm yet to speak to most of the individuals I wish too, but if you think there is a guild or person I need to talk too then let me know!

Nasty

The Histories: Cataclysm (Rated Battlegrounds - Part 2)

The Histories are a series of articles that recounts past periods of World of Warcraft, experienced from my point of view on Saurfang playing my mage Nastre. 

The match took place on Gilneas which was relatively fresh for all concerned, having shipped with the expansion only a few months ago. As a result, the strategy played by both teams was very predictable; take closest node and then meet for a massive scrap at Waterworks. I distinctly remember the moment we came across our opponents, having dropped into the river following a failed communication with our Death Knight to path of frost (great start I know). It was then, in the midst of their numbers that I saw him.

Reckful. Mutliple rank one Gladiator, superstar from Tichondrius. He had just released Reckful 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU8pOwuqt3k) and his popularity was enormous. Immediately I knew we were in for a tough time, not discounting the other mutiple gladiator players he had with him on his team. It was almost merciful that most of the Ajantis members did not know who Reckful was, for they entered the fray with healthy optimism. That would all be shattered in moments.

Firstly, I can say one thing about the great players in this game. The pure, simple and unadulterated damage they put out is just insane. They make you wonder if they have a secret, some gear or talent or hack that lets them bypass all the limitations you find yourself restricted by. The damage they put out on us in the opening moments of the waterworks skirmish was literally jaw dropping. We immediately lost a healer and dps. Pressure was felt everywhere with the spread of dot damage and one Death Knight that seemed hellbent on breaking our combat logs. To summarise, things were going as I expected them too as soon as I recognised our opposition.

Yet, we fought on. While it is just a game, there was something hopelessly romantic about the way we continually ressurrected and ran back to the waterworks to throw the bodies of our characters in the way and we somehow managed to stop them gaining an early cap. Eventually, the tide of death told. We had managed to land a total of 3 killing blows, yet suffered upwards of 12 deaths. At this point one could be forgiven for thinking it was an insurmountable task. However, something happened next that gave me hope we could actually compete.

Reckful was with a group of extremely talented players but they were a group that was obviously lacking in communication. It had the appearance of a trade group, put together like a 'dream team' from Tichondrius but with no glue or substance to hold them together. As a result of some poor communication from their team, one of our players managed to retake Waterworks from under their nose. We did not hold it for long and they did recap, but it did show a soft underbelly to their play.

The game progressed in the direction of a reasonable loss. We were down 1300 - 800 and 2 bases to 1 midway through the match. Then we... well, we lifted. The damage incoming was still insane, but the healers somehow managed to keep us alive. We were still struggling to land killing blows, but we were winning where it mattered and slowly began to create small opportunities to take Waterworks. We had numerous capping attempts interrupted at 5 or 6 seconds in. Reckful was being at his mobile best, harrasing many of our players as effectively as three rogues working in sync. Then, after sustained pressure on the flag, we managed to take Waterworks... and hold it!

The scores rapidly converged. It was going to be close. The Tichondrius team began to get reckless and  they were scattered. We were boldened. At that moment we galvanised as a team. Shortly after, a moment of inspiration struck me. In what was probably one of my best tactical decisions as a rated battleground leader I left waterworks and struck out to Lighthouse, gambling on the idea that the other team had left it undefended in their attempts to take Mine and Waterworks.

It was effectively the coup de grace. I capped solo and held. The scoreboard was almost unbelievable, we had them 3 capped. So it stayed until the end and the win was comfortable. Our ratings grew significantly, while Reckful's 3000 rating did not drop at all (gg Blizzard). I was very proud of what we had just accomplished. Yes they were a trade group and yes Reckful was just one of ten, but considering the hand we had against the one we were dealt... it was significant at least for us.

The aftermath was perhaps more interesting than the actual match. I decided to advertise the win as a method of attracting the remaining pvp substance on Saurfang to join our squad. The posts on the realm and guild forums were met mostly with sincere congratulations and nods of approval but they also brought some extremely 'hurt' posters from other servers. The resulting flame wars were harmless enough and only proved the fact I had known as soon as we had won; it stung some of those Tichondrius players and they had to make excuses for it. Regardless, the threads achieved their goal and we had a number of high profile applications to the team in subsequent weeks.

The original screenshot of the scoreboard for the match is available here, but at a reduced quality.

So our season had suddenly taken a huge upswing and the push for titles began...

To Be Continued.

The Histories: Cataclysm (Rated Battlegrounds - Part 1)

The Histories are a series of articles that recounts past periods of World of Warcraft, experienced from my point of view on Saurfang playing my mage Nastre. 

In the latter stages of Wrath of the Lich King I was met with the realisation that I would be forced to change how I played the game I cared so much for. Real life would dictate that I could no longer raid the hours I had for the past 3 years with the guild I loved. I had been the guild master and raid leader of Ajantis through one of its toughest periods. Yet we climbed that almost impossible mountain that was 25-Heroic Lich King.

In terms of going out on a high, there was no greater point to call it a day at the top echelon of the raiding scene. The story itself is an epic one with tragedy, drama and pure elation... but it is not the one I wish to tell here.

With Cataclysm coming soon, I turned my focus to a new area in which I felt I could still make a contribution to Ajantis and to the server of Saurfang. Rated Battlegrounds were to be introduced and my experience and enjoyment of pvp saw me setup the Ajantis Battleground Crew (ABC). As the weeks to release were counted down, I was given permission to setup an entirely new facet of the guild. I was to form a dedicated group of players to expand the reputation and achievements of a guild long known only for its PVE prowess.

After being raid leader and guild master for a lengthy time, I've gained indispensable experience when it comes to running, co-ordinating and motivating groups of people (many of the group present for the Heroic LK kill will let you know that they've never played better or been pushed that hard before or since). However this challenge was a new one and with no prior experience to draw on, I decided to adopt an aggressive strategy to recruit the best pvp players from the Horde side of the server.

I quickly gained recruits of high calibre but I did not do it at the expense of those who wished to do rated battlegrounds who were already in Ajantis, but lacked experience. It was an interesting mix of people and players, some with vast Arena experience and others who had never been involved in any means of competitive pvp before.

The first few weeks of Rated Battlegrounds were relatively successful. We quickly established a grasp of basic strategy and gained a winning percentage in all locations, particularly in Warsong Gulch and Arathi Basin. We were frustrated with a lack of games, queue times and a complete absence of competition from the Alliance side of Saurfang. Many of our members also suffered from massive rating fluctuations and hidden caps due to Blizzard's 'first-time' with the matchmaking and coding system for Rated Battlegrounds.

We were running two teams with different makeups each week, trying to make evenly balanced teams with no 'A' or 'B'. Most players were understanding and supportive of the direction I was taking the ABC and as a result our newer players improved dramatically early on. Steady progress was made with ratings, titles and performance as the initial stages of the season progressed. One weakness we struggled to overcome was our inability to maintain flag spots and we lost some matches to inattentiveness and poor communication with flag caps that should never have happened. To an extent that continued to bother us for the rest of the season, no matter the tactics I tried to instill. A failure on my part I think.

The season was successful if not predictable until one of our teams (which I was leading) took part in "that" game against a Rogue who's worldwide pvp fame was almost unrivalled at the time. He had just released an arena movie that has since gone on to clock up over 2,700,000 views on Youtube, and he was about to fight a group of Ajantis members who paled in experience and acclaim to most of the members on the opposing team.

In terms of Gladiator rankings, we possessed one and they six. We were up against it and we knew it...

To Be Continued

A Sense of Community

I had originally planned to write the first of "The Histories" for tonight's article but it is not ready to go live just yet. I desire for it to be as much a record as an entertaining and informative piece and am keen to get my facts right! Tomorrow I will start at the most recent with a post covering the Rated Battleground Saga of early Cataclysm.

Peculiar as it may seem sometimes people forget that World of Warcraft is an MMO-RPG. They fall into a trap that leads to attitudes and gameplay tendencies typical of many RPG's and miss half the game (and the genre title). This is a social game at its core and working together or against other players is the heart of progression. I would go so far as to argue it is the key factor to enjoyment of our time playing.

Yet, for all of the above, the latter years of WoW have seen a dynamic shift in the role of social factors and community. In the initial stages of the game you needed to develop social relations to participate in most aspects of the world. While it did take lengthy amounts of time to form groups for dungeons and they were very hit and miss, there were two consequences of this. Firstly, completing a dungeon and getting blue loot was something to be genuinely celebrated (those that pugged UBRS will remember that reaching Drakk was a once in a blue moon achievement). Secondly, you had to actually talk to people. You developed and maintained relationships. Your friend list served a valuable function (your ignore list sometimes served an even more valuable one; perfect for blacklisting the players who you had nightmares about grouping with way back at Level 26).

When LFG channel was worldwide (for those that were not present, LFG was a channel you could talk in no matter where you were in the world) it doubled as a great source of entertainment, social interaction, trolling and even finding the odd group here and there. Times have changed however. With cross realm dungeons, raids and battlegrounds that need to be social has largely evaporated.

Have we traded gameplay and mechanics in favour of the heart of a social world? Is it a trade we are happy to have made for us Blizzard? I'm not so sure.

Community makes a server. A competitive PVE scene complimented with healthy arena and battleground competition is part of the puzzle but the pieces that involve the drama, fame and 'historical events' that occur within the realm of a server and its community are critical as well. Sometimes we need to make an effort ourselves outside of the game to develop our experience inside it.

This blog is in a way part of my contribution to our server and its community. While it is a minor effort in the grand scheme of things, it is important that some of us do more than make up the numbers when we are logged in.

Friday Inc

Just a quick update to let you know the next article will be up here on Friday night.

Unfortunately weekly posts will be a rarity with the demands of my work and all. However, I am thinking of interesting topics to write about and will make sure to be prolific in the weekends!

What MoP means for Saurfang as a Server

Yesterday I devoted a few words to the upcoming expansion and its possible effects on the major aspects of our game. As directed in the final passage of that post, today I'd like to bring things closer to home and look at what MoP may hold in-store for Saurfang as a realm.

I wish to resist getting all formulaic (typical considering my real-life profession) and break down consequences along the lines of PVE and PVP etc. Instead I think it best to take a step back and consider Saurfang and its overall development. For the unaware, Saurfang was opened as a transfer server to address the horrendous queue problems for Oceanic players in the opening week of WoTLK release (I still have screenshots of queue numbers in the 1000's and wait times over 30 minutes). <Ajantis> was one of the 'major' guilds to make the change from Aman'thul and I naturally came over with the rest of the guild. We transferred within the first 48 hours of Saurfang going live (most of us) and as such I consider myself to be as much of an 'origin' player on Saurfang as one could possibly be.

The curious thing about Saurfang is that it is unique in terms of the evolution and development of both its progress and player base when compared to other transfer servers. It is commonly said that transfer servers are held in a negative regard, some going as far to tell me they are "cesspools of filth". They tend to die tragic, slow deaths from a diminished player base and no guild or guilds build a substantial base from which they consistently raid successfully at a high level.

Saurfang is an anomaly; it's player base has grown in the face of an overall decline in subscriptions for the game worldwide, Cataclysm proved our strongest raiding results yet as a realm with the defeat of Heroic Ragnaros and there are a number of guilds who are developing a strong and proud history... not to mention a growing community of vibrant and very different characters.

I've always vehemently disagreed with those who speak ill of our home. Considering our beginnings, our relative youth and the state of the game, I can not think of a better place from which to play Mists of Pandaria. We have gone from strength to strength with each expansion and my scouting has led me to believe that the Alliance will be closer or equal with the Horde in prowess for Mists. A more balanced ledger is in the interest of everyone, especially when it comes to encouraging some World PVP (withhold the groans about World PVP on a PVE realm if you can - one can dream).

While I can not play the primary role as I did through Wrath, I too hope to contribute positively to our realm through this blog and other avenues as time allows. We may not be a Manchester United or Real Madrid, but even the smaller clubs have their diehard fans and I'm proud to say I'm a Saurfangian through and through.

We have got plenty to be excited about as a collective player base for the future of our server...

Down the Rabbit Hole #4

Mists of Pandaria will be the fourth expansion for the juggernaut that has been World of Warcraft. For veterans it is yet another reset, but perhaps most interesting is that this time around the majority of the population will have been through an expansion launch before. The number of new players were relatively thin on the ground in Cataclysm and as a result there is a level of experience and expectation amongst the majority ahead of Mists where there wasn't for BC or WoTLK.

I'd like to suggest that there is some significance to this. I would also venture to categorise this as a positive element. For the first time in years the PVE raiding game is set to remain relatively similar. Cataclysm saw the raiding game change significantly with equal importance distributed between 10 and 25 man raiding. This design change massivley influenced the landscape with 10 man raid teams being far more successful than their 25 man counterparts, many of whom died under the pressure of organising, co-ordinating and performing with two and a half times as many 'variables'. Yet, interestingly, the elite resisted and most world first kills were still claimed by 25 man guilds.

This time around however the equality factor is not a new change. In Mists we will see guilds who have committed to their format with advanced knowledge of the differences in raid size. Preparation for the expansion has been made with the lessons learned in Cataclysm firmly in mind. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

On the PVP front Blizzard has sworn to make a concerted effort to bring World PVP back from the brink. A litany of nostalgic posts have covered the forums reminiscing of battles for Southshore / Tarren Mill as highlights of time spent in Azeroth. Whether they are successful or not, Blizzard have at least recognised a past element of their game that was instrumental in cementing its burgeoning popularity over half a decade ago. Rated Battlegrounds are in for a second run and I sincerely hope that they have addressed the rating exploitation issues that have been omnipresent throughout Cataclysm.

Of course Mists brings with it unique toys and gameplay similar to that of previous expansions. Pet Battles are likely to be a curious minigame which could become very popular. As interesting as it is to discuss these elements, WoW will always be a game that lives and dies on its PVE experience. Anticipation is high that in Mists, with a brand new continent to explore, we will see a more satisfied player experience. I can only hope it recalls the wonderful stages of early Burning Crusade.

General speculation is fine but of far more interest for most readers of this blog is what this will mean for Saurfang as a realm itself. I plan to devote my next article to this very topic. As an advanced suggestion of tone, I believe it will be a very interesting next few months...

Creative Writing

Convictfish (Horde - Siege) decided that the return of this blog was a chance to get those creative writing juices flowing. I thought it more than worthy of an appearance here, if not for the laughs it gave me alone.

Long before time itself began, there existed a being. A being so powerful that the very existence of the space-time continuum trembled before him. One day, the being decided that infinite space bored him, so he created Saurfang, a realm of infinite possibility. With the creation of Saurfang came a name, a name that can still be heard in the laughter of children and the rustling of the wind through the leaves of Durotar.
Nastre.

Many moons ago, the name left Saurfang. Where he went, no one knew. They only knew that he was gone. Many doubted he would ever return, but a few faithful maintained that their lord would rise again.

Now, the earth shakes and Dolan has green text. Now, the tress of Durotar uproot themselves in shuddering ecstasy. Today those faithful are rewarded, for Nastre has come again.

For those interested the original thread is here 

When the Time Comes...

I've played the game of World of Warcraft for over half a decade. During that time I have achieved goals that are relatively difficult within the parameters of the game. Yet, I've always considered one of my most worthwhile endeavours to be the blog I updated regularly during WoTLK.

I've long felt that when the time was appropriate I would return to blogging. The first edition of nastre.blogspot was a successful one but I eventually ran out of steam during the epic push to achieve a Heroic Lich King (25) kill during the last expansion. As Guild Master and Raid Leader during that period it was fair to say I was stretched. We managed the kill but the blog suffered and my enthusiasm waned.

However, I have different responsibilities that dictate my life outside of the game now. I no longer participate in the game to the capacity I did during the dizzying heights of my experience in WoTLK. On the upside, it does allow me to return to a passion of mine with renewed vigor; contributing crafted pieces of writing for the Saurfang community.

If you are curious as to the style and content of my writing, a decent example may be found in this thread - "To the Unique Snowflakes of Saurfang"

So, let's see where this takes us. I hope past readers will return and new ones will find something to interest them.