I reached Level 90, in World of Warcraft, today on my Shadow Priest this afternoon, although the above picture was taken several days ago. I didn’t run a single instance, didn’t finish all the zones, and reached level cap with a gear score high enough to run heroic instance should I desire. I’ve had a blast. The quest lines are fabulous, the faction are relevant and the artwork is phenomenal. My favorite thing so far, although it’s hard to pick just one, is that the armor isn’t drab and has color and vibrant details.
There are a couple of quests I’ve run into that are a little buggy, but there are well documented solutions available when that happens luckily. I’ve only looked up two quests so far and only after being stuck for a while. I thought I would despise farming but I don’t. My faction with the Tillers is negligible at the moment but I enjoy farming. It’s different than farming in Lord of the Rings Online, which is also supremely enjoyable and much more productive than five witchberries a harvest. It will be a pleasant diversion when I log-in.
One truly unique thing about Mists that is beginning to be talked about, is quite simply that people live and work in Pandaria. NPC’s don’t just stand around, hand out quests and rewards, die when attacked but rather you see their homes, relationships, their intense affection for beer, and their devastation when loved ones die. Who can forget the quest line in Kun-Lai Summit which asked you to gather materials to lay the dead to rest or the quest line which refused to allow the bodies of the enemy to be decimated by the wildlife? Little touches like that, make the environment come alive and make the stories more touching and emotional. I’ll admit it, more than once I’ve needed a box of tissues.
Best thing so far unrelated to storyline and artwork? I hit maximum level on Enchanting by level 88. It wasn’t a grind, I didn’t have to spend money on components, and rare components are achievable without a raid this expansion. Can’t tell you how pleased I am about that. Motes of Harmony and Spirit of Harmony may take time to acquire but the aren’t so unusual as to make you want to pull your hair out. Although I would love it if they made Motes and Spirit bind on account instead of bind on pick-up but I can live with that since I have no choice.
Biggest annoyance … quite simply I’m out of bag space! No seriously, I am out of bag space. I vendor every time I see a merchant and still my bags are packed. Between cloth, bolts, food ingredients, raw materials, cooked food, and stuff I can’t live without (like hearthstone, enchanting rod, and Jeweled Fishing Pole). Of course, doesn’t help that I stop and fish every pool I come across. Does anyone think there are insufficient Jade Lungfish pools in Pandaria? Besides much larger inventory bags, please Blizzard make fish stack in quantities of 100 and not 20!
The question now becomes who do I level next? It might be my Monk but I’m suspecting it will be my rogue. I can’t believe I just wrote that since I never thought I’d want to play a rogue. However, she has herbing and mining and thus has the potential to keep everyone but my leatherworker supplied with necessary raw components. However, I’m going to play who I want so I keep the game fun and not a grind.
