farewell to the junkheap

As it turned out, I just wanted to be Done with Mechagon. I started picking up some of the other dailies on the island. I ended up doing “fill the bar” and passing on “kill three star mobs”, though I’d still do some of the other dailies on a “kill three star mobs” day. I finished the mechaspider mount questline, even though I don’t care for the mount and won’t use it, just for the rep that doing so would provide. A little bit of a boost from the Darkmoon Top Hat last night, and…

If I ever have the whim to do so after Kaylynda reaches 120, now I can go recruit the Mechagnomes.

~*~*~

Now that she’s finished Mechagon, Kamalia is officially in retirement. I’ll be doing the Patch 8.3 stuff with Kaylynda, or maybe Kaelinda, or maybe Kerisa. I know that I want to at least get the Orthographically Obnoxious Cloak to Rank 5 for the first appearance upgrade. That might be all I do of Patch 8.3 content, though.

This won’t actually be the first time that I’ll have let Kamalia sit out an endgame zone and done it with another character. At the end of Legion, I did Argus with Kiralaira (my Demon Hunter) because it felt more thematically appropriate to do so.

~*~*~

As I get other characters to 120, I plan to bring them out to Mechagon at least once. I like to have all areas of an expansion accessible for my “major” characters just in case I ever want to use some of the scenery in those areas as a backdrop for a Mog photoshoot.

~*~*~

I’m teaching four different lecture classes and two different lab classes this semester, and I’m feeling like I’m just barely keeping my head above water. So, now that I’ve finished this goal with Kamalia and I haven’t yet gotten any other characters to 120, I think perhaps I’d better take a bit of a break from WoW — at least for the rest of this week, maybe next week, too — but hopefully not as long as until the end of the semester.

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Things my Void Elf Mage Wears, part 3 (outfits 21 – 30)

A collection of Transmogrification Kits actually worn in-game by my Void Elf Mage. Outfits are listed from most recent to least recent. Items that are no longer obtainable are marked with an asterisk (*).

23) Sweet Summer

Crown of Boundless Courage, Vestments of the Shifting Sands, Native Pants/Red Silk Trousers, Ringo’s Blizzard Boots, Golden Filigreed Doublet/Amber Filigreed Doublet, Relentless Gladiator’s Cloak of Dominance, Wand of Happiness, Symbol of Transgression
This variation on the flower circlet + filigreed doublet + Slinky Leia Robe combination had to be done with an Alliance character so as to use this Alliance-exclusive off-hand from Trial of the Crusader.
There are four colors of the robe and five colors of the shirt. I couldn’t quite decide which of the two colors of the shirt that I hadn’t used yet I liked better, so I’ve shown both versions of the outfit. The yellow shirt makes this kit an inversion of sorts of my earlier “Queen of Sheba” outfit (Priest #46); the cuffs of the orange shirt look really beautiful in combination with the goblet.

22) Tranquillien Twilight

Crown of Everlasting Fortune, Robes of the Guardian Saint, Azure Silk Pants, Twilight Boots, Cerulean Filigreed Doublet, Relentless Gladiator’s Cloak of Subjugation, Grand Scepter of the Nexus-Kings
Once I thought of this palette-swap for Kaelydia’s “Eversong” outfit (Blood Elf Mage #78), of course I had to do it.

21) Arcane Torrents

Pauldrons of the Solace Giver, Carapace Robes/Mordant’s Travel Tunic, Laughing Skull Waistguard, Arcane Leggings, Gandling’s Gloves, Sigil-Laced Boots, Grand Magister’s Staff of Torrents
After making several outfits with the brown version of this robe during the 15th Anniversary event, I wanted to use one of the other colorations.
This outfit definitely benefitted from Kaelyla having leveled up enough to use Outland items.

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in from the dunes

I played through the Vulpera recruitment questline last night and it was AWESOME. So much fun!

Khariba is named after my graduate school mentor — not the professor who was my advisor of record, but the senior staff member with whom I worked most closely on my thesis project — who is originally from Iran — though she usually says “Persia” because of the political tensions between the US and Iran for the past several decades.

Voldunai Explorer
Resilient Cap, Bright Armor, Juju Belt, Godfrey’s Britches, Treads of the Survivor, Silksand Cape, Tabard of the Vulpera, Umbranse’s Staff
I liked the bottom half of the Vulpera tabard enough that this had to be a trousers outfit.
I’m not particulary fond of hoods, in general, because they cover up or clip my characters’ hair. Vulpera, however, don’t have hair to cover up or clip, so I think I might just use hoods more often with Khariba’s kits.

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back to Mechagon

With the Mechagon dungeon now available on Heroic, Kamalia picked up the quest to defeat King Mechagon (which she had been ignoring), queued up as a healer, and got a group that waltzed right through the place. Now she’s hanging out in Rustbolt again. If Prince Erazmin’s daily quest is “kill 3 star mobs”, she’ll most likely do it. If it’s “find 6 chests”, she’ll probably do it, too. If it’s “fill the bar”, she probably won’t. Although I doubt that I’ll do the Mechagnome recruitment questline anytime soon, I’d still like to have the Mechagnome unlock requirements completed just so that if I ever do get the whim to recruit them, I won’t have to come back for it.
(I’m much farther along with getting to Exalted with Nazjatar on account of going back there for Humming Azerite Heart and 2000 gold Emissary rewards — for those, I always do the Mad Mardivas puzzles.)

Maybe tomorrow I’ll go do the Vulpera recruitment questline.

Does anyone know yet how to access the cutscene/cinematic about the new Horde leadership? I still haven’t found a breadcrumb for it.

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Light and Magic; Horns, Hooves, and Tails

What was that I said about not making any more Allied Races alts unless I liked their Heritage Armor enough to level from scratch for it?

Well, I’m not all that keen on the Lightforged Draenei Heritage Armor — not for a Mage, at least — but I just haven’t been able to get the notion of having a Lightforged Draenei among the Minor Mages out of my head.

Meet Krystaliza.

I don’t know much about who she is, other than that she is a long-lost relative of Kaprikka. As far as Kaprikka was aware, all of her progenitors had perished in one Legion attack or another by the time the Draenei arrived on Draenor; her parents, too, were killed in the Orcish rampage. I’m not sure at quite what point in the 25000 years of the Draenei’s flight from Kil’jaeden that Xe’ra arrived and took those who wished to follow her off in the Xenedar, so I don’t know exactly how many generations back Krystaliza is a sister of one of Kaprikka’s ancestors — but for each of them to find that they do, in fact, have a blood relative still living was a delightful shock.

Part of my desire to have this character on my roster came from wanting to pair the Lightforged tabard with the Draenic Silk Robes, as seen above.

Part of it comes from a couple of occasions when I’ve made a white and gold outfit and wished that I had a blonde Lightforged Draenei to model it in the Dressing Room.

And part of it is that with the Orb of Deception, a Lightforged Draenei can become a Highmountain Tauren (or a Gnome can be a Mulgore Tauren), thereby allowing me to pretend — for five minutes at a time, at least — that I have Tauren Mages!


Come on, Blizzard! Some of the Crazed Mages in Blackrock Caverns are Tauren, and they’ve been in the game since Cataclysm! Because they use ice and fire magic already, I think that Tauren becoming Mages as a divergence from Shamanism could be just as valid as Tauren becoming Priests and Paladins as a divergence from Druidism.
But as much as I’d like this to happen, it’s not likely to happen. I’ll just go sit in the corner with the folks who really really want to play Gnome or Night Elf Paladins…

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Things my Druid Wears, part 8 (outfits 71 – 80)

A collection of Transmogrification Kits actually worn in-game by my Tauren & Highmountain Tauren Druids. Outfits are listed from most recent to least recent. Items that are no longer obtainable are marked with an asterisk (*).

77) We Are All Akunda

Crown of Infinite Prosperity, Demonic Gladiator’s Dragonhide Vest/Sentinel Breastplate, Vine Waistband, Noblewoman’s Skirt, Griftah’s Authentic Troll Shoes, Stormsky Greatcloak, Sethrak Warden’s Staff
The worshippers of Akunda are all named “Akunda the [adjective]” when you first meet them, which makes them seem like rather creepy cultists. After the corrupt cult leader is overthrown, Akunda’s worshipppers remain devoted to the loa himself, but they regain their own unique names.
The male NPCs wear Meowl’s Mane instead of the flower crown. The NPCs are wearing the Mythic coloration of the Antorus Druid Tier chestpiece. I only have access to the PvP version (Yay Legion BoA Marks of Honor!), so my version of this outfit is much too dark in the chestpiece when I use the correct style. Of the other options I had available in my collection, I thought that the Sentinel Breastplate was the best approximation of both the colors and the style.

76) Blossoming Wilds

Crown of Boundless Courage, Palm Frond Shoulderpads, Jinxed Hoodoo Skin, Moss Cinch, Jinxed Hoodoo Kilt, Jangdor’s Handcrafted Gloves, Staff of the Verdant Circle
Kasheena wanted to wear the pink flowers, too. These pastel green items seemed like the nicest things to wear with them from her current Transmogrification level bracket.

75) Dreaming Glory

Crown of Boundless Courage, Mantle of Autumn, Pink Mageweave Shirt, Headhunter’s Belt, Luminary Kilt, Gloves of the Fang, Spire of Coagulated Globules (N)
Kerisa got tired of being moody and gloomy and wanted to wear pink flowers and be bright and cheerful again.

74) Blood Moon

Crown of Eternal Memorial, Gladiator’s Wyrmhide Spaulders, Vest of Flowing Water, Feral Cord, Gloomtalon’s Spare Kilt, Rapscallion Boots, Talon Guard Staff
It must be the gloomy influences of Nazmir, Drustvar, and Darkshore that made Kerisa want to go dark for her Lunar Festival outfit this year.

73) Druid of the Cycle II

Antlers of Malorne, Thunderlord Shoulderguards, Ancestral Chieftain’s Armor, Ferocious Gladiator’s Dragonhide Belt, Savage Leggings, Gloves of the Flayed, Wild Gladiator’s Boots of Victory, Antiseptic-Soaked Dressing, Twin’s Pact
The rattling bones of the Tauren Heritage Armor chestpiece suggested a variation on the Drust/Kul Tiran Druid Forms-inspired outfit that I originally created for my Night Elf Druid (Kerithian’s kit #16).

72) Preened Feathers

Preened Tribal War Feathers, Preened Ironfeather Shoulders, Preened Ironfeather Breastplate, Preened Wildfeather Leggings, Nimble Leather Gloves, Swashbuckler’s Boots, Staff of Orgrimmar*
This hardly counts as a Mog at all because half of it is just the default appearances of the Intellect leather Heirloom items — but I am rather pleased with how I’ve found some gloves and boots that complement the pants so nicely.
Why are the Heirloom pants not the same color as the Heirloom shoulders and chestpiece? I suppose we will never know — but it does make wearing them un-Mogged look a bit odd.

71) Ancestral Ghostwalker


Ancestral Chieftain’s Headdress Mantle & Greatbelt, Boneshredder Jerkin & Britches, Ghostwalker Gloves & Boots, Darksnare Dagger/Twin’s Pact
The white furs wanted to go together.

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a scattering of idle musings on alt leveling in Shadowlands

One thing I’ve really appreciated about the “banding” paradigm for content from previous expansions that was introduced in Patch 7.3.5 is that it extended to Transmogrification — that one can now wear anything, including “endgame” items, from the highest level band that one has reached. That has made Mogging with the Minor Mages so much more enjoyable, even though most of them are still limited to Vanilla items.

I wonder how Transmogrification will be affected by the new leveling paradigm? Will characters in the 1-50 range now be able to wear anything from Vanilla through BfA? If so, then I might not need to do any leveling with the Minor Mages at all! Or will one only be able to wear stuff from expansions that one has actually visited? That would be okay, too — though it would become tedious, by the third or fourth alt, to have to cycle through all the expansions with Chromie just to unlock all the folios of the Wardrobe.

~*~*~

One of the first things I thought of in connection with the description of the new leveling paradigm for content from previous expansions in Shadowlands was “Now I can level my Pandaren just in Pandaria!”

What other race-expansion combinations might be good thematic fits?
Night Elf or Nightborne in Legion? Yes, but if I’d ever really do it is perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
Orc or Draenei in Warlords? Well, I’ve already got a Draenei stalled out at level 92 in Draenor, and I actually think it might be better to try to finish getting her through that content before the level squish.
Dwarf in Howling Fjord, Grizzly Hills, Storm Peaks, and Twilight Highlands? Hmm, hmm…
Troll in Stranglethorn Vale, Hinterlands, Zul Drak, and Kun Lai Summit? Yeah, yeah, I rather like that idea.
Undead in Lordaeron & Northrend? Well, yes, thematically it fits, but my Undead is not a supporter of Sylvanas’ agenda.
Worgen, Gnome, Goblin? *shrug*

So maybe in the end-of-Shadowlands lull — after I’ve completed the four Covenant Campaigns — I’ll level Kaoling. And maybe I’ll level Kikimaia, too — though a current feeling of interest in leveling a Troll could just be the influence of having been surrounded by Trolls for all of BfA, or it could be the influence of Classic because I’d rather be Troll than Undead to play a Horde Mage in Classic.

~*~*~

Night Elves have such an elegance to them. Does having a high-level Night Elf Balance Druid — who uses Glyph of Stars — fulfil the desire to have a caster Night Elf, so I don’t need to level a Night Elf Mage?

Nightborne have the elegance of movement of Night Elves, and they have such a pretty tabard and I rather like their Heritage Armor… but I just don’t like their resting stance. It bugs me enough that I’m not sure that I could get into playing my Nightborne alt. The stance of Zandalari Trolls has the same relationship to the stance of Darkspear Trolls as the stance of Nightborne does to that of Night Elves, but the Zandalari Troll stance doesn’t bug me quite as much as the Nightborne stance. Somehow the placement of the feet of the Nightborne seems a little too awkwardly, uncomfortably wide to me. I had the oddest thought the other day — the stance of Nightborne men doesn’t bug me the way the stance of Nightborne women does, so what if I were to reroll my Nightborne Mage as a man — likely an Occuleth clone, ha! — to level for the Heritage Armor? (There isn’t any other race I’d preferentially play as a man rather than a woman…)

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