My Five Year Old’s First Mog

About a year and a half ago, I began allowing my oldest to play WoW occasionally. I made him his own character, a male Orc Hunter. I also let him play with my Night Elf Druid, thinking that shapeshifting and birdie flying would be fun for him.

An evening or two ago, he wanted to change how his Orc looked, so I took him to a Barbershop and let him play with it. He thought the different hairstyles and especially the tattoos were very funny! Then he wanted to play with changing his clothes, since he has occasionally watched while I’ve been making a new Mog for one or another of my characters. Problem was, his Orc has no money. So the next time he was playing with the Night Elf Druid, he wanted to change her clothes. I let him have at it, and this is what he came up with:

Some of these pieces are what she was already wearing; he mostly played around with the helm, cloak, and shoulders.

Read Full Post »

Arkelios’ Solace: Are you Safe or Speedy?

When you’ve finished picking up Arkelios’ foci, which path do you take back up? The safer, but longer, path over the bridge (marked in green) — or the shorter, but more dangerous, path up the root (marked in red)?
I usually take the root — but I’ve learned that I have to be on a fairly small mount to be able to judge the turns correctly. Even the Wildseed Cradle is a little too wide — I almost always fall off the root when I try to use that mount!

Read Full Post »

nonsense and nonesuch

As usual, Wowhead’s April Fool mockups are much more entertaining (to me) than Blizzard’s own mock patch notes. The great thing about Wowhead’s stuff is that it always looks so plausible, even the parts of it that are deliberately silly (like the Pepe battles in this year’s edition).

Kaelinda and Kaurinka have now gotten the second stage of the Anima Conductor and are plinking along at reinforcing the third and fourth Anima stream locations. Having another choice on the map for what to do to gather Anima or complete “do 3 World Quests” (when it’s in that Covenant’s zone) is nice, but I haven’t yet chosen to do the Anima Conductor World Quest over my tried-and-true favorites. The Anima Conductor dailies, well, they just seem very grindy — “go find/kill 15-30 of such-and-such creature” or “go clicky 7-12 of such-and-such environmental object” — and like they’d require running all over the zone to find enough things to reach completion. I’ll continue to plink Anima into them until both streams are reinforced, though, so that they’ll be available if I want to put more effort into actually doing them later.

A very large part of my lack of motivation to actually go do the Anima Conductor World and Daily Quests, however, is just my current RL circumstances. School has gotten very busy with various faculty responsibilities in addition to my usual teaching-related tasks. I still log on every day to pick up the Calling (whether or not I actually go out and do it), collect the Anima Conductor Treasure, and see if there are any 3-4×35 Anima token WQs up that I actually enjoy doing, but doing any more things…? Not right now. Maybe later.

Another time-consuming in-game activity that I’ve decided to put off until Later is the Ember Court and the Queen’s Conservatory. I’ll activate those and get them going after I’ve accomplished my primary expansion goal of playing through all four of the 9.0 Covenant storylines. I’ll at least activate and check out the Path of Ascension, though I’ve heard that it is kind of ridiculously challenging. I’m not at all interested in the Stitchyard, and don’t plan to activate it even just for the sake of having all of the Covenant Special Features activated.

So for now, after I’ve gotten the third and fourth locations for the Anima Conductor permanently reinforced, I think I’ll start picking up Covenant cosmetics — the 3500 Anima backpieces, to begin with, then the Renown recolor of the Covenant armor set.

Read Full Post »

Workin’ Those Rhinestone Sunglasses

In light of the news from the Patch 9.0.5 PTR that the Rhinestone Sunglasses will become Transmogrifiable, I thought I’d share again this set of Rhinestone Sunglasses outfits that I originally created in 2015.

I anticipate making more Rhinestone Sunglasses outfits — some of which might be updates of some of these outfits — after Patch 9.0.5 goes live!

Touch of Ruby

Rhinestone Sunglasses, Aurora Mantle, Mankrik’s Old Wedding Garments, Silver-Thread Sash, Stoneweaver Leggings, Widow’s Clutches + Bands of Indwelling, Boots of the Incorrupt, Thousand Bandage Drape, Staff of Divine Infusion

Bouganvilla II

Rhinestone Sunglasses, Mantle of the Burning Scroll (LFR), Vestments of the Shifting Sands, Ruthless Gladiator’s Cord of Accuracy, Greenkeeper’s Pantaloons, Widow’s Clutches + The Lady’s Brittle Bracers (25N), Ikeyen’s Boots, Green Linen Shirt, Vengeance Staff

Femme Fatale


Rhinestone Sunglasses/Swashbuckler’s Eyepatch, Shoulderpads of the Silvermoon Retainer, Scouting Tunic, Indomitable Belt, Dellot’s Leggings, Fuzzy Gloves + Scouting Bracers, Rapscallion Boots, Stylish Black Shirt, Dawnblade, Skettis Curved Blade

Pink Sapphire

Rhinestone Sunglasses, Ornate Pauldrons, Icemail Jerkin, Earthfury Belt, Tranquillien Scale Leggings, Netherstalker Gloves, Netherstorm Greaves, Mutineer’s Cloak, Felstone Reaver, Silvermoon Crescent Axe

Dragon Dawn

Rhinestone Sunglasses/Lightbringer Greathelm, Blood-Stained Pauldrons, Conqueror’s Breastplate, Hyperion Girdle, Legplates of Blazing Light, Flameguard Gauntlets, Magma Tempered Boots, Blazefury, Reborn/Dragonstrike, Reborn, Dawnforged Defender

Read Full Post »

<3 that garrison jukebox

So I’m sitting here in my office on campus, late at night, working on the last couple of documents for my portfolio for my final tenure review, which is due on Friday.

The sound card in my school laptop, which is five years old, gave out during the spring, so I’d brought in one of my laptops from home to be able to show a video clip to one of my classes as part of my first day spiel. That other laptop happens to have WoW installed on it. So I’ve got that other laptop booted up, running WoW, with all of the sounds turned off except the music, and a character sitting in her Garrison, so that I can listen to a variety of WoW soundtrack pieces while I work without having to actually run about in the world.

Read Full Post »

growly face

Between Bedtime for Frances and Bread and Jam for Frances in my childhood, the Redwall books in my tween and teenage years, Hogwarts’ Hufflepuff House in my young adulthood, and attending University of Wisconsin-Madison for my PhD, I have a certain fondness for badgers. This charming fellow is the wallpaper on my school laptop.

Lately, whenever I go to Pandaria, I can’t help noticing the similarity between Growly Badger’s growly grin and the snarl-grin of that imposing Mogu dude on the Pandaria loading screen…

Read Full Post »

Warfronts yet to come?

It occurs to me that the races paired by the existing Warfronts are those that are also paired by the Orb of Deception:
Humans vs Orcs in Arathi
Night Elves vs Undead in Darkshore

If this is a true pattern (which it probably isn’t :P), then future Warfronts might be:
Dwarves vs Trolls
Gnomes vs Tauren

There are various sites in the world where Dwarves and Trolls are in conflict… but I think it might be a big stretch to come up with a Warfront that would pit Gnomes vs Tauren.

Anyway, I think I remember seeing some kind of datamining/speculation that there might at some point in the future be a Warfront in Southern Barrens centered on the conflict between the Dwarves and the Tauren over the Dwarves’ archeological excavation there.

Read Full Post »

the easiest class for preschoolers to play

In the evenings, while we sit at our computers, our toddler usually sits in BTH’s lap watching music videos (he’s a fan of Oonagh and Lindsey Stirling) on BTH’s third monitor while BTH plays a game on his main monitor and writes posts for his RPG Crossing D&D games on his second monitor. This evening, all of a sudden the kid started banging his head on the desk in front of BTH’s keyboard.

“You can’t program computers that way,” BTH says to our son.

“No,” I said, “but you can Ret Paladin.”

Read Full Post »

little gilded Fire Festival incense burners

When the Helm of the Fire Festival was first introduced in 2012, I wrote

Together, the Fire Festival shoulders and helm look like something out of the next great Harrison Jones adventure. They look like the kind of thing one might find on little statuettes or idols arrayed around the altar of some forgotten [deity] — incense burners that would have to be activated in a specific order and with specific types of incense.

A forgotten deity like this strange statue that I found in the Karazhan Catacombs while doing the Balance Druid Artifact quest, perhaps…

When, in mid-2017, holiday items became Moggable during the corresponding holidays, it was somewhat inevitable that The Underpowered Death Knight would want to do this…

Incense Burner

Helm of the Fire Festival, Mantle of the Fire Festival, Glorious Breastplate & Girdle, Conqueror’s Legplates, Sunscale Gauntlets, Replica Lightforge Boots, Yaungol Fire Carrier

This year, I’ve expanded that silly idea into a full Transmogrification Collection for all the armor types!

Triumphant Flame

Triumphant set with Helm of the Fire Festival, Mantle of the Fire Festival, Masterwork Leggings, and Emberhawk Crossbow
There are other plate-like golden mail sets (Masterwork, Radiant, Sparkleshell) and a handful of scale-like golden mail sets (Burnished, Dreamwalker, Captain’s, Glimmering). I like the Triumphant set best with the festival helm and shoulders, but you may like one of these other sets better.

Soot-Stained Glitter

Helm of the Fire Festival, Mantle of the Fire Festival, Vest of Forceful Fury, Headhunter’s Belt, Mennu’s Scaled Leggings, Gloves of Issued Challenge (LFR), Felshroud Boots, Master Builder’s Shirt, Alysra’s Razor (N)
This set was the most difficult to make because there isn’t much in the way of either gilding or solid bright yellow in leather. Dark with gilded accents seemed like the best way to go.

Golden Goddess


Helm of the Fire Festival, Mantle of the Fire Festival, Elegant Robes/Robes of the Battleguard, Cloudscorcher Leggings, Wild Gladiator’s Gloves of Prowess + Nightvale Wristwraps, Kurkenstoks, Nimboya’s Mystical Staff*
Either of these robes is “the obvious choice” for this sort of outfit.
The Bling Cane is a good alternative for the staff.

Stay tuned for more Fire Festival outfits later!

Read Full Post »

Things to Wear with the Darkmoon Top Hat

If you’re going to wear the Darkmoon Top Hat to get that sweet 10% XP and rep buff, you might as well own the look.

To allow characters of any level to wear them, I designed these outfits exclusively with items usable by characters in the Classic (1-60) level bracket.

Darkmoon Sleight-of-Hand

Elder Wizard’s Mantle, Cat Lover’s Vest, Nesingwary’s Sash, Genavie’s Leggings, Shimmering Gloves, Duskwoven Sandals, Tuxedo Shirt, Cloak of the Darkmoon Faire, Enchanted Azsharite Felbane Staff*
Trying for a stage magician sort of look here. I almost didn’t use any shoulders with this kit, until I saw how nicely these ones complemented the cloak.
A lookalike of the staff is the Rod of the Void Caller, a quest reward from Hellfire Peninsula. For a low-level character, the Magician Staff would also work nicely.

Darkmoon Flower Seller

Songbird Blouse, Dervish Belt, Leggings of the Fang, Inscribed Leather Gloves, Dark Leather Boots, Cloak of the Darkmoon Faire, Staff of the Verdant Circle
“All I want is a place somewhere,
Far away from the cold night air,
With one enormous chair —
Oh, wouldn’t it be loverly?
Lots of coal making lots of heat!
Lots of chocolate for me to eat!
Warm [face (?)], warm hands, warm feet!
Oh, wouldn’t it be loverly!
Someone’s head resting on my knee
[Nice and cozy (?)] as it could be
Who takes good care of me —
Oh, wouldn’t it be loverly…”
—My Fair Lady

Darkmoon Daredevil

Sparkleshell Mantle, Darkmoon Breastplate, Belt of the Gladiator, Soldier’s Leggings, Wastewalker’s Gauntlets*, Sabatons of the Flamewalker, Cloak of the Darkmoon Faire, Tremendous Tankard O’Terror, Driftmire Shield*
Don’t be fooled by the huge tankard — it’s just for show. Whether the mount is animal or mechanical, she’s one of the sharpest stunt riders at the Faire.
One thing the Transmogrification interface doesn’t tell me is if an item I’ve chosen is something that isn’t available anymore… /headdesk.

The Ice Cream Mitts are an excellent alternative for the gloves. The Shield of the Barrens is the most comparable shield design.

Darkmoon Demolisher

Acid-Etched Pauldrons, Revenant Chestplate & Leggings, Symbolic Belt Gauntlets & Greaves, Cloak of the Darkmoon Faire, Darkmoon Hammer
This kit takes its inspiration from the outfits worn by Mola and Ziggie Sparks.
There are two sets of plate armor that use the “Revenant” name: one from Classic that is a recolor of the crafted Thorium armor set and has a lot of lookalike items from Burning Crusade quest rewards, and one from Wrath that is a lookalike of the crafted Cobalt armor set. This outfit uses the Classic items.

Read Full Post »