Bible of Dreams

Iron Circle: A New Home for my Forsaken Shadow Priest

I am happy to report that as of a few days ago, my Forsaken shadow priest has officially found a new home, on LLane, in Iron Circle. Huzzah!

As those of you who follow me on twitter know, it's been a real challenge for me Horde guild-wise since mid-Cataclysm. When our friend-led raiding guild server transferred off Bronzebeard in the dark of night, leaving us guildless, I mostly stopped playing this lady, despite her being my all time favorite character.

When Wrenz and I returned from our time away from WoW (a.k.a. our flirtation w/SWTOR), I had hoped to find that things had livened up on Bronzebeard, but I really didn't ID a guild that would be a good fit for my interests and raiding timeframes (I'm PST and can not get online prior to 6 PT weeknights.)

I had been a little stubborn about considering other realms, in large part because almost all of my playtime on Anexxia had been on Bronzebeard. But at a certain point, you have to know when to let go of the past and move on.

For me, the turning pointwas my getting restless with not raiding. Even tho my gnomey shadow priest was quickly geared up via LFR, I was not able to find her a raiding team. And although I love doing the retro raids with friends, the inability to form a cross-realm raid group meant she was pretty much stuck with LFR as her only raiding outlet. Now don't get me wrong-- that is better than not raiding at all. But in my heart, it's the comraderie and sense of achievement from raiding that keeps me most interested in the game.

And thus, I shipped off this lady, and a passel of alts, to app to Iron Circle last month, at the urging of a number of twitter WoW peeps, with @glyneth being the prime inspiration/instigator for my application.

I've been thrilled to get to do a few of the recent tier raids in the team 2 10man group, and the weekly current tier raid LFR with almost a full guild raid. I've got my WoW mojo flowing again. I am filled with the urge to compile best-in-slot gear lists. And write posts on optimizing your raid DPS. i.e. things are back to normal again.

Now, I can't promise to be better about posting in the blog mind you as I am still super busy with the new job. But I can promise that when I do, it will be back to the raiding shadow priest topics of yore.

And just in time to get prepared to put that jerk Hellscream in his place...

Wish me luck!

P.S. Vol'jin for Warchief!

Throne of Thunder Raid Finder: Shadow Priest's Guide to Last Stand of the Zandalari LFR

Last night, I spent a couple of hours in LFR, working through the first offering from the Throne of Thunder Raid.Normally, you'd see an awesome purpley screenshot up there. But given the concentrating on doing a new raid, and discussing tactics with the other raiders, I somehow didn't manage to take even one screenshot last night.  CRAZY! I know. But I digress.

The great thing about doing an instance and having a wipe or two on each boss is it gives you some time to figure out your strategy for maximum DPS and utility. And before it all leaves my mind, I thought I'd share it with you.

Jin'rokh the Breaker

What is it about the first boss being the hardest? In many ways he was the most difficult for all the newbies to adapt to (I think we had 3 wipes on him, and a number of people dropping in and out). Your key to do's here:

• Watch for pools of water to be set down on the ground; when you see one, run for it ASAP and stand in it. You will see a serious DPS increase (40% is what I recall from last night)
• Don't get too comfy in that pool of water -- when he casts lightning storm, you need to GTFO out of that pool as it is going to become electrified, and kill you. Run and stack with the group near the boss
• As you are running out from the lightning storm cast, pop your Vampiric Embrace up on the boss. This will very likely save a life or two, perhaps even your own. Coordinate w/any other friendly shadow priests in raid to trade off on casting it.
• If you are the focus of targeted lightning, make sure to run away from the group and DO NOT STAND IN OR RUN THROUGH THE WATER, lest you electrocute everyone.

TL&DR: Stand in the pools of water; run out of water in lightning storm; do not electrify the pools.

Horridon

This fight is somewhat akin to being at the 6 a.m. opening of a superstore on Black Friday. Angry mobs everywhere! Total chaos! Whch is why it is important to stay focused:

• As the tank moves Horridon around the circle of the room, from door to door, avoid his head and tail.
• Keep DoTs up on the boss but focus on the adds.
• DoT all the ads then focus fire the add with the least health, unless there is a Dinomancer up in which case he's your priority.
• Don't stand in bad.
• If you happen to be close to it, click the Orb of Command when it appears.
• After Horridon is done smacking his head against the wall, focus DPS on War-God Jalek,keeping your DoTs up on Horridon as well.
• You are most likely to die by aggro'ing too many of the adds in Phase 1, so try not to be the first to DPS all out on them.

TL&DR: Focus on adds; prioritize DinoMancers. Kill War-God Jalek then finish off Horridon.

Council of Elders

Unlike other council fights, killing off one at a time doesn't seem to make the team more powerful. So try to get folks to pop Heroism/Bloodlust when Sul is empowered; getting rid of his quicksand will be a big help. Here's your to do's:

• Prioritize the Loa Spirits and Living Sands adds.
• When adds are dead, DPS the empowered boss a.k.a. the huge shadow priest.
• Keep an eye on the ground -- quicksand and barrel rolling trolls can do some serious damage to you.

We had folks try to start in on the usual "you are all so fail" trash talking, but happily it was shot down quickly. Look folks: this is new content just now available to Raid Finder. Most everyone is learning the ropes. So chill out already! Let folks who haven't read the strats know the basics of what to do. Then everyone wins and we all go home happy and understanding how the fight works for next time.   MMMM'kkkk?

Speaking of going home happy, I took home a pretty new dress so that totally made my day.

I hope your first trip into this new LFR is rewarding!

We Saved Bolvar Fordragon!

Last week, the awesome peeps in Friend or Foe on Madoran put together an ICC achievements run in ICC. At the end of the night, all achievements completed, everyone got a mount. Well, except for (@Psynister, @Fynralyl who didn't already have it half completed) me.

You see, I did the half of my Once Bitten Twice Shy achievement I didn't have (the not getting bitten part) to complement the half I'd completed previously, horde-side. But unlike other such achievements, it didn't magically meld together. And thus, I came up one achievement half short of a mount. Psyn and Fyn got their first half of the achievement and would also need to go back again.

And so, this week, we went back to complete it. And thanks to a few FoF peeps who were on, and my #WoW twitter, Battletag and LJ buddies, I got the other half done tonight! And thus, as you can see above, I am the proud handler of a Bloodbathed Frostbrood Vanquisher mount.

Serious big thank yous go out to @psynister @wowcynwise @justdbear @fordarkness and @the_wrenz.

And yes, as always, I watched the cinematic all the way through at the end, and teared up over Bolvar's sacrifice. He is, as always, my hero.

It was a nice way to cap off a week in World of Warcraft that also included slaying my old nemesis Staghelm, a.k.a. the druid formerly known as Archdruid McCrankipants.

Just another awesome week in Azeroth...

I have been MIA in the blog for a bit, but not due to a lack of playing. Mostly due to IRL being exceptionally busy due to having been interviewing for and then onboarding at an awesome new job. No time for any serious raiding or theory crafting, but I am still around these parts. So be sure to stop by and say hi here, on twitter or in game.

Cheers!

P.S. I am sure Wrenz and I could have duo'd the place, but that would have taken the nostalgia out of it for me. Because this raid was one of my all time favorite team effort experiences. It's just not the same without at least 9 other raiders dancing and DPSing alongside... :)

 

Is that a Sha in Your Pocket...?

...My gnomey shadow priest's looking more than a little Sha-touched these days. Between her strangely frightening visage, as you can see above, and the Shafiend that keeps following her around, even on her farm (see below), she's gotten a little bit more evil as the season has worn on.

I completely blame/credit LFR. While it certainly can never take the place of the feeling of exhileration that comes from being part of a successful collaborative raid team that's kicking booty, it has been a great way to keep a toe in raiding on my favorite class, despite not having a schedule that could accommodate regular raiding with a guild.

I'm crossing my fingers, however, that we'll be able to do some 10-mans with Friend or Foe soon. I had the pleasure of finally completing Terrace of Endless Spring last night, thanks to two FoF tanks (/waves at Manglehaft), and can tell it would be a great experience to casually raid with those folks.

I haven't made much progress on the alts, other than getting the shaman to 90 a few weeks ago. I mean to be leveling my boomkin, but I mostly want to play my shadow priest. No, my Alliance shadow priest. Not, you-know-who. She's still hoveringaround at 85, trying to figure out if there's anyone left to play with on Bronzebeard...

Mists of Pandaria Factions to Grind for Shadow Priests

With the bazillions of dailies one could complete in support of raising your faction high enough with them in order to purchase something useful, there's one thing for certain: You've GOT TO prioritize! If you try to grind out all the factions at once, you'll quickly burn out and retreat to the safety of the pet battles. And collecting all the pets. Ahem.

As previously noted, I only ever really stick with and play my spellcasters. Hence this guide focusing on factions you'll want your shadow priest to rep up with in order to improve your gear. Note that I am including both +hit and spirit caster pieces. However, many of the spirit pieces have mastery as a stat, which is your least desireable stat. Keep that in mind when choosing which piece you want. Of course, if you want to use items for a healing offspec in addition to shadow, the spirit gear would be the way to go.

As a reminder, your shadow priest stat priority is:

1. Intellect
2. 15% Spell Hit (obtained with Hit or Spirit) will enable your spells to not miss on bosses
3. Haste (aiming for 19.03% to earn 2 extra ticks of Shadow Word: Pain and Devouring Plague)
4. Crit
5. Mastery

I'm leaving the Tillers and The Anglers for another post since their rewards are fun and benefit your cooking and fishing professions, but are not factions that reward gear for improving your gameplay. Ditto for the Lorewalkers and Order of the Cloud Serpent.

Golden Lotus

Revered status with the Golden Lotus faction will allow you to pick up quests pointing you to the daily quest hubs for Shaod-Pan and August Celestials.

Gear

• Leven's Circle of Hope (489 epic spirit ring) requires Honored, costs 1250 Valor points
• Simple Harmonius Ring (489 epic +hit ring) requires Honored, costs 1250 Valor points
• Mantle of the Golden Sun (489 epic +hit shoulders) requires Revered, costs 1750 Valor points
• Tenderheart Shoulders (489 epic spirit shoulders) requires Revered, costs 1750 Valor points
• Vestments of Thundering Skies (489 +hit robe) requires Revered, costs 2250 Valor points
• Robe of the Five Sisters (489 epic  spirit robe) requires Revered, costs 2250 Valor points

Tailoring Patterns

• Pattern: Gloves of Creation requires Honored, costs $50g
• Pattern: Spelltwister's Gloves requires Honored, costs $50g
• Pattern: Greater Cerulean Spellthread requires Honored, costs $50g
• Pattern: Greater Pearlescent Spellthread requires Honored, costs $50g
• Pattern: Robes of Creation requiresHonored, costs $50g
• Pattern: Spelltwister's Grand Robe requires Honored, costs $50g

Misc

• Reins of the Azure Riding Crane requires Exalted, costs $500g
• Reins of the Golden Riding Crane requires Exalted, costs $2500g
• Reins of the Regal Riding Crane requires Exalted, costs $1500g
• Golden Lotus Tabard requires Exalted, costs $10g

 The August Celestials

To unlock the daily quests for this reputation, you must be Revered with Golden Lotus.

Gear

• Bracers of Inlaid Jade (489 epic spirit bracers) requires Honored, costs 1250 Valor points
• Minh's Beaten Bracers (489 epic +hit bracers) requires Honored, costs 1250 Valor points
• Gloves of Red Feathers (489 epic spirit gloves) requires Revered, costs 1750 Valor points
• Sunspeaker's Flared Gloves (489 epic +hit gloves) requires Revered, costs 1750 Valor points
• Storm-Sing Sandals (489 epic spirit boots) requires Revered, costs 1750 Valor points
• Void Flame Slippers (489 epic +hit boots) requires Revered, costs 1750 Valor points

Enchanting Formulas

• Formula: Enchant Bracer - Exceptional Strength requires Revered, costs $40g
• Formula: Enchant Bracer - Greater Agility requires Revered, costs $40g
• Formula: Enchant Bracer - Super Intellect requires Revered, costs $40g

Misc

• Reins of the Thundering August Cloud Serpent requires Exalted, costs $10,000g
• Pattern: Royal Satchel tailoring pattern for 28 slot bag, requires Exalted, costs $50g
• August Celestials Tabardrequires Exalted, costs $10g

The Klaxxi

Per WoWhead, to grind rep with The Klaxxi, you'll have to do a lengthy Dread Wastes quest chain that starts with Psycho Mantid. Once you reach honored, you may obtain ~6 quests from the Elders you freed.

Gear

• Links of the Lucid (489 epic spirit neck) requires Honored, costs 1250 Valor points
• Wire of the Wakener (489 epic +hit neck) requires Honored, costs 1250 Valor points
• Klaxxi Lash of the Orator (489 epic +hit waist) requires Revered, costs 1750 Valor points
• Klaxxi Lash of the Seeker (489 epic +spirit waist) requires Revered, costs 1750 Valor points
• Leggings of the Poisoned Soul (489 epic +hit legs) requires Revered, costs 2250 Valor points
• Poisoncrafter's Kilt (489 epic spirit legs) requires Revered, costs 2250 Valor points
• Amber Scythe of Klaxxi'vess (463 blue staff) requires Exalted, costs $212g
• Amber Spine of Klaxxi'vess (463 blue dagger) requires Exalted, costs $168g

Misc

• Reins of the Amber Scorpion requires Exalted, costs $10,000g
• Klaxxi Tabard requires Exalted, costs $10g

The Shado-Pan

To unlock the daily quest hub in Townlong Steppes, you must be Revered with Golden Lotus. Until then you can gain rep with the Sdhado-Pan by questing throughout Townlong Steppes.

Gear

• Cloak of Snow Blossoms (489 epic +hit cloak) requires Honored, costs 1250 Valor points
• Sagewhisper's Wrap (489 epic spirit cloak) requires Honored, costs 1250 Valor points
• Blossom of Pure Snow (489 epic intel/crit trinket) requires Revered, costs 1750 Valor points
• Firecracker Corona (489 epic+hit headpiece) requires Revered, costs 2250 Valor points
• Yalia's Cowl (489 epic spirit headpiece) requires Revered, costs 2250 Valor points
• Replica Shado-Pan Helmet (transmog helm, no stats) requires Exalted, costs $18g

Enchanting Formulas

• Formula: Enchant Weapon - Dancing Steel, requires Revered, costs $40g
• Formula: Enchant Weapon - Jade Spirit, requires Revered, costs $40g
• Formula: Enchant Weapon - River's Song, requires Revered, costs $40g

Misc

• Reins of the Blue Shado-Pan Riding Tiger, requires Exalted, costs $500g
• Reins of the Green Shado-Pan Riding Tiger, requires Exalted, costs $1500g
• Reins of the Red Shado-Pan Riding Tiger, requires Exalted, costs $2500g
• Stack of Bamboo Summon a stack of bamboo at the target location that you can break. Requires Honored, costs $50g.
• Stack of Stone Blocks Summon a stack of stone blocks at the target location that you can break. Requires Honored, costs $50g.
• Stack of Wooden Boards Summon a stack of wooden boards at the target location that you can break. Requires Honored, costs $50g.
• Shado-Pan Tabard, Requires Exalted, costs $10g

 

I Have a Confession to Make...

I have a confession to make: I've been running around Pandaria, listening in on your deepest secrets. No -- really. You see, in the midst of my inscription research one day, I made a glyph of confession. And I couldn't resist the temptation of learning it myself instead of just making a few and selling them for profit.

The first player I targeted and cast the spell of confession upon told me: "I go into dungeons not to make Azeroth a better place, but just for loot."

Just as I'd expected! My fellow adventurers weren't really in it just for the thrill of adventure. I KNEW IT!

Inspired to learn more secrets, I targeted more adventurers standing around int he tavern. That mage in the flashy dress nursing a beer? They said: "I really wasn't prepared. Who knew?"

Ha! You probably mooched a ton of fish feasts off those of us who *were* prepared, missy!

That other shadow priest though, they were the one I really wanted to find out more about. Casually, I shifted out of shadow form for a moment and stopped to talk to the bartender. Then, when I was sure they weren't paying any attention to little gnomey me, I cast the spell and learned: "I have stood in the fire."

Woah. Really? You just..stood there? For shame! You could have at least dispersed! Bah!

I stood there pondering this for a moment, when out of nowhere I saw myself saying "I never use the lightwell."

Quickly glancing around, I looked for that sneaky shadowpriest. And sure enough, he was targeting me. Beaten at my own game by a fellow shadow priest! Oh, the humanity!

This post inspired by the most recent Blog Azeroth Shared Topic.

What to Wear: the Shadow Priest's Guide to Mists of Pandaria Heroic Gear

Note: to jump in to the Heroic difficulty Mists of Pandaria max level dungeons at level 90, you will need a minimum ilvl of 435. If you don't quite meet that minimum, check out my guide to pre-heroic gear.

Know your priorities

First things first, get to know your stat priority:

1. Intellect
2. 15% Spell Hit (obtained with Hit or Spirit) will enable your spells to not miss on bosses
3. Haste (aiming for 19.03% to earn 2 extra ticks of Shadow Word: Pain and Devouring Plague)
4. Crit
5. Mastery

Gem Appropriately

• Meta: [Burning Primal Diamond]
• Blue: [Purified Imperial Amethyst] or [Veiled Imperial Amethyst]
• Red: [Brilliant Primordial Ruby]
• Yellow: [Potent Vermilion Onyx] or [Reckless Vermilion Onyx]

Maximize Your Enchants

• Belt: [Living Steel Belt Buckle]
• Boots: [Enchant Boots - Greater Precision][Enchant Boots - Greater Haste]
• Bracers:[Enchant Bracer - Super Intellect]
• Chest: [Enchant Chest - Glorious Stats]
• Cloak: [Enchant Cloak - Superior Intellect]
• Gloves[Enchant Gloves - Greater Haste][Enchant Gloves - Superior Mastery]
• Legs: [Greater Cerulean Spellthread]
• Main Hand: [Enchant Weapon - Jade Spirit]
• Off Hand: [Enchant Off-Hand - Major Intellect]
• Shoulders: [Greater Crane Wing Inscription]
• Staff (i.e. Two-Handed weapon): [Enchant Weapon - Jade Spirit]

 Heroic Dungeon Gear

You may obtain ilvl 463 gear (and a few epic pieces) from the following max level Heroic dungeons:

• Gate of the Setting Sun (GoSS)
• Mogu'shan Palace (MP)
• Scarlet Halls (SH)
• Scarlet Monastery (SM)
• Scholomance (Scholo)
• Shado-Pan Monastery (SPM)
• Siege of Niuzao Temple (SNT)
• Stormstout Brewery (SB)
• Temple of the Jade Serpent (TJS)

Note that I am not leavng out items with mastery despite it being our least effective stat.  I've called out hit and spirit on pieces, and the few epics. Here's what you can take home from these dungeons if the RNG is in your favor:

• BACK: Cloak of Cleansing Flame (MP), Scorched Earth Cloak (SM) hit, Cape of Entanglement (TJS)
• CHEST: Robes of Koegler (SH) hit, Robes of Fevered Dreams (SPM)
• FEET: Soulbinder Treads (MP), Scarlet Sandals (SH) hit, Flameheart Sandals (spirit)
• HANDS: Bomber's Precision Gloves (GoSS), Conflagrating Gloves (MP) hit, Gloves of Enraged Slaughter (SPM), Breezebinder Handwraps (SNT) spirit, Paralyzing Gloves (TJS) spirit
• HEAD: Fallout Filtering Hood (GoSS) spirit,Whitemane's Embroidered Chapeau (SM), Barovian Ritual Hood (Scholo) hit, Breezeswept Hood (SNT)
• LEGS: Leggings of the Frenzy (GoSS), Leggings of Hallowed Fire (SH) spirit, Leggings of Unleashed Anguish (Scholo)
• MAINHAND: Carapace Breaker (GoSS) spirit, Firescribe Dagger (MP), Melted Hypnotic Blade (SH), Je'lyu Spirit of the Serpent (TJS) ilvl 476 epic
• NECK: Pendant of Precise Timing (GoSS) hit, Mindcapture Pendant (MP) spirit, Necklace of Disorientation (SPM) spirit, Temperature Sensing Necklace (SH), Triune Signet (SM), Anarchist's Pendant (Scholo) hit, Mindbreaker Pendant (TJS)
• OFF-HAND: Bottle of Potent Potables (SB)
• RING: Viscous Ring (GoSS) spirit, Beastbinder Ring (SH) spirit, Vithrak, Gaze of the Deadman (SH) ilvl 476 epic, Signet of the Hiddden Door (SM) hit, Alemental Seal (SB)
• SHOULDERS: Shoulders of Engulfing Winds (GoSS), Regal Silk Shoulderpads (MP) spirit, Forgotten Bloodmage Mantle (SM), Whisperwind Spaulders (SNT)
• TRINKET: Vision of the Predator (GoSS),
• TWO-HANDED STAFF: Greatstaff of Righteousness (SM), Headmaster's Will (Scholo) ilvl 476 epic hit, Gustwalker Staff (SNT) spirit, Wort Stirring Rod (SB) hit, Staff of Trembling Will (TJS)
• WAIST: Incineration Belt (Scholo) hit, Fermenting Belt (SB) spirit, Girdle of Endemic Anger (TJS) hit
• WAND: Necromantic Wand (Scholo)
• WRIST: Frenzyswarm Bracers (GoSS) spirit, Deadwalker Bracers (Scholo) hit, Bombardment Bracers (SNT) spirit, Bracers of Displaced Air (SB)

What to Wear: the Shadow Priest's Guide to Pre-Heroic Mists of Pandaria Dungeon Gear

To jump in to the Heroic difficulty Mists of Pandaria max level dungeons at level 90, you will need a minimum ilvl of 435. I've compiled your sources for getting the gear you need to beat or exceed that minimum.

Know your priorities

First things first, get to know your stat priority:

1. Intellect
2. 15% Spell Hit (obtained with Hit or Spirit) will enable your spells to not miss on bosses
3. Haste (aiming for 19.03% to earn 2 extra ticks of Shadow Word: Pain and Devouring Plague)
4. Crit
5. Mastery

Gem Appropriately

• Meta [Burning Primal Diamond]
• Blue [Purified Imperial Amethyst] or [Veiled Imperial Amethyst]
• Red [Brilliant Primordial Ruby]
• Yellow[Potent Vermilion Onyx] or [Reckless Vermilion Onyx]

Maximize Your Enchants

• Belt[Living Steel Belt Buckle]
• Boots[Enchant Boots - Greater Precision][Enchant Boots - Greater Haste]
• Bracers[Enchant Bracer - Super Intellect]
• Chest[Enchant Chest - Glorious Stats]
• Cloak[Enchant Cloak - Superior Intellect]
• Gloves[Enchant Gloves - Greater Haste][Enchant Gloves - Superior Mastery]
• Legs[Greater Cerulean Spellthread]
• Main Hand[Enchant Weapon - Jade Spirit]
• Off Hand[Enchant Off-Hand - Major Intellect]
• Shoulders[Greater Crane Wing Inscription]
• Staff (i.e. Two-Handed weapon) [Enchant Weapon - Jade Spirit]

 And now, onto the Gear!

The following ilvl 450 gear can be obtained from the later leveling instances, Mogu'shan Palace (MP) and ilevel 435 gear from Shado-Pan Monastery (SPM) so be sure to queue up as you go!

• BACK: Cloak of Cleansing Flame (ilvl450)
• FEET: Soulbinder Treads (ilvl450)
• HANDS: Conflagrating Gloves (ilvl450) hit, Gloves of Enraged Slaughter (1lvl 435)
• MAINHAND: Firescribe Dagger (ilvl450)
• NECK: Mindcapture Pendant (ilvl 450) spirit
• SHOULDERS: Regal Silk Shoulderpads (ilvl450) spirit

 

 

It's the Little Things...Like the Wanderer's Festival

I continue to be impressed with all the little things that have made this expansion so compelling for me. And the Wanderer's Festival is one of them.

 My guildie Ada sounded the alarm and was kind enough to schlep my shaman, who didn't have any of the Karasang Wilds flightpaths, to Turtle Beach for the event. As we arrived, we noticed a number of floating candles on the water. Then slowly but surely Pandarans strolled onto the beach, in their finest festive garb. And everyone celebrated with fireworks and beer. Our old friends LI Li and Chen Stormstout were there (Chen brought a keg, natch.) And ada was lucky enough to pet battle and capture an uncommon pet that only spawns during this event -- the Wanderer's Festival Hatchling (level 24). And we all earned the achievement Wanderers, Dreamers, and You.

Take part in the Wanderer's Festival on your server to see the magic for yourself first hand. The Wanderer's Festival happens every Sunday at Turtle Beach, Krasarang Wilds from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. server time. Hope to see you there!

Friday Five: Five Ways to Make the Most of the Start of the Expansion

Many months and blog posts ago, I was in the habit of doing pretty regular Friday Fives...posts with 5 common factors or thoughts pertaining to my adventures in the World of Warcraft. I'm bringing back that tradition today, with five ways to make the most of the start of the expansion.

1. Finish every zone of new content. Now, this doesn't have to be on one character mind you. Because presumably you are interested in hitting 90 and having your heroic ilvl gear and unlocking dailies and the like, and probably don't want to hit 90 while still in the Wilds. I'm personally trying to pick different zones to complete on the characters I am leveling right now fro some variety.
2. Don't feel obligated to do all the dailies. Just because your profession has a daily doesn't mean you have to bankrupt yourself every day to do it. Ditto for the level 90 dailies. Yes, you want perks from the various factions. But you shouldn't take 40 dailies and then bemoan the grind of dailies. Show some restraint! Focus on the faction that is most important to your end game goals and set a reasonable/tolerable number of dailies to keep moving towards your goals.
3. Stop and queue for the leveling dungeons as you go. Not only is it more fun to learn the boss mechanics at the regular mode level, you can earn yourself some shiny ilvl 435 and ilvl 450 gear, to get you closer to the heroics ilvl requirement. I'm only level 88 and have ilvl 420 so far as a result of my dungeon queuing. And as a bonus, these dungeons have quests with some solid XP, and gear rewards that will make your leveling that much less painful.
4. ...But queue for dungeons with your guildies and your Battletag friends in tow. Yes, it's easy to just hop into LFD solo, but chances are you know plenty of other folks who want to get in on that as well. So why not use that as an opportunity to get to know one of your guildies or one of your Battletag friends a little better? It's a lot more fun trying out a new dungeon with a buddy at your side.
5. Give yourself permission to try something new. I've seen a number of folks who poo-poo'd the Battle Pets minigame as "Pokewow" who have come clean with their new obsession with pet battles. But they wouldn't have known how much fun they had with it if they hadn't given it a try. Give yourself permission to try out a new spec, or a new profession, or a new aspect of game play. You just might find something that you love doing in game.

What are *your* tips for making the most of the start of the expansion? Share 'em in the comments!

P.S. Comments are screened and TypePad doesn't seem to notify submitters of that but rest assured I receive them and approve them.