It Is All Velen's Fault

For the longest time as many of you can attest to I have basically explained Warcraft as we know it only exists because it is all Velen's fault. He turned down Sargeras which led to him escaping Argus and he was never stopped being chased and everything which happened from that point on only happened because of this single act. It is pretty remarkable when you think about it. How different would the Universe be if he just said yes?

With all of that in mind it brings me to this week's Reader Post submitted by Trassk who basically just comes out and says the Alliance including the Draenei don't feel guilt but they feel they are above the other races.

Alliance races never do feel guilty for anything they do, even when they should. Alliance constantly want to try and make Horde races face blame and forced guilt for anything the horde does to them, but its NEVER the other way round and the alliance wipes it hands of anything.

1 - The Forsaken. Its been brought up many times, that when the Forsaken were freed from the Lich Kings grasp, many of them tried to reunite with there still living families, but there still living families rejected them as monsters, leaving them alone with the forsaken. It was never these Forsaken's fault they became drones of the Lich King, but that wasn't enough to make the still living humans of the alliance think they were victims of Arthas, they were not humans, therefor they are monsters and had to be wiped out.

2 - Obviously I have heard many of your discussion about the Draenei and how they don't even feel guilt for what they caused.  The problem with the Draenei, yes, they are responsible for what became of the Orcs and Draenor, as they did lead the legion there while trying to escape it, not just Draenor, but any planet the Draenei came to. They suffer from the sin of hubris, or more so just naive to there own actions having ramifications in leading to planets being dammed for it. 

3 - While there's is a solid reasoning for this, you can also argue that the night elves are so religiously naive, they don't want to accept the idea that they are related to trolls. Night elves, as discovered by the alliances own Brann Bronzebeard, are related to trolls, but many of them simply believe they are children of the stars, instead of being related to a primitive race like trolls. You would expect the smarter night elves to open up to this and find some common ground with them, since trolls themselves have approached the Cenarion Circle with there own druidism, but nope, they don't want to believe they are related to them.

And yes, there are plenty of things the Horde is responsible for against the Alliance, that's how Warcraft works in its two and throw, but its the alliance belief that they are all white knights and can't be held accountable for anything that makes the Alliance such an arrogant group of races.

There you have it. Really quite eye opening when you think about it. Everyone always thinks about the Horde as the "bad" ones but who is it really?

Starcraft Patch 2.1

So if you haven't heard Patch 2.1 happened over in Starcraft land. Quite a few new things have been added so you were unaware or too lazy to check the patch notes here is a quite run down.

• Arcade is now free
• Clan Logos
• Clan improvements
• Game mods
• Level Cap Increase
• Carbot Portraits

Sure there is a lot more but those are the main things. With the arcade being quite the popular feature making it available to everyone who has access to the starter edition is quite a big deal. Makes it now so only muliplayer and the campaign is not available for free now. 

Being able to make your own decals is pretty awesome. It is a way now where you can support your clan. Now something that does worry me is this may pave the way for ads being without the game on the pro scene. Think about it this is like ads on the boards in hockey except now it is around your CC, Hatch or Nexus.

The improvements make it easy to schedule events for your clan, practice or anything else you happen to do together. Makes yours good of people feel like they are closer together.

The mods they have in not only looks cool but something to make the game slightly different you have played many times. Moving mineral patches seems hilarious and anger inducing all at the same time.

Increasing the level cap is really a good reason to take part in all these changes and it is only 5 levels per race so it isn't insane but still feels like you are actually playing for some reason if it is non ladder.

Who doesn't love Carbot? Like really? Anyone who loves Starcraft loves them some Carbot and what better way than bringing them together.

So there you ahve it. I have been excited about this patch since first hearing about it back at Blizzcon any changes to one of my favourite games is a welcome change. GLHF eveyone!

Frostmourne Hungers

Weapons. Those iconic weapons we see from games are something that when we see them the memories and the conversations begin. Which brings me to the topic for this week's list. I thought I would state what I feel are some of the most iconic weapons from games. When i decided to do the list I then made the decision it would be 1 weapon from a particular game or series as to not get so many repeats. Then I realized this was actually going to be a really difficult list to form just based on not only choosing 5 but choosing a weapon a weapon to represent a series in general. So here they my 5 iconic weapons.

5. Soul Calibur

In a game filled with countless weapons there is one which stands out from all the others. It so happens it is the one which is a symbol of all that is good wielded by the true champion. Regardless of all that it is pretty awesome looking sword in its multiple variations of the years. The one seen above from Soul Calibur 4 being my favourite.

4. The Hidden Blade

You would be hard pressed to find a gamer who doesn't know what the hidden blades are or where they came from. In fact they probably know more about the hidden blades then they do about specific Assassins or the games themselves. So with that being true these silent out of no where killers make the list pretty easily.

3.  El'druin

The sword of justice beats out all other possibilities from the Diablo Universe and I don't think anyone could argue with that. Tyrael is probably the most recognizable hero from the franchise even in his current "mortal" state. El'druin's light most certainly has helped me through many a challenges.

2. Frostmoure

I went back and forth on what weapon was going to represent Warcraft, but even with so many choices all of which could have made a list like this I don't think you could argue with Frostmourne. The sword which destroyed a Paladin who all he wanted to do was save his kingdom and in the end just lost his soul.

1. The Buster Sword

I don't think there is any doubt on what is the most iconic weapon in gaming. Maybe the Buster Sword is because it is so ridiculous? Maybe it is because of the ones who wielded it? Regardless of why I don't think there is a gamer around love or hate doesn't know about the Buster Sword and that to me is why I couldn't not put it at number one. So even if I wasn't a Final Fantasy fanatic there would be no way arguing this.

There you have it my top 5 iconic weapons from games. Would you have chose differently? Probably but I really don't think there is an argument to be made against any of these but I am sure I will hear it anyway.

You Fail At LFR If...

Fail Day! Yes it is that time of the week. You know when I first started Fail Day I thought Tuesday was the perfect day because it was the day raids reset in WoW and Fail and the first day of raiding for the week tended to go hand and hand. Still unsure why this was true but it never failed. As most of you know I took quite the breaking from WoW and now being back and max level I have gotten my first taste of LFR. With all my previous raiding experience I have always wondered how this would go, and well now we have a Fail Day for it.

You Fail At LFR If...

• You expect to have fights explained to you
• You love to experience the joys of standing in many different types of things covering the ground
• Swapping targets and the word hard go hand in hand
• You think topping the DPS meters matters
• You think topping any meters matters
• You happen to get a rez timer
• You think it is everyone else's job to follow the mechanics
• You are not prepared to deal with people who are "awesome"
• You think it counts as raiding
• While explaining anything you use the words tab targeting
• You think you are better than others because you have a whole set of "normal" gear
• You don't think LFRs only point is to make sure everyone can seethe content
• Your main concern is what pet you will be showing off during the raid

and finally

• You actually think this will prepare you for real raiding

There you have it this week's edition of Fail. Hope you all enjoyed it more than being in your latest LFR.

Epic Fan Heroes Trailer

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a good weekend mine was pretty good so there was that. It is Monday though so that makes it kind of depressing. That it the norm though so it isn't news. Being another new week though it means it is time to showcase a video for this week's Machinima Monday. First off there are a lot of fan made trailers out there. Some of them are what I would say are completely awful because really it is just a bunch of clips from a games horribly edited together. Then there is one like the one showcasing today which is done perfectly well. So have a look at this fan made Heroes of the Storm trailer by Masta Lin


I know it was awesome.

Ask Gauss

Sunday! Yes here we are at the tail end of the weekend once again. At least it is a perfect day for pancakes. This week has been pretty crazy though. Some people still popping by on WoW to welcome me back, and talk about times they remember me from. It certainly is fun and interesting catching up with all of you. Not much to update on the WoW front in general besides just doing the WoW thing catching up on everything Mists has to offer. You really see how much content is in an expansion you you become a part of it at the end. That is not what you all came here to see me talk about though so why not just get to the questions

So less than a month before Lightning Returns are you ready?

I have been ready. I have been excited for this game for quite some time. I know a lot of people have some hate on for FFXIII because it has been more linear. Although I don't really understand how you can consider part 2 linear. I think people just need to realize each Final Fantasy game has a model and it follows it. XIII just happens to be this way. The story has been extremely well written and I would argue it is one of the better overall stories in the series. This may be unfair though since it is going to have 3 games to tell that story while in the past the most has been 2. I will be there day one picking this up though and will be sure to tell all of those interested all about it.

Is BoA on Diablo going to ruin player interaction?

This is the crap I don't understand people complain and complain how Diablo is a single player game and now it truly has a complete single players aspect and those same people complain. BoA is going to make your drops better and allow you much more individuality in the game along with making you play the actual game to get the items you want. I know crazy concept. I just think people are born to bitch and this is just what they are doing. Trading doesn't make Diablo killing demons endlessly and getting that legendary drop that means something is what makes Diablo.

Sylvanas got nerfed.

No worries it is still amazing for 6 cost.

There you have it questions answered for the week. Thanks to everyone who sent in a question if it was answered here or not. Keep sending them in I will always get to them eventually.

Because Day9 made me do it.

Safiree Saturdays

Happy Saturday to everyone :) Hope your week was good, as always. I reconnected with a friend from High School, and she asked me how I was doing, how I spent most of my time and I was telling her about most of the games Gauss and I play together, and some of the content we experience and she just looked at me dumbfounded. She then proceeded to tell me that "gaming is a waste of time" an that you gain absolutely nothing from it. Now obviously, I contained myself from smacking the shit out of her, instead I asked her a simple question. "How is gaming a waste of time, when you probably sit at home all day on Facebook waiting for a notification?" I got nothing back.

I know there are some people out there are still believe gaming consists of only Mario, or Pacman but honestly....anyone who owns a type of device that connects you with the outside world should know technology is growing at a very fast pace. So this very topic, I could not shake from my thoughts. I did some research, and came up with some facts, basically on the benefits of gaming.

1. Video games like Super Mario have been used to treat patients with a vast range of mental disorders like, Alzheimers, Schizophrenia, and even Post- traumatic stress disorder.

2. Video games can also benefit those who have healthy brains, but improve "cognitive flexibility" to complete tasks with greater accuracy, and speed. Games like "The Sims", and "Starcraft" are both used to also help people with Dyslexia.

3. Studies have been shown, that most teen gamers end up being better at Virtual Surgery, than real medical residents. This is believed to be mostly because Med students are more challenged with maintaining academics, rather than hands on experiments.

4. Most kids gain confidence, and show a major difference in self esteem, and depression starts fading away. When playing fantasy games, most help to restore some sort of glory, and through that gain achievements they can feel proud of.

5. Making lifelong friends. With some people, I don't know where i'd be if it weren't for them. With good friends, it doesn't matter how far away they might be. If they are good to you, you could be closer to them than the people down the street.

I don't think it's right for someone to tell you, what you enjoy spending your time with is a waste of time. There will always be people who don't understand our perspective on gaming, but like I said with the whole facebook thing... They most likely aren't doing anything quite as admirable as killing THE LICH KING FUCK YEAH!
-Safiree

Note: She and I are no longer friends. LOL

Something We Don't Know?

Friday! I know I know everyone is excited maybe not for the same reasons but you are nonetheless excited. Who knows maybe you are excited to see what is going on this week for the Reader Post. Recently I have been getting a lot of questions about what the Reader Post submission actually needs to be. Does it have to be a certain length? Does it have to be about certain topics? The answer is No. I just has to be something interesting. Like today's is just something small from Lavannah who discovered something on the Timeless Isle and has been wondering since this is supposed to be removed from time what does it mean.

A few days back my sister suddenly flipped a table over a question from Timewalker Historian Evelyna on the Timeless Isle. It asked what the name of Varian's first wife was. At first thought I didn't see the issue, but then she brought up that the question specifically mentioned Varian's "first wife". Officially so far, Varian has only had one wife, Tiffan (Tiffan Ellerian Wrynn for the answer to the Timewalker question). 

This could just be the devs trolling the lorehounds, or it might allude to something later down the line, or it was meant to be nothing at all. 

Since my sister was a dork and didn't get a screen grab of it when she first saw it, I went and likely pissed off Evelyna and got every question intentionally wrong until the one I wanted popped up. Here's the proof of the question. What do you think any thoughts?

Honestly this is a really interesting question. Although I believe it is correct English to say first wife regardless, but feel "late wife" would be the completely correct way to say it. This really is interesting to me indeed but they I am all about the Lore and to everyone else probably answers it without thinking.

Keep this in your thoughts throughout the weekend!

Offline Really?

So let me first state the blog today is going to be a little bit of a rant. A rant on something which angers me without end. I feel when you are passionate about something it is when your opinion most matters. So maybe just maybe that is why this aggravates me so.

It was recently announced Simcity is developing offline play. They are in turn acting like this is something big engineering achievement. You know the way we used to play games years ago. To be honest I have no problem with games which are online only. They tend to be better secure and more put together. They tend to be updated more and have bugs worked out. So this to me is the absolute last thing people should be concerned about. The fact people have been asking for this boggles my mind. The fact this is something so important to a player makes no sense. How about the other problems with the games? You know the things which really matter? The things which will make the game an overall better game?

I could talk about how the game requires bigger space. I have talked about this before when they stated bigger maps will not be coming. I think the very fact they are not doing this because of graphical issues on lower end machines is a travesty to the franchise. I very much like how regions work off each other put the massive amounts of open space or the fact some areas are so small to build on with the terrain makes original city ideas practically impossible.

Or how about the game punishing you for not building in a grid pattern. The amount of wasted space caused by non grid cities to to the point of stupidity. Sure you can make them and they look nice but you run out of valuable real estate within minutes of creating your city.

Also why can we not modify the terrain of the map like every other Simcity game? Sometimes you want to have a house on a hill. Not having this takes away original ideas in city planning the game has been known for. Instead everyone is forced to build on the same areas doing the same thing. It is boring and makes the game dull after just a few regions.

I have played this game a lot. I had a globally ranked #1 population region and a globally ranked number #1 high wealth population region. This is not a rant about someone who has no idea what he was doing. This is from a real player of the game and the series. I am beyond disappointed when I had so much hype for this game. I didn't even buy the expansion because of it something I have never done for a Simcity game.

So congrats to all the people who wanted the useless offline play. Maybe someday things the game actually needs will be fixed or added. 

I Dreamt I Was A Moron

Middle of the week already? That is the first thing I thought about when I started to throw ideas around for this week's list post. Then it got me thinking how some things in a game are so obvious and thrown out there you wonder how so many people never pick up on them. It is like they cannot see what is right in front of them. You then get into arguments with them how this and that is not true or that never happened, or there was never any proof. This is when having the conversation with myself turned into how I have to make a list about this. My top 5 obviously things in games people never picked up on. Now if you haven't played these games there is some spoilers here so keep this in mind before you go complaining about spoilers.

5 Vlad Is A Vampire - Magicka

So this one is rather silly and obvious but some people think it is a joke and not actually true. Even after the whole must kill the vampire level. Setting the record straight for everyone Vlad is a Vampire.

4. Drake and Elena are Married - Uncharted Series

So this one is a little less obvious, but the writing is on the walls the entire time. With the "ring" that mattered along with being separated along with the scene I chose for the picture. Everything points to this without it actually being said. Anyone who thinks otherwise honestly makes me facepalm every time.

3.  Assassin's Creed Games Contain Real History

You would be surprise how many people argue against this. There is even some stats on how you can learn more about history from Assassin's Creed then in an actually history course. You know tose little pop ups about the buildings you encounter that crap wasn't made up it was true. Along with the people you encounter. This is why the stories seem to make sense and fit in so well because they were created into real history.

2. Haschel is Dart's Grandfather - Legend of the Dragoon

I have had this argument with people over and over. They always quote Albert saying how common a name of Claire is. They also never talk about the singing or martial arts which disprove the whole naming theory. Haschel even figures it out and when his part of the Divine Tree comes he doesn't want Dart to know jsut yet.

1. Laguna is Squall's Father - Final Fantasy 8

This one is less obvious, but the conversation before "the end" is the final push towards this. It is never explicitly stated but signs point towards it. The whole "sis" thing and squall remembering certain things which no one else tends to remember even though they all have memory issues. The way Edea describes everything to him after she is saved. I am sure a lot of you are now having mindblown moments now, but just let it all sink in.

There you have it this week's list. Do any of you know anything worth mentioning? Think of one I for lack of better words obviously missed? Let me know. 

You Fail At Pet Battles If...

Fail Day! Yes it has already been a week, I know it surprised me as well. Normally I have a mass of topics I could do for Fail Day not to mention many of you sending in requests of topics I should do. This coming week though I thought I would do one I have been putting off. So much so I didn't take a new screenshot for it. I started Pet battling because Safiree, Khulk, and I have been doing all the quests throughout Pandaria together. So while one or both of the others was unavailable I did these to pass the time. I never was into the whole Pokemon thing so the whole experience is rather new to me, but is like other things I have played. With that in mind let's do this thing.

You Fail At Pet Battles If...

• You don't spend at least 10 minutes having serious discussion about the names of your pets
• You don't track pets
• When you started playing you kept complaining about OP rats
• You caught a Fire beetle just for the explosion ability
• You think average pet level makes leveling pets in PvP stupid
• You want players to free your broom
• You leveled your first pets to 25 without actually checking out their abilities because you thought they were cool
• You use a turtle pet
• You use the Baneling Bust ability when it is your last pet alive
• You screamed WTF when facing your first Undead opponent
• You wonder why all these people are visiting Shadowmoon Valley
• You forgot there is not a boat in Darkshore for the Horde anymore

and finally

• You don't fear the power of Steve

There you have it this week's edition of Fail. Feel free to tell me I don't know much of anything about Pet Battles.

The Culling of Arthas

So it is Monday and we are somewhat angry that the weekend is ended. So I was keeping this in mind when I was deciding what to showcase for this Machinima Monday when it came to mind a machinima which I watch a few weeks ago which made me laugh for hours. I thought this will make anyone's day better. So I present to you The Culling of Arthas by Nixxiom.

Well that was Arthas....

Ask Gauss

Happy Sunday everyone! Crazy week. When I said last week I was bombarded with questions this week topped that like crazy. Must be big news with me coming back to WoW and all. Although with some of the things people are asking does put some pressure on things. I am having fun which is the important thing. It is Sunday though so let's get to these questions!

So I know you have came back to WoW but I see all of these streamer popping up playing WoW what do you think the reason is.

I have noticed others playing WoW either starting back up or picking it up again. I am not really sure why it seems new year new things to do. Like I said I am having fun going through the quests and leveling. Timeless Isle while is an easy way to get gear seems gimmicky to me but I can live with that. I know a lot of people are extremely interested in the new expansion pack so maybe this is the way for people to get ready for it. Or maybe they just think it is a great way to interact with people since tons of people do play WoW. I can say for a fact people seem to be really engaged with me coming back. Just seems to be what people want to see at the moment.

How ready are you for Lightning Returns?

I wish it was out already. Seems like it has been forever since the last one. Maybe it is just the way it ended and I want to know what is coming next. I know some people don't appreciated 13 for what it is, but those who really enjoy the story get it. You have to realize 13 is in a category all its own and don't expect it to be something it isn't. I will be playing it day one like crazy along with the week's after so all of those waiting to hear what I think of it no worries you will get plenty of it.

So Carbot portraits in patch 2.1.

I know and new levels should give myself and others things to aim for.

There you have it this week's questions answered. Once again thanks for everyone who sent something in and for those still waiting for me to reply I will get to yours eventually.

WHITE TIGER WATCH OVER YOU

Safiree & Gauss 

Mostly Epic Saturdays

Happy Saturday everyone! Hope your week was fantastic!! Another week for us playing WoW. I'm also still doing Rift, raiding with the guild i'm in. TOO MUCH MMO! ugh. Soon I think i'm going to drop Rift for a while. It was fun, but the grinding aspect is too heavy for me. Still reconnecting with old friends in WoW, trying to remember whether I met them in Threescore, or the guild I was in before I met Gauss. So confusing sometimes. When people greet me, i'm often hesitant because i'm not sure if they're "Gauss fans" trying to touch base with me, or people who actually know me but I don't remember them. (I have terrible memory.)

 Gauss and I tried the "Timeless Isle", and the Scenario stuff they added. He can't stand doing the Isle because he says, they are easy rare farms for idiots who enjoy not doing much to earn gear. Which technically he is right, but honestly we died 500 times each. Always a good time though lol. Scenarios are pretty interesting. Newer mechanics i'm not familiar with. Basically I feel brand new to WoW with most things in Pandaria. 

 Dailies are CRAZY! Legit so many for cooking, and fishing. I love it. So far we've completed questing in I think 3 zones total in Pandaria. The Heroics are simple. Nothing really too complicated we haven't been able to just BLINDLY GO INTO INSTANCES AND KILL STUFF. =) I love it. I'm so glad khulk, and I were able to convince him to come back. All of us at the same time made it even better. Think i'll always have a soft spot in my heart for WoW. (ADHD TIME) Did anyone else notice the Jade Serpents voice is the same as Tyraels in Diablo III. I nerdgasm fangirled that moment I realized.

 Anyways, I hope if you guys still play, Whisper and say Hi - Safiree-Llane. I'll be happy to hear from you.
Thank you (JayLOL) for the awesome screenshots you sent me. We also take ALOT of screenshots. :)
Feel free to send more QEDSAFIREE@GMAIL.COM
-Safiree

<3

The Noble Truths Of Hearthstone

Happy Friday everyone! One week back playing WoW and it has been fun if you read my post yesterday you would know all about it. Today though is a different day and a new season of Hearthstone is upon us. Which brings me to the Reader Post of the week submitted by Biggameover talking about the Noble Truths of Hearthstone. If you play you will enjoy this

The Four Noble Truths Are:

1.The truth of RAGE (suffering, anxiety, unsatisfactoriness)
2.The truth of the origin of RAGE
3.The truth of the cessation of RAGE
4.The truth of the path leading to the cessation of RAGE

---

First truth: RAGE

The first noble truth is the truth of RAGE. Within the Hearthstone tradition, the term RAGE is commonly explained according to three different patterns or categories:

The RAGE of ordinary suffering - the obvious physical and mental suffering associated with losing.

The RAGE produced by change - the anxiety or stress of trying to chase the meta that is constantly changing.

The RAGE of conditioned states - a basic unsatisfactoriness pervading all decks, due to the fact that the meta is always changing, impermanent and without any inner core or substance. On this level, the term indicates a lack of satisfaction, a sense that our decks never measure up to our expectations or standards.

------------

Second truth: origin of RAGE

The second noble truth is the truth of the origin of RAGE. Within the context of the four noble truths, the origin of RAGE is commonly explained as craving conditioned by ignorance. This craving runs on three channels:

Craving for sense-pleasures: this is craving to win the match

Craving to be: this is craving to be something, to unite with an experience. This includes craving to be top ranked, to be a being that has a past and a future, and craving to prevail and dominate over others.

Craving not to be: this is craving to not experience hearthsone; a wish to be separated from losing

Ignorance can be defined as ignorance of the meaning and implication of the four noble truths. On a deeper level, it refers to a misunderstanding of TGCs.

Another common explanation presents the cause of RAGE as disturbing emotions rooted in ignorance. In this context, it is common to identify three root disturbing emotions, called the three poisons, as the root cause of suffering or RAGE. These three poisons are:

Ignorance : misunderstanding of TGCs

Attachment: attachment to winning.

Aversion: a fear of getting a bad draw, or not getting a good starting hand

-------------

Third truth: cessation of RAGE

The third Noble Truth is the truth of the cessation of RAGE. The term cessation refers to the cessation of suffering and the causes of suffering. It is the cessation of all the unsatisfactory experiences and their causes in such a way that they can no longer occur again. It's the removal, the final absence, the cessation of those things, their non-arising.

Cessation is the goal of one's playing of hearthstone. According to the pandaria point of view, once we have developed a genuine understanding of the causes of suffering, such as craving and ignorance, then we can completely eradicate these causes and thus be free from suffering.

Cessation is often equated with nirvana, which can be described as the state of being in cessation or the event or process of the cessation. A temporary state of nirvana can be said to occur whenever the causes of suffering (e.g. craving) have ceased in our mind.

------

Fourth truth: path to the cessation of RAGE

The fourth noble truth is the path to the cessation of RAGE. This path is called deckbuilder websites and it is considered to be the essence of hearthstone practice. Hearthpwn and Hearthhead are some you can google.

There you have it. May Rngesus be with you and enjoy your weekend!

Ding

I figured I would use today's blog post as a sort of update. I hit 90 on Tuesday not in a real exciting way just in an instance so no epic story involved there. I know it wasn't the fastest leveling but I have been enjoying myself among playing other games and doing other things.

I must say I have enjoyed my time back in WoW thus far. The game is different but there is still the same old things. I leveled up 3 pets to 25 and will continue doing that as it seems to be a fun thing to do to pass the time. As seen in the screenshot above I went with the tier 6 look may change my mind but will see.

To those wondering what I am going to do now that I am 90. I am not 100% sure. I know I won't be going hardcore and raiding 5 nights a week again. I don't ever plan on doing that again. Now there may be a little raiding in my future along with some PvP and Safiree and I were talking about it and all those waiting for it yes there will be some World PvP happening. I am not going to give you an exact date when I will start it up, but I will be sure to keep everyone in the loop.

Also wanted to thank all the people who have offered me help or who have just whispered my and chatted with me for a bit. I know I am not the most efficient at responding to people but I do get to the tells and appreciate the well wishes. You never really realize how much of an impact you had on someone's gaming experience till you really talk to them about it. I have had many of these conversations the last week and Safiree can attest to me being caught up in them and distracted by them.

Sometimes it is just nice to enjoy the moments you have in games past and present.

To Ask Why We Fight

Middle of the week and what a damn cold week it has been so far. Windchill and frostbite warnings everyday for the past week, actually kind of nuts when you think about it. When it is cold for a Canadian you know it has to be pretty damn cold outside. So with the weather I have had plenty of time to think about what I wanted to do for this week's list. When it came down to it I have returned to WoW so why not do a list of my favourite Lore Characters from the Warcraft Universe. Now this seemed easy when I first thought about it, but then I realize some epic characters would not be in my top 5. So with that in mind here we go.

5. Chen Stormstout

"With you I am, for once and truly, at home"

Now I have not yet completed all the Pandaria questline and from what I have seen from Chen there nothing changes my opinion of him. From a young age he felt different and wanted to see the world to become better at his craft. He went off and made friends with the unknown races. Only never sure where home truly was.

4. Medivh

"I failed humanity once before...and I will NOT do so again."

Medivh was supposed to be the one to watch over humanity and be the line of defence again demonic attacks. Although he never had a chance given tremendous power unknowing to to those around him he was corrupted by Sargearas himself and was in turn responsible for the opening of the dark portal and the first and second wars. Even with that he was brought back by his mother and he was the one who truly saved the world as "the prophet" during the third war.

3. Illidan Stormrage

"Whatever I may be - whatever I may become in this world - know that I will always look out for you, Tyrande."

Illidan is the one who seems to always get the short end of the stick. He always has the best intentions, but never goes about them the right way. He is that guy who goes to do the right thing then it blows up in his face. Perfect example he wanted to rid the world of the Lich King by destorying the Frozen Throne in doing so he ended up freeing Yogg Saron and we all know what happened in Northrend because of that. One thing though I am looking forward to is him confronting Sargeras he is the original demon hunter he should be there when the killing of "the demon" happens. Since he also is part demon also his returning to life wouldn't be a stretch at all.

2. Deathwing

"It is done! All that which must be given has been given, I now seal the Dragon Soul forever!"

Now people who just know Deathwing from WoW are probably thinking what in the hell can you possibly be thinking. The fact of the matter is before all that when he was first introduced we saw the formation of one of the best villains ever. People say Arthas has one of the best fall from grace stories and I believe Deathwing's makes his look just like a guy picking up a sword in a cave. He was smart calculated and would do anything to get what he wanted without letting you even realize what he was doing. There was nothing that wasn't a plan. He was patient, beyond patient whihc is why the only reason I can think of his end the way it was, was because he finally snapped.

1. Cairne Bloodhoof

"Now, you said that your warchief was in trouble – that the Horde needed the tauren once again. Well, Thrall did much for us in his time, and we will not fail him. My warriors will rendezvous with the warchief upon the battlefield, but I will be returning with YOU!"

Was there any doubt? Cairne was wise and honorable. He lived for peace but would fight to make sure those he cared for would have it. He power yet passive. He really would have been happen roaming the lands as Rexxar does. He is the type of person people strive to be and really is the reason I not only chose to play a tauren but a warrior as well.

There you have it this week's list. Who do you like? I know many of you will have issues with who is not on the list but as always if it was your list then it would be your list.

You Fail At Coming Back To WoW If...

Fail Day! Yes it is that time of the week, and really this last week has been crazy in so many respects. I think I may have finally got through the mass of emails which invited themselves to my inbox. It is amazing what announcing coming back to WoW will do. I have got everything from guild invites, offers to power level, auction house advice, gear crafting suggestions and so much more I can not even think of them all. With all of this in mind though I have come to the conclusion for the perfect Fail Day post this week. So here it is.

You Fail At Coming Back To WoW If...

• You cannot remember all the names of the addons you used to use
• Your bags were still filled to the brim the last to you were online
• You are not prepared to answer the question "Are you the real Gauss?" countless times a day
• You don't visit Thunderbluff
• You didn't miss the "Why is your mount always in the way?" comments
• You do not realize how concerned with people telling you about the Timeless Isle
• You don't take countless amounts of screen shots
• You are not ready for the "Do you remember me moments?"
• You are still not furious about not having a turtle
• You don't make random Hearthstone comments about mobs you come in contact with
• You didn't miss people threatening to report you
• You are not able to keep up with multiple conversations about the same thing 
• Bagelllord doesn't greet you with a hello

and finally

• You think you wouldn't be asked for Pi within seconds of being online.

There you have it this week's edition of Fail. Also a special thanks to everyone who has offered their help in anyway you did. Much appreciated.

Starcraft Plays of 2013

Here we are on Monday the first Machinima Monday of the new year. Yes I know every post I have done for the past couple weeks has been the first or last of the year. Don't worry though we are almost past that awkward time where it is just weird to talk about the new year and the time where you will be just writing the wrong date on everything. Now normally I showcase a machinima, animation or live action. Today it is going to be a little different. You see last year Esports grew on a massive scale. More people where watching Esports events then playoff matchups in the "mainstream". It is something the community has been dreaming about where Esports will become "mainstream". So this video I am going to link to you today is part of the reason why. Just sit back and marvel and Starcraft plays of last year.


GG

Ask Gauss

Sunday time for pancakes and answering questions. That sounded a lot better in my head before I typed it and read it. What an interesting week and last couple days it has been. Started playing WoW again and I think my post on Thursday resulted in enough emails to go through I will be reading them till next week. It's good though glad to have all of your support no matter what I am doing. So now with the niceties out of the way let's get to the questions.

So how was logging back on, what happened?

Well I pressed the enter world button. Safiree and I actually did a countdown for it. Was interesting to say the least. I don't think 2 minutes went by before someone asked me for Pi and then it didn't stop. If some of you were one of those whispering me when I first got on sorry if I didn't reply to you was hard to keep track. Apparently someone probably trolling telling everyone I wasn't the real Gauss because Gauss played a rogue. Wish I would have known that. It was fun though not really concerned too much about anything and was just enjoying myself, which was the plan.

So what are you going to transmog yourself to?

Honestly haven't completely decided. I have just been enjoying my time on going through my bank and making space for all the things I should have got rid of years ago, but I like to keep everything. I was even surprised at some of the things I had in my bank. Took me enough time to go through all of that but it did give me some ideas on what gear I should sport eventually. I will be sure to let you all know when I eventually decide.

Coolest thing of the week?

Well this is pretty amazing. A Diablo themed Hearthstone

There you have it this week's questions answered. As always thanks to everyone who sent one in, and thanks to everyone who has been patient waiting for me to respond to their email. I will get to them eventually. Enjoy what is left of your weekend!

So far, So good

Safiree & Gauss

Mostly Epic Saturdays

 Happy Saturday everyone. It's been a hell of a week. Khulk, and I finally convinced Gauss to come back to World of Warcraft. We all 3 went back together after not playing for years. It definitely wasn't an easy task, and things will most certainly be much different. We won't be raiding, or being all hardcore like we used to be. Basically just came back to explore a little bit of the content we've missed out on. Quest chains, and the pet battles are insanely amazing. :D

 Of course when we both finished installing we counted down log in at the same time. First thing he did was link Pi in trade chat. Which is actually pretty hilarious, for the longest time before I formally met him he was on my ignore list for months because I absolutely hated spam in my chats. One day I just decided to clear off some people from my ignore list and he was one of them. Sooo glad I did :)

 The changes they made with the specs are pretty straight forward. I got used to Rift where your specs have a huge window for custom builds. World of warcraft definitely disappointed me seeing how dumbed down they made the talents. Guess that's a given though. Also nice seeing my paladin actually wearing gear, and not wearing lingerie, or a swim suit lol. I was still wearing my Viscous Gladiator gear from season 9 Arena. 

 So far though, Gauss, and I are happy all around with returning. It makes me happy seeing alot of his old friends surface to welcome him back :) Gauss really made a difference on Llane server over the years. I'm very proud of him, and how far he has came since meeting him. Both of us really. Hope you guys had a good 2013. We certainly did. You guys are awesome!

Love,
Safiree

You Know Who My Father Is Right?

Happy Friday! The first of the new year. Does it feel any different? Are those resolutions you messed up still worth keeping? The new year is weird though. Nothing really seems like it has changed, but you are expected to belief as if it has. things tend to change slowly over time not instantly in a day, but who am I do go against years of tradition. This is where this idea comes in. I have been arguing over emails and back and forth with people about Anduin's role in The Alliance for quite some time now. Many feel he should be the one taking over for Varian. Now I agree with this, but you don't just replace someone just like that. Look how long it took Baine to come to the front in the shadow of his father. Now I am not comparing Varian to Cairne because that would be wrong in so many ways but the situation is similar. Now Anduin will be a big deal some day maybe that day will be soon, but it takes time. Here is what Swishursweet had to say to me about it.

With the way that things are going now, Horde having Vol'jin as the new Warchief, Varian calling a truce (somewhat) with the Horde, and us looking to go back in time against these orcs of old I think it would be a very interesting combination.

I believe that him being able to see Prophet Velen in the time of Draenor while the Orcs / Dranei war /slaughterhouse is going on would be an outstanding role model to see how a leader of the light handles and responds to terrible situations for the good of his people, but with that being said I don't think he would be ready to do what needs to be done to handle the Warlords of Draenor problem. 

Not knowing the story behind it besides what has already been said it seems that going back to stop the Warlords will not only be a not so simple feat, but one that is going to require teamwork and coordination between the armies of horde and alliance (as it always seems to end up) to focus an assault on the main clans to weaken them and possibly try to persuade them otherwise. Anduin is no tactician for war. Varian is. I believe as far as the horde relations go with Anduin he would be tremendous at being a leader with them with the current truce.... as far as the upcoming war we are probably going to face... no so much.

I agree with him. Anduin's time will it just isn't yet.

May The Earthmother Smile Upon You

Honestly I really have no idea how to truly write this post. It is really weird also that I feel something like this deserves a blog post on its own. You see a couple years ago I stopped doing something, something I enjoyed doing for quite some time. I stopped because it wasn't as fun as it used to be and I was only doing it because I felt I had to. It is not like this anymore.

Over that time I have been asked again and again to play again. "Things have changed", "We were talking about old times", "Your name came up today", "Don't you miss it?". Day after day month after month. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss it, because I did. I missed tons of things about the game. There was also things I didn't miss about it. So I would say thanks and continue on with my day.

Over the last couple months though it has been different. Mainly since Blizzcon where I truly have missed it more than normal. I have been talking about it much more and not just about the lore and the story, but about the game itself. Did I actually want to pick up the game again and play, or was this just something which would fade. So I let it be. I have been happy playing all these other games lately not like I didn't have anything to do, plus there has been the holidays.

Then came Monday when Safiree and Khulk were, putting it lightly, pestering me about it. So I thought about it more and Tuesday I made the decision. The decision all of you probably know by now. Gauss will be returning to World of Warcraft. I am not making any promises of how long I will be playing or how exactly I will be playing. Today though I will be there. As it will be my first day back. Feel free to say hello I am sure there will be a lot of you doing so.

You Will See Him Soon

Happy New Year! Hope you are alive and well. Hopefully you made those resolutions you will be breaking by the end of the month. Now don't go on saying that you won't break them because honestly I don't believe you and you don't believe yourself when you were saying it. Regardless today is Wednesday so it is time for some sort of list. What better way to get excited for the new year by posting my favourite moments while gaming the past year. This way we can see if this year will be topping it.

5. The Meltdown

So here we were playing SimCity and having a great time. We had one of the top ranked Regions in the world when Safiree decided she wanted to know what would happen if her Nuclear Plant had a meltdown. Not only did it destroy her city but our entire region was massacred. So ya that is what happens. I will always be sure to never let her forget this one.

4. Beating Magicka

So this is a game we just decided to start playing for shits and giggles, and it turns it it was one of the best co-op games I may have ever played. We had a ton of fun with it as you may know it just makes fun of pretty much every other game I play.

3. Serenity

I was leveling my Hardcore Monk in Diablo III. Now I have always played this on Monster Power 10 which basically is possibly the dumbest way to level a Hardcore Character, but it does make for the most insane "one shots" and "WTF" moments. A sad moment when my serenity was on and some how the bull still was able to kill me. I will though complete this stupid quest of leveling a hardcore character to 60 only using monster power 10.

2. Mengsk Being Killed

I love Starcraft and not only for the multiplayer but for the story itself. I appreciate the work the writers put into it. I have been playing from the very start and I remember not only helping Mengsk when he was part of the Sons of Korhal but I remember when he became leader of the Terran Dominion with the most epic of evil speeches. So when Kerrigan enter that room and confronted him I knew all the shit which was happening in that moment. It is not often that a villain dying right happens in a game but this was, and something I will not soon forget.

1. The Last Of Us

This game was a masterpiece and is an experience I will not soon forget. The only thing I disliked about this game was that it ended. I hope we get something maybe not to the exact level but at least closer to this type of level this year.

There you have it my gaming moments of the year. What have been some of your favourites? What do you hope for in the New Year? I can tell you I am excited for what is coming looks to be a great year.