Lost in the World

Okay, I think I have to admit that I'm addicted to World of Warcraft. This is odd given that I stayed away from it completely for a couple of months after learning the basics. I suppose I felt a little intimidated by not knowing that much about how to play and I had no clue about the norms of social interaction. I stuck to playing "Dragon Age". After 3 times through DA, though, I was ready for a change.

I created a Paladin (or "Palindrome", as I like to call him) named Biroc. I jumped into the World and just started messing around. I became more comfortable with right and left mouse clicks. I got my Nostromo controller programmed enough to help me play. I lost my fear of being killed! This was important because, if you're going to play WoW--especially solo--you've got to expect to die many times. My Pally is up to level 31 now. He's a mean mix of melee fighter and healer. That makes him well-suited for both solo and team play.

Next, I started developing my first character: "Megarid", a hunter. I acquired a Nightsaber as a pet, learned to use sequences of bow attacks to kill at a distance, and acquired 4 different tigers as mounts. My Nightsaber, "Scarlette", is up to level 20 now and I'm on the lookout for a second pet.

Recently, I created a third character: "Diabolik", a rogue. This character is fun, but she's a little tricky to play. Some of her moves have preconditions. For example, she can ambush, but only while in stealth mode. She can deal finishing blows, but only after preparatory strikes. She's up to level 14 now, I think.

The social aspect of the game still confuses me. On a number of occasions, another player has asked for my assistance to complete a quest. When asked, I say yes, and this has mostly turned out well. Sometimes, though, my temporary partner is crabby and critical and leaves without saying "thanks" when the quest is over. At other times, he or she has turned out to be a much younger person than I'd prefer to team up with.

And then there's the 24-hour party going on in Goldshire. As a young character, you are obliged to spend time in Goldshire, so the mob in the middle of town is impossible to miss. Apparently these folks prefer dueling to questing. Nothing wrong with that, but personally, I get tired of politely refusing challenges to duel. I also wish there were a way to flag your character as not being interested in joining a Guild. Again, it's not a big deal, but every time I'm invited to a Guild, I have to stop and type a "no thanks" message to the other player.

I just ordered two expansion packs from Amazon: "The Burning Crusade" and "Wrath of the Lich King". These should keep me very busy for the next 6 to 9 months. Then I'll pick up "Cataclysm", which was just released yesterday.

If I'm not tweeting as much in the evenings, now you know why. :)