Instance Checklist

As I leveled up I learnt a thing or two about partying, whether it was getting stuck without arrows during an instance or broken armor..I've experienced my fair share of embarrassing moments so I am going to put together a list of things a hunter should to to prepare for any instance, you just never know what might happen! :)


1. Make sure you have ammo!
Always!...I once got stuck in an instance without any arrows and I was pretty useless duel wielding my swords lol. So always stock up on your ammo dears.

2. Repair your armor and weapons.
No matter how little the cost could be..repair your armor and wepons. I did Blood Furnace once and our group ended up wiping quite a bit and after a while your armor starts to break down, I was pretty close to having broken bow, which meant I wouldn't be able to use it at all....for my hunter...a scary thought, especially with boss fights still looming!

3. Stock up on your food and water supplies, and don't forget food for your pet!
Make sure you have the resources to fuel up after fights and replenish things quickly..no one is going to want to sit around waiting for you, the dps, to get your mana and health up. If you have enough food and water with you, you also won't have to ask anyone else for any during the instance..a definite plus. Also, your pet will probably die more then you as well, so make sure you have enough food for your friend to keep them happy and doing as much damage as possible for a smoother run, and you also won't have to fret about them abandoning you if you let them go too long in crabby mode. Believe me I have watched that little square with the face turn red and chills have run through me "Don't leave me Motomo! I need you!" Even if I was not in any danger of losing him since it would take a long time to lose your pet when they are fully loyal to you at level 6, I still feel a bit bad about leaving my worg go hungry during a big fight. ;)

4. Turn your taunt off!
This is very important in instances. You do not want your pet drawing aggro from the tank, he has enough on his plate without having to chase your pet around. If the tank doesn't mind taunt being on that is great, let them tell you to put it back on, but as a general rule of thumb I turn taunt off when I walk in the instance.

5. Trap well.
This took me some practice but I think I've got it down now lol. Freezing trap is a lovely cc option if done right, its not just trap it once and you're good. Nada. Usually in an instance the blue square is the trap mark for hunters, but some tanks may mark differently. Your primary goal when the fight starts is to get the first hit in on that target..don't let the tank or anyone else beat you to it! Lay your trap in a place where it will not be in the way of the main fight, and lay it before the pull. I personally use arcane shot to draw them to me. Your lovely pet is smart enough not to attack the target you just trapped so you're home free for now. To deselect that trapped target I hit the 'esc' key until his picture is gone from my screen. (Make sure you do that or you will auto-shot and break your own trap). Now your job is to kill the rest of the pull while watching your trap cool down. Once it is up lay one right away. I prefer to lay one behind me the monster will come toward me since I hit him first and if the trap is laid behind me or in his path of advance in any direction he won't have a chance of hitting you. Except if you make it run through the main fight of course, don't run miles away from your trapped guy to the other side of the room to fight...then your trapped target will just run through it and run the most likely get caught in the flurry and become a nuisance. After you have trapped for the second time just go back to shooting at the main targets of the tank, or if need be, pull things off the healer. You can keep this system going for as long as needed until the tank is ready to fight your frozen buddy.

6. Be cautious of your surroundings.
You are a hunter after all and you can track, so don't get too close to mobs if your party is not ready to fight them, stay close and don't wander off to take in the scenery! You don't want to pull 6 or 7 guys on you at once so stay alert. Getting into that sticky situation can also cause wipes for the group at times which can make for some unhappy fellow party members. :D So be smart.

7. Listen to directions.
This is probably the most important thing of all. Do your best to follow the directions if you do not already know the fight. And don't be afraid to ask if you don't know it. This will make for less headaches for everybody and a smoother run overall.



So that is my list for now, I'm sure I will learn more tricks of the trade in future runs. Hope these help for greater party experiences! :)

Girl IRL

So, you play WoW, and you're a girl in the game does your gameplay change? I have read a few accounts of girl players being picked on and looked down on because of their gender. That really irritates me... girls have just as much right to play as guys do and it shouldn't matter. Yes some players are more comfortable and skilled with their character then others, I'm no pro hunter by any means, but gender should not be a factor.

As for my experience in WoW I have recieved nothing but warm welcomes and a helping hand when I've needed it most. I mean sure being a girl character helps (look! a damsel in distress...ahem...I'll save you!) but I do make it a point to talk to the people I meet that have helped me out (or vice versa) and make a bit of conversation. I usually always ask if they are a guy or girl, and when they find out I'm a girl I haven't gotten any flack.

The real test came when I joined a group for Ring of Blood in Nagrand and....voice chat was on. I said something (gasp) there was a slight pause (the shock! the disbelief! a girl in our midst!!) lol. But then it was back to business, we got through it and were down to the second to last fight and I noticed I had a problem..I had missed a quest turn-in somewhere and was behind. I said something about it (while cursing myself out with the mic turned off..lol) and it wasn't a big deal (much to my suprise). And a few pulls later someone else had the same problem and we did it over again. Ah well you live and learn. It was fun.

So in short...yeah there will probably be the jerks out there that can't get their mind around a girl playing the game, but I have yet to run into one yet and if I do he will get a piece of my mind on the gender thing if that comes into play (my guildies most likely won't hesitate to say something either ;) ). So ladies do your thing and if you are worried about being a girl in to game don't worry, you will most likely make friends and not enemies.

The birth of a 70

Well Escada is now level 70 and I feel like a noob again lol. Mainly because I am new to everything that comes along with level 70..you've got this character that has reasched the cap..so now what do you do? Well I have decided to level up my first aid for one since I have been very lax on any professions at all...and at high levels first aid will be important I hear, and I also am going to level up mining so I can try and make some money instead of depending on quest reward and auction house postings. Hunters are fast so I should be able to mine those nodes with ease. =] Onward!! When wotlk comes along I will be ready.

But I am very excited, because last night I did my first arena matches!!! My fellow arena team memebers were Mannerheim the undead rogue (the friend of the bf) and Yupanqui the tauren druid (the bf). Together we make up the Seven Merrill Three. It was intense and we went 1 and 9 but I didn't care, it was soo much fun and exhilarating. I also don't have any gear that is nearly halfway decent besides my Valanos Longbow and 4 pieces of the Stalker's Chain Battlegear...so alas I am not the most well equiped to do this arena thing against team in ful set 3 or possibly even some set 4. But we got better every match and we won the last one, so we ended on a great high note. Mannerheim was suprised we won any at all with the state of gear we were in and the people we were up against.

There has been further talk of switching to a Hunter/Mage/Warlock team. So we will see what awaits us in the future!