Escada

I have come to learn that I cannot write a blog solely about WoW, or one certain subject. I have been toying around with deleting this blog altogether but cannot bring myself to do it. I've been on WoW burnout lately, and I've been dabbling in the closed-beta testing for a new game, Aion. It is time for a change and I am taking my blog with me, along with Escada. The name has stuck with me. ^^ So, it's time to introduce another Escada, below is my character in Aion. The game has definitely been a lot of fun, and I have already become part of a decent sized legion, we are hoping we can stay together for launch. Real life issues have also been effecting the time I spend on the computer in general, but now I am falling back into a comfortable groove, and imporving my social life a bit, I have a nice happy medium for once and it feels good! So here is to a new life for this blog! See you next time!

Slight Delay...

I know I had stated in my last post that I wanted to get my blog going in a new direction. I am afraid I won't be able to do that right now. College is winding down and I don't have the time to sit down and write a nice full blog post like I want to. So, I just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about my new idea, but I will be postponing the start of it until after this semester is over. :) See you all then!

A New Direction

So I've been thinking about my blog and what I really want to do with it.
I'm not big on hunter theory and number crunching, I'm not out there to be the best dps of all, I just do what I do.
On that note, Escada's favorite thing she did after the release of Wrath was explore! Along those lines, I also think that my blog name fits quite well for this idea. Each week, I want to try and showcase a zone, providing screenshots and interesting little tidbits about the zone. It will be from Escada with love. :)
I will still include random ramblings here and there, but the main focus will be on the zones of the World of Warcraft. I have been reading some postings about being a blogger, and they suggest doing what you enjoy, and well, exploring the world was it! So, here's to a new direction, we will see where this goes!

The State of Things

It has been much too long since last I posted. Real life has been keeping me pretty busy...and I have also discovered the fun of "the alt".

I've been spending most of my time playing a little blood elf priest named Reyn. It seems that a few players have been scrambling thinking about what they are going to do lately in game. I personally just wanted to try something different. Escada has always been my main and always will be...but she's a little lonely at the top, she needs a friend. :) That's where Reyn comes in. I always had thought about what it would be like to play a character in the role of a healer or a tank. So, I've chosen to try my hand at healing a little bit. So far at a whopping level 26 it has been a lot of fun! Instance runs are the best, and give me practice. I hope to continue with Reyn and get a second level 80 under my belt.
I am sure I will take my sweet time getting there though, I don't have all the time in the world to play between work and college, but I'll fit it in there. :)

As for Escada, she'll probably come back out of hiatus when patch 3.1 arrives...or maybe sooner. She has left Thenta Makur for personal reasons and was picked up by a new guild. We will see how that goes. Right now the guild is pretty new, and is trying to get 3 of each class. They also plan on raiding. ( /gasp! raiding!!) I've never really raided before, I am a pretty casual player when it comes to that and don't have huge blocks of time to sit down and do it. We'll have to see where it goes. All I know is that I am excited about the new people and fresh start.

Warp Love

As we know, there are two colors of warp stalkers in the game that can be tamed by hunters. The white warp stalkers of Terrokar, and the teal and purple warps of Netherstorm. But am I the only one who thinks the warps aren't getting any love? Where is the warp stalker love Blizz??

While browsing Petopia the other day I noticed there was a new warp stalker skin posted, I clicked on it only to find out that it is not tamable. And on top of that it was removed from the game as of patch 2.1! We are talking about the Daggetail Lizard; a beautiful red warp stalker that calls the far reaches of the Blade's Edge Mountains it's home. This is an example of yet another warp stalker skin that cannot be tamed.

Another lovely warp stalker, the Phase Hunter, comes from the depths of the Arcatraz and is part of a boss fight. He is a mossy green color with electric blue stripes. I really do like this skin a lot, and wish it was tamable but yet again....no luck.

The most recent and more well-known case was of Gezzark the Huntress, a black warp stalker with striking lime green stripes. She was part of a quest in Terrokar forest, and could only be tamed when summoned. As of patch 3.0.8 she is also no longer tamable. I had been hoping to get her but then learnt that she was bugged, so I didn't bother to go after her, however after the patch she know works fine and the hunters that did tame her now have a lovely rare black warp stalker. /cry...I should have just gotten her bugs and all.

I am hoping that Blizzard decides to smile upon the warp stalker family and make more of them tamable in the future. It is also worth noting that the warp stalker family is the only one with two skins available to tame. They are a tenacity pet with arguably one of the coolest abilities there is (warp)! Pleeasse Blizzard show some warp love. :)


Images courtesy of: Petopia

Dear 3.0.9.9.551; Escada <3's you!!

• Kindred Spirits (Beast Mastery): This talent now grants 20% pet damage at max rank.
• Serpent's Swiftness (Beast Mastery): This talent now grants 20% pet attack speed at max rank.

Well this is it folks...the buff to beast mastery that we have been waiting for. (At least the little teaser one before 3.1) Anyway, I am excited for sure. Motomo will be getting some love and be kicking some more butt out there. Hopefully that will give us just enough edge to be accepted back into the hunter fold again. :) Here's to crossing our fingers and toes for the wait until maintenance is over.

Hunter: and the Art of the Spec

Escada has been a beastmastery hunter for as long as I can remember. At level 10 I received a talent point to spend, and boy was that ever a decision! :) I picked the beastmastery tree after much deliberating and never looked back. I didn't pick the spec because it was the best at the time; hell I didn't know much about my class at all at that time, I just learned as I went along.

I did notice that I really enjoyed having a strong pet that could hold its own against almost anything. My pet even outlived me sometimes in instances...a little embarassing but it did really happen. My pets are my protectors. We

With the drop of patch 3.0.8, our world was rocked. At first I don't think I paid that much attention to what was going on with hunters, I had actually been looking forward to the patch for other reasons. But reality started to sink in. I ran an instance and my dps was next to the healers. Granted the other dps were higher level than me and better geared but I still felt bad. Then the survival flood came in...everybody was buzzing about survival and that wave didn't take me out with it. I was determined to stay a bm..I had just gotten Endymion and to retire him to the stables in the name of survival made me feel horrible.

I got pretty depressed about the whole situation. I was worried that groups would only want survival hunters now..and nobody would want me. (wrong I know but the thoughts were spinning in my brain). And so I started doing some research reading blogs and forums out there about how hunter dps was doing. I parked at some test dummies and tried out macros and new shot rotations...just toying with everything. I vowed that I would make Escada the best bm hunter she could be once she got to 80 and that is still the plan. In a way the patch was a blessing in disguise. I had read blogs before but I had never delved so deep into the numbers of it all before, and made sure what the caps were on certain ratings and things. I have become a bit more technical about things, and know my class better then I ever have.

A Chance Encounter

Yes!! I am still alive and haven't fallen completely off the face of the earth. :)

I've been spending most of my winter break making a mad dash to 80, leveling like a mad woman. It has been fun but I have pit stopped at 78 to slide back into college mode and level when I get the time. Today I got home from work made some lunch and logged on to talk to some friends and see who had control of Wintergrasp. Alliance did. (sigh) Well there is always mining in Sholazar Basin! I've gotten my mining up and have been making some nice money, and what better place than the Basin to stop by for some easy node finding.

Another thought crossed my mind as I was chugging along on my slow flyer. Why not just scan the spawn points for Loque'nahak? I was never one of the hunters that wanted a spirit beast from the start. I have been very happy with my wolf and my warp stalker and never really felt the need to find another pet. When I quested in Zul'Drak I helped out Har'koa and in turn Har'koa helped me....a very cool npc indeed! This sparked some interest in the spirit beast for the first time. I flew out not expecting anything but put Motomo in the stable just in case. I went about business hitting each of the spawn points, and holy crap there he was! I had to do a double take, and I also noticed that there was a night elf druid in my company as well.

Thankfully the druid did not interfere and I dove down right away, laid a freezing trap and frantically hit tame. It was unlike any feeling I've ever experienced in game before...and I am sort of embarrassed to admit it. My hands were shaking and heart pounding and I had just tamed this crazy sought after pet. I have come to realize now just how special the spirit beast really is, and it really feels like a great achievement for a hunter. I never could really understand why everyone was so excited and ecstatic about this beast but now I understand. It took me awhile but I am on the spirit beast bandwagon! :) He is a beautiful pet and a powerful one at that! I also realize that I was really lucky to find him...very very lucky. So fellow hunters on Daggerspine if I see Loque I will be sure to let you know!