Raising Alt - Alliance Style
Back in March to June, I blogged about my progress raising a Troll druid from 0 to 60. The overall process took me just under 38 hours, reaching level 61 while inside a BC dungeon. It was a 'fun' endeavor and it was nice to see a lot of the old vanilla dungeons again.
Why am I doing it again? Well, a few co-workers are Alliance. Alliance on Auchindoun-US, which is a PVP server. Husband and wife have a wonderful level-25 guild. So after some discussion (around my PC as we watch the WoD announcement) I decide to start leveling up a toon on their server. As I've learned with my last alt, the hybrid model is ideal. I can run dps while questing, then pop tank when I want to hop into a dungeon. As I've already burned my 'boost' (and I don't want to pay the $60), this toon will have to make the adventure all the way from 0 to 90 the old fashioned way. Quick dungeon queues and questing.
Say Hi to..
Esha @ Auchindoun-US
Why am I doing it again? Well, a few co-workers are Alliance. Alliance on Auchindoun-US, which is a PVP server. Husband and wife have a wonderful level-25 guild. So after some discussion (around my PC as we watch the WoD announcement) I decide to start leveling up a toon on their server. As I've learned with my last alt, the hybrid model is ideal. I can run dps while questing, then pop tank when I want to hop into a dungeon. As I've already burned my 'boost' (and I don't want to pay the $60), this toon will have to make the adventure all the way from 0 to 90 the old fashioned way. Quick dungeon queues and questing.
Esha @ Auchindoun-US
- Female - Night Elf
- Guardian Druid
Gear:
As you may notice, Alliance Esha is sporting all the same duds as Horde Esha. I was happy to see that I could mail myself all my heirlooms across without any issues, including my horde-guild purchased head, pants and back pieces. (It has left my goblin hunter fairly naked.)
This is netting me 45% additional XP and 4% of my health regenerated with each kill. (Turn in a 3000 quest XP + 45% heirloom bonus + guild bonus + rested = 5000 xp.) Of the remaining slots, rings, belts and necks typically drop in the dungeon bag of goodies; the others are typical quest rewards. Even so, I typically out-gear most dungeons and don't need gear help.
Leveling up:
Speaking of questing, it's odd, but I am still questing even at level 38. Yesterday I was fighting my way through the Southern Barrens killing kodo and quilboar. I find that, due to my heirloom gear and saved rested bonus, I do about 5-8 quests in an area before leveling out of the area (quests go from yellow to grey). After flying back to Darnassus, the job board has me headed to Feralas and/or Dustwallow Marsh (levels 35-40). I may actually skip the trip (run a dungeon or two instead) and head straight to Thousand Needles.
My "/played" time so far is 16 hours (960 minutes). As I am level 38 with 4 bubbles to go to 39, this puts me approximately 3 hours ahead of my 'dungeon-only-after-level-15' Horde run. The questing is definitely helping on the speed, plus I am getting all my flight paths as I go along. Since I only spend about an hour at each quest hub, it does mean a lot of running around.
Playing on a PVP server:
OK, coming from Malfurion, a strictly PVE server, I was timid about making the jump to full-time PVP. Am I going to get ganked at every moment? Am I going to have a lot of ghost runs back to broken gear? So far, no. I've had only 4 actual PVP moments so far.
- While in Stonetalon mountains, I saw a pet mechanical squirrel. I had to have it. So I started a pet-battle with it. While fighting the pet, 2 Horde came up and killed me. Quick and easy. Death.
No, I never got squirrel.Achieved! (armory isn't updating in timely manner).
- While also questing in same zone, a horde warlock sent his puppy and started AOE attack. I was able to go kitty and run to safety. Same time a higher level alliance pally dropped a healing circle around me. No death.
- Running into next zone, from the sky a high level warrior lands on my head. Instant death.
- Questing barrens, a 'boss' level horde (probably max level), started following me around. He was trying to guess my quest objective and started killing all the trash leading up to a boss. The quest was to pickup "polished boar skulls" (decorative trash littered around area) and kill mini-boss. With all the trash cleared, I simply ran straight to mini-boss, aggro'd it and the horde one-shotted it. Quest over. Thank'd horde player, he laughed and flew off.
Otherwise, I see horde players. They're typically questing in the same area with the similar objectives as me. We tend to ignore each other. Maybe this changes as I will get to higher levels?? I hope not, I can deal with the occasional touch-of-god or 'cheap shot' moment.
On Playing Alliance:
Honestly, it's interesting. Here is a faction who have been bashed the last 2 expansions (and more in the third). They're trying to re-take a foothold after Lich King and keep getting put down by Orcs. Running through Southern Barrens, you see how Deathwing brought both heartache and opportunity to the Alliance. (My Hearthstone is currently set for a tent, not an Inn). It maybe that the storyline has always been this way, but as my highest Alliance characters only made it to starting towns. I had such grand plans for making gold by selling cross-faction pets. Ah well.
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