The Game Dame

Yesterday I moved my main toon, Slig, to a new server. I moved him from Thorium Brotherhood (RP) to Drenden (Normal PvE). I chose Drenden because I have been leveling the warlock gnome, Gnomnclature, that I’d created for BRK’s Gnaked Gnome race and it was the only non-RP, non-PvP server on which I already had a toon.

Why I Moved

For the last two months or so, I had been avoiding playing Slig because it had gotten to the point where I couldn’t log on without a certain person needing my help or wanting to play constantly. I admit it, I do like to solo a lot. So it bothered me that I couldn’t have any solo play time without being whispered by one of my friend’s 100 alts. But I missed playing Sligger and exploring the high level content that I haven’t experienced yet. Since I wasn’t all that tight with my guild (and they are really not a “guild” anyway), I decided that if I ever wanted to play Slig enjoyably again, I was going to have to move him to another server.

Guilds

Within about 30 minutes of logging onto Drenden with Slig for the first time, I got 5 guild invitations. I guess a level 60 Shaman running around without a guild kinda stands out. (Let’s face it, I don’t really “blend” anyway, what with being a huge cow and all.) But I’m not going to join any guild willy-nilly. I’ve come to realize that I’m pretty picky about the people I play with, so I want to try before I buy.

Zoom Zoom Zoom

Selling my Orb of Deception enabled me to buy a faster mount, the Great White Kodo! It’s like a Great White shark, only faster (1.7 times faster than my old mount) and with fewer teeth. Woot! I zoomed around Bloodhoof Village for about 10 minutes after I bought it. Sooooo fast! The lowbie newbs in the area must’ve thought I was bonkers.

New Gear

With the money left over from my mount, I bought two new items of gear that have made a HUGE positive impact on my Elemental Shaman. I hadn’t realized how crappy my old gear was. In fact, I had blamed my getting pwned in Eastern Plaguelands and Silithus on my spec and was considering re-doing it. (I mean, Elune knows it couldn’t be OPERATOR error!) However, now I realize I just needed better gear.

You can check out all my gear on Slig’s armory page, but here are the two new items I got. They are both Leather, not Mail, but their enchants MORE than makeup for the lost armor. I know they look kinda… well… BRIGHT. Heck, I’m nearly a day-glo cow, but before you judge my fashion sense, check out the stats, baby!

Bonechewer Skincloak of the Invoker

+19 Intellect, +22 Spell Damage and Healing, +19 Spell Critical Strike Rating

Okay, so it looks silly, like I’m some overgrown rogue, but my previous headgear looked like a Frank Sinatra hat. Also, for a long time I wore the Whitemane’s Chapeau on my silly Tauren head, so I’m no stranger to goofy headgear. (Oh please, you must see what it looked like on me!) In any event, the armor level was actually an upgrade for me, the stats were killer, and I got it for a steal on the Auction House.

Dreghood Trousers of the Invoker

+21 Intellect, +25 Spell Damage and Healing, +21 Spell Critical Strike Rating

From now on, I’m going to look for anything that has “Invoker” in the name! I get crits with seemingly every other spell which, combined with Elemental Focus and Elemental Mastery, means I put up 1100+ hits with regularity and hardly use any mana at all. Dude, between the pants and the scarf, I rarely even have to drink between 2-on-1 or 3-on-1 fights. /gasp

Before I had these items, I had more armor, but I was going belly up in front of the very same mobs I’m clobbering now because I couldn’t keep my spells going for very long. I realize now it is not the curse of the Elemental spec, but rather the curse of the poorly dressed.