WoW Paladin and the Christian Faith

Paladin is a character class in World of Warcraft. As a rather versatile class, they can be damage dealers, healers, or tanks. Depending on which skills the player takes, they can become unmovable walls, power front liners, or essential supporters. They can take on Herbalism, Blacksmithing, Engineering, Jewelcrafting, Inscription, Alchemy, First Aid, and Cooking as professions. The first two are particularly good for farming WoW gold. In-game, Paladins follow the tenets of the Holy Light, the mysterious source of their magic and power.

That's where the religious aspect is, for some. The character class is described to be virtuous, the defender of the innocent, and smiter of evil. All of those points to service to a ‘higher being', or at least alludes to one.

Or so they think.

What the Game Actually Says

Game lore (and the accompanying books) never explicitly says anything about a religion. Yes, they're sworn in service to the Light, but it's not portrayed as a higher deity or something like it. The paladins themselves don't worship it (unless you count service as worship). There are no churches, only organizations or orders of paladins scattered about Azeroth.

They do have faith in the Light, in a way similar to believing that the chairs you own will hold your weight. Some players in the forum even compare it to Star Wars' Force, which works in a similar way. The Light is energy, neither benevolent nor malevolent. It is a tool that can be used for either.

In short, while paladins are almost zealous to religious levels, they aren't following a religion, but a philosophy. The Light is their source of power, no more, no less. Different races even have different interpretations of what it is.

Draenei were introduced to the Light by Naaru, a race of sentient energy beings. Naaru isn't the Light itself but are shards of it. Human paladins are a mix of priest and knight, where belief in the Light is enough to tap into that well of energy. Ironforge Dwarves are similar, in that they served as paladins after witnessing their human friends. It helps that they have the toughness and tenacity to go toe-to-toe with whatever paladins fight. Blood Elves found another way to tap into the Light, becoming Blood Knights instead.

What Christians can Learn from Paladins

While real life is very different from the fictional world of the paladins, their zeal and determination to follow their way of life are worth emulating. Their simple faith in the Light is this as well. They don't know what it is and have never seen it in person. However, they've seen it in action whenever they call upon the power, and that mirrors the Christian faith.

The only difference is how fast the effects are seen. In-game, it's almost instantaneous. In real life, however, it can take up to years! God works outside our timeframe, but rest assured that He hears our calls and is working on it. He may deny us some things, but what can we do but trust Him? He is our creator and knows better than us. We just have to wait.

Their drive to do what is good is also a good example to follow. It's part and parcel to retain their abilities. If they feel conflicted or do something they think is wrong, they weaken their connection with the Light and might lose their paladin powers. Christians, by doing good and obeying His will, strengthen their connection with God in the same way. Disobedience breaks that connection, but thankfully it can be regained. We are humans, after all, and are prone to making mistakes, so this is inevitable.

Parting Words

Yes, paladins reflect much of a Christian's faith, but one thing it lacks is love. Love is the driving force of Christianity. It is through love that God gave His only Son as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. It is through love the Jesus Christ died and rose again. He gives us what we need and not what we want, in love. Our own obedience should stem from our love of God as well. Doing what is good out of love for another person is the best thing you can do for them. They might not appreciate it at the time, but be patient and they will thank you. The Holy Light, being a pool of energy without sentience, cannot love. Thus, paladins don't have rewards beyond immediate gratification, but Christians can enjoy eternity in heaven.

Still, World of Warcraft is, after all, just a game. You don't have to think hard or deep about enjoying it. Enjoying media and fiction isn't bad, assimilating false or detrimental ideas are. Keep your guard up, and filter what you choose to believe.

So saddle up your WoW mounts and go play the game!



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Farming for Battle: Gathering War Resources in WoW

As in previous WoW expansions, Battle for Azeroth has a unique mission table currency: War Resources. Here are a few tips to help gather this vital commodity.

Image Credit: Pixabay.com

There’s more to World of Warcraft than merely gathering WoW mounts. There are, however, exceptions to the rule. Right now is one such case in point because it’s once again time to gather an expansion-exclusive resource! For the mission table currency, Warlords of Draenor had to collect Garrison Resources, and Legion had Order Resources. In Battle for Azeroth, it’s War Resources, which is a rather fitting name.

You’re going to need lots of this stuff, and to help you get them in spades, here’s a short guide.

Military Adventurism

For Battle for Azeroth, war resources are going to be used to recruit troops, send them to missions, and do research upgrades. You can also donate some to your faction’s Warfront or buy Seal of Wartorn Fate, which can give you the chance to bonus roll item drops in Mythic + dungeons.

One good way to earn War Resources would be by finishing World Quests. Easy ones will give you 30 to 45 War Resources, which should be enough for many of the missions. The harder ones, especially those that include dungeon objectives, can garner you 100, and even up to 200 war resources.

The problem, however, is that they’re not always available. But as long as you do them regularly, you’re sure to have a steady supply of War Resources.

Spoils Before War

Another way to earn War Resources would be by collecting zone-specific treasures, a feature that Blizzard added in Mists of Pandaria. In Battle for Azeroth, you’ll find ten hidden treasures for each zone. You won’t have much difficulty finding them, since they’re in fixed locations, and tracking them is even easier if you have add-ons.

Do note that each treasure can only be obtained once, so the War Resources you can get this way is very limited. But hey, this is a war, so you’ll definitely want to squeeze each and every War Resource you can get.

And while we’re treasure-hunting, you should also look for hidden treasure chests, which spawn at random locations. You won’t be able to find them with specific coordinates or add-ons, you’ll be able to see them as a gray icon on your mini-map if you happen to come close to one. Once you get to the exact location, there will be a faint purple glow emanating from the chest.

You won’t be getting a lot of War Resources this way, and these kinds of chests only give vendor trash items, so don’t expect World of Warcraft Mounts. Still, better a little than none at all. Plus, you’re already in the area, so you might as well get them anyway.

All About Control

To get war resources, you need to engage in war. Thus, it makes perfect sense that one of the best ways to make War Resources is to complete Warfront weekly quests when it’s your faction that controls Arathi Highlands.

When it’s the enemy faction that holds Arathi Highlands, members of your faction will have to contribute to the war effort by completing weekly quests for profession turn-ins. Other than war effort, this will also contribute to your faction’s award reputation and artifact power.

Once you finally reach 100% contribution, your faction can now launch a Warfront, giving you control of the contested location. While under your faction’s control, you’ll be able to take on a handful of quests offered in Arathi. However, you can only do these quests once per cycle, so you’ll have to wait until you lose control of it and seize it again after completing all those quests.

A war isn’t just about fighting in the frontlines and winning them. It’s also as important to get the much-needed resources to wage one and seize even more resources by the end of it. So if you want your faction to truly dominate, start getting as much War Resources as you can.

It’s A Steal: World of WarCraft Subscription Changes

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Not a lot of gamers jump into an MMO for the first time if it’s already five years old or more. Everyone except you already got the mechanics memorized by heart and has a competitive-level character that runs endgame content, while you’re just catching up when it comes to level, gear, and game knowledge. Blizzard, however, came up with a way to entice new players for World of Warcraft: free base game and expansions.

Pay to Play Legion

Aside from the aforementioned reasons, another deterrent for new players is the fact that they have to buy the base game and all the expansions just to play the most recent one. And while Blizzard has come up with some steps to lower this particular hurdle, such as offering bundles and packs that get you the expansions for a single purchase and a much lower price as compared to buying them one by one.

As if that deal isn’t a steal enough, Blizzard decided to do give expansions – including Legion – for free simply by subscribing to the game. This basically means the game has become pay-to-play – until Battle for Azeroth rolls out on August 14, that is. No doubt that a lot of prospective players see it as a good move, especially since it’ll be saving them a lot of money.

On the other hand, older players and those who just recently bought Legion are pissed, and understandably so after paying for something that they never imagined would be free later on. Hopefully, Blizzard comes up with a solution that will appease the veteran players.

Past for the Future

Blizzard is intent on bringing fresh blood into Azeroth’s circulation because it’s going to have its new expansion: Battle for Azeroth. To get new and returning players up to speed, the latest expansions have been all about bringing the game to its roots.

Legion was about revisiting the Burning Legion, the army of demons headed by the titan Sargeras; they’re also the chief antagonists of Warcraft III and the reason for the events of World of Warcraft’s base game.

Battle for Azeroth, on the other hand, brings the conflict between Alliance and Horde to the forefront once again. Truce after shaky truce, the two major factions are finally done with the handshaking so off to war against each other they go. The war between the two hasn’t been this focused on by the franchise since WarCraft II, so a lot of long-time players are excited for this.

Looking Forward to the War

In true World of Warcraft style, the new content for the upcoming expansion is going to be tightly tied to the lore. A good example of this would be Battlefronts, a Warcraft II-heavily inspired game mode which will put you in the battle boots of a commander. With 20 allied players, you’ll either be launching an assault on an enemy stronghold or defending the stronghold that you conquered.

As for other additional new content, players will be getting the Heart of Azeroth, the new “artifact weapon”. There is also the Island Expeditions, which are 3v3 PVP content where you’ll face off either AI or other players in islands while trying to find Azerite and Tratures. Last but definitely not least, there will be 10 new dungeons, which are definitely enough to last until the next expansion.

World of Warcraft is headed in a new direction, not only when it comes to lore and in-game content but also in its history as a game, thanks to Blizzard’s creative new idea on how to get new players on-board. After all, war is coming, so both factions should pump up their numbers.

Fast WayTo Make Money in World of Warcraft: Legion

Being rich or at least, financially stable in an MMORPG is always a must. Having less to no gold in a character is paralyzing because there are a lot of expenses in MMOs. Repair bills come in big numbers if you are raiding a lot. Crafting materials that you might need are most of the time expensive because usually, we don’t have time to farm for those. Yeah, having gold is a priority. Being rich in-game also doesn’t hurt.

In Search of Guides

World of Warcraft is no exception to making sure you have enough gold for basic necessities in-game. Actually, it is more needed and most beneficial if you have lots of gold in WoWsince you can pay your subscription with WoW Token which can be bought by, yes, gold.

As I scoured the internet for guides inefficient moneymaking in World of Warcraft, I came to a realization that farming for raw materials is still the king. It has been the most lucrative way to earn gold quickly in the game. Again, nobody has time for farming those nodes. By the time you mustered all the patience to gather crafting materials and decide to go farm, you will find out that there are numerous players already picking them. Nodes aren’t shared. Once a player harvests a node, you have to go find another. Or maybe just wait for the respawn of the same node but that won’t make the endeavour efficient anymore. That is why it is really a deterring way to earn gold but still, it is the best way so you and I have no choice.

The Farming Guide

There are tons and tons of guides in making gold in World of Warcraft out there. Some of which are exploits and we don’t want those. Let us go with the legit way of farming without the risk of getting banned. Farming gold with an exploit in an account that will get banned eventually is pointless after all.

Even the legit farming guides, they are countless. No worries, here is one of the most in-depth farming video guide for the latest expansion, Legion. The video tackles on the things that you need and how to go about the crafting materials farming:

If you did not view the six-minute video, you would be needing Forgotten Techniques of the Broken Isles of Herbalism and Mining, depending on which mats and nodes you will be farming. The video guide suggested that for Herbalism, you would need at least Rank 3 Herbalism so that you can farm for Starlight Rose. They sell very well in the Auction House as they are very needed in crafting. For Mining, on the other hand, you will be concentrating more on those Leystones. Rank 3 Leystone Mining is needed to assure drops and how many of those appear on every node. Remember, we are not wasting any time and we are trying to be very efficient. I suggest you scroll up and watch the video if you haven’t.

Don’t forget those useful addons in World of Warcraft for Gathering. Gathermate 2 is a very nice addon to have when gathering on a large scale.

Perfect this farming routine and you will be rich in no time!