Got the Grinding Blues in WoW Classic or Retail? Here Are Some Things to Do

Let's face it. Nobody can handle continuous grinding for extended periods of time. Without regular breaks, burnout is inevitable. You may think you're fine now, but this kind of thing has a way of creeping up on you slowly. It may start with a gradual reduction of time spent playing. Then you start questioning why you're still playing at all. Next thing you know, you haven't played for a whole week!

So, what can you do when fatigue sets in as you farm World of Warcraft Retail or WoW Classic gold or levels? Read on for some activities you can do.

Griefing

Mischievous players in PvP servers can take the time to be an inconvenience to others. From disrupting quests to impersonating NPCs, there's a wide variety of tricks you can play on other players. Your reputation will take a hit, but you should be prepared to cope with that. Just don't be too much of a jerk and keep everyone else from having fun too!

Help Other Players

On the other side of the coin, if you're a more altruistic soul, you can offer to help lower-leveled or new players. You may ask for monetary compensation or not, depending on your preference. Activities under this category include assisting in dungeons, giving a lift with the two-seater WoW mounts, and accompanying them to their destination. You might even gain new friends as you do this!

Host Small-Scale Games

Gather up some other bored players and start a game of tag, hide-and-seek, or similar games. An alternative is to hold a race from town to town. Rewards should sweeten the deal if you have the necessary resources to provide one. However, it's not required to have fun.

Role-play

With the right equipment, you can look like certain characters. Whether you're copying a character in the game itself or from another franchise, it's a new experience to enjoy in a game where you’re already role-playing, to begin with.

Explore Azeroth

In the unending rush of grinding or farming, sometimes the beauty of Battle of Azeroth falls by the wayside. When was the last time you took the time to appreciate the landscapes and environment of the game? Saddle up your mount and take a ride or flight through the continent. Why not take a few screenshots of the best views as well?

Take a Break from the Game

Sometimes, fatigue is too great. If the above suggestions don't seem to help, maybe taking a few days off from playing can help. Removing yourself completely from whatever's stressing you can give a bit of relief. You can also take the time to figure out what to do next. Focus on another hobby you have, or spend time with your family. Otherwise, you can try playing a different game. You’d be surprised at how reinvigorated you are once you start playing again. Take note of your subscription status if you're doing this. You might want to turn off the auto-renew option if you're going to take a long break.

Even the best players get tired. Pushing yourself when you're at that state isn't healthy at all. Playing a game shouldn't become a chore; you play it to have fun. When it stops being fun, that's when you take a break to refresh yourself. Any of the methods above are available, or you can find your own. No game is worth risking your health and life over.

Have fun in Vanilla with some WoW Classic items or World of Warcraft Retail, and please take care of yourself!

Ride Back in Time: WoW Classic Mounts

Collecting mounts has been a popular endeavor for World of Warcraft fans since WoW Classic. Back in the day, however, mounts weren’t as many—or as crazy. Whether it’s a good or a bad thing to you, it can’t be denied that those mounts had a good design and that people loved them wholeheartedly. So here’s a look-back for the veterans, and a sneak peek for the newbies: a guide on what mount to get and how to get them.

One for Every Race

A good place, or rather, the only place to begin is the racial mounts. At level 40 and 60, you’ll be able to get the mount specific to your race, provided that you have the Riding Skill and enough WoW Classic gold. The level 60 mounts are faster than the level 40 ones, so if you can only buy one mount at the moment, it’s better that you go for the former.

Here are the races and the specific mount they’ll be getting:

·         Humans – horses from Katie Hunter in Eastvale Logging Camp, which is east of Elwynn Forest. You can train in Horse Riding with Randal Hunter, which is also in camp.

·         Orcs – wolves from OgunaroWolfrunner in Orgimmar’s Valley of Honor.Train Wolf Riding with Kildar.

·         Night Elves – sabers (tiger-like big cats) from Lelanai in Darnassus, close to the portal leading to Ruth'ven Village. Learn Tiger Riding from Jartsam.

·         Undead – undead horses from Zachariah Post in Brill, which is close to the Ruins of Lordaeron. Velma Warnam will teach you Undead Horsemanship.

·         Dwarves – rams from VeronAmberstill at Amsterstill Ranch in Dun Morogh, which should be near Kharanos. Ram Riding is taught by UlthamIronhorn.

·         Trolls – raptors from Zjolnirin Sen’jin Village. Xar’Tiwill teach you Raptor Riding.

·         Gnomes – mechanostriders, which are more like robot big flightless birds. You’ll learn Mechanostrider Piloting from BinjyFeatherwhistle.

·         Tauren– kodos, huge herbivorous dinosaur-like mounts with one rhino-like horns, are sold by HarbClawhoof in Bloodhoof Village, which is south of Thunder Bluff in Mulgore. Kodo Riding is taught by KarStormsinger.

Such Classy Horses

Perhaps you’re not too keen on the race mounts. If so, then maybe the class mounts would suit you better. After all, some race mounts don’t suit certain classes, with mechanostriders being the biggest offender, as it will definitely be quite the mismatch with Gnome mages and warlocks.

Unfortunately, only two classes have class mounts. There’s the Warhorse for the Paladin, which is obtained at level 40. Because Paladin is locked to Alliance in Classic, you’ll have to live with the fact that you won’t get this one if you’re playing Horde.

To obtain it, you need to take the quest called Tome of Nobility from a Paladin trainer, which you’ll find in any major city. However, it’s best to start the quest in Stormwind, as it’s where you’ll find the final NPC for the quest.

As for the Warlock, they get the Felsteed, a black horse with glowing fel-green hooves and eyes. Similar to the Paladin mount, you can get it as early as level 40, provided that you complete the Summon Felsteed quest for it. To start the quest, talk to StrahadFarsan, which you’ll find on top of a hill near the bank in Ratchet in The Barrens.

Let’s be honest – the roster of mounts in World of Warcraft’s first outing is quite small. But hey, they’re still pretty cool! You know what they say, you can’t beat a classic, and that’s very much true for the classic mount. And if they’re really not your cup of tea, just wait for Phase 2 – there’s going to be more rides coming your way.

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.

The Need for Steeds: World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth Mounts

New expansion, new WoW mounts – that’s been the trend with World of Warcraft for quite some time now. The same goes with Battle of Azeroth. So, if you want to ride into battle in the snazziest way possible, check out this guide!

Other than Horses

With Battle for Azeroth’s focus on the reignited conflict between Alliance and Horde, it’s fitting that many of the mounts for this expansion are not only faction-exclusive, but also reflective of the faction they belong to.

For the goody-two-shoes Alliance, you get solid but pretty vanilla options, as they’re all horses.  There’s the black Smoky Charger, the beige Admiralty Stallion, and the Dapple Gray, whose color is pretty self-explanatory. To obtain them, you’ll first need to get Exalted-level reputation for a particular faction. For example, if you want a Smoky Charger, you’ll need Exalted-level reputation from the Order of Embers. As for the other two, you’ll need the same level of reputation from the Proudmoore Admiralty and Storm’s Wake, respectively. Only after then will you be able to buy the mounts from their respective NPCs for 10,000 WoW gold.

For the brutish and sometimes grotesque Horde, there’s a wider variety of mounts. There’s the spider-like Expedition Bloodswarmer from Talanji’s Expedition, Alabaster Hyena from Voldunai, and Cobalt Pterrordax from Zandalari Empire. Unlocking them is very much like unlocking Alliance mounts – get Exalted-level reputation for a particular faction and buy them for 10,000 gold.

Mounting Oppositions

Other than the fixture faction mounts, Battle for Azeroth will also be giving players access to additional mounts when the player unlocks Allied Races as playable races. For the Alliance, unlocking the Dark Iron Dwarves grants them the Dark Iron Core Hound –which is much cooler and edgier than the other Alliance mounts. As for the Horde, unlocking the Mag’har Orcs gives you theMag’har Direwolf. Finally, for both Alliance and Horde, getting the Zandalari trolls means getting the Zandalari Direhorn. Given the lack of diversity in the Alliance’s mounts, they’ll need it more than the Horde does.

Another way to get Alliance-exclusive mounts would be through Rated Battleground PVP. By participating in this kind of PVP, you’ll earn saddles, which in turn is used to buy mounts. For Alliance, it’s the hippo-like Vicious War Riverbeast, for the Horde it’s the Vicious War Clefthoof, and both factions can buy the Vicious War Basilisk, whose armor varies depending on the faction.

Rides Outside the Team

Outside of the Alliance and Horde dichotomy, there are the more traditional ways of getting WoW mounts.

First, there’s the PVP Arena mounts. For top-tier teams for a particular season, they’ll be getting a Proto-Drake. Currently, the only one confirmed is the Dread Gladiator’s Proto-Drake, which is for Season 1. From the game data, however, it can be seen that this World of Warcraft mount comes in six other colors: black, blue, gold, green, pale, and purple. It’s not yet known which proto-drake will be for which season, but it’s without a doubt that all of them command bragging rights.

And for World PVP, players can unlock the Conqueror’s Scythemaw by unlocking the Conqueror of Azeroth achievement.

For the mounts dropped by the dungeon bosses in Mythic-level runs, they are the following:

• ·         Tomb Stalker – King Dazzar in King’s Rest.
• ·         Underrot Crawg – Unbound Abomination in The Underrot.
• ·         Sharkbait – Harian Sweetie in Freehold.

Yet another way to get mounts and at the same time have fun exploring would be through Island Expeditions. Although it’s a random and slight chance, the mounts unlocked this way are pretty cool and colorful nonetheless. There’s the purple dragon-like Twilight Avenger, Surf Jelly, the simian Craghorn Chasm-Leaper, Squawks the parrot, and Qinsho’s Eternal Hound.

Battle of Azeroth has a lot in store for both Alliance and Horde, and mounts are just a small part of that. Mind you, these aren’t even all of the mounts this expansion has to offer. So, what are you waiting for? Go out into a bigger and better Azeroth and get yourself a good mount.

New World of Warcraft Mounts in the Battle for Azeroth Expansion

Set after the fall of the Burning Legion introduced in the previous expansion, the adventurers are called to save the world (again) and determine which faction will lead the devastated world into the future in The Battle for Azeroth. The fate of Azeroth is in your hands, adventurer. Will you lead it to ruin or prosperity?

As the release of the newest expansion of World of Warcraft draws closer, more and more information is being revealed. From the new Warfronts mode to new mounts previously unannounced, there's something new to learn about the expansion.

Other articles may have covered mounts released earlier, such as the bee mount or the brutosaur, but another mount has been introduced that sparked many players' interest. It's the Forsaken Felbat mount, otherwise known as the Undercity Plaguebat.

The Undercity Plaguebat

The mount looks like a gargoyle with huge bat ears (that look like horns when viewed straight on from the front), as well as bat wings. It has four limbs tipped with wicked claws. Its shoulders and arms are covered with spiky armor sleeves with a glowing skull decorating the shoulder. The saddle is a chair braced on the bat's back, with candles glowing softly behind it.

While it sounds (and looks) very cool, not much else is known about it, such as whether players may be able to obtain and use them. Also, if they are able, how? Is it a quest reward, or sold only in the online store? Is it a re-skin of an NPC's mount? All these questions can only be answered either in future updates, or when the expansion pack is released in August.

More Interesting Updates

Data miners have found other possible World of Warcraft mounts to be made available in the expansion. There's the Hivemind Multi-seat mount for example. Its unique skill is to allow multiple players to link up, making its movement speed faster and faster the more players join. The mount's model seems to look like a large jellyfish-like blob, so how it will look when players ride it is quite hard to imagine.

Another interesting mount is the gryphon. There are three versions of them, namely, the Reins of the Proodmoore Sea Scout, the Reins of the Stormsong Coastwatcher, and the Reins of the Dusky Waycrest Gryphon. The only difference between them is their colors, and which faction to join and raise your standing in. To get the first, you must have an ‘Exalted' standing in the Proudmoore Admiralty faction, and the second and third are the same, but with the Storm's Wake and Order of Embers factions respectively.

In a more adorable train of thought, data miners have also found some spells related to the Vulpera. They are a fox-like race that lives on Zandalar, and a spell can be used to summon a Vulpera pup (in four different colors). How and why they are important is still unknown, but everybody can agree that they are adorable.

More information is sure to come in the weeks leading up to the release. While waiting, be sure to continue enjoying World of Warcraft!