Tada! She's back!

I've finally started playing my Shadow Priest after parking her last June (2008) over Shattrath on her flying mount. I did pull her out and manage to go 1% into level 70 over the past year, but just didn't have any interest in playing her. Now that Sithi is 80, in a raiding guild and is going to try the whole raiding scene, I thought it was time to get Sas out and start leveling her.

She's far far behind on the achievement list, her guild is full of the alts of the people she played with as they've progressed on AND I had to relearn how to play a Shadow Priest after a year.

Having not played her in so long it took about two hours of looking at her talents - trying to remember what and why - setting up keybindings, then finding a rotation that worked but didn't drain mana. We've settled on SW:P, Mind blast, Mind Flay for most single targets, bubble/wand if needed. Rarely using the other DoTs on single target as they're dead much to quickly.

She also needed glyphs, enchants too, so drained what money she had saved! So, lots of catch up!

Fortunately she doesn't have any difficult professions to level (mining/herbing were both maxed, fishing still low, but doable), the worst has been getting her cooking caught up. This dictated a side trip out to Silithus and Felwood to grind out those last levels killing and cooking worms and bears until the Outland recipes came up. Fishing/hunting in Outlands was short and sweet, so she's caught up to Northrend cooking already - yeah!


As this was one of my favorite PvP characters (maxed honor two and half times before level 70), I'm looking forward to diving back into that once she's hit 80. (I tried Winter Grasp and Strand of the Ancients - those are fun!) I've always enjoyed the battlegrounds in WoW - actually glad they keep adding them.


I'm actually trying a new leveling process - following Jame's leveling guide over at Wow-pro.com . So far it's working fantastic! The directions are clear, the circuits may seem odd, but saves lots of back and forth running and the xp has been rolling along. He's really got the kinks out of the process. I've read many of his instance guides (and other contibutors on wow-pro), it really helps make sure you have all the quests and don't miss out on xp/loot. I know some people are against guides, but you still have to do the work, it's not automatic, just simplifies the routes.

In three sessions (this includes the run to Silithus and Outlands recipe chasing) we knocked out Howling Fjord, started our Kal'uak rep dailies (I have a lust for their Mastercrafted Kal'uak Fishing Pole!) and have made our way to Warsong Hold in Borean Tundra.

Fighting the Scourge, and seeing Kel'Thuzad (he's that freaky model I've run into in Northrend - just creeps me out!) while flying on a magic carpet - full of win!

It seems to me that Shadow Priests are either much easier to play than I remember or else playing all the other characters has made me a tad more confident and - dare I say it - a better player, as we're having no trouble in chain pulling or handling multiple mobs (3-4 same level), something I never tried in the past.

Fishing the Daily Quests

Today, while doing the daily fishing quest (The Ghostfish), I arrived with much trepidation at Sholazar Basin, as I've never been through Sholazar without being killed - generally by paladins usually waiting at the flight path at River's Heart. (What's with the blood elf angst against night elves? Still pissed from getting /kicked from the night elf community many milennia ago?)

So...I land on the public bird - five Horde fishing and milling about. Great. The lone Alliance is a druid and he's playing duke-nukem with a Horde druid in all their varied forms - it's a bird! It's a bear! It's a cat! No a tree!

Definitely time to fly away! Pull out the slow mount and away I go! Hovering just out of sight of River's Heart, I looked on Wowhead.com, hoping there were other options as far as fishing up this Ghostfish -

Yes!

I can fish at water leading into the River's Hearth! Found a quiet spot (50,57 approx.) and within 10 casts fished up Mr. Ghostfish and hearthed out!


Daily Fishing Quests in Dalaran are from Marcia Chase and include:

1. The Ghostfish
2. Dangerously Delicious (I've never had this one come up yet)
3. Jewel of the Sewers
4. Monsterbelly Appetite
5. Blood is Thicker

Complete all five quests for the achievement Chasing Marcia.


Daily Fishing Quests in Outlands are from Old Man Barlow:

1. Crocolisk in the City
2. Bait Bandits
3. The One That Got Away
4. Felblood Filet
5. Shrimpin' Aint Easy

Complete all five quests for the achievment Old Man Barlowned

More Howling Fjord fun

Sithi hasn't completed all the quests in Howling Fjord, but we're getting close! Exploring is so much more fun though than playing kill 10 bats, bring me 5 lizard tails - lol!

The quests she has been on are very green/easy especially as she's back with her favorite gorilla tanking away and these are level 65-71 quests being done at level 77!

Sithi chose to take the gorilla out, as it speeds things up dramatically. She should keep leveling the wolf for eventual grouping/raiding, but for solo the gorilla is so full of win!!!

This group of quests Sithi did, continues on killing the vrykul now in in Gjalerbron. Freeing prisoners, slaying warriors, sleep-watchers, summoners - taking out the usual variety of nasties! Watch out for the sleep-watcher if you solo, as someone is going to be taking a nap!

There are also a couple of squeamishly ugly mobs there, in fact I must say these two - Putrid wight and sepulchral overseer have to be two of the creepiest ones I've seen in the game! The overseer according to wowhead.com there are 17 other mobs with this same model. Go figure, I don't have a clear memory of it anywhere else!

There is apparently a quest to go back and kill more Gjalerbron residents, one that is listed as (2) player calling a

Gjalerbron's King Ymiron is inside the main palace. Another place to explore on the next visit!



On our wander around Gjalerbron, Sithi ran across this nymph encased in ice -
As Sithi has not tried the Argent Tournament, the nod for this quest npc to the Athurian legend surrounding Excalibur. Checking wowhead, she's apparently part of a daily quest chain there. More fun to come!

Oh if you like grinding on kobolds (the no take candle guys) there's a bunch up the mountain behind the Maid.


Segueing, if you do dailies - for the fun, the grind, the money or all three - this one at Steel Gate is thoroughly enjoyable - Steel Gate Patrol.

There is a quick quest that leads up to it hauling bags of ore from the mine up to the surface. It really is quick and painless.

The follow up quest, is what will become your daily. You're given the keys to one of their noisy, smoking planes to patrol, i.e. take out gargoyles. Just keep moving and shooting its that fast.

This quest is so quick and easy it's not be missed! When it's done you parachute out of the plane too! <3 this one!

Sithi has moved towards Grizzly Hills and has completed a couple of dailies there too. Cold weather flying will make all of this so much quicker though!