BfA - Second New Pet: Guardian Cobra Hatchling

While continuing to quest in Vol'dun I have received a second pet from a quest reward.

At the Sanctuary of the Devoted I found a Desert Flute in the sand.  While dusty, the little flute appeared to be well cared for, the owner can't be too far away.

Q A Lost Flute - find the owner of the Desert Flute.

Walking in the desert at The Cracked Coast, just south of the Sanctuary of the Devoted, I found Jenoh. He is a pet trainer who sells pets (Ranishu Runt, Freshwater Pincher, Barnacled Hermit Crab, Sandstinger Wasp and Violent Looking Flower Pot) for the new pet currency Polished Pet Charms, and he is also the owner of the lost flute.

Jenoh has been training some cobra hatchlings as he thinks they will make good guardians when they get older, but some have wandered off and he asks if you can help round them up.

Q A Charming Tail - send 15 cobras to Jenoh.  Use the flute to play them a tune to remind them to return to Jenoh.

Although quick learners the cobras get a bit... bitey... when they're grouchy. To many bites and Jenoh gets a little light headed. The nearby Atrivax plants have a  medicinal gel to treat fresh wounds and nullify venom.  He asks you to harvest some for him.

Q Just a Nip - get 10 samples of Atrivax Gel.

Having rounded up the cobra hatchlings and collects the gel Jenoh asks you to help with his hungry neighbor, an angry Hydra who has made his home on the ridge nearby and scares the cobra hatchlings.

Q - My Hungry Neighbor - kill the Territorial Hydra.

The Territorial Hydra

The Territorial Hydra is at the top of the hill behind Jenoh.  Once he is defeated return to Jenoh who will reward you with the Snake Charmer's Flute which teaches the Guardian Cobra Hatchling.

 

The Guardian Cobra Hatchling is a beast pet which is uncommon and so you will need a battle-stone in order to make it rare.  It has the Blinding Poison talent which is quite useful in pet battles.

Come Sail Away: Part #1

Alliance War Campaign #1

After returning from Silithus with your new Heart of Azeroth, you return to Stormwind.  An urgent War Council is underway and you are requested to attend.

Q - Tides of War - Attend the War Council in Stormwind Keep

The leaders of the Alliance, King Anduin Wrynn, Lady Jaina Proudmoore, Master Mathias Shaw and Genn Greymane are in discussion.

King Anduin "Everyone is here.  What News do you bring, Spymaster?"
Mathias Shaw "Recently, Horde agents broke into the Stockades and freed two Zandalari prisoners, a princess and a prophet."
King Anduin "I'm aware.  What of the eight warships we sent in pursuit?"
Mathias Shaw "Only one returned.  Survivors say they encountered strange and terrifying magics, and a massive Zandalari fleet."
Greymane "Impossible! It's one of Sylvanas's tricks it has to be..."
Mathias Shaw "Jaina, perhaps you could help us see what this survivor has witnessed."
Jaina Proudmoore "It's a simple enough spell provided the subject is cooperative.  Show us... show us what happened..."

Following the breakout from the Stockade and the subsequent chase and destruction of the Alliance fleet, the War Council witness the attack through the memory of a survivor.  With the Horde seeking an alliance with the Zandalari the Alliance also need allies and Kul Tiras may be their only option.  Jaina offers to return to Kul Tiras and seek their assistance.

King Anduin "If the Horde makes allies of the Zandalari, we won't have the power to stop them."
Jaina Proudmoore "Then we must make allies of our own.  My people command the most powerful navy in all of Azeroth.  If I could bring Kul Tiras back into the Alliance..."
Greymane "Jaina, you're the reason they left the Alliance."
Jaina Proudmoore "And dealing with that is the only hope we have of bringing them back."
King Anduin "I believe it is... and I believe you can.  It will be difficult... and dangerous."
Jaina Proudmoore "I will return with the fleet... or not at all."
King Anduin "Be careful Jaina.  Light be with you."

Q - The Nation of Kul Tiras - speak with Lady Jaina Proudmoore in Stormwind Harbor.
Jaina Proudmoore "I must prepare my ship, Champion meet me in the harbor when you are ready to depart."

You go to the harbor and set sail with Lady Jaina Proudmoore for Boralus Harbour, Kul Tiras.  King Anduin sends Genn Greymane and a 7th Legion vessel along as an escort.
King Anduin "Secure a base of operations in Kul Tiras.  Our plans must not fail.  And please... look after Jaina."
Greymane "As you wish."

Arriving at Boralus stirs buried memories in Jaina. 
Jaina Proudmoore "I do not know how this will end - only that we must try."

Q - Daughter of the Sea - Accompany Jaina Proudmoore to an audience with Katherine Proudmoore.

Boralus Guard "Halt! State your intentions!"
Jaine Proudmoore "I am Jaina Proudmoore.  I have come for an audience with Lord Admiral Katherine Proudmoore... my mother."
Boralus Guard "We're taking you to Katherine, alright!  You'll answer to her for your crimes against Kul Tiras."
Jaina Proudmoore "As you wish."
Boralus Guard "Clear the way!  Dangerous prisoners coming through!"

The people of Kul Tiras are not pleased to see Jaina, many blame her for the defeat at Theramore and the death of her father!

"Mommy, who is that lady?"  "It's the daughter of the sea!"  "Lady Jaina... Is it really her?"  "Sh-she's come back to finish us!"  "Murderer!"  "Traitor!"  

Your group arrives infront of Katherine Proudmoore.  Jaine accepts that she is to blame for the defeat at Theramore and leaves her fate in Katherines hands.  Jaina Proudmoore "I will suffer what I must... For the Alliance!"
Urged by Lady Ashvane to treat Jaina as a traitor, Katherine allows Jaine to be taken away to face justice.  Katherine Proudmoore "do what you will, she is no daughter of mine".

Everything goes black.

To be Continued... (Come Sail Away: Part #2)

New Mount: The Dreadwake

The Dreadwake is a new mount which has been launched by Blizzard through the Blizzard shop.

'A ship unlike any other, held aloft by a gift from an unknown kraken-faced god of the deeps.'

The Dreadwake is part of a bundle when you purchase 180 days (6 months) of WOW game time.  There has been a bit of chatter from people in game and on YouTube that this reward is unfair, making people pay for 6 months upfront, but I don't agree.  In every business there is often incentives for purchasing in bulk or long term which give a reward.  If you pre-purchase you get a mini figurine or if you sign a six month contract you get a fluffy toy or a pen.  There are no end of offers around to incentivise you to buy more or commit for longer and there is no reason that Blizzard, a business, doesn't do the same.  You don't have to buy it if you don't want to, the same as you don't have to buy the stuff from the shop.  But, if you do buy it, you get a mount as a thank you for your loyalty, for the next six months anyway.  Also they are not fleecing anyone.  The six month subscription is actually cheaper than paying month by month so its worth it.

I have a rolling six month subscription and when I logged in I saw on the launcher that I had a gift.

The mount is quite cool looking and fits well with the pirate theme in some of the BfA zones.  I really like the water effect coming from the bottom but agree with others that they missed a trick by not making this a water walking mount.  Imagine sailing around in your own pirate ship :) 

Overall it is a nice edition to my mount collection :)

Noob Druid Part #1: Boosted

I have decided to use my free boost from the pre-purchase of BfA to create an Alliance Resto Druid.  I have not played Resto Druid before and thought this might be a nice thing to try out and I have chosen Alliance because, on my realm, there are many more alliance than horde and hopefully that means I can do some stuff.

My boosted Druid, a female Night Elf called Raspberi, started at level 110 with a completed artifact weapon, G'Hanir the Mother Tree, including 35 artifact levels and full 870 Springrain gear.  I also had a full set of Embersilk bags (22 slots) which contained 3x level 870 relics, a Flight Masters Whistle, a Hearthstone (set to Broken Isles Dalaran), a Laden Apple (food that restores health) and a Broken Isles Survival Kit.  The survival kit contained more food (Dalaran Rice Pudding x20), 20x Ley-Enriched Water (restores mana), 5x Ancient Health Potion, a Dalaran Hearthstone, a Shimmering Ancient Mana Cluster (gives 150 Ancient Mana) and 5x Tomb of the Tranquil Mind for changing your talents outside a major city.

When I arrived in Dalaran a crow (Stormcrow) appeared and turned into Archdruid Hamuul Runetotem who gives a quest Growing Pain (Speak to Archdruid Rensar Greathoof at the Dreamgrove).  I realised that I did not know how to get to the Dreamgrove which is the Druid Class Hall.  I walked around Dalaran for a bit but then thought as the Dreamgrove is located in the north of Val'Sharah I could just fly there.  As a boosted character I has a few flight points in the zones of the Broken Isles which was very useful.  From the flightmaster at Krasus Landing I flew to Lorlathil, Val'sharah and then mounted up to fly north to the Dreamgrove.  After arriving I spoke to Archdruid Rensar Greathoof and he gave me the quest Rise, Champions (Recruit Zen'tabra and Naralex), which is the first quest to get the champions in your class hall and the beginning of the Druid Class Hall quest chain.  He also offers the quest Another Weapon Of Old (choose a second artifact to pursue), where you can learn another artifact. 

I then began to set up my talents and as a total noob at Resto Druid I watched a couple of videos on Youtube.  While looking through the spellbook I found the Dreamwalk, which teleports you to the Dreamgrove, well that would have been useful 20 minutes earlier :)  I will keep you updated with my successes and failures as a noob druid healer, lets see how we get on.

Trial of Style : Season 3

It's time again for, what seems to be, the biannual mini holiday Trial of Style, the transmog beauty show/catwalk contest, which ran from 31st August to 4th September 2018.

The Trial of Style is a six players scenario which you can queue for by speaking to any transmogrifier in a major city.  When you enter you appear dressed in a dressing gown and you have two minutes to transmog your gear following a theme.  When the two minutes is up players appear on stage two at a time for the others to vote on who has the best transmog.  There is a reward of Trial of Style Tokens for first, second and third place but even as a loser you get a Trial of Style Consolation Prize with 11-15 tokens inside.  

New for Season 3

In previous Trials of Styles you could buy a gear set, for transmog only, with the Trial of Style Tokens but in season 3 there was no new gear set available.  Instead the only new item to buy was a Letter from an Admirer which spawns a supporter to cheer you on whenever you entered the scenario, and you were able to have a maximum of three supporters.  This Letter from an Admirer costs 100 tokens, which is quite expensive, and as someone pointed out on Wowhead comments, may be more likely to annoy your competitors as you are showing off how many tokens you have to spare, rather than help you get more votes :)

I only entered the competition a few times with my DK, Blackandblue, but I did come third with this outfit for the theme Mashup Mayhem. 

This is still a fun mini holiday but with the BfA expansion just started and no new gear to collect it was not as appealing as other times.  I expect the Trial of Style mini holiday to return again the about February 2019.