Instant Pets

So I'm sitting on my back alt, checking my mailbox, running some junk around... and all of the sudden my entire chat window fills with yellow text. A new character has just gotten all of their collector's edition pets. And then some. Achievements left and right.

I always love that feeling. You go to your first mailbox and there is a whole mess of little NCPs waiting for you. Instant achievement!

Which makes me kind of sad that Blizz has declared there will be no 6th anniversary pet. I love Feats of Strength like nobody's business, but not getting a pet makes me sad. Their past pets were really awesome! Baby Blizzard Bear, Onyxian Whelpling (especially if you're like me and don't have a zillion CE dragon pets). Oh well. I hear there is an Armadillo in Cata, and I love me my Xenathrans.

Little Fawn

It is mine.

Authenticator

I finally caved and put the Authenticator service on my phone today. Not exactly sure why I waited so long to do it, since it's free. But now at least I can be a little less freaked about potential hackage, and have a cute little pet to boot.

It makes some really cute emotes

As a side note: My Warlock is now at 70/75 for Lil' Game Hunter. Just need the Walrus people penguin, the pug, and a few more tournament pets and the deer will be mine!

Anyway, this was supposed to be about Authenticators, not pets. There have been many a scary tale lately of accounts being hacked, and the hackers immediately putting Authenticators on the account, which adds a whole new level of pain-in-the-ass for retrieving all of your stuff. I think that's what really finally motivated me. I hate customer service over the phone. I hate sitting on hold. If I can spend 10 extra seconds each time I log on to ensure I won't be trying to get my things back, damnit I will.

I'm probably going to order an actual physical Authenticator in the next few days, only because I'm wary of losing my phone, or having it break, and then once again having to deal with customer service. The physical devices cost $6.50, but the mobile apps are completely free and available for iPhone, Android, and a few other phone platforms as well.

In an additional effort to promote Authenticators, it was recently announced that a new guild rank option will be available in Cata that require Authenticator ownership. The reasoning behind this, of course, is to make sure that compromised accounts can't clear out the guild bank. So between the guild rank, the pet, and the piece of mind that you're things are safe, there really isn't a reason not to have one anymore.. so do it!

Zul'Gurub

There are going to be countless changes to the older areas of Azeroth come Cataclysm, and one of the most buzzed about is the complete removal of the 20-man level 60 raid zone Zul'Gurub. In it's place will be a new 30-35 leveling zone.

Another reason to go: Hakkar looks awesome.

What does the removal of ZG mean for the game? On the achievement side of things, you'll be missing out on:

1. A fishing achievement
2. A rep achievement
3. A handful of classic dungeon achievements
4. Two amazingly awesome looking mounts to be found as rare drops off of the Tiger and Raptor bosses, which also provide Feats of Strength.

And have I mentioned that the shoulder enchants given by the Zandalar Tribe are the only enchants available for Bind on Account heirloom shoulders?

Good thing we still have (probably) a few months to go before this dungeon leaves forever, so if you have any desire to complete the aforementioned achievements, get on out to STV!

'Twas a thrilling fight for me.

Though a word of warning... I went in tonight on my Warlock, accompanied by a Feral Druid. All the bosses were easy-cake, even though they didn't want to drop the mounts. However, due to Hakkar's mind control ability, both of us could not be alive for the fight. This was of course a mechanic we had completely forgotten about, which on our first pull bugged the hell out of the boss. But after dotting up on try #2, I did the old Lifetap-Hellfire suicide trick and ate some ice cream while the druid did his thing. Funny how it's easier to solo that guy than to two-man.

I can't say for sure that I'll be in there on every instance reset, but I hope to go back at least a few more times to try for the mounts and raise some more rep. Best of luck to everyone!

"World Explorer" and Why It Rocks

A Title and a Tabard!

I'm not an achievement junkie, but I do love titles. There are titles in Warcraft for all sorts of accomplishments; downing bosses, completing meta-acheivements, taking part in holiday events, and raising reputations, among others. Unfortunately, many of these can only be accomplished at level 80, due to dungeon requirements. There are however, a handful of awesome titles that are open and available to those below level cap, and one of these is "World Explorer."

I have recently set out to complete this achievement on a third character, and was met with comments of astonishment. "That takes so much time!" or "I just don't have the patience for that!" But you know what, compared to "Seeker" and "Loremaster," "World Explorer" is not only a piece of cake, but also a rewarding experience that can be handled at just about any level, (provided you have exceptional tenacity) and provides both a title for those collectors such as myself, as well as a pretty cool looking tabard for finishing the Northrend leg. And hey, if you're going for sheer numbers, you can't go wrong with the individual achievements granted for each and every zone.

So much world to see!

"World Explorer" is best done after level 60, when one achieves a flying mount. Obviously all Vanilla world zones require the exclusive use of ground mounts, but being able to fly across Outlands and Northrend saves not only time, but potential deaths and repair bills as well. It is even possible to complete this achievement sub-60, though it will require some awfully creative running! I've put together a list of some considerations to make while working your way through this epic journey, enjoy!

Don't forget the poultry!

1. The Plan. What zones are already complete? Is there a logical way to run from one unfinished place to another? Finding a good loop to make can minimize the time it takes. Make a strategy!
2. Opposing Factions. These zones can be troublesome, especially if you are doing your exploring at a lower level and will have to deal with higher-level guards. Figure out a good loop to make while keeping clear of potential dangers.
3. Hearthstones. Some zones are just plain annoying. My personal least favorite to explore is Azshara. While beautiful, it's crescent shaped, it has weird hills, it has water. Azshara is the one zone I always hearth out of upon completion. I'm sure everyone has their own least-favs, consider those routes in your plan!
4. Gathering. You can make a really amazing amount of money if you want to take extra time to complete "The Explorer." On my server, low level ore such as Mithril sells for huge amounts of money. Stopping at nodes while exploring is completely worth the extra time.
5. Flight Paths. Now is a really great time to pick up those paths you never bothered with before. Stonetalon Mountains? That goblin between EPL and WPL. Grab them all, you never know when you might need to use them with the world getting ripped apart in a few months.
6. Companion Pets and Mounts. You can knock off a few little achievements during your travels relating to both pets and mounts. These guys are sold not only outside of the major faction cities, but interesting off-the-path locations as well. Don't forget your Ancona Chicken from the Mirage Raceway in Thousand Needles!

So there you go, get exploring!