I am #6

...on wowinsider's top 10 stories of all time!

Whoo-hoo!

Green Day (lies)

Hitting level 76 has turned the old level 70 daily quests green, which reduces the XP by 14,000 each day (including the Shattrath cooking daily, which I can't always do anyway). I've done all the Sholazar Basin quests that I can do, and the dailies are still not available. El of El's Anglin' left a comment on my previous post that some new pacifistic dailies should open up at level 77. Until then, I think I'll try to maximize my XP by skipping the fishing daily (0 XP) and re-doing the Troll Patrol daily to do the Alchemist's Apprentice four extra times (five if I can't do the Shattrath cooking daily that day). That will keep my total number of dailies to 25 per day (in case the Troll Patrol trick is considered an exploit) and get me the most XP each day. Of course, if I can't do all the Troll Patrol subquests, I'll just substitute six more Alchemist's Apprentice quests.

The Spirit of level 76

Made it to level 76 by fishing up my hundredth Strange Engine Part and doing the Alchemist's Apprentice over & over because I couldn't do all of today's Troll Patrol subquests. I also did Digging Through Bones (which I had tried once before, long ago) and I didn't have to do anything to help. Unfortunately, the quest was gray so I only got 1100 XP. I've also done over 500 daily quests now.

Wowhead says there are two new daily quests I can do at level 76, but I think they're behind some level 77 prerequisites, since the questgivers have no "!"...

Here are the quests Noor did to get from level 74 to level 76:
Crocolisks in the City (0 XP)
The Call of the Crusade
Parachutes for the Argent Crusade (opened up Pa'Troll quest!)
New Orders for Sergeant Stackhammer
Lab Work
Creature Comforts
Something for the Pain
Throwing Down (not terribly pacifistic, though; needed to open the dailies)
Leave No One Behind
Cocooned!
Pa'Troll
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Trouble at the Altar of Sseratus
Troll Patrol: Whatdya Want, A Medal? (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: Intestinal Fortitude (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: High Standards (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol (daily) (21150 XP)
First Things First
Spirits of Auchindoun (20750 XP)
In Search of Answers
This Just In, Fire Still Hot!
Orders From Drakuru
The Ebon Watch
Crusader Forward Camp
Making Something Out Of Nothing
A Great Storm Approaches
That's What Friends Are For...
Argent Crusade, We Are Leaving! (sometimes the AD troop spawns before the troll enemy does, and I can tell him/her then)
Mustard Dogs! (15550 XP)
Troll Patrol: Creature Comforts (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: Done to Death (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: Something for the Pain (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: (21150 XP)
Congratulations! (31750 XP) (had about 10 seconds left; thanks, EasySerum)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Shredder Repair (20750 XP)
Pieces Parts (20750 XP)
Life or Death (20750 XP)
Smoke 'Em Out (20750 XP)
Riding the Red Rocket (20750 XP)
Crocolisks in the City (0 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20750 XP)
Mustard Dogs! (15550 XP)
Troll Patrol: Can You Dig It? (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Grulloc Has Two Skulls (new Winter Veil achievement has people doing this quest again; anyone can loot the skull after the fight)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20750 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Soup for the Soul (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Greatfather Winter is Here!
Treats for Greatfather Winter
The Reason for the Season
The Feast of Winter Veil
Stolen Winter Veil Treats
Metzen the Reindeer
The Hero of the Day (0 XP)
Crocolisks in the City (0 XP)
Pieces Parts (20750 XP)
Shredder Repair (20750 XP)
Life or Death (20750 XP)
Riding the Red Rocket (20750 XP)
Smoke 'Em Out (20750 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
(even though I couldn't do all the Troll Patrol quests, I can abandon it and re-take it to fill out all my dailies)
Troll Patrol: Can You Dig It? (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Infused Mushroom Meatloaf (15550 XP)
Felblood Fillet (0 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Troll Patrol: Whatdya Want, A Medal? (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: Intestinal Fortitude (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: High Standards (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: (21150 XP)
Congratulations! (31750 XP)
Pieces Parts (20750 XP)
Shredder Repair (20750 XP)
Life or Death (20750 XP)
Smoke 'Em Out (20750 XP)
Riding the Red Rocket (20750 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20750 XP)
The One That Got Away (0 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Convention at the Legerdemain (15550 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20750 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Pieces Parts (20750 XP)
Shredder Repair (20750 XP)
Life or Death (20750 XP)
Smoke 'Em Out (20750 XP)
Troll Patrol: Whatdya Want, A Medal? (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: Intestinal Fortitude (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: High Standards (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: (21150 XP)
Congratulations! (31750 XP) (75)
Just Checkin'
For Posterity
Riding the Red Rocket (20750 XP)
Discretion is Key
The One That Got Away (0 XP)
Soup for the Soul (12650 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Pieces Parts (20750 XP)
Shredder Repair (20750 XP)
Life or Death (20750 XP)
Smoke 'Em Out (20750 XP)
Riding the Red Rocket (20750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20950 XP) (500 daily quests achievement)
Sewer Stew (15700 XP)
The Champion's Call!
Troll Patrol: Whatdya Want, A Medal? (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: Intestinal Fortitude (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: High Standards (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: (21150 XP)
Congratulations! (31750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20950 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Felblood Fillet (0 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Sewer Stew (15700 XP)
Troll Patrol: Can You Dig It? (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Pieces Parts (20750 XP)
Shredder Repair (20750 XP)
Life or Death (20750 XP)
Smoke 'Em Out (20750 XP)
Riding the Red Rocket (20750 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Sewer Stew (15700 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Manalicious (12650 XP)
Felblood Fillet (0 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Pieces Parts (20750 XP)
Shredder Repair (20750 XP)
Life or Death (20750 XP)
Riding the Red Rocket (20750 XP)
Smoke 'Em Out (20750 XP)
Troll Patrol: Can You Dig It? (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20950 XP)
Mustard Dogs! (15700 XP)
Bait Bandits (0 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20950 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Troll Patrol: Creature Comforts (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: Done to Death (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: Something for the Pain (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: (21150 XP)
Congratulations! (31750 XP)
Pieces Parts (20750 XP)
Shredder Repair (20750 XP)
Life or Death (20750 XP)
Smoke 'Em Out (20750 XP)
Riding the Red Rocket (20750 XP)
Sewer Stew (15700 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Pieces Parts (20750 XP)
Shredder Repair (20750 XP)
Life or Death (20750 XP)
Smoke 'Em Out (20750 XP)
Riding the Red Rocket (20750 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Manalicious (12650 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20950 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
AV (1 win) (20950 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#100)
Digging Through Bones (gray; 1100 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP)
Troll Patrol: the Alchemist's Apprentice (5300 XP) (76)

On a roll with Troll Patrol

OK, I managed to do the first timed Troll Patrol (all the quests were non-violent ones) and did it just in time to get the Congratulations! bonus, which gave me even more XP than wowhead claims (31,750; may vary by level). The next day I couldn't do two of the four subquests, but after doing all the other dailies I went back and discovered I could drop & re-get Troll Patrol and do the dailies again! The subquests don't change, but I can always do at least two of the four subquests, each of which is worth 5300 XP. I mostly did the Alchemist's Apprentice to practice it.

I might skip the fishing daily, because it's worth 0 XP, and I can substitute a Troll Patrol subquest. The subquests are worth the least of my dailies, so I won't drop any others yet. I'll do the fishing daily again when I hit 80.

I'll try to do Troll Patrol last, so I know exactly how many dailies I have left (sometimes I can't do the Shattrath cooking daily, and it's possible I won't be able to get Venture Bay to be Alliance so I can do Riding the Red Rocket). I can discover if I can do all four subquests (a 44.4% chance), and do the subquests until I have 6 dailies left, which should be just enough to do all of Troll Patrol and Congratulations (assuming I can do them fast enough). Of course, if I can't do all four subquests, I can just do some of them over & over until I hit 25 dailies done.

With this additional XP, I should be able to level up faster than one level per week.

UPDATE: It's even better than that, though this might be considered an exploit...

If you abandon Troll Patrol after having done some dailies, those dailies DON'T COUNT once you log off & on. While logged in, they count towards your maximum of 25 per day, but logging recalculates the totals in some way. The upshot is, I can do Troll Patrol subquests as many times as I want. However, each subquest is only worth about 1/15 of an XP bar, so I will probably only do it if I'm close to a new level. Addendum: it seems it's the "duplicate" dailies that don't count, i.e. if you do Alchemist's Apprentice the first time, it counts as a daily, but if you do it a second time, that one won't count if you log out and back in.

UPDATE TWO: Keep in mind that if you can't do the subquests fast enough to get the Congratulations! quest, just DON'T turn in "Troll Patrol" - drop it, (log off & on if you have fewer than 6 daily quest slots remaining), and take Troll Patrol again until you do them within the 20 minute limit.

UPDATE THREE: It appears the random subquests aren't independent; you get one of three random 'sets' of subquests, and luckily, the two quests I want to avoid are in the same set, so I have a 2/3 chance to do all the subquests instead of 4/9...

A Toot and a Snore to level 74

Noor made it to level 74, which opens up the Troll Patrol dailies (luckily, I didn't have to do the quest to kill 10 scourge to open it, just the parachute one). I won't be able to do Troll Patrol every day, since one of the random quests is to kill some of the swamp elementals, and I'm not sure about Throwing Down, where you blow up spider tunnels (because a bunch of spiders come out and die after you do it). I did Throwing Down once as a non-daily to open up the daily quests themselves.

If I can do all the dailies (including the Shattrath cooking daily) and do Troll Patrol fast enough to get the Congratulations! quest, I can get 318,550 XP each day (4 bars of XP at level 74). Without the cooking daily and only doing 2 of the Troll Patrol quests, I can get 247,650 XP (3.1 bars).


Here are the quests Noor did to get from level 72 to 74:
Don't Forget the Eggs!
The Obsidian Dragonshrine
Return to Sender
Stocking Up
A Bear of an Appetite
Find Kurun!
Raining Down Destruction
Spirits of Auchindoun (20300 XP)
Slim Pickings
Messy Business
Apply This Twice A Day
Worm Wrangler
Cheese for Glowergold (15250 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
The One That Got Away (0 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20300 XP)
No Place to Run (again, completed with healing help from Coopthar)
The Best of Intentions
Defiling the Defilers
Mystery of the Infinite (my level 80 future self, wielding a big iron fishing pole, apparently is no longer a pacifist and did all the fighting)
Shaved Ice (found out I can get the shards by mining corpses other people leave)
Infused Mushroom Meatloaf (15250 XP)
Shrimpin' Ain't Easy (0 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Manalicious (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20300 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20300 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Manalicious (12650 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
The One That Got Away (0 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Cheese for Glowergold (15250 XP)
Infused Mushroom Meatloaf (15250 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Manalicious (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Crocolisks in the City (0 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20300 XP)
Infused Mushroom Meatloaf (15250 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
The One That Got Away (0 XP)
Manalicious (12650 XP)
Crisis at the Sunwell
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20300 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
(dropping mining, took up skinning; had to 'cheat' from 77 to 300)
Felblood Fillet (0 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Mustard Dogs! (15250 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20300 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
(skinning at 365+5 for gloves, enough to skin Jormungar Tunnelers at level 73 & 74)
Soft Packaging (done entirely with skinning corpses left by other players)
Something That Won't Melt
Lumber Hack
(dropping skinning, took up herbalism)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20300 XP)
Mustard Dogs! (15250 XP)
Manalicious (12650 XP)
Felblood Fillet (0 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP) (now done with herbalism)
Hard to Swallow (yes, I can ninja pieces created by other players)
(375 herbalism)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20300 XP)
Bait Bandits (0 XP)
Soup for the Soul (12650 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Convention at the Legerdemain (15250 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP) (73)
Pieces Parts (20750 XP)
Life or Death (20750 XP)
Shredder Repair (20750 XP)
Smoke 'Em Out (20750 XP)
Riding the Red Rocket (20750 XP; note - the boat is empty and full of explosives, it's pacifistic to destroy it)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20500 XP)
Felblood Fillet (0 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Mustard Dogs! (15400 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Shredder Repair (20750 XP)
Pieces Parts (20750 XP)
Life or Death (20750 XP)
Smoke 'Em Out (20750 XP)
Riding the Red Rocket (20750 XP)
The Hills Have Us
Mmm... Amberseeds!
Just Passing Through
Doing Your Duty
Mounting Up
Softening the Blow
Local Support
Close the Deal
A Tentative Pact
An Exercise in Diplomacy
Wolfsbane Root
Seeking Solvent
Always Seeking Solvent x 3 (0 XP) (bought Thick Goblin Back Protector, can't wear until lvl 74)
It Takes Guts....
Filling the Cages
Truce?
Vial of Visions
Scourgekabob
Cheese for Glowergold (15400 XP)
Bait Bandits (0 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Pieces Parts (20750 XP)
Smoke 'Em Out (20750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20500 XP)
Shredder Repair (20750 XP)
Life or Death (20750 XP)
Riding the Red Rocket (20750 XP)
Cheese for Glowergold (15400 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Shrimpin' Ain't Easy (0 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Pieces Parts (20750 XP)
Shredder Repair (20750 XP)
Life or Death (20750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20500 XP)
Subject to Interpretation
Smoke 'Em Out (20750 XP)
Riding the Red Rocket (20750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20500 XP)
Mustard Dogs! (15400 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Soup for the Soul (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Shredder Repair (20750 XP)
Pieces Parts (20750 XP)
Life or Death (20750 XP)
Smoke 'Em Out (20750 XP)
Riding the Red Rocket (20750 XP)
Crocolisks in the City (0 XP)
Mustard Dogs! (15400 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Shredder Repair (20750 XP)
Pieces Parts (20750 XP)
Life or Death (20750 XP)
Smoke 'Em Out (20750 XP)
Riding the Red Rocket (20750 XP) (74)

The skinny on cheating

Well, after trying to skill up skinning on Saturday morning/afternoon by only skinning found corpses for eight hours and getting to a skill level of just 77, I decided I had to get out my Deathknight to create some corpses (Maiev is still a pretty low population server). I only cheated in the old world until Noor was at 300 skinning. She needed to be at least 365 skinning (plus her +5 skinning enchant) to skin the Jormungar Tunnelers, which are level 73 and 74. She got from 300 to 365 in Outland without more cheating, as there were a lot of DKs out killing beasts and my fast roflcopter made it fairly easy.

I was right that doing Soft Packaging would open up three more quests that I could do: Something That Doesn't Melt, Lumber Hack, and Hard to Swallow, which I could do by ninjaing pieces when Horde players were doing the quest.

Since I still can't take a grandmaster gathering skill without losing the still-buggy Gaining the Advantage daily, I decided to drop skinning and take up herbalism, and got that up high enough not to miss a daily.

Now Noor is level 73, and FIVE more quests have opened up! Pieces Parts, Life or Death, Shredder Repair, Smoke 'Em Out, and Riding the Red Rocket (which I figured was OK for me to do because the boat only contains munitions, no people). This should get enough XP per day to go up a level every week, without counting non-daily quests.

See? More skinner!

Level 72 opened up some quests that I could do in rather creative ways...

No Place to Run, while not a very pacifistic quest (since you're helping Serinar set up a trap to slaughter all the cultists), I was able to do with more help from Coopthar the paladin, healing the crystal until it was fully charged. The crystal aggros mobs, so my earlier tries using a target dummy wouldn't distract them long enough. But the joke's on Serinar -- cultists can still chase me beyond the limit where the destructive ward is supposed to stop them.

A similar quest, Mystery of the Infinite, has me and my future level 80 self defend an Hourglass of Eternity from dragon mobs. I wielded my Big Iron Fishing Pole and my future self (who apparently has given up pacifism) was able to take on all the mobs long enough to finish the quest, while I just healed and blinded.

Finally, after thinking I had done all the quests I could get from the goblins in north-central Dragonblight, I found out that I could do Shaved Ice entirely by mining Crystalline Ice Elemental corpses that other players left (in my case, a Blood Elf death knight)... and this brings me to my next weekend project.

The next quest in that chain is Soft Packaging, which can be done entirely by skinning Jormungar Tunnelers left by other players. Doing this quest will open up Something That Doesn't Melt, and possibly Hard to Swallow (if I can pick up pieces created by other players) and/or Lumber Hack.

In order to continue to do Gaining the Advantage, I'll need to drop mining and get my skinning up high enough to avoid missing a day. I think on Saturday morning after doing Gaining the Advantage with mining, I'll switch to skinning. This will give me nearly two days to get my skinning up to at least 285 so I can skin the lowest-level (58) Hellfire Peninsula mobs using +5 skinning gloves by Sunday night. Then I can get my skinning up until I can do Soft Packaging, which I can do with just Master skinning in case Gaining the Advantage is still bugged and won't give the quest to Grandmasters.

After that, I think I'll just go right to Herbalism. Death Knights made releveling mining difficult since many of them seem to have blacksmithing/mining, so Herbalism (with +10 gloves) should be faster to level the next weekend.

I'll try to skill up skinning legitimately (by only skinning found corpses), but if I really have to, I can get out my death knight and create some...

72 dpi

Noor made it to level 72; here are the quests she did to get from level 70 to 72:

Speak With The Ogre
Learning to Fly
The Multiphase Survey (daily, 9500 XP)
Shrimpin' Ain't Easy (fishing daily, but 0 XP)
Mog'dorg the Wizened
(could not do cooking daily Super Hot Stew, nobody else killing Abyssal Flamekillers, tried on Isle of Q but won't work there)
Infused Mushroom Meatloaf (Dalaran cooking daily, 9500 XP)
Oooh, shinies!
Your Continued Support (rep only, 0 XP)
The Missing Magistrix
Know Your Ley Lines (Isle of Quel'Danas daily, 12650 XP)
Open for Business (Isle of Q daily, 12650 XP)
Report to Nasuun
Spirits of Auchindoun (12650 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Bait Bandits (0 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Shadow Dust
Sewer Stew (Dalaran cooking daily, 9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Down to the Wire
Preying Upon the Weak
We Call Him Steelfeather
March of the Giants (done by ninjaing runed stone giant corpses from groups of horde)
The Lodestone
Military? What Military?
Pernicious Evidence
Take No Chances
Reference Material
Repurposed Technology (I wrecked each harvester by using Gnomish Remote Control and have it aggro other harvesters)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Crocolisks in the City (fishing daily, 0 XP)
(could not do Shattrath cooking daily "Revenge is Tasty")
Mustard dogs! (Dalaran cooking daily, 9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12650 XP)
Your Continued Support (0 XP)
Your Continued Support (0 XP) (Did these in case I needed to get to Friendly to get Gaining the Advantage daily)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP) (now Friendly, but still can't get Gaining the Advantage; web says it's bugged, can't be a Grandmaster)
Infused Mushroom Meatloaf (9500 XP)
(dropped mining, took up mining (!) to get back to just Master Mining)
Crocolisks in the City (fishing daily, 0 XP)
Harlan Needs A Resupply (somehow I overlooked this lowbie quest; 10 XP!)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12650 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP) (can do this now as just a Master Miner)
Crocolisks in the City (0 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Infused Mushroom Meatloaf (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Soup for the Soul (finally could do a Shattrath cooking daily; 12650 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Sewer Stew (9500 XP)
Crocolisks in the City (0 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12650 XP)
Help Those That Cannot Help Themselves
Khu'nok Will Know
Kaw the Mammoth Destroyer (can get his halberd even if someone else kills him)
Infused Mushroom Meatloaf (9500 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12650 XP)
Manalicious (12650 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Shrimpin' Ain't Easy (0 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12650 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Crocolisks in the City (0 XP)
Super Hot Stew (12650 XP) (lucked out and found a corpse)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Infused Mushroom Meatloaf (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Sewer Stew (9500 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
The One That Got Away (0 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12650 XP)
(bought and turned in enough Shadow Dust to get Friendly with Sha'tari Skyguard, still no new quests from them...)
Super Hot Stew (12650 XP) (again found a corpse)
The Cleansing (fought myself)
In Worg's Clothing
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Soup for the Soul (12650 XP)
Felblood Fillet (0 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Mustard dogs! (9500 XP) (71)
Signs of Big, Watery Trouble
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Your Presence Is Required At Stars' Rest
Of Traitors and Treason
High Commander Halford Wymbane
Naxxramas and the Fall of Wintergarde
Flight of the Wintergarde Defender
Return to the High Commander
The Demo-Gnome
The Search for Slinkin
The Bleeding Ore
Imprints on the Past
Spirits of Auchindoun (20100 XP)
Leave Nothing to Chance
Understanding the Scourge War Machine
Rifle the Bodies
The Liquid Fire of Elune
Orik Trueheart and the Forgotten Shore
The Murkweed Elixir
The Forgotten Tale
The Truth Shall Set Us Free
Parting Thoughts
What Secrets Men Hide
Frostmourne Cavern
Shoveltusk Soup Again?
Rescue from Town Square (had to hit em with my spanner and run back into town so guards would get em)
Find Durkon!
Mustard dogs! (15100 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20100 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Shrimpin' Ain't Easy (0 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Further Conversions (found I can do this one with gnomish remote; 9500 XP)
The Enigmatic Frost Nymphs
Infused Mushroom Meatloaf (15100 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Soup for the Soul (12650 XP)
The One That Got Away (0 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20100 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Mustard Dogs! (15100 XP)
Felblood Fillet (0 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Manalicious (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20100 XP)
Infused Mushroom Meatloaf (15100 XP)
Bait Bandits (0 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Bait Bandits (0 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (20100 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
A Friend in the Frontlines (0 XP)
Honored by your Allies (0 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
Sewer Stew (15100 XP)
Secrets of the Scourge
Mystery of the Tome
Understanding the Language of Death
A Righteous Sermon
Into Hostile Territory
Steamtank Surprise
Scattered to the Wind
Sewer Stew (15100 XP)
Bait Bandits (0 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP)
The Chain Gun and You (nonviolent help from paladin Coopthar)
Plunderbeard Must Be Found!
Spirits of Auchindoun (20100 XP)
Super Hot Stew (12650 XP)
Convention at the Legerdemain (15100 XP)
Bait Bandits (0 XP)
Gaining the Advantage (12650 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Open for Business (12650 XP)
Know Your Ley Lines (12650 XP)
Further Conversions (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Planning For The Future (20300 XP) (72)

Coopthar helps with The Chain Gun and You

Normally, in this quest you mow down ghouls so a soldier can make it from the back to the front and survive. Coopthar, a dwarven paladin who saw the wowinsider article on Noor hitting 70, offered to help so we both flew out to see if we could do this quest.

Noor was able to do this solo if another person was doing it (there are 2 guns on a side), because that kept the number of ghouls low enough so a frost grenade and a target dummy could do it, and half of the eight soldiers were saved that way.

This clip is Noor and Coopthar saving one soldier using a frost grenade and a target dummy from Noor, and Coopthar healing the soldier (pally bubble won't work on an NPC). Of course, the ghouls insisted on following us all the way up, so the other Alliance NPCs took them out...

This and that

More little things:

Phobomancer saw the new wowinsider article; he /beckoned me in Dalaran to indicate he read it.

Noor just hit 71, opening up a new quest "Planning For The Future," plus I found I can do a third Isle of Quel'danas quest, "Further Conversions" just like I did "Repurposed Technology," using my Gnomish remote to control a mechanical mob, get aggro, and be destroyed so I can reprogram it. Also, two of the quests increased XP significantly when done at level 71, adding 5600 XP for the Dalaran cooking daily, and 7450 XP for Spirits of Auchindoun. I can now get about 140,000 XP just from dailies, meaning I could go from level 71 to 72 in about 11 days, even if I did no other quests. I typically get about 1/5 of a level from new ordinary quests, so it's more like 9 days. And more dailies will be added as I get higher levels.

Noor got the Exploring title for exploring all the zones, so she is now Noor the Explorer until she can get the Salty title. There are two places high up on mountains in Storm Peaks that you normally can't explore until you can fly -- Frosthold and Temple of Storms. Luckily, I was able to climb around the mountains and get both of them that way.

Some thoughts on what is and isn't allowed as a pacifist:

I did the quest "Leave Nothing to Chance" where you blow up the upper and lower mine shafts of an Alliance mine taken over by undead (albeit under the influence of Soul Split:Evil). Nothing happens to the undead inside the mine anyway, there's just an explosion animation.

I did the quest "Rescue from Town Square", where you have to save villagers from geists who are holding them at bay in town buildings. First I tried drawing them off by grabbing aggro and running, but the villagers won't move. Then I tried leading the geists to the town guards, who killed them, but even though the villager would escape after the geist was killed, I didn't get credit. Finally, I hit each one with my spanner and ran to the guards, and that worked...

I did do one quest where I have to kill an NPC; "The Cleansing," where you have to kill an NPC that is your own inner turmoil -- yourself. I wielded my big iron fishing pole, equipped my Goblin Rocket Launcher and Arcanite Dragonling, and defeated myself easily. Yes, we were both whacking each other with fishing rods:


Finally, Wintergrasp is a lot of fun. Since I'm not using regular weapons and I don't get any XP, I'll play Wintergrasp for fun as a (mostly) non-pacifist.

New WowInsider article

I emailed wowinsider about hitting 70, so they did an updated article on Noor.

I can now do the daily quest Gaining the Advantage, since I dropped Grandmaster mining and releveled it back to just Master mining.

If any Maiev horde are reading this, sorry for stealing some of your group kills for March of the Giants, it's the only way I could do that quest...heh heh...

Noor doing quest: Repurposed Technology

The quest "Repurposed Technology" has you destroy harvest collectors in order to reprogram them into defensive mode. I couldn't reprogram harvesters that other players had destroyed, so I went to Stormwind and took out my ancient Gnomish Universal Remote on the off-chance I'd be able to reprogram a harvester destroyed by other harvesters -- and I could! Finally, some use for that trinket. Fun way to do this quest. I had to wait 3 minutes for the remote (and Vanish) to cool down, so this only shows one harvester being reprogrammed, but they all were about the same.

99 Strange Engine Parts, and Noor hits level 70

Wrath of the Lich King certainly helped Noor get to level 70 in no time. Fortunately, wowhead is wrong about the minimum levels needed for the dailies.

The bad news - Noor can't get the fun daily quest "The Way To His Heart," because you need to do the set-up quest mentioned where Big Roy is killed to make soap. I can't kill Big Roy, so I can't get this daily quest. I can get some of the other dailies, but so far a lot of them require killing something.

Also, Old Man Barlo's daily fishing quest outside Shattrath does not award any XP, just valuable prizes.

Now the good news. I can do these quests every day (XP is for a level 70):
Know Your Ley Lines (Isle of Quel'Danas daily, 12650 XP)
Open for Business (Isle of Q daily, 12650 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12650 XP)
The Multiphase Survey (9500 XP)
Preparing For The Worst (Borean Tundra daily, 20300 XP)
Dalaran cooking daily (9500 XP) (I think I can do every one if the meat shows up on the AH)
Shattrath cooking daily (9500 XP) * 50% (I can do two of the four; I can also do a third, Super Hot Stew, if someone else has killed an Abyssal Flamekiller recently when I get to Blade's Edge Mountains, but Outland is pretty dead right now...of course, the first two dailies I got were Super Hot Stew, followed by the one I can't do, Revenge is Tasty)

That comes to about 82000 XP each day, which is a little over one XP bar, which means about 3 weeks per level, worst case.

Here are the quests Noor did to get from level 68 to 70:
Trouble at Auchindoun
Find Spy To'gun
The Soul Devices
The Flesh Lies...
A Not-So-Modest Proposal
Archmage Alturus
Arcane Disturbances
Drijya Needs Your Help
Surveying the Ruins
Dealing with the Foreman
The Hand of Gul'dan
The Path of Conquest
Sunfury Signets (scryer)
Tablets of Baa'ri (scryer)
(time to switch back to Aldor; do More Venom Sacs x 20 to get to neutral)
Marks of Kil'jaeden (Aldor)
Marks of Sargeras (Aldor)
A Cleansing Light (Aldor)
Restoring the Light (Aldor)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12000 XP)
(can't get Aldor version of Tablets of Baa'ri; I'm at "Oronus the Elder" with the Aldor, too)
Strange Engine Part (#93)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12000 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#94)
Strange Engine Part (#95)
AV (5 losses)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12000 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12000 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#96)
Strange Engine Part (#97)
(dropped herbalism, back to mining)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12000 XP)
(now 375 mining)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12000 XP)
Enraged Spirits of Fire and Earth (again I followed what appeared to be a hunter bot)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12000 XP)
(tried to solo Chamber of Secrets, could get to the door and open it, but I died)
Strange Engine Part (#98)
Strange Engine Part (#99)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12000 XP)
(installed WotLK)
Enlistment Day
A Time For Heroes
A Soldier In Need
Cultists Among Us
Notify Arlos
A Diplomatic Mission
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP) (daily)
Hell Has Frozen Over...
The Dead Rise!
Elder Atuik and Kamagua
Grezzix Spindlesnap
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Street "Cred"
Fresh Legs
The Honored Ancestors
The Mechagnomes (missed Distress Call)
What's the Matter With the Transmatter? (69)
Re-Cursive
Dirty, Stinkin' Snobolds
Finding Pilot Tailspin
Spirits of Auchindoun (12300 XP)
Check In With Bixie
Forgotten Treasure
Gambling Debt (started it when a horde was talking to him, he became hostile to anyone, andother horde came along and beat him into surrender)
Jack Likes His Drink
(450 mining)
Monitoring the Rift: Cleftcliff Anomaly
Monitoring the Rift: Sundered Chasm
Monitoring the Rift: Winterfin Cavern
One Size Does Not Fit All
King Mrgl-Mrgl
Learning to Communicate (was already dead, works even if someone else killed him)
Winterfin Commerce
Oh Noes, the Tadpoles!
I'm Being Blackmailed By My Cleaner
Preparing For The Worst (20300 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (12300 XP)
Daggercap Divin'
Trust is Earned
The Ransacked Caravan
Falcon Versus Hawk
There Exists No Honor Among Birds
Tools To Get The Job Done
We Can Rebuild It
See to the Operations
I've Got A Flying Machine!
Where Is Explorer Jaren?
(bought portal to Dalaran, set hearth there)
Learning to Leave and Return: the Magical Way
(explored more of Northrend) (70)

Back to mining

With Wrath coming, and with Alliance now losing Alterac Valley regularly, I could use mining more than herbalism to get my engineering up with the new expansion. Fishing up Strange Engine Parts still appears to be the better way of getting XP, at least until the daily battleground earns a lot more than the 12,650 XP I get for each part I fish up. At level 68, WotLK already has one daily quest I can do for a lot of XP, and a new one opens up at 69. Once I hit 70, I hope the fishing and cooking dailies give XP instead of just gold and mats.

Update: grrr, according to changes at wotlk.wowhead.com, those daily quests are now minimum level 70. There are a (very) few regular quests that a level 68 can do in Northrend, so it's probably back to fishing...

Noor in '68

Noor hit level 68, just after the Hallow's End season ended. This is important because the first quests in Wrath of the Lich King start at level 68, so she'll have even more quests she can do soon.

Here are the quests Noor did to get from level 66 to 68:
Candy Bucket (Southshore) (5650 XP)
The Power of Pine
(can't do horde candy buckets, but can loot the smashed Horseman head)
Candy Bucket (Shattrath) (5650 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11300 XP)
Candy Bucket (Allerian Stronghold) (5650 XP)
(missed talk-to quest Costumed Orphan Matron, and Fire Brigade Practice because I already looted a head, I think)
Smash the Pumpkin (11300 XP) (Hallow daily)
Candy Bucket (Kharanos) (5650 XP)
Stop the Fires (11300 XP) (Hallow daily)
The Headless Horseman
Call the Headless Horseman
Flexing for Nougat
Candy Bucket (Stormwind) (5650 XP)
Chicken Clucking for a Mint
Incoming Gumdrop
Candy Bucket (Auberdine) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Darnassus) (5650 XP)
Dancing for Marzipan
Candy Bucket (Exodar) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Azure Watch) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Blood Watch) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Dolanaar) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Everlook) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Astranaar) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Stonetalon Peak) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Feathermoon Stronghold) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Silithus) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Gadgetzan) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Theramore Isle) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Mudsprocket) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Ratchet) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Booty Bay) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Westfall) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Darkshire) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Redridge) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Goldshire) (5650 XP)
Hallow's End Treats for Jesper
Candy Bucket (Thelsamaar) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Menethil Harbor) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Aerie Peak) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Light's Hope Chapel) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Wildhammer Stronghold) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Sanctum of the Stars) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Area 52) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (The Stormspire) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Evergrove) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Toshley's Station) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Sylvanaar) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Orebor Harborage) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Telaar) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Cenarion Refuge) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Temple of Telhamat) (5650 XP)
Candy Bucket (Honor Hold) (5650 XP)
Survey the Land
To The Master's Lair
The Caverns of Time
Old Hillsbrad
Taretha's Diversion
Stop the Fires (11300 XP) (Hallow daily)
Smash the Pumpkin (11300 XP) (Hallow daily)
Strange Engine Part (#84)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11300 XP)
(hit 375 herbalism)
Strange Engine Part (#85)
Stop the Fires (11300 XP) (Hallow daily)
Smash the Pumpkin (11300 XP) (Hallow daily)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11300 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#86)
Stop the Fires (11300 XP) (Hallow daily)
Smash the Pumpkin (11300 XP) (Hallow daily)
Strange Engine Part (#87)
Strange Engine Part (#88)
AV (1 loss, 1 win) (11300 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11300 XP)
Stop the Fires (11300 XP) (Hallow daily)
Smash the Pumpkin (11300 XP) (Hallow daily) (67)
AV (1 win) (11650 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11650 XP)
Off to Area 52
You're Hired! (and 1000th quest completed)
Report to Engineering
Invaluable Asset Zapping
Assisting the Consortium
Run a Diagnostic
New Opportunities
Needs More Cowbell
Zorus the Judicator
A Ghost in the Machine
(got Harbingers of Shadowmoon just to get Spectrecles; abandoned quest)
Stop the Fires (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Smash the Pumpkin (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Gold Pickup Schedule (only 20 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#89)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11650 XP)
AV (1 loss, 1 win) (11650 XP)
Stop the Fires (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Smash the Pumpkin (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Smash the Pumpkin (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Stop the Fires (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Light's Hope Chapel (all that way for 0 XP, Scourge event)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11650 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11650 XP)
AV (1 loss, 1 win) (11650 XP)
Stop the Fires (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Smash the Pumpkin (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Cracked Necrotic Crystal (0 XP, Scourge event)
Strange Engine Part (#90)
Stop the Fires (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Smash the Pumpkin (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
AV (1 loss, 1 win) (11650 XP)
A Desperate Alliance
Ironforge
Spirits of Auchindoun (11650 XP)
Stop the Fires (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Smash the Pumpkin (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11650 XP)
Stop the Fires (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Smash the Pumpkin (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11650 XP)
Stop the Fires (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Smash the Pumpkin (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11650 XP)
Stop the Fires (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Smash the Pumpkin (11650 XP) (Hallow daily)
Strange Engine Part (#91)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11650 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#92)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11650 XP) (68)

Reinish and Ahimsah doing SFK quest: Deathstalkers in Shadowfang Keep

Another quest that Ahimsah soloed earlier; we drank some invisibility potions and ran down to talk to the first deathstalker and get him to open the door (the door is still buggy and was still "there" but invisible), then I talked to the second deathstalker to finish the quest and we were even able to leave alive. Done during Hallow's End, so we both have pumpkin heads and Ahimsah is carrying a water bucket...

Zombie Kaffeeklatsch

I was attacked by a zombie in Shattrath, and succumbed after a short time; then I ran into a horde player (Phobomancer) who, from earlier emote encounters, seemed to know me. After finding an infected cockroach, we managed to talk a few minutes (vomiting and standing in your own muck helps zombies stay alive for an arbitrary length of time) and sure enough, he had read about me in the wowinsider article and remembered my name because we were on the same server.

Zombie Revenge

Not very pacifistic, but it's fun to deliberately turn into a zombie to kill spammers in town...although today something happened that I was always afraid of; I was running around Stormwind and accidentally clicked on (and killed) a plague roach with my blacksmith's hammer, which infected me and turned me into a zombie again.

Zombie questing

OK, I admit it, I heard there were zombies in Westbrook Garrison, so I went in, got infected, and after wandering around a few minutes, I turned into a zombie. I lurched around Hogger's area attacking gnolls and players, and I eventually died of hunger.

But when I checked my inventory, I finally had the Gold Pickup Schedule! It must have dropped from one of the gnolls I killed while a zombie! Only worth 20 XP, but I've been waiting for that one for a looong time.

Unstable server FTW!

Maiev took a long time to come up from maintenance today. I did the Spirits of Auchindoun daily as usual -- but I had forgotten to get the quest first! I usually log out by the questgiver so I can log in before I go to work and get the quest, but the server isn't up when I go to work on Tuesdays. So I took a tower without having the quest.

Luckily, the server crashed, giving me a second chance to do it. This also allowed Pureblade, a pally who usually does it with me, to get the daily too since he wasn't on earlier. The server reset also created a bunch of Steam Pump Flotsam in Zangarmarsh, and I caught a total of 3 Strange Engine parts (1 before the reset, and 2 after), which saves a whole day of dailies. And finally, Alterac Valley was the daily battleground (lost the first one, but won the second by attrition).

Get your kicks en route to level 66

Hallow's End has brought more easy experience points; Candy Bucket, which gives you XP for every Candy Bucket you visit at inns around the worlds, and the quests to put out fires and stop the Headless Horseman appear to be daily quests, which should award some nice XP for the duration of the holiday.

I also found out about Fel Blossom, though it (of course) shares a cooldown with some of my other items like Major Recombobulator and Crystal Restore (but those work on other players, too).

Here are the quests Noor did to get from level 64 to 66:

No Time For Curiosity
The Consortium Needs You
A Head Full of Ivory
Stealing from Thieves
The Nesingwary Safari
The Underneath
A Rare Bean
I See Dead Draenei
Ezekiel
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
Synthesis of Power (Scryer)
WSG (1 win) (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
EotS (1 loss, 1 win) (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
AB (4 losses, 1 win) (10750 XP)
What Book? I Don't See Any Book (helped other people doing the quest, didn't group or kill anyone)
The Master's Grand Design?
Strange Engine Part (#54)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
EotS (3 losses, 1 win) (10750 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#55)
Strange Engine Part (#56)
EotS (2 losses, 1 win) (10750 XP)
AV (1 loss, 1 win) (10750 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#57)
Strange Engine Part (#58)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
AV (1 win) (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
EotS (2 losses, 1 win) (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
AV (1 loss, 1 win) (10750 XP)
(start to save Strange Engine Parts to trade in after patch 3.0.2)
Welcome to Brewfest! (0 XP)
Chug and Chuck (0 XP)
Now This Is Ram Racing . . . Almost (0 XP)
There And Back Again (0 XP)
Bark for the Barleybrews (0 XP)
Say, There Wouldn't Happen to be a Souvenir This Year, Would There? (0 XP)
This One Time, When I Was Drunk... (0 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
(brewfest delivery daily) (0 XP)
AV (7 losses, 1 win) (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
AV (2 losses, 1 win) (10750 XP)
(brewfest delivery daily) (0 XP)
Bark for the Barleybrews (0 XP)
This One Time, When I Was Drunk... (0 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
Bark for the Thunderbrews (0 XP)
This One Time, When I Was Drunk... (0 XP)
(brewfest delivery daily) (0 XP)
WSG (2 losses, 1 win) (10750 XP)
This One Time, When I Was Drunk... (0 XP)
Bark for the Thunderbrews (0 XP)
(brewfest delivery daily) (0 XP)
Beer of the Month Club (0 XP)
AV (1 win) (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
Bark for the Thunderbrews (0 XP)
This One Time, When I Was Drunk... (0 XP)
(brewfest delivery daily) (0 XP)
AB (3 losses)
This One Time, When I Was Drunk... (0 XP)
Bark for the Barleybrews (0 XP)
(brewfest delivery daily) (0 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
AV (1 win) (10750 XP)
This One Time, When I Was Drunk... (0 XP)
Bark for the Thunderbrews (0 XP)
(brewfest delivery daily) (0 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
Bark for the Thunderbrews (0 XP)
AV (1 win) (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
AB (3 losses)
(decided to only do AV, fishing is probably better XP per hour)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
AV (1 win) (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
(got I'm Saved quest, won't turn in until after patch)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
(at this point, I have 12 Strange Engine Parts)
AV (1 win) (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
AV (1 win) (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10750 XP)
(explored a bit of BEM and Netherstorm, areas you usually need flying to get to) (65)
(quests done but not turned in until after patch:)
Can't Stay Away
Into the Draenethyst Mine
Strange Brew
From the Ashes
A Time for Negotiation...
Spirits of Auchindoun (11000 XP)
AV (1 loss, 1 win) (11000 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11000 XP)
(3.0.2 patch)
Strange Engine Part x 21 (#59-#79)
(turned in finished quests)
Getting the Bladespire Tanked
Strange Engine Part (#80)
(explored Tyr's Hand Death Knight area and Isle of Quel'Danas)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11000 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11000 XP)
(dropped tailoring, took up herbalism)
Strange Engine Part (#81)
Strange Engine Part (#82)
Spirits of Auchindoun (11000 XP)
Candy Bucket (Telredor) (5500 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#83)
Candy Bucket (Ironforge) (5500 XP) (66)

Changing my 2nd profession (again)

Noor will always be an engineer, but she has had many 2nd professions:
(note: I corrected level 34)

Level   5: Mining and Engineering

Level 30: Took Gnomish Engineering, made Battle Chicken (and death ray, never used)

Level 30: Dropped Engineering, took up Jewelcrafting, made solid statues, Black Pearl Panther + Golden Hare trinkets

Level 30: Dropped Jewelcrafting, took up Engineering again, went Goblin (so I can make Goblin Rocket Boots)

Level 34: Dropped Engineering, took up Skinning, saved up some leather

Level 34: Dropped Skinning, took up Leatherworking to do Wild Leather quests

Level 35: Dropped Leatherworking, took up Goblin Engineering

Level 41: Dropped Mining, took up Alchemy, did quest Elixirs for the Bladeleafs

Level 41: Dropped Alchemy, took up Blacksmithing for quest line

Level 43: Dropped Blacksmithing, took up Mining

Level 60: Dropped Mining for Tailoring (for Netherweave Nets in battlegrounds)

Level 65: Dropped Tailoring for Herbalism (for Lifeblood self-healing spell)

Reinish gets a horse

Reinisch finally hit 30 and got a mount. Since Ahimsah is already level 31, it looks like there are enough quests (like Green Hills of Stranglethorn) to make it to 31, or nearly so. I haven't done much questing with him lately apart from battlegrounds, concentrating more on Noor.

Milestones

Noor just hit level 65, doing just the Spirits of Auchindoun daily quest, and Alterac Valley if it's the battleground daily for the last couple of weeks. I think I'll get more XP bars per hour fishing for Strange Engine Parts and saving them for after the patch, because each engine part will be worth 1.7 times a BG daily win, and some dailies can take over an hour to get a win. With probably 3 days left to patch day, Noor has 19 engine parts in the bank, which will get her exactly halfway to level 66 all by themselves, assuming you need 475,000 XP as on the current Public Test Realm. She has already done most of the new quests she can do at level 65, but likewise will not turn them in until after the patch.

Here are a few screen captures of some past milestones:

Level 23, mining a rich thorium vein in the Bay of Storms in Azshara
Level 24, above Silithus to get to AQ gate opening
(but she got the lowbie auto-teleport to IF when she got too close)
Level 27, learns Master Mining at Honor Hold
Level 29, mining fel iron
Level 29, mining adamantite
Level 39, mining khorium
Level 39, fishing in Allerian Stronghold
Level 42, Hammer of Expertise from blacksmithing
Level 61, fishing in Lake Ere'Noru
Level 64, entering Naxxramas before it leaves for Northrend

Saving up Strange Engine Parts (again)

When I first started fishing in Zangarmarsh around level 49, I was too low to turn in Strange Engine Parts, which has a minimum of level 55, so I just banked them. That's why at level 55 I turned in five in a row.

With patch 2.0.3 coming before WotLK, the XP needed for levels 61-70 is supposed to be reduced by 40%, so it will be better to save up engine parts (and any other XP quests I finish before then, such as "I'm Saved" if I'm at the right place at the right time) and not complete these quests until after the patch. For a comparison at level 64, one Strange Engine Part turn-in right now is about 1.8% of the way to level 65, but it will be 3% after the patch.

I also used the new Exploring Achievements on the PTR to find a few areas I missed the first time around, and when the patch goes live, I can get a few hundred more XP exploring the area behind Tyr's Hand, the new Death Knight starting area.

Jumping to Azshara

Noor still teleports to Winterspring, and she often jumps down to Azshara to fish afterwards, using Rocket Boots Xtreme and her parachute cloak:

Will you still need me, will you still feed me

Noor hit level 64, only taking a month to go two levels. Getting to 65 might take nearly a month by itself, as I haven't been able to do too many quests after hitting 64 (I can't even get neutral with the Kurenai). However, the Brewfest is coming up, and it might have more quests with XP, or even repeatable quests. The current Harvest Festival doesn't appear to have any new quests, just the same "Honoring a Hero" quest to Uther's Tomb.

For Wrath of the Lich King, the current beta has some level 70 daily quests that earn gold + XP, and some that still only earn gold. The later Shattered Sun quests give XP, while the earlier fishing dailies do not. I'm hoping that this will change to all repeatable dailies giving gold + XP when it's actually released, as I can do all the fishing dailies and some of the cooking dailies, and possibly some others.

(PS: Reinisch hit 29 a day later)

Here are the quests Noor did to get from level 62 to 64:

Secrets of the Arakkoa
The Eyes of Skettis
Seek Out Kirrik
Veil Skith: Darkstone of Terokk
Fertile Spores
(can't do Glowcap Mushrooms because I'm already Friendly with Sporeggar!)
The Orebor Harborage
Secrets of the Daggerfen
Test Flight: The Zephyrium Capacitorium
Test Flight: The Singing Ridge
What's Wrong at Cenarion Thicket?
Clues in the Thicket
The Fate of Tuurem
Olemba Seeds
Vessels of Power
Speak with Private Weeks
Who Are They?
Voren'thal's Visions (1st Aldor->Scryer turn-in)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10050 XP, daily)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10050 XP)
EotS (9 losses, 1 win) (10050 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10050 XP)
EotS (8 losses, 1 win) (10050 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10050 XP)
AB (4 losses, 1 win) (10050 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#32)
To Serve Kum'Isha (someone finally put a flawless draenethyst sphere up on the AH)
(turned in Dampscale Basilisk Eyes until I'm neutral with Scryer)
Voren'thal the Seer (Scryer)
Firewing Signets (Scryer)
EotS (1 win) (10050 XP)
(caught Mr. Pinchy and got magical crawdad pet)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10050 XP)
AB (1 loss, 1 win) (10050 XP)
The Outcast's Plight
Strained Supplies (still just barely neutral with Scryers, did it for XP)
Strange Engine Part (#33)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10050 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10050 XP)
AV (1 win) (10050 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#34)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10050 XP)
WSG (1 loss, 1 win) (10050 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#35)
Strange Engine Part (#36)
Strange Engine Part (#37)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10050 XP)
AB (6 losses)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10050 XP)
AV (2 losses, 1 win) (10050 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#38)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10050 XP)
AB (5 losses)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10050 XP)
EotS (4 losses, 1 win) (10050 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10050 XP)
WSG (2 losses, 1 win) (10050 XP)
Guardians of the Altar (help from horde Gromkur and Angrybunni)
Wildkin of Elune
AV (1 win) (10050 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10050 XP)
AV (1 win) (10050 XP)
Honored Amongst the Guard (AV trinket upgrade)
Earned Reverence (AV trinket upgrade)
Strange Engine Part (#39)
(did AV to see if I had missed a quest; already did daily)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10050 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#40)
Strange Engine Part (#41)
(explored near Sylvanaar until I got credit for Vortex Pinnacle) (63)
Bring me a Shrubbery!
Oh, it's on!
An Improper Burial
The Dread Relic
Taken in the Night
Spirits of Auchindoun (10400 XP)
AB (1 loss, 1 win) (10400 XP)
AV (1 win) (10400 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10400 XP)
The Restless Souls #1 & #2
Tomb of the Lightbringer (a couple of Alliance helped, unasked)
Broodling Essence (was able to zap broodlings that other players were killing; quest went gray at 63, 10% XP)
Felnok Steelspring (green, not full XP)
An Ambitious Plan (figured I could do this by zapping a voidwalker that someone else was killing, and I was right)
AB (2 losses, 1 win) (10400 XP)
AV (4 losses, 1 win) (10400 XP)
WSG (1 win) (10400 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10400 XP)
(did AV until I was full Exalted so I could do the next two upgrade quests)
Legendary Heroes (AV trinket upgrade)
The Eye of Command (AV trinket upgrade)
Shizz Work (I couldn't use Deranged Hellboar corpses that other players left as someone said on wowhead, but I found if I let one chase me to Honor Hold, the guards would kill it and I could use that corpse)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10400 XP)
WSG (1 loss, 1 win) (10400 XP)
The Dread Citadel -- Naxxramas (old Naxx attunement, want to visit it before it moves to WotLK) (0 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#42)
Zulian, Razzasi, and Hakkari Coins (0 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10400 XP)
Nat's Measuring Tape
EotS (3 losses)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10400 XP)
EotS (1 win) (10400 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10400 XP)
EotS (1 win) (10400 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#43)
WSG (5 losses)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10400 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10400 XP)
EotS (2 losses, 1 win) (10400 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#44)
Strange Engine Part (#45)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10400 XP)
WSG (5 losses, 1 win) (10400 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#46)
Strange Engine Part (#47)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10400 XP)
WSG (1 win) (10400 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#48)
Strange Engine Part (#49)
Strange Engine Part (#50)
Honoring a Hero
WSG (1 win) (10400 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10400 XP)
AV (1 win) (10400 XP)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10400 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#51)
Strange Engine Part (#52)
WSG (1 win) (10400 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#53)
Spirits of Auchindoun (10400 XP) (64)

Reinish and Ahimsah doing RFK quest: Blueleaf Tubers

Ahimsah actually soloed this, but it's a lot easier with two healers. This is just one part of a run when I was able to get the last two tubers needed to complete the quest. On one try, I got four, and three other times we didn't get any.

We were down to just one invisibility potion, so on our last try I used my Gnomish Cloaking Device instead. Since it only lasts 10 seconds, but can be used while in combat, I ran in a bit farther than Ahimsah before using it.

Noor doing Underbog quest "Oh, it's on"

An easy stealth into Underbog to grab a plant. I also fished up Old Crafty in Orgrimmar around this time.

The Restless Souls

Found another quest I can do - The Restless Souls (parts 1 and 2). I missed it earlier, and one Wowhead comment says even non-stealthers can solo this at level 59, all you have to do is wait for Restless Souls to wander close to the entrance.

Even though it's a "gun", it's a channeled weapon that frees up their souls, so it's OK (and my gun skill didn't go up, since players who can't use guns can use this).

Reinisch was also able to buy Captain Sanders' Treasure Map in the auction house, so now he too wears his shirt. Quest was already gray, so only 10% XP.

Update: I managed to do some more older quests: Tomb of the Lightbringer (a couple of Alliance helped, unasked)

I also read that it's possible to do Broodling Essence and get the essences even if the Broodling is tagged and killed by someone else, so I was able to do this by following people in stealth and using the quest item during their fights. Most of my essences came from an Orc hunter who waved at me but acted like a bot.

Broodling Essence (unfortunately, it just went gray at 63, 10% XP)
Felnok Steelspring (green, only 775 XP or so)

Guardians of the Altar

I've tried the Guardians of the Altar escort quest a few times, but since Ranshalla is sometimes two levels lower than the Wildkin in the area, and it's possible to get two mobs, I wasn't able to ever finish it using my non-lethal methods (though I could get about 3 of the 5 torches lit).

However, I often use my Goblin teleporter to go to Winterspring and visit Vi'el to see if he has any cheap Felcloth or Gromsblood, and that takes me past Ranshalla, and I always look to see if the Wildkin are cleared out, even though they respawn quickly.

They were gone, so I stealthed and scouted ahead, and saw a couple of horde (70 Orc warrior Gromkur and 60 BE warlock Angrybunni) killing all the WIldkin, so I figured I'd start the quest and see what happens.

They saw Ranshalla, but she isn't killable by horde. I waved, but when Gromkur detected me, he took a chop at me, so I blinded him and ran off a bit until the bleeding stopped and I could re-stealth. But the next time he detected me, he waved, so they both ignored me and kept killing Wildkin and I was finally able to finish this quest and the followup, which was at the first stage of green at level 62, so I got all the 15750 XP.

Reinisch makes level 28

Reinisch made it to level 28, which opens up the new PvP rewards for both WSG and AB, beefing up his health, mana, and mp5 nicely. Still the usual dearth of quests for pacifist horde though...

Mr. Pinchy

I caught Mr. Pinchy in Lake Ere'Noru, and got the Magical Crawdad pet on my first wish:

Spirits of Auchindoun

Level 62 opens another daily PvP quest for the same amount of XP as the BG quest; all I need to do is help capture a tower in the Bone Wastes, which can be done about every 6 hours.

This, along with my fishing up a Strange Engine Part about every other day, looks like I can go up a level about every 3 weeks, assuming every level opens up enough quests for me to get 20% towards the next level. This doesn't count seasonal or other unexpected XP.

I did make one blunder; at level 61, I got my Sporeggar reputation up to Friendly, thinking it would open up some new quests. It didn't, it actually removed an XP quest I could have done at level 62 for my first turn-in of Glowcaps; you can't get this quest after hitting Friendly, and you have to be at least level 62, so I missed out on 10k XP (equivalent to one BG or Tower daily).

Azerothian Graffiti: Where were you at level 62?

Noor finally made level 62, in a little under a month. Interesting to compare her sources of experience points in getting from 61 to 62:

41% from daily battlegrounds (24 BGs won)
31% from fishing up Strange Engine Parts (14 parts)
28% from all other quests

Since 60-70 takes longer than the 1-60 fast-track, I'll post the quest list every other level now. Here are the quests Noor did to get from 60 to 62:

(somewhere during level 60, dropped Mining for Tailoring)
Hero of the Stormpike
More Torch Tossing (9550 XP)
More Torch Catching (9550 XP)
Rise and be Recognized
AB (5 losses, 1 win) (9550 XP)
More Torch Tossing (9550 XP)
More Torch Catching (9550 XP)
WSG (1 win) (9550 XP)
AB (1 win) (9550 XP)
Control Four Bases
Aurel Goldleaf
Cenarion Battlegear
Field Duty (0 XP)
Field Duty Papers (0 XP)
What Tomorrow Brings
A Little Slime Goes A Long Way
In Search of Sedai
Return to Obedai
Naladu
A Traitor Among Us
The Dreghood Elders
Plants of Zangarmarsh
The Dead Mire
Fulgor Spores
The Boha'mu Ruins
Idols of the Feralfen
A'dal
City of Light
Junkboxes Needed (0 XP)
Armor Kits for the Field (0 XP)
AB (2 losses, 1 win) (9550 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#12)
Coldtooth Supplies (0 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#13)
Craftman's Writ - Major Healing Potions (0 XP; AD rep)
AV (6 losses)
AV (3 losses)
Craftman's Writ - Goblin Sapper Charge (0 XP; AD rep)
Craftman's Writ - Goblin Sapper Charge (0 XP; AD rep)
AV (3 losses)
Bone Fragments (0 XP; AD rep)
Savage Fronds (0 XP; AD rep)
AV (4 losses)
Craftman's Writ - Stonescale Eel (0 XP; AD rep)
Strange Engine Part (#14)
AV (3 losses)
Dark Iron Scraps (0 XP; AD rep)
Core of Elements (0 XP; AD rep)
Strange Engine Part (#15)
(explored rest of Outland that doesn't require flying)
AV (2 losses)
[ somehow, I overlooked the goblin questgivers in HFP for weeks ]
Outland Sucks!
How To Serve Goblins
In Case of Emergency
Ravager Egg Roundup
Ishanah (Aldor)
Identify Plant Parts x 10 (now friendly with Cenarian Expedition)
Blessings of the Ancients
Abyssal Contacts
Dukes of the Council
Bor Wildmane
Strange Engine Part (#16)
Escape from Umbrafen
Armor Scraps (lost 1 AV; not daily)
Strange Engine Part (#17)
(explored more bits of Outland that I'd missed earlier) (61)
EotS (3 losses)
Concerted Efforts (0 XP)
(tried AV and won; not daily)
EotS (1 loss)
Helping the Cenarion Post
The Cenarion Expedition
Warden Hamoot
Disturbance at Umbrafen Lake
As The Crow Flies
Watcher Leesa'oh
The Sporelings Plight
Natural Enemies
More Tendrils
Observing the Sporelings
More Spore Sacs
A Question of Gluttony
Sporeggar
More Spore Sacs
More Spore Sacs (now friendly)
Balance Must Be Preserved
WSG (3 losses)
WSG (2 losses)
EotS (1 win) (9800 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#18)
AB (5 losses)
AB (3 losses, 1 win) (9800 XP)
AV (1 loss, 1 win) (9800 XP)
(bought schematic for the Flame Deflector, it finally appeared in the Auction House. Only 1G!)
AB (3 losses, 1 win) (9800 XP)
(350 tailoring)
Becoming a Shadoweave Tailor
(switched to Mooncloth, no additional XP)
Cryptstalker Armor Doesn't Make Itself
Alicia's Poem
Strange Engine Part (#19)
AB (2 losses, 1 win) (9800 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#20)
AV (1 win) (9800 XP)
EotS (5 losses, 1 win) (9800 XP)
AB (2 losses, 1 win) (9800 XP)
AB (1 win) (9800 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#21)
Strange Engine Part (#22) (halfway to level 62)
AV (1 win) (9800 XP)
EotS (8 losses)
AV (1 win) (9800 XP)
WSG (2 losses, 1 win) (9800 XP)
AV (4 losses, 1 win) (9800 XP)
WSG (3 losses, 1 win) (9800 XP)
AB (3 losses, 1 win) (9800 XP)
WSG (2 losses, 1 win) (9800 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#23)
Strange Engine Part (#24) (caught two in a row)
WSG (1 loss, 1 win) (9800 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#25)
AV (1 win) (9800 XP)
Your Fortune Awaits You... (0 XP)
Craftman's Writ - Flask of Petrification (0 XP, but now honored with AD, learned powerful anti-venom)
EotS (1 win) (9800 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#26)
WSG (1 loss, 1 win) (9800 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#27)
Strange Engine Part (#28)
EotS (2 losses, 1 win) (9800 XP)
AV (1 win) (9800 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#29)
AV (2 losses, 1 win) (9800 XP)
Your Fortune Awaits You... (0 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#30)
WSG (1 win) (9800 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#31)
AV (1 win) (9800 XP) (62)

Oh, the shame

Reinisch finally went too far... with Psychic Scream still on cooldown, I hit a flag capper in Arathi Basin with my staff -- and he died! As some sort of cosmic punishment, the battleground aborted later during the game and everyone was kicked out with a deserter debuff...

Getting to Lake Ere'Noru (without flying or summon)

It's possible to get there using Parachute Cloak and Rocket Boots Xtreme, but you have to aim and jump juuuuust right:

One Year Later

Although Reinisch is only level 27, Noor has gone way ahead to level 61 (61.5 at the moment). I don't know if Noor can make it to 70 before Wrath of the Lich King comes out or not; it all depends on Strange Engine Parts, I guess...

Blast from the Past

Mephisston logged in on an alt and was surprised I was already level 61 (after about 38 days 19 hours /played). Plus, I met another WoW oddball, Triops, a melee warlock, who is now on the list of oddballs. Other bits of news, I finally found the schematic for the Flame Deflector on the auction house, and I just made it to 350 tailoring so I can make Primal Mooncloth (and do the quest for the specialization, which gives me some XP). I'll try to see if I can learn and unlearn Shadoweave tailoring first, to get 2x the XP, but that didn't seem to work for weapon/armorsmithing. Spellfire is out because I need to kill a nether-wraith to complete the quest...

Update: as I thought, you don't get another quest to change tailoring, you just change, so no additional XP. Oh well, I didn't need that 70G anyway...

Noor doing quest: Escape from Umbrafen

My usual method of keeping the escort healed up and letting them do the fighting. Some horde had cleared out part of the area just a bit earlier, and I used a Cenarion Expedition Flare at one point to get extra help:

Four battlegrounds, no waiting

Made 61, so there's always a BG daily I can at least attempt. Alliance in my battlegroup doesn't do well in Eye of the Storm, but they seem to do well in Alterac Valley. Unfortunately, my new level 61 quests only got me about 20% of the way to level 62.

Tailor/Engineer

I finally gave up mining and leveled tailoring to 300, so I can now use Netherweave Nets. Most useful in WSG, since they only ensnare someone for 3 seconds. I'm getting pretty good at using Rocket Boots Xtreme + Parachute Cloak to grab the Snowfall graveyard in AV as early as possible (though Alliance in my bracket almost always loses; fishing for Strange Engine parts is actually faster XP). I also use the same trick to grab the Gold Mine in AB at the start, but that's a bit trickier to get right.

I'll probably explore all of Outlands at level 60 to get to level 61 as soon as I can, for two reasons: 1) Alliance does a lot better in AV in the next bracket, and 2) I can start doing EotS and get a BG daily every day. I'm also getting my Argent Dawn reputation up to Honored so I can learn the level 60 "powerful anti-venom" formula.

Now begins the long slow grind...

After doing nearly every quest I can do at level 60, I still have more than halfway to go to hit 61. And since the XP needed is about 4x greater, but the XP you get from BGs stays nearly the same, I'll need about 25 battlegrounds to get to 61...

Part of the problem is that I can't do enough quests to get friendly with Honor Hold. That prevents me from doing a few non-combat quests. I also can't get Hellfire Fortifications, the PvP daily in Hellfire Peninsula, because of the prerequisite to kill orcs.

The next apparent seasonal quests are the Harvest Festival and Brewfest, but their previous incarnations only had one Harvest quest that gave XP. Maybe they've been beefed up like the Midsummer Fire Festival in order to get more people to level 70...

Smelting dark iron ore

What a difference 13 levels make. Here's Noor at level 59 smelting dark iron bars (boring stealth part sped up):

60 minutes

The Midsummer Fire Festival and Strange Engine Parts have really helped in getting me to 60 far earlier than I expected just a week and a half ago. I haven't dropped mining for tailoring yet (want to stock up on some dark iron bars), but I will soon. I'll post a video of how easy it is for me to smelt dark iron bars at level 59.

Here are the quests Noor did to get from 55 to 60:

Stealing Undercity's Flame (6100 XP)
More Torch Tossing (8150 XP)
More Torch Catching (8150 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#1)
Strange Engine Part (#2)
Strange Engine Part (#3)
Strange Engine Part (#4)
Strange Engine Part (#5)
Luck Be With You
Cache of Mau'ari (0 XP)
Winterfall E'ko (0 XP)
Bijou's Belongings
Message to Maxwell
Mother's Milk
En-Ay-Es-Tee-Why (56)
Kibler's Exotic Pets
More Torch Tossing (8450 XP)
More Torch Catching (8450 XP)
The First and the Last
Honor the Dead
Alterac Valley Graveyards
Flint Shadowmore
Mrs. Dalson's Diary (0 XP)
The Mark of the Lightbringer
The Eastern Plagues
Establishing New Outposts
The Blightcaller Cometh
AV (3 losses)
Kitchen Assistance
Report to Marshall Bluewall
Scouring the Desert
March of the Silithid
More Torch Tossing (8450 XP)
A Reliquary of Purity
Honor the Flame (Blade's Edge Mountains) (3800 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#6)
A Little Slime Goes A Long Way #1 (can use on oozes other people kill) (57)
More Torch Catching (8750 XP)
Mayara Brightwing
Secret Communication
Strange Engine Part (#7)
Strange Engine Part (#8)
(got Flame of Orgrimmar, will turn in later to maximize XP)
Capture a Mine
AV (3 losses)
More Torch Tossing (8750 XP)
More Torch Catching (8750 XP)
Desecrate this Fire! (Blade's Edge Mountains) (8750 XP)
Desecrate this Fire! (Nagrand)
Honor the Flame (Nagrand)
Desecrate this Fire! (Shadowmoon Valley)
Honor the Flame (Shadowmoon Valley)
More Torch Tossing (8750 XP)
More Torch Catching (8750 XP)
Captain Sander's Hidden Treasure #1-#4 (gray; 10% XP)
AB (2 losses, 1 win) 8750 XP
(did some AV, all lost; wasn't daily)
More Torch Tossing (8750 XP)
More Torch Catching (8750 XP) (58)
Through the Dark Portal
Arrival in Outland
Journey to Honor Hold
Force Commander Danath
The Legion Reborn
Know Your Enemy
Waste Not, Want Not
Laying Waste to the Unwanted
Zeth'Gor Must Burn
The Zapthrottle Mote Extractor!
A Bijou for Zanza
AV (2 losses)
Strange Engine Part (#9)
Dearest Natalia
Glyph Chasing
Kharan Mighthammer
Kharan's Tale
The Bearer of Bad News
Houses of the Holy (now friendly with Argent Dawn, opens collection quests (marked AD))
Bonescythe Digs (AD)
The Elemental Equation (AD)
Stealing Orgrimmar's Flame (6750 XP)
Savage Floraw (AD) (59)
A Thief's Reward (6950 XP)
More Torch Tossing (9300 XP)
More Torch Catching (9300 XP)
Binding the Dreadnaught (AD)
Strange Engine Part (#10)
AB (1 win) (9300 XP)
WSG (1 loss, 1 win) (9300 XP)
Strange Engine Part (#11)
More Torch Tossing (9300 XP)
More Torch Catching (9300 XP)
Attunement to the Core
More Torch Tossing (9300 XP)
More Torch Catching (9300 XP)
AV (1 loss, 1 win) (9300 XP)
The Battle of Alterac (60)

Noor doing quest: Houses of the Holy

This quest involved getting Stratholme holy water from crates in Stratholme; I tried using a target dummy the first few times (and succeeded once), but eventually found out I could open the first crate on the left without a dummy if I was careful and a bit lucky.

I really needed this quest, because it just barely got me to "friendly" with Argent Dawn, opening up all the collection quests (savage fronds, bone fragments, etc) that I can complete by buying them as they come up on the auction house.

Captain Sander's Treasure Map

The level 10 quest-starting drop (from Westfall murlocs) showed up in the auction house; I passed it by a couple of times thinking it was the Tanaris map, but bought it when I realized it was a quest chain I haven't done yet. Not much XP, but every bit helps, and I'm now wearing his shirt. Speaking of XP, I get a little every time I try AV, since people in my group kill NPCs. Not much I can do about that, but since Alliance rarely wins, I might skip it as the daily.

I Can't Drive

Made it to 55 already! Now I can turn in the 5 Strange Engine Parts I've already fished up.

Here are the quests Noor did to get from 50 to 55:

Desecrate this Fire! (Desolace) (6800 XP)
Honor the Flame (Feralas) (3400 XP)
Desecrate this Fire! (Feralas)
Honor the Flame (Terokkar)
Desecrate this Fire! (Terokkar)
(learned Master Engineering)
Honor the Flame (Hellfire Peninsula)
A Donation of Runecloth (Stormwind)
A Donation of Runecloth (Gnomer)
A Donation of Runecloth (Ironforge)
Honor the Flame (Netherstorm)
Desecrate this Fire! (Netherstorm)
(375 engineering)
A Donation of Runecloth (Darnassus)
Honor the Flame (Teldrassil)
Honor the Flame (Azuremyst Isle)
A Donation of Runecloth (Exodar)
Honor the Flame (Bloodmyst Isle)
The Smoldering Ruins of Thaurissan #1
Honor the Flame (Wetlands)
Honor the Flame (Tanaris)
Desecrate this Fire! (Tanaris)
Desecrate this Fire! (Thousand Needles) (51)
Desecrate this Fire! (Dustwallow Marsh) (7050)
Honor the Flame (Dustwallow Marsh) (3500)
Honor the Flame (Silithus)
Desecrate this Fire! (Silithus)
Finding the Source
Lost!
A Little Help From My Friends
The New Springs
Strange Sources
A Call To Arms! The Plaguelands!
The Everlook Report
Argent Dawn Commission (0 XP)
Honor the Flame (Western Plaguelands)
Duke Nicholas Zverenhoff
Sister Pamela
Pamela's Doll
Uncle Carlin
Auntiee Marlene
A Strange Historian
The Annals of Darrowshire
Brother Carlin
Villains of Darrowshire
Honor the Flame (Hinterlands)
A Simple Request
Better Late Than Never #1 + #2
Good Natured Emma (52)
Trouble in Winterspring
Sealed Azure Bag
Encoded Fragments (done entirely by pickpocketing Forest Oozes)
Desecrate this Fire! (Burning Steppes) (7350 XP)
Honor the Flame (Burning Steppes) (3650 XP)
The Smoldering Ruins of Thaurissan #2
Heroes of Darrowshire
Good Luck Charm
Honor the Flame (Hillsbrad)
The Sovereign Imperative
Desecrate this Fire! (Hillsbrad)
Desecrate this Fire! (Silverpine Forest)
Desecrate this Fire! (Tirisfal Glades)
Proving Grounds
Honor the Flame (Arathi Highlands)
Desecrate this Fire! (Arathi Highlands)
Honor the Flame (Loch Modan)
Desecrate this Fire! (Badlands)
Honor the Flame (Elwynn Forest)
Honor the Flame (Duskwood)
Honor the Flame (Blasted Lands)
Petty Squabbles
A Tale of Sorrow (53)
Desecrate this Fire! (Swamp of Sorrows) (7600 XP)
More Torch Tossing (7600 XP)
More Torch Catching (7600 XP)
Honor the Flame (Dun Morogh) (3800 XP)
Ragnar Thunderbrew
WSG (1 win) 7600 XP
Starfall
The Ruins of Kel'Theril
Enraged Wildkin #1-#3
Moontouched Wildkin
Find Ranshalla
Troubled Spirits of Kel'Theril
Fragments of the Past #1+#2
Tormented by the Past
Remorseful Highborne
The Crystal of Zin-Malor
Desecrate this Fire! (Zangarmarsh)
Desecrate this Fire! (Hellfire Peninsula)
Desecrate this Fire! (Hinterlands)
Desecrate this Fire! (Ghostlands) (54)
Desecrate this Fire! (Eversong Woods) (7900 XP)
That's Asking A Lot
When Smokey Sings, I Get Violent
Stealing Silvermoon's Flame (5900 XP)
Honor the Flame (Redridge) (3900 XP)
Honor the Flame (Stranglethorn Vale)
Desecrate this Fire! (Stranglethorn Vale)
Desecrate this Fire! (Mulgore)
Stealing Thunder Bluff's Flame (5900 XP)
Tablet of the Seven
Augustus' Receipt Book
The New Frontier #1+#2
Rabine Saturna
Feathermoon Stronghold
Garona: A Study on Stealth and Treachery
Elven Legends
Wasteland
Desert Recipe
Sharing the Knowledge
The Twilight Mystery
The Deserter
Towers and Bunkers (55)

FIFTY! YEP!

The Fire Festival has two new, REPEATABLE daily quests! Plus a quest in practically every Alliance and Horde town to visit the fire and either honor it, or desecrate the opposing faction's fire. I'll hit 50 later today.

I also found out I can do "A Little Slime Goes A Long Way" because collecting the slime is like skinning -- you can do it to ANY corpse you find, even one you didn't kill, as long as it's been looted. I got all the Tainted Slime samples I needed from an undead priest who was running around killing them. Still need the Cursed Slime samples...

Here are the quests I did to get from 45 to 50:
Passing the Burden
An Easy Pickup
Signal for Pickup
What the Flux?
Vulture's Vigor
Snickerfang Jowls
A Boar's Vitality
The Decisive Striker
Arcane Runes
Return to Tymor
WSG (1 loss, 1 win) 5550 XP
AB (1 win) 5550 XP
(fishing up to 375)
WSG (1 win) 5550 XP
The Basilisk's Bite
WSG (1 loss, 1 win) 5550 XP
WSG (3 losses, 1 win) 5550 XP (46)
The Sunken Temple
The Stone Circle
Into the Depths
Secret of the Circle
Freedom for all Creatures (2 tries, first try the sprites wiped out a lot of the druids)
WSG (2 losses, 1 win) 5800 XP
WSG (2 losses, 1 win) 5800 XP
The Spectral Chalice (cost 3 large seaforium charges, 1 masterwork target dummy, 5 invisibility potions, 2 lesser invisibility potions, 8 flash powder, and about 6 deaths)
WSG (3 losses, 1 win) 5800 XP
WSG (3 losses, 1 win) 5800 XP
AB (1 win) 5800 XP
WSG (1 win) 5800 XP
AB (1 win) 5800 XP
AB (1 win) 5800 XP
(explored most of Hellfire Peninsula) (47)
Assisting Arch Druid Staghelm
Un'goro Soil
Morrowgrain Research #1+#2
Jonespyre's Request (could not get the supposed 1200 XP version in SW)
Crystals of Power
It's A Secret to Everybody #1-#3
The Northern Pylon
The Eastern Pylon
The Western Pylon
Making Sense of it
It's A Secret to Everybody #4
The Mystery of Morrowgrain
The Videre Elixir
Kim'jael Indeed!
Meet At The Grave
A Grave Situation
Linken's Sword
A Gnome's Assistance
Linken's Memory (48)
A Crew Under Fire (0 XP)
Chasing A-Me 01 #1 & #2
The Fare of Lar'korwi
Alien Ecology
Expedition Salvation
Dark Iron Legacy (just the intro quest)
A Plague Upon Thee #1-#3
Yuka Screwspigot (0 XP)
AB (1 loss, 1 win) 6300 XP
AB (4 losses, 1 win) 6300 XP
AB (1 win) 6300 XP
WSG (4 losses, 1 win) 6300 XP
WSG (4 losses, 1 win) 6300 XP
(stealthed to Area 52 and explored Zangarmarsh and some of Terokkar Forest) (49)
Roll the Bones
AB (1 win) 6550 XP
WSG (1 loss, 1 win) 6550 XP
WSG (1 win) 6550 XP
WSG (1 win) 6550 XP
WSG (1 win) 6550 XP
The Master of Summer Lore
Playing with Fire
Torch Tossing
Torch Catching
More Torch Tossing
More Torch Catching
Incense for the Summer Scortchlings
Honor the Flame (Darkshore) (3250XP)
Honor the Flame (Zangarmarsh)
Honor the Flame (Winterspring)
Desecrate this Fire! (Winterspring) (6550 XP)
Honor the Flame (Ashenvale)
Desecrate this Fire! (Ashenvale)
Desecrate this Fire! (Durotar)
Desecrate this Fire! (The Barrens)
Desecrate this Fire! (Stonetalon Mountains)
Honor the Flame (Desolace) (50)

Reinisch and Ahimsah doing quest: In Search of Thaelrid

This is a quest horde can do - but the questgiver is in Darnassus! Help came from our 66 Druid friend Ddori, who stealthed in and got the quest to share with us.

We did the quest by running in, tossing a couple target dummies each to get to the broken bridge. Since the mobs can't jump onto the bridge, they reset and we get out of combat. To get to Thaelrid, we drank Potions of Swiftness and activated our Gnomish Cloaking devices and made a beeline.

We originally intended to just die at Thaelrid, but we found surviving so easy that we decided to make it back to the bridge. The only time either of us came close to dying was when I tried my Gnomish Net-o-Matic and it backfired, ensnaring me for 20 seconds.

Reinisch "Arathi Basin" legal at 21

After questing with Ahimsah, I was still about halfway to 21, but since (for some reason) you can't get the Arathi Basin daily quest until you are level 21 (even though you can do AB at level 20), I explored Desolace, most of STV, and some of Feralas to get to 21.

Ahimsah

Reinisch ran into Ahimsah , who posted comments on this blog, and we did some quests together, getting Reinisch to level 20. She's a level 20 blood-elf Paladin who managed to do the quest Searching for the Lost Satchel at about level 16! We grouped up so Reinisch (at level 19) could do it, and we also did Troll Charm and Freedom to Ruul in the Furbolg cave in Ashenvale. With all these quests, Reinisch hit level 20.