Mainchenn doing quest: Missing in Action

Sped up; another healing escort that took about 20 minutes. If Noor could do this with bandages, I knew it would be a snap.

An old friend with a new face

Reinisch's sometime partner Ahimsah has also started a deck-grinding pacifist, now that battleground XP makes the old method trivial. She's now Acaaju, and with two players/accounts, it really helps in cross-faction trading. The more populous Horde side has a lot more cards and ink in their auction house.

She might be able to avoid the pitfalls that Mainchenn encounters, like the Stalvan quest, that can add kill credits to her statistics. I think the spiders that appear (and are aggroed) during the Deepmoss Spider Eggs quest might be a problem if anyone else is nearby and kills an aggroed baby spider, as another possible example.

Mainchenn doing quest: A Fine Mess

Unfortunately, I didn't start recording right at the start (I didn't think my Shadowmeld would actually work!) I accepted the quest (which unstealthed me) and was attacked by a nearby Trogg, so I jumped into the corner and shadowmelded, which removed me from combat. The movie starts when I'm shadowmelded in the corner - I change to cat and stealth out until I'm near the exit, then I cast a HOT on myself and run out so I get all the aggro. The quest succeeded when I got near the exit, so even though my shadowmeld didn't work too well, I just ran out.

Mainchenn hits level 25

Lots of deck-grinding... I've even started a Reinisch alt to buy up cards, inks, and pigments from the horde side when cheap ones show up (though I still need a go-between, since I can't buy it from my own alt). I also should have done more Rogue decks before the XP started going down.

To compare with Noor at level 25... back then, Noor had a 50% chance each day to have a battleground daily. Assuming she can do it (which wasn't always true), that's an average of just about 1,000 XP per day, which is 2 Swords Decks.

Two swords decks is 8 cards, each of which requires 2 of the rare milled pigments. Milling 5 herbs gives you about 0.4 rare pigments, on average (according to El's Inscription), so each card takes about 5 millings = 25 herbs x 8 = 200 herbs or 10 stacks per day. This is reduced when I can buy cheap cards that I need (I currently lack Ace of Swords) and when I can buy the ink & pigments. And this doesn't even consider needing to get the RIGHT random cards (though over the long run, it should average out).

Here are the quests Mainchenn did to get from level 20 to level 25:
Learn to Ride in Darnassus
(explored the Barrens down to Camp Taurajo)
Body and Heart (druid) (completed in the Barrens)
(explored Silverpine Forest)
(explored Ghostlands)
Speaking of Fortitude
Brother Paxton
Ink Supplies
Tinkmaster Overspark
Stonegear's Search
Search for Incendicite
The Day After
Gnogaine
Supplies from Darkshire
Ghost Hair Thread
Return the Comb
Deliver the Thread
Look to the Stars p1
Zombie Juice
Look to the Stars p2
Rogues Deck #10-#13 (21)
Murloc Poachers
Rethban Ore
Return to Kristoff
Bathran's Hair
Orendil's Cure
Ziz Fizziks
On Guard in Stonetalon p1
On Guard in Stonetalon p2
Deepmoss Spider Eggs
Sven's Revenge (250 quests)
The Shadowy Figure
The Shadowy Search Continues
Inquire at the Inn
Finding the Shadowy Figure
Return to Sven
One Shot. One Kill.
Elune's Tear
The Ruins of Stardust
Rogues Deck #14 (now 220 XP)
(explored) (22)
The Legend of Stalvan #1-#12
A Watchful Eye
Looking Further
The Third Fleet
In Search of the Excavation Team p1
The Greenwarden
In Search of the Excavation Team p2
Rogues Deck #15 (160 XP)
Report From the Northern Front
Rogues Deck #16 (160 XP)
Swords Deck #1-#3 (500 XP each)
A Helping Hand
Rogues Deck #17
(explored Redridge Mountains)
(explored Bloodmyst Isle) (23)
(explored Duskwood)
Rogues Deck #18-#21 (110 XP each)
The Absent Minded Prospector p2
The Absent Minded Prospector p3
In Search of Thaelrid
The Absent Minded Prospector p4
Therylune's Escape
Knowledge in the Deeps
The Only Cure is More Green Glow
Swords Deck #4-#6
Rogues Deck #22
(explored Stonetalon Mountains)
Swords Deck #7
Rogues Deck #23
(explored The Barrens)
Lonebrow's Journal
Swords Deck #8
Rogues Deck #24-#27
Swords Deck #9
Rogues Deck #28
Blueleaf Tubers (24)
Klockmort's Essentials
Essential Artificials
Brewfest! (0 XP)
This One Time, When I Was Drunk... (0 XP)
Chug and Chuck! (0 XP)
Catch the Wild Wolpertinger! (0 XP)
Now This Is Ram Racing...Almost (0 XP)
There and Back Again (0 XP)
Another Year, Another Souvenir (0 XP)
Bark for the Thunderbrews! (0 XP)
Kayneth Stillwind
The Lost Chalice
Forsaken Diseases
A Shameful Waste
This One Time, When I Was Drunk... (0 XP)
(Brewfest keg running) (0 XP)
Bark for the Barleybrews! (0 XP)
Rogues Deck #29 (54 XP)
Swords Deck #10-#11
(Brewfest keg running) (0 XP)
This One Time, When I Was Drunk... (0 XP)
Bark for the Barleybrews! (0 XP)
Swords Deck #12-#13
(Brewfest keg running) (0 XP)
This One Time, When I Was Drunk... (0 XP)
Bark for the Barleybrews! (0 XP)
Swords Deck #14-#17
This One Time, When I Was Drunk... (0 XP)
(Brewfest keg running) (0 XP)
Bark for the Barleybrews! (0 XP)
Swords Deck #18-#20
This One Time, When I Was Drunk... (0 XP)
Bark for the Barleybrews! (0 XP)
(Brewfest keg running) (0 XP)
Swords Deck #21-#23
This One Time, When I Was Drunk... (0 XP)
(Brewfest keg running) (0 XP)
Bark for the Thunderbrews! (0 XP)
Brew of the Month Club (0 XP)
Swords Deck #24-#27
Bark for the Thunderbrews! (0 XP)
(Brewfest keg running) (0 XP)
This One Time, When I Was Drunk... (0 XP)
Swords Deck #28-#33 (25)

Rant: Magic Dust is dead

Magic Dust, that greatest of secret weapons, was destroyed by patch 3.2

It still has the same tooltip, but does nothing except say "fizzled."

See wowhead.com for more details.

RETRACTION: Magic Dust isn't quite dead, it just always fizzles if the target is higher than your own level (at least for PvE). It appears to fizzle at higher levels, too.

Mainchenn doing quest: Blueleaf Tubers

This only shows one of six tubers needed for the quest, and it took me a long time to do, since I would hit the re-enter instance limit after only getting 1 or 2 tubers, and I'd have to get another "box with holes" in Ratchet.

I also didn't figure out exactly what I had to avoid right away -- if the snufflenose gopher gets hit while looking for a blueleaf tuber, he will go through the motions, but no tuber will appear (and that tuber location gets "used up"). So in order to get a tuber, I had to get aggro before the gopher, and if the nearest tuber was far off, another pig would attack the gopher anyway. I had to be lucky and have the gopher find a tuber close enough to avoid combat with a second mob.

Mainchenn doing quest: The Only Cure is More Green Glow

Needs more COWBELL!

Mainchenn doing quest: In Search of Thaelrid

And this is just a regular stealth run:

Mainchenn doing quest: The Absent Minded Prospector

Sped up since it took over 20 minutes...just a big heal-a-thon.

Gutrot Grats

The Naked Troll Warrior Gutrot is throwing a ding 80 party on September 26 on EU Aerie Peak. I can't be there, but if someone wants to be Reinisch (or Noor or Mainchenn) in my place, that's OK with me!

One shot. One kill

Ironic title, I know. I tried doing this my standard way, by just healing the NPC, but she runs out of arrows! Just before this quest went gray, I tried it again, this time grabbing aggro and running around a lot until I got far enough to get out of combat. I thought the mobs might despawn if I did that, but I don't think any did. However, I guess it must reset her arrow count or something, because she didn't run out this time.

The Curse of Stalvan

When I did part 6 of the Legend of Stalvan chain, the ghost appeared and cursed me as usual. When a town guard killed it, I checked and I did indeed get credit for killing it (though no XP)...

With any similar quests, I'll try Shadowmeld in case leaving combat untaps the mob so I don't get credit.

Bingles and the Bear

First, here's Mainchenn getting one of Bingles' tools; Shadowmeld allows a little more time to grab items, because the mobs are still running back at first:


Next, Mainchenn gets bear form in the Barrens after watching a tauren druid (Seraith) do the quest:

Mainchenn hits level 20

Here are the quests Mainchenn did to get from level 10 to level 20:

Nessa Shadowsong (night elf)
The Bounty of Teldrassil (night elf)
Beer Basted Boar Ribs
Your Fortune Awaits You... (0 XP)
(dropped 38 skinning, took up mining)
Winds in the Desert
(explored Durotar)
(explored Tirisfal Glades)
(explored Eversong Woods)
(explored Mulgore)
(dropped 75 mining, took up leatherworking)
Moonglow Vest (11) (leatherworking)
Heeding the Call (druid)
Flight to Auberdine (night elf)
The Family and the Fishing Pole
Return to Nessa (night elf)
(dropped 71 leatherworking, took up blacksmithing)
Elmore's Task
Deeprun Rat Roundup
Me Brother, Nipsy
Shimmer Stout
Supplying the Front (blacksmithing)
Stout to Kadrell
Thelsamar Blood Sausages
Stormpike's Delivery
Mountaineer Stormpike's Task (12)
(explored Dun Morogh)
The Lost Pilot
Moonglade (druid)
Great Bear Spirit (druid)
Back to Darnassus (druid)
Encroaching Gnolls
Gearing Redridge (blacksmithing)
(dropped 75 blacksmithing, took up Inscription)
Stormpike's Order
Goretusk Liver Pie
The Forgotten Heirloom
Poor Old Blanchy
Keeper of the Flame
Washes Ashore #1
Rogues Deck #1 (270 XP) (13)
Coming of Age
(explored Azuremyst Isle)
Elekks Are Serious Business (100 quests)
The Kessel Run
Irradiated Crystal Shards
What Argus Means to Me
A Favorite Treat
Catch and Release
Learning From the Crystals
Easy Strider Living
Washed Ashore #2 (Honored with Darnassus)
Bashal'Aran p1
Plagued Lands
How Big A Threat?
The Red Crystal
As Water Cascades (14)
The Fragments Within
Trouble in Darkshore?
Hilary's Necklace
A Free Lunch
Visit the Herbalist
Delivering Daffodils
Messenger to Stormwind p1
The Price of Shoes
Thunderbrew Lager
Return to Verner
Messenger to Stormwind p2
Messenger to Westfall p1
Messenger to Westfall p2
The Defias Brotherhood p1 (Honored with Stormwind)
The Defias Brotherhood p2
A Donation of Wool (Stormwind)
The Defias Brotherhood p3
The Defias Brotherhood p4
Rogues Deck #2-#5
(exploring) (15) (1d 0h 57m 29s /played)
Thundris Windweaver
Gaffer Jacks
The Tower of Althalaxx p1
Electropellers
Beached Sea Creature #1
Beached Sea Turtle #1
Beached Sea Turtle #2
The Cliffspring River
Rogues Deck #6
Urgent Delivery (0 XP)
The Missing Survey Team
The Bloodcurse Legacy
Restoring Sanctity
Searching for Galaen
Know Thine Enemy (Honored with Ironforge)
Mac'Aree Mushroom Menagerie (Honored with Exodar)
Ysera's Tears
Explorers' League, Is That Something for Gnomes?
Pilfered Equipment (16)
Ysera's Tears
Lessens Anew (druid)
A Lesson to Learn (druid)
Trial of the Lake (druid)
Trial of the Sea Lion (druid)
Aquatic Form (druid)
Newfound Allies
The Way to Auberdine
Deep Ocean, Vast Sea
The Principal Source (druid)
Cave Mushrooms
Gathering the Cure (druid)
The Fall of Ameth'Aran
Onu
The Absent Minded Prospector p1
The Master's Glaive
The Twilight Camp (17)
Return to Onu
A Donation of Wool (Darnassus)
Curing the Sick (druid)
Power over Poison (druid)
Redridge Goulash
The Lost Tools
Selling Fish
A Donation of Wool (Ironforge)
Speak with Shoni
A Donation of Wool (Gnomeregan) (Honored with Gnomeregan)
Ironband's Excavation
Find Bingles
A Dark Threat Looms p1
A Dark Threat Looms p2
Westfall Stew
Samophlange p1
Samophlange p2 (18)
Root Samples
Excavation Progress Report
Bingles' Missing Supplies
(explored Loch Modan)
Filthy Paws
Report to Ironforge
Powder to Ironband
Resupplying the Excavation
After the Ambush
Protecting the Shipment
Messenger to Darkshire p1
Seasoned Wolf Kabobs
Messenger to Darkshire p2
Dry Times
Beached Sea Turtle #3
Beached Sea Creature #2
Beached Sea Turtle #4
Beached Sea Creature #3
Beached Sea Turtle #5
Beached Sea Creature #4
(explored Darkshore)
Mathystra Relics
The Sleeper Has Awakened (19)
Journey to Astranaar (but I missed Fiona Longears)
Onward to Ashenvale
Raene's Cleansing p1
Deliveries to Sven
The Hermit
Raven Hill
Jitters' Growling Gut
Dusky Crab Cakes
Return to Jitters
(explored Westfall)
A Donation of Wool (Exodar)
Report to Mountaineer Rockgar
A Dark Threat Looms p3
Daily Delivery
A Dark Threat Looms p4
Rogues Deck #7-#9
The Corruption Abroad
Humble Beginnings
(explored more of The Barrens) (20) (1d 11h 38m 23s /played)

Mainchenn doing quest: Mist

This can be pretty easy if you put a HOT on Mist and she doesn't get into combat -- if a mob attacks Mist, the HOT will probably get them after you. Lifeblood rank 1 is a very powerful heal at this level, too.

Déjà vu all over again - Mainchenn hits level 10

Here are the quests Mainchenn did to reach level 10:

The Woodland Protector p1
Dolanaar Delivery
(drowned self in Darnassus, resurrected in Dalaran) (2)
Package for Thurman
Harlan Needs a Resupply
Wine Shop Advert
A Threat Within
Eagan Peltskinner
Rest And Relaxation
(exploring) (3)
Tools for Steelgrill
Inoculation
Spare Parts
The Missing Scout
(exploring) (4)
Red Snapper - Very Tasty!
Find Acteon!
Word From Azure Watch
Denelan's Earth
Timberling Sprouts
A Troubling Breeze (5)
Gnarlpine Corruption
The Emerald Dreamcatcher
(took up herbalism and alchemy)
The Fargodeep Mine
Elixirs for the Bladeleafs (alchemy)
(dropped alchemy 21, took up mining)
A Refugee's Quandary
Scalding Mornbrew Delivery
Bring Back the Mug (6)
The Temple of the Moon
A Good Friend
A Friend In Need
A Small Start
I've Got a Plant
Tree's Company
Precious And Fragile Things Need Special Handling
Supplies to Tannok
Ammo for Rumbleshoot (7)
Tundra MacGrann's Stolen Stash
Distracting Jarven
Bitter Rivals
Return to Marleth
The Perfect Stout
Lost Necklace
A Fishy Peril
Further Concerns
Find the Lost Guards
Discover Rolf's Fate (8)
A Bundle of Trouble
Report to Thomas
Deliver Thomas' Report
Young Lovers
Speak With Gramma
Note to William
Cloth and Leather Armor (50 quests)
Learning the Language
Totem of Coo
Totem of Tikti
Totem of Yor
Totem of Vark
The Missing Fisherman
A Cry for Help
Pie for Billy
Back to Billy (9)
(75 mining, toughness rank 1 = +3 stamina)
(75 herbalism, lifeblood rank 1 = 300 healing)
The Jasperlode Mine
The Great Moongraze Hunt p1
(dropped mining 80, took up skinning)
Recipe of the Kaldorei
The Great Moongraze Hunt p2 (all done w/skinning found corpses)
(explored Elwynn Forest)
Westbrook Garrison Needs Help!
Westfall Stew p1
Report to Gyran Stoutmantle
Rejold's New Brew (if you do The Perfect Stout but you're too low to accept Shimmer Stout, this quest sends you back when you're higher...)
The Relics of Wakening
(explored Teldrassil) (10)

Fairly new tapping rules

http://www.wow.com/2009/01/20/world-of-warcraft-3-0-8-patch-notes/

Patch 3.0.8:
Tapping: All player spells which cause a creature to become aggressive to you will now also immediately cause the creature to be tapped.

It appears that most (if not all) passive damage-dealing buffs like Thorns do NOT tap creatures, so I don't need to worry about taking Thorns off immediately if a passing druid tosses it on me (I still won't use it). I still might modify the NiceTry addon (which takes off a hunter's Misdirection on you) to only allow a few specific buffs from players on me. It should be easy to modify.

What might be harder is an addon that won't attack on a right click. I've been trying to open quest objectives with my back to them, so if I click on a mob my attack will fail, but an addon would really help. I nearly killed a chicken doing the CLUCK! quest, because you click on it to turn in the quest, but it can turn back to yellow without warning if you take too long, causing your click to kill it. Luckily, my back was turned...

Reaching level 20 -- and rerolling Mainchenn

Just before hitting level 20, I looked at Mainchenn's stats and was shocked to see he had credit for killing 1 beast, even though his "largest hit dealt" under Combat was still "--"

It took me a while to figure out what it was... when I did the escort quest The Sleeper Has Awakened, I tried using Hibernate on a Ghost Wolf at one point to try and pass by without fighting (which wouldn't have worked anyway -- the mob attacks when it wakes up). Instead, Kerlonian Evershade (the escortee) immediately started attacking it! Even though we were attacked by the (scripted attack) of furbolgs and he also killed those, I didn't get kill credit because I only healed him. But it looks like doing anything to a mob can give you credit if your escort kills it. That means I can't use anything during an escort -- no Magic Dust, no Hibernate, no Goblin Rocket Helmet or even a Target Dummy (I think). I'll do some more tests with other toons before using anything during an escort if I can't do it any other way.

Since it's taken me less than a week to get to level 20, I'll just reroll Mainchenn and avoid making that mistake again...

Mainchenn hits level 10

There weren't a lot of pacifist druids that I could find; "Mainchenn" is from British mythology:

Mainchenn is a visiting druid from Britain who disapproves of the constant petty battles being carried out between the people of Connaught and the people of Munster all on the head of two magical beings who are in constant rivalry with each other.

Here are the quests Mainchenn did to get from level 1 to level 10:

The Woodland Protector p1
Dolanaar Delivery
Package for Thurman (2)
Harlan Needs a Resupply
Wine Shop Advert
A Threat Within
Eagan Peltskinner
Rest And Relaxation
Tools for Steelgrill (3)
A Refugee's Quandary
Inoculation
Spare Parts
The Missing Scout (4)
Red Snapper - Very Tasty!
Find Acteon!
Word From Azure Watch
Denelan's Earth
A Troubling Breeze
Gnarlpine Corruption
The Emerald Dreamcatcher (5)
Timberling Sprouts
(took up mining)
Supplies to Tannok
Scalding Mornbrew Delivery
Bring Back the Mug
The Temple of the Moon
(took up herbalism)
A Good Friend
A Friend In Need
A Small Start (6)
I've Got a Plant
Tree's Company
Precious And Fragile Things Need Special Handling
The Fargodeep Mine
The Jasperlode Mine
(exploring) (7)
Westbrook Garrison Needs Help
Mist
(dropped mining, took up alchemy)
Elixirs for the Bladeleafs (alchemy)
Recipe of the Kaldorei
(dropped alchemy, took up mining)
Ammo for Rumbleshoot
A Fishy Peril
Further Concerns
Find the Lost Guards
Discover Rolf's Fate (8)
Report to Thomas
A Bundle of Trouble
Deliver Thomas' Report
Lost Necklace
Young Lovers
Speak With Gramma
Note to William
(STILL missed "Rejold's New Brew" -- you can only get it after you do "The Perfect Stout" but you have to refuse his immediate followup "Shimmer Stout" and go back to Kharanos...)
The Perfect Stout (50 quests)
The Great Moongraze Hunt p1
(dropped herbalism, took up skinning)
Pie for Billy
Back to Billy
Beer Basted Boar Ribs (9)
Distracting Jarven
Bitter Rivals
Return to Marlethw
Learning the Language
Totem of Coo
Totem of Tikti
Totem of Yor
Totem of Vark
The Relics of Wakening
The Great Moongraze Hunt p2 (done by skinning found stag corpses)
The Missing Fisherman
A Cry for Help
Cloth and Leather Armor
Elmore's Task
Tundra MacGrann's Stolen Stash
Shimmer Stout (10)

80 is doable - grinding XP without battlegrounds!

Again, I forgot that there already ARE low-level, repeatable quests that grant XP, and they aren't even daily quests, you can do them as often as you like.

The inscription decks (rogues, swords, mages, demons) all grant XP as often as you turn them in. Not a huge amount (about 30-40 turn-ins per level at the start of their 9 levels, and about 70-90 near the end), but not insignificant either. Once I do the two low-level blacksmith quests and the low-level leatherworking quest, I'll switch to inscription/herbalism and grind out decks to help leveling. The four deck types can be turned in starting at levels 10, 20, 30, and 40, but the auction house typically only has the level 10 (rogues) decks, because people use them to grind Darkmoon Faire reputation, and all the decks grant the same rep. Without battlegrounds, these decks and seasonal quests are the only XP grind I can do before level 55 and fishing up Strange Engine Parts, and level 62 with the Spirits of Auchindoun daily, until Cataclysm changes everything. (Addendum: from level 10 to level 40, there is always at least one Darkmoon Deck that isn't gray (i.e. can be turned in for full XP), and Demon Decks don't turn gray until -- level 55, when I can start turning in Strange Engine Parts)

As usual, I'll pop out of inscription/herbalism to do the leatherworking chain around level 30 and blacksmithing around 40. Since I don't do battlegrounds, I don't really need engineering except for occasional target dummies, so I can keep dropping professions as I need to.

The Night Elf Shadowmeld is nearly as good as vanish, at least against NPCs. It gets me out of combat, which is needed for some solo instance quests.

Reinisch hits level 80

Reinisch hit level 80:


The special announcement is -- I'm doing it once more, this time without battlegrounds (if possible)...

Since Cataclysm will changes a lot of quests, there might be enough of a "boost" from new quests to gain more levels. Plus, if I really want to get every last XP point, I can change to Horde and back to get many of the Horde quests. With any luck, Blizzard will add low-level dailies...

Party tonight

I'll be on as either Reinisch or Noorkhan (low level alt version of Noor) in Dalaran for the party.

I'll have a special announcement too!