Temple of Kotmogu

Temple of Kotmogu is my current favourite place to be. I have enormous amount of pent up aggression at the moment and this place is just fabulous for unleashing the raaaaaaaaaage! I love to stand right in the middle and just pew pew everything in sight. Awesome AOE win! Blizzard did a wonderful thing by introducing this bg.

It's a bg where I don't struggle. Especially with healers nearby. My favourite thing to do is to just run into the middle (orbs where available) when horde gather there, pop Alter Time, then just place a sneaky Frostbomb on the centre target, Pet Freeze to keep them all together for maximum damage, run straight at them and Frost Orb, Nova, Ice Lance to my heart's content. Then just before they smash me into the floor, I return to my start place to go all over again! So funny when a group of them are on me and *poof* I'm gone back the other side! Now, I'm not saying this happens all the time. But when it does, it really makes me very happy. More than it probably should. The best one so far was a pretty even match up healer wise. I basically just ended up stood in the middle, repeating this cycle. Killed a few orb carriers, silenced a ton of healers and unleashed a total of 13m damage for the bg. The next below me on our team, damage wise, put out 7m total. I know it's not the sole aim of the bg but it was a pretty good feeling to get that much damage out. It was a long and intense battle, but a shit ton of fun!

Sometimes it doesn't go so well. But when those times happen I tend to go a little 'This is Sparta!!' (to the point where my lock wants a picture of me doing it, with that caption. He finds it veeery amusing). I lose all focus and just run in, arms flailing, popping every CD, trying to take out more than I am actually able to do. But, if you're going to lose, you might as well go down fighting! Also tons of fun and a better end to a losing bg than, say, being ganked at WSG graveyard...

As a final note, to the shithead Orc DK who jumped me in the Golden Pagoda as I came out of the bg and took half my health before I even knew what was happening. It must have really stung to get your arse kicked good and proper by a Gnome Mage at half health. Learn to time your Death Grip better. It could save your life.

Gone Fishin'

Though probably a guide already exists for this, I'm compiling a little list of my favourite places to fish in Pandaria.  Eveeeryone is cooking now and these spots will provide the fish you need to level your cooking, to create those super duper banquets, to cash in for Ironpaw Tokens/AH or if you're nice, to make food for your Halfhill friends!

Emperor Salmon and Krasarang Paddlefish

• Guilded Fan - Lots of Salmon pools in the lake here. Heavily fished though.
• New Cifera, Pools of Purity - My favourite spot for a fast few stacks.
• Yan Zhe River - Lots of spots here and handy for picking up turtle meat or wildfowl breast from the little beasts around the shores.
• Krasarang Wilds - The big lake here has tons of spots.

Reef Octopus and Giant Mantis Shrimp

• Cradle Of Chi Ji - Lots of unfished Reef Octopus spots all around here. A few Giant Mantis Shrimp but great for the Octopus. Always quiet and easy to get a good few stacks.
• Nayeli Lagoon: Same as above.

These two locations should provide you with more than enough of these fish, without having to travel too far!

Jewel Danio and Redbelly Mandarin

• Mistvale Village - Follow the stream from Whitepetal lake down to Mistvale Village for these. Mainly Jewel Danio in my experience but still quite a few Redbelly Mandarin pools.
• Mogushan Palace - In the ponds around here there are quite a few pools of Redbelly Mandarin.

Sometimes you will also find Emperor Salmon here.

Tiger Gourami

• The Ancient Passage - The only place I've been where I can successfully fish a few stack. There's never anyone here and the mobs scattered around are nice for Windwool Cloth etc.

Not to forget Darkmoon!

Always remember to fish the crates here. I have had lots of motes from these crates, so it's a nice way to get them without fighting.

I'll update more spots as I go but if anyone can think of anymore, please put them in the comments and I'll add them to it!

Something's Missing...

I went to see Agee today. Something has been troubling me and this wise little old guy is where I go for comfort...

We sat in front of a roaring fire, just pondering life. The silence was a comfortable one. One that can only be shared between close friends. Agee knew I was troubled but asked no questions. That's the great thing about Agee.

 Soon I found myself falling into a deep, peaceful sleep. One that I had needed for so long..

The bright sun shone down on my face. I rolled over to see a small animal running towards me. His eyes red, as though he had been crying for days. He said to me, 'My name is Socks and I need your help. Seek out the Short Bearded Paladin who shines like the sun to avenge Gizmo's death!'. Then he vanished. It was then I knew I was dreaming. I had met Socks before but he was turned into Jade by the Jade Witch, so this could not be real life! I, erm, might have abandoned the quest that released him from the Jade so I could go farm windwool and fish. So, because of my guilt at letting him become a lawn decoration (don't even go there readers...I'm sitting in no gardens), I decided to seek out the Paladin of which he spoke.

I woke up, bleary eyed but dedicated to fulfilling Socks' request. But where would I find such a Paladin? I thought of my dream. Socks had told me the Paladin was short and bearded. This can only mean one thing. Dwarf! My search would begin at Ironforge. I transported myself immediately by portal, because I'm too damn lazy to fly.

I went straight to the top. The mission was of utmost importance. To the High Seat I went. I stormed past the guards and looked Muradin Bronzebeard in the eye. I told him of my quest. He responded with, 'sod off, y'er little bastard' in his Scottish drawl before the guards manhandled me and threw me into the corridor. I get the feeling dwarfs don't like gnomes very much...

Dusting myself off, I decided to ask a kindly looking Blacksmith. By this point I did not care if dwarves hated me or not. Gizmo needed to be avenged. Fortunately, this particular dwarf looked upon my cute face and took pity on me. But he requested a price for this information. I had to do a /train for him and his friends. I took a deep breath, knowing the scorn my high pitched 'chugga chugga choo choo' would cause. I did it and the whole place erupted with belly laughs and 'wtf's'. When he eventually composed himself and changed his pants (dwarves have bladder control 'issues'), he told me a Paladin fitting my description had passed through not long ago to use his forge. He did not know where he had gone but he said his armour was the finest he had ever seen! On I went, disappointed with my venture...

I went to Karanos next but they had not seen nor heard of the Paladin I was looking for. My search seemed futile. On a hunch I decided to go to Tinker Town to ask there. I had a feeling in my gut that this dwarf had a soft spot for gnomes but couldn't express it due to his races' prejudice towards us, lest he be mocked for being a 'gnome sympathiser'.

I asked all around town until someone pointed me here. They told me they had seen a dwarf fitting my description 'chilling' in the coolest house in town. So cool, in fact, that they all wore sunglasses...inside. I walked in, in my garish red outfit, like a boss. They sat, staring at me behind their expensive branded sunglasses. I demanded they tell me of this dwarf immediately. In a slightly drunk sounding voice, one of them said, 'yeah dude, we partied with him. Dwarf can drink!'. Ok, we were getting somewhere. I calmly asked what he had said and that the killers of Gizmo must be avenged. The gnome on the bunk looked up and replied, 'chill dude...!'. I stopped him right there...'chill dude?? I will Ice Lance you to the face if you don't tell me where he went. This dwarf is the only one who can stop Socks haunting my dreams!'. The gnome shook so hard, he almost fell off his trendy modular bunk. 'Ok, Ok, he said he was going to find an epic Golden Axe to go with his perfect Golden Armor. He said he would farm that dungeon until the bloody thing dropped and transmog the axe he had with better stats into something more awesome looking because Cataclysm gear is ugly'. I knew then that this was the dwarf I was looking for. Socks said he shined like the sun...golden armor. It all fits. So, I went the only place I knew I would find him. Stormwind City.

And here I waited. I know that one day he will return. When the time is right, he will be here. And then I will give him his task. Rubedeus, Socks needs you. Put on your Golden Armor, hunt down Gizmo's murderers and slay them all. Then drinks and cake, ok? :)

They're Following Me, I'm Sure!

New books arrived at work today and this was my favourite, of course!

Pandas in pants, running wild! What's not to love! In my mind, this is the story of what will happen should I ever roll a panda...

Kodak Moments!

I was taking a look through my screenshots this morning and found a few that I forgot about! So, here is my blog photo album. Enjoy!

Here we have the last day of Cataclysm, Just before the reset. If anyone has been present during a normal reset, you will know what happens in SW. But this one was different. A shout appeared in Trade Chat for everyone to go to the Cathedral. I'm nosy, so I went, to find this. Looks innocent enough, so I joined in...

And then more came...

Still fairly sensible...

Party Time! Let the dancing begin!

Awkward moment when some tall dude dances right in your face *blushes*

Almost time...

The End Is Here! Bye Bye Cataclysm, it was fun.

*Apologies for the swears. But it's, well, Trade Chat*

When WoW tries to give you a hint...

Thanks for the confidence boost Blizzard!

Suffering some lag in SW when I tried to mount up. Nothing happened. Then 5 mins later when I was minding my own business, this...

Flying Gnomie!

Randoms:

Check the recount...Mage Raaaage!

Quality response to some BG rage! This made me chuckle...more than it should have!

When Illusion goes horribly, horribly wrong. 

More to follow :)

Gankswarms!

The inspiration for this post came from a comment made in an Alterac Valley BG. It's something that has been bothering me for the last few days but I haven't been able to verbalise it as well as this guy could. The comment was:

"ffs...I hate coming in here late and getting griefed to f**k by a gankswarm!"

My thoughts exactly. Not just about AV but  virtually every single BG I've played this week. Battle for Gilneas. Horde took Lighthouse and stood at the graveyard smashing our faces in. Arathi Basin, took the Stables and pounded my gnome into dust. Warsong Gulch, attempted but not this time, pedro. What the hell is going off with Horde lately? Is this the only way they play now? I mean, usually they travel in packs much better than Alliance (which for me is often the reason for their success) but not to this extent. Though this may look like a massive QQ, it's really not. I appreciate a horde who plays well and takes me to pieces but to have rogues, fire mages, huntards and priests gank the graveyard? This has happened sometimes but these last few days it's been the main play style. And it's dull. Still, always the chance to mega penguin and pat prior to my death. Which never stops being fun!

I did have one major win this week with a new talent though. Lets call it a 'Disney talent'. Illusion provided me with the biggest giggle I've had in a while. I was in Twin Peaks and we were trying to get the flag. I was defending but was seeing my team mates frustration at the fact that 2 rogues were guarding the horde flag so I thought I'd take a chance at grabbing it. I popped into invisible mode and made my way to the flag, grabbed it and unfortunately got kicked to death by the rogues. Ok, try again. This time I swam in blinked to the flag, managed to get out of the room but again succumbed to the rogues. Last try. Previously I had tried Illusion and turned into trolls, so I wondered if they might not notice me sneak in. By this time there was a lot of horde stood outside their flagroom. Clicked Illusion and turned into a goblin...of all horde races! So I started running towards them... and they ignored me. I had a wtf moment but carried on regardless. Ice Barrier up, I grabbed the flag. This set the rabbid rogues after me plus a bonus loladin. Counter Spelled the loladin, plus a quick spell steal and Frost Nova'd the rogues. Blinked out and started running. Had a DK put me in Shackles of Ice but the Escape Artist gnome racial sorted that. I got half way down the field before I had a gathering of horde running towards me. Waited until they got close, the BAM, Frost Nova and blink again. I had 1 (yes, just 1) ally run at the side of me from here when I saw a shadow of a little b*****d rogue sap him. He shouted sap and I got a lovely pet freeze ready for him. Popped it on plus Deep Freeze and carried on. Dropped the flag to win the game! During this run, I cursed more than ever I had done. But it was FUN!

Though my mage has lost a lot of her damage until I figure my stuff out, she has not lost the awesome CC abilities and most importantly the fun factor. Though I may not have the DPS of a fire mage or even an Arcane mage, I do have the ability to get either myself or another player carrying the flag up the field. I like nothing better than to help a fellow Ally through a big group of horde with my Frost Nova's and Pet Freezes, while they run on to victory. Or even myself. Seeing multiple horde stuck to the floor while I cycle through my freeze rotation is a joy to behold. Until, of course, I run out and they pummel me into the floor. By that time though, out FC is usually clear. I'm not nicknamed the suicide gnome, by my favourite Lock, for nothing...

PvP Battle Royale: I Got the Pan Lid

I've tried my new talents. My choices are:

• Ice Floes
• Ice Barrier
• Frostjaw
• Cold Snap
• Frost Bomb

All frost. At first they weren't. I initially went for:

• Ice Floes
• Temporal Shield

The rest the same as above. This did not work for me. I missed my Mana Shield, which I was casting constantly. I was not amused!Ice Barrier works better for me now it has a 25 sec CD. I can work with that. But I've found myself back to being the horde punchbag. I'm tiny, yes. Annoying, yes. But I got nuked down by a Shadow Priest in seconds. Also, as if Warlocks needed MOAR fear. I spent my first BG surrounded by locks spamming teh fear. But as always, it's a work in progress. And I have faith in the WoW gods. Do you hear me, faith!

Things I dislike:

• Having cast time on my Frost Armor. Slows me down when I res and want to go pewpew fast!
• Cast times in general
• No Mana Shield
• Priests breaking my Ice Block (though I hear this was there before the patch. I just never saw it)
• Fear, fear, fear

Things I do like:

• Frozen Orb is just so pretty!
• Nuking rogues (3 in 1 BG. Though they may have just been terrible)
• Tiny familiars in Arcane. Tiny Water Elemental is, well, tiny
• Frost Bomb 

Yes, all the things I like are cute. I know, but I'm a GIRL. I like cute, as long as it's coupled with frosty death. Which has yet to happen in abundance but it will. Trust me, it will. Also, mad at DK's Horn of Winter snowstorm. It's so awesomely awesome that I'm jealous. WANT! 

Any comments welcome. I'd like to see how other Frost Mages are managing. Also, happy to hear what other classes are happy/unhappy with. My other half is not happy with his destro lock. Share your thoughts!

Things To Do Whilst Downloading Patch 5.04

I've been downloading patch 5.04 for approximately 10 minutes and have got to 7%, which means I'm probably not going to get it in 15 minutes...more like 4 hours! So, I'm compiling a list of things I can or am doing while I wait:

• Eat my breakfast. Which consists of 1 Cadbury's Twirl and 1 can of Dr Pepper. Don't look at me like that. I waited all my childhood to eat junk for breakfast. Now I'm a growed up I can!
• Do my ironing... As if!
• Look over last night's server shutdown screenshots, edit them (you know what trade chat is like) and post on here.
• Clean. See Number 2

I'm at 10%

• Read some more guides about how Frost Mage's have been nerfed (why???), QQ a bit, then find that they're not actually that bad when I get in
• Get all shades of excited about new areas. From what little I've seen so far, they look amazing!
• Have a chuckle to myself about how much QQ'ing rogues will be doing!

13%

• Tell my daughter she no can haz morning pewpew session.
• Start shouting at my Antivirus to stop asking silly questions. Of course Blizzard can have access. It can hear me, right?
• Pay my bills and think about how I can farm more RL gold. I have 4 part time jobs that equate to 1 full time and I've been offered another.

25%

• *squeeeeee* a quarter of the way done!

Red Carpet Fashion: Cataclysm Edition

I'm getting a little excited about the new patch tomorrow. So in honour of Cataclysm almost being over, I've decided to do a little post showing my two transmog sets. Being a fashionable gal, Azerothian (is that the actual term?) clothes do not always suit those of us who are small in stature. I would post a screenshot of my gnome wearing the red dress someone gifted me but honestly, the therapy bills for you would be huge. I prefer my gnome not to rock a slutty look (her thighs and muffin top prevent it, or I'd have her in a bikini). Practical, yet garish is my chosen style. And yes, she is in pink...

First up: PvE kit in Arcane spec

And my PvP Frost Mage Kit:

While not being a complete transmog junkie, I am looking forward to seeing what MoP has to offer!