Cataclysm Journal 26!

The worlds our oyster..

Throwing in quite the mix with this one. Though first of all, jumping in the Random Dungeon Queue once again. Still on normal, as we have yet to hit the requirements for Heroic difficulties and fitting in as much practice for myself and Feignheart before jumping in at the deep end. What perils will we face first. Our fate lies in the hands of the dungeon queue. 

Throne of the Tides

BONG! Within seconds the drums had alerted us that we had a group ready for battle. So without hesitation we entered, even if our destination was still shrouded. You have discovered... The Throne of the Tides! Looks like we we're heading down beneath the sea bed and into the Abyssal Breach, of which we had touched upon previously in our adventures through Vashj'ir. Though it wasn't until now, after being left on a cliffhanger, that we had received a chance directing us into the uncharted depths.

Neptulon The Tidehunter

An underwater palace was far from what Feignheart and myself had been expecting, despite the name. Though considering the usual aesthetic presentation and desires of the Naga, it suited them perfectly. With it's long stretched hallways, leading between each chamber, and it's vibrant colours with jewel encrusted features, it really was fit for a king. Yet at the same time, it gave an unsettling feeling of mystery. Playing through this instance showed us some interesting mechanics and provided a cinematic which, as always, gets our thumbs up.


After our run through the Old God's domain, we were all warmed up and ready for more! Back in the queue we jumped. This saw us venturing from the heavenly heights of the Vortex Pinnacle, all the way down to the bottomless pits of The Stonecore. However, even though these are places we have already covered, I must say, no two runs are the same. If anything, being more prepared, they happened to be better the second time around. Also allowing more room for improvement.

Grim Batol

It wasn't before long until we were thrown into a yet undiscovered territory, to us at least. Grim Batol. Not given a moment to take in the vast mountainous structure, straight into the action we went. Cutting down packs of Twilights Hammer agents, we came up against a number of strange and malicious beings. Though what struck me as most surprising as we ventured deeper and deeper in, was the very familiar infrastructure and scenery. Almost too familiar. Ironforge! It hit me. Especially when I was to later to find out that it was previously a stronghold of the Dwarven Wildhammer Clan.

Seems we have our voices back (/roar)

Now, taking a step out from dungeons for a breather, we began looking at what we had acquired along the way. Among the various items and some rather trashy ones (to vendor), we again came across our [Justice Points] which had been accumulating. Upon closer inspection it appeared that these allowed us to purchase powerful equipment. It then dawned on us, that throughout our time in the instances, that we hadn't picked up anything for ourselves. So with Heroics just out of reach, we decided to have a sniff around for improvements to punch us up to the next level. First up; find a replacement melee weapon! Luckily enough, an acquaintance of ours managed to come up with a suggestion. Being a blacksmith, they would be able to craft us a weapon of our own. The only catch being we would have to present our own materials. This wasn't such a problem, after all the fortunes we had amassed over our journey from 1-85. Though, that wasn't to say the price of these products on the Auction House didn't sting a little. However we proudly present - [Elementium Poleaxe]. Next up; the justice points vendor. After a little hunting we found our guy. Looking through the various upgrades they had to offer, even those we still didn't have enough currency for, we soon came across an item. This time presenting - [Hornet-Sting Band] - which also so happens to be our first epic! So, in 'iLevel' speak, this means we are now geared for Heroics!

Lady Naz'jar

Though, who says preparation stopped there! Having a closer look at ourself, more so Feignheart, we had a few more tricks up our sleeve. First up, a visit to the hunter trainer. Though, this time not for skills. First of all, we rather cheaply, got our paws and hands on [Dual Talent Specialization]. This feature allows us to have two talent tree sets ups! Even though we may not yet use it to it's full potential, it's sure to come in handy at some point. This also lead us to 're-spec' entirely. I say entirely, though we remain Beast Mastery. The difference being we have optimised and adjusted ourselves for max level activities, such as dungeons and group PVE/soloing. Then, oblivious up until this point, we were shown the light. Well, as far as character customization is concerned. GLYPHS! These little beauties, which I purchased all on the Auction House, should really give us the edge on the field of battle. Still shocked that we hadn't noticed these sooner.

Anyway we are now 'decked-out', so to speak, as many of the city folk like to say, with all our upgraded and touch ups! Now it's time to take a step away from what we have been taken by. How about some fishing? One afternoon, while passing back through the Deeprun Tram on our way to the bank, we took a detour through the canals by foot. It was then that we got into conversation with a fisherman named Arnold Leland. Completely taken by his enthusiasm, we subdued to learn the art of his mystical ways. The way of the Fisherman. Besides, we needed something constructive to occupy us while we awaited deployment (in the LFD queue).

Having never taken up the profession we went out and purchased our [Fishing Pole] and bait. Lets go fishing! Right from the off, nothing could stop us! 25 Fish... 50 Fish...100 Fish.. Two Hundred and Fifty Fish later and we were STILL going! Who would have thought, this whole other game could be so fun. Or more so, relaxing! Oh how we had wished we knew about this sooner. Plus, alongside all it's many benefits I'm sure, how could we pass on seeing more potential exploration go amiss?!

Thunder Falls

So, where better to start our new skill than with a Daily Quest, that is, after having caught a [19 Pound Catfish]. This had us sent out into the forests of Elwynn, beyond the boundaries of Stormwind Keep, simply to catch a select number of a particular fish. Simple enough. We were to pass through the human town of Goldshire which, on behalf of Feignheart and myself, was totally unexpected. So much that we slowed ourselves down and had a look around, which lead us into the Inn and Blacksmith. Such a comforting feeling, home-feeling was floating in the air. With the cheery and subtle music, to the light a welcoming scenery. This gave us an idea in itself. After taking care of our little fishing quest up at Thunder Falls and continuing on, we decided while we're at it, to go and [Explore Elwynn Forest]...

The never ending forests, which create a protective layer, seem a peacefully green world away from any danger, with the long winding streams and silently still lakes that lie seemingly untouched...

After really having opened my eyes to a whole other section within this magnificent game, we have covered a number interesting hurdles. We are now 'skint' so to speak. However, we now have: [Master Riding] in which we [Broke the Sound Barrier]. Not to mention a surprise letter we received from the 'Keymaster' with some welcome gold! 

However, the fires now rage....

Before we depart, I would like to mention a site dedicated to (WoW) fishing. A absolutely Brilliant site at that! I would really recommend everyone to head over there and check it out if you have ever even thought about fish-ing, let alone have it as a profession in your spell book, to look around. What are you waiting for:

Els Extreme Anglin

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- Jamin

REMEMBER: Fish Don't Leave Footprints!