Done with Nazjatar (Foreeveerrrrr!)

Like Krikket, I’ve been working on the Pathfinder achievement set in Battle for Azeroth. Unlike her, I’m not finished yet. But I’m close. Very close. So close I can taste that sweet, sweet tang of low oxygen, high altitude, flight-enabled air. As the title might’ve spoiled — I’m done with Nazjatar.

Sure. There is more I could do. There is another essence to unlock. I could carry on to exalted. There is even an heirloom to unlock — but to get it requires killing 25 enemy players. I’ve not even seen 25 enemy players. But even if that wasn’t the case it wouldn’t be enough to tempt me back.

I’m done.

It pains me that I didn’t realise this before this point: But there are reputation contracts available and given how world quest heavy Nazjatar was — it might have shaved off some time on getting to this point.

In any case… For all that… I didn’t find Nazjatar to be completely horrible. Sure, mostly horrible. But not completely. That is speaking as a Druid though to be fair. I can kitty-form stealth my way through the densely packed areas and only fight when I want to fight.

This is such a big thing that is an active and significant consideration in picking my main for Shadowlands. Sure, I’ve been a Druid (particularly a Resto Druid) for a long time now. Since The Burning Crusade, in fact. But not in an unbroken chain. I have branched out along the way a little.

Sidebar: Nait’s Character History :D

I started out in classic as a Warrior. Albeit not a raiding one — I didn’t so much as touch raiding until the very end of The Burning Crusade and not seriously until Wrath of the Lichking.

TBC was where I first rolled a Druid. Although I did so to tank. Rawr Bear! Later into that expansion I found a solid group to run with — one that had an established heroic dungeon tank.

The timing there was somewhat amusing in hindsight; as I had just finished crafting the defence leather gear I needed to hit defence cap! Even so — there my love for the Resto Druid was born. I respecialised to run with them again, with their tank back online and myself as a healer in a mishmash of scrappy gear barely breaking 1,000 spellpower if I remember rightly.

I noted with consternation that I felt it was a bit low — especially since Heroic Slave Pens was next on the menu; a dungeon I personally felt was quite difficult at that point in time.

Oh. Plus the fact I hadn’t healed anything at all ever yet, let alone a heroic dungeon.

I won’t lie — I was carried. Carried hard. Our tank was almost fully heroic geared and the DPS similar. And even with that — it was rough. Certainly I felt it was so at least. I actually don’t recall if we wiped or not, but deaths absolutely happened. That much I do remember.

Fortunately for me, they valued the person more than the character — long before Blizzard started using their ‘bring the player not the class’ mantra. I continued running with them so of course gear and skill followed. Occasionally I would dip back into bear tank role when needed but it was safe to say I was through and through a healer now.

That carried into Wrath, even after this group drifted from the game and we went our own way. Wrath is a bit of an unusual case though… I played Wrath really hard. To the point of essentially dual-maining it. I brought my Warrior back up to speed and continued with Druid. I exclusively tanked on my Warrior and healed on the Druid. But both were neck and neck in gear throughout, able to be brought as the situation warranted.

Later into Wrath’s lifespan I levelled a Paladin, Mage, Shaman and Hunter as well, gearing these up through guild alt-raids primarily but also a good number of PUG raids, some of which I even organised. (I told you — I played really hard in Wrath!)

The Mage was the first exclusively DPS character I’d ever played and it was something of a revelation. I learnt first hand just how fun it was to be able to top damage meters. *cough* Although while also being aware of my utility and being a ‘responsible’ DPS. You can betcha I was counterspelling and spell stealing with the best of ’em. It was a point of pride to maintain both aspects of the job.

Hunter came next and I essentially made it my mission to never ‘be that guy’ who would jump down a shortcut in a dungeon or otherwise do something that would lead my pet on a merry chase through the instance, dragging behind it absolutely everything it could find. You know… After that one time in Gnomeregon. (Sorry everyone!)

I finally started to see why people would like to play a DPS class. There was more to it than I gave them credit for — even though I could perfectly well recognise when a DPS was being ‘good’ vs. just putting out the numbers, it wasn’t really a connection I solidly made until I was able to try it myself.

Anywho…

The Paladin carried forward with me into Catacylsm. Turns out — Prot Paladin at that point in time was pretty fun.

I went back to healing for Pandaria. At first as Resto Druid, but I trotted the Shaman out into the limelight for the latter half of the expansion. I was still healing, but in a new way now and with a new utility set which was exciting.

Warlords of Draenor saw me giving Priest a try for the first time. I’d always been sort of interested in the Disc healing style, but hadn’t quite been interested enough in order to finish levelling one. So I used the boost I got with WoD to push through the worst of it. Sure… I still now had to level this thing through WoD itself. But I think it was worth it.

I had a blast. I played it as both Disc and Holy; swapping spec as the particular fight warranted. Some certainly leant toward favouring one or the other quite strongly.

Legion and Battle for Azeroth — I’ve been exclusively Druid in terms of raiding main. Although to be fair… I’ve also essentially only stuck around for the first tier of raiding before leaving. Ostensibly for good. Then inevitably coming back for the last little bit in the lead up to the new expansion.

I did level a Monk though in Legion and really quite enjoyed it, although it never sat at a par with my Druid, having to make do with LFR runs and the odd Mythic dungeon to gear.

Which is all to say… While I identify most strongly now with the Resto Druid… It isn’t an absolute given for heading into Shadowlands.

I have options.

Back on Track to the Main Subject

Right…

Where were we?

Oh yeah — Nazjatar sucks and I’m never going back.

Onto Mechagon!

…OK I realise this joke gets weaker the more lines I add here, but I can’t help myself: I think Mechagon might only be a few days away from being done now too. I had done a little bit before starting on Nazjatar in order to unlock access to the dungeon there. (IT’S VERY GOOD!)

I’m now a tad over halfway through Honoured with the Rustbolt Resistance, so I’m perfectly comfortable I’ll be done before the double rep buff expires on 18th May! Yay! :D