Time to Breathe

     I just wanted to do a quick post to reassure those of you who read this blog that I have not abandoned it again. I've just had an extremely busy week. The blog, and my WoW time both suffered as a result, hence the lack of content. Don't worry though, I've still got plenty of ideas, so there will be more articles in the future!

Guild Update
     I guess it isn't really an update since there isn't anything new to report, but oh well. We are still waiting to see what our tank situation is going to look like. I am still raiding on my hunter in the mean time, though we've run into issues and ended up cancelling a couple of runs since I made my last post. I will update as information becomes available. If anyone happens to play, or know of a player on the Thrall server that is looking for a guild, have them contact me in-game, on Saerath or just use /who Shots Fired and ask to speak with an officer. If all else fails have them send me a RealID friend request, my Battletag is WhisperBlade#1988.

The Blog
     I am still planning on moving my blog over to Wordpress, but I would like to get my site graphics designed and everything setup before I make the switch. The main delay is my serious lack of graphic design experience (or ability for that matter). I'm hoping I can teach myself how to use GIMP, or find someone that would be willing to assist me in the graphics department. I've considered selling an organ and purchasing the Adobe Creative Suite, but I'm on the fence about which organ would bring me the most money at this point. Again, I will update as the situation develops.

     Thanks again for reading, happy hunting and respawn responsibly!

Best Laid Plans

Saerath earns the "A Test of Valor" achievement 

I'm a big fan of making plans, very in depth plans at that. I'm constantly making lists and outlining projects that I'd like to complete. The problem with making plans is you can't really plan for every contingency. I believe the saying goes, "No battle plan ever survives first contact." Which brings me to the reason for this post.

One Door Opens
     One of our tanks in my guild's progression group found out yesterday that he got a new job offer that he was planning on taking. While this was incredibly good news for him, it left our raid group with a potential problem. He will be working the graveyard shift once he starts the new job. Our raid nights are Monday through Wednesday from 9:00 PM to 12:00 PM, server time. There is a very good chance that his work schedule will conflict with our raid schedule.
     This means that I will most likely end up benching my Hunter in order to fill the vacant tank spot until we recruit another tank. I don't mind bringing my paladin in to tank, but I am really enjoying raiding on my Hunter. I've put in a lot of time and effort into getting him caught up to the rest of the raid team, in terms of gear. I was also looking forward to downing Garrosh on him, since we are 13/14 on 10-man normal.

Anthies helps Thrall escape from Durnholde in the Caverns of Time instance

Enter the Paladin
     In the event I do end up filling the tank spot, there may be a decline in Hunter related content here, but I promise it won't go away entirely. I may post some paladin stuff in the interim, but I do plan on keeping my Hunter as my main. I'll update as soon as I know something concrete regarding the switch. It will be nice to spend some time tanking again also. I personally feel that playing a tank helped me be a better DPS. I have more insight into what goes on during an encounter. Boss positioning, cooldown usage, and add control were things I never had to concern myself with as a DPS so I never gave it much thought. Now I try to assist in these duties on Saerath whenever possible. Whether it's using Misdirect to funnel adds to the boss during the Dark Shamans encounter in Siege, or taking out mines using Deterrence during the Iron Juggernaut encounter.

Vs

The Blog
     There are changes planned for the blog also. I realize I just started it, but I was just really excited to start writing again. I got my start on the Blogger platform, though it was known as BlogSpot back then. However, I feel that WordPress is a superior platform, and I will be moving the blog there in the near future.
     The problem with moving to WordPress is the site address that I want is currently taken. I had hoped to get shotsfired.wordpress.com, but it is taken already. As a result, I have to decide to change my blog name, or use a site address that doesn't match my blog title. I considered changing the title to One-Eyed Troll, due to my love of the Malefactor's Eyepatch that Saerath wears. I'm still on the fence about that one though. I am open to suggestions though, so don't hold back if you've got one.

     In closing I would like to say that I appreciate those of you that take the time to read my blog, and I hope you continue to do so. It is terrible luck on my part that I'm having to make changes so soon in my renewed blogging career, but if you are willing to come along for the ride, I'll try to make it worth your while. Happy hunting, and always respawn responsibly!


   

The Long Road Home

"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it."
     - George Augustus Moore, The Brook Kerith

I suppose this is a homecoming of sorts. This was my first and most successful blog, though that depends on how one measures success. It was certainly my most active blog. Most of the time I couldn't wait to publish a post, even if it was just a random topic I decided to write about.

Things changed though. It wasn't that I didn't like writing anymore. I never lost the desire to write. I simply became afraid to write. I began to take myself a little too seriously. I obsessed over every little detail, and was hyper-critical of anything I wrote. Not long after I stopped writing for this blog, I was given the opportunity to write for The Hunter's Mark, a well-known Hunter blog. I published 3 articles before I quit, convinced that I had no business writing for a blog that popular. Never mind the fact that my articles were well received by the blog's audience. My second article was even discussed on the Elitist Jerks podcast. I walked away though, self-doubt being the only real reason for quitting.

Dusting off the hunter;

     I stopped writing my B3 blog during Wrath of the Lich King, but I continued to play my Hunter though out the Cataclysm expansion. Towards the end of Cataclysm was when I transferred to the Thrall server, and Aerislan, the Night Elf, was reborn Saerath, the Troll. While Cataclysm changed the face of Azeroth as we knew it, Mists of Pandaria changed our characters in much the same way. I had a hard time adjusting to the changes, and as a result I retired my hunter. I made Anthies, my Blood Elf Paladin, my main and began my transition from DPS to tank. It was a nice change of pace, and I enjoyed it for awhile, but life got in the way and I ended up taking a break from the game. During my break, the guild I was in had a civil war, and a new guild was formed. The new guild began under the name Meridian, and was recently changed to Shots Fired, as a bit of a joke. Shortly after the guild was formed, my wife ended up taking over as Guild Leader, and talked me into coming back to tank for the new raid team. Not long after I came back we had a ranged DPS spot open up, and I began the task of gearing my Hunter, who hadn't been played since the beginning of the expansion. 

Besieging Orgrimmar

     It took me getting carried through a few flex runs, and a lot of wasted bonus rolls, but I've clawed my way to a respectable spot on the DPS meters. I've come to terms with the fact that I have to manage my Focus, and that I won't get my seemingly infinite mana pool back, and I've even learned a few new tricks along the way. 

     As a guild, we are currently 13/14 in 10-man Siege of Orgrimmar. There is talks of moving on to 10-man Heroic content once we kill Garrosh, but nothing set in stone. We also have some members who are very active PvPers who are trying to form a Rated BattleGrounds team, which I plan to be a part of, as well as doing Arenas every chance they get. 

The Future

     Most of the content on this blog will have something to do with the Hunter class. I'm sure there will be some stories about my guild also. We've got a rather interesting collection of personalities, and most of our raid chatter is drowned out by someone laughing over mumble. I've got some guildmates that I may get to do some guest posts, or something to that effect. I've debated on setting up a Twitch.tv account to stream, but I'm still on the fence about it. I am planning on providing consistent content, even if it is just my opinion on something I read on WoW Insider, or something to that effect. I also have no problem with readers emailing me post requests, or topics they would like discussed. Reader interaction is one of the tings I love about blogging, and is actively encouraged. Also, if you are an old reader, welcome back! If you are a new reader, nice to meet you! I'm looking forward to seeing this blog active again, and telling my story. I stumbled across this quote today, and found it very true:

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

                                                                         -Maya Angelou

Thanks for reading, and respawn responsibly!