A jaunt into Orgrimmar – goodbye, Garrosh

It felt just like old times. We were waiting for a few other folks, and we decided to clear Siege of Orgrimmar trash on the pathway leading up to Garrosh Hellscream. After all, we’ve got a tank (Rucia) and a healer (me). So everyone (or, what seemed like everyone) started pulling trash, waiting for Rucia to grab them or me to heal them.

What wasn’t like old times was the fact that I was practically in greens and we were on the approach to the final boss of the whole expansion.

Well, okay, I wasn’t in greens.

“Wait, don’t we have a really undergeared healer?”

“Oh, she’s fine! Good job Eil!”

(This is after something like the second DPS death.)

Let me explain. I had stopped playing World of Warcraft after Mogu’shan Vaults (I actually have no recollection of the final boss fight? Though apparently I killed him? Heh). Oh, I think I logged in once or twice, but that was followed by am obsessive bout with Diablo III before once again petering out to not-gaming. Of course, after finding out Garrosh is the last boss of Mists of Pandaria, I definitely wanted to kill him. Not just because I’m Alliance–I did attempt to give Horde a shot, but wow, after getting the most infuriating treatment from Garrosh when my li’l pandaren decided to follow Ji Firepaw? I was having none of it (sorry, poor Amihan maybe in the next xpac).

I put him on my bucket list. Still, the rest of the expansion went by. I thought of cancelling my subscription. I thought of leaving the guild WhatsApp chat. After all, I’m not active in both? But every time I thought of it, I felt sad and I couldn’t do it. (Well, the sub stayed more because I kept forgetting to cancel it, and forgetting when my current sub cycle ends, so OOOPS IT RENEWED oh well.)

A last chance

Over the last weekend though, there was a lot of chatter over at the, er, chat. And Rucia was asking around if there was anyone else who wanted the Garrosh achievement before the patch hit, which affords a title (Conqueror of Orgrimmar) and a mount (Kor’kron War Wolf).

I was so there.

Of course, I knew I was getting carried, but I didn’t want to completely embarrass myself by dying on the pull, standing in the fire, etc. so what ensued was some squeezing in of chain LFRs and guide-watching. For one thing, I think I was at 486 item level when I logged back in, had only been to Heart of Fear LFR raids maybe once or twice. It was pretty interesting unlocking each set of bosses in Throne of Thunder and experiencing the fights for the first time, although I didn’t dare step foot in LFR Siege of Orgrimmar without looking up some guides to watch.

In the process, I got to see Ji Firepaw and Aysa Cloudsinger reunited. I was chaining LFRs and not really caring about lore when I hear Aysa talking and I’m like, WAIT A SECOND, WHAT. That floored me, and tugged at me, and made me even more excited to give Garrosh his due. Seriously.

I finished at ilvl 499.

“Actually, is she too undergeared for this?”

(Overheard: some protests.)

“No, no, it’s a legitimate question, I mean it would be nice if she can actually see the fight…”

“Oh oh she actually said 499 in chat! Oh Eil!”

It was definitely a legitimate question. I mean, sure, I’m getting carried, but I’m not a stranger to 10m progression runs where if ONE person royally fugs up, you pretty much wipe the whole raid. I was fairly sure that everyone I was with (a bunch of folks I don’t actually know personally anymore!) was overgeared for a normal 10M raid, but I’d watched the videos and I didn’t want to be that girl dropping a desecrated weapon in the middle of the raid, you know?

(Actually, that’s not even related to dying during the fight. Never mind.)

But, well, there I was. So maybe I die and stare blankly at the screen while they do dastardly things to Garrosh. At least I should be able to land a Smite or two?

Well, I did more than a Smite or two, it turns out.

A Garrosh Hellscream kill

Yes, folks, that is a conqueror of Orgrimmar right there. Well, with her big brothers and sisters. And I didn’t even die ;)

Plus I got a nice helm (that I don’t need to hide!!) and an offhand! YISSSS.

Well, yes, and the mount. That doesn’t fly.

Kor'kron War Wolf

(Please ignore that the image does not make any sense whatsoever. How do I get a huge war wolf up there on the top of a tower, seriously. But hey, Tala, against the stars. There’s some poetic thingamajig there, at least.)

I’m pretty psyched to see how Warlords of Draenor turns out, now. I can’t really complain about how they let Garrosh get away after “all that hard work” (since, well, I wasn’t really there) but still, lots of decisions. I was thinking of focusing on my mage again this time, but maybe the experience as a draenei would be more interesting?

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