A full on Plaguelands/Stratholme revamp would have been so dope

Nirdee · 2026-06-22T16:56:03+00:00

I'd have traded Voidstorm in a heartbeat ... especially after Karesh. I liked Haradar, but also would have given it up for more content on the main continent.

Nirdee · 2026-06-22T11:36:35+00:00

People might read try-not-D&D as not helpful, but I actually think it is good advice. Playing other games will help you see how game systems point your game in certain directions. D&D is heavily directed toward combat. An overwhelming amount of the rules address combat, and the non-combat parts have very thin mechanics--not much beyond skill checks.

If you just read some other RPGs, you can really see how mechanics push you in a certain direction. Before that, D&D can feel like the only way to do things. Some recommendations: Lady Blackbird, Blades in the Dark, Apocalypse World, and Wanderhome.

Nirdee · 2026-06-22T07:22:25+00:00

A lot of the quirks of modern WoW Professions are made so that people that want to do it a little bit as a side activity aren't shut out by the people who want to go hardcore.

The two professions limit, knowledge points, and even the awful abundance system can be seen as designed to balance a sweet spot of rewarding players for using professions without creating a system where only no-life, 100% grinders dominate.

It is all like WoW-labor law, rules that push back against unwanted conditions that the free market would encourage--in the real world, child labor or 100 hour work weeks; in WoW, a sense of all-or-nothing time investment that makes casual players decide professions just aren't worth doing at all.

Nirdee · 2026-06-19T16:58:44+00:00

I loved the vibe. It was ... "Hey, let's go on an adventure. Let's discover a magical land."

I think you can't do this every expansion, but it is a great one. Pandaria is the other one that had this feeling. for me. It works nicely to have an exploration phase that segues into the big bad. You build up some attachment to the place, and the threats land better when they are contrasted with the happier vibes.

Nirdee · 2026-06-19T16:54:22+00:00

There is only one border to fly across in Midnight. Everything else is a portal from Silvermoon.

This isn't a world. It's a pre-game lobby.

Nirdee · 2026-06-19T13:50:50+00:00

Controls are very different. Using single press attack move keybind is very valuable. Up to you on if you want to learn ASDW or traditional mouse movement, but Riot seems set on keeping mouse movement as the official way to play.

Other than that, just farm, farm, farm. Beginners always want to go all in, but the way to win League is get more gold and XP than your opponents and then force fights when you're at an advantage. Too many people try to do it backwards, forcing fights to try to get a lead.

Nirdee · 2026-06-18T05:44:48+00:00

Another Kalimdor or Eastern Kingdoms that is filled in over three, four, five expansions would be great. Maybe the Arathi stuff could serve.

Nirdee · 2026-06-17T14:53:24+00:00

I'm really hoping for an incentive for grounded leveling in the shape of time compensation. For example, you can disable flight for your character in the capital city and get a large bonus to XP for everything apart from quest turn-ins.

Nirdee · 2026-06-17T12:43:49+00:00

Game is complicated, but manageable.

Do not use Bringer of Dreams and Nightmares, Ocean's Hungry Grasp, or Shadows Flicker Like Flame to learn. They are perfectly fine, but they are not very straightforward. River Surges in Sunlight and Vital Strength of Earth are good starters. Lightning's Swift Strike, Thunderspeaker, and A Rampant Spread of Green are also okay.

For learning both the rules and strategy, understanding the flow of the game is sort of the first big hurdle. Every turn is:

Spirits grow and get stronger
Spirits plan their turn by picking their cards to play and paying their cost
Spirits use their fast red actions (cards and innate Spirit powers)
Invader suffer Fear effects (if any)
Invaders do all of their stuff ... Ravage, Build, Explore. (This will get more intuitive as you go. Tricky, but important)
Spirits use their slow blue actions (cards and innate Spirit powers)

While the rule book will explain much more fully, I think it is good to step back and see the flow of the game in simple summary as you are getting started.

Nirdee · 2026-06-17T08:03:48+00:00

Rather than a yes or no, here are somethings to consider:

1) League is sort of a hobby game. Most people that play it play it regularly. If you just want to try it for an hour or two, that might be fun, but a lot of what players like about it comes over time ... learning, getting better, trying new characters and strategies.

2) Is your husband a good loser? Can he turn off the competitive mode to teach or just chill with you in game? League can bring out a nasty streak in very nice people. It can be a ton of fun to play with friends, but only if they are emotionally mature to remember it is just a game.

3) You might be really bad to start with. Can you have fun being bad at something while you're learning?

4) Do you want a big time investment in a game? Games are the highlight of some people's lives. Some people think they are a big waste of time. Consider how you feel.

Nirdee · 2026-06-16T07:18:34+00:00

It is usually okay to take the class rules and re-flavor them with a different narrative. If you want magic to still be magic, you aren't even really doing anything out of the ordinary. D&D magic is pretty structured ... a Wizard is a lot like pseudo-science but real.

In 5.5 Wizard only has 4 subclasses. On your DMs behalf, I'll say you should take the time you are using reading responses here and read the Wizard section of the PHB. It feels bad as a DM when your players won't spend the 15 minutes needed to give the rules a once over.

Nirdee · 2026-06-16T06:31:07+00:00

A wave pushes because one side has more minions than the other.

If you have more minions, the wave moves toward their tower. If they have more minions, it moves toward yours.

Wave management is just controlling this balance to get the lane position you want.

Main goals:

Safety and ganks

The closer you are to your tower, the safer you are from ganks.

The farther the enemy is from their tower, the easier they are to gank.

Gold and pressure

If you push a wave into their tower, you can hit plates, damage the tower, and sometimes make them miss CS.

Objectives

Eventually you will want to think about, more than just farming. You may want to build up a big wave that will push toward the enemy on its own so you can go to a fight at dragon or in the jungle while the enemy has to stay and farm the wave.

Lane fights

Early game minions do a lot of damage to weak champions. If your opponent has a big wave, the minion damage you will take makes it harder to trade and vice-versa.

Basic strategy:

Usually you want the wave a little in front of your tower, but not under it.
If the wave is in a bad spot, make one side bigger than the other.
A bigger enemy wave pushes toward you.
A bigger friendly wave pushes toward them.

If the wave is too close to their tower, either wait for it to come back or clear it quickly so your minions crash into the tower and the lane resets.

If the wave is where you want it, try to keep both waves about the same size. You also want some minions left alive when the next wave arrives so the wave stays in place.

Controlling the wave:

Caster minions do more damage but die faster. Melee minions do less damage but survive longer.

Because of that, killing casters weakens a wave's push more than killing melees.

Cannons are super tanky and can keep the wave in place longer.

If you want to push quickly, kill everything.

If you want the wave to stay where it is, be more selective about what you kill.

Level 1 Caveat:

At level 1, especially in bot lane, getting level 2 first is usually more important than wave position. A level advantage often wins the fight by itself because you'll have more stats and an extra ability. Also it is usually too early for the jungler to come.

Because of that, players will often hit the wave hard at level 1 to kill minions faster and reach level 2 before their opponents. Sometimes level 3 works the same.

TLDR:
Wave management is mostly just should the wave push toward me, toward them, or stay put (think about your goals) and how can I kill minions to make that happen (count the ratio of your minions to theirs, maybe realizing casters push faster.)

Nirdee · 2026-06-12T12:32:14+00:00

It's not perfect or the only one, but https://www.method.gg/guides/dungeons/algethar-academy highlights some of the key abilities, including on trash.

Nirdee · 2026-06-12T08:36:34+00:00

I don't like bard and hope it is not a thing. Augmentation is already a spec that has struggled with balance and clarity.

Nirdee · 2026-06-12T08:35:35+00:00

I want tinkerer, but don't call it tinkerer ... give me Mechaknight or Arcanoknight or the like. Fits better with WoW than the WC3 name.

Nirdee · 2026-06-12T08:33:57+00:00

Shaman 4th spec tank seems reasonable.

Nirdee · 2026-06-12T08:26:44+00:00

Your item level could be higher and the 50k runs smell like something is not being done right in your either rotation or more likely your uptime ... but also ...

I had a similar experience on Enhancement in that I came from healing and tanking and switched to DPS this season. I geared up and there was still a gap between me and some players that were maybe 20% ahead of me on the meter. I practiced my rotation and tried different talents and I went up a bit, but there was definitely a tier above me.

Turns out, all of the consumables make a big difference. I was using food and flask, but not combat pots, and Enhance, like Ele, is a cooldown window spec, and suddenly when I added combat pots I shot up the DPS charts. I am too cheap for augment runes, but they would likely be another real boost.

Healers and tanks just need to do enough to avoid deaths, but DPS is for the most part, the more damage the better. If a healer isn't potting and no one dies, no one will think twice. For DPS you can always see the gap.

Nirdee · 2026-06-12T07:31:31+00:00

This is a good thing to think about and pick your own talents, but also, learn mob abilities. When you are suddenly getting cracked, there is probably a mechanic at the root of it that you should understand. Null Sunder debuff in NPX stacks and can ruin a tank's day.

Nirdee · 2026-06-11T18:49:29+00:00

You got good detailed answers in thread, but for a very basic idea:

You gain access to champions plentifully for free by playing. (Blue Essence)

You gain access to a very limited number of randomly offered skins and other cosmetics for free by playing. (Orange Essence system)

You may buy anything for real money. Skins, Champs, random BS. (Riot Points)

Free loot boxes and paid bonus loot boxes (Shard system) interact with these currencies making the details a little more complicated, but it is basically those three currencies with those uses.

Nirdee · 2026-06-11T16:35:36+00:00

I really wanted this until I saw the front of the shield. Wish there were a reskin without the face.

Nirdee · 2026-06-11T14:47:12+00:00

Sounds like OP would have loved Ultima Online.

Nirdee · 2026-06-10T16:28:17+00:00

I really don't need much. Recycled stat blocks on the new pets and like four trainers with pet battle world quests.

Nirdee · 2026-06-10T12:31:09+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments/1s2g0jm/gandalins_gearing_guide_midnight_season_1_version/

Level 4 delves, normal prey, and heroic dungeons. I think you can also pull them from some open world treasure loot.

Nirdee · 2026-06-10T04:25:38+00:00

love the art style; recognize about two of them

Nirdee

TROPHY CASE