Getting Out Of First Gear: GW2, AC2

It's still all Guild Wars 2, all the time Chez Bhagpuss.

My good intentions of revisiting The Secret World have so far gone as far as getting the thing patched up but not as far as logging in. I don't think Rift is even patched.

Plans to step back into Norrath for Frostfell have as yet come to nothing. That has to happen, though. Have you seen those scarves?  I resisted the siren call of Triple Station Cash yesterday because I already have thousands stashed on two accounts from previous bargain days but when I really stop to think about it there's almost never anything in the store that I want to spend it on, so no matter how much of a bargain it is, hording SC is a bad idea. It's a shame they put a stop to buying expansions with it because I'm starting to get an itch for Chains of Eternity. Only the certain knowledge that I don't have time to do it justice is keeping my credit card in my wallet.

Would that my rational mind had been on such active duty several evenings ago, when in a fit of rioja-induced enthusiasm I paid $9.99 for access to Asheron's Call 1 and 2. Obviously it was only AC2 that I was interested in but so far I have seen nothing of either. Both downloaded perfectly and promptly and my account page shows me fully paid up until January 18th but the log-in screen resolutely refuses to accept my password.

Turbine's arduous customer service process has yet to provide me with any response beyond unhelpful, automated emails. I'm now at the point of asking them simply to refund my purchase because I have no confidence in their processes. If I don't get a response soon I guess I will be forwarding the correspondence to my payment provider and calling on U.K. consumer law, which is rather strong in this regard. That's if I can be bothered over a loss of about £7.00. I might just write it off to experience but if so it will be the last money Turbine ever get from me.

Much more positively, GW2 remains a joy. I now have four level 80s - Ranger, Engineer, Warrior and Necromancer. Next on the assembly line is Guardian. At this rate I should have the full set before Easter.

I am intending to play my Necromancer in WvW, so she can't just go into retirement dressed in whatever mismatched set of blues and greens she hit 80 with. I've had two runs at the Trading Post so far and done some research and quite honestly I begin to lose the will to live. I really don't want to spend time "gearing up". It's very, very boring.

Buying gear because of how it looks is fun. Comparing endless stats really isn't. It also costs a fortune. I could make the money flipping stuff on the TP easily enough, but that's even more tedious than comparing stats. I really wish their was just a "gear me up to average standard" button I could press. Like choosing from Talent trees and assigning skill points, all this is stuff I could do without, and for my normal playstyle I often do, but I will just have to grit my teeth and bull through this time because in WvW gear does matter and I like being effective there.

I wish I'd read the farming guides before I dinged 80. I could have done the last ten levels in certain spots and gathered enough gossamer to see me through to a full set of Carrion Exalted. Remember that for the next four times! I'm hoping to do some Fractal dungeons to complete my monthly so maybe something will drop there - I guess there are drops? One way or another, gear will be gotten.

On the subject of dungeons, doing all the Tixx instances has had the pleasant side-effect of allowing me to remember why I used to like doing dungeons. Everyone in the pick-up groups has been at worst silent and at best good company; no idiots, no time-wasters, no snark. They are very easy dungeons, which may help, but it bodes well for the Fractals.

Enough - time to go think about which mini-pets I'm going to make with my cogs and what Endless Tonics I need. Mrs Bhagpuss spent much of yesterday running around the Frontier as a Princess Doll with a Princess Doll pet, recreating the closing credits of The Benny Hill Show with Ehmry Bay as extras and I want a go!