Snaffy's Log: Into the depths of Ragefire Chasm, Wailing Caverns, Shadowfang Keep, and Blackfathom Deeps

I guess it's been a while since my first entry. When last I left you I was level 7.2 in Bloodhoof Village. As of last night I'm level 22.8 and resting in Thunder Bluff. It might not seem like I've traveled very far (TB is in Mulgore too), but I assure you I have! So far I've explored the Barrens, Durotar, Tirisfal Glades, Silverpine Forest, and Ashenvale.

Dungeon diver

Aided by Dugi's Dungeon Guide and WoW's Dungeon Finder I've even delved into and cleared several dungeons, including Ragefire Chasm (RFC), Wailing Caverns (WC), Shadowfang Keep (SFK), and Blackfathom Deeps (BFD).

Decent gear was hard to come by through outdoor questing in the various zones but the blues started rolling in once I hit level 16 and entered my first dungeon (RFC). By level 19 I was only a few blue pieces from being what one might consider a twink in Warsong Gulch. All without aid or donation from a single friend! I'm even sitting on 30g, which I made by selling off one of the blue drops I won in WC (Footpads of the Fang).

Dungeon Finder is an amazing tool, and since I'm a druid, I can queue for any role: tank, healer, or damage. It would appear that there's a severe shortage of tanks these days though because every dungeon I've entered has been as the main tank. It's been pretty fun though because my two mains from WoW back in 2007 were a priest and rogue, so I like the change of tactics.

Dugi's Dungeon Guide

Dugi's Dungeon Guide has been an great help too. I've only found a couple minor glitches so far: It once told me to take a quest in Durotar (Neeru Fireblade) that wasn't available and it pointed me toward a couple NPC spawns that weren't the most ideal farming spots (fewer mobs at that location than another).

Overall though I really have no complaints up to this level because I feel like I'm progressing very efficiently without experiencing any burnout. Doing outdoor quests over and over again can begin to feel repetitive and a bit boring for me personally so I appreciate the dungeon element to this leveling guide.

The guide basically has you run around, complete a few outdoor prerequisite quests, accept a bunch of dungeon quests, and then queue up using Dungeon Finder. Once inside you're usually guaranteed to earn at least one piece blue of gear from boss loot and perhaps another from your quest rewards. As long as there aren't too many higher level players in your group you'll usually earn a full level of experience from mobs in the dungeon. After turning in your dungeon quests you'll get another 50%-ish towards your next level. I'm averaging about one hour per level right now.

Another great part of this guide is the inclusion of in-game dungeon maps. This is very handy if you get into a group with inexperienced players who can't lead. I haven't been in these dungeons for over 3 years and didn't remember their layouts at all yet pulling up the maps have allowed me to lead my groups on several occasions. The maps mark all the boss, quest, and hidden item locations for your convenience.

What's next?

I find my experience with WoW to be a lot more fun this time around because I'm not chasing any higher level friends. I don't feel the need to rush and play catch-up, however, I'm loving the efficient instructions of Dugi's Dungeon Guide because I still want to accomplish a lot with my limited amount of play time.

I promised I'd give Zygor's Guide a whirl and I will do that when I get back from vacation next week. I'll probably use the new guide to get me up to level 29, at which point I'll hit the battlegrounds for a bit of PvP action.

After all the dungeon diving it might be fun to change my pace and focus a bit more on outdoor quests and PvP for a while. My goal this time around in WoW is to not burn myself out so I want to vary my playstyle as much as possible. Like I said earlier, I'm not in any major rush, but I do like to put my game time to good use!

See you in a couple weeks!