Three Cheers For the Order of Darkness

I'm back from my holiday and straight into some gaming. The first game to grab me (while I wait for a faster internet connection to tackle more serious World of Warcraft content) is Blood Bowl Legendary Edition, an American football-like game set in Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy universe and based on their old but popular miniatures game of Blood Bowl.

As a fan of the miniatures game from when I played it in univesity, the most promising mode for me looks to be the Campaign mode using the turn-based rules. I've created a team based on the miniatures I had many years ago: The Order of Darkness, a Necromantic team of zombies, ghouls, werewolves and flesh golems.

Order of Darkness

After 15 games, I've won 11, drawn 2 and lost 2. I've won 2 cups but have just suffered the death of my star ghoul. Things seem quite easy at the moment even at the hardest difficulty level and I fear that as my team gains even more experience, the weakness of the AI might make it too easy. But I'm enjoying the game enough to continue playing to try win the major cup, the Blood Bowl. Expect a full review then.

Alliance Ashenvale Leveling Guide

I'm away on an overseas holiday for nearly 3 weeks, so no more game time or blog posts until I get back. Just in time I've completed the follow-up to my Darkshore leveling guide with an Ashenvale leveling guide for Alliance characters from level 20-25 and has been submitted to WoW-Pro for inclusion alongside their other guides.

Ashenvale was more of a challenge to write a guide for since I wasn't as thorough with my questing here with Jahger as I was in Darkshore. So I had to rely on Wowhead and an army of alts to figure out the optimal route. I was finding shortcuts across the map as late as two days ago, so no guarantees that there aren't some other shortcuts there, but leveling in the zone feels pretty damn fast now.

Army of Alts: Shaman, Mage, Rogue, Druid

One of the biggest difficulties in the zone was the Dor'Danil Barrow Den. There's no in-game map for this underground area, only the portions you can see on your in-game mini-map. So the eventual map included in the guide was stitched together from a sequence of 30 screenshots taken during my 3rd run-through. I've included that section of the guide below and I hope you'll see how useful that interior map is for navigating the twisting tunnels that make up the Dor'Danil Barrow Den.

11. Head into the Barrow Den at 75,75. For the next two steps, make sure to kill any Severed Keepers and Severed Druids that you see and loot them for their Untainted Spirits - you'll need 7 of them shortly.

Follow the tunnel down and over the bridge straight in front of you, you'll find Taneel Darkwood. Kill him.

12. Leave the cavern by the western tunnel. Follow the tunnel until you reach the Forest Heart at 75,74.

You should have killed 7 druids by now for 7 Untainted Spirits (if not, find and kill some more druids). Use the 7 Untainted Spirits to create a Power of Nature. Right-click the Forest Heart then loot The Forest Heart.

13. Continue over the bridge and then follow the tunnel as it curves around to the left. At the end of the tunnel you'll find Mavoris Cloudsbreak on a balcony. Kill him.

14. Jump off the balcony to the tunnel below. Follow the tunnel to the left (north-east). At 77,74, take the tunnel branch to the left under the bridge.

At 77,73, just before the tunnel ends, you'll find Uthil Mooncall. Kill him.

15. Return under the bridge, and this time take the other branch up. Don't take the bridge to your left, just turn right up the tunnel at 78,74.

You'll pass under a bridge before hitting a fork at 76,74. Turn left, and then right up the tunnel at 77,75. Follow this tunnel out of the den.

Turn in Insane Druids to Gaivan Shadewalker.