The Queue: It’s all about Yrel

Okay, this entire Queue isn’t really about Yrel. But part of it’s about Yrel, and that’s what really matters because any day I get to talk about Yrel is a good day. So what are we still doing here? On to Yrel!

It’s all about Yrel. I really enjoyed questing through Draenor on the way to level 100 — I think the story and questing experience were the best the game’s ever been, but Yrel was definitely the highlight of leveling on the Alliance side. She’s with us from Tanaan Jungle all the way to Nagrand, and we get to see her rise to lead her people as an Exarch.

But my favorite moments were definitely when we got to see her be a badass, like the Talador cutscene.

Really, Blackhand could have gotten worse for calling her a little girl.

Though end-game is full of group content, there’s a lot you can do on your own if that’s your preference. Though Tanaan is challenging, a great deal of it is soloable, so long as you take it slowly and you’re careful about not pulling too much or getting surrounded by mobs. If your gear isn’t great, Tanaan can help with that too: the “Baleful” gear that drops (or can be bought for Apexis Crystals) there is ilvl 650, and kitting yourself out in that will make it easier to tackle further challenges in the zone.

There’s also plenty of other things to do solo at level 100 if just gearing up doesn’t catch your interest: you could work on achievements, collect pets, perfect your transmogs, or run classic raids (most of which can be soloed) to see them.

If you are interested in dungeons or raids — and there’s lots of unique content to be seen there — you will have to deal with at least some people, though the amount of social interaction in groups these days is fairly low. If you’re in a guild of people you know and are comfortable with — or if you have a few friends that play — 5-player groups are a great way to experience content without being caught up with too much of a crowd. Running normal-level dungeons doesn’t require a ton of coordination or strategy, so whether you’re running with friends or a random group, there’s very little talking required.

Even raids using the raid finder aren’t that bad. Yes, when you enter the raid you’ll be grouped with other players, but there’s often very little chatter as you go from boss to boss in a raid dungeon (though if the raid’s going badly, you may find players getting frustrated and taking it out on others).

If you really want to give group content a try with as little social stress as possible, my advice would be to look up guides to the dungeon or raid you intend to run in advance. Just head to your favorite search engine and type “<dungeon name> strategy” — you’ll find plenty of results, in both text and video. Familiarizing yourself with where you’re going and what you need to do can eliminate some of the stress (and some of the communication requirements) — for the most part, all you need to do is follow along with the group and have a basic idea of what the boss fights are like (bear in mind, fights are usually more straightforward for LFR groups) and you’ll be fine.

But in the end, if you don’t enjoy grouping, there’s no need to stress yourself out by doing it. There’s a lot of fun things to do in World of Warcraft and while raiding is often seen as the pinnacle of in-game achievement, it may not be for you.

And that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with following your own fun, whether that means mastering raids or collecting battle pets.

Blizzard hasn’t told us when the Overwatch beta is… at least not exactly. All they’ve said is “Fall 10th,” which isn’t as specific as we’d like. However, we can narrow that down a little more: if they’re still aiming for fall, they have until December 21st… but my money’s on a beta close to BlizzCon.

We’ve seen a hint that Wrathion‘s been on Draenor, but nothing more — and, yes, I’m more than a little disappointed that we haven’t seen more of that story. After all, there has to be one. Perhaps we’ll find out just what Wrathion’s been up to in the pre-Legion event or in an upcoming comic, novel, or even short story.

If you’re talking real money, I don’t expect Blizzard to change the $20 price tag for Wow Token any time soon. But if you’re talking about the gold cost, I suspect that that, too, isn’t likely to budge. Since the token’s release, prices have fluctuated (you can see the complete history on WoW Token Info), but surprisingly little. Right now a 30k price seems about average, and though there are times you might get a couple thousand more or less than that, prices don’t seem to be hopping about wildly.

With Blizzard keeping a close watch on the market, I wouldn’t expect it to plummet any time soon — but watch WoW Token Info to keep an eye on the latest prices.

That’s all for today! Be sure to leave your questions in the comments, as always, and come back tomorrow for another edition of the Queue from Mr. Alex Ziebart. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!