The Queue: They’re good dogs, Brent

World of Warcraft is full of h*ckin good doggos, but I have to say that Shu-zen is my new favorite. His floof ratings are off the charts (he’s already had to make a couple of stops at the salon), which serves the dual purpose of making him both cuddly and cute. And if that isn’t enough, he howls and it is the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen in the game. I usually feel pretty dumb for spending money on digital items that will in time fade to just a memory of 1s and 0s, but Shu-zen was worth all of those 1s and all of those 0s for the joy he brings me riding around.

Now, why were we here again? Is something happening today? Have I neglected some important event in my enthusiasm for adorable things? Hm…

Oh! Right! It’s Queueday. I’d better get on that.

To floof. Always to floof. And for anyone who says not to floof… well… look at this magnificent floof and despair.

You and me both. I have no patience for repetitive tasks which is probably why I am always, inevitably the very last person to reach exalted with any faction… and this is no different. I’ve only recently hit Revered with Argussian Reach and Army of the Light and it feels like this is going to take forever. Nothing to do but keep world questing until I get it done but dang this feels tedious. Guhhhh.

By which I mean good luck and hang in there, of course. We may as well suffer together, right?

Race change, level boost, whatever you want. Once you’ve unlocked an Allied Race, it’s pretty much just another race option… except you start at level 20 instead of level 1. If you boost or race change instead of leveling, you lose out on heritage armor (which you have to level to get), but otherwise you’re all set. Unlock, race change, and enjoy!

Would I give up on some visible armor if it meant getting a super cool new race? Absolutely. It’s practically a required trade-off. Pants will never fit on a Naga and a Harpy would have trouble fitting into any pair of shoulders in game. (And without pants, why would Naga wear belts? Purely for decoration?)

But I don’t feel Blizzard would be as willing to give up these things as I am, and I don’t find any of these races to be particularly likely. But come on, Blizzard, prove me wrong.)

Happy belated birthday!

I think the new leveling system really offers more choices as you level… but at the beginning, it’s the same old game where you pick from a handful of leveling zones. But as you head through the levels, the new scaling system gives you more choices.

Do you want to stick around and finish the zone you’re in? Great! Do that!

Do you hate this stupid zone and want to move immediately to the next? Great! Do that!

Do you want to skip this zone entirely? Great! Do that!

The updated leveling system doesn’t make zone choice a free-for-all with (I think) good reason: because no one wants to go back to Elwynn Forest at level 110 to get crushed by Hogger. That would just be embarrassing. So each zone has its scaling range, which addresses the issue of out-leveling a zone well before you managed to finish its story. And as you keep leveling, the wider level range for each zone will give you more choices as to where you’d rather go.

While old hat players like us probably don’t really think about it, anyone less familiar with World of Warcraft would probably find leveling through the game extremely disjointed. You may only get half-way through a zone and its story before your adventure journal starts sending you in entirely different directions. If you followed the quests, the game’s story would jump around in fits and starts, skipping over every zone’s last act. Scaling solves that problem, so players new and old can level through the story as intended, without having to sacrifice leveling speed to do it.

I’ve heard opinions on all sides, but I think it’s a good change. (We’ll see how I feel once I have a few more levels on my new Warrior.)

I logged on to check, because I am always happy to visit Dog (despite my new-found love for Shu-zen), but was disappointed to find a dog but not the dog running around in front of the embassy.

Now, don’t get me wrong. This is one precious pupper. (And I’ll admit I spent some quality time petting him.) But it is not the Dog we rescued in Pandaria, and who followed us all the way to Draenor.

I’m glad that Dog found a home in our garrison. After meeting this new dog, I went to check in on him and he still seems happy hanging out around the herb garden. He has his own dog house (complete with toy murloc), lots of friends to play with, and regular meals (if his food dish is any indication). It seems like Dog has a good life on Draenor, with every comfort a good doggo like him would want. Maybe he deserves a vacation, safe on Draenor and far from the game’s latest threats.

Or maybe I just missed Dog in my wandering around the embassy. If so, I really have to apologize. (And go back to pet him.)

And the Queue is once again complete! Hopefully I haven’t left anything out. Everyone go on and enjoy your perfectly ordinary Wednesday, and if you have the opportunity, stop and pet a dog. They deserve it — and so do you.