Thoughts In The Key Of N

Last time I gave a bit of a ramble on Blizzard’s own IP, the Draenei. I found these guys to be odd, but today is not for reflection on weird reflection. Today is for discussing a kind of magic – yes, Freddie Mercury’s teeth.

No.

REAL magic. Magic that makes your hairs stand on end. And then sets them on fire, or something. Like most any genre, there’s cetain archtypes that are assigned to fantasy worlds, archtypes so resolute, so ingrained that there is practically no way to get around them. At times I find this type of stereotyping to be extremely claustrophobic, and at others I find it makes for an easier immersion. Blizzard amused me with their approach, but I don’t think it was intentional.

As with every other class, the Mage has access to a very unique skill set. Without beating around the bush, the Mage is the spell caster; he who wields the very elements, and then throws them at you. In popular fantasy fiction, this guy is invariably frail, usually needing to lean against his staff of power, and its only when he summons all his magical might that people will really stop and take pause before making fun of his girly frame and penchant for robes. And this is where Blizzard broke the mold…

The character models are a little restricted in WoW. Either that, or the entire human race has a genetic predisposition to be being built sturdier than an IKEA bookshelf. (trust me, I tried to knock one down once, trickier than it sounds) With upper arms that swell bigger than his head, my Mage actually looks like he would smile at your jibes, and then put you through a window. This is the kind of Mage I want to play! A tough-talking, beer-swilling, lightning-bolt-eating Mage!

With this manly image in mind, I went about customising his looks, his feel. This was going to be a hero for the ages, one who women wanted to be with, and men wanted to be! He was going to be a paragon of awesome, so I had no recourse but to name him after the mostly man there is: Captain Barry Suave. (I’ll tell you about Barry at a later date…)

Sadly, the graphical element is as tough as he gets. In the game, he’s got the durability of a wet paper bag, and is restricted to armour that is better described as fashionable accessories. With choices of spells ranging from the frost and fire to the arcane (isn’t it all?), I’m sticking with a cold-theme: my thinking is the longer they are not in my face, the better – and freezing does that good.

KapnBariZwav, you have a terribly awkward name, but you will be a force to reckon with even Melbourne’s weather.

~ by nick on August 2, 2010.

Posted in World Of Warcraft
Tags: kapnbarizwav, nerd, world of warcraft