WOW Classic: Quit the Guild

If you play WOW or WOW Classic for a white, you'll see folks pestering you to join their guild.  Some of them will spring this on you in the middle of a quest, too.  If you don't notice and accept the invite by mistake,  you'll be in their guild.  Want to leave?  The easiest way (although it's not as much fun as insulting the GM) is to just type /gquit.
https://us.battle.net/forums/en/wow/topic/3811454978

You may be able to right click on your name in the guild roster and then choose the quit menu item but this doesn't always seem to work.

***************************
Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

WOW Classic: Hunters and Their Pets

Here are some links with pet info.  Most appear to be older.  If you are a beginner doing the quests to get pets, use Stay to get rid of one pet or get out of aggro range of the first pet so you can tame a second.  Or get it killed.  (There doesn't seem to be a Dismiss key early on.)
https://classic.wowhead.com/spell=2641/dismiss-pet

Remember, your pet won't be able to do anything until you find a pet trainer (will be next to the hunter trainer but not all locations have pet trainers).

Use your pet to draw aggro away from you.  You can tell it to go to certain places.  Send it a slight distance away so the monster will attack it instead of you.  You can resurrect it over and over once you have a pet tamed.

You have to adapt your play style to the pet in Classic WOW.  Pets are not alike in everything but  their appearance in the original vanilla WOW.  So look at these links and pick the best pet for how you play.  Here's information about various pets and their builds.
https://www.icy-veins.com/wow-classic/hunter-dps-pets-guide

Scroll down towards the bottom for more pet build stats.
https://classic.wowhead.com/guides/classic-wow-hunter-pets

The ultimate pet site is Petopia.  Here is Petopia Classic.
https://www.wow-petopia.com/classic/

Warcraft Tavern has a list of all rare hunter pets in a database you can sort.  This appears to be for Vanilla WOW/Classic WOW.
https://www.warcrafttavern.com/hunter-pets/rare-hunter-pets/

Pet attack speeds.
https://web.archive.org/web/20061112230516/http://tkasomething.com/attackspeeds.php

How to train your pet.
https://web.archive.org/web/20070406191702/http://petopia.brashendeavors.net/html/articles/skills_main.shtml

Training guides.
https://web.archive.org/web/20070408070200/http://petopia.brashendeavors.net/html/articles/tameguide_main.shtml


***************************
Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

WOW Classic: Travel Tips

Traveling in Classic WOW is difficult.  There aren't any docks to travel from, for example.  Pick up flight paths everywhere you go if they are available and utilize hearth stones.  A hearth stone can be gotten from an innkeeper.  That makes that inn your "home."  You can always go back to that inn if you use your hearthstone.

***************************
Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

WOW Classic: It's Not a Bug but a Feature UPDATED

WOW Classic has been a revelation to folks since nothing works the way you are used to in the retail game.  Blizzard has a list of things reported as bugs that are actually features.  A lot of them are hunter-specific.  (And you should know that Blizzard doesn't fix actual bugs.  Learn the workarounds.)
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/t/wow-classic-not-a-bug-list/175887

UPDATE:  Blizzard has added to the list of items that aren't bugs and has explanations of how things work.
https://www.warcrafttavern.com/news/blizzard-updates-the-not-a-bug-list/

***************************
Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

WOW Classic: Choosing Characters and Addons

If you are playing Classic World of Warcraft this week, roll a caster.  Melee players will have trouble with some quests.   Hunters will start out great but then begin having trouble as they level.  The original game didn't balance characters well, so some are weak and some are strong.  Word to the wise from the Solo MMO Player….

For help, Warcraft Tavern has a lot of class-specific material.  No idea how good it is.  The Solo MMO Player is relying on his memory of playing the classic version of the game.
https://www.warcrafttavern.com/guides/type/classes/

This forum has help for new players.  Again, no idea how helpful it will be for Classic WOW.
https://wow-noobs.livejournal.com

Hunters have to level their pets and level their weapons.  Just because your pet has an ability, doesn't mean you can use it.  You have to train the pet to do these things.  Pet trainers are next to the hunter trainers but not every town has a pet trainer.

When it comes to addons, Bartender doesn't work very well.  Never has.  Probably never will.  (The Solo MMO Player says you have to be drunk to even attempt to get it up and running.)  Dominos is much simpler to use.  Dominos Classic is specific for the Classic version of WOW.

***************************
Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Wonder Why The WOW Quest Areas Are Overrun By The Other Faction?

You can look up your World of Warcraft server here and see what proportion are Alliance versus Horde.  (US and Europe only)
https://realmpop.com

*************************** 
Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Back to Classic WOW

Blizzard is re-releasing Vanilla WOW (version 1.12) on August 26, 2019 at 3 p.m. PDT.   The game will be free to monthly subscribers and be released in six phases.
https://blizzardwatch.com/2019/05/29/everything-know-wow-classic/

https://us.shop.battle.net/en-us/product/world-of-warcraft-subscription?utm_source=Bing&utm_medium=Search&utm_content=28807318&utm_campaign=BLZ_WoW_L_Classic_Anniversary_Q3_2019_NA

Here are all the details—
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-is-how-blizzard-plans-to-finally-bring-back-vanilla-wow-servers/

https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/t/everything-we-definitively-know-about-classic/25299

https://warcraftlover.com/wow-classic-beginners/

Here's my list of Favorite WOW Links. Some are dead (this was written in 2010), some are still going and still useful.
https://solommo.blogspot.com/2010/12/favorite-world-of-warcraft-links.html

Sadly, most of the classic content captured here just goes to dead links, so don't bother doing searches.  WOWHead now has a Classic WOW section, though.
https://classic.wowhead.com/guides/classic-world-of-warcraft

So does Ten Ton Hammer.  How good it is, I cannot say.
http://www.tentonhammer.com/games/world-of-warcraft

WOW Insider turned into Joystiq and was closed by AOL but some WOW Insider folks run Blizzard Watch now.  Here's the WOW section.  (They cover many Blizzard games.)
https://blizzardwatch.com/category/world-of-warcraft/

The Elitist Jerks website is gone but you can probably find it via the Wayback Machine.  The second link below is the 2005 version.
http://web.archive.org/web/sitemap/http://elitistjerks.com

https://web.archive.org/web/20050612075638/http://www.elitistjerks.com/

*************************** 
Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Elder Scrolls Blades Login Issues UPDATED AGAIN

If you are here trying to figure out why you can't access Elder Scrolls Blades, Bethesda shut down the game servers on June 30, 2026.  

The game has been having login problems since December 26, 2019.  You'll either get a screen asking you to accept the game terms which then sends you to make a new character or have to log in using your login and password again and again and again.  If you get the new character screen just back out of the game any way you can and try to log in again later. 

Note that the best fix for the login issue now (2021) is to create a new one.  Go ahead and do so.  Once you do the first walk down the path fighting NPCs, then get past the creation screen, you will be told you have two characters and to pick one to keep.  KEEP THE OLD ONE, not the new.  After that things should be fine again.  This issue seems to be triggered by updates to the game.

The game has been having login problems since December 26, 2019.  You'll either get a screen asking you to accept the game terms which then sends you to make a new character or have to log in using your login and password again and again and again.  If you get the new character screen just back out of the game any way you can and try to log in again later. 

NOTE:  The February 2020 update no longer let me click OK after the error message shown below.  I had to delete the game from my mobile device, download it again, and then log on with my login/password.  That apparently fixed the issue.

Apparently other folks are having trouble with the game crashing after a kill.  I've read that deleting all your outstanding Jobs fixes this but I can't swear to it.  I had the game crash yesterday after I clicked on a chest to open it.  When I tried to log back in, I got the "create a new character screen," so I waited a bit before trying again.  When I managed to get the regular login screen and logged myself back into the game, I was at a slightly different place in my Job but the chest was in my list unopened, so I opened it and continued.  The game booted me once more during the Job but I finally managed to finish it without any penalty beyond having to wait to get logged back in twice.

Communication Error?

There's a new issue now—you may get a message about a communication error with an error code upon login.  Click ok and the login will proceed normally.  This is what the Bethesda site says about this particular 400-3-204 issue.  I have not reinstalled the game.  I just click on Ok and play normally since I only use one device and account to play.  
https://help.bethesda.net/app/answers/detail/a_id/46906/kw/communication%20error

Blades Not Available on iPod Touch

I have problems with the login for Elder Scrolls Blades and I bet I'm not the only one.  First up, the software will download to my iPod Touch (6th generation) but the Apple Store says it won't work on that device.  Above is the error message I get when I try to open it.  It's possible that when the 7th generation iPod Touch comes out in the fall of 2019 it will be supported.  No way to know yet.

Two Profiles, Names Erased for Privacy

Secondly, I had a period when my login and password to Bethesda.net and Blades wouldn't work.  I finally got it going again but there was no record of my Level 1 character so I started over and created another character.  Then both characters started showing up after login.  I consistently choose my Level 10 character, got the window saying Are You Sure?  We'll Remove the Other Character, and confirmed that I wanted the Level 2 character gone.

Then I am taken to the entry screen and —surprise!— the Level 2 character is there.   It wasn't deleted and my choice of the Level 10 character was ignored.  I've gone through this about five times now.  The only way around it is to continually try to log in, get the wrong character and wait a while to try again.  Eventually I get the error screen below.

Communication Error Screen

My character name is removed for privacy.  Searching the Bethesda.net website, this is what it says about this code.
https://help.bethesda.net/app/answers/detail/a_id/45803

Once I push Resync, then the correct Level 10 character appears in the main login screen.  It's frustrating and means I cannot play the game when I want, but only when the game allows the proper character to appear.  Hopefully this will be fixed.  I've sent a ticket to Bethesda about the issue.

We are still in beta for Blades, after all.  Problems are certain to appear.    

UPDATE:  Bethesda has fixed my login issue (took about 3 days but 2 of them were the weekend and folks need time off) and I am no longer having to constant log into the game, either.  Thanks!

UPDATE #2:  Got a note from Bethesda customer support about my issue (after it was resolved).  Here is what they suggest doing to try and fix the issue, just in case you are having the same problem.

Let's try the following steps to see if we can get your account to recognize the character you are selecting:

• Restart game
• Restart device
• Update device (if possible)
• Check to ensure you are on the latest update of the game in the App store
• Uninstall the game and reinstall it
• Put your device into "Airplane" mode, wait a few seconds, and then turn "Airplane" mode off to reset your connection.
• If using Wi-Fi, power cycle your home network
• Clear the history and cookies from Safari.

If you continue to have an issue after attempting the above steps, please let us know! If you are able, please take a screenshot of the screen you are encountering asking you to select a character, and any errors you see.       

UPDATE #3:  
The chest screen is stuck on opening one chest.  Can't leave the page, either, and the notification that I've forgotten to open a chest takes me back to the screen that I'm frozen on.  Turning off Wi-Fi and leaving it off for a while doesn't clear this.  Ticket submitted to Bethesda.  If they have tips to fix I'll post them here.   After about 4 hours of this, it cleared of its own accord, perhaps because of the ticket I submitted 45 minutes earlier.      

UPDATE #4:

Here is the fix for error message 0-10001-1.

https://solommo.blogspot.com/2021/09/elder-scrolls-blades-error-message-0.html                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

*************************** 
Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

The Heir to the Greedy Goblin

Long-time World of Warcraft players will remember the Greedy Goblin.  Apparently the mantle of auction-house millionaire has passed to the Lazy Goldmaker.
https://www.pcgamer.com/how-this-wow-millionaires-laziness-made-him-azeroths-most-famous-financial-guru/

You can follow LG at his blog, or…
https://thelazygoldmaker.com

…you can take a look at his beginner's guide.
https://thelazygoldmaker.com/goblin-mindset-how-to-make-gold

HOWEVER, the Greedy Goblin lives!
https://greedygoblinblog.wordpress.com

Here's to the Capitalist Gamers of WOW!

***************************
Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Escape from Tarkov in Beta

Developer's website about Escape from Tarkov, now in beta.   Remember, things will change in the various versions of the beta, and some of this information will be old and inaccurate now.

Click on About….
https://www.escapefromtarkov.com

There's more about the game with the basics...
https://escapefromtarkov.gamepedia.com/Tarkov

...including weapons mods.
https://escapefromtarkov.gamepedia.com/Weapon_mods

IGN has a wiki with tips and tricks; quests; sections on Maps and Extraction Points, Equipable Items, and a list of Medical, Storage and Consumable items; trading and a loot table; and character skills.
http://www.ign.com/wikis/escape-from-tarkov

Beginner's guide to the First Raid with info about the Offline Raid mode where you can practice your moves.
https://survivethis.news/en/escape-from-tarkov-beginner-guide-tips-for-the-first-raid/

Beginner's guide to Shoreline
https://survivethis.news/en/shoreline-escape-from-tarkov-guide/

Detailed Maps:
http://www.gamemaps.co.uk/game/tarkov

https://forum.escapefromtarkov.com/topic/56652-maps-of-tarkov/

https://escapefromtarkov.gamepedia.com/Woods#Maps

Command lists, key bindings:

Default key bindings from game wiki (click on expand to view)
https://escapefromtarkov.gamepedia.com/How_to_Play_Guide_for_Escape_from_Tarkov

Reddit list of key bindings
https://gist.github.com/TheDonDope/8327101ead7758b9bfc6e86b9a776f80

Solo MMO spreadsheet of key bindings—note that this is beta and some commands will change
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OSdXOHz6qV4t9AZZTDgGSISvOLBl_net9Q--yIY21Ts/edit?usp=sharing

Notes:
To exit, stand in the doorway.  If nothing happens, you may have to have certain loot on you (an amount of rubles or a key you found).  There appear to be multiple exits in each map but some may not be visible until you find a key for it.

***************************
Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com