Hanging up my Leaves.

Playing a Druid for three years, from Zul'Gurub to Sunwell Plateau has been awesome. The Druid has truly ruined alts for me. I may play one from time to time, even get one to 70, but not long after logging in, I wanna go running back to my Druid, Abryanna Ysera US.

Starting with all paws
She was started on a brand new server, Kirin Tor US, and like most, I leveled Feral. I fumbled my way through levels 1-19 but things started looking up from there. Oh yes... Cat form! Suddenly I was a rogue who could heal and tank, what more could I ask for? Well, I could have asked for better itemized gear, for starters. I was heavy into PvP at first but couldn't dedicate the time that others could to get the famed ranks. Yet, early in my days of level 60, I was bit by the raiding bug and was able to get involved with a above-average casual raiding guild. One that was still at the early stages of Zul'Gurub, so I hadn't missed much.

Old School Raiding
I was Feral for all of Zul'Gurub and about half of Molten Core but all you Druids out there know the story: Feral for Trash; Healing for Boss... I had had enough when my healing gear was vastly growing over my meager 2-3 non-set rogue pieces that I always pray would drop.

I took to full-time healing quickly, both in PvE and PvP, and never looked back. Soon our little casual raiding guild got new leadership and reformed as Relentless Dawn Kirin Tor US and tried to shave off the casual part. We bested Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, and our crown accomplishment of killing C'Thun in the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj. Sadly we were only able to get through half of Naxxaramas prior to release of the Burning Crusade.

The Burning Crusade
The first expansion brought new hope for Feral but I wasn't biting yet (no pun intended). I had made my commitment to Resto and I was loving it.

While Relentless Dawn was knocking our collective heads on Tier 5 content, a real life crisis came upon me: My oldest son, of three, was starting First Grade! The added attention from me, that I felt my family needed, was superseding my desire to jump online moments after dinner to raid. I though my raiding days where over until I was able to find the guild Midwinter Ysera US who was only one boss ahead of Relentless Dawn's progression but raided with a PST schedule. Being able to have the family time needed and ability to raid after the children where in bed saved my raiding career.

I've been with Midwinter for over a year now and it has been a ridiculously, incredible ride that's been topped off with curing the Sunwell by laying Kil'jaeden and all his minions to a bloody demise!

Wrath of the Lich King
So here we are now... we've accomplished all that we can and we're all eagerly awaiting the second expansion but now something has happened that I did not expect. That Feral within me, which I've suppressed for years, is swelling again and as I read all the Feral Cat changes, coupled with Blizzard's expressed desire to make all DPS classes equal in damage output, I've not been able to contain myself. I'm re-speccing Feral seconds after raid instead of just on the weekend. I'm blowing all my PvP honor/points on Feral gear only. I'm skimming over the developer notes for Restoration and Tanking and going straight for Cat DPS.

So here's where this blog comes into play. For Wrath of the Lich King, I will be hanging up my leaves and going full-time Feral DPS. I'm hoping this blog can be used to track and chronicle my transformation and hopefully tout the accomplishments and viability of Feral DPS.