I’ve mentioned off hand in a few posts that there’s things that I want to accomplish before Mists hits. However, the germination of this list began not long after I started playing warcraft. I’m not sure whether cata had even been announced (this was February 2010). I plotted in my head a lot of this list and when I told my friend he laughed at me, told me to concentrate on getting one character up to max level first.

Those early days of the game was heady with the possibilities. It was exciting as there was so much new, unexplored areas. My friend had been playing since classic so he knew so much more than me, he had experienced so much more, had completed so much more and was capable of so much more. I wanted to catch up, I wanted to be able to play at something resembling his level as I wanted to play with my friend without him resenting it, I wanted to pull my weight. In essence I wanted the impossible, I wanted those years that I’d not known the game existed. This list was the substitute.

Before Mists
– All professions maxed
I wanted access to enchants and gems, crafted gear and other consumables without paying an arm and a leg at the auction house. I wanted to be self sufficient and able to kit myself out, and maybe just maybe, able to help my friends too. You’d be surprised (or maybe not) at how interdependent the professions can be. I’ve never done anything more then dabble in the AH and maybe in Mists this’ll change because it’s taken me this long to max out the professions. Well, I still have the last 5 points left in leatherworking but I am so close to this goal I can almost taste it. When I couldn’t sleep I’d plot what I wanted to do and I assigned professions to future alts. I’ve shifted them around a fair bit since those initial days (which made re-levelling them a bit of a pain) but I’m now happy with them. Come beginning of next month and the Darkmoon Faire I will have all my professions maxed – finally!

– All Characters with a profession at level cap
This is what held me back in cata, as I managed to level quite a few professions, without levelling the characters that held them. There is a minimum level limit to learn next stage of each profession, not just profession skill points. Now correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think they’ve announced the new level limit for profession skills. It’s unlikely but possible that it’s 85. Either way having them at level cap means I can start levelling the professions up to the new skill cap on day one. All but one of the characters is sitting at level cap now, with the odd one out being my rogue, who’s halfway through level 84.

– All reputations maxed that it’s possible to do
This I don’t strictly have to do before Mists. Indeed if the release date is suddenly sprung on us (unlikely I know) then it won’t be possible. I have two reputations left that are possible (4 in total but those pvp ones bah) and I’m currently honoured with both. Brood of Nozdormu and Ravenholdt are said factions, the first requiring running AQ40 which has a weekly lockout, the second an insane grind of first syndicate members and then lockboxes. I’d like to get this done before Mists so in many ways I can draw a line under old content. Certainly once these are complete in terms of achievements classic and burning crusade content will be done. I also really want that ‘the Insane’ title and I know that if I don’t do it before Mists it’ll be another year or so before I get it. I know me and know that I’ll dive headfirst into the new content with scant regard for any other in game projects.

One day but not today
– Horde character at max level
Azeroth is a big world and while a lot of quest hubs are neutral a lot aren’t. I want to experience everything I can about this game, plus seeing content through the eyes of the opposite faction will hopefully be a fresh change. Also there’s the increased tension between the factions in Mists, by seeing both sides of the story I’ll get the big picture rather than just the Alliance’s point of view. There’s also the argent tournament pets which I refuse to pay good gold for. Therefore I need to have a horde character at least level 80 to grind them out for me.

– Horde Loremaster
I got Alliance loremaster some time ago. Not exactly sure when but it was after cataclysm. I did complete all the eastern kingdom quests but I had a hundred or so left in Kalimdor. As I swapped mains it didn’t matter and I just completed the whole thing on my paladin. I want to do the same on a horde character, both as I said above to experience the game in entirety and also to see it from the other perspective.

– Every single class at level cap
I have 8/10 classes above level 80 right now, six of them at cap. I don’t enjoy warlock and I don’t really understand it. Maybe with the raft of changes in Mists this’ll change but that’s my lowest level class. I did enjoy playing my shaman but I gave her 40 levels via recruit a friend and I’m now marooned in Outland. I can’t be bothered to quest there and my gear is still level 20 meaning it would be unfair to go dungeons. In Mists there’ll be a new class to level up and it’s my favourite kind of class. I’ve always been partial to hybrids with my paladin being my main and druid being my favourite alt. So the monk will probably get to cap long before the poor neglected warlock and shaman. One day though.

– Every single achievement
Now this is nothing but a pipe dream. It’s so unlikely to ever happen but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to get as close to this goal as possible. All categories bar ‘Dungeon’s and Raids’ and ‘Player vs Player’ are pretty much complete on the achievements tab. The 25 man Ulduar and ICC raids plus the non meta Ulduar 10 are the biggest hole in the raids tab. The heroic and some meta achievements in cata raids make up the rest. PvP has never been something I’ve focused on, truth be told I’m quite terrible. Whether this was down to my class choice, poor gear in relation to opponents, or just sheer inability, is up for debate. Come Mists when achievements go account wide I won’t have to stick to my paladin and so I’ll think I’ll go pvp on my kitty druid. I might choose a different class but I’m thinking druid for now.

– All mounts, all pets, all archaeology rares
Another goal to shoot for that will doubtless never be achieved. Some mount drops are just too rare and in raids which means there’s a weekly lockout. If that wasn’t enough of a deterrent you can’t solo for them all. Either this will change over time or it never will due to mechanics I’m not sure. It drastically reduces the possibility as grinding isn’t possible and you might lose the roll against someone else. In terms of pets I suppose it is technically possible and will be easier with the advent of aoe looting in Mists. However, with the pet store to get all of them will require forking out some real cash. There’s also the pets that are no longer obtainable via special events like blizzcon or previous collector editions. As long as you modify this goal to be reasonable it is theoretically obtainable. Archy rares just takes a lot of grinding, possible but boring.

– All titles
Obviously some aren’t obtainable, as they’ve been removed, so like with the pets if this goal is made realistic it’s theoretically possible. However, the largest amount of titles I don’t have are pvp ones. Given my pvp skills this makes getting the hard pvp titles an exercise in frustration and very very unlikely. Right now I’d settle for just one pvp title and maybe I’ll be able to get that come Mists.

Conclusion
There’s still a lot left to do in game. I’m waiting till Mists for a lot of things to become easier and polishing up what little is left before then. I doubt I’ll ever reach some of these stated goals but getting as close as possible will be good enough. I’m a collector and a completionist. I get bored sometimes pursuing these goals (grinding isn’t the most interesting way of spending time) but mixing it up with other activities keeps me focused – most of the time.