Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Anti-RNG 60 Warrior Tank Gearing Guide

Hey dudes. Silvite Soltis here, and today I've got a new type of guide for you all to enjoy.

When I first started making guides for WoW Classic, I thought it would be interesting to discuss how to get geared as efficiently as possible. However, as I worked on all of those guides, I found one issue became very clear - it's all very reliant on RNG. Many of the items were drops from dungeon bosses and the like.

Well, after rounding out the most-played roles and classes, I've decided that it's now time to tackle RNGeesus himself with a new style of guide - the Anti-RNG 60 Gearing Guides. Here, I will tell a few items for each slot that can be obtained through quests or professions. Some of these will undoubtedly be quite challenging - involving full runs of dungeons and more. However, since they provide guaranteed loot, it's worth the trouble if you just can't seem to fill that one slot...

So, without further ado, let's get right into it! Today, we're starting with warrior tanks...



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As a tank, there are several options for decent items as you approach max level - including quest rewards, blacksmithing gear, and more. If you're running dungeons and finding yourself lacking, the first stop should undoubtedly be the auction house, as you can often find decent items for cheap, including blues and high-level greens. However, if gold isn't a viable route for you, or if you just can't seem to find one slot that is appropriate, here are some other potential loot venues...

* denotes highly recommended item

Head
*Avenguard Helm from The God Hakkar questchain, starting in Tanaris.
Southsea Head Bucket from Southsea Shakedown in Tanaris (a start).
Imperial Plate Helm from Blacksmithing.

Neck
*Drakefire Amulet from the Onyxia Attunement chain. [A] [H]
*Conqueror's Medallion from Operation: Death to Angerforge quest [H] in BRD.
Heroic Commendation Medal from The Scourge Cauldrons quest chain [A] [H] in WPL.

Shoulders
Bark Iron Pauldrons from The Mystery of Morrowgrain [A] in Feralas.
*Imperial Plate Shoulders from Blacksmithing. (Honestly the better bet.)

Back
Smokey's Drape from When Smokey Sings, I Get Violent in EPL.
Shaleskin Cape from A Taste of Flame in BRD.

Chest
*Ornate Adamantium Breastplate from In Dreams quest chain in WPL and EPL.
Imperial Plate Chest from Blacksmithing.

Wrists
Shining Armplates from Guarding Secrets [H] in Winterspring (kill Owlkin to get the drop).
Runesteel Vambraces from A Prayer to Elune [A] in the Searing Gorge.
*Imperial Plate Bracers from Blacksmithing.

Hands
*Voone's Vice Grips from Warlord's Command [H] / Maxwell's Mission [A] in LBRS. Though mail, these gloves are great for threat generation and are well worth the armor sacrifice! (Also, this quest is part of the Onyxia attunement for Horde)
Gordok's Handguards from Unfinished Gordok Business in DM. This is a bit of a PITA though, apparently.
Emerald Mist Gauntlets from The Crystal of Zin'Malor (starts with The Ruins of Kel'Theril) [A] in Winterspring.
Lavaplate Gauntlets from The Rise of the Machines quest chain [H] in the Burning Steppes and BRD. 

Waist
*Stalwart Clutch from Disharmony of Fire [H] / Incendius! [A] in BRD.
Omokk's Girth Restrainer from Warlord's Command [H] / Maxwell's Mission [A] in LBRS. This is part of the Onyxia attunement for Horde!
Imperial Plate Belt from Blacksmithing.

Legs

*Bejeweled Legguards from A Little Help From My Friends in Un'Goro.
Imperial Plate Leggings from Blacksmithing.

Feet
Eschewal Greaves from Calm Before the Storm [H] [A] (starts with Bungle in the Jungle) in Un'Goro.
*Cragplate Greaves from Beware of Pterrordax in Un'Goro.
Imperial Plate Boots from Blacksmithing.  

Rings
Dalson Family Wedding Ring from Locked Away in WPL. 
Ring of Protection from The Battle of Darrowshire chain (Starts with Little Pamela) in the EPL and WPL. 
Thrall's Resolve from The Princess Saved? [H] in BRD. 
Magni's Will from The Princess's Surprise [A] in BRD.


Trinkets
*Rune of the Guard Captain from Job Opening: Guard Captain of Revantusk Village [H] in the Hinterlands.
*Mark of Tyranny (for survivability) or Blackhand's Breadth (for threat generation) from For The Horde! [H] / General Drakkisath's Demise [A] in UBRS.
Royal Seal of Eldrethalas from Codex of Defense in DM. 


Weapon
*Mirah's Song from the Kirtonos the Herald quest chain in Scholomance. 
Swiftstrike Cudgel from Lost Thunderbrew Recipe [H] Hurley Blackbreath [A] / in BRD. 
Intrepid Shortsword from The Scourge Cauldrons quest chain [A] [H] in WPL.


Offhand
*Darrowshire Strongguard from The Lich, Ras Frostwhisper quest chain in Scholomance. Continues from Kirtonos the Herald quest chain!
Argent Defender from The Argent Hold (Starts with The Archivist) in Stratholme / EPL. 
Milli's Shield from Shards of the Felvine in DM East.

Ranged
*Gorewood Bow from The Call to Command [H] / The First and the Last [A] quest chains.
Sandstrider's Mark from Wanted - Deathclasp, Terror of the Sands in Silithis. This may not be available yet, though.

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And there you have it! A whole bunch of quest rewards, and a blacksmithing set, that you can work on obtaining should you face great challenges gearing up your tank in dungeons. Obviously, many of these items are less-than-ideal for raiding in endgame (such as the greens from level 40-50 quests). However, if you just can't take it anymore, it's probably worth it to just say screw it and grind out those last few slots by grabbing some items listed here. I'm sure you'll be glad you did...

But anyway, that's it for today. If you liked this guide or found it useful, let me know by leaving a comment down below and adding yourself to my mailing list. Also, check out my videos over on YouTube where I eventually turn written content like this into videos for your viewing and/or listening pleasure. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates on content and in-game activities, and consider supporting me over on Patreon as well. Thanks for reading this, good luck gearing up, and as always...

Take it easy!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Gear Your DPS Warrior FAST - A simplified gearing guide for raging berserkers in WoW Classic!

Smashy Smashy!
Hey dudes! Silvite Soltis here and today I'm happy to present to you my next WoW Classic "Get Geared Fast" guide! Today, we're going to shine up out battle axes and smash some faces. Right after we eat up from our grind to 60... Yep, it's time to gear up our DPS warriors!

Let's get right into it!


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Step 1 - Run BRD a bunch while leveling, then more at 60.

First off, you're going to want to run Blackrock Depths as early as possible. There are over 30 items that drop here that dps warriors can make use of. Granted, they're not all spectacular, but many of them are pre-raid best in slot, so you really should have this on your list...

You can start doing this dungeon in the early 50s, so make sure to find groups as early as possible. In particular, you'll want to do back-to-back Arena runs as much as possible, as 4 out of the 6 arena bosses drop appropriate gear for dps warriors - including the Savage Gladiator items, Girdle of Beastial Fury, and Grizzle's Skinner. Furthermore, the mobs leading up to the arena will still give exp in your early 50s, so it's definitely a good way to grind out a few levels and gear up along the way.

At 55, start doing full runs for the BRD (and, if Alliance,  Onyxia) attunements. There are some amazing items later on in the dungeon (such as Warstrife Leggings and Hand of Justice), but you likely won't be able to find a group willing to attempt a full clear with you until you're level 55 or higher. Plus, this is when you can start the attunements anyway, so it really just makes sense to do this from here. You can also continue doing Arena farms as needed, but hopefully you'll grab most of the items before this point.

Step 2 - Do These Quests

Hit+AP=Great dps item!
Now that you're quickly approaching level 60, there's a few quests you should make sure you complete. First and foremost, complete the quest Job Opening: Guard Captain of Revantusk Village if you're playing Horde in order to obtain an amazing DPS trinket, Rune of the Guard Captain. Since trinkets are a bit hard to come by, this will go a long way for your warrior.

Next up, do the chain to get Blackhand's Breadth, which involves running LBRS. This is the Onyxia attunement quest chain for Horde players, but for Alliance you'll get the item to start this chain from the final boss of LBRS, Overlord Wyrmthalak. These quests will take you through LBRS and UBRS, giving you a shot at some decent gear along the way. While you run LBRS, keep an eye out for great items such as Blackcrow from Shadow Hunter Vosh'gajin, as well as any other potentially useful gear. And, or course, the same goes for the UBRS runs. After all, each of these dungeons contains around 20 useful drops for dps warriors, so you're likely to fill some slots along the way...

Finally, head over to the Plaguelands to do the quest chain In Dreams for your pre-raid BiS neck, Mark of Fordring, as well as the quest chain ending in The Scarlet Oracle Demetria [H] or Order Must Be Restored [A] for the decent Gorewood Bow, assuming you didn't get one from Blackrock Spire. Wrap up these quests, then move on to the next step...


Step 3 - Run UBRS

Hit is SOOOOOOO good for warriors...
After you've run BRD into the ground and wrapped up the few lucrative quests for your warrior, it's time to head over to UBRS.  This dungeon is one of the best for warriors in terms of quality items - with around 20 of the BEST dps warrior items - including Truestrike Shoulders, Battleborn Armbraces, and Blademaster Leggings (for those of you NOT getting Devilsaur gear). There's a lot more loot to be had, though, so make friends with a key-holder and head on in!

If you decide to go as a tank just to secure a spot, make sure to be clear that you're going for DPS gear from the outset to avoid accusations of ninjaing, as there's likely to be a lot of competition for loot while you're there. Also, make sure to take a screenshot when you state it, in case your group is full of drama queens.

Good luck in the Spire!

Step 4 - Fill in gaps (with AH gear and other dungeon quests)

Always feel free to use the auction house!!!
When you've run enough dungeons and have only a few empty slots left to round out, head over to the auction house to buy some cheap blues or high AP green items. Alternatively, you could explore different dungeons as well - especially dungeons with quests that award gear like the Kirtonos the Herald questline in Scholomance which awards Mirah's Song, a wonderful sword. But, by this point you should be geared pretty well, so if you just want to smash things in MC and Ony, you should be good to go! Just make sure you wrapped up all of your attunements!


Final Thoughts

Congratulations on getting to level 60 and good luck getting your smashy warrior all geared up! Honestly, the hardest part of gearing your warrior will be getting groups that don't expect you to tank, but if you manage to get a solid group and make sure to announce what you're going for as you run the dungeons, you should be fine. As a final note, you probably noticed that I didn't mention anything about Dire Maul in this guide, despite it being available. The reason for this is that while much of the gear IS very good, there simply isn't enough of it for DPS warriors to make it a viable option for fast gearing. However, if you plan to do tribute runs for the buffs before heading into MC and/or Ony once you are geared, you should keep an eye out for potential upgrades.

But anyway, that's it for today. If you liked this guide or found it useful, let me know by leaving a comment down below. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates on future content releases, streaming, and more. Also, if you prefer video guides, check out my YouTube channel where I turn all of these guides into videos eventually. Finally, if you'd like to support my endeavors, consider becoming one of my Patrons over on Patreon. I really appreciate your support - whether it's a donation or just from you sharing this post with someone who might find it useful. But yeah, that's all for now. Thanks again for reading. And as always...

Take it easy!


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A special thanks to wowhead.com and the Atlasloot addon for making this guide possible, as well as to all of my YouTube subscribers who voted in the poll that inspired me to write this guide in the first place. Thank you all for your support!

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Dungeon Sets 101 - Episode 9: Dreadmist!

Hey dudes! Silvite Soltis here! And today, I'm happy to give you the final installment of Dungeon Sets 101 - my guides for how you can get your class's original dungeon set in World of Warcraft: Classic.

Now that we've covered the other 8 classes, it's time to talk about the set that I personally tried to get for my shadow priest oh so long ago. A set that looks so sinister and shadowy, you'd think the character wearing it had just drained the soul from a poor NPC mob and crushed its essence into a tiny little shard. Yes, today, we're talking about my personal favorite of the dungeon sets - the warlocks' Dreadmist Raiment!

Let's get started!

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The Set

As with all of the dungeon sets, there are 8 pieces to the Dreadmist Raiment - the head, shoulders, chest, wrists, hands, waist, legs, and feet. These items are spread across 3 dungeons - Stratholme Undead, Scholomance, and Upper Blackrock Spire - making it perhaps the easiest of the 9 sets to collect!

Here's a rundown of the items' specific locations:

Head:
The Dreadmist Raiment
Dreadmist Mask - Scholo (Gandling) 

Shoulders:
Dreadmist Mantle - Scholo (Jandice)

Chest:
Dreadmist Robe - UBRS (Drakkisath) 

Wrists:
Dreadmist Bracers - UBRS (Trash) or AH

Hands:
Dreadmist Wraps - Scholo (Lorekeeper/Trash) or AH

Waist:
Dreadmist Belt - Strat (Trash) or AH

Legs:
Dreadmist Leggings - Strat UD (Rivendare) 

Feet:
Dreadmist Sandals - Strat UD (Baroness)


Now that we know where to go and which bosses to focus on, let's get into some more specific detail, shall we?

Scholomance

As a warlock seeking out the Dreadmist Raiment, your first step has absolutely GOT to be Scholomance. With all the necromancy and dark themes here, it's no surprise that 3 of the items can be found here - the MantleWraps, and Mask. One of these pieces will be particularly challenging to obtain - the shoulders - as they drop from an optional boss. The other two, however, are required to reach the end.

Jandice Barov drops the shoulders.
Let's start with the shoulders. This item is a drop from Jandice Barov in the basement of the dungeon. The reason this item is so difficult to obtain, compared to the other items, is the fact that this boss is optional, has pretty 'meh' loot, and is a general pain to get to - lots of trash for little reward. However, she is required for a quest chain, so your best bet is to try and get people in your group completing the Kirtonos questline from Eva Sarkhoff outside the instance. As a warlock, this fight is incredibly simple. She casts a curse, and spawns illusions of herself that are immune to magic damage. Run around and try to help by smacking the illusions as they spawn, but otherwise just dps her as much as you can. If you're lucky, you'll get your shoulders in one of your first runs...






Lorekeeper Polkelt drops the gloves.
Moving on, the gloves are the next item you might encounter. These drop from Lorekeeper Polkelt - one of the bosses in the last six rooms of the dungeon before the Darkmaster Gandling fight. The challenge here isn't the boss himself, but rather clearing to him. As a warlock, you'll need to cast Rain of Fire to AoE the zombies as your tank, hunter, or other kiting class pulls them out of the room. Don't die! But even if you don't get your gloves here, remember you can buy them from the auction house later, so no sweat either way!







Darkmaster Gandling drops the helm.
Finally, the last boss of Scholomance, Darkmaster Gandling, drops the helm you're after. Again, as a warlock there's not much to say about this boss that hasn't already been said - mind the teleport and kill adds in the rooms as fast as possible if you do get ported. Also, remember to cast a Soulstone on one of your party members (preferably the healer) before this fight, as it can be the difference between a messy wipe, a wipe that can be recovered quickly, or a kill. When the Darkmaster falls, pick up that sweet, sweet mask and proudly put it on.

You're looking badass already!

Stratholme

Next up on the chopping block is Stratholme - particularly Strat Undead! Like Scholomance, there are 3 set pieces you can obtain here - the BeltSandals, and Leggings. For this reason, you COULD choose to run this one first, or mix and match your dungeon runs. It's completely up to you.

The Cult of the Damned members drop the belt.
Let's start off with the belt, since that's the first item you're likely to see. If you're lucky, trash mobs throughout this dungeon will drop it, but you're most likely to see it come from the humans spread throughout the city streets. Again, if you never get one to drop, you can always pick it up from the auction house later, so don't worry too much about this one. Clear your way through the dungeon until you get to Baroness Anastari.








Baroness Anastari drops the boots.
The Baroness has one main ability worth noting - her Mind Control. Since she can easily run player characters into packs of enemy mobs, it's important to fully clear out the area around her ziggurat to avoid a wipe. As a warlock, the only other thing to note here is not to kill the mind controlled player - so don't dot them up, no matter how tempting it might be. Kill her, loot your boots, and move on.








Baron Rivendare drops the legs.
The final item to collect here are the leggings from the final boss of the dungeon, Baron Rivendare. Again, there's not much to say for warlocks. Put a soulstone on your healer, stand at max range to dps, and help kill the skeletons whenever they spawn, as they'll eat your healer otherwise. Pull off his pants when you're finished, and rejoice when you put them on yourself!






UBRS

Alright! You're in the final stretch! The last dungeon you need to run to collect the Dreadmist Raiment is, of course, Upper Blackrock Spire. There are two pieces to collect here - the Bracers and the Robe. The former are another trash drop, and since they're BoE, you can always pick them up from the auction house if you don't get them. The latter, however, drop from the final boss - General Drakkisath.

General Drakkisath drops the chest.
Much like other dps classes, you don't have much responsibility for the final boss of this massive dungeon. Make sure you put a soulstone on your healer (or the hunter who's kiting if you really think he'll need it more), then kill the crap out of the two adds and the boss. If you're exceptionally lucky, you'll be able to snag your robe on the first or second run. If not, well...do it all again!






Final Thoughts

Thanks for reading this final chapter of Dungeon Sets 101 and good luck collecting the Dreadmist set! Personally, this is my favorite of the dungeon sets, so it was nice to save it for last since it gave me something to look forward to. Again, you can pick up any BoEs that you miss along the way from the auction house, so don't fret if you somehow never see them drop. If your experience is anything like mine was, the real challenge will be Jandice...

But anyway, that's it for today. If you liked this guide or found it useful, let me know by leaving a comment down below. Check out my videos over on YouTube - where I eventually turn all of my written guides into videos for viewing pleasure. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates about streaming, content releases, and more. And consider supporting me over on Patreon as well, if you're into that sort of thing. Thanks again for reading, and as always...

Take it easy!


Dungeon Sets 101 - Episode 8: Elements!

Hey dudes! Silvite Soltis here and I'm back with another lesson of Dungeon Sets 101 - my series that goes over where and how to acquire each class's dungeon set in World of Warcraft: Classic.

With 7 covered thus far, there's only two classes' armor to talk about - shamans and warlocks. So, let's get right into the first of those two, shall we? Today, we're going to explore the shaman's dungeon set. So, channel the power of the elements so we can find...The Elements!

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The Set

Just like all dungeon sets, The Elements contains 8 pieces - the helm, shoulders, chest, bracers, gloves, belt, legs, and boots. Unfortunately, the pieces are all spread throughout 4 max level dungeons - Stratholme, Scholomance, LBRS, and UBRS. But don't worry - you'll probably run these dungeons a lot at endgame anyway. Here's a brief summary of where you can find the elements of...The Elements:

The Elements
Head:
Coif of Elements - Scholo (Gandling)

Shoulders:
Pauldrons of Elements - UBRS (Gyth)

Chest:
Vest of Elements - UBRS (Drakkisath)

Wrists:
Bindings of Elements - Strat (Trash) or AH

Hands:
Gauntlets of Elements - UBRS (Pyroguard) or AH

Waist:
Cord of Elements - LBRS/UBRS (Trash) or AH

Legs:
Kilt of Elements - Strat UD (Rivendare)

Feet:
Boots of Elements - LBRS (Omokk)

Alright, now that we know where they are, let's discuss how to get them.

LBRS

To start, let's take a dive into Blackrock Spire - specifically Lower Blackrock Spire. There are two pieces of the Elements set you could potentially get here - the Cord and the Boots. And since Horde players need to run this dungeon for the Onyxia attunement anyway, it's a great place to start.
Highlord Omokk drops the boots.

To start, the belt drops from trash mobs throughout the dungeon, so keep an eye out for it as you clear the place. The boots, just like all the sets' boots, drop from a boss though - Highlord Omokk. As a shaman, you'll likely be healing this dungeon, so there's really not much to say about this fight other than make sure your tank doesn't die or get punted off a cliff somehow. If you're lucky, you'll snag your belt and boots pretty quickly!

Since Omokk is the only boss in here with a set piece, you could consider finding or setting up groups to specifically farm him - if you don't get lucky during any full clears you do for attunements or other quests, that is. Look for people aiming for the Skyshroud Leggings and/or the ranged weapons from Shadow Hunter Vosh'gajin in order to avoid the hassle of doing a full run.

UBRS

Next up is Upper Blackrock Spire! If you worked hard in LBRS and somehow got yourself a Seal of Ascension, you'll likely have no trouble finding groups for this place. There are 4 set pieces you can obtain here - the CordGauntletsPauldrons, and Vest. Luckily all of these items are from unavoidable bosses, and the belt is a trash drop, so you've got a good shot of getting something every time you run this place!
Pyroguard Emberseer drops the gloves.

So, starting with the gloves, since the belt is a trash drop here too, you'll want to kill Pyroguard Emberseer in the 2nd main room of the dungeon. The challenge from this boss comes from killing all 8 warlocks before the boss is released. Otherwise, it's an easy kill so pray for your gloves.





Gyth drops the shoulders.
Continue through the dungeon until you get to Rend's arena event. Here you can aim for the shoulders from the warchief's dragon mount, Gyth. As a shaman (and as a healer in particular), you'll want to make sure to conserve your mana and be ready to drink as soon as the last mob falls in each wave of the event. For Gyth, make sure you're not standing in front of him, as to avoid the breath ability, and be mindful of his HP so that you can be ready when Rend gets knocked off. Finish off both bosses, loot the dragon, and hopefully you can get those crazy lightning rods for your shoulders.




General Drakkisath drops the chest.

Progress through the latter half of the dungeon until the final boss - General Drakkisath. As I've said many times before, this boss drops all the dungeon set chests - including the Vest of Elements. Furthermore, this boss is pretty straightforward for every class other than hunters, so just keep people alive as you down the two adds, then the boss himself and be mindful of the Conflagration on the tank. Collect your chest (if you're lucky) and continue on your journey!



Stratholme

Baron Rivendare drops the legs.
After clearing out the Spire, head over to Stratholme Undead for a shot at 2 items - the Bindings and the Kilt. As usual, the bracers drop off of trash mobs here, so keep an eye out for them as you clear to the final boss - Baron Rivendare.

Baron Rivendare drops the legs to the set, as usual. As a shaman, you'll basically want to stand as far away as possible (unless you're running Enhancement of course) and keep the tank alive. If your group is melee heavy for some reason, Chain Heal and Healing Stream Totem will be valuable assets in countering the pulsing AoE aura put out by the boss. When skeletons spawn, consider dropping an Earthbind Totem to slow them down as you move away from them. Kill the boss, grab his kilt, and move on to your final destination!

Scholomance

Darkmaster Gandling drops the helm.
Last, but not least, is Scholomance! Only one piece of the Elements set drops in this school of necromancy - the Coif from Darkmaster Gandling at the end. So, clear the dungeon out as needed until you reach him. While you grind this dungeon out, make sure to complete the quests associated with it, since it's unlikely you'll get the helm in the first run.

Anyway, when you reach Darkmaster Gandling there's a few things you need to remember. As a shaman, you can interrupt his Arcane Missiles ability, which will greatly reduce the damage your tank takes. As always, be mindful of the teleport and be ready to use your totems to slow and kill the skeletons if you're the one that gets ported. If possible, keep a shield handy in case you lose your tank and the Darkmaster decides to smack you around a bit instead. This fight is long, but luckily a Shaman has plenty of ways to help bring this evil teacher down. Collect your funny wolf-mask, equip it, and go show off your completed dungeon set in front of the Orgrimmar bank!


Final Thoughts

Thanks for taking the time to read this guide and good luck in your quest to acquire the full Elements set! It's a set that I personally think looks extremely badass - minus the helm - and it's one that I would definitely pursue if I were playing a shaman. As always, remember that if you somehow end up collecting all 5 BoP items without snagging the belt, bracers, or gloves, you can pick them up from the auction house - usually for pretty cheap. So, even though I didn't mention it in the steps, that's always an option...

But anyway, that's it for today. If you liked this guide or found it useful, let me know by leaving a comment down below. Check out my videos over on YouTube - where I eventually turn all of my written guides into videos for viewing pleasure. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates about streaming, content releases, and more. And consider supporting me over on Patreon as well, if you're into that sort of thing. Thanks again for reading, and as always...

Take it easy!