Thursday, June 6, 2013

Second Blogiversary & Giveaway




Wow! I can't believe it's been two years already since I started rambling about rares on this blog. Seriously, where has the time gone?! I have to say, this past year of blogging has been even better than my first. With the addition of like eight bazillion rares in Pandaria, and a heaping ton of fun new hunter pets - I've had a LOT of fun things to write about.

Let's take a look at what's been happening around here this past year. ~

One of my goals was to improve navigation, and I think I've somewhat accomplished that with my tabs up above. The first tab I added was the List of Rares by Zone, after that addition I just continued adding tabs from there to help people find more specific rares. The List of Rares by Zone tab gets the most hits by far, but I notice plenty of people using the rest of the tabs as well - specifically the hunter pet related ones. I notice people using the search option too, but not nearly as often.

In the last year I've written a total of 82 posts (83 counting this one), bringing my total post count to 248. Although I have produced less posts than the previous year, I'd like to think that the quality of posts has gone up. On average I've been spending a lot more time on each one compared to last year.

Some of my posts have been wildly successful (based on the number of views), and then there are ones that I'm simply proud of based on quality and content. First, let me tell you all which posts were deemed most popular according to their view count.

Top Five Posts from the Previous Year based on Views:

5. Sha of Anger - MoP World Boss - I had written up this post last summer while I was playing early on in the mop beta. At the time of writing this he was not only quite difficult to kill, but he would despawn and reappear somewhere else on the map every time he was engaged and reset. Between his difficulty level and griefers I never did get to participate in a kill until mop was released.

4. New Rares and Mounts Coming in patch 5.2 - With the promise of so many new rares coming in patch 5.2 I just had to get the down low on the ptr. This post covered a lot of the earlier patch 5.2 ptr related rares. The IoT rares weren't all in their live locations yet and many of them had placeholder names. Goda wasn't even a turtle - he was a super badass elite Drakkari Golem that really packed a punch. I really enjoyed the research involved in putting this particular post together.

3. Map of Rare Pandarian Champions by Type - Not a whole lot of text goin' on in this post, just one heck of a detailed map. This post was very popular when MoP was first released. In the last few months people viewing this post have steadily decreased, while posts on rare champions in specific zones have gone up.

2. The Jade Forest Rare Champions - I'm not sure why, but for some reason the rare champions in The Jade Forest are much more popular than the ones in other zones on this blog. This post has seen about double the views as any of the other zones I've covered in Pandaria.

1. Map of Rare Spawns on the Isle of Thunder - Bleh, it just figures. The post viewed most on this blog is one that I spent the least amount of time on. I literally threw this map together in no time at all to have a quick reference to glance at. The post I would have preferred people to be looking at instead is this one: Isle of Thunder Rares Spawns. I put a lot of time into that post, and there is SO much more useful info.

Between our good friend Google, the navigation on my blog and whatever other factors, those were the top posts this past year based on the numbers. Now, if I could choose five different posts - ones I believe more worthy based on time and effort put into them, quality, content, etc.. they would be completely different. Here are the posts that I believe should have been in the top five.

My Top Five Picks from the Previous Year:

5. Patrannache - Trackable Hunter Pet (Crane) - This bird was a total #$@*% to track down. When I finally did find him, I wanted to make sure I could get as much info on him as possible. I definitely put more time into following stinky pinky here than any other pet. The fraps video of my following him was over an hour and a half long unedited. Using footage from that video I put together an incredibly accurate map of his ridiculous path. At the end of the day I was extremely happy with what I put together.

4. How to Tame DeguHutia & Gumi (Spectral Porcupines) - Yeah, I know there are technically three posts here, but I am equally proud of them and believe they should be listed together. I really enjoyed not only writing these posts, but doing the research and learning these tames was a ton of fun. As much as I appreciated having to track down rare pets early on in the Mop expansion, I always love a good Molten Front/Hyjal style taming challenge.

3. Where to Find the Riches of Pandaria - One of my readers (Cain) suggested that I write this post after reading Lost and Found Achievement: Where to Find Lost Treasures in Pandaria (which also came very close to making this list). I thought it was a great idea, and conveniently a few days after seeing his suggestion Blizzard added the Riches of Pandaria Achievements.

2. New 5.1 Rare Faction Champions in Krasarang Wilds - A Closer Look - This is another post that I really enjoyed doing the research on and writing about. I spent a lot of time camping these guys with my hubby, and things got pretty competitive for a while - which made putting it together even more fun. At the end of the day I just felt really good about how well this post came together, and I was not the least bit afraid to hit "publish".

1. The Darkmoon Rabbit - I had a blast writing this post. I loved how Blizzard used Monty Python and the Holy Grail references like crazy with this fuzzy little ball of death, and I had fun with it! Even looking back at it now I have to chuckle a bit.

So my lists don't coincide - at all, but that's fine. Even the posts that I thought should have made the top of the list still had a lot of views. I know they have been helping people as well, and ultimately that is what this blog is all about after all - helping people find those elusive rares and taming some sweet new pets. Although people don't always comment, I know I have some lurkers out there too. You know who you are!

My Thanks to all of You:

So, as a way of saying thanks to my readers, I am going to have a little giveaway again this year. I am giving away two battle pets to two lucky commenters: the Crawling Claw and another from the WoW TCG.


All you have to do to enter is simply comment on this post. I will choose TWO winners from the comments randomly using a /roll in game.

The first roll will win the Crawling Claw pet shown above - I hear this pet is quite OP in the pet battling world, and they are still pretty hard to come by these days. The second roll winner will get to choose one pet from the list of TCG pets below:
(For example, if there are 23 comments I will do two rolls (/roll (1-23)) in game. If the rolls are 14 and then 21, that means the 14th commenter wins the Crawling Claw and the 23rd commenter has their choice of TCG pets listed above.)

These are not TCG codes I'm giving away, they are caged battle pets that need to be traded in game. Winners will need to have an active World of Warcraft subscription in order to receive their pet. Anonymous replies, or anyone not registered with Blogger will need to put some contact info in their reply. (This is so that I can contact the winners.) An email address, twitter info or even a character name & realm will be fine.

The contest will be open for 10 days (ending Midnight on Sunday, June 16th EST). I will post who the winners are shortly after. Winners will have one week to claim their prize. (If anyone simply wishes to comment but doesn't want to participate, please state so.)


Thanks all for another wonderful year!

Much Love, Euphyley <3

38 comments:

  1. Has it really been another year already? I can't believe it! Congrats on another great year that's chocka-block full of excellent info.

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  2. Happy blogiversary!

    Someday, I will get my Hunter to level 90. When I do, I'll be heading right over to your Patrannache post to figure out how to catch that fine fellow :D

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  3. Gratz on 2 years. You have helped out alot on me finding rare pets and other exciting content in MoP. Keep up the good work

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  4. Love the site (even more than Petopia!) - Keep up the good work!

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  5. Congratulations on two years! I'm always exited to see your new posts, and your maps are super useful! This is absolutely my favorite source for rare spawn info.



    Lithlidra (Borean Tundra)

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  6. Congrats on the Blogiversary. My personal favorites were the relic hunter post, and the MoP hunter pets series of posts. Your blog was one of the reasons I leveled not one but two hunters. Plan to be spending a lot more time on it soon now with the expansion of pet slots I can actually start hunting them again cause I'll have a place to put them.

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  7. Happy blogiversary! Here's to two more years :)

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  8. Congratz for the 2 years :) Realy usefull site, keep up the good work. Your rare guides always helping me, Thanks.

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  9. Congratz Euphyley! Happy Second Blogiversary!

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  10. already 2 years???lol the time has flown, gratz! i've your site on my Favorites and when the morning i start my pc, i always check for your updates^^ this site is well done as your work too, forgive my bad english but i hope u can understand ^^ congrats again

    Kattiva Pozzo dell'Eternità (Well of Eternity) EU /IT

    /waves from Italy by stephanie ^_^

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  11. Happy Blogiversary! I must say you look very grown-up for two! Here's to many more!

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  12. Congrats on your anniversary. I have to say, your webpage is the first one I open up each day before logging on to WOW

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  13. Happy bloggyversary! Just finished reading your guide on the Mysterious Camel Figure - most comprehensive I've found yet, many thanks!

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  14. Happy anniversary :D I've found so many rares with this blog. :D

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  15. Congratz on the blogiversary!

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  16. Thank you very much!!! for my stable is full of rares (all 50+5) awesome. bagged Aeonaxx and poseidus !!!

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  17. Happy blogiversary :D I'd love to win btw :P

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    1. Forgot to leave contact info :P in case i win ofcourse, please contact me @ stagass@hotmail.com :D

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  18. Grats on 2! Your blog drives me to look for rares, even when I'm supposed to be doing something else. :)

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  19. Love your site! Leveling a hunter now and using your unique hunter pets page to find the cool ones. Thanks so much!

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  20. Congrats Euphy! I wanted to say congrats - if I end up winning one of the pets just roll again and give it to another lucky soul :) I am so glad you're still here and look forward to another year!

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  21. Congrats and I'd like to tell you that you're responsible for me learning to *love* my hunter. I read your article on the green worm in Un'Goro that was no longer going to be tameable. I wanted it just because it would never be available again :) My hunter was 77, but had languished there for a year or more because I'd never really liked playing her. I zipped down to Un'Goro and on my first time there the rare that spawned it was up.

    I was just about to aggro so she'd spawn the green grub when another Hunter, a 90, came in and pleaded with me to not kill it without letting him tame her spawn. He had the orange worm with the teeth that I also learned was going away but only available to 90s as a daily Klaxxi quest. We tamed our green worms and I got to thinking that I *needed* that orange worm :D

    I had two weeks to get to 90 before the new release happened *and* I needed the daily Klaxxi quest to come up once I did - the race was on. To show off my prize, I had to stay in BM; I'd previously played marksman and had to get used to the new methods of doing things. Even though I tried to have a life, I played *a lot* more than I normally do to level her. I dinged the day before the new release and I crossed my fingers that the Klaxxi daily was the right one - it was!! I went down and tamed the orange worm!

    In the progress of leveling to 90 in such a short period of time, I got addicted to collecting rares, using your awesome posts showing where they are, and I really began to enjoy playing her. Now, I love to play her as much as my main. I use your posts about the areas and where the good rares are and the pictures help me eliminate the ones I don't like and aren't worth camping. :)

    It all came from a chance comment by a friend who said your site was good, I happened to be waiting for LFR so I checked it out, the green worm post being at the top, and me being a nutball. I'd like to thank you for the blog, it's really helped me enjoy WoW even more and I check your site all the time. Keep up the good work!

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  22. Congrats on the Blog-iversary!

    Contact info is otakuman64@yahoo.com

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  23. Congrats! I just love you blog because it helped me get my all time favorite pets, like Loque'Nahak. Happy Blogiversary. You're the best.

    My info for the give away: Kittycake70@gmail.com

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  24. Congrats. Cool site.

    My character is Pelinal in Tichondrius.

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  25. Love this Site =)

    Char Name is Exxor on Kel'Thuzad

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  26. Love this blog, I use it for when I want to find those rare hunter pets and used it when Isle of Thunder rares were announced!
    <3 keep up the good work!!!
    Scarletrose-Shattered hand

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  27. Excellent site. I really like your rare mount guides (i am too unlucky with the spawns) and hope some day to find this damn rare Camel

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  28. Wow, I can't believe it's come already! Also, I love your many rare spawns in certain zones, It has really helped me out greatly!
    I have one question.. Since most of the zones are all Alliance.. You should really do the Horde zones! That would be a nice challenge (:
    I know you just had your baby, So you may not get to it right away, But personally I think it'd be a perfect idea :)
    Anyways, Have fun with your new family, and your amazing blog<3

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    1. Oh, I do plan on covering more of them for sure when I get the time. :)

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  29. Congrats on your second year. Hopefully the next year will be full of more rares and achievements to write about :)

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  30. Grats on a 2nd year, still love the post about my adventure with alani and was happy to share it with you. Hope to see more posts from ya as the time passes on. Signed Reinoverall, from Elune. :)

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  31. Congratulations! You help us all so much we should give you a hand!

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  32. Happy second blogiversary!
    Love your birthday pic!

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