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Welcome to Honor's Code!

Welcome to Honor's Code. My name is F. Ted Atchley, III, but for many years I was known throughout World of Warcraft as the Paladin tank, Honor's Hammer. This blog was dedicated to the my adventures in World of Warcraft (and occasionally other games) from May 2007 through June of 2021. In 2010, I entered the Blizzard Short Story Contest. I hadn't written in years, but it rekindled a love for writing and story telling that I had let go in order to pursue a "real career." I dabbled in writing for several years, and joined  BlizzardWatch.com  in 2016. I took a writing class taught by 21-time New York Times bestselling author, Jerry Jenkins, in 2017 and attended my first writer's conference in 2018. 2020 caused many of us to "go home and rethink our life", and I was no exception. I was splitting the the few hours a day I had where I wasn't working, eating, or sleeping between writing my novel and playing  World of Warcraft . Neither was getting the

"Finding the Key" a free short story for you

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I made the difficult decision to focus all my efforts on my writing and leave World of Warcraft behind. My debut sci-fi action thriller novel, The Key to Reality , will launch in June. I've written a prequel short story called Finding the Key that you can download for free . On the planet of Dokimadzo, fourteen-year-old Brandon has bounced from foster home to foster home since losing his mother. All he wants to do is reclaim a part of his old life and return to the apartment he shared with her. But the old neighborhood has changed much since Brandon last lived there, and a nasty gang runs the streets. His search won’t just be for a place to call home, but for his very survival. It's free as in it will cost you zero dollars to acquire this, but it will require you to give me your email address and sign up for my reader's group/newsletter/email list. This is the thing you see from author's where they give you a free short story in exchange for signing up for their email

Wrath of the Lich King Classic Paladin leveling guide

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Choosing the Paladin as your class shows remarkable good taste and high intelligence. As a level 80 Paladin, I’d thought I’d share some thoughts on leveling a Paladin character in Wrath of the Lich King Classic.  Honors, you are the rare combination of brains and good looks. What race should I make my Paladin?  Well, I’m glad you asked. Roll Horde, you’re a Blood Elf. Next Question! Oh, wait, you’re Alliance, excellent choice, my lad. Of the 3 Alliance races, I would say Draenei. The Draenei starting area is really cool, and tons of fun. It’s also the best put together of the Alliance starting zones, making questing and leveling much easier and frankly more fun. I’d even consider taking your Human or Dwarf over to Azuremyst Isle via the Stormwind Harbor. There is a boat in Stormwind Harbor that takes you to Darkshore, and a boat in Darkshore that takes you directly to Azuremyst Isle.  Draenei get Shadow Resistance and a free Heal over Time works well with Paladins. This is especially g

An ending and a new beginning, my final day in World of Warcraft

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In 2010, I entered the Blizzard Short Story Contest. I hadn't written in years, but it rekindled a love for writing and story telling that I had let go in order to pursue a "real career." I dabbled in writing for several years, and joined BlizzardWatch.com in 2016. I took a novel writing class, taught by 21-time New York Times bestselling author, Jerry Jenkins, in 2017 and attended my first writer's conference in 2018. 2020 caused many of us to "go home and rethink our life", and I was no exception. I was splitting the the few hours a day where I wasn't working, eating, or sleeping between writing my novel and playing  World of Warcraft . Neither was getting the time it needed. I saw writer friends finish their books while mine was mired in drafting. At the same time, I wasn't putting in the time to run content. My gear lagged behind and I didn't know the encounters. I had to make a choice. In April of 2021, I cancelled my World of Warcraft subs

Honors first ever blog post (pre-blogspot)

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 So I was going through some old files preparing to upgrade my computer and I came across a standalone webpage I made for my WoW character. This is from 3/12/2006. This was before I had Honors. I had rolled a Human Paladin named Ittai. Ittai Entry#1 : Marshal Dughan has asked me to check out rumors of Kobolds in the Jasperlode mine. After a bit a rest, I headed out for Jasperlode. The creatures of the forest seemed more fierce than the ones of my home in Northshire. I decided I needed to hone my skill with the Hammer, so I went back home to Northshire. The Defias gang still laid claim to the vinyards. I dispatched several theives, and then went for additional training with Brother Wilhelm in the Northshire Abbey. Now more ready for whatever dangers lurked in the forest, I made my way towards Goldshire. I had apprenticed as a blacksmith in my youth, and my Master had always had trouble with dwarves overcharging him for raw materials. I can't tell you how many times I heard him say h

Burning Crusade Classic Protection Paladin Guide : Rotation

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Back to the Guide Opener Buff Righteous Fury Buff whatever Blessing you've been assigned Devotion Aura Seal of Wisdom Avenger's Shield (can be combined with a Misdirect from your Hunters) Consecration. If the boss is moving towards you, move to the back edge of your Consecration so to the boss gets a tick before they reach melee range. *For some bosses, you'll be running in and want to 'flip' the boss. This means running through them, and setting up on the other side. The boss will spin around, putting their backs to your melee. Holy Shield Judgement (this should be the Judgment of Wisdom debuff on the boss) Seal of Vengance (build) Exorcism (If the boss is Undead or Demons Rotation Holy Shield on cooldown. As soon as it's under 2 second on the cooldown, start spamming your Holy Shield button. Holy Shield must not drop off. That is your primary objective. Consecration on cooldown. Consecrate will always come after Holy Shield. Even though Consecrate’s cooldown

Burning Crusade Classic Protection Paladin Guide : Resist gear

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Back to Guide Uncritiable For a few select fights in Burning Crusade Classic , you may need resistance gear. For a tank, your gear will need to reach two important breakpoints: 365 Resistance (of that specific resistance), and 490 Defense (uncritable). You can also use Resilience on gear to help you reach uncritable. 1% Crit Reduction = 59.25 Defense Rating = 25 Defense Skill 1% Crit Reduction = 39.1 Resilience Rating. 1% Crit Reduction = 39.1 resilience rating = 59.25 defense rating For every point of Resilience you have, you can reduce the 490 Defense cap required by 0.625 Caveats: The following list will not contain random Uncommon resistance gear. Thie BoE gear that can be used to fill in the gaps for achieving the resistance cap of 365. Note: Paladin Aura/Hunter Aura/Priest Prayer of Shadow Protection/Shaman Totems DO NOT stack. Gear with all Resistances This gear has all Resistances and can be used in any of the specific Resistance encounters. Syrannis' Mystic Sheen (Cloak -

Burning Crusade Classic Protection Paladin Guide: Tank Gear Progression

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Here is a general guide to MT gear progression in raids. Don't consider it definitive so by all means contest any of this. Bias is shown towards "paladin tank" gear wherever the item is viable so some "warrior" items will be omitted if they offer nothing different. Equally ranked items are about equivalent or down to personal preference and your gear makeup. One item might be very slightly better than the other but it's the sort of very minor upgrade that you'd pass over for another tank. Disclaimer: This list just a harmless bit of OCD fun that can be a useful reference and point of comparison. Please do not take all of this literally and as 'the way' without thinking what is best for you and what the encounter requires.  Color coding: Phase 5 - Isle of Quel’danas and Sunwell Plateau Phase 4 - Zul'Aman Phase 3 - Battle for Mount Hyjal and Black Temple Phase 2 - Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep Phase 1 - Karahzan, Gruul’s Lair, and Magth