Achievement Round-Up

I'll admit it - I'm a huge fan of Achievements. Whether I've just downed the bosses of the Nexus with my main, or fished my first 25 fish with an alt, seeing that Achievement pop up on my screen can be very fulfilling.

I discussed some mage-friendly achievements last month, but I've listed some more here which should be pretty approachable for mages and non-mages alike, hopefully without breaking your bank or taking a lot of time.

Dalaran is the right place for completing It's Happy Hour Somewhere. Check with the bartenders in the Legerdemain Lounge, or the saleswoman outside One More Drink for unusual beverages, but stay away from the pricier bottles or casks of wine sold inside - they won't contribute to your drinking total.

All members of the Horde with their eyes on Tastes Like Chicken should check out the vending machines on the zeppelins which connect Orgrimmar with Undercity and Stranglethorn Vale. Odds are, you haven't eaten half of the foods these machines sell, and if you're working on this achievement with multiple characters, all the food is sold in stacks of five, making it easy to eat one and pass it on.

Gaining the Represent achievement is even easier now that Northrend factions offer tabards at the Friendly reputation level rather than Exalted. I got my first new tabard from the Kirin Tor in Dalaran after one run through the Nexus.

Hate fishing? Still want an easy achievement? Simple enough: buy a cheap fishing pole and a Shiny Bauble. Head to the Barrens, Darkshire, or an equivalent zone. Find any school of fish. Fish one fish from that school to get the Old Gnome and the Sea achievement, and you're done.

Most exploration achievements require a fair amount of time. But one should be easily accessible to anyone level 70 or higher. Go to Shattrath, and head through the portal to Quel'Danas. The instant you arrive on the isle, you'll get the Explore Isle of Quel'Danas achievement. And while you're there, why not complete a few dailies and get the 5 Daily Quests Complete achievement?

Of course, there are some achievements out there which offer excellent rewards but require a substantial investment to achieve. If you're working toward your very own Albino Drake, don't forget to purchase all of the different versions of your faction's level 30 mount. Ringing in at 10 gold apiece before reputation discount, these are an affordable way to get that much closer to your goal. And don't forget - turning in stacks of cloth or even running Alterac Valley every once in a while can be easy ways of reaching exalted with the capital cities of your faction.

Yes, that's right. It seems not everyone knows the happy little secret of Alterac Valley. Every time your turn in armor scraps, Storm Crystals, Soldier's Blood, medals or flesh to their respective NPCs in AV, your reputation with Orgrimmar or Stormwind goes up. Once you've maxed reputation with either of these, the bonuses then go to the next-highest capital city faction which whom you still need reputation. Max that one out, and the process continues. Plus, you're almost sure to pick up a few Alterac Valley achievements during your reputation grind.

There are plenty of easy achievements out there, and over the coming weeks I'll be sure to list more which the casual or jack-of-all-trades player can accomplish with a minimum of time.