Nearly everyone who hasn't been hiding under a rock for the last few months will have spotted that the new expansion comes out this week. I decided to pre-order the collectors edition, mostly for the free pet, but it nicely ramps up my playing of wow. Original game got as a free giveaway with a newspaper, TBC bought quickly and as a normal edition so I could play an elf on horde with friends up to where we are today.
So the plan was sorted and ready to go, when work gave me the opportunity to do a residency for four weeks in the United States. This wasn't an opportunity to pass up so I'm currently blogging this from my suite in Fishkill, NY with plans afoot on how I can get hold of the game key from my collectors edition and some installation media ready to make the journey to Northrend (even if it's a few hours different to the rest of the guild).
So far playing from the US to European servers over the hotel wireless doesn't seem too awful but my plan of being able to do instances whilst levelling at the right level may have to be slightly delayed due to time differences.
Showing posts with label expansion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label expansion. Show all posts
Sunday, 9 November 2008
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
Another feral armor change
After the change to feral armor and the removal of the big green numbers from things like the clefthoof set other items such as rings, trinkets and weapons still kept them and still provided a huge boost when shifting into Dire Bear Form.
It appears now that while these items will still have the large armor values it won't be multiplied by the shift into bear form, giving the same benefits as to the other tanking classes. Obviously the lack of shields means that a bear needs some other way of staying alive rather than just mitigating the damage through massive amounts of armor.
My personal guess is that it will be through dodging (as opposed to Death Knights which will parry, or dodge as well) especially with the change that gives rage everytime we dodge. I'm not too worried about this change given the developers wish that all tanking classes are able to tank end game content but it does mean that it appears that rogues and feral druids are going to be rolling on the same armor items almost constantly.
It appears now that while these items will still have the large armor values it won't be multiplied by the shift into bear form, giving the same benefits as to the other tanking classes. Obviously the lack of shields means that a bear needs some other way of staying alive rather than just mitigating the damage through massive amounts of armor.
My personal guess is that it will be through dodging (as opposed to Death Knights which will parry, or dodge as well) especially with the change that gives rage everytime we dodge. I'm not too worried about this change given the developers wish that all tanking classes are able to tank end game content but it does mean that it appears that rogues and feral druids are going to be rolling on the same armor items almost constantly.
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Do I need to spend 5 points there?
Whilst I've been mucking about a bit on the PTR (inbetween downloading patches) I've not really felt able to talk about the new talents and specs as they are still going through fairly big changes. Once you've got a handle on how things might work, things change and you need to re-evaluate whether the points are worth spending in a particular way and how it may affect your rotations.
One of the big changes that has been permanent for a while was the change to Relentless Strikes from a 1 point talent in the Assassination tree to a 5 point talent in Subtlety. As described in my post on energy and combo points, this talent makes the key finishing moves Slice and Dice and Rupture free when it procs, and it's a guarantee when you use 5 combo points on a finishing move.
Having to spend 5 talent points when you used to only have to spend 1 (and this is a key talent in any cookie cutter PvE build) made me look to see whether is was still required or whether other talents could mean you could spend those 5 elsewhere. For the purpose of this I'm looking mainly at the Combat tree as this has the Vitality talent which has changed from increasing stamina and agility to increasing energy regeneration by up to 25%. This means that instead of regenerating 20 energy every 2 seconds you'll regenerate 25 which will soon add up over the course of every fight. I'm also ignoring any procs of Combat Potency as they're a bit random and can't be relied on during a combat rotation.
So the question for me then was would the increased energy regeneration make up for the fact that your finishing moves no longer have a chance to return 25 energy?
In short no, and if you're not interested in my maths you can stop reading here and work out how best to spend the other 66 points you'll have at level 80.
Still here, ok, calculations are based around a combat style rotation of
1xSinister Strike->Slice and Dice->5xSinister Strike->Rupture
starting at 100 energy and using each ability as soon as you have enough energy to do so.
Once you've hit Rupture you're sat there with 0 energy and watching it smoothly come back. So the quicker you can get a combo point available for a Slice and Dice refresh the better and you'll need 40 energy to use Sinister Strike (talented). With all that in mind let's look at some figures for how long it will take till you can get that point:
Without Relentless Strikes
Looking at the results it should be clear that Relentless Strikes with it's 25 energy from the 5point finishing move beats the improved energy regeneration, though Vitality does look like it will add a nice DPS boost as you generate and spend combo points faster.
One of the big changes that has been permanent for a while was the change to Relentless Strikes from a 1 point talent in the Assassination tree to a 5 point talent in Subtlety. As described in my post on energy and combo points, this talent makes the key finishing moves Slice and Dice and Rupture free when it procs, and it's a guarantee when you use 5 combo points on a finishing move.
Having to spend 5 talent points when you used to only have to spend 1 (and this is a key talent in any cookie cutter PvE build) made me look to see whether is was still required or whether other talents could mean you could spend those 5 elsewhere. For the purpose of this I'm looking mainly at the Combat tree as this has the Vitality talent which has changed from increasing stamina and agility to increasing energy regeneration by up to 25%. This means that instead of regenerating 20 energy every 2 seconds you'll regenerate 25 which will soon add up over the course of every fight. I'm also ignoring any procs of Combat Potency as they're a bit random and can't be relied on during a combat rotation.
So the question for me then was would the increased energy regeneration make up for the fact that your finishing moves no longer have a chance to return 25 energy?
In short no, and if you're not interested in my maths you can stop reading here and work out how best to spend the other 66 points you'll have at level 80.
Still here, ok, calculations are based around a combat style rotation of
1xSinister Strike->Slice and Dice->5xSinister Strike->Rupture
starting at 100 energy and using each ability as soon as you have enough energy to do so.
Once you've hit Rupture you're sat there with 0 energy and watching it smoothly come back. So the quicker you can get a combo point available for a Slice and Dice refresh the better and you'll need 40 energy to use Sinister Strike (talented). With all that in mind let's look at some figures for how long it will take till you can get that point:
Without Relentless Strikes
- Normal - 4secs
- Vitality - 3.2secs
- Normal - 1.5seconds
- Vitality - 1.2seconds
Looking at the results it should be clear that Relentless Strikes with it's 25 energy from the 5point finishing move beats the improved energy regeneration, though Vitality does look like it will add a nice DPS boost as you generate and spend combo points faster.
Saturday, 27 September 2008
RP Gear for the Expansion
Labels:
expansion,
roleplaying
Now I'm not an active role player and don't play on a role playing server but I do love all the extra touches Blizzard puts into the game which add some variety and can seem at times incredibly random. Being a rogue a huge source of these can be found from pickpocketing mobs (which you should be doing anyway for the extra income and lock boxes) but occasionally they can be found in the normal way through the killing and looting of mobs.
With the expansion coming up there are a couple of groups which are going to have some significance and there are ways you can look the part whilst doing it.
Dalaran - The new Shattrath of the expansion. So a place you're likely to spend a lot of time whilst repairing and sorting out bank/bag space etc. It's possible to look the part with a Dalaran Wizard's Robe which drops off the wizards in Silverpine forest. Easy to pick up as a Horde character, but if you're with the Alliance you'll have to check out the neutral auction house and hope to get lucky.
The Scarlet Onslaught - What's left of the Scarlet Crusade in Northrend. Try some extra deception by wearing your own Tabard of the Scarlet Crusade whilst keeping them at bay. This can be picked up by either side, all you need to get to the end of the Armory in the Scarlet Monastery, kill Herod and then decimate the Scarlet Trainees that spawn. Once they're all dead loot away and hope that it's dropped. Else run out reset and repeat until you do.
So there's my suggestions and the things you may see me wearing around Northrend, have fun.
With the expansion coming up there are a couple of groups which are going to have some significance and there are ways you can look the part whilst doing it.
Dalaran - The new Shattrath of the expansion. So a place you're likely to spend a lot of time whilst repairing and sorting out bank/bag space etc. It's possible to look the part with a Dalaran Wizard's Robe which drops off the wizards in Silverpine forest. Easy to pick up as a Horde character, but if you're with the Alliance you'll have to check out the neutral auction house and hope to get lucky.
The Scarlet Onslaught - What's left of the Scarlet Crusade in Northrend. Try some extra deception by wearing your own Tabard of the Scarlet Crusade whilst keeping them at bay. This can be picked up by either side, all you need to get to the end of the Armory in the Scarlet Monastery, kill Herod and then decimate the Scarlet Trainees that spawn. Once they're all dead loot away and hope that it's dropped. Else run out reset and repeat until you do.
So there's my suggestions and the things you may see me wearing around Northrend, have fun.
Monday, 15 September 2008
Experiences of the PTR process
1) Download large installer file.
2) Set installer running overnight
3) Get up at 3.30am to stop now running client playing music, use time to make use of empty transfer queue to initiate character copy for both 70s
4) Watch average transfer times rise and fall whilst yours are pending
5) Decide to check out the PTR forums to see if there's anything relevant
6) See the *huge* amount of whinging and trolling and pointless posting
7) Log out and do something else
Now this isn't a whinge on my part, yes I'd like to get in there and start playing with stuff but I understand that with all the new stuff there's probably most of the player base wanting to get in there and trying things out.
However if you've managed to get a character copied and are trying things out please be constructive, yes ret paladins have been heavily buffed, yes rogues are still going to be a problem to casters (remember to wave to your anti-class), no this isn't the final product.
The whole point of testing is to see how things are working and adjust them when necessary. It's also worth remembering that all the shiny 51pt talents that are available have to be suited to our roles as brave adventurers against the Lich King in Northrend so are going to seem a bit over-powered when used at our current level. In the words of the current big bad, 'We are not prepared', but need time to grow into these new skills and ensure that they're right for what we need to do.
Let's not forget that there will be changes after the expansion hits, just look at what's happened with the Cheat Death talent, and things will be adjusted as the developers see how players make the best of their class.
If you really want to ensure the game remains fun, play it and play it well, only then can the developers see what can be done with the talents and abilities they've given you as no matter how good you are you'll never think of every little way things can be used.
2) Set installer running overnight
3) Get up at 3.30am to stop now running client playing music, use time to make use of empty transfer queue to initiate character copy for both 70s
4) Watch average transfer times rise and fall whilst yours are pending
5) Decide to check out the PTR forums to see if there's anything relevant
6) See the *huge* amount of whinging and trolling and pointless posting
7) Log out and do something else
Now this isn't a whinge on my part, yes I'd like to get in there and start playing with stuff but I understand that with all the new stuff there's probably most of the player base wanting to get in there and trying things out.
However if you've managed to get a character copied and are trying things out please be constructive, yes ret paladins have been heavily buffed, yes rogues are still going to be a problem to casters (remember to wave to your anti-class), no this isn't the final product.
The whole point of testing is to see how things are working and adjust them when necessary. It's also worth remembering that all the shiny 51pt talents that are available have to be suited to our roles as brave adventurers against the Lich King in Northrend so are going to seem a bit over-powered when used at our current level. In the words of the current big bad, 'We are not prepared', but need time to grow into these new skills and ensure that they're right for what we need to do.
Let's not forget that there will be changes after the expansion hits, just look at what's happened with the Cheat Death talent, and things will be adjusted as the developers see how players make the best of their class.
If you really want to ensure the game remains fun, play it and play it well, only then can the developers see what can be done with the talents and abilities they've given you as no matter how good you are you'll never think of every little way things can be used.
Sunday, 14 September 2008
I've been on a bit of a collecting mission recently, with the change to the pet UI coming in the next patch it's not going to be so much of a bag space problem keeping all those cute lil guys around and can randomly pick one to have by your side for a particular fight.
The whole collection has been augmented with Don Carlos' famous hat for the added bonus of appearing to have a tame shaman in tow. Killing the man himself was a lot of fun as we took Crash, our MT feral druid and a shadow priest to help with healing. Providing we didn't do anything daft like swipe a patrol or miss a need to taunt him off the priest he died fairly smoothly and provided the entire team with the aforementioned stylish headpiece.
After that the bear and I went to pay Baron Rivendare a visit which was a bit of a laugh. The only major problem we faced was when killing Baroness Anastari. Not fully understanding the mind control aspect of the fight I duely got posessed had all the useful abilities (Evasion, Adrenaline Rush) used and I took down the druid before he could damage me enough to release the posession. Other than that we had a clean run through and even managed to kill him before the hostage got sacrificed. Sadly the mount didn't drop but it was a trip which allowed for some lore based exploration and a map I'll need to learn for the new Caverns of Time instance.
Loads of people have suddenly found themselves with a beta invite, but I haven't but given my main aim was to try out some of the new talents and spells I'm going to have a go a getting onto the PTR for the patch which will include all that stuff. The client is downloaded and I'm just waiting for the copy queue to clear up so I can get Crash and Med across and have a play. If all goes to plan I'll put some stuff up about new talent spec's I've tried and how things work out.
The whole collection has been augmented with Don Carlos' famous hat for the added bonus of appearing to have a tame shaman in tow. Killing the man himself was a lot of fun as we took Crash, our MT feral druid and a shadow priest to help with healing. Providing we didn't do anything daft like swipe a patrol or miss a need to taunt him off the priest he died fairly smoothly and provided the entire team with the aforementioned stylish headpiece.
After that the bear and I went to pay Baron Rivendare a visit which was a bit of a laugh. The only major problem we faced was when killing Baroness Anastari. Not fully understanding the mind control aspect of the fight I duely got posessed had all the useful abilities (Evasion, Adrenaline Rush) used and I took down the druid before he could damage me enough to release the posession. Other than that we had a clean run through and even managed to kill him before the hostage got sacrificed. Sadly the mount didn't drop but it was a trip which allowed for some lore based exploration and a map I'll need to learn for the new Caverns of Time instance.
Loads of people have suddenly found themselves with a beta invite, but I haven't but given my main aim was to try out some of the new talents and spells I'm going to have a go a getting onto the PTR for the patch which will include all that stuff. The client is downloaded and I'm just waiting for the copy queue to clear up so I can get Crash and Med across and have a play. If all goes to plan I'll put some stuff up about new talent spec's I've tried and how things work out.
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
Now is the pre-expansion lull of our discontent
Unless you've been very cunning with what you've been reading on the interwebs you'll be aware that there's an expansion on the way, and before that a hefty content patch with some of the new stuff.
Will all this exciting stuff in the offing there are a couple of view points which are surfacing and being discussed.
The first is expansionitis which means people cut back on their playing because anything you might be able to gain in game now will soon be replaced by quest and dungeon rewards from the frozen north.
The second is what I shall call preparationitis, where people are trying to get everything they might need for the progression through the new levels, professions, dungeons. This can include but is not limited to crafting materials, armor/weapons and of course gold.
Either of these can suddenly make the game seem like a chore as you wait patiently for the new exciting stuff just peeking it's head above the horizon. So my advice is don't let it; if you've lost interest in raiding, why not go back and do some old quests around the place, check out Tranquillen if you've not rolled a Blood Elf, go kill Hogger (I might do this as I've only played Horde). If you're sick of all the dailies or flying around mining, herbing or skinning stuff, go look for fun stuff to pick up from in game. There's loads of things that are in the game for fun whether it's a non-combat pet or random trinket which should be very easy for a level 70 character to go and collect.
If you've still done all this and looking for something then why not roll an alt, not for any particular purpose, they don't need to hit 70, they don't need to be geared for whichever raid you're currently running, they can just be there for a laugh and something new to learn. If you're doing any kind of raid leading or boss tactics, nothing gives you a better insight into how a class works than to have played it, at least out of the starter zone and a spending a few talent points.
Personally I've got a troll hunter who's running through the Arugal quest line and searching for Mankirk's wife again. Come the expansion he'll probably be forgotten whilst Crash and Med and a yet to be named Death Knight head towards 80 but it's a bit of a laugh running through the old content and quite frankly ridiculously easy with my ickle cat keeping everything at bay.
So what are you doing in the pre-expansion lull, or are you not feeling any problems and WotLK can arrive when it arrives?
Will all this exciting stuff in the offing there are a couple of view points which are surfacing and being discussed.
The first is expansionitis which means people cut back on their playing because anything you might be able to gain in game now will soon be replaced by quest and dungeon rewards from the frozen north.
The second is what I shall call preparationitis, where people are trying to get everything they might need for the progression through the new levels, professions, dungeons. This can include but is not limited to crafting materials, armor/weapons and of course gold.
Either of these can suddenly make the game seem like a chore as you wait patiently for the new exciting stuff just peeking it's head above the horizon. So my advice is don't let it; if you've lost interest in raiding, why not go back and do some old quests around the place, check out Tranquillen if you've not rolled a Blood Elf, go kill Hogger (I might do this as I've only played Horde). If you're sick of all the dailies or flying around mining, herbing or skinning stuff, go look for fun stuff to pick up from in game. There's loads of things that are in the game for fun whether it's a non-combat pet or random trinket which should be very easy for a level 70 character to go and collect.
If you've still done all this and looking for something then why not roll an alt, not for any particular purpose, they don't need to hit 70, they don't need to be geared for whichever raid you're currently running, they can just be there for a laugh and something new to learn. If you're doing any kind of raid leading or boss tactics, nothing gives you a better insight into how a class works than to have played it, at least out of the starter zone and a spending a few talent points.
Personally I've got a troll hunter who's running through the Arugal quest line and searching for Mankirk's wife again. Come the expansion he'll probably be forgotten whilst Crash and Med and a yet to be named Death Knight head towards 80 but it's a bit of a laugh running through the old content and quite frankly ridiculously easy with my ickle cat keeping everything at bay.
So what are you doing in the pre-expansion lull, or are you not feeling any problems and WotLK can arrive when it arrives?
Saturday, 30 August 2008
Now where'd I leave my daggers?
A few weeks back I posted my thoughts on what would be a good rogue build once Crash reached level 80. Now in hindsight I should have listened to BBB's advice and not got quite so giddy about the new information, but I fear I might be about to do the same again.
Latest posts on the beta forum has shown some really interesting news and changes which may have suddenly made me decide on who gets levelled first. I'm not going to go into a huge amount of detail but the changes to mutilate just make me smile all over.
The removal of the positional element will make a massive difference to game play and style. Whilst 99.9% of the time the phrase rogues do it from behind is apt, there are times when it's not possible to be behind the target due to game mechanics. Think of the Romulo fight where he has a backward stab, Aran where he's spinning like a top channeling arcane missles at the ranged and Nightbane where you need to stay away from the tail.
I always enjoyed my mutilate build, it was a lot more technical to play, and it looks like the new talents are only going to complement that style of play. Having had Malchazeen in my bags for ages it might well be time to break it out for some fun (though I probably should get the S2 offhand again).
Once the patch hits the live servers I'll have a play and post what I come up with right here.
I have seen the comment asking for information regarding AP vs crit for feral druids and I'm working on it, but it's turning into a chunky theory crafting post so will take some time to put together, stay tuned.
Latest posts on the beta forum has shown some really interesting news and changes which may have suddenly made me decide on who gets levelled first. I'm not going to go into a huge amount of detail but the changes to mutilate just make me smile all over.
The removal of the positional element will make a massive difference to game play and style. Whilst 99.9% of the time the phrase rogues do it from behind is apt, there are times when it's not possible to be behind the target due to game mechanics. Think of the Romulo fight where he has a backward stab, Aran where he's spinning like a top channeling arcane missles at the ranged and Nightbane where you need to stay away from the tail.
I always enjoyed my mutilate build, it was a lot more technical to play, and it looks like the new talents are only going to complement that style of play. Having had Malchazeen in my bags for ages it might well be time to break it out for some fun (though I probably should get the S2 offhand again).
Once the patch hits the live servers I'll have a play and post what I come up with right here.
I have seen the comment asking for information regarding AP vs crit for feral druids and I'm working on it, but it's turning into a chunky theory crafting post so will take some time to put together, stay tuned.
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Who doesn't love vanity pets
I've not taken advantage of all the changes that the last patch introduced, but the new vanity pet introduced from Shatari Skyguard available at exalted was something that I had to pick up.
Non-combat pets are a part of the game that I really like and something I look out for when questing around the place. My guildies are often jealous of the Sinister Squashling I managed to pick up during the last All Hallows event and running around during Orphan's Week allowed me to pick up Egbert who's manic running around can be a bit of a cause for concern when in raids.
Whilst all these pets are great they do take up extra bag slots which can cause problems especially if you need to keep hold of crafting mats, raid consumables and the like so it's good news from the expansion where pets and mounts will be a new type of spell that you learn from the original item and then can use it at any time. Will also mean that there's a chance I might use a different mount rather than the two I carry around.
Finally, if you haven't seen the current spat between BBB and BRK I hereby encourage all rogues out there to join with our druid buddies in standing up against bloggers claiming parts of the blogosphere for themselves.
Non-combat pets are a part of the game that I really like and something I look out for when questing around the place. My guildies are often jealous of the Sinister Squashling I managed to pick up during the last All Hallows event and running around during Orphan's Week allowed me to pick up Egbert who's manic running around can be a bit of a cause for concern when in raids.
Whilst all these pets are great they do take up extra bag slots which can cause problems especially if you need to keep hold of crafting mats, raid consumables and the like so it's good news from the expansion where pets and mounts will be a new type of spell that you learn from the original item and then can use it at any time. Will also mean that there's a chance I might use a different mount rather than the two I carry around.
Finally, if you haven't seen the current spat between BBB and BRK I hereby encourage all rogues out there to join with our druid buddies in standing up against bloggers claiming parts of the blogosphere for themselves.
Monday, 21 July 2008
Rogue changes from WotLK beta
Well the Alpha has closed and people have been sent beta keys and as of writing this, I haven't received mine. However the patch notes for the beta have been published all over t'internet so let's have a look at the Rogue changes.
The change to Vile Poisons should really read Envenom which ties in with the talent found in the talent tree found at wowhead, and is appears to be the big change for PvE and a key part of the build I reckon will be used once Crash hit's level 80. Other than that the rest of the talent changes have more of a PvP feel to them.
The really big changes appear to be the lack of reagent for Vanish and no need to carry Thieves Tools around to open lock boxes, doors and disarm traps. Now in my levelling up to 70 I have used disarm trap once in Blood Furnace but lock boxes and doors have been a staple part of my roguery and having a set of tools to do this seemed appropriate. The extra bag slot will come in handy but it will be slightly sad to have to get rid of something I was given whilst questing in Ghostlands all those levels ago. Having flash powder was never a problem when using the Hemlock addon which automated the purchasing of said reagent every time I visited a poison vendor.
Having seen some of the big changes that other classes have coming for them in the patch notes, we can only hope that there are some more exciting PvE related changes coming for us sneaky poisoners.
- Blade Twisting (Combat) now cause all damaging melee attacks to have a 10% chance to daze for 4/8 seconds.
- Deadened Nerves (Assassination) now reduces all damage taken by 1/2/3/4/5%.
- Fleet Footed (Assassination) now reduces duration of movement impairing effects by 25/50% rather than increasing resist chance.
- Gouge is now only 1 rank and causes damage based on attack power.
- Kick is now only 1 rank and no longer causes damage.
- Nerves of Steel (Combat) now reduces the duration of all Stun and Fear effects by 15/30%.
- Pick Lock and Disarm Trap no longer require Thieve's Tools.
- Premeditation (Subtlety) duration increased to 20 seconds.
- Riposte (Combat) now slows the target's melee attacks by 20% instead of disarming them.
- Setup (Subtlety) chance to gain a combo point increased to 33/66/100%.
- Vanish no longer requires the reagent Flash Powder.
- Vile Poisons (Assassination) reduced to 3 ranks, now increases damage of poisons and Eviscerate by 7/14/20% and increases dispel resistance by 10/20/30%.
The change to Vile Poisons should really read Envenom which ties in with the talent found in the talent tree found at wowhead, and is appears to be the big change for PvE and a key part of the build I reckon will be used once Crash hit's level 80. Other than that the rest of the talent changes have more of a PvP feel to them.
The really big changes appear to be the lack of reagent for Vanish and no need to carry Thieves Tools around to open lock boxes, doors and disarm traps. Now in my levelling up to 70 I have used disarm trap once in Blood Furnace but lock boxes and doors have been a staple part of my roguery and having a set of tools to do this seemed appropriate. The extra bag slot will come in handy but it will be slightly sad to have to get rid of something I was given whilst questing in Ghostlands all those levels ago. Having flash powder was never a problem when using the Hemlock addon which automated the purchasing of said reagent every time I visited a poison vendor.
Having seen some of the big changes that other classes have coming for them in the patch notes, we can only hope that there are some more exciting PvE related changes coming for us sneaky poisoners.
Thursday, 17 July 2008
Farewell anesthetic poison, we barely brewed you
When Burning Crusade was released the new rogue poison we got to play with was 'Anesthetic Poison' which had the unique property of doing damage without generating any additional threat.
The theory crafters out there soon realized that the reduced damage that this poison did compared to Instant Poison wasn't worth the lack of extra threat a rogue generated on the mob. This means that you'll generally find rogues running with Deadly Poison on the offhand weapon and (if they don't have a tame enhancement shaman) Instant on the mainhand.
It would appear that the devs at Blizzard have noticed that no-one is using it in anger and have left it out of the new Assassination talent 'Deadly Brew'. With two points in this talent, successful poison attacks have a 100% chance to apply a 2nd poison in the following way
Instant -> Deadly
Wound -> Crippling
Mind Numbing -> Crippling
Notice anything missing, yep it's the black sheep of the poison world, anesthetic. Now the simple explanation is that this talent is from an alpha build and the final version of the talent will map anesthetic to deadly, in the same way crippling is applied based on the other two. Alternatively anesthetic poison was an experiment which hasn't appeared to work and is being dropped in favour of the existing five from the original game.
Personally I think this is a shame, and it would be nice to have some variety of poisons which could be used depending on the encounter. For 95% of the encounters I've played in game Deadly and Instant have seen me well. The only exceptions I can quickly think of are:
High King Maulgar: Mind Numbing for taking down the priest (slows the heals to allow better interrupt chance) but switching as soon as he's down, or soon after.
Terestian Illhoof: Wound poison, a full stack reduces the amount he heals himself from the sacrifice of a raid member.
Previous discussions have touted the idea of a corrosive poison which reduces a target's armor. However I don't think that this is likely when we already have an Expose Armor finishing move, and it would have to stack with warrior sunders else the tank is going to be disallowing it during the raid.
So with the present information at hand it seems correct to speculate that we'll just be getting new ranks of the existing poisons and the only major change is making them stack with Windfury.
The theory crafters out there soon realized that the reduced damage that this poison did compared to Instant Poison wasn't worth the lack of extra threat a rogue generated on the mob. This means that you'll generally find rogues running with Deadly Poison on the offhand weapon and (if they don't have a tame enhancement shaman) Instant on the mainhand.
It would appear that the devs at Blizzard have noticed that no-one is using it in anger and have left it out of the new Assassination talent 'Deadly Brew'. With two points in this talent, successful poison attacks have a 100% chance to apply a 2nd poison in the following way
Instant -> Deadly
Wound -> Crippling
Mind Numbing -> Crippling
Notice anything missing, yep it's the black sheep of the poison world, anesthetic. Now the simple explanation is that this talent is from an alpha build and the final version of the talent will map anesthetic to deadly, in the same way crippling is applied based on the other two. Alternatively anesthetic poison was an experiment which hasn't appeared to work and is being dropped in favour of the existing five from the original game.
Personally I think this is a shame, and it would be nice to have some variety of poisons which could be used depending on the encounter. For 95% of the encounters I've played in game Deadly and Instant have seen me well. The only exceptions I can quickly think of are:
High King Maulgar: Mind Numbing for taking down the priest (slows the heals to allow better interrupt chance) but switching as soon as he's down, or soon after.
Terestian Illhoof: Wound poison, a full stack reduces the amount he heals himself from the sacrifice of a raid member.
Previous discussions have touted the idea of a corrosive poison which reduces a target's armor. However I don't think that this is likely when we already have an Expose Armor finishing move, and it would have to stack with warrior sunders else the tank is going to be disallowing it during the raid.
So with the present information at hand it seems correct to speculate that we'll just be getting new ranks of the existing poisons and the only major change is making them stack with Windfury.
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
Expansion Rogue Build
After playing the beta at WWI, those lovely people over at wowhead.com have put the current talent trees online that were available, sorry paladins and hunters.
I've had a look around the rogue talents and put together what I think will be my new raiding build once Crash hits level 80 and here it is.
I've gone back to a heavy assassination build (mainly because that's what a rogue should be about) but doesn't place a restriction on the type of weapons being used like the mutilate build does. The aim is that the extra poison talents will make up the damage, and deadly brew means that getting a stack of deadly poison on the target shouldn't be an issue. Also the quicker they can be reapplied the better as Envenom is going to become the alternative finishing move as it will refresh slice and dice. This also means that Instant Poison is likely to be on both weapons rather than just on the main hand as it is now.
Rupture is still going to be a key feature especially as the Blood Spatter talent has increased it's damage output and for all the good reasons it's used today whilst in a raiding group.
The 51-pt talent seems to be the most relevant to PvE as it stands so far, a cut down Cloak of Shadows that also increases damage output and is free if it actually clears something. Given that one of the raid instances is against the blue dragon flight there's likely to be a lot of magic damage flying around and if they keep mechanics like Moroes' garotte in fights then this'll be a good way to help the healers whilst taking down the boss quicker.
Having put 51pts into assassination, the final 20 have gone into combat mainly to get precision and dual-wield specialization as the hit cap for rogues is likely to be just as crazy high at level 80 as it is at level 70.
So now we have these new talents and some new ways of doing damage let's look at what the rotation (such as there can be one) might be.
Opening with garrote will be favourite due to the 20% improved damage and then using that combo point with eviscerate or envenom if poisons have been applied to get S'n'D up and running. Once this has happened it will be a case of alternating Rupture and Envenom to keep the bleed effect running, S'n'D up and Find Weakness. This will be a bit more challenging than what's going on with the current combat swords spec but does add some intricacies that mutilate had.
The final disclaimer for this build is that it may change as all the talents do given that these are beta talent trees and may well be balanced between now and the actual expansion being released, but if it turns out to be the max dps build for all those rogues defeating Arthas, remember where you saw it first :)
I've had a look around the rogue talents and put together what I think will be my new raiding build once Crash hits level 80 and here it is.
I've gone back to a heavy assassination build (mainly because that's what a rogue should be about) but doesn't place a restriction on the type of weapons being used like the mutilate build does. The aim is that the extra poison talents will make up the damage, and deadly brew means that getting a stack of deadly poison on the target shouldn't be an issue. Also the quicker they can be reapplied the better as Envenom is going to become the alternative finishing move as it will refresh slice and dice. This also means that Instant Poison is likely to be on both weapons rather than just on the main hand as it is now.
Rupture is still going to be a key feature especially as the Blood Spatter talent has increased it's damage output and for all the good reasons it's used today whilst in a raiding group.
The 51-pt talent seems to be the most relevant to PvE as it stands so far, a cut down Cloak of Shadows that also increases damage output and is free if it actually clears something. Given that one of the raid instances is against the blue dragon flight there's likely to be a lot of magic damage flying around and if they keep mechanics like Moroes' garotte in fights then this'll be a good way to help the healers whilst taking down the boss quicker.
Having put 51pts into assassination, the final 20 have gone into combat mainly to get precision and dual-wield specialization as the hit cap for rogues is likely to be just as crazy high at level 80 as it is at level 70.
So now we have these new talents and some new ways of doing damage let's look at what the rotation (such as there can be one) might be.
Opening with garrote will be favourite due to the 20% improved damage and then using that combo point with eviscerate or envenom if poisons have been applied to get S'n'D up and running. Once this has happened it will be a case of alternating Rupture and Envenom to keep the bleed effect running, S'n'D up and Find Weakness. This will be a bit more challenging than what's going on with the current combat swords spec but does add some intricacies that mutilate had.
The final disclaimer for this build is that it may change as all the talents do given that these are beta talent trees and may well be balanced between now and the actual expansion being released, but if it turns out to be the max dps build for all those rogues defeating Arthas, remember where you saw it first :)
Sunday, 29 June 2008
Expansion rogue changes
Hot on the heals of the druid changes announced at WWI here's my view on the announced rogue changes.
Sap anything with a brain and a skull, as it was phrased, is a great boon to rogue cc in an instance and should hopefully remove problems such as that faced in karazhan where priests and hunters have to keep adds under control. Obviously this means our raid leader will give me the most awkward mob to sap and distract will resist on half the group, but it's still going to be more interesting that just attacking mobs in sequence and watching threat.
Fan of Knives is described as rogue AoE and should provide a bit of variety when questing and instancing but I don't believe that it's going to be used more than once every so often, or to annoy the mages a bit more.
Windfury, so good I can mention it again. Making it a player buff rather than a weapon buff means that it'll stack with poisons or sharpening stones for extra damage potential. Also the combination of Strength of Earth and Grace of Air means we rogues won't be denied the totem because the feral druid needs the agility more.
It'd be nice to think there's going to be some more dagger love coming up as I find sword spec a bit dull even if it's the best damage output for raids. Mutilate required so much more to play well in terms of timings and combo point management that it feels wrong that rogues aren't able to use it especially when there are those very very shiny daggers available from end game raids.
Sap anything with a brain and a skull, as it was phrased, is a great boon to rogue cc in an instance and should hopefully remove problems such as that faced in karazhan where priests and hunters have to keep adds under control. Obviously this means our raid leader will give me the most awkward mob to sap and distract will resist on half the group, but it's still going to be more interesting that just attacking mobs in sequence and watching threat.
Fan of Knives is described as rogue AoE and should provide a bit of variety when questing and instancing but I don't believe that it's going to be used more than once every so often, or to annoy the mages a bit more.
Windfury, so good I can mention it again. Making it a player buff rather than a weapon buff means that it'll stack with poisons or sharpening stones for extra damage potential. Also the combination of Strength of Earth and Grace of Air means we rogues won't be denied the totem because the feral druid needs the agility more.
It'd be nice to think there's going to be some more dagger love coming up as I find sword spec a bit dull even if it's the best damage output for raids. Mutilate required so much more to play well in terms of timings and combo point management that it feels wrong that rogues aren't able to use it especially when there are those very very shiny daggers available from end game raids.
Saturday, 28 June 2008
Expansion druid changes
So the Worldwide Invitational is currently running and a QA with the development team has listed some interesting changes for the druid class.
First what isn't changing, Cyclone, having learnt this at 70 I've not actually used it whilst questing or in an instance. So the lack of changes aren't really affecting my game style but arena players might have something to say about it.
However a fantastic change is removing the outdoor requirement for Entangling Roots. Suddenly there's more crowd control available in instances. As a feral tank it's probably only going to be used as the start of a pull, much like Hibernate, but will keep a melee unit out the way and build some threat on it. A resto druid could keep something constantly rooted until it's time to kill it, but that would be something I'd avoid on my instance runs due to the healer having higher threat than me on a mob.
Secondly, Windfury!!, I love having this buff when playing Crash in an instance/raid and the fact that a feral druid in bear/cat form can use it could be just as cool. It would be interesting to see which is better for a druid tank, windfury or the extra agility totem which adds to dodge and attack power.
Finally 3 words; Dire...Cat...Form, a new model hopefully and a chance for Tauren druids to have a really cool looking model. We don't know what this form will mean but just the thought of it is enough to make me want the expansion now rather than later this year (or more likely early next year).
Edit: It's been pointed out to me that one of the other shaman changes was to combine Strength of Earth and Grace of Air on the same totem, so it might not be a case of choosing between agility and windfury but we can have both. /hug totems
First what isn't changing, Cyclone, having learnt this at 70 I've not actually used it whilst questing or in an instance. So the lack of changes aren't really affecting my game style but arena players might have something to say about it.
However a fantastic change is removing the outdoor requirement for Entangling Roots. Suddenly there's more crowd control available in instances. As a feral tank it's probably only going to be used as the start of a pull, much like Hibernate, but will keep a melee unit out the way and build some threat on it. A resto druid could keep something constantly rooted until it's time to kill it, but that would be something I'd avoid on my instance runs due to the healer having higher threat than me on a mob.
Secondly, Windfury!!, I love having this buff when playing Crash in an instance/raid and the fact that a feral druid in bear/cat form can use it could be just as cool. It would be interesting to see which is better for a druid tank, windfury or the extra agility totem which adds to dodge and attack power.
Finally 3 words; Dire...Cat...Form, a new model hopefully and a chance for Tauren druids to have a really cool looking model. We don't know what this form will mean but just the thought of it is enough to make me want the expansion now rather than later this year (or more likely early next year).
Edit: It's been pointed out to me that one of the other shaman changes was to combine Strength of Earth and Grace of Air on the same totem, so it might not be a case of choosing between agility and windfury but we can have both. /hug totems
Sunday, 22 June 2008
Shared Topic: Preparing for Wrath of the Lich King
This is a response to a Blog Azeroth shared topic.
The original plan once I knew the expansion was more than just vapourware was to level my new druid alt to 70 and get him geared to act as a tank. While the levelling is done there is still gear and practice to be done and it would be really nice to get him into Kara to at least try out against the early raid bosses, plus the possibilities of some extra shiny tanking gear. My primary professions are maxed on both characters and a couple of the secondary ones are there as well. A few mats will be horded to try and kick start with the new recipes and I'm hoping that the current plan where a lot of the good leather tanking gear is BoE.
The changes to raiding with a proper 10-man progression through all the raid instances looks to be a great change. Our guild only really has enough balance to run 10 man raids and having nearly cleared Karazhan and spotting just how tricky Zul'Aman can be (given that it's more T5 level content rather than direct progression) is making things tricky in terms of what to do. Having tried a couple of 25man raids I tend to find them too pressured and am less able to have fun and a laugh with people while playing a game. Having fun is quite a key thing, especially when I'm trying to explain tactics and ensure everyone is in the right place during a fight. Also getting to see some of the key lore items in the expansion (and possibly Arthas himself) really adds to the excitement.
Finally having levelled both characters almost exclusively by questing and having missed out on most of the instances on the way, it'll be good to get some instance runs in at the right level and as part of the aventuring in that zone.
Regardless of when the expansion comes out there's still plenty to do and with the inevitable class changes that will come along there'll still be plenty to talk about on this blog.
/salute
/vanish
The original plan once I knew the expansion was more than just vapourware was to level my new druid alt to 70 and get him geared to act as a tank. While the levelling is done there is still gear and practice to be done and it would be really nice to get him into Kara to at least try out against the early raid bosses, plus the possibilities of some extra shiny tanking gear. My primary professions are maxed on both characters and a couple of the secondary ones are there as well. A few mats will be horded to try and kick start with the new recipes and I'm hoping that the current plan where a lot of the good leather tanking gear is BoE.
The changes to raiding with a proper 10-man progression through all the raid instances looks to be a great change. Our guild only really has enough balance to run 10 man raids and having nearly cleared Karazhan and spotting just how tricky Zul'Aman can be (given that it's more T5 level content rather than direct progression) is making things tricky in terms of what to do. Having tried a couple of 25man raids I tend to find them too pressured and am less able to have fun and a laugh with people while playing a game. Having fun is quite a key thing, especially when I'm trying to explain tactics and ensure everyone is in the right place during a fight. Also getting to see some of the key lore items in the expansion (and possibly Arthas himself) really adds to the excitement.
Finally having levelled both characters almost exclusively by questing and having missed out on most of the instances on the way, it'll be good to get some instance runs in at the right level and as part of the aventuring in that zone.
Regardless of when the expansion comes out there's still plenty to do and with the inevitable class changes that will come along there'll still be plenty to talk about on this blog.
/salute
/vanish
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