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.
Sunday, 29 June 2008
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
Thrall saved by random PuG
So there I was, finishing up some quests in Terrorkar to try and ding honored with Sha'tar for the shoulders BBB recommended for entry Kara tanking when a random tanking whisper arrives.
While it didn't necessarily match my suggestions it was for an instance I wanted/needed to do; Old Hillsbrad in the Caverns of Time. The group consisted of two druids (one feral, one resto), two hunters and a warlock. I wouldn't say it was the smoothest run in the world and marking, cc and patrols tended to make things interesting. We however took out all the bosses without any major hassles, and there was only one death when we were taking out the waves of dragonkin before the final boss. Not sure why but it's likely that one got away from me and Thrall and wasn't trapped. Not a major problem, combat rez from the resto druid and he's back in the fight.
Annoyingly the nice tanking ring didn't drop but it was a smooth run and means that I'm all set up to do Black Morass once I've got all the key fragments for Kadger.
As a final plea, if you're going to put yourself into LFG for Old Hillsbrad please have done the walkaround quest, it can seriously wind up the rest of the group if we're having to wait whilst you get the guided tour.
While it didn't necessarily match my suggestions it was for an instance I wanted/needed to do; Old Hillsbrad in the Caverns of Time. The group consisted of two druids (one feral, one resto), two hunters and a warlock. I wouldn't say it was the smoothest run in the world and marking, cc and patrols tended to make things interesting. We however took out all the bosses without any major hassles, and there was only one death when we were taking out the waves of dragonkin before the final boss. Not sure why but it's likely that one got away from me and Thrall and wasn't trapped. Not a major problem, combat rez from the resto druid and he's back in the fight.
Annoyingly the nice tanking ring didn't drop but it was a smooth run and means that I'm all set up to do Black Morass once I've got all the key fragments for Kadger.
As a final plea, if you're going to put yourself into LFG for Old Hillsbrad please have done the walkaround quest, it can seriously wind up the rest of the group if we're having to wait whilst you get the guided tour.
Thursday, 26 June 2008
The Sound of Drums
Labels:
instances,
leatherworking,
raiding
One of the nice things about being a leatherworker are the rather nifty raid consumables that you can produce in the shape of drums. There are four recipes which can all be bought from vendors either at the right rep or from the leatherworker trainer.
Drums of Battle - Simply the best drum there is, haste rating and spell haste rating for your group for a whopping 30secs. I use this on Crash whenever heavy burst damage is required or on fights like Aran where threat isn't an issue. Pick this recipe up from the Sha'tar once you've ground your way to honored.
Drums of Panic - Pretend you're a warlock/spriest and have your enemies running around in fear. Ideal for battlegrounds if you need a few seconds with people off your back or just getting that warlock in trouble in a raid. Available at honored rep with Keepers of Time and a great recipe for getting those last skill points up to 375.
Drums of Restoration - A group wide potion effect for mana and health which doesn't share a cooldown with any of the other goodies such as potions or health stones. Available at honoured reputation from your faction representative in Nagrand.
Drums of Speed - Sprint in musical form, again this is a nice PvP buff esp if you've been brave enough to venture into WSG. Again you can pick this up from your faction rep in Nagrand once you're honored.
Drums of War - The first recipe you'll pick up from the leatherworker trainer and provides a nice AP buff which stacks with any other buff you can get your hands on. Crash uses this in preference to the haste rating on the Prince fight, when melee haste on our tank might cause an extra parry or two which can lead to a bit of a mess.
A brief outline but hopefully enough to encourage everyone that can to make and carry these whilst instancing/raiding or running a battle ground.
Drums of Battle - Simply the best drum there is, haste rating and spell haste rating for your group for a whopping 30secs. I use this on Crash whenever heavy burst damage is required or on fights like Aran where threat isn't an issue. Pick this recipe up from the Sha'tar once you've ground your way to honored.
Drums of Panic - Pretend you're a warlock/spriest and have your enemies running around in fear. Ideal for battlegrounds if you need a few seconds with people off your back or just getting that warlock in trouble in a raid. Available at honored rep with Keepers of Time and a great recipe for getting those last skill points up to 375.
Drums of Restoration - A group wide potion effect for mana and health which doesn't share a cooldown with any of the other goodies such as potions or health stones. Available at honoured reputation from your faction representative in Nagrand.
Drums of Speed - Sprint in musical form, again this is a nice PvP buff esp if you've been brave enough to venture into WSG. Again you can pick this up from your faction rep in Nagrand once you're honored.
Drums of War - The first recipe you'll pick up from the leatherworker trainer and provides a nice AP buff which stacks with any other buff you can get your hands on. Crash uses this in preference to the haste rating on the Prince fight, when melee haste on our tank might cause an extra parry or two which can lead to a bit of a mess.
A brief outline but hopefully enough to encourage everyone that can to make and carry these whilst instancing/raiding or running a battle ground.
Monday, 23 June 2008
Purple is in fashion this season
Another evening, another group of brave adventurers and once again we are trying to stop the Twilight's Hammer from summoning Lord Ahune into the world and destroying it by having him fight Ragnaros.
This time was a bit more of a balanced group, feral druid, hunter, holy priest, warlock and enhancement shaman. This of course meant that I had to do the tanking which was a bit scary with the debuff that spawned elite puts on you, but having a fully equipped healer and suddenly finding myself with 16k health (Blood Pact, Fortitude and Mark of the Wild) and 21k armor was fairly useful.
Add killing was a breeze with the shaman going nuts whilst not having to worry about threat, and again playing the hybrid once meant I could go cat once the elite was down and attack the little spawns and the core once it was exposed.
This time we opened the spawned chest and lady luck smiled down on me, Icebound Cloak, no pet but a very nice tanking cloak that saves me 25badges once I get into heroics and Karazhan.
This time was a bit more of a balanced group, feral druid, hunter, holy priest, warlock and enhancement shaman. This of course meant that I had to do the tanking which was a bit scary with the debuff that spawned elite puts on you, but having a fully equipped healer and suddenly finding myself with 16k health (Blood Pact, Fortitude and Mark of the Wild) and 21k armor was fairly useful.
Add killing was a breeze with the shaman going nuts whilst not having to worry about threat, and again playing the hybrid once meant I could go cat once the elite was down and attack the little spawns and the core once it was exposed.
This time we opened the spawned chest and lady luck smiled down on me, Icebound Cloak, no pet but a very nice tanking cloak that saves me 25badges once I get into heroics and Karazhan.
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
Saturday, 21 June 2008
Playing a Hybrid
Labels:
boss fights,
druid
It's midsummer in Azeroth and the fire festival is in full swing along with a new summonable boss in Slave Pens. Trying it today for a chance on the epic tanking cloak which drops from him we had what was a less than optimum group (1 tankadin, 2 feral druids, 1 resto shaman, 1 BM hunter) but did manage it once, but required me to be switching around all over the place.
Most of the time I was running around in Cat form tanking down the tiny adds but given the length of the fight and the damage the group was taking our healer was finding mana a problem. The two innervates were in use and timed roughly the right amount of time apart, so that wasn't a problem shifting out, dropping the innervate and shifting back however when mine was on CD and one was still required the other druid was carefully tanking the spawned elite. ok shift to bear, taunt it off him and allow him to drop the innervate and shift back to cat once it's been taunted off me.
While we only managed the kill once, and the cloak didn't drop but it certainly opened my eyes to some of the extra difficulties to playing a class with multiple roles rather than just stabbing things with daggers/swords and trying not to steal aggro from the tank.
Most of the time I was running around in Cat form tanking down the tiny adds but given the length of the fight and the damage the group was taking our healer was finding mana a problem. The two innervates were in use and timed roughly the right amount of time apart, so that wasn't a problem shifting out, dropping the innervate and shifting back however when mine was on CD and one was still required the other druid was carefully tanking the spawned elite. ok shift to bear, taunt it off him and allow him to drop the innervate and shift back to cat once it's been taunted off me.
While we only managed the kill once, and the cloak didn't drop but it certainly opened my eyes to some of the extra difficulties to playing a class with multiple roles rather than just stabbing things with daggers/swords and trying not to steal aggro from the tank.
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