We worked hard to get up to that point and going basically even for the last week seemed pretty impressive too me. Honestly though I am a little tired of Arena right now.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Our High Score (Yes we should go pro LULZ!)
We worked hard to get up to that point and going basically even for the last week seemed pretty impressive too me. Honestly though I am a little tired of Arena right now.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Our Arena Strategy
I have been playing in the Arena tournament lately and have been enjoying it for the most part. Occasionally we get just stomped by some team but for the most part we give as good as we get and are hovering right around the 50/50 mark. Our team is comprised of a Unholy DK, Survival Hunter, Resto Druid. This works really well as a team for us because we have all played these characters on our main server to some degree although we are still leveling our DK and Druid, and our hunter usually plays BM so its a little different but we have the basics for the playstyle and helped our learning curve. This has been a pretty strong comp for us because we tried a Hunter, Mage, Priest team and we lost and lost badly. We gave up on it pretty quickly but it just seemed like I was out of my league on that one, arena on a priest is way different then regular BG pvp. So anyways we have a fairly straightforward setup where I will charge out ahead on my DK with the Hunter right behind me. The druid will be stealthed and calling out the opposing teams. What I try to do is identify the other teams healer and we will focus them down. If its a pally we focus them until they are forced to bubble then switch up to another player. If there are cloaked members of the other team I will pull back to where our druid is so that if a rogue or druid or both trys to focus our healer I can disrupt them as quick as possible. That's basically it. Keep people off my healer, kill their healer and then burn down the nearest dps. Our biggest troubles usually come from teams with warlocks, or Holy Pallies, chain fearing me around and bubbled healing can really wreck us if we can't make much of a dent and they take out someone on our team quickly.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
How to get good at WOW
I use alot of different resources to help me improve my performance in game and to help out my guild. Firstly I'd like to thank all the bloggers out there who have ever posted, not everything is going to be useful or important to me but theres always a chance and it can point me on the track to what I am looking for. OK I will just give a list and some info about what I use the site for.
WOW-Heroes
This is a site that will scan the armory and give you a rating, based on your gear score, as to where you are in the progression game. It works for any character above level 70. I use this site all the time to keep up on my gear and my guilds gear. Its helpful to know what your guildies have done so that when you are looking to fill out a group you know who you can ask to fill a need. It also has a quick link to Wowhead (more about them later) to help pint out where you can go for upgrades. Its important to note that the gear score component does not care if the gear you are using is for your spec or good for you at all. You could be specced as a Ret pally but be in all top end tanking gear and it is going to give you a great score because your gear is good, not because the gear is good for your spec, so don't let the gear score fool you into thinking your gear is amazing unless it goes to your spec.
Wowhead
This is basically a database of everything that is in WOW. It can tell you where every item in the game drops, where every NPC is, and where to go to do anything you are doing in the game. It has everything you could think of in the game stored there. But my favorite part is the comments section, because there are a ton of helpful people out there who have taken the time to give a more personal example of what and where and how about everything you find there. There is almost always something helpful in the comments section when your looking for that hard to find item or having trouble with some quest or boss fight. Also great tables where you can compare gear my multiple stats.
WOWWiki
This is a site with basically anything you ever wanted to know about WOW. It has lore, Quest info, Dungeon info, NPC info, and much much more. If its in WOW, its in WOWWiki. I primarily use their dungeon listings as my primary tracking utility for upgrades, because they display every drop off every boss with its complete stats on the same page as there description of the boss fights and strategies for those bosses. It has helped me clear almost every encounter I have ever had a problem with, because of the great strategies the contributers to the wiki have provided.
WOW Insider
This is basically a news site devoted to the goings on in WOW. They post many times a day on the various goings on in the WOW community, and have detailed posts about all classes. Now they are not always highly regarded by alot of bloggers and many of there posts have been contradicted by other sites and bloggers but I find it to be a great place to get started when looking for info into the game we all love so much. The comments section is not always the friendliest place but there are many people who are really good about posting helpful advice in there follow up comments. The people that post there are also usually willing to admit when they make a mistake which not everyone is so good at. I feel that everyone who rights for WOW Insider genuinely is trying to be helpful and I appreciate there efforts.
These are my primary resources when it comes to WOW. They keep me informed and help me enjoy WOW more than I ever could without them. There are many other sites out there that are useful as well. I will mention MMO-Champion and Elitest Jerks as two that have a huge store of info if you know what your looking for. Also if anybody else has any sites they can't live without please don't hesitate to let me know about them. I will post about the blogs I find the most helpful in another post.
WOW-Heroes
This is a site that will scan the armory and give you a rating, based on your gear score, as to where you are in the progression game. It works for any character above level 70. I use this site all the time to keep up on my gear and my guilds gear. Its helpful to know what your guildies have done so that when you are looking to fill out a group you know who you can ask to fill a need. It also has a quick link to Wowhead (more about them later) to help pint out where you can go for upgrades. Its important to note that the gear score component does not care if the gear you are using is for your spec or good for you at all. You could be specced as a Ret pally but be in all top end tanking gear and it is going to give you a great score because your gear is good, not because the gear is good for your spec, so don't let the gear score fool you into thinking your gear is amazing unless it goes to your spec.
Wowhead
This is basically a database of everything that is in WOW. It can tell you where every item in the game drops, where every NPC is, and where to go to do anything you are doing in the game. It has everything you could think of in the game stored there. But my favorite part is the comments section, because there are a ton of helpful people out there who have taken the time to give a more personal example of what and where and how about everything you find there. There is almost always something helpful in the comments section when your looking for that hard to find item or having trouble with some quest or boss fight. Also great tables where you can compare gear my multiple stats.
WOWWiki
This is a site with basically anything you ever wanted to know about WOW. It has lore, Quest info, Dungeon info, NPC info, and much much more. If its in WOW, its in WOWWiki. I primarily use their dungeon listings as my primary tracking utility for upgrades, because they display every drop off every boss with its complete stats on the same page as there description of the boss fights and strategies for those bosses. It has helped me clear almost every encounter I have ever had a problem with, because of the great strategies the contributers to the wiki have provided.
WOW Insider
This is basically a news site devoted to the goings on in WOW. They post many times a day on the various goings on in the WOW community, and have detailed posts about all classes. Now they are not always highly regarded by alot of bloggers and many of there posts have been contradicted by other sites and bloggers but I find it to be a great place to get started when looking for info into the game we all love so much. The comments section is not always the friendliest place but there are many people who are really good about posting helpful advice in there follow up comments. The people that post there are also usually willing to admit when they make a mistake which not everyone is so good at. I feel that everyone who rights for WOW Insider genuinely is trying to be helpful and I appreciate there efforts.
These are my primary resources when it comes to WOW. They keep me informed and help me enjoy WOW more than I ever could without them. There are many other sites out there that are useful as well. I will mention MMO-Champion and Elitest Jerks as two that have a huge store of info if you know what your looking for. Also if anybody else has any sites they can't live without please don't hesitate to let me know about them. I will post about the blogs I find the most helpful in another post.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Levl 60 warrior respec (Prot)
I have only recently been playing my warrior, an alt I had started long ago and that had languished in the 30's for a long time. When the changes to warriors came out for wrath I was pretty excited to try the new warrior tanking tree out because it seemed so fluid and alot of fun. I had been leveling a little here and there, had tried both arms and fury, I liked arms after the changes too with executes all the time and overpowers constantly and did try bladestorm out very quickly, very fun. Didn't really like fury to much but never tried Titans grip so I didn't really give it a full run. But the prot changes drew me in especially shockwave and warbringer, which arms is now getting but oh well. So when I got to 60 I almost immediately switched to prot, and wow, my survivability went way up and I really didn't notice a huge dropoff damagewise because it was just so much more fun, I had been aoe tanking with my paladin for so long that doing the same with the warrior became second nature. Anyways my friend has just got his warrior to 60 and he wanted to try tanking out so I am going to go over my setup for a level 60 warrior tanking spec.
0/0/51
Tier 1
I use 5/5 Shield Specialization and 3/3 Improved Thunderclap.
For leveling the shield block is good avoidance and the rage from blocking is a nice bonus. Thunder clap is going to be a priority when tanking more that one mob because of the slowing effect and increasing its damage is a great way to keep your multi-target threat going strong
Tier 2
I say 3/3 Incite and 5/5 Anticipation
Well Anticipation is easy 5% avoidance is 5% chance they can hit you and tanking they are always trying to hit you so that is all good. Incite becomes important when you start seeing how much you are using revenge and then when you mix that in with the Glyph of Revenge and Heroic strike not affecting your global cooldowns you will really appreciate this with the increased damage and threat.
Tier 3
I say 1/1 Last Stand, 2/2 Improved Revenge, 5/5 Toughness
Last stand can come in really handy in certain spots, say you have the boss down to 5% and you lose your healer last stand and a pot can sometimes get you through it. We've already stressed that revenge is important you'll be using it whenever it comes up so 20% more damage is a given and the stun procs all the time. Armor helps mitigate the damage so yes please to more armor.
Tier 5
I say 1/1 Concussion Blow, 2/2 Gag Order
Well I think concussion blow goes without saying. In my book any stun on the bad guys is a good stun and it does decent damage. I find gag order really helpful, casters really piss me off and that silence to shield bash is awesome keeps them in range for all the good stuff.
Tier 6
I say 5/5 One-handed Weapon Specialization
Your a tank you use a one-handed weapon and a shield and you deal physical damage, this is 10% more damage, enough said.
Tier 7
I say 2/2 Improved Defensive Stance, 1/1 Vigilance, 3/3 Focused Rage
Improved defensive stance is great less spell damage taken and a chance to deal more damage when you avoid damage is just perfect synergy, Vigilance is great for grouping, especially if you have some higher level friends pulling ag or your healer likes to frontload alot of heals on you, works great, I like focused rage for leveling Most of the time your going to be spending downtime doing stuff that keeps you from having a full rage bar so making your abilities cost less rage is a nice cushion.
Tier 8
I say 3/3 Vitality
Strength is Attack power and block value, Stamina is more health and Expertise keeps you from being parried or dodged. Do I need to say anything else.
Tier 9
I say 1/1 Warbringer, 1/1 Devastate, 3/3 Critical Block
Warbringer is just awesome charge is the signature warrior ability and being able to charge in combat is amazing, Devastate replaces sunder Armor as your armor reduction talent and is great for building threat up but be careful not to use it to much because you will get much more from a heroic strike with that rage, but don't let your sunder fall off, its a delicate balancing act. I like Critical block alot, shield slam is probably my most damaging ability so 15% more chance to crit on it alone is amazing, and who doesn't want more avoidance, doubling the amount you block can never be bad
Tier 10
I say 3/3 Sword and Board, 1/2 Damage Shield
I love Sword and Board, more crit to devastate yes please and NO RAGE COST REFRESHED COOLDOWN SHIELD SLAM yeah its that good, I just wish it would proc off of Heroic Strike too but you can't have everything. Learn to love shield slam, I like Damage shield it just makes so much sense they hit you they take damage and your block value should only get higher so fill this point out later but first...
Tier 11
I say 1/1 Shockwave
BAM everyone in front of you is stunned and took a ton of damage. Yep thats Shockwave, great for multiple targets, don't get frustrated by the fact its tricky to aim you'll get it, trust me.
Thats it from here on out there are some great talents in Arms to get like Deflection, Improved Charge and Deep Wounds that I would start heading towards after this but its a great place to start.
0/0/51
Tier 1
I use 5/5 Shield Specialization and 3/3 Improved Thunderclap.
For leveling the shield block is good avoidance and the rage from blocking is a nice bonus. Thunder clap is going to be a priority when tanking more that one mob because of the slowing effect and increasing its damage is a great way to keep your multi-target threat going strong
Tier 2
I say 3/3 Incite and 5/5 Anticipation
Well Anticipation is easy 5% avoidance is 5% chance they can hit you and tanking they are always trying to hit you so that is all good. Incite becomes important when you start seeing how much you are using revenge and then when you mix that in with the Glyph of Revenge and Heroic strike not affecting your global cooldowns you will really appreciate this with the increased damage and threat.
Tier 3
I say 1/1 Last Stand, 2/2 Improved Revenge, 5/5 Toughness
Last stand can come in really handy in certain spots, say you have the boss down to 5% and you lose your healer last stand and a pot can sometimes get you through it. We've already stressed that revenge is important you'll be using it whenever it comes up so 20% more damage is a given and the stun procs all the time. Armor helps mitigate the damage so yes please to more armor.
Tier 5
I say 1/1 Concussion Blow, 2/2 Gag Order
Well I think concussion blow goes without saying. In my book any stun on the bad guys is a good stun and it does decent damage. I find gag order really helpful, casters really piss me off and that silence to shield bash is awesome keeps them in range for all the good stuff.
Tier 6
I say 5/5 One-handed Weapon Specialization
Your a tank you use a one-handed weapon and a shield and you deal physical damage, this is 10% more damage, enough said.
Tier 7
I say 2/2 Improved Defensive Stance, 1/1 Vigilance, 3/3 Focused Rage
Improved defensive stance is great less spell damage taken and a chance to deal more damage when you avoid damage is just perfect synergy, Vigilance is great for grouping, especially if you have some higher level friends pulling ag or your healer likes to frontload alot of heals on you, works great, I like focused rage for leveling Most of the time your going to be spending downtime doing stuff that keeps you from having a full rage bar so making your abilities cost less rage is a nice cushion.
Tier 8
I say 3/3 Vitality
Strength is Attack power and block value, Stamina is more health and Expertise keeps you from being parried or dodged. Do I need to say anything else.
Tier 9
I say 1/1 Warbringer, 1/1 Devastate, 3/3 Critical Block
Warbringer is just awesome charge is the signature warrior ability and being able to charge in combat is amazing, Devastate replaces sunder Armor as your armor reduction talent and is great for building threat up but be careful not to use it to much because you will get much more from a heroic strike with that rage, but don't let your sunder fall off, its a delicate balancing act. I like Critical block alot, shield slam is probably my most damaging ability so 15% more chance to crit on it alone is amazing, and who doesn't want more avoidance, doubling the amount you block can never be bad
Tier 10
I say 3/3 Sword and Board, 1/2 Damage Shield
I love Sword and Board, more crit to devastate yes please and NO RAGE COST REFRESHED COOLDOWN SHIELD SLAM yeah its that good, I just wish it would proc off of Heroic Strike too but you can't have everything. Learn to love shield slam, I like Damage shield it just makes so much sense they hit you they take damage and your block value should only get higher so fill this point out later but first...
Tier 11
I say 1/1 Shockwave
BAM everyone in front of you is stunned and took a ton of damage. Yep thats Shockwave, great for multiple targets, don't get frustrated by the fact its tricky to aim you'll get it, trust me.
Thats it from here on out there are some great talents in Arms to get like Deflection, Improved Charge and Deep Wounds that I would start heading towards after this but its a great place to start.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Resto Shaman Upgrades for my friend
This is a post I'm making to help out my friend as he is making the shift to Resto shammy from elemental and we are looking for the best places to get him some gear. I am going to set it up mostly like my post I did earlier for my upgrades from Heroics
*Major Upgrade, **Minor Upgrade
Utgarde Keep 3;
Leather Headpiece*, Mail Chestpiece**, Ring
Utgarde Pinnacle 3;
Dagger*, Ring**, Mail Shoulders*
Nexus 3;
Mace*, Mail Pants**, Neck*,
Azjol Nerub 2;
Cloth Belt, Ring
Ahn'Kahet 5;
Mail Headpiece, Cloak**, Neck*, Mail Gloves*, Cloth Pants
Oculus 2;
Ring*, Staff
Drak'theron Keep 2;
Trinket, Bracers**
Violet Hold 5;
Ring*, Ring*, Mail Belt**, Neck, Mail Shoulder
Gun'Drak 3;
Mail Belt*, Cloak, Leather Belt
Halls Of Stone 6;
Cloth Shoulder**, Trinket, Trinket, Mail Gloves*,Leather Belt, Leather Shoulder
Halls Of Lightning 3;
Cloth Gloves, Trinket*, Mail Belt*
Culling Of Stratholme 3;
Mace, Mail gloves*, Ring*
This is by no means a comprehensive list for everyone, and I normally don't suggest any cloth for Resto shammies but, while gearing up if its an obvious upgrade don't ignore it. This is just to help my friend switch from elemental to resto.
*Major Upgrade, **Minor Upgrade
Utgarde Keep 3;
Leather Headpiece*, Mail Chestpiece**, Ring
Utgarde Pinnacle 3;
Dagger*, Ring**, Mail Shoulders*
Nexus 3;
Mace*, Mail Pants**, Neck*,
Azjol Nerub 2;
Cloth Belt, Ring
Ahn'Kahet 5;
Mail Headpiece, Cloak**, Neck*, Mail Gloves*, Cloth Pants
Oculus 2;
Ring*, Staff
Drak'theron Keep 2;
Trinket, Bracers**
Violet Hold 5;
Ring*, Ring*, Mail Belt**, Neck, Mail Shoulder
Gun'Drak 3;
Mail Belt*, Cloak, Leather Belt
Halls Of Stone 6;
Cloth Shoulder**, Trinket, Trinket, Mail Gloves*,Leather Belt, Leather Shoulder
Halls Of Lightning 3;
Cloth Gloves, Trinket*, Mail Belt*
Culling Of Stratholme 3;
Mace, Mail gloves*, Ring*
This is by no means a comprehensive list for everyone, and I normally don't suggest any cloth for Resto shammies but, while gearing up if its an obvious upgrade don't ignore it. This is just to help my friend switch from elemental to resto.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Back in the game
So, I got most of my stuff back, and am back to playing. Although with that interruption it took a toll on my plan to organize a VoA raid for this weekend. I am now going to try to get something going next weekend. I really want to get us moving forward into some raid content. Also I signed up for the arena tournament with 2 of my guildies, currently we are running a surv hunter/unholy DK/resto druid comp. We are thinking of switching to hunter/mage/priest. Well see hot it goes, mostly we just want the murloc pet but we are trying to give it a legitimate shot.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
I've been hacked
I don't know if any of you know what its like to suddenly have no gear but I found it pretty crappy(keepin it PG-rated for now). This sucks, I have not had a chance to log in and petition a gm for my gear yet so I am not sure what it is going to take or how long. I am now going to be camping out the blizzard store for an authenticator and have changed my email and password. I just never thought I would be the one to get hacked. I am usually pretty careful online and I have never bought gold or anything like that. Its just a complete shock. That's pretty much all I have to say about it right now
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Got my boomkin in a heroic
Yes, chow is now 80 and I got him a heroic Nexus with what I'll call the B team last night, well one A teamer, and our 2nd healer and tank and 2 new 80's including me. We struggled a little but we got it done. It was probably the longest heroic Nexus we've done but it was nice to be able to finish a heroic with those folks, a good experience because it doesn't always work out that way for the B team, which I have been known to have a character or 3 on most of the time. So now we have 11 people with 80's and I am going to try to schedule a VoA run probably next weekend this weekend is probably to short of notice for some people. Looking forward to wiping many times yet hopefully beating it. We could use the pick me up it would provide, to give us the motivation to push ahead into Naxx
Friday, March 6, 2009
New Post! About time you say
I know, just when I had started posting semi-regularly, I stop for a week. Well, sorry just didn't have anything to post about. I am doing little piddly things during the week, dailies and mining and a few quests on some of my alts. Nothing big to report, no big news coming from the PTR and not much to say. Hopefully I will have more to talk about in the upcoming weeks as I am planning on putting a VoA run on the calender in the next 2 weeks, which will be the first Wotlk raid for our guild. I have high hopes though and since VoA is fairly easy it should be a good intro for our guild and hopefully get them excited about getting into more raids.
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