Wow insider has exploded with news and commentary from the Blizzard Entertainment 2008 Worldwide Invitational, which took place this weekend in Paris. This is Blizzard's annual convention, where they talk about ideas and development for WoW (among other things...)
The big news for face melters is confirmation of shadow's new 51-point talent, dispersion, which reduces incoming damage by 90% and regenerates 6% health and mana per second over a period of time.
The intention of this spell is clearly to give shadow priests a little more survivability in pvp. If that's your bag, you're probably very excited. It may yet prove handy in pve too, but I need more information first. Can I cast while dispersed? Can I cast it while incapacitated? Does it remove debuffs? In short, is this our ice block?
Alex Ziebart's analysis of the three new talents is very astute. While the end talents for holy and discipline promise to strengthen priests in their chosen roles (healing or pvp), dispersion doesn't really fit with the shadow's primary purpose: damage. If I have to choose between this or divine spirit, which is going to boost my dps more?
Is Blizzard creating a second pvp tree for priests in shadow? Ziebart reports a question to the priest panel regarding end-game scaling of shadow priests in which the developers said shadow priests are just fine; they are to receive arena tools instead. When the forums were inviting class feedback, pvp viability was a big issue so I have no doubt this is good news for many shadow priests. But where does it leave end game raiders? With an incoming nerf to vampiric touch, will shadow priests be worth a raid slot in Northrend?
We're not going to get an answer to that question until well into beta, and even then things might change. So I'm not going to waste any more time on speculation. Plus, I really ought to be doing some work about now...
30 June 2008
27 June 2008
Fast targetting on Illhoof
OK, so tell me if I'm preeching to the choir here, but I had a revalation on Illhoof this week: a targetting macro.
You know the fight? At any one time, the dps needs to focus on three different targets. Firstly, Illhoof's pet Kil'rek. Once he's dead, you can focus fire on Illhoof himself. Kil'rek respawns repeatedly so you have to switch back and forth. Every so often, one of the party is shackled by demon chains and you have to drop everything to burn these down quick. Unless it's a mage that can ice block out of it. (Can rogues use cloak of shadows?)
Switching targets quickly is critical in this fight. But this is one time your trusty tab button just isn't going to cut it, because throughout the fight Illhoof summons imps. Dozens of imps. You'll probably have one dps on them full time, but even then they will spawn en mass until it's hard to even see Illhoof, let alone taget him. You need a macro.
I had a nice one that used modifiers, so you could hit it with shift to target Illhoof, ctrl for Kil'rek etc. I was pleased as punch and I published it in this entry. Then Larry Shatzer, Jr. posted an alternative in a comment, which you can read below, and I had to come back and update it. The following macro puts mine to shame and makes me wish I did more research for my posts. But aren't blogs fabulous? I now have the number one chariot of targeting macros, and here it is:
What this does is target what you need to kill. Every time. Mash it for the whole fight and you will always have the right target. I'm still in awe. Thank you Larry.
One other word of advice for shadow priests out there — bring lots of pots and use them liberally. With the constant change of focus and the need for burst damage, this is a very mana intensive fight. It's tricky knowing when to use your shadowfiend but on balance I'd say you won't have time to use it twice, so my advice is to pot early, pot often and save the fiend until Illhoof is at about 30%. I'll be writing more on the shadowfiend later, when I get my thoughts in order.
You know the fight? At any one time, the dps needs to focus on three different targets. Firstly, Illhoof's pet Kil'rek. Once he's dead, you can focus fire on Illhoof himself. Kil'rek respawns repeatedly so you have to switch back and forth. Every so often, one of the party is shackled by demon chains and you have to drop everything to burn these down quick. Unless it's a mage that can ice block out of it. (Can rogues use cloak of shadows?)
Switching targets quickly is critical in this fight. But this is one time your trusty tab button just isn't going to cut it, because throughout the fight Illhoof summons imps. Dozens of imps. You'll probably have one dps on them full time, but even then they will spawn en mass until it's hard to even see Illhoof, let alone taget him. You need a macro.
I had a nice one that used modifiers, so you could hit it with shift to target Illhoof, ctrl for Kil'rek etc. I was pleased as punch and I published it in this entry. Then Larry Shatzer, Jr. posted an alternative in a comment, which you can read below, and I had to come back and update it. The following macro puts mine to shame and makes me wish I did more research for my posts. But aren't blogs fabulous? I now have the number one chariot of targeting macros, and here it is:
/cleartarget
/target Demon Chains
/stopmacro [nodead, harm]
/target Kil'rek
/stopmacro [nodead, harm]
/target Terestian Illhoof
What this does is target what you need to kill. Every time. Mash it for the whole fight and you will always have the right target. I'm still in awe. Thank you Larry.
One other word of advice for shadow priests out there — bring lots of pots and use them liberally. With the constant change of focus and the need for burst damage, this is a very mana intensive fight. It's tricky knowing when to use your shadowfiend but on balance I'd say you won't have time to use it twice, so my advice is to pot early, pot often and save the fiend until Illhoof is at about 30%. I'll be writing more on the shadowfiend later, when I get my thoughts in order.
24 June 2008
Rage is not just for warriors
I want to buy some hearts of darkness. Yes, actually, I do know where they drop. That's why I'm spamming trade for them. What I don't know is why you bothered to whisper me to tell me. What are you, simple?
ARGH. CAN'T. CATCH. TORCH.
Me, imba!? How sweet of you to say, but don't be silly. No really, stop flattering me! I'm not that good really. I made most of these rags myself you know, and I've had a lot of help from guild mates with... what was that? No, I can't spare any gold I'm afraid... and I've only learnt to play this well after... no, no silver either but... wait, where are you going? I haven't told you about my blog!
Oh, you need a healer for heroic magister's terrace. How nice for you. Why are you telling me this? Am I supposed to infer from your illiterate statement that you expect me to fill the spot? Did you bother to ask me if I was free? Interested? Did you even ask if I was holy? Kindly take your pre-school grammar elsewhere, you moron.
I want a better weapon. I deserve a better weapon. AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PVP TO GET ONE.
Hey, fury warrior — what's the bouncing for? Do you get extra rage? Broken keyboard? No? Huh. Then do you think you could stand still a sec? Well there's a pat coming. A patrol. You know, baddies. Stand still or you'll pull the... FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP MOVING.
Phew, this running-back-after-a-wipe-thing is hard work isn't it? And it always seems further when you're a ghost. I know, really boring. Almost makes me wish I was a night elf haha. Poor, ugly night elves. So this time, I think we should try focusing all dps on the adds to start with and... Hello? Oh, I thought you might have disconnected. For some silly reason my UI didn't register when you released. Stoopid buggy addon, I keep meaning to... You're just sitting there aren't you?
ARGH. CAN'T. CATCH. TORCH.
Me, imba!? How sweet of you to say, but don't be silly. No really, stop flattering me! I'm not that good really. I made most of these rags myself you know, and I've had a lot of help from guild mates with... what was that? No, I can't spare any gold I'm afraid... and I've only learnt to play this well after... no, no silver either but... wait, where are you going? I haven't told you about my blog!
Oh, you need a healer for heroic magister's terrace. How nice for you. Why are you telling me this? Am I supposed to infer from your illiterate statement that you expect me to fill the spot? Did you bother to ask me if I was free? Interested? Did you even ask if I was holy? Kindly take your pre-school grammar elsewhere, you moron.
I want a better weapon. I deserve a better weapon. AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PVP TO GET ONE.
Hey, fury warrior — what's the bouncing for? Do you get extra rage? Broken keyboard? No? Huh. Then do you think you could stand still a sec? Well there's a pat coming. A patrol. You know, baddies. Stand still or you'll pull the... FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP MOVING.
Phew, this running-back-after-a-wipe-thing is hard work isn't it? And it always seems further when you're a ghost. I know, really boring. Almost makes me wish I was a night elf haha. Poor, ugly night elves. So this time, I think we should try focusing all dps on the adds to start with and... Hello? Oh, I thought you might have disconnected. For some silly reason my UI didn't register when you released. Stoopid buggy addon, I keep meaning to... You're just sitting there aren't you?
20 June 2008
My role play shame
My name is Merlot and I'm a role playing sympathiser.
The horror hit home while reading an article on wow insider about all the ways we inadvertently role play. To be honest, I've always been a bit suspicious of hardcore role play, as if it indicated something more sinister than a player's preference for a fantasy life. I thought role players had to have beards and live with their mum, and I thought they all had to invent stories about being orphaned by troggs or a mining accident.
I kinda liked killing things: that was as far as my thinking went. I certainly never set out to invent a back story or create any kind of personality for Merlot.
Then I got out my mana wyrmling (Impulse) and gave him a pet.
Maybe it's a side effect of long-term game play, or maybe it's a by-product of hitting 70, but I really have been role playing without knowing it.
Getting to the cap was the first time I took a proper look at my surroundings and started to appreciate the design of the game, the epic storylines, and all the politics and machinations that bubble beneath the surface. I was able to break out of the mindset that sees you blindly mowing down an extra five mobs for that last elusive drop, or else keeps you ploughing through the local fauna way past your bedtime just to reach the next level that night. I've started to read quests — not just the bit at the top that tells you what to do, but the stuff below it that tells you why. (Although frankly, some of them are deeply cryptic and need a good edit.)
Sure, I still have to kill things for gold, for rep, for crafting mats, sometimes just for a distraction. But then I'll group up and run through a heroic, taking a haughty sniff of the undead and flirting with the other blood elves. There is a balance. It's a very different game from when I first stepped through the dark portal.
I've been so busy looking forward to Wrath and preparing for that long push to 80, that I didn't really think what I might loose along the way. This time, I'm going to try not to burn through content just to hit 80. I'm going to take time to read my quests, understand what I'm being asked to do and why, and maybe make a few moral decisions along the way.
I've come to realise that role play isn't just about pretending you're an orphan dwarf with a interest in guns and a hatred of troggs. It's simply another facet of the game, another level of enjoyment that we all experience, just like the wow insider article says.
So there will be no more poking of fun at role players, even if they do all have beards and live with their mum. There's a little bit of that orphan dwarf in all of us, don't you think?
The horror hit home while reading an article on wow insider about all the ways we inadvertently role play. To be honest, I've always been a bit suspicious of hardcore role play, as if it indicated something more sinister than a player's preference for a fantasy life. I thought role players had to have beards and live with their mum, and I thought they all had to invent stories about being orphaned by troggs or a mining accident.
I kinda liked killing things: that was as far as my thinking went. I certainly never set out to invent a back story or create any kind of personality for Merlot.
Then I got out my mana wyrmling (Impulse) and gave him a pet.
Maybe it's a side effect of long-term game play, or maybe it's a by-product of hitting 70, but I really have been role playing without knowing it.
Getting to the cap was the first time I took a proper look at my surroundings and started to appreciate the design of the game, the epic storylines, and all the politics and machinations that bubble beneath the surface. I was able to break out of the mindset that sees you blindly mowing down an extra five mobs for that last elusive drop, or else keeps you ploughing through the local fauna way past your bedtime just to reach the next level that night. I've started to read quests — not just the bit at the top that tells you what to do, but the stuff below it that tells you why. (Although frankly, some of them are deeply cryptic and need a good edit.)
Sure, I still have to kill things for gold, for rep, for crafting mats, sometimes just for a distraction. But then I'll group up and run through a heroic, taking a haughty sniff of the undead and flirting with the other blood elves. There is a balance. It's a very different game from when I first stepped through the dark portal.
I've been so busy looking forward to Wrath and preparing for that long push to 80, that I didn't really think what I might loose along the way. This time, I'm going to try not to burn through content just to hit 80. I'm going to take time to read my quests, understand what I'm being asked to do and why, and maybe make a few moral decisions along the way.
I've come to realise that role play isn't just about pretending you're an orphan dwarf with a interest in guns and a hatred of troggs. It's simply another facet of the game, another level of enjoyment that we all experience, just like the wow insider article says.
So there will be no more poking of fun at role players, even if they do all have beards and live with their mum. There's a little bit of that orphan dwarf in all of us, don't you think?
18 June 2008
Comic interlude
Am I the last person on earth to discover Dark Legacy Comics?
I laughed so much I nearly peed.
Some of my favourites here andhere.
I laughed so much I nearly peed.
Some of my favourites here andhere.
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