World of Warcraft

[Mack Kilimaro]

So, who's going insane trying to get all of the Lunar Festival elders and other assorted achievements for the holiday?

I guess I'm not really going "insane" so much as "sick of my epic ground mount in a way I never thought possible" - but that's probably because I went for every Kalimdor/EK elder last night, including the ones in the cities and the old world dungeons and did nothing else with my time. That was a lot of running... painfully slow running. Especially the one in Azshara. Oh, the torment!

Northrend will be today's project, and should not be as bad. Then, Northrend dungeons, which, for a mage, may be a bitch.

Wintergrasp is really starting to get fun on my realm. A few weeks ago, you would be lucky to see 25 to a side, unless one of the raiding guilds decided they were doing 25 man Arch afterwards. Last night, I logged in, got a tell from someone on my friend's list about WG and ported in just as the battle started and we had 35 people in our defense raid. Within 5 minutes that raid was full and there were 15 people in another. We had so many people that we could defend the fortress [i]and[/i] go south and trash all three towers down there, which cuts 10 minutes off the clock now. 20 minutes, 4 dailies done, approximately 60 gold. And it was fun because I was killing Alliance. Yeah!

[Kalbear]

[quote]Especially the one in Azshara. Oh, the torment![/quote]Fucking Azshara. I went the wrong way, thought he was in the water (hadn't been to where he is), went around and searched for 20 minutes looking for the damn guy.

Fuck you, Azshara.

[PhelanArcetus]

I haven't put serious effort in yet, but I will be. That's why I went and killed Omen last night; I want to get the achievement because it's the first title I've cared about for my warrior.

I'll probably start riding tomorrow, as there's Naxx tonight. And I'll probably make Azshara the last one so I can just hearth and use Dalaran to get back to EK.

Azshara should just sink into the sea already so we can not deal with it.

[Mack Kilimaro]

In terms of being the farthest away from a flight point, I'm not sure the Azshara one is the worst. That honor may go to Uldum in Tanaris. But all the other ones that are far out there at least feel like they are or could be "on the way" to something else. Still, the Azshara one sucks just because it's that zone, the most useless zone in the game.

What amazed me was how easy it was to get into the opposing capital cities to get the elders there. Didn't even get dismounted riding into Darnassus, and IF was clear once I got through the gate. Made it into the Tram with no resistance and then ran unmolested through to the SW Park for the last one. Here I was envisioning some grim scenario involving corpse-hopping and endless runbacks from the Eastvale Logging Camp graveyard. But no. Flawless victory.

[Greywolf2375]

[quote name='Mack Kilimaro' post='1666983' date='Jan 29 2009, 12.43']What amazed me was how easy it was to get into the opposing capital cities to get the elders there. Didn't even get dismounted riding into Darnassus, and IF was clear once I got through the gate. Made it into the Tram with no resistance and then ran unmolested through to the SW Park for the last one. Here I was envisioning some grim scenario involving corpse-hopping and endless runbacks from the Eastvale Logging Camp graveyard. But no. Flawless victory.[/quote]
Was the same for me going the other way - rode into Org on my chicken, got into Ragefire to complete that, went strolling up to the gate and got the elder. Thunder Bluff was about the same - except for the part when I turned myself around. Undercity doesn't even really count.

I guess they figured one pally doth not a threat make.

And agreed on Azshara...hated that place since I first set foot in it, only grudgingly went there when the invasion was happening. just a pain in the arse with no benefit from being there.

[TerraPrime]

Mandy:

Gearing for lock is like gearing for any DPS class - hit cap first. That means, in the beginning (77 to early 80), you value plus-chance-to-hit quite high. Say you have the choice of two gloves with the same stats, but one has +18 to hit, and the other has +10 haste, go with the hit. I've picked green pieces with +hit over blue pieces before, for that reason. I actually collect 2 sets of gears, one that maximize +hit, and one that maximizes spell dmg bonus. I toggle them using Outfitter. In heroic dungeons and raids, I wear the hit set. In all other cases, I where the power set. At higher level of gear, say Nax10 and beyond, the two sets begin to merge so now I only have 4 pieces that I have to switch between the sets.

Your ultimate goal is to hit 368 +hit on your own, with 3 points in Suppression if you are affliction or 3 points in Cataclysm if you're Destro.

After +hit, your next priority is raw spell power. Spell power is good. Remember though that 3.3 spirit = 1 spell power for warlock, so take that into consideration when you evaluate gear choice.

After spell power, then both intelligence and crit chance are good to have, followed by stamina and haste. Some might value haste over stam, or even over crit, but that depends on your build and play style. In the beginning, just focus on hit, spell dmg + spirit, and everything else will follow.

Also, check out [url="http://www.wow-loot.com/warlock.htm"]http://www.wow-loot.com/warlock.htm[/url] . It has a list of loot that warlocks can use in each zone and each dungeon. It doesn't rank them, but it's a good start.

As for damage output, 6 to 8% difference is not that big of a deal when you're not even 80 yet, imo. Also, you want to look at boss fight data, not overall data. That's more meaningful.

Spec and spell rotation I've already posted before in the previous threads. If you are confused about any of that, ask here and I will do my best to help. I cannot stress enough the need to go practice on a dummy. Affliction is a busy rotation because you have six dots running on different timers (haunt, unstable afflic, incinerate, curse of agony, corruption, siphon life) with 2 filler spells (shadow bolt and drain soul). I like it because it's challenging and fun. But it absolutely takes practice to get better at it. Miss-timed dots or dots that don't get renewed can make a big difference in damage output. For the Felguard/Emberstorm spec, you have 3 dots and 1 spell - a lot easier to manage.



Re: lyanna

I feel that I will need more crit on my gear to do well in the 0/41/30 spec. I also like the affliction play better. To me, it feels more like a warlock and less like a mage-who-can't-make-streudles. It also helps me recover from my pet addiction. :P But yeah, for equal gear level at my level the dps for the FG/EM is better in fights that don't kill the pet right off.

[Arataniello]

Re: locks.

I am in the same boat, levelling an afflock (AFLAC!!) alt in the low 70s at the moment. I am referring a lot to the thread on Elitist Jerks -

[url="http://elitistjerks.com/f80/t37900-dots_you_affliction_warlock_thread/"]http://elitistjerks.com/f80/t37900-dots_yo...warlock_thread/[/url]

as a guide. It has some good advice, some gear rankings (alas, really onyl for a lock that has access to raids and heroics) and some good posts about spell rotation.

[TerraPrime]

[quote name='Aratan' post='1667074' date='Jan 29 2009, 12.54']Re: locks.

I am in the same boat, levelling an afflock (AFLAC!!) alt in the low 70s at the moment. I am referring a lot to the thread on Elitist Jerks -

[url="http://elitistjerks.com/f80/t37900-dots_you_affliction_warlock_thread/"]http://elitistjerks.com/f80/t37900-dots_yo...warlock_thread/[/url]

as a guide. It has some good advice, some gear rankings (alas, really onyl for a lock that has access to raids and heroics) and some good posts about spell rotation.[/quote]

I have that thread marked to follow. :wideeyed:

I also discovered that for me, with practice on dummy, Curse of Element is better dps than Curse of Agony. I went from 1850 to 1980 on the dummy with that switch (average of 3 trials each). That's with 3 pts in Malediction, of course (you should take Malediction even if you're not using CoE anyway). I imagine that in real life, the benefit is even larger since any dps that uses magic damage will benefit from it.

[BlueRose]

I got my Elder title last night. Some of the boys in my guild had it in 2 days!

We ran Naxx last night even though I was very sick. Our only recruit /gquit some time in the afternoon, and we have no idea why cause he never ran anything with us after joining, and didnt say anything to anyone. But we wroked again with 2 others we'd like to recruit, so hopefully we'll get them this week. The 3 non guilded people took all the loot, because it was all mail an leather just like always. The tank trinket dropped but I didnt win. We have Sarth and KT left since we had a late start.

I'll show that lock thread to Larthen, he's an [s]afflictiion[/s] destro lock, and he's normally 3rd of so on the meters. EDIT oops he says he's destro, I should know these things.

Oh I also pugged 25 man vault and the leader annouced that if anyone did less damage than the OT (me), they couldnt roll on the loot. I thought that was a good rule!

[RaceBannon42]

[quote name='BlueRose' post='1667122' date='Jan 29 2009, 13.29']Oh I also pugged 25 man vault and the leader annouced that if anyone did less damage than the OT (me), they couldnt roll on the loot. I thought that was a good rule![/quote]

I hope he was only addressing the Dps or the healers should be pissed! :P

[BlueRose]

[quote name='RaceBannon42' post='1667137' date='Jan 29 2009, 11.42']I hope he was only addressing the Dps or the healers should be pissed! :P[/quote]
Haha good point, I assume he was. It was a bit of a messy run, but that's to be expected on a totally random pug that was several people's first 25 man anything.

[PhelanArcetus]

[quote name='Mack Kilimaro' post='1666983' date='Jan 29 2009, 12.43']In terms of being the farthest away from a flight point, I'm not sure the Azshara one is the worst. That honor may go to Uldum in Tanaris. But all the other ones that are far out there at least feel like they are or could be "on the way" to something else. Still, the Azshara one sucks just because it's that zone, the most useless zone in the game.

What amazed me was how easy it was to get into the opposing capital cities to get the elders there. Didn't even get dismounted riding into Darnassus, and IF was clear once I got through the gate. Made it into the Tram with no resistance and then ran unmolested through to the SW Park for the last one. Here I was envisioning some grim scenario involving corpse-hopping and endless runbacks from the Eastvale Logging Camp graveyard. But no. Flawless victory.[/quote]

Azshara is... horrible. I constantly get lost, I've spent well over 2 hours trying desperately to find a way back to the mainland from the water... I avoid the place like the plague.

As far as capitals, Darnassus is a pretty easy one to get into, I'm surprised Ironforge wasn't rougher with the number of guards around.

One gem I heard from the raids I wasn't part of last night:
"Tonight's answer is 5."
"The question is of course the usual: how many dps are below Makhno?"

There was also some fun of complaints about loot (apparently while the raid leader pays the 2-way respec cost for a prot pally to go holy, he also gives that paladin full access to both tank and healing gear as though they're both his primary spec). Also some massive failure on Patchwerk, even including 3 healers on the MT, and not having melee dps click off fort or take a slime bath or anything. So they just failed.

I, on the other hand, flew around Sholazar 3-shotting everything I saw.

[Arataniello]

[quote name='TerraPrime' post='1667094' date='Jan 29 2009, 15.11']I have that thread marked to follow. :wideeyed:

I also discovered that for me, with practice on dummy, Curse of Element is better dps than Curse of Agony. I went from 1850 to 1980 on the dummy with that switch (average of 3 trials each). That's with 3 pts in Malediction, of course (you should take Malediction even if you're not using CoE anyway). I imagine that in real life, the benefit is even larger since any dps that uses magic damage will benefit from it.[/quote]

ISTR reading that you should only use CoE if there is not a boomkin in the raid, since one of their buffs/debuffs does a better job that CoE. In those cases, locks should be casting CoAgony.

[Kalbear]

[quote]Also some massive failure on Patchwerk, even including 3 healers on the MT, and not having melee dps click off fort or take a slime bath or anything. So they just failed.[/quote]Okay, guys.

THIS DOES NOTHING.

This is not how Patch works. (har har). Here's the mechanics, in case you missed 'em the last time.

Patchwerk will target one of the top 3 threat characters in range of him. He will only target the one with aggro if there is no one else around. He will then pick the one of those two remaining who has the highest health and target them. He then hatefuls which adds a ton of threat to those three and selects again.

If there are three tanks who are all at the top of the threat list (or at least above all other melee), no other characters will ever be targeted. Ever. It doesn't matter if your melee has 60 billion health; if they aren't in the top three, they'll never, ever be targeted.

On 10-man, it's the top 2.

So don't dip in the slime or click off fort unless you have melee that can't pay attention to their threat or you have OTs that can't do a lot of threat. In which case you're still likely to die anyway, you'll just possibly die a bit later.

[Shryke]

[quote name='PhelanArcetus' post='1667166' date='Jan 29 2009, 15.06']Azshara is... horrible. I constantly get lost, I've spent well over 2 hours trying desperately to find a way back to the mainland from the water... I avoid the place like the plague.[/quote]

Azhara's real problem is those stupid fucking cliffs. There's only a few select spots to climb up them and if you fall in the wrong spot, even if you survive, your looking at a 10 minute run to get back where you were.

[Arataniello]

Azshara - who needs to go there?

- leatherworkers who have chosen that branch of LWing (why the idiot trainer is in the middle of BFN is anyone's guess)
- folk wanting to farm an azure whelpling.

errr - that's it.

The zone needs some love from the developers, much like Dustwallow got a while ago. Maybe throw in an instance or something (not that anyone would run it any more) in the mountains, or in the ruins in the bay in the far east of the zone.

[RaceBannon42]

[quote name='Kalbear' post='1667181' date='Jan 29 2009, 14.15']Okay, guys.

THIS DOES NOTHING.

This is not how Patch works. (har har). Here's the mechanics, in case you missed 'em the last time.

Patchwerk will target one of the top 3 threat characters in range of him. He will only target the one with aggro if there is no one else around. He will then pick the one of those two remaining who has the highest health and target them. He then hatefuls which adds a ton of threat to those three and selects again.

If there are three tanks who are all at the top of the threat list (or at least above all other melee), no other characters will ever be targeted. Ever. It doesn't matter if your melee has 60 billion health; if they aren't in the top three, they'll never, ever be targeted.

On 10-man, it's the top 2.

So don't dip in the slime or click off fort unless you have melee that can't pay attention to their threat or you have OTs that can't do a lot of threat. In which case you're still likely to die anyway, you'll just possibly die a bit later.[/quote]

Fuck Patchwerk. I waited at least 15 seconds before moving in. Then I dropped totems. Then I started my rotation... I still ate a hateful a minute or so in. But hey at least Razuvious didnt kill me again.

[Stego]

That's because I died.

Mostly because I was hurrying to get Naxx completed since we had lost out on the chance at Immortal. Healers need to be Brut-type ready for that fight.

[Kalbear]

[quote]Fuck Patchwerk. I waited at least 15 seconds before moving in. Then I dropped totems. Then I started my rotation... I still ate a hateful a minute or so in. But hey at least Razuvious didnt kill me again.[/quote]That'd be because we didn't have a third tank up who had threat. In retrospect we should've just had me switch to bear, moved all the melee out at that point and waited until I was at least third on melee threat. Oh well.

[quote]Mostly because I was hurrying to get Naxx completed since we had lost out on the chance at Immortal. Healers need to be Brut-type ready for that fight.[/quote]It would help a lot if we set up healing assignments first. I think we had three people on the MT and 4 on the two OTs, and even that was random - especially since it wasn't clear which of the two of you would be the one that took the first hatefuls. With me there it's a lot more stable since they're almost certain to be healing the hell out of me all of the time, but splitting it up is rough and leads to more reactive healing.

[Stego]

Absolutely agreed on all counts, Kal. Again, I was hurrying.