I think they should have set a time limit on their moves...
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Sometimes Things in WoW are Just Disturbing
I think they should have set a time limit on their moves...
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
I See the Light
After more than a few false starts, I finally found a PuG group that managed not to A) blow everyone off the platform or B) stand in Defile:
I'm really quite happy about that. It's not the easiest raid to PuG when there are so many abilities that will kill you - and the rest of your raid - no matter how much health you have.
Plus, it was the last Achievement I had in ICC... and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to solo or at least only need a small group to do most of the rest of the WotLK raid Achievements. Woot! :)
I'm really quite happy about that. It's not the easiest raid to PuG when there are so many abilities that will kill you - and the rest of your raid - no matter how much health you have.
Plus, it was the last Achievement I had in ICC... and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to solo or at least only need a small group to do most of the rest of the WotLK raid Achievements. Woot! :)
Thursday, February 21, 2013
A Change of Playstyle
I was extremely surprised to see that Wrathion's Legendary questline - picked up and thus far carried out completely in solo PvE and raids - suddenly veered into PvP territory.
The two quests you get in this current patch (if you've been keeping up with the legendary quest chain) are A Change of Command (kill an elite with a raid group), which I expected, and The Lion Roars, which I did not.
Having next to no PvP gear due to not PvPing regularly since probably WotLK, I was rather apprehensive going into my first Battleground, particularly since I had no idea what the rules were.
As it turned out, I needn't have worried:
It only took 1 round for me to get the idea - hold the orbs for as long as possible - and 1 more round to get a win (coming back from behind, no less!).
Sure, if I was targetted I went down faster than the global cooldown, but it definitely whetted my appetite to get back into something competitive.
I especially liked the arena-style Kotmogu battleground since it's a bit of a free-for-all and can't wait to try the other new one (Silvershard Mines). I've never quite liked BGs like Alterac Valley, where you can win or lose the entire map without having touched anyone from the opposite Faction.
Happily, I've been getting through the dailies slowly and only have 2 more to go - Cloud Serpents and August Celestials - meaning I'll soon have more time for all the things I've been missing, like PvP, soloing old content and starting on that minipet collection. :)
The two quests you get in this current patch (if you've been keeping up with the legendary quest chain) are A Change of Command (kill an elite with a raid group), which I expected, and The Lion Roars, which I did not.
Having next to no PvP gear due to not PvPing regularly since probably WotLK, I was rather apprehensive going into my first Battleground, particularly since I had no idea what the rules were.
As it turned out, I needn't have worried:
It only took 1 round for me to get the idea - hold the orbs for as long as possible - and 1 more round to get a win (coming back from behind, no less!).
Sure, if I was targetted I went down faster than the global cooldown, but it definitely whetted my appetite to get back into something competitive.
I especially liked the arena-style Kotmogu battleground since it's a bit of a free-for-all and can't wait to try the other new one (Silvershard Mines). I've never quite liked BGs like Alterac Valley, where you can win or lose the entire map without having touched anyone from the opposite Faction.
Happily, I've been getting through the dailies slowly and only have 2 more to go - Cloud Serpents and August Celestials - meaning I'll soon have more time for all the things I've been missing, like PvP, soloing old content and starting on that minipet collection. :)
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Cracking the Vault
My guild managed to scrape a raid together this week to down not only Stone Guard, but Feng as well, with the help of 2 PuGs.
And I do mean help, because not only did they endure numerous wipes and (embarrassingly) out-DPS most of our raid - by a fairly wide margin, I might add - but they also helped to lay out strats for Feng since we hadn't looked at him previously.
I was incredibly relieved that with my newly-acquired 4pc the PuG warlock with 6 blues didn't show me up (that wouldn't just have been embarrassing on a personal level... it'd be horrifying!), but it does highlight a bigger concern that as a guild we may not have enough oomph.
With the advent of LFR and the casual raider, I feel that a tendency to be lazy has arisen - stand in fire in LFR and you probably won't die; neither will you be punished for low DPS.
Maybe it's time we all went back to raid training camp to re-learn how2play - I've made a lot more mistakes myself this expansion than I ever did in previous ones!
And I do mean help, because not only did they endure numerous wipes and (embarrassingly) out-DPS most of our raid - by a fairly wide margin, I might add - but they also helped to lay out strats for Feng since we hadn't looked at him previously.
I was incredibly relieved that with my newly-acquired 4pc the PuG warlock with 6 blues didn't show me up (that wouldn't just have been embarrassing on a personal level... it'd be horrifying!), but it does highlight a bigger concern that as a guild we may not have enough oomph.
With the advent of LFR and the casual raider, I feel that a tendency to be lazy has arisen - stand in fire in LFR and you probably won't die; neither will you be punished for low DPS.
Maybe it's time we all went back to raid training camp to re-learn how2play - I've made a lot more mistakes myself this expansion than I ever did in previous ones!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
For Peace
After months of ranting to my guild about horrible loot luck in LFR, I've finally got my 4pc tier set.
It's rather timely considering we're starting to get the hang of the Stone Guard mechanics and really need more DPS to beat the enrage timer (I'm one of the highest-geared characters (if not the highest); the lowest DPS currently hits around 30k, so we need the boost).
Hopefully we'll get enough people to raid on Sunday so I can test my new gear out - it'd be nice if we could get a guild raid kill on the board before next patch!
It's rather timely considering we're starting to get the hang of the Stone Guard mechanics and really need more DPS to beat the enrage timer (I'm one of the highest-geared characters (if not the highest); the lowest DPS currently hits around 30k, so we need the boost).
Hopefully we'll get enough people to raid on Sunday so I can test my new gear out - it'd be nice if we could get a guild raid kill on the board before next patch!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Topsy-Turvy Land
***Spoiler Alert***
The more of the Shieldwall quest chain I do, the more bewildered I get with how a lot of things seem to have turned on their head.
Firstly, Jaina is acting like Varian; after the Horde razes Theramore and she realises someone in her own Kirin Tor has betrayed her Faction, she completely purges Dalaran of the Sunreavers - something that I-hate-all-Horde Varian would usually do.
Secondly, Varian is acting like Jaina; he berates her for evicting the Sunreavers because he wanted to lure them over to the Alliance - something that we-are-all-equal Jaina would usually do.
...not to mention the shock of meeting with Valeera in Dalaran and having her casually mention her late husband.
Rhonin gone? I'm a diplomat myself. Losing both Rhonin and Jaina as advocates of "world peace", as it were, is crushing. Having read Wolfheart, I've been tentatively on Varian's side for awhile now, but since he is still a fairly new character I haven't completely been taken by him.
I have to admit, I'm a little lost trying to find a character I can really follow in MoP, especially since Sylvanas has been fairly quiet (at least from an Alliance point of view). I don't know if I'll have to wait until next expansion when Alleria Windrunner shows up, but I hope not!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
The Slow Nerf
Well, the latest PTR patch notes are out and I have to say I'm not entirely surprised by one particular note that has generated a bit of discussion:
Raids, Dungeons and Scenarios
Unlike some, I actually don't mind Blizzard catering to casuals. In fact, I definitely enjoy the fact that I've seen every bit of the game, even though it's only at "easymode" level.
The one problem I do have is that by catering to casuals, it makes it easier for everyone to be lazy and just do the "easymode" level rather than joining a guild and raiding normal or heroic... which makes it harder for the more casual raiding guilds to recruit, fewer guilds that want to raid, fewer people willing to start PuG groups...
It's a vicious cycle, really. Blizzard's playerbase has changed; there are a lot less hardcore gamers and a lot more casual gamers, and I suppose it's actually better for them monetary-wise if there were more players that played less, rather than fewer players that play more, but I can certainly understand why a lot of hardcore raiders have quit over the years.
Fewer chances to be challenged, fewer opportunities for an adrenaline high... I'm starting to get complacent myself, meaning it's probably time to try and solo old content again!
Raids, Dungeons and Scenarios
- To encourage Raid Finder groups to persevere, each time an Raid Finder group wipes on a boss fight all players in the group receives a stacking buff that increases health, damage dealt, and healing done by 5% (up to a maximum of 10 stacks). This buff is cleared once the boss has been killed.
Unlike some, I actually don't mind Blizzard catering to casuals. In fact, I definitely enjoy the fact that I've seen every bit of the game, even though it's only at "easymode" level.
The one problem I do have is that by catering to casuals, it makes it easier for everyone to be lazy and just do the "easymode" level rather than joining a guild and raiding normal or heroic... which makes it harder for the more casual raiding guilds to recruit, fewer guilds that want to raid, fewer people willing to start PuG groups...
It's a vicious cycle, really. Blizzard's playerbase has changed; there are a lot less hardcore gamers and a lot more casual gamers, and I suppose it's actually better for them monetary-wise if there were more players that played less, rather than fewer players that play more, but I can certainly understand why a lot of hardcore raiders have quit over the years.
Fewer chances to be challenged, fewer opportunities for an adrenaline high... I'm starting to get complacent myself, meaning it's probably time to try and solo old content again!
Monday, January 28, 2013
Triumphant Return
...well, kind of.
Southern Wardens finally made the move into guild raids last night. Yes, an extremely late start, but better late than never!
Unfortunately our return was less triumphant than "LOL how we do this again?", but given that we were running with 2 heals instead of 3, were melee-heavy and one of our tanks was new to WoW in *this* expansion (inorite?), we felt pretty good just getting the Stone Guard down past 50% before calling it a night.
Not to mention, our raid leader confirmed to me what I had suspected from watching tanks in LFR: tanking is a lot more complicated now. Making a mistake as a tank is quite a bit more costly than it was before, which I don't particularly like. IMO the tanks and healers have enough on their plate to worry about - it'd be better for there to be more pressure on DPS!
Some of our DPS were also expressing opinions that it was a huge jump to actually pay attention going from LFR to normal mode and I suppose I agree, but personally I didn't find it too hard to convert at all.
Perhaps it is because I do tend to notice things going on around me (possibly a forced habit from not using addons that yell at me to get out of fire?), but the only ability I had to get the hang of were the chains... and since hunters can stand in melee range now, it was pretty easy to follow my partner. Plus, since I'm the most mobile person in the raid, I always had control over when to let the chains tick, meaning I could plan to use Exhilaration immediately to help with healing.
All in all, I'm definitely looking forward to next week - I have a feeling that once we get going, we can really catch up to the raiding scene.
Southern Wardens finally made the move into guild raids last night. Yes, an extremely late start, but better late than never!
Unfortunately our return was less triumphant than "LOL how we do this again?", but given that we were running with 2 heals instead of 3, were melee-heavy and one of our tanks was new to WoW in *this* expansion (inorite?), we felt pretty good just getting the Stone Guard down past 50% before calling it a night.
Not to mention, our raid leader confirmed to me what I had suspected from watching tanks in LFR: tanking is a lot more complicated now. Making a mistake as a tank is quite a bit more costly than it was before, which I don't particularly like. IMO the tanks and healers have enough on their plate to worry about - it'd be better for there to be more pressure on DPS!
Some of our DPS were also expressing opinions that it was a huge jump to actually pay attention going from LFR to normal mode and I suppose I agree, but personally I didn't find it too hard to convert at all.
Perhaps it is because I do tend to notice things going on around me (possibly a forced habit from not using addons that yell at me to get out of fire?), but the only ability I had to get the hang of were the chains... and since hunters can stand in melee range now, it was pretty easy to follow my partner. Plus, since I'm the most mobile person in the raid, I always had control over when to let the chains tick, meaning I could plan to use Exhilaration immediately to help with healing.
All in all, I'm definitely looking forward to next week - I have a feeling that once we get going, we can really catch up to the raiding scene.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Encounter Tuning Watercooler
If you're into raiding and haven't read Blizzard's latest Developer Watercooler on raid encounter tuning, I highly recommend doing so.
I had only intended to skim it, but found myself reading the whole thing and appreciating the thought that goes into designing encounters and punishment (or lack thereof) of players for finding bugs and finding creative ways to kill things.
It really appealed to my sense of logic - *this* way of killing bosses is wrong because of X, *that* way is OK because of Y. Makes me wonder whether Blizzard have some kind of raiding handbook somewhere of do's and don't's.... some huge tome they probably need to add to every year, since you can never predict what new situations will come up!
Oh, and props to Blizzard for releasing a PvP article (also an excellent read, and something that should be very welcome to a lot of PvPers) at the same time... that'll keep everyone happy :P
I had only intended to skim it, but found myself reading the whole thing and appreciating the thought that goes into designing encounters and punishment (or lack thereof) of players for finding bugs and finding creative ways to kill things.
It really appealed to my sense of logic - *this* way of killing bosses is wrong because of X, *that* way is OK because of Y. Makes me wonder whether Blizzard have some kind of raiding handbook somewhere of do's and don't's.... some huge tome they probably need to add to every year, since you can never predict what new situations will come up!
Oh, and props to Blizzard for releasing a PvP article (also an excellent read, and something that should be very welcome to a lot of PvPers) at the same time... that'll keep everyone happy :P
Thursday, January 17, 2013
The Crumbling Hell
After a helpful guildie mentioned that The Crumbling Hall was up as one of the Golden Lotus dailies, I immediately started going about getting that half of the achievement done.
Initially I'd thought the quest would be easy, since everything I'd read about the Achievement said that The Thunder Below was harder. However, I tried going slow, going fast, using Camouflage as much as possible, shuffling my pet ahead of me, starting the quest with a random person sharing it with me at the first wall so that I wouldn't have to go through the front part of Guo-Lai... and found after numerous restarts that it really *isn't* easy at all.
Also, unlike Roll Club, which I also had an incredible amount of difficulty completing (although to be fair, it was mainly due to motion sickness and Aussie latency rather than any lack of skill I happen to have), I only had that day to do the quest before it reset... meaning that if I missed it, I'd have to wait until the next time the quest was up.
As luck would have it, I finally managed to follow someone on the same quest through the halls, letting them activate statues ahead of me and hearthing out to hand the quest in at the end with only 20min to spare before daily reset.
I suppose after all that, it was actually a really good challenge... which makes a change from doing the same dailies over and over. I really should look at the achievements list more!
Initially I'd thought the quest would be easy, since everything I'd read about the Achievement said that The Thunder Below was harder. However, I tried going slow, going fast, using Camouflage as much as possible, shuffling my pet ahead of me, starting the quest with a random person sharing it with me at the first wall so that I wouldn't have to go through the front part of Guo-Lai... and found after numerous restarts that it really *isn't* easy at all.
Also, unlike Roll Club, which I also had an incredible amount of difficulty completing (although to be fair, it was mainly due to motion sickness and Aussie latency rather than any lack of skill I happen to have), I only had that day to do the quest before it reset... meaning that if I missed it, I'd have to wait until the next time the quest was up.
As luck would have it, I finally managed to follow someone on the same quest through the halls, letting them activate statues ahead of me and hearthing out to hand the quest in at the end with only 20min to spare before daily reset.
I suppose after all that, it was actually a really good challenge... which makes a change from doing the same dailies over and over. I really should look at the achievements list more!
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