The World of Warcraft Thread

[Cynthetiq]

I got my DK out of Outland last night and into Northrend at .5 bubble to go to 68 so I dinged in NR after a few kills of the vykr invaders.

Very different than the other beachhead that I did with my hunter.

[snowy]

Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru

I finally hit the Outland for the first time ever last night.

OOooooOOOOh.....

w00t! Outland is a fast ride. I think you'll be shocked at how fast you progress, even when you don't necessarily mean to make progress.

Before you know it, you'll be 68 and wanting to go to Northrend!

[Reese]

We downed 10man Malygos tonight. It's definitely got a bigger learning curve than any other boss in the game thus far. It sucks because it's pretty easy until about 8 minutes into the fight you hit phase 3 and then if you don't know what you're doing, you wipe in about 10 seconds. I got Black Ice polearm, possibly the first person on the server to get it.

[Frosstbyte]

Do not go to Northrend until you hit 70.

I wrote a post on this, but then I decided to just link you the source, since I wlll thereby do you two favors:

1) you will get a very clear explanation as to why it is a bad idea;

2) you will get a link to the very best leveling guides ever written for WoW, including pay guides.

Enjoy.

Jame's MMORPG Blog: Going to Northrend at level 68 - Is it a good idea?

[Scorps]

I see all kinda of people in Northrend at 68 can't be that hard, I plan on taking my shaman there at lvl 68 :P, Then again most 68's are DK's and there well OP,..

[Frosstbyte]

The point isn't that you can't or that it's impossible, rather that people haven't thought through all the consequences of doing so. Even in t6 gear, the way I ended up leveling I was doing mostly green quests from 77 to 80 and between the mobs and quests being green, it went a whole lot faster than 71-73.

[Reese]

I don't see a problem going to Northrend at 68. I hit 80 with no quests done in Storm Peaks or Icecrown. I also had zero rested experience since I leveled to 80 in less than a week. If you do go at 68, You should definitely do both Howling Fjord and Borean Tundra.

[Halx]

Originally Posted by Frosstbyte

Do not go to Northrend until you hit 70.

I wrote a post on this, but then I decided to just link you the source, since I wlll thereby do you two favors:

1) you will get a very clear explanation as to why it is a bad idea;

2) you will get a link to the very best leveling guides ever written for WoW, including pay guides.

Enjoy.

Jame's MMORPG Blog: Going to Northrend at level 68 - Is it a good idea?

I totally disagree with that guy. Then again, I know how to organize my quests and kill mobs as efficiently as possible.

[YaWhateva]

Originally Posted by Halx

I totally disagree with that guy. Then again, I know how to organize my quests and kill mobs as efficiently as possible.

Considering he has the best fastest leveling guide out there, I tend to agree with him...unless you are a DK, then you could kill things instantly.

[Baraka_Guru]

I always find these "level as fast as possible" guides a bit funny. I don't use them. I tend to savour the game.

But that's just me.

[YaWhateva]

Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru

I always find these "level as fast as possible" guides a bit funny. I don't use them. I tend to savour the game.

But that's just me.

Understandable for the first time (and maybe even second time) through the content, but when you are working on your 3rd or 4th character you want to power through as fast as possible.

[Baraka_Guru]

Originally Posted by YaWhateva

Understandable for the first time (and maybe even second time) through the content, but when you are working on your 3rd or 4th character you want to power through as fast as possible.

Oh, that. This is something else I think is funny. (BTW, by "funny," I mean peculiar. I don't mean any ridicule.) I don't think I could ever do that...a third or fourth character. I view other character types as the same creatures of different names. It all comes down to button-mashing, really. I'm more about exploring the world and trying not to die. I don't think I need to have more than one character. By the time I'm bored enough with my first one to want to push a second (or fourth) one to level 80, it will be time to cancel my account. Life's too short. Mind you, I do have other characters, but I only use them when something goes wrong with my main character or his server and I haven't had my fill of the game.

[Scorps]

I got my mage to 80 and slowly gearing her up, now I just randomly play my DK, rogue or hunter...or just run around and fish all day while chatting to friends on vent :P

[Cynthetiq]

Originally Posted by Frosstbyte

Do not go to Northrend until you hit 70.

I wrote a post on this, but then I decided to just link you the source, since I wlll thereby do you two favors:

1) you will get a very clear explanation as to why it is a bad idea;

2) you will get a link to the very best leveling guides ever written for WoW, including pay guides.

Enjoy.

Jame's MMORPG Blog: Going to Northrend at level 68 - Is it a good idea?

That's if the goal of playing is to play end game content.

My goal in bringing my DK now is to play with a friend. I can then stop playing my hunter with my friend who can only play a couple hours a week. I can then get my hunter moving to 80 to play end game content.

Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru

Oh, that. This is something else I think is funny. (BTW, by "funny," I mean peculiar. I don't mean any ridicule.) I don't think I could ever do that...a third or fourth character. I view other character types as the same creatures of different names. It all comes down to button-mashing, really. I'm more about exploring the world and trying not to die. I don't think I need to have more than one character. By the time I'm bored enough with my first one to want to push a second (or fourth) one to level 80, it will be time to cancel my account. Life's too short. Mind you, I do have other characters, but I only use them when something goes wrong with my main character or his server and I haven't had my fill of the game.

I thought that too. Until I played a DK and found out just how different it is. The view of the game is very different up close to the mobs, the button mashing rotation is different because I have to worry about runes and runic power.

[Baraka_Guru]

Originally Posted by Cynthetiq

I thought that too. Until I played a DK and found out just how different it is. The view of the game is very different up close to the mobs, the button mashing rotation is different because I have to worry about runes and runic power.

Yeah, but everyone's a DK these days.

I'll just stick to being a holy priest. I'm always popular.

[YaWhateva]

Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru

I'll just stick to being a holy priest. I'm always popular.

yes we are, good thing you came in after TBC though. I remember people wanted me to spec shadow because holy paladins were better single target healers, shaman were better AoE healers and Druids had better HoT's.

[Baraka_Guru]

My healing crits have just broken the 4,200 barrier. I must say I'm starting to have fun. The Outland has been a positive experience thusfar.

I keep people alive; it's what I do.

[Frosstbyte]

Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru

I always find these "level as fast as possible" guides a bit funny. I don't use them. I tend to savour the game.

But that's just me.

As I suppose my recent posts have indicated, leveling is one of my least favorite parts of WoW. Anything that minimizes the time I have to spend running around, flipping back between my map and my quest log, trying to figure out where, exactly, I'm supposed to be going is a win in my book. I read the quest text for every quest I did between 70 and 80 and very much appreciated the depth of the storylines in WotLK both in a grand sense and within each specific zone, but I have no regrets in using a guide to help me through the nuts and bolts.

WoW isn't a puzzle game, and the enjoyment I get out of questing is the experience and the reward, not figuring out exactly which hoops blizzard wants me to jump through. Jame's guides do the best job, in my experience, of covering all the content and explaining everything clearly and simply, so if you're like me and leveling isn't the point for you, it's an enormous help.

If you like to lounge through leveling, though, certainly don't take this as any criticism of it as a playstyle. You only get to do that once an expansion (alts notwithstanding), so take as long as you want. Just trying to provide people with some of the tools I like and use if they have similar interests.

[LordEden]

Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru

My healing crits have just broken the 4,200 barrier. I must say I'm starting to have fun. The Outland has been a positive experience thusfar.

I keep people alive; it's what I do.

I'm right there beside of you Baraka, right now my druid is a boomkin spec but the minute I hit 80 then I'm back to being a tree (literally the second I hit 80, my guild mates are waiting on me ). Apparently druid HoTs are the HOTness right now. Hehe, couldn't help myself. From what I've been reading with druid's new spells, they are topping the healing charts. I know I can out heal almost any other class even with inferior gear. I was hitting 2nd on the healing chart during a Mount Hyjal raid with every healer in T5-t6 gear and me only in my t4/ZA gear. The only guy who was beating me was the Shaman in full t6/Sunwell gear and not by much. I like healing, as long as you are good at it, it's fun to keep everyone alive.

EPIC TREE PUNCH! I do 134 per punch. Epic. Had to say it.

[YaWhateva]

Ah druids, the class that was supposed to be jack of all trades, master of none but turned into jack of all trades, master of all.

[LordEden]

You are just jealous of my epic tree punch.

[YaWhateva]

Originally Posted by LordEden

You are just jealous of my epic tree punch.

haha....maybe

[Halx]

I'm not the fastest leveler, but I am faster than most with the limited time I have to play and I intend to have fun while doing it. Right now, I'm probably the best lvl 72 retribution Paladin on earth (rough estimation, excludes BC-geared Pallies). I played my DK up to 73 and was very impressed by the DPS potential.. well, my Paladin is MUCH better. I love gearing up to walk up to a mob and kill them after hitting 3 buttons.

The trek to lvl 80 is too long to grind the whole way. Learning my class well enough to do incredible things at low levels is my version of leveling. Being the best player in the pickup group. Gearing up specifically to make questing easier. Challenging your resourcefulness by pulling 8 mobs at a time. That's how my leveling guide would go. Who wants to hit 80 as a button mashing drone?

[YaWhateva]

Originally Posted by Halx

That's how my leveling guide would go. Who wants to hit 80 as a button mashing drone?

The thing is, the leveling guides give you the the fastest possible quest routes to get to the cap faster. Some people already know how to play a class and don't need to spend all their time slowly learning how do the best dps at a certain level and would rather speed through the content they have seen already that will only give gear that will be replaced rather quickly and get into the end game content to start gearing up for raids or Arenas.

The guides aren't about grinding, they are about being efficient in your questing. Some people just want to enjoy the ride to 80 and some people have already enjoyed the ride and want to power through it with another character in order to get to the area of the game that they really want to play. Leveling is boring once you've done all the lore stuff.

[Frosstbyte]

Well cybermike, looks like you and I get to take a seat in the corner next to the ret pallies. The nerf bat swings hard and fast at BM hunters. I remember when they did this in TBC, too. I don't know why the people at blizzard have such a hard time figuring out why BM hunters come out of the gate with such great dps. Hunters scale VERY well with levels and relatively poorly with gear. Going to end up the same place we were last time with sub-par output in Icecrown because our Naxx dps was too high. Alas.

[Reese]

Sigh.. I can't say it's unexpected. I don't think we were doing as well as people say though. I'm one of the best geared people in my guild. I got that way by working my ass off in heroics and rep grinding and showing up early to every 10 and 25man and I'm not THAT far ahead of other DPS classes considering their gear is far below mine.

The Steady shot nerf is the worst of it. That's such a huge blow to every spec.

[Frosstbyte]

Yeah, that's how I feel, too. Everything else is reasonable and I can see why they're doing it, but the SS change is way overboard. I hope they'll remove that change or scale it back into the 15-18% range and see how things play out. Removing BW/readiness combo combined with the call of the wild change is going to do a lot to how hunters show up in groups. Wish they would approach this process a bit more slowly instead of dumping it all on us at once.

[Halx]

Maybe I can get some advice for my hunter. I missed several months of updates, so I have no clue what they did to this class. A couple questions:

1) How do I train abilities for my pet? The pet training feature seems to have disappeared.

2) My pet can't hold aggro anymore. WTF! I even specced BM and my pet loses aggro after 2 hits. What am I doing wrong? I used to be almost full Marksmanship and my pet always held aggro.

3) Are they useful for anything at all anymore?

[Scorps]

Originally Posted by Halx

Maybe I can get some advice for my hunter. I missed several months of updates, so I have no clue what they did to this class. A couple questions:

1) How do I train abilities for my pet? The pet training feature seems to have disappeared.

2) My pet can't hold aggro anymore. WTF! I even specced BM and my pet loses aggro after 2 hits. What am I doing wrong? I used to be almost full Marksmanship and my pet always held aggro.

3) Are they useful for anything at all anymore?

Pets have a talent tree now, and the hunter's in my guild are topping the dmg meter all the damn time now.

[Frosstbyte]

1) Pet training as it was no longer exists. Pets now have a talent tree which operates exactly like player talent trees, though they only have one tab. The tab that a pet gets is determined by the pet type. There are three pet types with accompanying trees: ferocity, tenacity and cunning, which roughly match up to DPS, tanking and utility, respectively. You can access your pet's talent tree by opening your own talent tree and looking for a pet tab on the side or bottom, then spec away.

2) After you spec your pet, I imagine you will find that this improves, since its dps will improve and it will gain additional abilities to help it keep aggro. ADDITIONALLY, there is a major bug with pet abilities and autocasting at the moment. Pet abilities have their own spell tab, as before, and, after spec'ing, you will have MANY more pet abilities than you have space on your little pet bar.

For some reason, any pet ability that is NOT on your pet bar but IS in your spellbook will ALWAYS revert to having autocast on whenever you dismiss your pet-including death, mounting or taking a flightpath. So, since all pets have cower as a built in ability and since you probably don't have cower on your bar, it is possible that you pet is casting cower and reducing its aggro. It may or may not be autocasting all sorts of other silly things that you don't want it to. To make sure it stops doing that, you have to find space on your tiny, tiny pet bar to fit those abilities that you want to not have autocasting all the time.

Additionally, you can't just drag a pet ability to a normal action bar and have it function. Instead, you need to put the pet ability into a macro and then drag it to a normal action bar. This, of course, requires you to manually activate the ability, which might be rendered moot because the pet is trying to autocast it, unless you've found space for it on your pet bar or you bother to turn off autocast literally every time you summon your pet.

Groovy?

3) They are ridiculously powerful right now, especially for BM hunters. BM pets are currently doing 1500-2000 dps by themselves fully buffed in raid situations, which is why blizzard is nerfing them so hard. If you're BM, make liberal use of misdirect and intimidate to help it along if you're still having trouble with aggro after spec'ing your pet. They're both on much shorter cooldowns than they used to be.

And finally, check out this page Petopia: Patch 3.0 - Overview for the major recent changes. It should give you a good overview about everything that's going on, as well as providing links to show you the different types of trees and the different pet families found within those trees and the type of family skill each family has. The system became MUCH more complex with 3.0, but there's a ton of variety for personalization, which is cool. Hopefully we can keep blizzard's grubby hands off our steadyshot, so that hunters can remain happy fun dps instead of tossing limp noodles around.

[Reese]

I think Frostbyte really covered it. I'd like to make a correction though.

Additionally, you can't just drag a pet ability to a normal action bar and have it function. Instead, you need to put the pet ability into a macro and then drag it to a normal action bar. This, of course, requires you to manually activate the ability, which might be rendered moot because the pet is trying to autocast it, unless you've found space for it on your pet bar or you bother to turn off autocast literally every time you summon your pet.

This has been fixed. Abilities with cooldowns are now priority over focus dump abilities. Cooldowns under 10 seconds have been lowered to 20 pet focus so they trigger before the 25 focus claw/bite skills. Longer cooldowns like Call of the Wild have no focus cost and if left on autocast will fire every time they're available. Also, Growl and Cower are on the same cooldown and Growl takes priority. If both are on autocast, Cower should never cast. The only thing I keep on my bars are skills that I don't want autocasting all the time because they do tend to turn themselves back on if left in the spellbook. Call of the wild is a more situational buff that I like to manually trigger in raids. I like to have growl and Prowl on the bar because I don't like either of those casting during raids.

For leveling, I highly suggest using a Gorilla as a pet. Charge/Thunderstomp/improved Growl combo generates a ton of threat and it's AOE so it'll hold 2-4 mobs no problem. I leveled with full Tier 6 from 70 to 80 and it was rare that I pulled agro off the gorilla.

[Reese]

GAH... We were well on our way to a 2 night clear on 25man Naxx but lag monster ate us. Grobulus was insanely laggy but we managed it.. Gluth was better but when we got to thadius we just couldn't do the dps to down him because of 2-3 second lag. It was amazing the lag wasn't causing polarity explosions.. We got him to the enrage every time... Just the stupid lag was making us slowing dps so much..

[Lasereth]

Why are you guys doing Naxx? Did they put harder bosses in it or something? I always hated how nobody got to see Naxx before TBC came out.

[ObieX]

They moved Naxx to Northrend.

Naxxramas is sorta like a floating aircraft carrier type deal. It gets sent to invade places by the lich king.

[Cynthetiq]

i thought 40 man naxx was still an option in the old world.

[YaWhateva]

Originally Posted by Cynthetiq

i thought 40 man naxx was still an option in the old world.

It's still in the old world, just moved from EPL to Northrend. Both EPL and Northrend are in the 'old world' of Azeroth. It is no longer in EPL and you cannot run it like in vanilla WoW as far as I can recall.

[ObieX]

I'm not sure, i haven't been out there. My understanding was that they took out out of EPL. Could be wrong tho, I'd log in to check it but my play time is expired till tomorrow.

[Cynthetiq]

darn...

World of Warcraft - English (NA) Forums -> Naxxramas 40-man, gone forever?

I would have made more of an effort to run it pre-WotLK had I known it was not going to be available at all.

[LordEden]

Originally Posted by Cynthetiq

I would have made more of an effort to run it pre-WotLK had I known it was not going to be available at all.

My guild ran it once after a Guurl's run once day. Our main tank was obsessed with classic runs and old world titles/rep venders. It's fun and was a great run back in the day, but except for the achievement, I don't think it's worth your time. Plus, before they took the requirement off for it, it was a BITCH to be able to get into Naxx. Our tank spent 2 months farming his rep for Naxx from Hated to Exalted to get into it.

[Halx]

I heard a rumor that the next patch will feature dual-speccing. Is there any truth to this? Resources?