Monday, July 27, 2009

Buffed Seal of the Pure changes in 3.2

Haven't had much time to really make a post about the somewhat undocumented changes to Seal of the Pure which will be affecting Paladin tanking seal of Seal of Corruption/ Seal of Vengeance. Since the tanking seals is getting a bit of makeover and buff in 3.2 for added weapons damage on a full stack of corruption/vengeance dot the recent new changes as well to the talent of Seal of the Pure will as a result be affecting the added damage as well. Which as a result will probably shift the way allot of Tankadins spec for their talents as well for more threat or dps with points back in Seal of the Pure. Thus this will affecting how much points you can put in Ret as a result.

Honor's Code has a good write up already about it already and other changes with Vindication and Ardent Defender. Its worth your time to hop over to his awesome blog and read his piece on it if you haven't already being familiar with the changes or discussions over on the Maintankadin forum boards about it as well.

I'm a bit busy leveling my Shaman. I'm half way to lvl 68. So not as much time spent writing stuff.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

600 Blog Posts & A lvl 60 Shaman

I just noticed I've been here long enough to have sit down and inked out 600 Post over the course of this blog in my little corner of this community. A little milestone in just writing my thoughts, daily happenings and all things considered while playing the game for fun and putting ink to my journey in WoW. Remembering back way back when never thought I could think of enough of anything to even manage to write my very first post.

Of recent times really don't blog as often daily like I used to due to time availability, time to think and just trying to do it daily can feels like the commitment of having a job vs doing so for when I can feel inspired. As well my progression at the endgame of WoW is not such that I have to keep up inking the historical details of all my adventures, heartaches.

So much thanks to all the readers, lurkers and passers by that have contributed in some way large and small to this blog and that have made it fun to want to keep writing and posting. Much Thanks to You!


My New lvl 60 Shaman My Journey
Its being fun to get my Enhancement Shaman Voodooweaver from Durator through the vast areas and regions of Azeroth all the way to finally taking the Dark Portal to Outland. Through various toons on my Paladin, Hunter and in a less minor way my Death Knight they have all been through it all before. In some other ways you get tired making the journey through familiar lands. Yet this one seemed faster trying my hand at another class attempting to Learn & Play and Shaman. Probably because the mobs are not as intimidating anymore as well.

Choosing to play another class was more a way to diversify my play time from my Paladin to whom I've devoted quite allot of focus playtime and dedication. I'm still dedicated but this is one way of me doing something else to avoid the feelings of game and character burnout doing things and deciding to learn something new. What's most important to me is that I'm having fun with the time I choose to play the game. And its fun at the moment doing something else even if i'm not chasing leet Epics! I'm just getting other goals done.

We are all different in what we like to play in characters and how we choose to play then and why. I've come to some conclusion in the time that I've played WoW that I really enjoy playing the Hybrid Classes more than any the pure classes. One the things I like is my options in utility vs just how much damage I can do. I can dps or heal if I want to in a pinch as well playing solo for self preservation. I guess another reason why I've never quite cared to play a full damage dealing class. Its never quite been about me in a group setting but more so about helping the team in whatever fashion I can to meet the objective.

As well being self supporting in my solo play style with my own utility because I'm very much a solo player at heart. So the fact that the Shaman is a Hybrid Class with utility was quite attractive. But then from afar and all the time I've ever tanked in groups I've always enjoyed a good Shaman along for the fun, so I've always admired the class.

RL Fact: I once had a RL uncle who is still living who when he was a bit younger messed around with the ladies. He eventually had kids with this one woman he met messing around. He kept messing around as well. The woman that he had kids with eventually got fed up with him and went to someone she knew that did RL Voodoo. A hex of some form was put on my Uncle. He never walked the same way again like normal people. He always walked with a very peculiar limp and everyone knew. I was a young kid and knew him to walk normally before. At some point I knew he kept limping when he walked. It was very noticeable and asked other family members what happened. That's how I knew he had some RL Voodoo put on him for real. As the troll usually says: Don't mess with the Voodoo....

Anyway it has being really fun learning and playing a Shaman and leveling up one as well. having to do the quests all over again leveling wasn't all so fun. But at sometime they were as well just having fun because in playing a new class I was taking my Shaman through the paces learning how to play him from not much of a skill level compared to a experienced Shaman player. So from that point playing and leveling was somewhat fun.

I would say the first 20 levels wasn't all that interesting really though ok best I can remember with shocks and lightning spells and often drinking for mana at times. For a level or two i maybe used a Shield & 1H if I had one, but for the most part I just got used to using a 2H and stuff seemed to die faster even as much as I can seem to miss as well. As a Orc i tried sticking to Axes for the racial bonus. The 20-30's seemed a bit more fun with new spells and still drank for mana but maybe not as much as the first 20 initial levels with more experience using my spells.

Somewhere around the mid 20's to 30's as I picked up Windfury Weapon things started to get even more fun or when a mob would die real quickly in a burst when Windfury proc'd as well with Flurry. I was leveling with a 2H Weapon. So that became fun! From lvl 30-40 as I slowly picked up more talents and spells my Shaman was really starting to bloom in being really fun. Cast Lightning Bolt from far and Earth Shock and then Melee up close. If Windfury proc'd it was awesome. Somehow it kind felt similar to my Paladin in some ways, pull with spells and melee up close.

Dropping totems was fun as well, what wasn't always fun was always having to change positions or more then drop them again. So often i thought ahead and figure out where best to drop totems so wouldn't have to move them as often. But I learned to like using Totemic Call as well when I picked it up to recall totems for mana if know had to move out of range quickly. Before a mob would come chasing me down from a totem I left on the ground when it spawned in the area close by. Yet didn't know Shamans had oh soo many totems as well of all kinds.

At 40 I picked up Dual Wield and with Windfury on both 1H that became really fun. What wasn't fun was all the misses you can get on trying to hit a mob. But eventually Dual Wield Specialization talent points helped a bit in a few levels with that. But what I really started to like after picking up Dual Wield talent was picking up Stormstrike for instant attack with both weapons and having the debuff add additional nature damage over the duration of debuff for more nature damage for the Shaman. That was really fun trying to kill mobs with Stormstrike, hell I liked that spell allot as well. Picking up Lava lash was fun as well talent and then being able to use Flametongue Weapon on my Off Hand Weapon with it with Windfury on my MH.

Needless to say leveling got much more fun beyond that and easier after eventually picking up Improved Stormstrike. I would say beyond that the rate at which I needed to stop and drink for mana went down most significantly as well as usage of Water Shield as well for mana when I had needed it. Unless I know I was going to be killing allot of mobs in a short period of time in a Keep or something I barely had to drink much for mana after that. with experience I though of better and easier way to do things or fight a mob. From range I realize "if" I needed to I could cast Chain Lightning, Lightning Bolt and Earth Shock all before the mob (melee) gets to me with much lower health, damn Fun! But that wasn't always nice for mana either as Chain Lightning mana cost is much higher as well. But fun to see what you can figure out on your own just playing.

At 50 when I eventually got to pickup Shamanastic Rage that became awesome as well. Mana was barely ever a problem beyond that as well as the cooldown time wasn't too long for when you really needed to use it to recharge mana if you needed to in between Stormstrike hits. So going from mob to mob I didn't find it difficult while questing. That even made it more fun enjoying learning and playing my Shaman leveling up. But as I picked up talents and spells I just taking my Shaman through the paces I started finding interesting ways to do stuff or kill mobs or chain pull and that made it even more fun just playing my Shaman. I was still learning stuff but it was fun because it was different that how I played my Paladin in style.

Eventually I started picking up Maelstrom Weapon for 5/5 talent points. Took me awhile to understand what happened when it proc and how to use. But slowly going through the paces I started figuring it out how to use the proc when had a full stack or how to use its charge built up on another mob close by or to pull as well for fun. But it comes from just learning going through the process. For example while watching how Mealstrom proc during my solo play and thinking back to my group play in like 5 man.

I figure for pure utility needs you can melee dps and on a full stack of Mealstrom proc having the full talent use it for Instant dps or AoE on Chain Lightning Or you can either pull of a instant self heal if you had low health or cast a Instant AoE Chain Heal on the targettarget or tank if he needed it as a option healing who ever else it jumped to. But it was nice to learn different ways to use spells and talents for dps or utility needs playing my Shaman. I don't have it all figured out yet, far from it. But I'm just learning though the process in playing another class with interest.

Now I've hit 60 and no doubt that leveling will go at a faster pace in Outland because I can remember more of it than old Azeroth. But I also enjoy Outland more as well though just a pass through on way to Northrend eventually. Though 20 more levels to go till Outland. I can say I'm enjoying taking my time to get there as well and just having fun learning to play my Shaman. I enjoy being in a Hybrid role or class. I guess its why I've always enjoyed my Paladin and not because the class now a days seem so popular to play one vs when it wasn't popular to be one. I know I enjoy being a melee caster both so playing a Druid is not that far fetched for me as well. But then I do have a lvl 22 Druid as well on my old server. I have plans to take him out of hibernation as well.

So after 60 levels I can clearly say Shamans are Fun! As often as you hear others say. Dropping totems are fun even though moving them aren't always are though it will get easier in 3.2 and more fun I'm sure. As much as I hate leveling alts I can say I'm having fun with my Shaman. The distinction of fun is that though leveling wasn't always fun the act of learning to play the Shaman was and because of that I had fun. And despite having a Hunter and a Death Knight at 60+ I actually enjoy playing my Shaman more. And with that I just though of a cool name for a blog if someone needs one: Totem Fury. I have no idea if that actually exists either as i just though of it.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Blizzard New IPhone Mobile Armory App

Source.
Blizzard just released a Mobile Armory application for the IPhone. I just got it downloaded to my trinketty Epic IPhone and its really slick! Its really cool since I have my IPhone everywhere I go. And the number one thing I do on it is just about WoW related like reading tons of blogs, WoW Armory info search and all that. So cool to have something else nice to mess around with and make me less productive when at work.

So nice of Blizzard to finally come out with a "free" very polished version of the WoW Armory for the IPhone. I've took the app for a spin and so far I really like it. You can search just about everything and has just about everything the desktop Armory has including all character info, item search, talent calculator, calender, news etc. Hell its even faster it seems than using the desktop Armory. That's even a plus. You get to log in on the app and you can see all the characters on your account and check out all their info all in one place and with nice functionality on a app like you expect from Blizzard.

I'll probably say my IPhone I've had for a long time i really don't even use as a phone. For me its just a Epic WoW Trinket gadget. Because 99% of what I use is for is WoW stuff from mobile blogging here, blog commenting, reading around the blogosphere, WoW info search, Blizzard news etc, apps etc. I use it for Twitter too but don't really twit all that much since I'm usually busy reading something like a updated blog or something.

So if you got a IPhone you really want to go and loot the free download of the new WoW Mobile Armory app.

Its slick! I like cool stuff.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Slow Weekend!

It was a slow weekend all things WoW related, I didn't get to really play much any WoW over the weekend. Some of us have Jobs that make you work all weekend, long hours at nights and don't leave much time to do anything else with little free time. So slow WoW weekend.

On Friday I did get my Shaman Voodooweaver to lvl 50. And he keeps getting more fun to play as well. So yeah Shamans are Fun! But he's been sitting in a Inn since then all weekend gathering rest XP bonus for leveling. I may take him on a killing spree later for a level or so. Playing the Shaman is fun, leveling still sucks to say the least.

My Paladin is in a holding pattern doing absolutely nothing. He's not in any endgame guild for him to be doing things as such obviously. Anyway my work schedule continue to be too irregular for WoW that I can't raid with any regularity weekly. So until 3.2 really he's on ice. I'll just be leveling my Shaman in the mean time. At least I can say I'm having fun and that remain a good thing to me at least.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Coming Soon, Northrend Flying to Get Easier

Source.
Its unbelievable the rate at which the game is getting easier by the hands of Blizzard. Flying or not being able to fly till lvl 77 is very much a huge deal in Northrend. Leveling and not being able to fly is a huge deal till lvl 77+. So its about to get easier and possible coming really really soon like in patch 3.2 as a purchasable BOA "Heirloom Item" for Tome of Cold Weather Flying from the trainer. You can then send it to a alt on the same account/realm/faction. You can only purchase it as a lvl 80 like on your main and do so for the Heirloom. Once used by a alt the Heirloom Tome is consumed. This is all subject to change before patch 3.2 goes live. But the idea is sub lvl 77 flying in Northrend is going to get easier.

You may not feel so well if you have all your alts at 80 already and have to slave your way through all of Northrend with no personal wing. If you have a few alts yet to head into Northrend you probably get allot excited as well you can skip lots of it. How one can feel about that goes both ways. Blizzard makes the rules. Your alt journey just got easier to get to 80. I know all my alts are close to or below 70 or Northrend so would greatly benefit from this change.

Is this the summer of Altism?

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Latest Paladin PTR 3.2 Changes.

These the latest Paladin class changes for PTR build 10072 via MMO Champion.

Official Blue Patch Note Update: Paladin

Protection
  • Ardent Defender: Redesigned. Any damage that takes the paladin below 35% health is reduced. This reduction applies only to the portion that pushes the paladin below 35% health (example: a paladin at 50% health takes a 40% hit; the first 15% hits as normal while the next 25% is reduced). In addition, once every 2 minutes an attack that would have killed the paladin will fail to kill, and instead heal the paladin for up to 10/20/30% of maximum health depending on the paladin's defense rating (example: a paladin with defense equal to only 5 times his or her level will receive no healing from the talent, while a paladin who is immune to critical strikes from boss creatures through defense will receive the maximum amount).
  • Guarded by the Light: This talent will no longer cause Divine Plea's duration to be refreshed by using Judgement of Wisdom, Judgement of Justice, or Judgement of Light.

Retribution
  • Art of War: Now only applies to melee critical hits, but will make your next Flash of Light or Exorcism instant. In addition, this talent now provides notification in the floating combat text when it activates.

Paladin Glyphs
  • Glyph of Righteous Defense: Now also increases the chance for Hand of Reckoning to hit.



Note spell/talent changes from the last PTR 3.2 Build.

Protection
  • Ardent Defender now heal you up by 30% of your maximum health and the amount healed is based on defense.

Paladin Glyphs
  • Glyph of Righteous Defense - Increases the chance for your Righteous Defense and Hand of Reckoning abilities to work successfully by 8% on each target.
  • Glyph of Seal of Command - You gain 8% of your base mana each time you use a Judgement with Seal of Command active.

The Ardent Defender changes seemed a bit wired at first glance from the last PTR build. However requiring the defense rating change this seemed to be somehow related to PvP and gimped Protection Paladin healers with mix gear in PvP benefiting from Ardent Defender and being super hard to kill as healers.. This really has no real effect on PvE Protection Paladin because your already in full tanking gear and should be already critt immune for defense rating and a none issue. If you have 540 Defense Rating and 3/3 AD you should get the full heal from Ardent Defender on proc to 30% as is the talent the way I understand it. Yet always sucks PvP always affecting PvE.

As for the Guarded by Light change which seems to be a bug fix, and wasn't aware that Judgements was refreshing Divine Plea duration. Since I know I usually had Divine Plea up on melee hitting mob never quite noticed that Judgements was refreshing the spell duration as well. Never noticed this.

Righteous Defense Glyph gets a bit more valuable if your gear is low on Hit Rating and need to quit missing on taunts especially with the proposed changes to Hand of Reckoning as well doing more holy damage on successful taunts.

Midsummer Update

Well the Midsummer Fire Festival is over and really to say the least I'm not sure what it was all about. Other than running all over the face of the Azeroth lighting flames for buffs, quest stealing the enemy flames and doing allot of ribbon dancing I'm not sure what the Fire Festival was all about otherwise nor did I even bother to check either. But do know the Ribbon dancing was nice for the 10% XP boost and that helped get my new Enhancement Shaman Voodooweaver with his Heirloom shoulders for another 10% XP up to lvl 42 during the Festival event.

So no I didn't log a million miles flying or running all over Azeroth chasing flames. I'm liking being a Under Achiever! So no my Paladin didn't do anything for the Fire Festival nor did I care to for any reason or flame achievement. I think his plate is getting a bit rusty since he hasn't done much in a while as well either. I've being focusing on leveling my Shaman that's why as a distraction to avoid the burnout factor.

I'm just a bit focus when I'm playing WoW with something in mind "to do". So no my Shaman didn't run all over the far corners of Azeroth either chasing flames for the Fire Festival. He just did the ones he ran into where ever he was questing and if he didn't see them then he didn't care or worried about it either. His focus was just being laid back questing and learning Shamanistic ways while making constant progress. His focus was not to run all over the place doing other things, not his or my focus either! So for the Midsummer Fire Festival I lived up to being a under achiever of not achieving anything leet for the Holiday Festival. Well done! I know my priorities when I have them and tend to stick to it.

But getting to lvl 42 was satisfied progress. As well my Shaman is now in zones he more enjoy questing overall like Tanaris and Feralas. I never tend to spend much time in STV anyway if I can help it, just never did for no reason at all. But overall I'm enjoying playing the Shaman and he seem to be getting more powerful beyond lvl 35. He dual wields melee weapons and that quite fun! Even more fun post lvl 40 and finally getting to wear mail gear. Not as good as Plate but of well.

At times playing a Shaman reminds me much of leveling my Paladin. They both melee and both drank allot for mana as well. But its gotten easier in learning how to play. One thing I'm learning is never knew Shamans has some many damn Totems they always tote around all the time. Windfury is fun though when it procs and double fun on two 1 hand weapons at my level. What sucks is the amount of misses you can get on hits. But overall stuff still dies fast and after leveling a Paladin Protection all the way everything since seems faster to level in comparison to way back then. But back then I did that to master skills of the class in how I like to play.

My Shaman does Enchanting and Herbalism. Enchanting because its something different to do and seem fun to have a enchanter of my own. My Paladin always collect tons of green gear that needs to be disenchanted for dusts so good to have one my own to do my deeds. Plus he can enchant his own stuff. So his enchanting is about 250+ so in line with leveling at his level. But Enchanting is rather expensive to level as I remember all the nice green stat gear he has disenchanted so far for dusts and mats to lvl up. Most all from stuff he collects on drops or a main quick dungeon run for green gear. Herbalism is about 265+ and mainly well its fun picking flowers as low impact gathering for expensive herbs. Not much else to say there.

So until them just rolling through the levels on my Shaman. At least 2 levels a day for steady progress if I can and just having fun at it. I like doing things at a steady rate of progress that's just me. But it also what I tend to focus on if I'm doing something like that as well. So its less time blogging and more time being busy at what I need to do. Afteral your not playing a whole lot if your too busy writing and not busy playing the game making progress!

I keep reminding myself daily, have fun playing the game. Having headaches is too much for a game to deal with.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Faction Pride, FOR THE HORDE!

Seems quite many people seem to be excited about Blizzard announcement that you can maybe change your faction. Possibly coming soon, whenever that is.

So people seem to be quite excited about switching faction and more unbeliveably changing races. You know that alliance character I've been playing I'm tired of it, I want to become a Tauren. No wait I really want to switch my gnome to a Orc and join the Horde. And when I get sick of those horde people I want to switch back and join the alliance.

I could believe allot of things. How the hell does a person of one race get completely switched into another. How does a Tauren go on a diet and suddenly become a Gnome or vice versa? I could more believe that a person somehow defect from the alliance or horde and somehow switch factions through some quest or something like that. All of a sudden BE's wana be Gnomes and join the alliance. That's nuts! Blizzard seem to be opening a can of worms with these changes and faction balance issues. They should be conquences for committing such treason.

Where is your faction pride! To whom do you pledge your loyalty?

This service will be fun it seem for many to indulge in. I'm as likely to join them evil alliance as I'm likely to walk on the frozen surface of the sun. Buddy it aren't happening! On some thing I aren't wavering even for a game. I love my faction. I'm for the Horde all the way to the core! That pledge is air tight.

I'll knock Galo upside the head with something real blunt and put him in a permanent coma before he ever gets and grand idea of joining the alliance.

That's my faction pride! I'm FOR THE HORDE! Always have and always will be.

Has there ever been any doubt.

Where is your Faction Pride?