Time Off...

Hey guys.

I know a number of bloggers have called it quits from the game, and i am not sure if i will be either. i know i just got this blog started, but i did that knowing full well i would be where i am now (South Africa) for the summer working with a mission organization. When i return in August i may pick this back up (along with the game), but it all depends on what life has in store for me next.

if you'd like to learn more about what i am doing, feel free to visit www.tenthousandhomes.org

lazor out!

A Story Told Through Achievements...

Well, i had to admit that i DO like and AM CURRENTLY addicted to achievements for this to even be possible (thanks Kam!). but, i have been thinking about what i've been doing this past week and a half and did not know how to tell a rather boring story without making it, well, boring... so, to spice it up with some ridiculousness, here goes...

I FINALLY got some time in Ulduar as of late and thought the guild was progressing quite nicely for our size and commitment level. i mean, a guild that only has about 20 active players (not counting alts) probably will not roll through in one night. But, we seemed to be making very solid progress, on par with many guilds on our server.






Taking down some of the bosses was quite fun, and picking up random achievements along the way was even better!





Unfortunately some guild issues surfaced and gave us some raid scheduling conflicts, but that was ok because i ended up knocking out two meta achievements with my free time. This, indirectly, took me to some battlegrounds i don't often frequent, so i thought why knock out two birds with one stone





Well, needless to say, with my PvP achievement window open, i realized there had been some pretty easy ones i had neglected while leveling and raiding






Well, holiday's are nice and all, but back to raiding, right? NO! say it isn't so. Guild break up... well, technically the guild is still there, but with the interum GM transferring to another server (fail) that apparently has a higher horde population, along with a couple of my real life friends (social fail!), there is not much left of our small guild. needless to say, i had a lot more free time on my hands...
so i decided to make lemonade out of these lemons...










which also led to me doing a little /flex





but after awhile... once you get used to raiding every couple of days, the boredom sets in, so you begin to have to get creative with how to entertain yourself in a game, i.e.





but atleast it's random and funny right? it could be worse, i could be now settling for getting my kicks from






doh...

all in all, i am getting bored with wow fast because of this. i am contemplating joining another guild, but with only three weeks til the wife and i head out for the entire summer, it seems pretty ridiculous for us to join a guild just to be inactive for two months... choices, choices, choices...

we will see how pugging fares me this weekend. if it doesn't lift my spirits, then i may be taking my break a little earlier than expected (fail!).

Ok, I Lied...

though i basically had decided to leave Noblegarden alone, and thus how i had gathered that Children's Week would also come and go without me giving it a second thought...









This is for two reasons...
1. most of the guild convinced me it would take me 3-4 hours tops.
2. my wife wanted the matron title

with that put out there, hopefully most of you know, "when mamma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" so, i had the pleasure of escorting my wife around the BG's and other areas so we could get our titles. i have to say, it was not that much of a time sink and it is always fun to quest with the wife.

but yes, sorry i lied... maybe i will have a pretty purple proto drake after all...

OHNOES!!! not the Oculus!

Why? why didn't i have the foresight to just do it on heroic in the beginning. i have only completed the Oculus one time, on normal. Now, it is the only thing that stands in the way from Eleazor being crowned a Champion of the Frozen Wastes. I cannot convince anyone in my guild to run it with me for the title, even people who need it as well! though, most ran it once back in the hayday of heroics (literally two months ago)and have vowed to never set foot in it again.

i would say, hands down this is the WORST instance in the game. i think i would rather run Uldaman at proper level, multiple times, before i set foot in this one. there are a number of reasons why i could just do without it... most of this comes from the obvious fact that you ride a dragon through most of it.

the problem isn't that simple though. it's not that i just don't like a gimmick every now and then, sure, thanks for variety blizzard, but seriously... we need to take a dragon around to get from one place to the next, and maybe kill a couple of dragons along the way, ok. but, basing an entire boss fight around it? it's not even a compromise like the Malygos fight where it's based on gear/class skill most of the fight, then you work it in.

that gear/class skill, i think, is my biggest gripe AND the reason i can't get anyone to go with me (or if i do, it's a pug that can't master the whole dragon concept as lots of people have face rolled their way through so many heroics they let their gear compensate for their lack of skill). it's one thing to have me on a dragon, but it's another to say that no matter how good or bad my gear is, nor how good or bad i am as a shaman matters to if i can take down the final boss of an instance. i can only assume that blizzard admitted their mistake when they made the Flame Leviathan in Ulduar a gimmick fight, but had vehicles scale with gear, AND worked in an element of non vehicular combat to it when taking out parts of the FL during the fight. they would probably not admit it outright, but i have to say there would be a number of complaints if a guild walked in with lvl 78 blues and took down the boss of what is considered the toughest instance in the game at present.

anyways, two weeks of trying to get Oculus knocked out with no success (even when it's the daily!) has driven me to nearly pull my hair out... but, as with everything else, it'll come, and it'll be glorious. i have enough RL friends that, once we're all actually online at the same time, we'll get it knocked out. but, even so, still does not excuse the ridiculousness of the final fight...

does anyone out there not see it the same way? i know there are instances that are really tough on heroic, like Ahn'kahet: The Old Kingdom or Azjol-Nerub, but those always seem to me to be more like a challenge to me, not a gimmick.

anyways, that's it for now -- more posting fury soon... keep it real!

Oh yeah, that Tournament Thing...

So much to do... Continuing to get myself and my alts into 10 man Naxx/Maly/OS/VoA runs, and farming, and watching Ulduar Boss video's at tankspot, dailies for various professions, and, oh yeah, wasn't there some type of tournament going on?!

Well, as a self defined "casually hardcore" player, i have found myself with some choices to make. Do i try to knock out two Meta achievements back to back and fill basically all my available time picking up eggs and escorting war-orphaned children into pvp battlegrounds, or... enjoying the game?

I have made a tough decision to enjoy the game instead. I wanted to attempt the grind, but, after taking a look at the "work" involved, i decided to not "work". I know that some things are a grind, and there are rewards for it, but i thought about the fact that i am going to be gone for two months this summer without WoW, meaning i will miss the fire festival and all the achievements that correspond, so my dreams of purple drakes would have to wait another year anyhow. with that bit of info, it was easy to just find some of the new content that i enjoyed...

which leads me to THE ARGENT TOURNAMENT! i was skeptical at first about how gimmick-ey the whole thing would be. would it be a serious content drop worth checking out, or just another grind for people who need more mounts and pets? well, while i do not debate the fact that people will use it for that, i am actually enjoying the lore aspect and the new quests.

I do think the mounted combat is neat, and am really interested in seeing how they can use it for future patches and content. also, it's nice to feel like you are part of something similar (though not nearly on the scale at the moment) as the events that led to the AQ gates being opened. The LORE is a changin' and i am excited to see where it takes me... until then, i do dailies, which have still earned me some achievements on the way.





also, thanks to Zanderfin's Blog, i have pretty much mastered the basic strategy of jousting and earned myself another achievement...




what can i say? i love beating up on allies, i mean, they have it coming after all! hehe. It's also just kind of fun and different at the same time. So, if you haven't taken the time to explore what the Argent Tournament has to offer, i would suggest giving it a shot. i mean, it sure does break up the monotony of profession dalies or the grind of leveling/gearing an alt!

how are you liking the Tournament so far? what do you think Blizzard has in store for it? that is an awful big building we seem to be gathering lumber and stone for, don't ya think?

BOOYAH!!!

straight outta Lord of the Rings!!!

That is all...

3.1 Shaman (Mostly Elemental) Changes

I do not think i have ventured to try to have a line by line break down of my thoughts of a patch yet because Baluki (an elemental shammy) or Kam (over at FlameShock) usually beat me to it and do such a wonderful job that there isn't room for me to comment, but, after this past patch, i feel like i have enough to say to warrant a post, so for all your elemental shamans, here goes some hopefully helpful insight, and some cheap shots to those shamans not smart enough to spec elemental - but all in good fun ;)


(credit to Kam for organizing most of these changes so all i had to do was copy and paste!)

Races: General
- Command (Orc Racial): Applies to shaman pets, and now correctly applies to death knight pets.
Spirit Wolves do get a damage boost... but the real problem is that you are specced enhancement! (j/k)


- Gift of the Naaru (Draenei Racial): The heal has been changed to an
instant-cast heal-over-time.
The only problem bigger than being specced Enhancement, is to be a Draenei; fix those two problems and you will probably be on your way to improving your play as a shaman... aren't i full of myself?

Ok, on to real Feedback...

- Mana Regeneration: The amount of mana regeneration derived from intellect and spirit has been reduced by 40%; however, talents that allow for mana regeneration while in combat have been increased. As a result, in-combat regeneration for classes with those talents will stay the same, while out-of-combat regeneration will be lower.
Now, i do feel that Resto-Shaman's may have a little harder time with the mana regen because of this, i think blizzard has thought it through enough to keep them about where they were -- which is in desperate need of MP5. Elemental Shaman on the other hand, as long as we're criting, we have full mana... If you are an Elemental Shaman and running out of mana in raids, then chances are you are not keeping up water shield or you are missing some very key talents.


- The Shaman’s Fire Elemental and Spirit Wolves, mage’s Water Elemental and Mirror Images, and druid’s Treants have all gained avoidance from area-of-effect damage similar to what warlock and hunter pets already have.
This is probably better for resto and enhancement shammies trying to up the DPS a little. With our spellpower and desire for Totem of Wrath, it is usually either a waste of DPS to have our Fire Elemental out, or it would be easier to just drop a magma totem. Kudos for the change though!

Shaman
- Bloodlust/Heroism: Cooldown reduced to 5 minutes, but Sated and Exhausted now last 10 minutes.
I understand that this was meant to "help" raiders out by making sure BL was available only once per fight, and even though most bosses in Naxx were on a timer, i think they didn't want to have to build in a timer for every boss from here on out, so this was Blizzard's way of hitting BL with the nerf bat while making it sound like a postive thing. all in all, i don't mind, just think there is more to it.


- Earth Elemental Totem: The summoned EarthElemental should now have significantly more health and slightly more armor.
Having a little buddy you can pull out of your pocket to keep you from dying is awesome. the ability to heal him and have him reasonably tank elie mobs only makes soloing as a shaman that much more versatile!


- Fire Elemental Totem: The summoned Fire Elemental should now have moderately more health and mana, and its damage scaling has been increased. In addition, the Fire Elemental’s spells now cost less mana.
This seems to just be a good change for us all over. They might actually be able to keep mana long enough that they warrant a heal every now and then to keep them up, wehre as before once it had blown all it's mana in 10 sec, it was really just floating around taking up space.


- Flametongue Weapon: Bonus damage from spell power now based on weapon speed. Slower weapons will benefit more from spell power.
i still claim that if i was an enhancement shaman i would carry around a 2H axe... oh, the novelty!


- Frostbrand Weapon: Damage increased by approximately 20%.
This does indeed look like a PVP buff, and in general, i have noticed that Blizzard will do most anything when some ability of a class isn't used by any spec, and heck, when is the last time anyone has used FB weapon?


- Mana Spring Totem: This totem has been redesigned. It now provides the same mana benefit as Blessing of Wisdom to the entire party or raid, but is exclusive with that effect.
This is great because you either improve your mana regen solo or in small parties, or you are able to allow fewer pallies in a raid stick to the other blessings


- Poison Cleansing Totem and Disease Cleansing Totem have been merged into Cleansing Totem. Cleansing Totem pulses every 3 seconds, down from 5.
Thank you... it is nerve racking to sit in an arena and wonder which will suck more, DK diseases or Rogue poison...

- Talents - Elemental

New Talent: Booming Echoes: Reduces the cooldown of your Flame Shock and Frost Shock spells by an additional 1/2 seconds, and increases the direct damage done by your Flame Shock and Frost Shock spells by an additional 10/20%.
I feel that this isn't a mandatory talent, but i don't see what you would skip it for unless you wanted improved shields. but then again, we don't really need more mana regen, so... why not take more direct PvE damage? Frost Shock doesn't help a whole lot as we are mainly just keeping up Flame Shock for Lava Burst, but, i have noticed that when i am moving and i already have Flame Shock up, i make a point to use Frost Shock instead of Earth Shock for a filler spell.


Elemental Mastery redesigned: When activated, your next Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning or Lava Burst spell becomes an instant cast spell. In addition, your Fire, Frost and Nature damage spells have a 15% increased critical strike chance for 15 seconds. Elemental Mastery now shares a cooldown with Nature’s Swiftness.
I understand the change again, but still, i am not sure what the problem was. I can live without an instant cast spell (unless i am in PvP). my best guess is that PvPers were pissed they lost their guaranteed instant crit, and PvEers didn't want to give up the crity buff. i know that it doesn't guarantee a crit, but i have been using a macro with this and Lava Burst so it activates and i get an instant Lava Burst crit and all my following LB/CL casts will benefit from the buff.


Elemental Reach: Now also increases the range of your Flame Shock spell by 5/10/15 yards.
Just moves this ability to another talent that you should be using anyways.


Lava Flows: No longer increases the range of your Flame Shock spell, but now increases your casting speed by 10/20/30% when your Flame Shock spell is dispelled for 6 seconds.
This is still a mandatory talent, even though the side effect is a PvP benefit. Well, until they have bosses that realize that if they had decurse they could win, hehe.


Lightning Overload: Reduced to 3 points (7/14/20%), down from 5.
More points to put into Booming Echoes


Storm, Earth and Fire: No longer increases the range of your Earth Shock or Wind Shock spells, but now also causes your Earthbind Totem to have a 33/66/100% chance to root all nearby enemies for 5 seconds when initially cast.
This stinks for those of you who were happy to be able to spell interrupt from a greater distance (mainly in PvP), but i would say that the rooting ability = more crowd control = teh winzorz! so less QQ and more PewPew! in PvE, i have yet to be able to test this on puppy chow in naxx


Thunderstorm can now be cast while stunned.
Up yours rogues...

- Talents - Restoration

Just a word of warning: I have been dual specced to resto for 1 whole week now, so be gentle...

Ancestral Awakening: This talent now accounts for your ineffective healing, rather than effective.
This will make this finally a viable thing to use. Before when i tried this out, i wondered why i wasted the points.


Ancestral Healing and Healing Grace have swapped places in the Restoration talent tree.
Completely done to help out shaman's in arena/PvP


Cleanse Spirit now has a new icon.
i guess...


Mana Tide Totem: This spell no longer costs mana.
i actually thought they would make a glyph to do this, similar to Paladin's Glyph of the Wise, but even better!

Restorative Totems: Reduced to 3 points, down from 5. Increases the effect of your Mana Spring Totem by 7/12/20%, and increases the amount healed by your Healing Stream Totem by 15/30/45%.
Less points for the same or greater effect has always been a good thing. Healing stream can always be handy in fights like Sapphiron where small amounts of samage are taken over the course of a fight


Riptide: This spell has a new icon.
and it looks stupid... unless you are a fan of that goo from Ghostbuster's II


Tidal Force: Now has a new spell effect.
and i think it may change again


Items - Glyphs - Shaman
Glyph of Earth Shield: Increases the amount healed by your Earth Shield by 20%.
I will be using this on my resto build -- i can't think of a reason not to

Glyph of Feral Spirit: Your spirit wolves gain an additional 30% of your attack power.
enhancement? really...?

Glyph of Hex: Increases the damage your Hex target can take before the Hex effect is removed by 20%.
if i PvPed more maybe i would remember where this way on my bar... as it stands, i almost forgot i was excited about getting hex at one point in my shaman life. even if i did use hex... ever... then this strikes me as not worth it, even in PvP

Glyph of Riptide: Increases the duration of Riptide by 6 seconds.
I have read mixed reviews on this one. It sounds like a good idea, but i have yet to see one resto shaman with this equipped over other glyphs available

Glyph of Stoneclaw Totem: Your Stoneclaw Totem also places a damage absorb shield on you, equal to 4 times the strength of the shield it places on your totems.
seems nearly mandatory for PvP

Glyph of Thunder: Reduces the cooldown on Thunderstorm by 7 seconds.
i have not given PvP much time due to elemental's being pretty worthless outside of 5 mans, especially after Thunderstorm was a flop (except when defending the lumbermill in AB or guarding the flag in EoE - woooohooo!), but now with being able to be used while stunned and a slower cooldown, i might just give it a go. a must for an elemental PvPer

Glyph of Totem of Wrath: When you cast Totem of Wrath, you gain 30% of the totem's bonus spell power for 5 minutes.
I saw this and have given it serious consideration. Right now we have two raiding elemental shamans in the guild and i hardly ever have to drop ToW, but this would give me a reason to. i am still not convinced that it would be better than Glyph of Lightning Bolt, but i think i might try it in the next week or two (or just go to elitist jerks and see what the numbers come out to!).

Cleanse Spirit is now properly in the Nature spell school.
i need less things in the nature school... this sucks

Tremor Totem: Now correctly pulses every 3 seconds, up from 1 second.
/sigh. oh well...

- Racials
Blood Fury: The tooltip on the attack power version of this ability will now tell how much attack power it grants to the orc.
Ever since Blood Fury has not given a healing reduction debuff, i have popped this like candy.


Anyways, i hope this has been remotely helpful -- feel free to leave me comments or email me with any questions!