I'm not going into detail today as I'm preparing posts for both Thursday and Friday about things such as 9k average Drain Soul tics, affliction warlock and frost dk specs, and my initial raid impressions, but I wanted to share a short first impression.
For Warlocks: I have a spec I really like, I will publish it probably tomorrow, and I'm raiding tonight to really give it the true test. With half of my addons still broken (including my all-important DoT timer and necrosis), I don't think I'm playing at full strength yet. We ran a ten man VoA last night (even attempting the new boss a few times) to get the hang of things, and so far I'm not sure. It certainly doesn't look like an overall buff. If anything my damage dropped or stayed the same. It's hard to tell right away. The rotation is definitely simpler though, almost to the point where I don't like it because I feel like I'm constantly missing things that need to be updated (part of that is probably due to my DoT timers being borked). More on this after I run a full 25-man Naxx raid tonight.
For DPS DKs: I basically kept my Frost DPS build with a slight PvP slant. I added PS to my rotation. I'll be publishing this spec and such on Friday probably. So far it feels like a nerf, but that was to be expected. I think it is an appropriate nerf, as before I felt I was doing far more damage than my crappy gear warranted. Now, I think its about right, and I get to keep most of the skills I enjoyed. I'm still running a 2H build as I just have better weapons for that right now. I probably won't get a good test of this spec in a raid environment for a bit.
The posts for tomorrow and Friday will probably both be large, and then I may refine them with subsequent posts, but I want to get the information out there to build on. I definitely love to hear feedback from the community, so feel free to drop a comment off if you see me doing something dumb :-).
CYOA is coming up shortly... hope you enjoy my little creative writing jaunt.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
3.1 Warlocky Patch Notes
Labels: Patch 0 comments
Darraxus the Warrior is my hero for reproducing the Patch Notes in their entirety... here are the aff'lock ones for your viewing pleasure in their raw form. For other classes, feel free to visit his site.
Warlocks
Banish: Now has a 6-second PvP duration.
Curse of the Elements (Rank 5): Increased to 13% spell damage, up from 10%.Curse of Recklessness has been removed.
Curse of Weakness: Now also reduces the armor of the target by 5%.
Drain Soul: Each time Drain Soul deals damage to a target which can grant experience, it now has a chance to generate a Soul Shard.
Enslave Demon: Spell haste penalty reduced by 10%. Melee haste penalty reduced by 10%.
Doomguard: Cooldown reduced to 30 minutes, down from 60 minutes. Damage reduced approximately 30%, and health reduced approximately 30%.
Warlocks now innately have an increased 10% spell hit chance on the Enslave Demon spell.
Fire Shield (Imp): You can now cast this ability on raid members, rather than party members.
Ritual of Summoning: The summoning of the initial portal is now instant cast, down from 5 seconds.
Soul Shard: This item now has a maximum count of 32 in inventory.
Voidwalker: The health bonus on this pet has been reduced from 60% to 10%.
Talents
Affliction
Eradication: Whenever you deal damage with Corruption, you have a 6% chance to gain the Eradication effect. The Eradication effect increases your spell casting speed by 6/12/20% for 10 seconds. Internal cooldown removed.
Haunt: Now only increases your shadow damage-over-time spells on the target.
Malediction: No longer increases the effect of Curse of the Elements, but now also increases the periodic critical strike chance of your Corruption and Unstable Affliction spells by 3/6/9%.
Pandemic: This talent has been reduced to a 1-point talent. Now grants your Corruption and Unstable Affliction the capability to critically hit.
Shadow Embrace: Now only increases the damage done by your shadow damage periodic spells.
Siphon Life: The Siphon Life spell has been removed. Siphon Life now causes your Corruption spell to instantly heal you for 40% of the damage done. In addition, the damage done by your Corruption, Seed of Corruption and Unstable Affliction damage-over-time effects is increased by 5%.
Soul Siphon redesigned: Increases the amount drained by your Drain Life and Drain Soul spells by an additional 3/6% for each of your Affliction effects on the target, up to a maximum of 9/18% additional effect.
Suppression: Now increases spell hit for all of your spells.Unstable Affliction and Immolation are now in the same exclusive category (both damage- over- time effects cannot be present at the same time by the same caster on a target).
Warlocks
Banish: Now has a 6-second PvP duration.
Curse of the Elements (Rank 5): Increased to 13% spell damage, up from 10%.Curse of Recklessness has been removed.
Curse of Weakness: Now also reduces the armor of the target by 5%.
Drain Soul: Each time Drain Soul deals damage to a target which can grant experience, it now has a chance to generate a Soul Shard.
Enslave Demon: Spell haste penalty reduced by 10%. Melee haste penalty reduced by 10%.
Doomguard: Cooldown reduced to 30 minutes, down from 60 minutes. Damage reduced approximately 30%, and health reduced approximately 30%.
Warlocks now innately have an increased 10% spell hit chance on the Enslave Demon spell.
Fire Shield (Imp): You can now cast this ability on raid members, rather than party members.
Ritual of Summoning: The summoning of the initial portal is now instant cast, down from 5 seconds.
Soul Shard: This item now has a maximum count of 32 in inventory.
Voidwalker: The health bonus on this pet has been reduced from 60% to 10%.
Talents
Affliction
Eradication: Whenever you deal damage with Corruption, you have a 6% chance to gain the Eradication effect. The Eradication effect increases your spell casting speed by 6/12/20% for 10 seconds. Internal cooldown removed.
Haunt: Now only increases your shadow damage-over-time spells on the target.
Malediction: No longer increases the effect of Curse of the Elements, but now also increases the periodic critical strike chance of your Corruption and Unstable Affliction spells by 3/6/9%.
Pandemic: This talent has been reduced to a 1-point talent. Now grants your Corruption and Unstable Affliction the capability to critically hit.
Shadow Embrace: Now only increases the damage done by your shadow damage periodic spells.
Siphon Life: The Siphon Life spell has been removed. Siphon Life now causes your Corruption spell to instantly heal you for 40% of the damage done. In addition, the damage done by your Corruption, Seed of Corruption and Unstable Affliction damage-over-time effects is increased by 5%.
Soul Siphon redesigned: Increases the amount drained by your Drain Life and Drain Soul spells by an additional 3/6% for each of your Affliction effects on the target, up to a maximum of 9/18% additional effect.
Suppression: Now increases spell hit for all of your spells.Unstable Affliction and Immolation are now in the same exclusive category (both damage- over- time effects cannot be present at the same time by the same caster on a target).
ZOMG 3.1
Labels: Death Knight, Patch, Sequence, warlocky 14 comments
So it looks like I'll probably be playing EVE tonight ;-p.
If, by some previously unforseen stroke of luck, the servers are all working tonight, I will be speccing and trying out the new stuff. Tomorrow is CYOA day, so look for impressions on Thursday regardless of the status tonight. Wednesday night we raid anyways, so that'll be the "field test".
For Affliction Warlocks: Don't believe all the negative hype. We've always been better than it. Check the final patch notes, but we're probably moving to a five spell rotation to look something like this: Corr, Haunt, SB, UA, (curse)... refresh as needed. I always lead off with Corr while I'm getting set up, otherwise its good to put H and SB first for the embrace effect. Curse choice is completely still based on situations, sometimes I don't even use it on trash (if it's not going to live for >20s, it's probably not worth it, IMO). If you had points in the destro tree for SB spell hit, you may be able to move them around now. I'd suggest looking to improve your bolts in the destro tree with any extra points you have laying around, as I think we're going to be more dependant on them as filler. Don't freak out when SL is gone and you get healed by Corruption. (More specifics after I see the official notes and get to try it out)
For Frost DPS DKs: We're screwed pretty much from what is expected to hit. I'm going to try and figure out something where I can still use howling blast and frost strike along with IT in a rotation because I like them. It may or may not be top DPS viable. Expect wailing and grinding of teeth here. If all else fails... I'll go back to blood.
I haven't yet seen official notes and probably won't until after work since everything is blocked, so I can't say I know all the implications for sure, only what trends I've seen on the PTR with what it seems Blizz "wants to do". I think its obvious Affliction 'locks will get some DoTs removed from the rotation and will see increased shadow bolt usage. We may even be enticed to pull out some new pets. Be ready for your numbers to take an initial dip, but I think we'll figure it out. Also, don't be scared when all the destro and demo fanboys run back to their trees :-). The DK changes, on the other hand, are just too gigantic to wrap you mind around. Basically, DKs have been OP as we all know, and they're going to get reigned in and refined a bit. They're still a young class, so cut Blizz some slack. Look for the Frost talents to be slimmed down to be pointed more towards tanking and DW builds, though I'd still like to work some stuff out with 2 handers (they just seem to be easier to get).
My raiding outlet is just getting ramped up in 25-man Naxx, so we're probably still a ways off from Ulduar. I'll be looking for some of the best approaches and maybe getting a 10-man group going soon. I can't wait for my first look at it, though I'm sure others will be completely done by then.
It's 10AM... is anyone else ready to be done with work for the day and go home to sit at a loading screen? Or watch that site that tells you if the servers are up or down (yep, blocked at work)? Fuu, plan on ordering out tonight ;-).
If, by some previously unforseen stroke of luck, the servers are all working tonight, I will be speccing and trying out the new stuff. Tomorrow is CYOA day, so look for impressions on Thursday regardless of the status tonight. Wednesday night we raid anyways, so that'll be the "field test".
For Affliction Warlocks: Don't believe all the negative hype. We've always been better than it. Check the final patch notes, but we're probably moving to a five spell rotation to look something like this: Corr, Haunt, SB, UA, (curse)... refresh as needed. I always lead off with Corr while I'm getting set up, otherwise its good to put H and SB first for the embrace effect. Curse choice is completely still based on situations, sometimes I don't even use it on trash (if it's not going to live for >20s, it's probably not worth it, IMO). If you had points in the destro tree for SB spell hit, you may be able to move them around now. I'd suggest looking to improve your bolts in the destro tree with any extra points you have laying around, as I think we're going to be more dependant on them as filler. Don't freak out when SL is gone and you get healed by Corruption. (More specifics after I see the official notes and get to try it out)
For Frost DPS DKs: We're screwed pretty much from what is expected to hit. I'm going to try and figure out something where I can still use howling blast and frost strike along with IT in a rotation because I like them. It may or may not be top DPS viable. Expect wailing and grinding of teeth here. If all else fails... I'll go back to blood.
I haven't yet seen official notes and probably won't until after work since everything is blocked, so I can't say I know all the implications for sure, only what trends I've seen on the PTR with what it seems Blizz "wants to do". I think its obvious Affliction 'locks will get some DoTs removed from the rotation and will see increased shadow bolt usage. We may even be enticed to pull out some new pets. Be ready for your numbers to take an initial dip, but I think we'll figure it out. Also, don't be scared when all the destro and demo fanboys run back to their trees :-). The DK changes, on the other hand, are just too gigantic to wrap you mind around. Basically, DKs have been OP as we all know, and they're going to get reigned in and refined a bit. They're still a young class, so cut Blizz some slack. Look for the Frost talents to be slimmed down to be pointed more towards tanking and DW builds, though I'd still like to work some stuff out with 2 handers (they just seem to be easier to get).
My raiding outlet is just getting ramped up in 25-man Naxx, so we're probably still a ways off from Ulduar. I'll be looking for some of the best approaches and maybe getting a 10-man group going soon. I can't wait for my first look at it, though I'm sure others will be completely done by then.
It's 10AM... is anyone else ready to be done with work for the day and go home to sit at a loading screen? Or watch that site that tells you if the servers are up or down (yep, blocked at work)? Fuu, plan on ordering out tonight ;-).
Monday, April 13, 2009
A Case of The Mondays
Labels: Death Knight, Fun, Holidays 4 comments
Last week Stop recommended the Mirror of Truth trinket for its 1000AP boost. I wanted to point out that there is another similar trinket at the PvP vendor in Wintergrasp, the Titan's Anvil. It is pretty much the same 1000AP boost with some resilience added on. Good stuff, especially if you're not badge heavy.
No one raids on Easter. We tried, but not enough people. 25-man Naxx continues tonight. *shrug*
I get the day after Easter off as a corporate holiday. *doubleshrug*
Wednesday will be story time here as I continue the "Create Your Own Azeroth" series. If you haven't seen any of them yet, the first installment can be found here. Every Wednesday, the next part should show up on the site that was tagged. This week it is me, so be ready for some story telling goodness to show up on Wednesday. I'm going to try and work on that today.
Also, don't be surprised if the patch comes out tomorrow or next Tuesday. Rumor has it that those are the likely dates.
Otherwise, not much else going on around these parts. Got any warlocky or Death Knight questions? Now would be a good time to shoot them my way :-D.
No one raids on Easter. We tried, but not enough people. 25-man Naxx continues tonight. *shrug*
I get the day after Easter off as a corporate holiday. *doubleshrug*
Wednesday will be story time here as I continue the "Create Your Own Azeroth" series. If you haven't seen any of them yet, the first installment can be found here. Every Wednesday, the next part should show up on the site that was tagged. This week it is me, so be ready for some story telling goodness to show up on Wednesday. I'm going to try and work on that today.
Also, don't be surprised if the patch comes out tomorrow or next Tuesday. Rumor has it that those are the likely dates.
Otherwise, not much else going on around these parts. Got any warlocky or Death Knight questions? Now would be a good time to shoot them my way :-D.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter
Labels: Holidays 0 comments
From us here at KeS to you and yours: Happy Easter.
We hope the holiday finds you happy, healthy, and with those you love.
We hope the holiday finds you happy, healthy, and with those you love.
Friday, April 10, 2009
3.1 Toon Preview Brought To You By Fear.Win
Labels: Death Knight, DK Spec, Patch, Specs, warlocky 1 comments
Abi has questions... we've got answers...
For Fulguralis:
For Fulguralis:
- What spec are you currently? - Let me look... oh right, Affliction. Deep Affliction. To the tune of 63/0/8. I picked up only Bane and Cataclysm in the Destro tree for the obvious benefits. Other than that... straight affliction baby.
- How long have you used this spec and why did you choose it? - I've been Affliction since day one, almost a year and half ago now. I love my spec, no doubt about it. I'd have to say it was fate. When leveling, those talents just appealed to me, so I put the points there. Since then, I've tried other classes and specs and just never liked any of them as much.
- What are you most unhappy with in your current spec? - Like most aff'locks, I get upset that my DPS takes such a large hit from any interruption due to its complexity. However, I don't want to QQ to the extent that we lose our identity, since the complexity is part of what I like about it. It's a double edged dagger and we'll see how it turns out in 3.1. I also wish I didn't feel so useless on short lived trash. I'd love to have a bursty AoE like an arcane explosion only totally full of shadow and win.
- What spec will you be taking in 3.1? - I will be going with the same one. I was Affliction when it wasn't cool, I will always be Affliction.
- If you plan on dual speccing, what will be your offspec? - I'm going to muck around with a Meta/Ruin spec for PvP and perhaps PvE trash fun. Mostly I just want to be able to turn into a demon to scare people before I get clothie squished in BG's and such. I want to dual spec just to be able to play with my "non-raid" spec.
- What spec are you currently? - Frost, 18/53/0. I love the bursty AoE damage of Howling Blast and the simplicity of the spec. Plus I feel like I have a lot of utility in a PvP environment as a DK in general, but also with my Frost talents. I also picked up some of the useful Blood ones.
- How long have you used this spec and why did you choose it? - I changed from Blood about two levels before 80 because I had tried out a Frost spec on another server and loved it. I may go back to Blood after the patch (it may ruin my Frost build), as I really liked that spec too.
- What are you most unhappy with in your current spec? - Not too much, it's a great facerolling spec that allows me to do damage far above my gear level. I'm sure that's why it is getting nerfed in 3.1. I guess we'll see.
- What spec will you be taking in 3.1? - I'm going to try to salvage some sort of Howling Blast inclusive Frost spec first, then maybe go to Blood if its completely borked.
- If you plan on dual speccing, what will be your offspec? - I'll probably set up a tanking build for the utility aspect.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
3.1 Off-spec: What are you rollin with?
Labels: Pally Power 4 comments
Since Abigore over at Fear.Win is trying to figure out some fun facts about his readers and about the upcoming patch, I figured that I might as well humor him. Even though I’m a Paladin and not a snot nosed ‘lock, I will answer his questions none the less.
1) What spec are you currently?
I am currently running with the 5-60-6 build and I really enjoy it. It gives me everything that I need to mitigate a TON of damage while cause gobs of threat.
2) How long have you used this spec and why did you choose it?
Ever since I rolled my paladin, I’ve been Prot specced. Paladins have had their fair share of buffs & nerfs so of course there have been many respeccs. I’ve stayed with this build ever since WotLK.
3) What are you most unhappy with in your current spec?
To be honest, I am completely happy with my spec. I have the ability to Main Tank anything in Naxx (10-25 man) without too much fuss. I have plenty of “Oh S*%$” buttons at my disposal to get through enrages or times when the healer needs help. The only thing that I would really enjoy would be some sort of Silence for Caster pulls but I will be receiving that with 3.1. My Avengers Shield will be Silencing anything that I hit (well obviously if it’s not resisted or what not).
4) What spec will you be taking in 3.1?
Since I’m horribly in love with tanking, I will continue to tank throughout the rest of Fuubaar’s Wow career. I know that my tree is getting a makeover so I will probably be messing around with that for a while.
5) If you plan on dual speccing, what will be your offspec?
This will be the hardest question to answer. I know that I will probably dual spec some sort of Ret/Holy concoction that I can use in Raid for DPS when we don’t need me as a tank but I can off heal if the healers need a hand. I also like to PvP so maybe I’ll bring back the Shockidan? Who knows… I’m just excited that I get to be useful when an extra tank isn’t needed in a fight. I will definitely keep you up to date on my findings to my pursuit to the perfect off-spec for me.
Fulguralis will most likely make a post about this as well so I image when he wakes up, you will find his answers as well.
(Edit from Ful: I take no responsibility for Fuu's "snot nosed" comment. Please send all severed heads with attn:Fuubaar on them please. I'll use them for fun after she's be thoroughly grossed out. Also, look for my answers to pop up tomorrow.)
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