Project Lore

[caption id="attachment_9044" align="alignright" width="299" caption="So Long, And Thanks For All The Bleeds"][/caption] One of the thing's that has drawn me to healing is that the role offers many tactical decisions.  Spamming this or that ability is fine in the short term, but if an encounter is going to last more than a minute I need to be more mana conscious.  Ghostcrawler recently said that this would become more of an issue in Cataclysm, a decision I cheered.  Rogues are a different cup of tea. A Mutilate rogue's (slightly modified for Patch 3.3, rock a Fan of Knives or a Tricks of the Trade glyph in the last spot) rotation has become even more basic thanks to Patch 3.3 and its blatant disregard for the Rupture ability.  There's simply nothing to think about as far as finishers go, just spam Envenom.  A Rupture-less rotation was possible for Combat rogues previously, but it required quality gear and a high amount of ArPen.  For most players it was a theoretical possibility, not a practical one.  Now everyone and their brother (who's a Paladin) can increase their DPS by ignoring another finisher. Frankly, the removal of Rupture from the normal raiding rotation (you may need a 1-point Rupture to apply Hunger for Blood) annoys me.  Obviously, I can still chose to use the bleed out of principal, but I'd be drastically reducing my DPS.  That's something I tend to avoid.  Until Blizzard comes in and nerfs the Mutilate build - you better believe it's going to get normalized to Combat's output - I am forced to return to the old days of 11112.  Only now it's more like 112 thanks to extra combo points from crits. I don't want to complain about the small modification to my rotation making the game easier, but when tactical decisions are removed I don't know how else to describe it.  Now the only timer I need to watch is HfB's. I'm sure there are many rogues out there wondering exactly what they should be doing in Patch 3.3.  That discussion is outside of my rant, but here's a good ElitistJerks thread detailing the basic mechanics for today's rogue, and another with an incredibly complex spreadsheet. Quick tip for Mutilate rogues Your new rotation after getting Hunger for Blood and Slice and Dice up is: Mutilate (to 4 or 5 points hard) then Envenom.  Rinse and repeat.

[caption id="attachment_9027" align="alignright" width="580" caption="By Contest I Mean Fun With The RNG"][/caption] Remember when I went to PAX and played a little game called Global Agenda?  You'll recall that I enjoyed the game thoroughly.  In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at just how polished and finished the game felt all those months ago.  I've been following the title since then, seeking answers to the questions I originally had, while attempting to score myself beta access.  I have done one better.  I've not only scored myself beta access, but access for a good number of PL readers! If you're interested in shooting me in the face - honestly, why wouldn't you be? - then here's your chance.

• Go to http://www.globalagendagame.com.
• Use referral code "ProjectLore-GABETA" (without the quotes) when registering.
• If you've already registered, simply login, go to "My Account," then go to the Beta Registration tab and update your Referral Code to "ProjectLore-GABETA".

Cross your fingers and hope you're one of the lucky ones.  If you are, you'll receive the pertinent from Hi-Rez Studios tomorrow (Thursday) evening.  That should give you enough time to look over details to the game, select a character, create a payload and download all the necessary files for the Weekend Beta. Good luck, and I'll see you in hell.  Or maybe I'll be healing you to victory.

[caption id="attachment_8982" align="alignright" width="251" caption="The Beginning Of The End"][/caption] Patch day is always a day spent killing time.  We'll chew the fat on Ventrilo, play other games or twiddle our thumbs as we watch out download or install complete, wait for guildies to do the same, or do the return from the dead server resurrection spell.  Basically, a ton of crap can, and usually does, go wrong.  That's why whenever a major patch comes out I write the day off as a complete loss.  Instead of expecting to play, I spend my free time getting in the mindset of the +1 increment to the patch version. I am lucky enough to have a crew of solid players to run the new 5-man dungeon (or the threesome of 5-mans if you look at it that way) with.  But like the 101st Airborne, we've had our sticks spread in the wind.  No more than two people of the large group of friends (each with at least two geared level 80s) are in the same guild.  Before I can begin hunting the Lich King, I must remedy my guild situation by hooking up with one of my many friends.  I can't believe I'll be joining my fourth guild since Wrath of the Lich King launched. Something far more fun to do during the downtime is to learn exactly who this Lich King fellow is.  What did he do to deserve our absolute hatred?  What foul acts did he commit that could join the Horde and Alliance together to fight a common enemy (again)?  If you're scratching your head at the difference between the Lich King, Arthas and Ner'zhul, then you have a lot of reading to do.  Here are some helpful links.

• Arthas Menethil - A quick synopsis from yours truly on Arthas.  It was one of my early articles for PL, coming before Wrath launched, so we have learned a lot more about Arthas since then.
• Arthas Menethil - WoWWiki's article will complete the discussion for you.
• Arthas' & The Lich King's Enemies - A synopsis of who has beef with the frosty one.  This article leads perfectly to...
• How Do You Want Arthas To Die? - Should he die?  Then who gets to kill him?  Is Arthas capable of redemption?  Or will his soul be banished forever?
• Arthas: Rise of the Lich King - I'll stop short of reading the novel again, but if you haven't read it already, now is the perfect time to dive into the best Warcraft-branded book.
• Ner'zhul - The original Lich King, betrayer of the Burning Legion and tempter of Arthas.  This orc started it all (and is no longer with us in body or spirit).

A new major content patch doesn't just mean downtime though.  It also means time spent on add-ons.  It doesn't matter if you employee an automatic updating technique or prefer the old method of self-updating, your add-ons are going to break with Patch 3.3.  I'll be scavenging the web for working alternatives or updates to my list of favorite add-ons throughout the day. Now, I may write off today's playtime due to server instability and patching issues, but the Auction House will (likely) be a hotbed of activity.  I'll spend a large portion of my time there, unloading all of the materials that I've been hording, and seeing if Heartbourne is correct in his crafting material estimations. That's actually turned out to be a lot of stuff for one day...I may need two.  What's first on your list?

I don't know about you, but I absolutely love chocolate and peanut butter.  The combination of two of the tastiest forms of caloric intake is pure win.  The sweet and the salty are a perfect menagerie of taste that excite my tongue while soothing hunger pains.  There are only a few things in World of Warcraft that successfully blend two of my loves together, and I stumbled upon one of them last week. I stood there locking down the paladin in the Faction Champions encounter of Trial of the Crusade when I realized that I didn't know the next fight, Twin Val'kyr.  Anub'arak, no problem, but all of the TotC attempts I've made before had ended, or begun, before the ladies had made their appearance.  I owned up to my shortcoming, and asked if there was anything special I needed to do.  A long-time gamer friend of mine simply said "Its [sic] Ikaruga" and left his description at that.  It was all I needed. Ikaruga is one of the newer games in the shoot-em up genre that revitalized the classic video game design.  As a lone spaceship (or if you are good enough, as both spaceships), you are tasked with destroying hordes of bad guys.  Your adversaries can come as stationary and moving targets, as with numerous other titles, but Treasure twisted the classic design on its head by implementing a new mechanic, color coordination.  If your ship is black, then it can absorb black bullets, and deal damage to white targets, and vice versa by flipping your ships color at the push of a button.  Sound familiar?  It should, because it's the exact strategy to killing Eydis and Fjola. The fight is nothing more than a gimmick, but I absolutely loved it.  After my friend dropped me the hint the raid leader gave a full description, but the two words was all I needed.  The fight mirrors the properties central to Ikaruga so closely that there was no learning for me, as DPSer, to do.  I just had to recall the hours lost to the greatest unheard of Dreamcast/Gamecube (now XBLA) game.  From powering up via careful absorption to unleashing the cache in a fury of fire, it was all accounted for in Blizzard's flattering design. The battle with the Val'kyr and the encounter's lifted mechanic saved Trial of the Crusade from being a huge yawn for me.  Now I need to go dig my Gamecube version out of a box and pop it in the Wii.

[caption id="attachment_8883" align="alignright" width="292" caption="How does he have time for a rap career?"][/caption] Being the official forums, people were complaining in them the other day.  With a subject like "I hope Blizzard gets PvE/P right in Cataclysm" I was mildly intrigued, but didn't give the post my seal of approval by responding (I hardly ever do).  The OP's main complaint appears to be with Wrath's state of healing.  More specifically, it is called "a huge cluster-bleep" due to PvE and PvP balancing of heals versus damage. Ghostcrawler agrees with the sentiments. Health pools will be much larger in Cataclysm and healing will be lower. That should help address some of the overly binary feel of PvP and PvE encounters. You'll still be able to kill people as well as be able to heal them. The pace will just be a little slower and both healing and killing should require more than 1-2 buttons. Here's how those health pools will become much larger, as promoted by GC himself. My knee jerk reaction is "awesome."  One of my main issues with WoW PvP has always been that it's over before it even starts.  With a larger health pool we should be able to be more tactical in our choices.  Cat-like reflexes and ganking will still be huge advantages, but it sounds like a keen mind will become more useful.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll get back on the PvP bandwagon (add collision detection and I'd be there in a heartbeat). The implications in PvE are just as dazzling, at least to my rookie healing abilities.  Heals will heal less than they do now, while players will have a larger pool.  The changes are geared towards raising the importance of tank avoidance, healing coordination, efficiency and tactical choices.  In short, Cataclysm shouldn't be about keeping the tank topped off by spamming your largest or fastest heals, but about choosing the correct spell at the right moment. One has to wonder how the modification to our health pools will change potions, enchants and healthstones.  No information was given on the avalanche of tweaks that will have to follow.  This is probably the best place to put the obligatory disclaimer.  This post is about an expansion that's a ways off.  The odds of things changing are fairly high. Overall, Ghostcrawler believes that the changes will slow down the pace of the game.  That's kind of odd though, because all I read was that we'll be getting ponies.  Or was it unicorns?

[caption id="attachment_8877" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption=""][/caption] Blizzard hates when new content kills old content, and with good reason.  If you put hours upon countless hours into something, you want it to be enjoyed for as long as possible.  Few people managed to clear vanilla Naxxramas before The Burning Crusade launched.  This is the reason why Naxxramas returned in Wrath of the Lich King.  Blizzard gated Trial of the Crusader to ensure that players didn't blow through the trash-less content, even with its multiple versions.  Doing so indirectly extended the life of Ulduar.  Icecrown Citadel is being handled a little differently though. Patch 3.3 is approaching fast, allowing various details on the raid to trickle out.  ICC will feature four versions per encounter like TotC, but raid leaders will be able to select the difficulty of the encounter on a per-boss basis.  The culmination in Wrath raiding will feature gated content as well.  However, ICC will be wing gated, meaning there will be multiple bosses (four) per lockout.  That begs the titular question, will ICC kill TotC raiding? I don't think so, and certainly not in the way that Ulduar killed Naxxramas.  The obvious reason is the gating.  Once you clear a wing in 10/25m, it only makes sense to go back to TotC to grab some badges, and possible upgrades that you may be lacking.  I believe that the main reason people will still be raiding TotC so often (or its heroic version, TotGC) won't be because of something Blizzard designed, but because of Patch 3.3 itself.  I am speaking of the flood of users that will return to World of Warcraft to be a part of the Lich King's final days. Every patch is marked by a dramatic increase of Solidsamm's gold deposits returning players, and Patch 3.3 should see an even greater return.  A greater return of under-geared players that are eager to participate in the finale that Icecrown Citadel is to bring.  What better way to gear them up than with quick and easy runs through TotC? What will it be raid leaders?  Are you planning on abandoning TotC as soon as possible, or are you going to farm it as long as a respectable portion of the guild needs the upgrades?

Since the launch of Wrath of the Lich King I've had the unfortunate experience of being a part of four separate guilds.  In my WoW career that makes a total of six, one for vanilla, one for The Burning Crusade and a 400% increase for Wrath.  I joined each of these guilds with at least one high ranking member knowing that I will only raid once, maybe twice a week.  Raiding once or twice a week means I'm not considered a staple raider.  Yet, all but one of the guilds accepted me because I am a "good" raider.  What exactly does that mean? Here's my criteria for being a good raider, in order of importance from most important to least important:

• Accountability - Being accountable is important in raiding, but also real life.  When you say you'll be somewhere, you are there.  When you fail, you take the blame and make sure it doesn't happen again.  When you raid, you have any and all required goods - potions, full durability, gems, enchants and glyphs.
• Listening - There's a reason for the guild ranks.  In an ideal world *cough* the GM and officers are the most knowledgeable members in the guild.  They run it, and the raids, because they know the ins and outs of the game and the encounters.  A good raider will listen to these directions and politely interject if they have a differing opinion or another idea.  They will also grow to respect and trust the skills of other members.
• Technology - A good raider doesn't need a beast of computing, but they need a capable system with a dependable Internet connection (hearkens back to accountability). UI mods fall into this category as well.  Knowing which ones help you the most, don't kill your system and properly configuring them can be an exercise in frustration, but it's an exercise that is expected of you.
• Don't Be A Douche - Pretty self explanatory (I hope).  A healthy raider realizes that they are in a group with 9 to 24 other people.  They realize these other avatars are controlled by other human beings that have feelings, emotions and their own hang-ups.  The setting requires attention, concentration and coordination.  Don't break it by constantly saying your mom jokes, telling people they are "teh gay" or lambasting them for dropping the ball (unless it's a recurring issue, then tough love is acceptable).
• Class/Encounter Knowledge - Knowing your class is good.  Knowing an encounter is important.  Knowing these aren't mutually exclusive skillsets is another thing entirely.  Recognizing how skills and abilities of your class can make the encounter easier is the "skill" that many people are after (ie popping Cloak of Shadows to drop a DoT save healing time and mana, and cleansing time/mana).  Being adaptable to changing conditions - getting a loose mob off a healer even if you may die from it - is another sought after trait.
• The Extra Mile - Missing some of the above criteria?  Then make up for it by going the extra mile when you head into a raid.  Bring extra pots to help healers, level up that cooking so you can drop feasts, fish for feast materials, make sure to have a repair bot (less useful since Patch 3.1), help with guild funding (the in-game bank and IRL expenses), be open to respeccing to fill in holes or make yourself available for heroic farming.
• Enjoy It - Only raid if you enjoy it, otherwise you'll drag people down.

There's no way that every raid leader has the same notion of a good raider.  It's safe to say that the best of them realize that DPS and healing output aren't the only measure of skill.  Don't get me wrong, they are important, but by my standards there's a lot more to raiding than raw output. I'll take the 4.5K DPSing, generous, level-headed player in mediocre gear who's on time and prepared at 7:30PM over 7K DPSing prima donna any day.  What's your criteria?

Raiding isn't an exact science.  Raids run with the same group of raiders, players and classes, every week will see noticeable differences.  People may be sleepy, annoyed, distracted or emotional, all mental states that can easily mess with someone's performance.  Toss some respeccing, gear changes, and pot requirements into the mix and the stew gets thicker.  The final ingredient is the base, which instance your actually running. The new Onyxia takes no more than 20 minutes once the group has buffed, while Ulduar can take a few hours.  Trial of the Crusader is in between and Naxxramas became progressively shorter as the early group of raiders geared up.  With all these variables I've found it increasingly difficult to judge just how long I'll be in a given raid, and that's assuming things go well.  If the guild is off, or I've joined a fail PUG, then I might as well throw darts at a clock to guess when I'll be done. Every participant of a PvE-focused MMORPG knows this.  We know the "risks" of getting in a large group.  We know that an hour can turn in to three very easily.  Try explaining this to an unknowing better half, your mother, or your father that is eagerly waiting for you to try out your new golf clubs with him.  That's why I've come up with a new, possibly revolutionary, philosophy when guessing raid times; just f@&*ing lie. Yes folks, I've begun subscribing to the "white lie" philosophy.  Normally, I never lie, but I can't find a downside to this scheme.  The people I'll lie to don't understand how erratic raiding can be, so I either have to lie (can we just call it exaggerating?) or risk disappointing/annoying them.  Up until recently I've done just that.  "It's TotC honey, should only take me 45 minutes."  Close to two hours later and an angered girlfriend confronts me at the door with a tilted head, a steady glare and an impatient foot tap.  Couch looks comfortable tonight! Isn't it just easier for everyone if they are told it'll take 2-3 hours all the time?  If it comes out to be only an hour then they're happy, and I look like a good guy for working quickly.  Brownie points people, brownie points! From now on, when I say "I'm raiding" it'll mean "you will be lucky to see me before 11:00 PM."  I hate to have to work like this, but there's too many unknowns in raiding to use the best case scenario as a timer.

[caption id="attachment_8815" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Geez, You'd Think The Resale Value Would Be Higher!"][/caption] Reputation farming is a fact of life in World of Warcraft.  Even before Solidsamm, or Solidsagart for that matter, hit level 80 I was already thinking of reputation grinding.  Heck, I was working on Sons of Hodir for both toons before that fateful day came to pass.  After grabbing my head and shoulder enchants I honed in on the one faction that I thought would be worth grinding ASAP, Kirin Tor.  Sure, the Band of the Kirin Tor is only lvl 200, but it was one of the best rings available outside of Naxxramas.  Another bonus is that it was a guaranteed item, no grinding heroics for the chance of winning a roll.  All of that pales in comparison to the rings use effect, a free teleport to Dalaran that is on a unique cooldown timer. There was a catch though.  Actually 8,500 catches, all of them being gold pieces.  The reason Solidsamm had to farm Kirin Tor reputation was for the faction discount.  After dinging exalted with the neutral mages, Solidsamm was able to slid the ring onto his finger for a still-steep sum of 6,800 gold.  Then came Patch 3.1 wit the Inscribed Band, followed by Patch 3.2 and the Etched Band.  Each costing 1000g to upgrade (after faction discount).  Bornakk announced that Patch 3.3 would bring a third, and probably final, update to the costly rings.  Bringing the grand total to a whooping 9,800 gold spent.  Upon hearing the announcement, I asked myself "Was it worth it?" Easily.  I had this debate with a friend when I was going about spending the initial 6,800 gold.  I realized that it'd take me awhile to score a comparable ring from raiding due to them being lusted after by a few classes.  So I spent that initial sack of gold to guarantee Solidsamm's possession of a Naxxramas 10man quality finger adornment.  The same logic followed for each upgrade.  Instead of having to get lucky, I'd plump down another 1,000 gold and have at least one capable ring. The secondary benefit, the use teleport, has been icing on the cake - a cake made of all icing.  The loot is all fine and dandy, but the clincher was the port.  When initially purchased I assumed the ring would become useless as gear, but would offer me quick mode of transportation to Dalaran for as long as I needed it.  It's enabled me to have two hearthstones, one for Dalaran and the other where ever I need to be most frequently.  First it was outside Naxxramas, then it was in Storm Peaks and now its at the Argent Tournament grounds.  Team the band with my not-so-safe transporter, and I can go to any place a level 80 would need to be in a heartbeat.  I'd estimate that I've used the ring a few hundred times, saving me countless minutes, probably hours, of flying. Best piece of gear I have ever purchased. If you didn't plunk down the 6,800 early on, I wouldn't recommend you do it now, unless you're Mr. Moneybags (Solidsagart won't be getting it).  Even though the incoming update will raise the flimsy metallic circle to ilvl 251, you probably won't use it enough to see a gainful return of 9,800 gold.  Who bought in to the mage-crafted bands early on?  Have you continued purchasing the upgrades?  Have any hybrid classes purchased multiple versions for the same toon?

Hey Pixiestixy, I'll tell you why there's so much rogue hate going around, and it's not because of our past deeds.  It's because of me, and other rogues like me.  I've been purposely teasing my opposing faction, the dirty Horde, with my turkified body.  Prancing, gobbling and forming Horde trains as I run freely through the floating city of Dalaran.  Once I've wasted enough of their time, often four or five people are waiting, I'll dispel the buff and allow one, and only one, person to reapply it.  Then I train then some more.  And that's if I'm feeling kind.  Let the in-fighting begin!  Nuts to them if they can't wait, I'm a gnome rogue, one of the not-so-common combinations.  They can love it or go home without the title. Yea, I am being a total jerk, but you know what, that's what they get for constantly killing me while I am farming.  I hardly everQQ about being killed, so I don't want to hear your QQ about my fowl mood.  Actually, that's what they get for allowing that warmongering Garrosh to rise the ranks, aligning himself as the next Warchief. You'll be happy to know that I am being a jerk to the Alliance as well.  In an effort to make them pay for all the gnomists (racism against gnomes) and punting jokes, I've charged for the privilege of shooting me in the face with a bunch of feathers.  If you've got 20 gold to waste, then I'll drop the buff for you.  Otherwise, you better hope to be in my guild, get in one of my heroic, or raid runs to find me sans feathers. I've got about four days left of payback, and I plan on using every minute of it to stand up for my people - the Alliance and the gnome race.  For Gnomeregan!