I’m a Hunter. The hard thing to adjust to is that my pet doesn’t actually do anything aggro-wise, since real people are smarter than mobs. 
Also, the camping for the TLPD is taking it’s toll. I’m afraid to keep the volume too low/cutting the ambient sounds and missing NPCScan, so the sound of my drake flapping its wings haunts my every waking hour. I’ve only seen Vyragosa twice.
But how do you talk trash about your brainless DPS without a healer channel? 
Gratz 
90% of the time I start a fight with my target already targetted; many times it doesn’t matter which specific mob I’m targetting (for example the worms in Magmaw: my traps affect all of them, and so does my AoE so long as I have one in my sights - which one does not matter). If I’m single-targetting, I only need to know the threat on one mob; if I’m AoEing (specially since the changes to hunter AoE), that’s pretty much a matter of knowing my threat on the mob I’m actually targetting (the other ones will be getting less damage, therefore less threat).
I missed a raid recently. The following raid we had two tanks: one I’ve been playing with for years, the other one who barely knows me. The “new” one remarked on how smoothly this raid had gone compared with the previous one, the “old” one said “that’s because we have The Queen of MD here”. I use MD pretty much as often as it’s available, it’s a beautiful skill.
I do have problems with threat occasionally when I’m playing an alt who’s been getting a lot of upgrades recently or get a tank who’s working through his kinks: it rarely takes me more than two trash pulls to adjust the rotation/used skills list so I don’t overaggro (for example, since the warrior DPSs as Arms, the first option is “Miniblender of Death Y/N?” - for the mage, “AoE Y/N?”).
You don’t like playing without plates, I don’t like playing with them. Isn’t it nice of Blizz to make both options available?
I’m starting to enjoy PvP, which kind of worries me - the last time I enjoyed PvP, it was when my rogue was little, and I’d go to the Basin and just sneaksneaksneak and cap the places around the map while everybody else cussed each other’s ancestry at the Blacksmith 
Yesterday I’d been ignoring the big fights in favor of dropping siege machines at every tower, along with a rogue who’d seen me and joined in, and then suddenly some genius said “attack the towers!”
Almost simultaneously “suchandsuch tower has been damaged”
And the rogue says “we have, look at the map”
Got 45 exalted reps this morning (Tol Barad) and have a bunch more pretty close.
Our GM is leaving to work on having a life, which is no surprise really (she recently got a job, and one which I reckon to be a very good fit, and has two tweens and a younger kid and a husband whose patience has understandably run thin) but still 
I think that attempt was only the second time we got him to the 20% point…we were not ready at ALL for it (he was in the middle of Feud at the time). We actually kinda do this wrong, as I’m the only tank on the fight. Judicious use of cooldowns has helped me, but next time through I’m saving Argent Defender just for this.
Wolkenlaufre isn’t synced on Warhead, but a sync was requested?
Not sure why he and his gear don’t appear.
WoW also says he’s missing the “eternal belt buckle”, another high-priced item?
Can’t get on due to the patch, but might this be available as an AH item or does it come from a smith?
Also, I have 18 of those Valiant medallions from Argent. When I get all 25, do I get a title?
I still go to Argent (Icecrown - the valley of the fallen) to farm those spider web cloths.
Thanks
Q
So after a round of the BDL pitching in last night to get my mage some decent 333+ gear, I still feel like I’m underperforming. I think I only hit 4.5k DPS in Tol’Vir last night, while everyone else was barreling along at 7k+. Admittedly I have only shoulder and leg enchants, and for someone with Inscription I have a woeful lack of glyphs, which I need to correct tonight. I also need to run through Hyjal for the head enchant; at least that will be a good deal easier than slogging through the high-end enemies in Twilight Highlands (it doesn’t seem fair that level 85 enemies should still have increasing HP pools :mad:).
Out of curiosity, I got my second spec up to date as a cookie-cutter Fire build and tested both on a Raider-level training dummy. As Frost, I topped out at 6.2k DPS, and as Fire I only managed 6.0k. I figure that’s because I’m more familiar with playing Frost, but damn Fire seems tricky.
Fire’s gonna be pretty dependent on crit still, from what I’ve seen (My mage, used to be my raiding main, is only 81 at the moment). Your goal is usualy a fairly high crit % in order to keep getting hotstreaks, and then hitting combustion after a big pyroblast crit.
Yeah, that sounds about right. I was firing off Fireballs for a long damn time before Hot Streak finally procced. I usually don’t worry about crit too much since Frost inflates it so much, but I think it’s currently hovering around 15%. I’m still changing out gear so often that it’s tough to track.
The key to fire dps is proper use of combustion. If you don’t have the addon combustion helper, you need to get it, otherwise you’re playing fire with a hand tied behind your back.
You will need to pop combustion when you have a big ignite rolling on the target and at least living bomb is up (which it should be at all times). Preferably, a pyroblast will be ticking on the target, too, but in the time it takes to cast a pyrobloast (even a hot-streak pyroblast!) your big ignite might fall off. You need Combustion Helper so you can watch the numbers, get a feel for what’s a “big” number for you, and pop combustion then.
For now, haste is slightly more valuable than crit, because of ignite munching and the fact that critting dots will cause lower ignites to roll over your bigger ones. After the next patch and dot crits no longer proc ignite, this will probably change.
I was reading about Ignite munching on EJ and thinking maybe it’d just be simpler to stick with Frost for now, since the lower DPS isn’t as important in dungeons as in raids. Once that’s fixed, I’ll probably take a harder look at using Fire for groups.
Am I a dork for just now ordering both Alliance and Horde window stickers for our car? I play toons on both factions.
Thanks
Q
The mail caster leg gear dropped for my resto shammy in Ramparts last night (about my 8th run of Ramps) and I’ll make the following observations:
- BC gear is still really ugly, and doesn’t match anything else
- I hate non-cloth gear that looks like a dress
- BC gear with 3 WotLK gems = OP (not that I’m complaining)
Me, I kinda like Wolkie’s “coat of many colors”(armor, I mean). I recently bought him the Alliance doublet off a vendor at the Argent Tournament. You can see it a little in front and back of his armor. I wish that WoW gave one a choice in tabard length, though. It’d be nice if they were doublet-length, so the toon wouldn’t look like he’s wearing a skirt. I leave the helm and cloak off his view because he does look dorky (in the helm - like it’s sitting ON TOP of his head, rather than enclosing/protecting it) in them.
His axe was a gift from an in-game friend, and boy that thing looks fancy. My wife says that if he walks around with that thing he’d better know how to use it!
Q
I think that’s the thing that adds a gem slot to your belt. Not sure who makes them, possibly blacksmiths. You can buy them on the AH. I think there may be at least two types of them, with item level restrictions. I’ve got them on both of my level 85 characters, don’t remember how much they cost.
Not sure they would really add much to your gaming experience. An extra gem slot is a small boost to one or two of your stats, depending on what type of gem you place in the socket. I’m not sure you’d even notice the difference when you’re solo questing or farming stuff to sell.
A few nights ago, I was lucky enough to join in a dungeon with some very nice folks, and there came a time when the leader asked if anyone still needed “attunement”.
I looked it up and apparently it means you can enter a dungeon by yourself. But only the one in which you were attuned, right?
Thanks
Q
“Ebonsteel” belt buckle, not “eternal”.
Thanks, Oakie. I’m more interested right now in buying artisan riding, anyway. I was just looking at him in the armory and checking stats and rep.
The dungeon a few nights ago was called “Molten Core”, and that thing went on what seemed like FOREVER, and if it hadn’t been for the star over the leader’s head, poor Wolkie would probably still be there trying to find his way out.
As it was, he did fall into that molten river, and it was very embarrasing trying to get him out as he kept screaming in pain!
Also another dumb question. I noticed the word “Rampage” underneath my realm name. Is that my battalion name?
Also just noticed that much of his armor has “earthquake” related names. (Earthshaker, Earthfall and Faultline). Hope that isn’t a bad omen.
Thanks
Q
Well, it is maintenance day, so Armory access will be spotty. Since Wowhead has to pull its information from Armory, that’s probably the delay and equipment display issue.
A Belt buckle (eternal, from WotLK, or ebonsteel, from Cataclysm) adds a gem slot to a belt item. Then you can socket a gem. It’s a way to add more gem enchants to a stack of gear, particularly in a gear slot (belt) which has no normal enchant opportunities.
I don’t know how pricey the buckle would be, since it’s a WotLK item, and usable only in ilvl 300 or less belts (i.e., not usable on any blue item awarded outside of Hyjal or Vashj’ir). Unless you have one already, or more money than you know what to do with, you wouldn’t put on on any belt you’re leveling with, since you’ll be replacing the belt rather quickly, and lose the buckle (and associated gem) when you do. (Remember, when you replace an item, you lose the enchants that were on the item; you have to put the enchants on the replacement items anew.)
Yes. By that I mean, both. Blacksmiths make them; many make them to sell on the AH. Again, though, putting any socketed belt buckle on a belt you’ll replace (perhaps as soon as your next quest completion) is a worse investment than buying replacement gear every level.
Yeah (after you complete one more jousting quest). You get “promoted” to Champion of <city>". Then you can repeat the process with the other 4 cities of your faction. Plus do the actual Champion’s dailies.
Or not. The “practical” (gear, etc.) rewards aren’t very valuable compared to even greens in Cataclysm zones. The titles and achievements are good, and some of the vanity and non-combat items (pony bridle, which allows your squire NPC pet to function as a bank or mailbox every few hours) are nice to have.
Well, hell. I guess that leaves me out, then, 'cause I can’t joust worth a damn. The only reason I won one of my daily quests using the lance was because I was able to share that one (In Icecrown). I basically just sat on my mount and watched. I was able to keep my shields up and green, but that was about it. The mobs were just packed too closely together in that one.
Thanks for the help, gnoitall, and yeah, I think I’ll leave the belt off.
Q
Ebonsteel Belt Buckles are made by smiths. I believe they require 4 Pyrite bars, 4 Volatile Earth, and 4 Elementium Bars. They’re still not cheap at the AH, but if you can gather the mats yourself it’s not too bad. You probably shouldn’t get one unless you plan to keep your belt for awhile. It’s really not worth it, IMO, before you get to level 85 and get gear you plan to keep.
Molten Core is actually a raid, not a dungeon. It’s a level 60 raid, which means it’s pretty much a cakewalk for 80+ toons (my death knight can solo it at 85 and almost could at 80 except for a couple of bosses). It’s also a nightmare to navigate, and you have my congratulations for finding your way through your first time, even following somebody! I personally hate the place but I’m still trying to get my Sulfuros (a legendary mace which requires a piece that very very rarely drops from Sulfuron, the last boss), so I do still have to go in there.
That’s your battlegroup.
Nah. It’s just an omen that Blizz is running out of names for different combinations of stats. I’m fully expecting “Melodious Axe of the BunnyRabbit” to show up in the next expansion.