Oh dear, Blizzard has released the preview for the new tauren druid cat form and they sure look nice. Even though I kind of like the current NE cat form, after having seen the tauren version I can’t wait to see what us pointy eared tree huggers are getting. 
1.) As to whether you’ll be more needed as a tank/healer than DPS… that’ll depend on your guild. IIRC, Ret Pallies are one of the specs that get Replenishment, which is absolutely essential (i.e., they build encounters assuming that the raid group will have people with it). Tank slots tend to get filled pretty early, too. If I had to take a WAG, I’d predict you’ll end up Ret/Holy.
2.) Blizz is getting better at balancing their tanks and healers. We’re not cookie-cutter, but we do have much wider applications while still retaining our individual strengths. Holy Pallies, for example, make great tank healers.
1.) When you say “behind him”… Do you mean you were standing behind the tank? Don’t do that. You should whenever humanly possible be standing behind the boss (or to the side if it’s got something like a tail swipe mechanic). Standing in front of the boss is reserved for tanks and, in some fights, off-tanks. DPS or healers in front of the boss run the risk of cleaves, breaths, and other nasty stuff that should only hit the one person with the gear and talents to avoid, mitigate, or soak the damage. There are a handful of fights where you’ll need to be in front of the boss, and you’ll be explicitly told which these are. (E.g., stacking for Kor’Thazz on Horsemen in Naxx to split Meteor damage.)
2.) Once a mob has been engaged, you can’t cause threat by mere proximity. The only way you will body pull is by running ahead of the tank to hit things that have not yet been aggro’d. (Technically, you can’t cause threat by mere proximity when engaging the mob, either–it puts you *on *their threat table, but with a value of 0.)
3.) Not having a threat meter is a bad. Get one. (Go to curse.com, search for Omen.)
4.) If you pulled aggro, you’d know it, because the boss or trash mobs would have been hitting you instead of the tank. Make sure you have target-of-target enabled–in the default Blizzard UI, this is somewhere under interface options. It adds a little portait to the corner of your current target’s portrait showing who they have targeted.
If this is the Heroic Utgarde Pinnacle run that you’re referring to then I don’t think that was the issue - I had my meter up the whole time and never saw you stealing threat from Demo (he’s too good a tank for that 
). That particular run just fell apart at Skadi cause we didn’t have the fight mechanics down and folks kept getting fragged by the whirlwind - I think he randomly targets someone for the whirlwind so your threat had nothing to do with it. You can’t really survive it - you just have to run away (things like Deadly Boss Mods will help you know when it’s coming so you can run away).
If you’re referring to a different 5-man run then <shug>.
That said, get Omen - you’ll never be in doubt again.
Replenishment is freakin’ sweet, this is true. 3.75% mana per application doesn’t sound like a lot, but using Judgments consistently every time CD finishes means we never run out of mana. In fact, during the run in Scholomance, the Mage and I were killing things so fast that I barely had time to apply Judgments, and I wound up burning out on mana constantly.
Edit: On further investigation, that’s because Judgements of the Wise grants me 25% base mana each time. So it’s not just Replenishment. :smack: Still, it’s darn tasty.
“That is bound to me!”
Does it seem to any of y’all, like that guy’s next words oughta be, “It’s my preciouss!”
Today, I was asked by an elf to help kill two thrashers over on RedRidge.
I told him first of all I am no good in PUG’s, but he only needed two kills, so I relented and joined up.
By the time I got to him, he was already embattled and all I was able to do was join in late and kill three of them on my own after he died. My bags were full at that time, so I hope he was able to rezz and loot them.
I sent him a mail with 50 silver along with an apology that I wasn’t more help.
Also, someone named “Tweester” saved Wolkie’s ass a couple of times this afternoon. Once with Level 24 Goretusks and once with Blackrock baddies. Thanks if that help came from here…
One more thing: Over in The Burning Steppes, what is with this “Level ??” Humanoids who keep attacking me? Maybe Wolkie and me shouldn’t be there???
Thanks
Q
Yeah, you definitely don’t want to head that way… Mobs that are significantly higher level than you (5 I believe) will show up as ??. You basically walked into a level 50-60 zone - and likely got killed in one blow by the welcoming committee.
The Burning Steppes and Searing Gorge are the outlying territory around Blackrock Mountain. The mountain is a veritable fortress, used during the Great War by the bloodlusted Horde, and now by the remnants of it, manipulated by the stronger of the two surviving progeny of the black Dragon Aspect. Underneath the mountain is the capital city (and now only remaining one…) of the Dark Iron Empire, which itself burrows so far beneath the surface, that it’s breached an entrance to the Molten Core, wherin lies the Firelord Ragnaros.
Back in the day, Blackrock Mountain was the home of all the biggest and nastiest baddies on Azeroth. So, yeah, you probably don’t want to be going there fresh out of the Deadmines 
No, I recently graduated to 22, but thanks for the advice anyway. I WILL stay out of there for now.
Q
Yes, the WW target is random, which is why the tank should have Skadi up at the harpoons with the melee, while your ranged and healers stay further down the corridor at max range.
Correctamundo!
Gray level in the portrait = easy kill, no experience
Green = easy kill, less XP
Yellow = average kill
Orange = hard kill
Red = will probably kill you
?? = is gonna smoosh your face
Skull = boss, is REALLY gonna smoosh your face, and for various calculation purposes such as crit and miss is equal to your level plus three
Burning Steppes is somewhere you’re going to head in your 50s. If you’ve run out of things to go in Redridge, try heading down into Duskwood. Just because a level adjoins the one you’re in doesn’t mean it’s a good place to go. (Consider that Western Plaguelands, a 50-ish zone, directly adjoins Tirisfal Glades, the Undead starting zone. My first-ever toon was an Undead Warrior, and boy did a Welcome Bear give her a big hug when she went to see what was past the Bulwark. >< )
Oh, and **Jas09 **was saying mobs five levels higher than your level, not that your level was 5.
Hell,** Mekhazzio**, I ain’t out of the mines yet! Still need to decapitate Van Cleef!
Is there any way I can do that by myself, or should I just abandon that quest?
Thanks
Q
Doh!
Sorry, JasO9! :smack:
Consider the source, please!
And thanks SFG, that went into my notes right next to the computer!
Quasi
No worries. And I was wrong anyways - a mob five levels higher will be Red. A mob 10 levels higher or more will be ??.
Hmmm. I wonder what’s up with the different colors. Do you get to choose what color your cat form will be? Is it based on what color the tauren him/herself is? It will be interesting to find out!
Re: Raiding/instances: I was fishing in the Dalaran fountain the other night (yay, I finally fished up Arugal’s Gold Coin to complete the set and got [The Coin Master]! And then almost immediately afterward I went into the sewers and fished up a [Giant Sewer Rat].) and that gnome DK I was talking about a short while ago whispered and started begging me to come do [For The Alliance!] with her. Geeez I had to give a long list of excuses to beg off that one. “Don’t you need 40 people for that?” “I’m not geared for that sort of thing.” “I’ve never even done a 5-man instance in a group, I sure wouldn’t know what I’m doing raiding a capital city.” She gave up when I explained that “I’m working on [The Coin Master] right now.” :rolleyes:
Also in Dalaran — has anybody seen this on other servers? — it appears that the bank steps are a popular sunbathing locale for vacationing gnomes. I like to leave a little Rag Doll present for the cute little gnomies 
Meanwhile, my bank alt (in the hat) decided to enter the Miss Stormwind pageant.
The new bear/cat skins are mapped to the caster form hair colour for night elves and the skin colour for taurens.
This must have been discussed before by people better “brained-up” than me, so forgive me if it has, but if you don’t mind taking another look would you consider these thoughts and comment (either way), please?
- Heretofore (love that word!:)), I have been a kind of “Casper Milquetoast” when it comes to conflicts involving fighting and I have always favored diplomacy over combat.
But you cannot do that on WoW, can you? I mean, depending on the character you choose, you are going to have to go on the defensive and maybe stay that way for a very long time.
In other words, you may have to kill some folks.
So what’s my point?
Simply this: Is this game getting our kids into a “fight the battle no matter what the outcome” - mentality, so that when the time comes in Real Life, they’ll be “ready”?
Y’all are gonna guffaw at me, arentcha?
That’s okay. I need to hear all sides of a discussion, pro or con. Even if it makes me look silly…
- In that same vein, is the game teaching us other things?
Spending money wisely, for instance?
Making friends (grouping)
Chivalry?
Unity?
I would be interested in reading your thoughts - whatever they may be.
Thanks
Quasi/Bill (and from Alextrasia -still cannot spell that right) Wolkenlaufre or Wolkie for short.
- Will the game let you accidentally sell quest items?
I thought I got enough snouts over in Red Ridge, but all of a sudden, I am at zero, and I’m afraid I might have sold them off, not knowing.
- “Not Enough Rage”, “I Can’t Do That Yet”, “That’s Not Ready Yet”… and stuff.
Can other players hear that guy say that shit, if they’re in your virginity?
Thanks
Quasi and Wolkie (“just doin’ the best that we can”! :))
Something is wrong with the game. I am losing my quest totals.
Right now it’s the Snouts and the Condors I am losing the totals on.
I only have 5/5 Spiders in the bags, and that’s it.
!
w00t! Level 80! At last!
Who is this “Rhonin” fellow who sent me a gift and a letter of congratulation?
Grats!
Rhonin is the leader of the Kirin Tor, and he hangs out in The Violet Citadel in Dalaran. He gives out a quest for the Violet Hold.
They can hear some of your attack sounds and casting sounds but no they don’t hear the ‘not enough rage’ if they’re in your…virginity?
Most quest items you can’t sell unless they are also ‘regular’ drops as well. In this case snouts are also cooking items so they’re sellable as they will drop if you have the quest for them or not. Another possibility is that you used them to cook other items or perhaps you have slightly the wrong type IE Goretusk Snouts when you need Greater Goretusk Snouts or something similar.