World of Warcraft Corner

WoW Cataclysm: Tier 11 Raiding

2011-07-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

So, what did you think of Tier 11 normal mode (pre-nerf)? Some found the difficulty to be just right while others weren't impressed with (what early on were) one-shot mechanics.

I thought some of the new raid mechanics, like sound on Atramedes and corrupted blood on Cho'gall, weren't bad. Halfus, changing up from week to week, was a good plan to try to help keep things interesting. Three council fights. Chimaeron tested healers and their ability to adapt.

Props for trying to make things a bit fresher in some areas, although I'm not a fan of "interrupt on CD or die" mechanics. General Vezax already did that. It's not hard, but it's not really "fun" either, IMO. Seen it once, you're good to go.

Throne of the Four Winds had such a nice look to it, especially compared to Blackwing Descent and Bastion of Twilight. Swimming through the air killing Al'Akir let's you get a really good look at the place. It's quite grand. The council fight is easy but just good fun. Al'Akir was fairly challenging at first, taking some time to get a feel for it (perception in phase 3).

What was your favorite raid boss in Tier 11?

How far did you get in hardmodes?

WoW Cataclysm: First it was Heroics, now it's Raids

2011-07-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

Going from faceroll Wrath heroics to the new Cataclysm dungeons was a bit of culture shock for some players. Yeah, well, it's an expansion. That's how it works. We went from over-geared toons that we knew inside out to under-geared newbs relearning our classes. And, yes, the difficulty was ramped up a bit, as it very well needed to be.

Ghostcrawler's famous "Wow, Dungeons are Hard!" blog, explained why things needed a push but it wasn't well-received by all. Some thought he was saying L2play, if not in so many words. Soon heroics were nerfed.

On the World of Warcraft forums, many players were upset about these nerfs especially after having read that blog (apparently, Ghostcrawler has been nerfed a bit too). Players that like a challenge talked of "slippery slopes" stating that soon raids would also be nerfed.

They didn't know the half of it. While it's expected that content will be nerfed late in an expansion, the force of the nerf bat on T11 this early was pretty extreme. This is especially true since with easier access to gear, content nerfs itself.

A raid made up of alts and pugs can now clear all of Tier 11 in a couple of hours.

World of Warcraft: New Guild System in Cataclysm

2011-07-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

The guild leveling system was a new feature in the Cataclysm expansion. While many changes were made to the original vision of the system, there are still some pretty nice perks. Originally it was going to be more like choosing a spec. Points would be placed in a guild tree to choose specific rewards. This was later changed to just give rewards at certain guild levels instead.

Some of those rewards have also been changed since implementation, since they were abused. Imagine that. For example, Have Group will Travel (mass summon), was used to cheat in raids and bypass trash or other bosses, so now it only works near the entrance. It could have saved guilds a lot of run back time during progression, but of course, someone had to exploit it.

Mass rez is nice though. If one raid member lives, he or she can rez the others. Go, go hunters with feign death.

As with any new feature, not everyone likes the guild leveling system. Keep in mind that none of the perks are really game-breaking if you don't have them, but some are definitely helpful.

You can see a list of Guild Perks at Wowhead.

World of Warcraft, Cataclysm: Max Level Characters

2011-07-25T10:08:00.001-07:00

So, how many max level characters do you have? I have five level 85 toons.

How many of those do you play regularly? I play two of mine more than all the others, and occasionally play a third.

My main and my favorite alt are pretty well-geared. The others have ok gear but just aren't as much fun to play any more.

How many professions do you have at max level? Between my toons I have mining, engineering, herbalism, alchemy, and skinning. Enchanting and tailoring are nearly maxed. As for secondary professions, all my 85's have cooking maxed and one has fishing (and only one will EVER have fishing). One has first aid.

I tried to do archaeology. I really did, but I just can't make myself do it.

How are your toons coming along?

WoW Cataclysm: Leveling to 85

2011-07-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

It didn't take long to hit 85; in fact many players out-leveled the quests in certain leveling zones before completing them all. Getting from 84 to 85 was (obviously) the longest level but the Crucible of Carnage gave us a nice chunk of XP and a nice starter weapon.

Some players really enjoyed the leveling experience while others, not so much. It was new, it was different, and phasing was added to make it look like your heroic efforts were actually making changes in the world around you. Neat!

Some didn't care too much for the "on rails" questing experience as they prefer to explore and wander from quest to quest at will rather than do the linear thing. Others weren't thrilled with the phasing (including the bugs it created) because it kept them from playing with friends and guildies that were in different phases.

Keep in mind that it's hard to keep 11 million people happy, but I think both sides have fair points. What did you think of the questing to max level experience?

WoW Cataclysm: Anybody seen Deathwing?

2011-07-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

So, Cataclysm dropped and the rush to hit 85 ensued. Heroics were "hard" and people cried, and then they were nerfed. The grind for gear continues.

The great foe, Deathwing randomly killed people, giving them the achievement Stood in the Fire. Have you gotten this achievement on any of your toons?

My mage alt was killed early on while inside the neutral auction house in Tanaris. I didn't even know what happened at first , and then the achievement popped up. That's the one and only encounter I've had and haven't seen Deathwing since. Many others are asking where he's been?

Have you seen Deathwing?

WoW: Real World v. Azeroth

2011-07-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time. IRL stuff got out of hand and started messing with not only my WoW time but my writing time as well. So, how have you been? A lot has changed since we visited here at World of Warcraft Corner.

I was pretty surprised to see that my last post was from the Ulduar days. I didn't realize it had been that long. Ah, but the memories of Ulduar are awesome. It was the best raid in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, IMO. I doubt will ever see something as grand again.

So, a lot has happened since those days. Lots of big changes. I'll spare you the IRL stuff but a lot has changed in game as well, both personally and overall.

Towards the end of Wrath, I quit the guild I had been in for over a year and my husband and I started a raiding guild of our own. We went 11/12 HM in ICC.

Love it or hate it, Wrath was an expansion like no other (how I miss BC).

Nerf Bat on Ulduar?

2009-05-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

Looks like the famous World of Warcraft nerf bat has been pulled out and used to beat Ulduar into submission. At least parts of it.

Longer enrage timers make bosses more do-able, a welcome change for some. However, some of the content really took a beating, especially in 10 man.

We downed the first four bosses within about an hour the other day, a big change from the struggles we faced the first time in. Razorscale seemed like cake, even on 25 man, compared to our earlier adventures with the dragon.

For the hardcore raiders out there, don’t get too discouraged. It’s rumored that later bosses will not be nerfed, and there is certainly still some tough content. There’s also hard mode on several bosses, so you shouldn’t be bored, not too soon anyway…

A Peek inside Ulduar

2009-04-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

Have you been inside yet? This place is huge. In the grand scheme of World of Warcraft raids, it's safe to say Ulduar was designed to be a challenge. This ain’t Kara, peeps. Even the trash hit like trucks.

In fact, we joked that there should be an achievement for some of the trash pulls, that first night, and that was on 10 man. It’s gone somewhat smoother since then, the guild has downed a couple bosses on 25, but Ulduar isn’t gonna be taken down by random PuGs anytime soon.

Experienced raiders may be able to build decent pick up groups eventually, when people have had a chance to see and learn the fights, but right now, “LFM Ulduar” tends to get a laugh.

Your guild needs to work like a well oiled machine and people have to learn not only the strats but also to pay attention.

You can expect to hear, “Don’t stand in that!” or “Move, move, move!” Ulduar is a good test to see which players, if any, have been carried so far…

One good place for more info is StratFu (click on Ulduar interactive map).

Don’t try this in blues. You’ll need to be well-geared, well-buffed, and use top of the line enhancements. You’ll likely see players switched out for different fights, unless they are as good in their dual specs as they are in their main specs. Some fights need more tanks, more heals, or more DPS, than others. So, work on those dual specs (and off-set gear) if you don’t want to sit.

This content is new to everyone, so if you’ve been lagging behind other raiders, now is a good time to get in on the learning experience (while everyone else is still learning).

Starting a Twink

2009-04-13T07:31:00.000-07:00

Tired of being pwned in battlegrounds? A little domination can do a lot to lift the mood. But, twinking is a bit more work than many people realize. Some tips might help.

Often, players will make several different toons when they first start playing World of Warcraft. Later, they think about a low level alt that they haven’t played for a while and decide, “Hmm, I’ll make a twink.”

The thing is you have to start early. There are dungeons to grind for gear, professions to level, and sometimes quest chains that need to be done to get gear or other items. All of the above result in XP. If you wait too long to get started, you may find yourself having to push to the next bracket, instead of topping off at 19. At that point, your gear, not to mention your effort, will be wasted.

Level 10 is generally a good starting point as that is the level your toon needs to be to get into Deadmines. Have a high level player run you through if possible. Not only is it quicker and easier, but having a high level toon beside you will also limit your XP. Ask them to pass on loot so you can collect those shiny new pieces.

It also pays to research talents, specs, the best gear for each slot, the enchants, the professions that provide the best self buffs, pots, elixirs, scrolls, buff food, and anything else you might need in order to actually kick some butt in Warsong Gulch.

If some of the higher level items do get nerfed, a lot of people won’t be happy. But, all is not lost. The best in slot gear that’s available is still way beyond that of the typical low level player. So, you can still use some of the same info to create a more powerful pvp toon and you can still have a lot of fun fighting for the flag.

Check back for more…

Twink Nerfage

2009-04-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

Well, all the QQ over all the pew pew, may have made twinks as you know them a thing of the past. On the WoW PTR, some have said their HP has gone down by as much as 1k, as exploited enchants no longer work. It may not be a done deal yet, but if the nerfs do go into effect, there may not be much twinkage in the future.

What do you think? Should twinks be allowed or should they be nerfed?

Maybe, instead of level requirements, battlegrounds could be separated (roughly) by HP. This would actually make more sense in terms of “fairness” or that “level playing field” stuff anyway since newly dinged players or those still wearing lowbie gear can’t really compete with even somewhat geared players.

Trade chat seems to be filled with angry messages on this topic these days.

Is it worth investing the time, effort, and gold into a twink at this point? What about the investments people have already made? Soon to be worthless with the next patch?

Here's a thought... instead of making one group or the other sad, mad, and leaving them threatening to quit the game, Blizzard could possibly come to a compromise where twinks are concerned.

Twinks want to twink. Other people want a little BG action without being immediately slaughtered without a fighting chance at retaliation for the next 9 levels.

Well, why not have battlegrounds for levels 10-18, and leave the 19 bracket (and 29, 39, etc) for twinks instead of breaking out the nerf bat?

Any regular players who are level 19 should be able to compromise for a short time between 19-20, since if they are leveling their toons, they'll be out of that bracket quickly.

Sure, 9 levels worth is kinda a long time to be unceremoniously beat down... but one level, one that goes by quickly on the way to that first mount, should be do-able.

Is it possible to make everyone happy? Probably not, but something like this could make more people happy.

What are your thoughts?

Pimp My Mount… Under Development

2009-04-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

And, you thought those 47 mounts you have now are cool… Well, if things go as planned, you could soon be rockin’ pimped out mounts like those found on the Under Development page at the WoW Europe Site.

Changed your mind about your mount’s color? No problem. Want different armor? Gotcha covered. You can even add decorative details.

Of course, it will cost you; this ain’t “Pimp my Ride,” the TV show that does it all for free… this is WoW.

No, you will have to visit the head pimp dude, apparently named “Zazzber,” to sign up. Choose your look, pay your fee, and leave your mount. When you pick him up (or her w/e), you’ll be stylin’ and smilin’.

Or, does today's date have something to do with this announcement?

Blizzard is having a Theme Park Contest

2009-03-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

Create your own theme park? Well, that sounds fun; I only wish I had known about it sooner.

You can come up with your very own Blizzard style amusement park and compete for prizes.

There's not much time left to get your entry in (deadline March 30) but hey, Blizzard fans are known for all-nighters. So, bust out an energy drink and get busy if you are a creative type and would like to enter.

The winning submission will be all over the Internet and will be seen at BlizzCon. The winner gets a “Wacom Cintiq 12WX Digitizing Tablet, a pair of StarCraft II beta keys, and more…" see the Blizzard Site for more details.

Level Playing Field?

2009-03-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, level this.

Life, as well as any competitive game, is not supposed to have a level playing field. That would be like playing a game of musical chairs, using as many chairs as there are players. No one wins, but of course the point is, no one loses. Bah.

That’s the way I feel about some of the nerfs that Blizzard has implemented in WoW. For example, I earned my paladin mount. I was so proud. I had help, yes, but I earned it. Not everyone had one, because they didn’t jump through the hoops to get one.

That’s what made it special.

Now, all a pally has to do is wait until level 61 and buy the mount. While I believe the quest is still available for those who want to do it, what’s the point really? The paladin mount is now just another mount, which is why I may never ride mine again. If I'm not flying, I generally ride my black war bear, since one still has to earn it and it cannot simply be purchased (at least not yet, as far as I know).

Dual Spec Coming Soon?

2009-03-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

We’ve been hearing about dual specs for quite awhile. The idea led to much excitement and anticipation. Well, apparently, the wait is almost over. This comes from a “blue,” the well-known, and well-loved (okay, sometimes) Ghostcrawler.

Dual specs may be available to play around with on the PTR as soon as the next patch.

While you may have heard the term dual spec and have a basic idea of what it means, there are some details you may not be aware of. While nothing is really set in stone at this time, the basic concept is pretty well laid out.

Here are a few details:

You cannot switch specs mid-fight but apparently can switch mid-raid.

You must be level 80 to train for dual specs.

There will be a fee (rumor has it that the cost may be 1,000 gold, but we’ll know for sure once it’s released).

It looks as though you’ll be able to make changes, move around those talent points if necessary, before your spec is saved (this is a good idea and a welcome change for anyone who has misplaced a point while respeccing).

You can learn more by reading the interview with Ghostcrawler at worldofwarcraft.com or checking out Mike Schramm’s article at wowinsider.com.

I'm excited. Are you excited?

UPDATE 4/15/09: Dual specs are live!

The cost is in fact 1,000 gold, but you only have to be level 40 to train for dual specs.

Noob Moments

2009-03-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, let’s break the ice a little and share some noob moments. These are usually good for a laugh.

So, I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.

One of my first noob moments came at around level 14 of my first toon (of course I was a noob then, but I didn't know how much of one I was).

I read one of those game tips on the loading screen and had to laugh at myself. You know the ones, the little snippets that we so often ignore as we tell the screen to hurry up and load? Well, one day I was logging in and saw, “Your character can eat and drink at the same time.”

Really? I’d been eating to restore health then sitting back down and drinking to restore mana for 14 levels. Duh.

That’s pretty minor stuff, considering other things I’ve seen (and done).

This will probably become a regular feature of this blog, but I’ll fess up more after you show me yours…

Intro

2009-03-10T06:02:00.000-07:00

So, I never thought I’d be playing a game like World of Warcraft. Didn’t think I’d like it at all. I’m no leet gamer. In fact, I never really got into gaming much before, especially not role playing games. They seemed to take up too much time.

What would I be doing instead, watching TV?

My husband and his cousin were already into WoW and talked me into a trial version. The next day, I asked for my own copy, and not long after, I asked for The Burning Crusade. I swore I would not buy the expansion. No Wrath of the Lich King for me!

Uh huh... my main is level 80, my alt is 71.

Blizzard says 10 million + people can't be wrong, so who am I to argue?

How did you get started playing WoW?

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