A Peek inside Ulduar

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

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

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

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

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?

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?

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.