WoW.comhttp://www.wow.comWoW.comhttp://www.wow.com/media/feedlogo.gifWoW.comhttp://www.wow.comen-usCopyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/WoW Insider ShowEvery week, the WoW Insider Show brings you news and views from the World of Warcraft and the site that covers it all, WoW.com. Host (and co-lead) Mike Schramm introduces a panel of rotating guests, including bloggers from WoW.com and other WoW blogs, and many popular personalities from around the WoW community. From the live listener chat and polls during the show, to the emails direct from listeners (reach us at theshow@wowinsider.com), right on to the "meat" of the show -- in-depth discussion of the most popular news and posts on WoW.com -- the WoW Insider Show is a terrific source of news and entertainment about what's going on with Blizzard and their World of Warcraft. Listen live every Saturday at 3:30 pm Eastern on our Ustream page (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wow-insider-show) or subscribe to the feed and let us know what you think by reviewing the show right here in iTunes.Shifting Perspectives: 5 observations from a reluctant battleground healerhttp://www.wow.com/2009/11/06/shifting-perspectives-5-observations-from-a-reluctant-battlegro/http://www.wow.com/2009/11/06/shifting-perspectives-5-observations-from-a-reluctant-battlegro/http://www.wow.com/2009/11/06/shifting-perspectives-5-observations-from-a-reluctant-battlegro/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Every week, Shifting Perspectives examines issues affecting druids and those who group with them. Today we gingerly step back into battlegrounds and discover that the world can be a very unfriendly place.

I love writing this column, but there's one thing that bugs me about it -- the druid class is tailor-made to defeat a sole writer's efforts to cover everything she can. No matter how hard I try, I'm never going to cover each spec and playstyle with up-to-the-minute and in-depth experience, because it would require the simultaneous mastery of ranged DPS PvE, ranged DPS PvP, tanking, off-tanking, melee DPS PvE, melee DPS PvP, healing PvE, and healing PvP. Even with all that, I'd be leaving out all the hybrid and kooky specs people dream up. This has been getting to me lately.

Consequently I thought that, before we get to some end-of-year and patch 3.3 business, it might be a good idea to spend some time on topics that -- to be frank -- I haven't been that great about covering. Balance as a whole needs some love and so do our kitties, but before I do that, I'd like to address a topic that, in contrast to Balance and Cat, I've been willfully ignoring -- PvP. It occurred to me that roughly a year after Wrath's launch, it might be a good idea to pop back into battlegrounds and see how the class' most common PvP spec (Restoration) is faring in combat these days, so I dumped badges and gold into a PvP set and went for broke.

And, well...a lot's changed.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: 5 observations from a reluctant battleground healer

WoW.comShifting Perspectives: 5 observations from a reluctant battleground healer originally appeared on WoW.com on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>battlegroundbattlegroundsbgbladestormclass-helpdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-pvpdruid-talentsfeaturedfrost-novaglyph-of-barkskinguideguide-to-druidshand-of-freedomimproved-barkskinjudgement-of-justicenatures-graspnatures-swiftnessnourishpvpregrowthrejuvenationresto-druidresto-druid-pvprestorationrestoration-druidswiftmendtalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druidswow-guidewow-talent-guideAllison RobertFri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:00 ESTThe Daily Quest: Keepin' the Clouds Awayhttp://www.wow.com/2009/11/05/the-daily-quest-keepin-the-clouds-away/http://www.wow.com/2009/11/05/the-daily-quest-keepin-the-clouds-away/http://www.wow.com/2009/11/05/the-daily-quest-keepin-the-clouds-away/#commentsFiled under: ,

We here at WoW.com are on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere.

WoW.comThe Daily Quest: Keepin' the Clouds Away originally appeared on WoW.com on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>altadingear-scoreguideguide-indexhealer-questionshealing-questionsmicrotransactionnon-combat-petspetsrestokinstormstrikeworld-of-warcraft-infoworld-of-warcraft-linksworld-of-warcraft-siteswow-guidewow-guide-indexwow-indexwow-infowow-informationwow-linkswow-reliefwow-site-indexwow-sitesAdam HoliskyThu, 05 Nov 2009 15:00:00 ESTHealer survey contains a wealth of information about healinghttp://www.wow.com/2009/10/31/healer-survey-contains-a-wealth-of-information-about-healing/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/31/healer-survey-contains-a-wealth-of-information-about-healing/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/31/healer-survey-contains-a-wealth-of-information-about-healing/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

If you've ever wanted a close-up look at the game's healing zeitgeist, Miss Medicina has it -- she recently started up a survey/meme of healers around the WoW blogosphere, and the answers are now in and posted on her site. They make for some interesting weekend reading, especially if you're interested in healing and what healers think of it. I'm sure there's lots of conclusions that could be drawn out of this (I'll let you all come up with some in the comments as well), but just reading through them on my own, it seems like there's a few threads between them. The majority of healing seems to be done in 10-mans, which probably isn't too surprising, given that's where most of the endgame players are right now as well. There's no clear winner on class or spec (all four healing classes are represented pretty evenly, though I didn't really crunch the numbers), though there are quite a few priests, and of those, things seem to be split between holy and disc.

In terms of a favorite spell, there's almost no crossover at all -- people are all over the place, from Beacon to Penance to Circle of Healing. To hear these guys tell it, healers have all kinds of fun spells to play with. In terms of a weakness to healing, two main answers appear: mana regeneration (always an issue with mana-heavy classes like healers) and mobility. Shamans and druids have problems with big burst healing, and paladins say they need more group healing strength, but almost everyone mentions either mana or movement. There's a lot more to look through, too, in terms of how healers evaluate their performance and addon recommendations from everyone. As a look inside the healer "scene," there is a ton of information in there about what healers are up to out on the realms.

WoW.comHealer survey contains a wealth of information about healing originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>addon-recommendationsaddonsbeacon-of-lightblogscircle-of-healingdruidsendgamehealershealingmana-regenerationmememiss-medicinamobilitypaladinpenanceperformancepriestpriestsshamansurveyMike SchrammSat, 31 Oct 2009 14:00:00 ESTBlood Sport: Patch 3.3, part Ihttp://www.wow.com/2009/10/30/blood-sport-patch-3-3-part-i/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/30/blood-sport-patch-3-3-part-i/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/30/blood-sport-patch-3-3-part-i/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ahh, lovely Radiohead. The entirety of Scotch Mist (which is In Rainbows played live) will be our listening music, as I expect today's article to be somewhat...lengthy. Starting out with "Weird Fishes" is a nice touch -- you gotta love Radiohead's set order diversity. By the way, I'm going to continue supporting the Blood Sport column with listening music, due to overwhelming positive response. If you have any suggestions for songs, please let me know in the comments below!

Instead of talking about minor changes, I'm going to try to only hit the major ones here, as this is a giant patch. If you think I skipped something important, please let me know via the comments below and I'll reply.

Today, we'll be covering pet resilience, the Will of the Forsaken nerf, death knight, and druid changes, and what they hold for arena combatants. Expect the other classes and item/glyph changes soon! You can find all about Patch 3.3 here.

Check out what the last major patch of WotLK has for gladiators and challengers alike after the break!

Continue reading Blood Sport: Patch 3.3, part I

WoW.comBlood Sport: Patch 3.3, part I originally appeared on WoW.com on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>3.3arenaarena-guidearena-pvparena-stratsarena-tipsarenaschangesdeath-knightdeath-knightsdruiddruidsfeaturedguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvppatchpatch-3.3patch-3.3-changespatch-3.3-wowpatch-notespet-resiliencepvppvp-guideradioheadseason-7season-8season-eightseason-seventhom-yorkewill-of-the-forsakenwill-of-the-forsaken-nerfworld-of-warcraft-patch-3.3wotfwotf-nerfwow-3.3-changeswow-arenawow-arena-guidewow-guidewow-new-patchwow-patchwow-patch-3.3wow-patch-newsC. Christian MooreFri, 30 Oct 2009 20:00:00 ESTShifting Perspectives: A 3.3 miscellanyhttp://www.wow.com/2009/10/27/shifting-perspectives-a-3-3-miscellany/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/27/shifting-perspectives-a-3-3-miscellany/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/27/shifting-perspectives-a-3-3-miscellany/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Every week, Shifting Perspectives examines issues affecting druids and those who group with them. Today we root around our inbox and herd a series of scribbled notes across our desk, trying to get what we actually know about patch 3.3 in order. Also, Zach Yonzon's PhotoShop skills for the win, but we already knew that.

This week's column is going to be a little bit of a grab bag in much the same way that our patch 3.1 miscellany post was, because there have been a few changes on the PTR recently that we haven't yet discussed.

Before we get any farther, I'd also like to give a shout-out to our readers and commenters on last week's column, "The disappearance of the bear." I was a little antsy over how it was going to be received (lengthy articles on what's going wrong with a spec can get derailed into QQ-fests pretty easily, and that wasn't my intent), but was heartened to see so much quality discussion. One of the things I realized after reading through the comments was that Blizzard may actually have succeeded a little too well in their quest to make tanking more attractive and fun to the average player. WoW's four tanking classes (warrior, paladin, druid, and death knight) comprise 4 of the 5 most popular classes in the game right now. As I've written previously, the druid functions as the proverbial canary in the coal mine as a harbinger of class balance concerns, and with each of the game's plate classes numbering among the most played at 80, it's impossible for this not to have an impact on druid spec choice.

Anyway. For the moment, we are going to turn away from this rather depressing situation, and concern ourselves with what's going on in patch 3.3.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: A 3.3 miscellany

WoW.comShifting Perspectives: A 3.3 miscellany originally appeared on WoW.com on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>balancebalance-druidclass-helpcyclonedruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentseclipsefeaturedferalferal-druidferocious-bitegift-of-the-earthmotherglyph-of-rapid-rejuvenationguideguide-to-druidshastehaste-ratinglifebloomnourishpatch-3.3patch-3.3-changespatch-3.3-ptrpatch-3.3-wowpredators-swiftnessptrptr-patch-3.3public-test-realmregrowthrejuvenationrestoresto-druidrestorationrestoration-druidstarfiret10talenttalentstier-10tier-10-druidtier-10-roguewild-growthworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guideworld-of-warcraft-patch-3.3wow-3.3-changeswow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druidswow-guidewow-new-patchwow-patchwow-patch-3.3wow-patch-newswow-talent-guidewrathAllison RobertTue, 27 Oct 2009 19:00:00 ESTShifting Perspectives: A 3.3 miscellany, part 2http://www.wow.com/2009/10/27/shifting-perspectives-a-3-3-miscellany-part-2/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/27/shifting-perspectives-a-3-3-miscellany-part-2/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/27/shifting-perspectives-a-3-3-miscellany-part-2/#commentsFiled under: ,

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: A 3.3 miscellany, part 2

WoW.comShifting Perspectives: A 3.3 miscellany, part 2 originally appeared on WoW.com on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Allison RobertTue, 27 Oct 2009 19:00:00 ESTGhostcrawler and the "hybrid tax"http://www.wow.com/2009/10/27/ghostcrawler-and-the-hybrid-tax/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/27/ghostcrawler-and-the-hybrid-tax/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/27/ghostcrawler-and-the-hybrid-tax/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ghostcrawler has put a significant sticky up on the forums about what he calls the "hybrid tax" in terms of PvE play -- there's been some back and forth lately on the forums about hybrid classes and what they should and shouldn't be able to do, and GC wants to put any confusion about what Blizzard intends "hybrids" to be to rest. Very basically, he says that there are three roles in the game (tanking, healing, and DPS), and if a class can respec to perform a different role, it's considered a hybrid class. Otherwise, it's a "pure" class. This means a few things: pure classes, he says, should have slightly higher DPS ("all things being equal," and when does that ever happen?), because they don't have the option to switch out. There's no rule as to how much better that is, but as a tradeoff of rerolling being the only way for "pures" to switch, they get to be a little better. That's the "hybrid tax," and mages, hunters, rogues, and warlocks don't have to pay it.

Hybrids, however, do, and that means that paladins, druids, priests, shamans, and to a certain extent, warriors and death knights, will in Blizzard's view never be able to equal "pure" classes in terms of DPS output, with everything else being equal. You may love your ret pally, and he may be in uber gear, but he should never be able to pour out as much damage as an equally specced and geared hunter, because you can switch to healing, and the hunter can't.

Continue reading Ghostcrawler and the "hybrid tax"

WoW.comGhostcrawler and the "hybrid tax" originally appeared on WoW.com on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>balanceclassesdeath-knightsdpsforumsghostcrawlerhealinghybridplayerspurepurespverolesshamanstankwarriorwrath-of-the-lich-kingMike SchrammTue, 27 Oct 2009 16:00:00 ESTIncrease threat in five easy steps!http://www.wow.com/2009/10/23/increase-threat-in-five-easy-steps/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/23/increase-threat-in-five-easy-steps/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/23/increase-threat-in-five-easy-steps/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

It sounds like an infomercial, but actually Righteous Defense has a great post on how a pally (or any class, really -- his advice is for pallies, but it's common sense enough that any tanking class can use the tips) can step up and increase their threat as far as it will go. I always enjoyed tanking when I did it (and now that I'm leveling up a pally, I'll hopefully be bashing heads in and taking damage again soon), and the key to tanking is just awareness: awareness of where the mobs are, who they're targeting, and where they should be. Increasing threat is really a passive kind of upgrade -- as long as you're hitting your spells right, using the glyphs designed to keep you at the top of an aggro list, and specced and hit-capped for the gear and abilities you're using, keeping threat up is pretty simple. It's just the positioning and dealing with surprises that can be hard.

The last point on RD's list is worth repeating for everyone: use your trinkets, as often as possible. Imagine that, in the next patch notes, you saw a spell under your class listing that did what your trinkets did (added a ton of spellpower or increased armor by 500) and went on to say (infomercial style again) "... at a cost of no mana, focus, rage or ." Wouldn't you be spamming that sucker as often as possible? Get your gear straight, use the right abilities, and break out your trinkets whenever you can, and keeping threat should be no problem at all for any given class.

WoW.comIncrease threat in five easy steps! originally appeared on WoW.com on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>aggroawarenessgearhit-caphit-cappedincreasing-threatpallypositioningrighteous-defensespellstanktanking-keysthreattipstrinketsusageMike SchrammFri, 23 Oct 2009 19:00:00 ESTShifting Perspectives: The disappearance of the bearhttp://www.wow.com/2009/10/21/shifting-perspectives-the-disappearance-of-the-bear/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/21/shifting-perspectives-the-disappearance-of-the-bear/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/21/shifting-perspectives-the-disappearance-of-the-bear/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Every week (usually), Shifting Perspectives examines issues affecting druids and those who group with them. This week, confused bears everywhere ask themselves, "Why is no one playing us if we're so awesome?"

I've had an article on this subject percolating for a while. Why people play what they do is a question that endlessly fascinates me, and Nick Yee made a business out of examining the various factors that influenced people's class and role choices in games. Unfortunately, with only fan site numbers to go on, it's sometimes tough to figure out exactly what's happening with demographic shifts ingame. For a while now we've had the sense that, while Feral has lost population since Wrath hit, it's bears in particular who've been hit hardest, and as I've written previously, they've all but vanished from my own server. Because most Armory data sites don't distinguish between bear and cat specs, I never figured out whether all the stories I heard about a shrinking bear population were an accurate gloss on what was going on.

Sometimes, though, Blizzard cuts through the confusion and bluntly states that a class or spec just isn't being played that much. Witness, if you will, the gradual extinction of the bear.

So Xariks on the Tanking forum poses the question; why are bears so underplayed? Any well-designed spec that's a PvE or PvP powerhouse and the frequent target of nerf demands has historically resulted in a huge influx of players (e.g. rogues for most of classic WoW and warlocks in Burning Crusade, among others). In Feral, we have before us a spec that had a 50% share of the druid population in BC and, in the transition to Wrath, received considerable buffs to many of its historic weak spots, the removal of prejudicial encounter mechanics, the addition of another weapon option, and the tanking community's hatred for its highest effective health on average. Yet they've been singled out for especial commentary for being, per Ghostcrawler, an "unpopular spec" in modern raids.

Druids, tanks, and developers all want to know -- what gives?

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: The disappearance of the bear

WoW.comShifting Perspectives: The disappearance of the bear originally appeared on WoW.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>bearbear-tankbear-tank-populationclass-helpdruid-demographicsdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedguideguide-to-druidsshifting-perspectivesshifting-perspectives-druidtalenttalentstanktankingtanksworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druidswow-guidewow-talent-guideAllison RobertWed, 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 ESTShifting Perspectives: The disappearance of the bear, part 2http://www.wow.com/2009/10/21/shifting-perspectives-the-disappearance-of-the-bear-part-2/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/21/shifting-perspectives-the-disappearance-of-the-bear-part-2/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/21/shifting-perspectives-the-disappearance-of-the-bear-part-2/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: The disappearance of the bear, part 2

WoW.comShifting Perspectives: The disappearance of the bear, part 2 originally appeared on WoW.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Allison RobertWed, 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 ESTShifting Perspectives: The disappearance of the bear, part 3http://www.wow.com/2009/10/21/shifting-perspectives-the-disappearance-of-the-bear-part-3/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/21/shifting-perspectives-the-disappearance-of-the-bear-part-3/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/21/shifting-perspectives-the-disappearance-of-the-bear-part-3/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: The disappearance of the bear, part 3

WoW.comShifting Perspectives: The disappearance of the bear, part 3 originally appeared on WoW.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Allison RobertWed, 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 ESTRaid Rx: Healing heroic Lord Jaraxxushttp://www.wow.com/2009/10/20/raid-rx-healing-heroic-lord-jaraxxus/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/20/raid-rx-healing-heroic-lord-jaraxxus/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/20/raid-rx-healing-heroic-lord-jaraxxus/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Every week, Raid Rx will help you quarterback your healers to victory! Your host is Matt Low, the grand poobah of World of Matticus and a founder of No Stock UI, a WoW blog for all things UI, macro, and addon related. This week, we challenge Lord Jaraxxus!.

This is the second boss in Trial of the Crusader. After you healed through the gate bosses that comprise the Northrend Beasts, Lord Jaraxxus is the next step.

My raid group managed to get this demon lord down this past week. We got the 10-man version down several weeks ago but the 25-man version eluded us for some time. Compared to Northrend Beasts, this boss should feel relatively easier. Your raid will spend less time learning Lord Jaraxxus than the previous boss.

Let's check out the healing side of things, shall we?

Continue reading Raid Rx: Healing heroic Lord Jaraxxus

WoW.comRaid Rx: Healing heroic Lord Jaraxxus originally appeared on WoW.com on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>argent-coliseumargent-tournamenthard-modehealinghealing-guidehow-to-heallord-jaraxxusraidraid-guideraid-healingraidingraiding-guidetogctrial-of-the-grand-crusaderwow-guidewow-healingwow-raid-guidewow-raid-healingMatt LowTue, 20 Oct 2009 16:00:00 ESTThe Daily Quest: Grid healing addon guides and resourceshttp://www.wow.com/2009/10/19/the-daily-quest-grid-healing-addon-guides-and-resources/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/19/the-daily-quest-grid-healing-addon-guides-and-resources/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/19/the-daily-quest-grid-healing-addon-guides-and-resources/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Our very own Robin Torres is making the plunge into raiding and is looking for guides that help with the setup and use of the healing AddOn Grid. Being the resource nut that I am, I had a handful of links for her in two minutes. And now I share them with you:
Some players prefer HealBot over Grid (here's a good comparison of the two) and still others prefer AddOns that do more than just raid heal functionality (PitBull 4, though still in beta.)

WoW.comThe Daily Quest: Grid healing addon guides and resources originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>configuring-griddruid-addongrid-addonhealbot-addonhealing-addonpaladin-addonpitbull-4priest-addonshaman-addonDan O'HalloranMon, 19 Oct 2009 19:00:00 ESTA macro for stacking parry or dodgehttp://www.wow.com/2009/10/16/a-macro-for-stacking-parry-or-dodge/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/16/a-macro-for-stacking-parry-or-dodge/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/16/a-macro-for-stacking-parry-or-dodge/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

I haven't played a tank in a while, so I haven't had to mess with stats at endgame for a long time. Though my paladin is slowly getting there, so this little macro over at Honor's Code might come in handy. Parry and dodge are very similar abilities -- both of them help you to completely avoid damage from bosses as a tank. But they do have a very few important differences (Parry speeds up your next attack swing, and is affected by diminishing returns at higher levels of the stat), so when you're gearing up at endgame, you want to make sure to balance them out in the right way.

Continue reading A macro for stacking parry or dodge

WoW.comA macro for stacking parry or dodge originally appeared on WoW.com on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>avoidancedamagedodgeguidehonors-codehow-tomacropaladinparryratiostatstankingMike SchrammFri, 16 Oct 2009 16:00:00 ESTRaid Rx: Healing heroic Northrend Beastshttp://www.wow.com/2009/10/12/raid-rx-healing-heroic-northrend-beasts/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/12/raid-rx-healing-heroic-northrend-beasts/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/12/raid-rx-healing-heroic-northrend-beasts/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Every week, Raid Rx will help you quarterback your healers to victory! Your host is Matt Low, the grand poobah of World of Matticus and a founder of No Stock UI, a WoW blog for all things UI, macro, and addon related. his week, we step into one of the more challenging hard mode encounters: Northrend Beasts in Trial of the Grand Crusader.

Welcome to the NBE encounter. And no, I'm not referring to Megatron. NBE is shorthand for the Northrend Beasts Encounter. It's a straightforward engagement on normal. Once the switch is toggled to heroic, the fight goes into over drive. There's a few changes that us healers need to grasp. For one, there's a strict time limit on each set of beasts. Can't kill Gormok quick enough? Too bad! Ready or not, here's the twin snakes!

Continue reading Raid Rx: Healing heroic Northrend Beasts

WoW.comRaid Rx: Healing heroic Northrend Beasts originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>acidmawbossdreadscalegormokguidehealinghealing-guidehow-to-healicehowlnorthrend-beastsraidraid-guideraid-healingraidingraiding-guidetrial-of-the-grand-crusaderwow-guidewow-healingwow-raid-guidewow-raid-healingMatt LowMon, 12 Oct 2009 18:00:00 ESTBlood Sport: Patch 3.2.2, the times they are a-changin, Part II and a halfhttp://www.wow.com/2009/10/10/blood-sport-patch-3-2-2-the-times-they-are-a-changin-part-ii-and-a-half/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/10/blood-sport-patch-3-2-2-the-times-they-are-a-changin-part-ii-and-a-half/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/10/blood-sport-patch-3-2-2-the-times-they-are-a-changin-part-ii-and-a-half/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,



I don't care for a lot of music that was made in the last decade. The Killers are something of a breather for me. They're one of those bands I'm glad exist. When I'm forced to listen to a terrible radio station, and hear change your mind sandwiched in between auto-tuned, unoriginal dross -- I'm satisfied there is still music being made that can intrigue. (Brandon Flowers has some epic bard tier 10 shoulders there too)

This is part two of part two of a three part article. Confusing? Join the fun! Surprising Patch 3.3 timing, i.e. wrenches in cogs, is a blast!

In our first installment, we covered pillars changing shape in great detail, and also mentioned a few other tweaks. Our second article dealt with five classes -- paladin, priest, rogue, shaman, and warrior. Warlocks were left out of the 3.2.2 patch notes. This article is going to talk about the other four classes - death knight, druid, hunter, and mage.

Being "TheArenaGuy" here at WoW.com lends to forcing myself to a very balanced perspective on classes. It makes me feel guilty if I understand armor penetration less than spell penetration. Well, actually, it doesn't because ArP is confusing. The main thing I'm trying to say here is that I don't want to write anything that is opinionated without being grounded in something. I don't want to make any mistakes when it comes to reporting to our viewers what changes will impact arena games (and how).

I'm satisfied to critique changes instead of having the responsibility to make them. The developers have very difficult decisions to make with regard to arena balance and we should applaud them for making decisions in the name of equity, even if some of them might be unpopular.

With that, let's get into the juicy, juicy 3.2.2 patch notes.

Continue reading Blood Sport: Patch 3.2.2, the times they are a-changin, Part II and a half

WoW.comBlood Sport: Patch 3.2.2, the times they are a-changin, Part II and a half originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>3.2.2arenaarena-pvpbrandon-flowerschangesdeath-knightdeath-knightsdruiddruidshunterhunterskillersmagemagespatchpatch-3.2patch-3.2-changespatch-3.2-wowpatch-3.2.2patch-notespvpseason-7season-seventhe-killersworld-of-warcraft-patch-3.2wow-3.2-changeswow-new-patchwow-patchwow-patch-3.2wow-patch-3.2.2wow-patch-newsC. Christian MooreSat, 10 Oct 2009 14:00:00 ESTPatch 3.3 PTR: Area-of-effect damage cap changehttp://www.wow.com/2009/10/09/patch-3-3-ptr-area-of-effect-damage-cap-change/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/09/patch-3-3-ptr-area-of-effect-damage-cap-change/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/09/patch-3-3-ptr-area-of-effect-damage-cap-change/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,


The area-of-effect damage cap is something that doesn't get talked about a whole lot. The first time I noticed it having a real effect on gameplay was in Mount Hyjal ("Hey, warlock! Wake up and throw us another Seed of Corruption!"). So what is it and what is patch 3.3 doing with it?

When you hit a single mob or player with a spell, or some kind of crude inertia-based impact utensil, the game will work out how much damage that target takes. This is based on the various offensive properties of you and the spell or utensil, as well as the defensive properties of your target. The same is true for area-of-effect (or AoE) abilities, though these tend to do less damage to a single target. Add in some more targets and, while it's still fun to do lots of damage to one of them (with the casting and the poking with sticks), you may have a chance to do damage to all of them at once. Let's say that you can do 2500 damage to a single target with one spell or stab, but can only do 1000 damage to a single target with your AoE ability. If you have five targets that you can hit with your AoE, then that will do a total of 5000 damage. Already we're having more fun than just beating on the one target.

Continue reading Patch 3.3 PTR: Area-of-effect damage cap change

WoW.comPatch 3.3 PTR: Area-of-effect damage cap change originally appeared on WoW.com on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>aoeaoe-damage-caparea-of-effectpatch-3.3patch-3.3-changespatch-3.3-wowworld-of-warcraft-patch-3.3wow-3.3-changeswow-new-patchwow-patchwow-patch-3.3wow-patch-newsDominic HobbsFri, 09 Oct 2009 14:00:00 ESTBreakfast Topic: Which class am I again?http://www.wow.com/2009/10/09/breakfast-topic-which-class-am-i-again/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/09/breakfast-topic-which-class-am-i-again/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/09/breakfast-topic-which-class-am-i-again/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,


Tonight, after Trials of the Grand Crusader (four down, bug to go) we decided to hop onto some alts, which led to back to back TotC 10 on my DK and Shaman. Then back to back Ony 10, also on the DK and Shaman. And because I'd spent hours in TotGC 25 on my warrior before that, by the end of the night, I had no idea what class abilities I had anymore. Between popping Army of the Dead when they called for Heroism (it's bound to the same key) to trying desperately to use Chains of Ice when asked to Frost Shock the Ret Pally, I was in rare form. And it wasn't just me, either: the druid healer is usually a mage, the warlock raids as a priest, and the holy paladin healing the second Ony attempt has something like 10 alts at 80. I'm surprised he even knows where he is. We got it all done, mind you, but you can really tell the difference in smoothness between our mains and our alts, even as well geared as the alts often are.

So now I put it to you, gentle readers. Do you ever suffer from class bleedover? Are you ever on your druid finding yourself mashing the Consecration button, or on your Mage trying to use Hymn of Hope? Or do you find it easy to keep it all straight?

WoW.comBreakfast Topic: Which class am I again? originally appeared on WoW.com on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>breakfastbreakfast-topicClassgame-discussiongamer-discussionworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-hot-topicsworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topicsMatthew RossiFri, 09 Oct 2009 08:00:00 ESTPatch 3.3 PTR: Tier 10 set bonuseshttp://www.wow.com/2009/10/07/patch-3-3-ptr-tier-10-set-bonuses/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/07/patch-3-3-ptr-tier-10-set-bonuses/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/07/patch-3-3-ptr-tier-10-set-bonuses/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

As you've probably heard, the latest build just hit the Patch 3.3 PTR. With it comes a ton of great stuff, including the Tier 10 set bonuses! The usual warning accompanies them, they might change, they're not necessarily final, they could be place holders, et cetera. They look pretty flipping good right now, though. Chase Christian seemed quite shocked at the staggering upgrade the Rogue bonus is from what they had previously.

All set bonuses are listed below, classes arranged in alphabetical order.

Death Knight

Continue reading Patch 3.3 PTR: Tier 10 set bonuses

WoW.comPatch 3.3 PTR: Tier 10 set bonuses originally appeared on WoW.com on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>patch-3.3patch-3.3-changespatch-3.3-wowworld-of-warcraft-patch-3.3wow-3.3-changeswow-new-patchwow-patchwow-patch-3.3wow-patch-newsAlex ZiebartWed, 07 Oct 2009 21:30:00 ESTPatch 3.3 PTR: Undocumented druid changeshttp://www.wow.com/2009/10/02/patch-3-3-ptr-undocumented-druid-changes/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/02/patch-3-3-ptr-undocumented-druid-changes/http://www.wow.com/2009/10/02/patch-3-3-ptr-undocumented-druid-changes/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Our esteemed colleague Boubouille has datamined some undocumented changes to druids on the patch 3.3 PTR, so while I'm waiting for it to download (53 more minutes.../sigh), let's take a look:

BALANCE

NATURE'S GRACE: Now procs from non-periodic spell criticals (old: all spell criticals).

So direct-damage spells (e.g. Wrath, Starfire, Moonfire's initial hit) or direct-healing spells (e.g. Regrowth's initial heal, Nourish) will be the only ones that can trigger the 20% haste effect from 3/3 Nature's Grace. This is definitely a nerf for Balance concerning Starfall and Hurricane crits, but it's also a nerf concerning specific gear sets. Moonfire's DoT component can crit if you're using Balance 2-piece Tier 9, and a Restoration druid rocking 4-piece Tier 9 gains the ability for Rejuvenation to crit.

For Balance's AoE situations and Starfall cooldowns, it's an out-and-out nerf, albeit a limited one given Starfall's cooldown and the unlikelihood of Hurricane playing a major role in any given boss fight. Otherwise, it's also a nerf directed at Tier 9 bonuses, unless Blizzard's planning on future tier bonuses (or class changes) that will make periodic damage and/or healing crits a routine thing. Stay tuned.

Continue reading Patch 3.3 PTR: Undocumented druid changes

WoW.comPatch 3.3 PTR: Undocumented druid changes originally appeared on WoW.com on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>balancebalance-druiddruid-changesentangling-rootsferalferal-druidgenesisgift-of-the-wildhealing-touchhurricaneimproved-barkskinimproved-leader-of-the-packinfected-woundsinsect-swarmmark-of-the-wildmoonfirenatures-gracepatch-3.3patch-3.3-changespatch-3.3-druid-changespatch-3.3-wowregrowthrejuvenationrestorationrestoration-druidsoothe-animalstarfireswipetranquilitytyphoonworld-of-warcraft-patch-3.3wow-3.3-changeswow-new-patchwow-patchwow-patch-3.3wow-patch-newswrathAllison RobertFri, 02 Oct 2009 02:30:00 EST