Class Changes?

Blizzard has said that they would never make class changes an option.  Their reasoning is, from what I understand, that people would level an easy class to level then switch to a hard class to level and not know how to play it.  That makes prefect sense to me.  But I do see a problem with that assessment however.

Most people that play suck.  Plain and simple.  There are different levels of sucking however. I think I play my hunter well and at that would put it at about 75-80% of my complete potential on any given night.  Which would still mean I suck 20-25%.  Everyone sucks, some just suck to a lesser percent.  If it is a night I am tired or my latency is crap then my suck can reach 40% on a bad run.  The thing is, I can suck easily up to 40% and the sad sad fact of the matter is that I am better then 95% of the people I have ever seen.  Sure, most of those were PuG people, but those are really the people I am talking about.  Those people are the average player.

That would mean that nearly 95% of the wow population sucks more then 40%, most likely more then 50%.  So in reality most players are only playing their role at 1/2 potential on a good night.  So I have to ask the question when it pertains to class changing, Why not?

Drops = Luck

With the Cataclysm changes looming and raiding becoming a choice of 10 or 25 it is effectively cutting our chances for drops in half.  We can only run the top raid once per week instead of twice.  The reasoning behind this is to make it take longer for people to gear up so the game does not go stale for the most active of people between updates.  Okay, if that were actually the point then I might understand it.

Don't Panic! - Raiding put simple.

Every time I am in a raid be it with my guild or in a PuG there is always a long discussion of what to do for the fight.  When I have never done a fight (which is most of the lower level ones) it all really sounds like gibberish to me.  People seem to want to give you all the information you need for the fight.  Really, I think to much information is what ends up being the reason for most wipes.  The less information you give the easier the fight will be.  That might sound stupid but at least for me it seems to help.

Cleaning House

I was not really in the mood to do anything last night game wise.  Soloed a 70 dungeon to work on some reputation, did my daily dungeon for some frost badges I don't really even need any more and lost wintergrasp like we usually do.  After that I was thinking of calling it an early night.  Nothing much I felt like doing.  That is until I checked my mail on my bank alt and noticed some of it was getting close to being deleted and it was full again. How do I collect all that crap?

Ethereal Portal

I want the Ethereal Portal and it can really be a game changing item, even if only in a minor sense.  In a way I find it both good and bad.  While having a second hearthstone is a fantastic idea if it does not share the same cooldown as the normal one it is another step in the direction of selling gear which is sad.  Having a second hearthstone is not game breaking in any way but it sure would make my life so much easier every once in a while when I wish I had a shorter cooldown and if it is a decent price on e-bay I will surely buy one.

I often check e-bay to see if they have any of the loot cards for sale cheap.  99.9% of the time they are all hugely over priced, everyone once in a while one appears that I consider for a while but I never end up buying it.  I would love to get the mounts, even more so the bear ones.  I love bear mounts as ground mounts.  I will also be keeping an eye out for the Blazing Hippogryph and hope it does not hold a price tag like the other ones out there being I love Hippogryphs.  I have the other two in game and will make sure I get the Blazing one as well.  I won't say "no matter the cost" but I would surely be willing to pay more for that then I would for any other mount.

Makes me wonder even more so after seeing those are coming out soon why everyone has gotten their panties in a bunch over the Steed mount.  Blizzard has been selling mounts for many years now in the form of cards.  The only difference is the Steed was affordable and easily accessible so everyone could get it whereas the cards were rare and would cost you and arm and a leg to get.  I'll tell you one thing for sure, if the Hippogryph was $25 I would have it instantly, same goes for the spectral tiger, the rocket, the magic rooster and all those other extremely expensive mounts that are out in cards.  Maybe Blizzard should just release them for $25 each.  I am sure Blizzard made more off of selling the Steed in one day then they ever made in all the years and all the card sets combined.

Either way, I had never heard of the Portal coming out before I noticed it today but after seeing that I am genuinely intrigued by the idea and if the card is cheap enough (read under $50) I will surely buy it on e-bay or my local hobby shop.

Rading in Cataclysm: Has Blizzard lost their mind?

You can read about what I am commenting on over at MMO-Champion on the changes for raiding in Cataclysm.

To get to the point, there will no longer be a 10 man raid and a 25 man raid each week.  There will be one raid each week.  If you do it on 10, you can not do it on 25 and vice versa.  Their concept is to make it so doing it on 25 does not feel mandatory. The same loot will drop in each version, just more of it in 25 to make up for the fact there are more people that will roll on it there.  That all makes perfect sense and I do agree with it 100%.  25 should never feel as if it is mandatory to get the best gear. 

More yummy achievements

Boredom does bring us to do strange things sometimes.  Was not sure what to do with this weekend being there were no raids going on as many people had real life commitments to attend to.  So out I went to finish off some stuff I was capable of soloing easy but kept putting off because I always got lost.  Namely Lower Blackrock Spire, Blackrock Depths, and Sunken Temple.  Yeap, never did them at all.

The only reason I never did them is because 1) before the random thing no one ever did dungeons and finding groups was near impossible and 2) even if I hit 80 and they became easy I would get lost while trying to find my way through them and just lose interest or someone else would pop up.

Time is Money Friend

Out of total boredom I decided to do some quick math on a few items in the game.  Using the concept that a mount recently was added for sale at $25 and pets have been sold for $10 I would like to take a look at the real life cost of items in game.

In 2007 (the example I found so I will use it) the middle class income was between $36,000 and $57,660.  That would translate into a median of those would be roughly $46,830.  Lets just call that $52,000 based on inflation and the fact it makes for easy math.  $52,000 is $1,000 per week.  $1,000 per week means $25 per hour.  So we are going to use $25 per hour when translating time spent and actual cost of items in wow.  Yes, some make more and some make less.  That is why we will use the $25 per hour number.  To make everyone happy.  Oh, who am I kidding, it is to make me happy because it makes my math easier.

Deathcharger's Reins is a mount that is often farmed for so it will be our first example.  The Reins are a 1% chance drop.  That does not mean that going in you will get it if you go in 100 times.  Each time is a 1% chance.  As someone figured out it would take 916 times doing it to get to a 99.99% chance of getting it.  There is no sure way to make sure you do get it with 100% certainty. Now lets assume you can solo this (which I hope you can otherwise you cut your chances down even more as you will have to roll against others if it does drop now.) and can do it in 15 minutes.  Assuming no breaks at all you can do this 4 times per hour.  That means that it would take 229 hours to get to that 99.99% chance.  Most will get it sooner then 916 times.  It seems, with no proof to back it up, that most people that farm it, it takes them near 200 times and not near 200 hours.  We will continue to use 229 hours however. 

Cost for getting the Deathcharger: $5,725

Reins of the White Polar Bear is another mount that is sought after, not to mention my favorite ever. Unlike the other mount which can be farmed over and over in an amount of days depending on how much time you spend in one sitting this mount you can only try for once per day so it will take months.  Which means it not only cost the same as the deathcharger but it also could take a much longer time.

Cost of getting the White Polar Bear: $5,725 and well over 7 months.

Timbermaw Hold reputation just took me 3 hours to go from honored to exalted.  I do not recall what it took to get to that original honored so my totals for it will not be correct.  But we can guess 2 hours otherwise.

Cost of getting Timbermaw Hold Exalted: $125

Protector's Mark of Sanctification has still has not ended up in my hands.  Sure I've seen a bunch of them drop but I also have to roll against many other people, all of which want 5 of them.  Which means this is going to take some time to get as you can only make one run per week in 25 man and one in heroic 10 man.  Worse even then doing one daily per day for the bear.  I do not know exact numbers but I would say as of now I have most likely spent close to 100 hours in 25 man content with hopes this will land in my hands.  So the cost of this is still not final but so far it has a cost that keeps rising.

Protector's Mark of Sanctification: Cost so far $2500 and counting and I need 5 of them.

So you see, cost in game of items is absolutely fucking crazy.  At this rate, by the time I get 5 marks for myself it will have cost me well over 10,000 to get it because time is money friend.

Farming herbs?  Not free, it costs you money.
Farming ore? Not free, it costs you money.
Farming mounts? Not free, it costs you money.
Farming pets? Not free, it costs you money.
Farming reputation?  Not free, it costs you money.
Leveling a character? Not free, it costs you money.
Level a skill?  Not free, it costs you money.

Everything you do in the game cost you money.  Sure, it is imaginary money in this case being you would not be making that $25 per hour otherwise but it is perfect for what you are using here as an example.  Imaginary items for imaginary pay you would have received.

With those numbers in mind it makes me think that My Little Pony for $25 was a steal.  Come of think of it, even if everyone is against it, I would not mind paying $25, $50, hell even $100 for a Mark of Sanctification instead of paying the $10000 I am currently going to end up paying for it. (That is sarcasm for people that do not know I am against selling gear)

Time is money, friend and Blizzard is way undercharging for the things they are offering.  My Little Pony should have cost around $5000 if anyone at Blizzard had ever taken a math course in school.  Because, based on other things, that is really what it would be worth in real life money.

Keyboard Turning and Intelligence

I think today must be a really grumpy day for me.  Most likely from my fail at life rolling last night.  More so because it is a slow day at work and I need something to do and being grumpy comes natural to me.

Once again a long discussion popped up on the wow forums about the likes of keyboard vs mouse turning which of course always ends up including clicking vs. keybinding.  First off, let me say I oft times use the term clicking when I "press" a button.  Like I start off all the time by clicking misdirect.  It is just a habit I got into and I always so it. 

When I say I start off by clicking misdirect I am actually pressing Shift and 1.  The macro I use will misdirect to my focus (which is always the main tank) and if the focus is dead or I have no focus then it will misdirect to my pet.  Basic and simple and a part of every hunters daily usage I am sure.  Or should I say I hope.

So I wonder if people really understand what they are saying when they call themselves a clicker.  I am a clicker, will always be a clicker and will not change.  I click the keys I need to do the job.  I wonder how many people that others blast for being a clicker are clicking keys and not clicking with their mouse?  Usage of words, more so on the internet, can get easily confused.

But back to the point.  People are calling the keyboard turners stupid, idiots, morons that don't know how to play.  First off, why is someone wrong for using the keys the game tells you to use?  The game teaches you to use the keys.  So if you use them to turn you are an idiot?  I don't get that.

More so my point is this:  Albert Einstein is widely considered one of the smartest people that ever lived.  Unlike the keyboard vs. mouse turning argument that fact is not really debated.  It is commonly accepted as a fact.  So I would like to use Mr. Einstein as an example to explain a simple common sense fact that it seems 99.9% of the WoW community (at least the ones that use the forums) don't seem to understand.  Oh wait, I should end this now, I used the words common sense.  As we all know in WoW and in life in general no one ever has common sense.  They should change it to uncommon sense because most people really have none.

On topic with Mr. Einstein.  He could not tie his own shoes.  Did you know that?  A basic simple thing that even the slowest of all of us had mastered before we even entered school.  How it is that a man that was so intelligent could not do something that most people take for granted as simple?  Well, some people, no matter their level of intelligence is, just can not do some things.

Perhaps the masses of the great uninformed should think before calling someone an idiot next time because they click or they keyboard turn.  Think (I know for most of the wow forum users this will be very hard but at least try) before you speak next time.

If someone has at least seriously tried to be a mouse turner or a keybinder and they failed at it then they just can not do it.  Kind of like how someone very smart could not tie their shoes.  The ability to mouse turn is not a sign of intelligence.  Stop trying to make the poor people that can't do it feel like idiots because you are trying to make yourself feel good being you can do it.  Your epeen does not really need that "I can keybind and mouse turn" boost. 

Not making macros means you are an idiot.  Whether you click them or bind them is based on your own personal skill level.  Some people can not bind and some people can not click.  Everyone can play how they are best able to play.  Everyone can also take a few seconds to copy and paste a macro to use it.  If you can not take the time to make a macro you are lazy and being lazy is being stupid.

Remember that next time when talking about things like turning and clicking.  People that can't do it might just not be able to do it, it does not mean they are stupid, it just means they do not have the skills required to do it and no amount of trying is going to make someone capable of doing something that they can not do.

I can sing in the shower every night and go sing at karaoke all the time but all that practice is not going to make me a better singer.  I've maxed my skill in singing and it is not ready for american idol yet and it never will be.  Contrary to popular belief... practice does not make perfect.

Tell them to try mouse turning, really try, like for a few weeks.  If they try and they can not do it, then they do not have the skills.  That does not make them stupid.

They Love Me In That Tunnel

I got They Love Me In That Tunnel last night which came with The Diplomat when I did it.  Always nice to do double duty on the achievements.  I have no clue what made me want to go for that one the other day but it was not even half the grind I thought it would be.

I started killing our friendly neighborhood Furbolgs a bit the day before.  Did the circular grind around the deadwood area in Felwood.  They spawn back fast enough that even one shotting everything meant I did not need to wait long.  I kept going until I stopped getting rep from kills at revered and collected all the feathers.  When the night was over I went and turned all the feathers in and was half way through revered.  All that while talking on vent with people.  So it passed like nothing. 

Yesterday I went back to work on it and while again talking on vent it passed by quickly.  Had the 175 more feathers I needed in no time really.  I would say a total of 3 hours were needed to grind it up. Mind you, those 3 hours were also not a dedicated 3 hours.  I did not rush killing things and keep moving without stopping.  I talked, I browsed the web some, but I mostly killed the furbolgs.

I almost did not do that one at all.  I thought it would be one of those horrible ones where I needed to grind for 12 hours on a weekend and then some.  I am glad I decided to do it.  I wanted the new title and that was my 28th rep maxed out now.  Not to mention, that achievement has to be one of the best names for an achievement.  Do you ever think that the people that make these things up are just a little touched in the head some.

Disheartening

It is getting really disheartening lately for me.  Every week we roll through ICC 25 and down bosses.  Every week something decent drops that I could really use which is rare enough being I do not need a great deal from the early bosses that we are running through.  Every week I lose the rolls.

Yeap, every fucking week something decent drops and I lose the roll.  The bow I need from there that rarely drops finally dropped again.  It only drops like once every month.  So I roll, not even close.  It goes to another hunter.  There are 5 fucking hunters in the group.  Now 2 have it, so the way I see it, dropping once a month, I will need to wait another 3 months before I get it.  I can not wait 5 months between upgrades.

Another mark dropped for me to roll on and I lose that roll again as well.  Just like I lost the roll for every other mark that dropped before that I could use.  Of course I would not win the roll.  Why would I win the roll?

A hunter helm dropped I could have used.  I did not roll, I want the marks more so, I want the bow more so, I want other things more so.  An axe dropped I could have used.  I did not roll, let another hunter get the huge upgrade.  I am a team player.  Unless it is a big upgrade for me I do not roll for it.  Every time one of the few things I need falls.  I lose the roll and it usually goes to some other hunter that has already won something else that I passed on to let them have.

Why can't they give me the same courtesy?  I only roll on things I really need.  Let me have one of them once in a while.  I am a team player, how come no one else is?

In the last month I have not won one fucking roll (except for winning two saronites) and it is starting to get really disheartening.  Every person in the raid is building up.  Every person in the raid is blowing past me in gear score.  Every person in the raid is still behind me in DPS.  I do the best I can with the gear I have but it is getting to the point where my skill with my gear will not matter any more.  I will get passed up.

The hunter that was closest to me got 2 marks, got the helm, the bow, the boots, the pants... got everything he could need in the last month.  I assure you he will pass me in DPS soon.  I do not mind that.  But come on now.  Don't you think I should have gotten any of those fucking things?

I am sick and tired of running ICC 25 every week to gear everyone else while I get nothing, ever.  Sure, I am a team player but once in a while I would like to have something new too.  I do my job, I do it well, I show up every raid, I show up on time, I show up prepared, I show up knowing the fights and I show up kicking ass yet I continue to lose rolls to people I have to supply with flasks because they "forgot" to bring them.  I have to sit around waiting with the rest of the raid because they show up 20 minutes late.  I have to wait and listen to fight mechanics that we have all heard 20 times already because they "forgot" since last week what to do.  And I lose the rolls to these people.

I swear, I am so close to quitting raiding.  I play to have fun just like everyone else and it is no fun when you do all the work and never get anything to show for it.  I supply arrows at no charge to all the hunters, I supply the flasks for all the hunters (and anyone else that uses endless and selfishly forgets to buy them), I never once used the guild to pay for my repairs, I pay on my own.  I do everything that a "good" raider should do and I always end up on the short end of the stick.

One more week, one more 25 man, one last try.  If I do not win something next week I quit.  It is not worth it if you are not having fun doing it.  I am not having fun doing everything and being a team player and letting the drops go to people that do not even show up when we continue so we can keep going. Why should they show up, they got their loot already.

I am not saying I should just be given things because I was unlucky enough to never win anything, what I am saying is I am sick of always losing the rolls on the very few things I ever roll for to people that really do not deserve it.  I most likely would not be upset if it were not the same people that win every fucking roll every week.

I hate that one or two people end up with all the wins every week and every week I get nothing.  These people need to learn to pass for the team once in a while like I do.  Either that, or I should start being a douchebag like everyone else and roll for things even if they are not a big upgrade just to deny someone else instead of passing and let the person that needs it most get it.

No Life.

I for the most part have some sort of life, as opposed to having 8 level 80's.

I recently read a post where someone asked for gear advice and when another person mentioned he get Sons of Hodir reputation so he could get appropriate shoulder enchants that was his reply. (mind you, I choose a very kind example to share, most are not put that nicely)

While I do not have 8 level 80s and do not see me ever having 8 level 80s I can understand how in time it might happen.  In time I will level more characters if only to get more professions maxed.  It is that simple really.  So I consider myself one of the "no life" people that person mentioned even if I am not the type he described.

Why would I consider myself that?  Because I play WoW every day.  So it fits.

Now for my little Grumpy Elf take on people in WoW who are often referred to as the "No Lifers"

Don't Panic! - The Festergut Edition.

Don't Panic!

That is my newest motto.  Actually has been for a long time.  When I was co-raid leader in my old guild and even before I was I would tell people not to panic when such and such happens.  I think that is one of the first thing I learned on my own when I started raiding and in a way I found it strange that no one ever told me that.

The Don't Panic! concept is this:
When something happens during a battle there will always be time to react.  If you panic you will not be able to react reliably and correctly.  You will make quick, and often wrong, decisions.  If you take your time and do what you are supposed to without going into a panic everything will be fine.

The Festergut Edition:

Tips and Tricks: Making money with Alchemy

First thing first.
Choose a mastery and work with that mastery to make money.

Elixir Master will allow you to proc extra elixirs and flasks.
Potion Master will allow you to proc extra potions.
Transmutation Master will allow you to transmute extra gems, metals, elements.

Personally I have found potion master to be mostly useless unless you plan to make a lot of runic mana and runic healing potions.  They are solid sellers and profitable.  Elixir and Transmutation are the way to go.

Tips and Tricks: How NOT to fill out a guild application.

I might get into a detailed tips and tricks about how to apply to a guild soon but this is more so about how NOT to apply to one.  My guild recently received an application that was too humorous not to share. Below are just some of the answers I want to share.

Loremaster

For some reason I decided that this weekend I would do the hard press to get as much done for my Loremaster Achievement as possible.  I had finished the Outlands and Northrend parts a while ago.  Having flying made doing those a less painful task. Doing the old world ones was not as easy, not by a long shot.

I wanted to do it before Cataclysm comes out just in case they change it.  It takes a lot of time and running around and can be mighty stressful with some drops for quests being about as rare as anything in the game, it seems at least.  So Friday I started my quest to complete all the quests.  Got myself the 3000 Quests Completed done on Friday night.  Saturday I got on early and started working toward it.  I went to Dunkin Donuts and got 4 24 ounce coffees knowing that I was going to be at it a long time.

12 hours and 9 24 ounce coffees later I knew a break would be coming up as it was almost time for my Saturday raid.  I was really close when the raid started to form.  So close I dropped the raid and told them to invite me back when they were ready.  I wanted to try and squeeze in the last few quests for Kalimdor. As it turns out, some people were not on in time so we had to wait.  That extra 30 minutes gave me the time I needed and I got Kali done just before raid time.

Only one more left and a lazy Sunday to do it.  I figure it would get done.  One thing I did not count on was sleeping so damn much.  Woke up later then I normally do, much later.  So I figured I might not be able to get EK done today.  Not to mention, I was out of ideas on where to go.  I had some quests in dungeons but I ran enough dungeons recently and needed a break. If worst came to worst and I needed to do them I would wait until next week to do them.  There are only so many times you can run the same dungeon in one weekend and bad quest management at the start meant I was going to the same dungeons 3 and 4 times. 

I downloaded everyquest which I saw suggested a few times and got some help from that.  One random item to be found that lead to a nice small quest line that is easy to overlook.  Realizing that turning in cloth to Stormwind and Ironforge counts and a few low level quests near the Dwarf starting area later and tada, Eastern Kingdom was mine.

So it took only one weekend of some serious dedication to game play to cover about 500 quests I needed.  Not even a lot of time considering the amount of quests I did.  After getting my Loremaster Achievement I went to the mailbox to get my brand spanking new Loremaster's Colors and put them on so I can strut around a little in my new colors and my new title when I get another achievement I did not even expect.  Ten Tabards.  What a nice surprise that was for the end of a weekends long trek through the old world.  I can't wait until we can fly there, although I do not need it there any more.  No reason to ever return there now except to use the auction house.

Celestial Steed. Good for the game or bad?

I am a geek, completely and totally and I make enough money to spend on stupid things that serve no real purpose.  Hence the reason I play warcraft.  If I were really worried about money I would not be stupid enough to be spending cash to play a game when there are hundreds if not hundreds of thousands of games online that are free.  So with that said, I bought the Steed and the new pet without even giving it a moments thought.

I have been reading all over the forums people for and people against the Steed being sold.  I can see both points from both sides with an open mind if it were not for the fact that both sides keep saying the same thing and neither of them ever address the bigger story of the Steed being sold.

There main points:

Against:
1) Only an idiot would spend money for pixels.
2) It is unfair to people that can not afford it.
3) It sets a slippery slope in motion that will destroy the game.

For:
1) I can afford it so why not buy it.
2) I collect mounts and I want it.
3) I think it is cute and unique.

Okay, for and against, in a nutshell, as the people are complaining on the forums all over the WoW universe at the moment.  Sure there are other for and against arguments but no one seems to have the right argument for or against, at least as I see it.

The real reason people should be against it.
- Some people do not have the extra cash to spend on it and while many say it is cosmetic only it really is not.  The pet is cosmetic only.  It will not effect your game in any way, shape or form.  The Steed however will indeed effect game play.  Even if only on a small level.  So say you can afford to pay your monthly fee but not the extra 25 bucks, you won't get it. No big deal.  (Rant Incoming: Honestly, I think if 25 bucks is going to hurt you that badly you should not even be paying to play a game to begin with.  If 25 bucks in a problem, then 15 a month is a waste too.  Stop playing a game so you can stop complaining about money.  But back on topic here. End Rant Here)  The mount is account bound.  All accounts you make will get the mount.  Which means you will realistically never have to pay to buy a mount at all.  Lets say for example I just started playing now.  I would only have to buy my training, but not my mounts each time.  It would make my game play much easier in the essence that I do not have to wait to make gold to get it.  Sure, it is not a huge advantage to a new player, but that means new players with money get mounts easier without having to buy one in game.  It is selling a mount outside of the game.  Basically, it is like selling a piece of equipment, be it armor or a weapon.  It is something other new players without real money to spend will have to save to buy in game but people with money will get it with real cash.  That is the real problem with it.  If it were just a mount and that is all and it could only be purchased on an 80 and only for that one 80 then it would just be purely cosmetic.  But it is not.  It does give an advantage in game. (even if that advantage is only saving a few gold in game)  NOTE: Not completely sure on this fact yet.  Some say it scales on your fastest mount, some say it scales on your skill.  This commentary is based on it scaling on skill and would change if it is based on fastest owned mount.

The real reason people should be for it.
- The more money Blizzard makes, the more reason it has to keep making new content and keep the game advancing.  The more the game makes, the more they will want to expand it so it will get more popular so it can in turn make them even more money.  Money is good, it is the great motivator.  Do you think WoW would still have so many updates if they were not making a nice profit on it?  Nope, the game would die out like many before it. People should be glad that people are buying the mounts.  More money means more profit for Blizzard, but also more accessible cash for them to make upgrades to the servers, the game and the community.  People should not be bitching at the people that bought them, they should be thanking them for supporting the game in a way they are either unwilling or unable to do.

Now to go back to the original for and against lines just so I can leave my grumpy elf comment on each one.  Only because it make me grumpy seeing this many stupid people coming up with the same lame arguments over and over.

Against:
1) Only an idiot would spend money for pixels.
--- You pay a monthly fee to play with pixels and you are calling someone else and idiot for paying for pixels.  Pot, meet Kettle.
2) It is unfair to people that can not afford it.
--- If you can not afford 25 bucks for one thing you should rethink paying 15 per month.  Do not spite someone else because they have a better job (or mommy or daddy does) then you do.
3) It sets a slippery slope in motion that will destroy the game.
--- You would get a lot further with that argument if you explained it like I did. You can't just say that and then say nothing to support it.  Most people that use that term heard it on law and order and do not know what it means anyway so I understand why you did not explain your reason for thinking that.

For:
1) I can afford it so why not buy it.
---- I can afford a trip to the Iraq war zone but I am not about to jump on and plane and go there.  Just because you can afford it is not a good reason. Are you that insecure that the fact you can afford 25 bucks is a good enough reason to buy something to show off that you can afford it?
2) I collect mounts and I want it.
--- This is the only good reason I have seen often on the forums and I will admit I think it is a good reason because it is the reason I bought it too.  But if you go running around on it all the time then you are using it as an excuse for wanting to show off just like the insecure jerk in the first for statement.  I got mine and learned it.  Have not mounted it once, even to look at it, I can see everyone else on their mount.  I ride my bear because I like my bear.
3) I think it is cute and unique.
--- Okay, I will give you the "it is cute" part for about 2, maybe 3 days, after that it will lose it's luster because you will see everyone and their mother on it all day strutting around Dal to show off that they have 25 bucks to spend.  Oh, and that addresses the unique part.  What the fuck are you smoking? Unique?  Take a look in Dal or any major city and try to tell me that it is unique.  Did you make the 25 bucks to buy it by selling that shit you are smoking thinking it is unique.

I think, in a way, this is the first case of selling a piece of equipment.  To the average 80 it means nothing, they would have the money to buy mounts from their main should they make a new character.  But to a brand new player to the game buying a mount that scales with all skills instead of spending that little bit of extra gold is a minor advantage.   Not much, but still a minor advantage.  Who knows where this little advantage will lead Blizzard in the years to come.

Make the "for sale" mounts usable only at max level and it will take away my main gripe with it.  Sell them all, I would buy them.  I will also be the one that breaks the mold and does not run around like the king of the world because I had 25 bucks to spend... unless you make a bear mount. ;)  I love bear mounts.

Maybe I should change my name to TheRudeElf.

Yesterday one of the Hunters in my guild asked me where I got my boots.  I said a leather worker made them.  I wear the Rock Steady Threads which are an ICC pattern.  I made sure to get them as soon as I was able to. For an MM hunter they are awesome.

The guy that asked seems to always ask me questions and I am always glad to help with advice.  I am no sage hunter, I still have tons to learn, but I figure I do read a lot and maybe he does not have the time for that so I will share my knowledge.  For some reason he copied my spec exactly, even after asking me what I thought would be best and I told him to stay Survival.  He is famous for his comments to everyone, not just me, "Your alt is better geared then my main", "Your alt does more DPS then my main.", and other stuff like that.

So he comes back saying "It would take 5 Primordial Saronite to make those, screw that, I am not getting them."  I did not mean to be rude at all, I mean to be helpful.  I think for a second and lots of rude comments come to mind and all of them are dismissed as I know I am not the type to actually say them.  When the right words come to mind.

"For a MM hunter those boots are the BiS outside of Heroic content.  Do not complain about your gear score or DPS any more if you are not willing to make at least a little effort to get the best gear you have access to."

I did not intend that to come off as rude, and it sure sounded it, at least in my own mind.  A few moments of silence in guild chat when someone comes out and says.  "Wow, that is the greatest thing I have ever heard"

I said, "I did not mean to sound rude, was just pointing out that they are the best you can get. Sorry."  The guy said, "It's okay" and logged off and another guy said, "It was not rude, you are right."

I few people followed in on that note but I did not see the other guy on again all night.  He is one of our most active and dedicated raiders, so he is an asset in most cases, even if he does not want to make the effort to get himself geared up and I always have to give him flasks because he never brings his own.  He is one of those, if I do not get it from a drop I won't have it, people.  Those types never make the effort.  Me, I went out of my way to get those boots as soon as I was able to.  Spent a lot to, and it was worth it.  They will last me a very long time.

Maybe I need to learn to get the point across better without coming off as so rude in the process.  The guy is young (maybe 13-14) and is always asking me how to get better.  (Not like he ever listens to anything I say) So it seems he looks up to me in a sense.  I really do hope I did not offend him.  I do not like being rude like that, even more so to a team mate.  It just seemed to tick me off some that he did not even want to make an effort.  Maybe if he said, "I will never be able to save up for that." I would have taken it differently then wholeheartedly dismissing them because they are not worth it for that price.

It is not like it is a rare drop, or a drop in content you are not capable of doing.  It is a craftable item.  It is something you can grind and make gold to buy.  It is something that is super easy to get if you put a little bit of effort into it.

Why should your guild put the effort into helping you get gear when you wont help yourself get any?

What is Skill (In PvE)

I recently read a post on the Wowhead forums where someone bought up the topic of people using "skill" as an reason they should be able to get into content that they are not geared for.  His reasoning for that comment were, as he said, skill is "Knowing your rotation" and "Knowing the fight".  I agree with that 100%, heck, if I could agree more then 100% I would.  He basically left skill at that.

I am lead to believe that he has not raided with many people of varying skill levels before or he would know that skill is more then that.  "Knowing your rotation" and "Knowing the fight" are important and will make a huge difference on how you do during the encounter but just because you "Know" them does not mean you can do them.

I "Know" Korean when I see it, but I can not speak it or write it.  So does "Knowing Korean" mean I am skilled at it? No, it just means I "Know" it.  "Knowing your rotation" is all fine and dandy.  You can teach a 2 year old to press the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, etc.  Does that mean they are skilled?  No.  The skill is "Knowing" when to change things up. "Knowing" when to refresh that 1 instead of sticking to the rotation. "Knowing" when rapid fire will be most effective, not just when the priority system called for it. 

"Knowing" to move out of the cold flame is not skill, it is simple boss mechanic that everyone knows. "Knowing" you have a split second to fire another autoshot before moving because you know the cold flame is coming before it gets to you and timing it right is skill. Getting out of the fire before it hurts you is skill, knowing you need to get out of fire is not, that is common sense.

So, while I do agree, "Knowing your rotation" and "Knowing the fight" are extremely important I do not agree that those things alone are what makes people seemed skilled.  I can tell one of the guys I work with what buttons to hit, what order to hit them in and what the boss does and how to respond it it.  He is a very intelligent guy, he will pick up on it instantly I am sure.  But if I put him on my char in the game, even if he "knows" exactly what to do, his DPS will suck and he will most likely die.  The reason for that?  He does not have the skill required to do what needs to be done well.

Skill is doing what needs to be done and doing it well.  "Knowing" is not enough.

4 and out.

Nope, not talking about football, I am talking about ICC.  Another Tuesday run and the same old same old again.  We down the first 4 bosses and we call it.  We are doing the first four faster and faster, this time took only about 45 minutes.  Soon we will be down to the point where downing the first four will be about the same time as a long heroic.  I just hate that we always stop there.  I want to keep going.  Not sure about anyone else of course, but it always seems someone needs to go after we down the first four.

Makes me wonder if they are leaving because they have to or because they do not want to take the chance at wiping.  If people want to do progression then they need to learn that wiping is a part of it.  Sure, a few have never stepped into the other fights, most have not actually and there are people like myself that have never passed them before.  I am not worried, they are all easy fights really.  I've read what needs to be read and I've watched the videos.  All simple mechanics that should take no more then 4 or 5 wipes to get down to a science even for the most average group of players.

Makes me think that some of the people in the group do not know what progression is and are not really willing to put forward the effort to, well, progress.  I do hope the raid leaders take note of the people that drop so quickly when we get to the next wave of bosses.  No offense to them really, but I do not want them in my group.  Even if they are awesome players they are useless players in my mind.  If they are not willing to wipe a few times so everyone can learn the fight and would rather be the one person that does not know it and get carried by everyone else that made the effort, well then they do not deserve a place in my raid.

Sure, they might have actually had things to do.  But it seems amazing that three raids in a row, all going awesome, all going quick, all going easy as sin with no deaths and all ending when we get to new content most of us have not finished yet.  Makes me think those people are faking having to leave because they do not want to wipe.  I hope they stop that crap.  I want to get further into the game and not just go to the same spot every time.  At this rate we will be downing the first 4 in 20 minutes soon.  Might as well run a heroic if that is all we are going to spend on raiding.

Watch your aggro

So many times I've zoned into my random dungeon and been told "watch your aggro".  Mind you, it is not all that often, but enough times to take notice of it.  It seems that people see someone all decked out in T10 and somewhere along the lines they think that person does not know how to play. 

While I would be the first to admit that getting gear is easy as sin now and with that moving from the gear you get to T10 is more a matter of putting in the effort and not really having skill but people need to give the benefit of the doubt and not immediately jump on someone they see that is over geared for a heroic and assume that they are the standard elitist prick.

I've been to hell and it has a name.

I worked for a few hours toward my loremaster achievement this weekend.  I do a little bit here and there when I have some time.  I did not raid this weekend, so decided that I would squeeze a few quests in.  I have decided that Azshara is hell in WoW.  It serves no purpose other then making you go all over the place for no other reason then to torture you.  I can not tell you the number of times I got lost trying to get up or down from the mountains.  Needless to say, I am getting better at it. 

When I had to go there for a quest this weekend I went right where I needed to go, got down quickly being I knew how to get down and got around no problem because I knew how to get around.  Being I knew where to go and how to get their this time around it was easier.  It was however still a 45 minute quest.  Not to mention the time needed to get there and back from there to turn in the quest which means that over 1 hour was spent for a quest to the middle of nowhere.

This area, if none other, is the reason why flying is needed in the old world.  Area's like that are beautiful without doubt but they are useless and questing there is like pulling teeth.  Mostly painful even if it is needed.  I am glad it is getting a huge make over in cataclysm.  It needed it more then any one area in the old world.

Focus on Focus

After talking to some guild members last night and thinking about the focus thing I am starting to think it might not be as bad as I thought.  For PvE only that is and that is assuming that the haste bonus for regeneration is good.  I am hoping that during the beta they take a serious look at some things and adjust them as needed.

My thoughts on Hunters in Cataclysm

Over all it is not as bad as I thought it would be.  I figured that hunters would get screwed a lot more then it seems we are being screwed.  Focus still seems like it will be a total disaster and has me already considering trying to find a new "main" character.  The new abilities are almost completely useless except in the most extreme of situations.

Click to read more to get a detailed break down on my thoughts which are probably all wrong and all over reacting.  But if I did not gripe about things I would not be the grumpy elf.

Cataclysm Class Preview: Hunter

Source: Cataclysm Class Preview: Hunter 


With the upcoming World of Warcraft: Cataclysm many game elements will be changing, and each class will be receiving a number of tweaks. Here, we will explore the changes that are being made to the gun-wielding, pet-training hunter. The information you’re about to read is certainly not complete, and is only meant to act as a preview of some of the exciting new things to come. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the new hunter abilities!

New Hunter Abilities

Cobra Shot (level 81): A new shot that deals Nature damage instead of Physical damage. This ability will share a cooldown with Steady Shot. This will give hunters an alternative to Steady Shot on heavily-armored targets, and we will have talent incentives in the Beast Mastery tree to make this a signature shot.

Trap Launcher (level 83): When used, the next trap can be shot to a location within 40 yards. This provides the current Freezing Arrow treatment to all traps and, as a result, we will be removing the current ability Freezing Arrow. 1-minute cooldown. No global cooldown.

Camouflage (level 85): The hunter enters an obscured state that prevents him or her from taking ranged damage. The character would still be subject to melee or area-of-effect attacks, and dealing or taking damage will break the Camouflage effect. The hunter can move and set traps when under Camouflage, and will receive a damage bonus when attacking while under Camouflage (which will then break the effect).

Resource Mechanic Change

Here we come to the meat of the upcoming hunter changes.

• Hunters will no longer use mana; instead the class will use Focus. Focus generates much like Energy, by building up. It will not be affected by Intellect at all. Haste will improve its generation. Hunters will generate roughly 6 Focus per second, slightly less than rogues' Energy generation rate of around 10 Energy per second. Below, we have listed some examples of how we intend Focus costs to operate:
  • Steady Shot/Cobra Shot: No cost. Generates 9 Focus per shot (or 12 per second instead of 6).
  • Arcane Shot/Chimera Shot /Explosive Shot: 45 Focus.
  • Aimed Shot/Multi-Shot: 60 Focus.
  • Concussive Shot/Tranquilizing Shot: 35 Focus.
  • Rapid Fire/Master’s Call/Disengage: 30 Focus.

Changes to Abilities and Mechanics

In addition to the resource change and new abilities listed above, we intend to make adjustments to some of the other abilities and mechanics you already know well. This list and the summary of talent changes below it are by no means comprehensive, but they should give you a good sense of what we’re going for with each spec.

• A major change coming for the hunter is the removal of ammunition. Guns, bows, and crossbows will now do damage without consuming ammunition at all. There will be no more ammo slot on the hunter’s character display. Any ammunition that a hunter has at the time of the change will become gray sellable items. Existing quivers will be converted into large bags -- though each hunter can only have one and non-hunters will not benefit from this change -- and we will not be making any additional quivers.
  
• Pet management will also change. Hunters will now have two types of attainable pets: active pets and stored pets. Hunters will be able to have up to three active pets (perhaps five for Beast Mastery specialized players) and will have the ability to switch among these pets any time they are out of combat, without going to town. They will also be able to have a large number of pets in storage at the stables. In order to swap a pet from active to passive, a hunter will still need to visit their local Stable Master. However, this should afford ample storage for the many Spirit Beasts wandering the lands of Azeroth.
  
• Additionally, hunters will now start with a race-appropriate pet at level 1 and will be able to tame a different pet at level 10. We are also changing many pet family abilities to provide important buffs and debuffs. The intention is to allow the hunter to be able to swap pets and fill a position if a certain role is missing from the group. The goal is to have all pets provide a damage increase that is very similar and no greater than any other pet. Some examples of the changes we are making to the pet families are listed below:
  • Wind Serpents: Will provide a debuff that increases the amount of spell damage taken by an enemy (similar to a weaker version of the warlock ability Curse of Elements).
  • Ravagers: Will provide a debuff that will increase an enemy's Physical damage vulnerability (similar to a weaker version of the warrior ability Rampage).
  • Hyenas: Will provide bleed damage (similar to a weaker version of the druid ability Mangle).
• Stings and other periodic effects will now benefit from haste and critical strike ratings. Hasted damage-over-time abilities do not lose duration, but instead add additional damage ticks.
  
• Viper Sting will now restore 9 Focus every 3 seconds.
  
• We are reinforcing hunters as a ranged class. To this end, the class will now start with ranged abilities at level 1, and we will be removing some melee abilities, such as Mongoose Bite.

New Talents and Talent Changes

• Beast Mastery hunters will have a new talent called Careful Aim, which increases the damage of the next Steady Shot or Cobra Shot, but also increases the cast time of these abilities. The intention is to make the combination of spells into a decent damage opener, especially in conjunction with the new ability Camouflage.
  
• Beast Mastery hunters will also have talents that make Cobra Shot superior to Steady Shot, such as Longevity reducing the cast time of Cobra Shot to 1.5 seconds.
  
• Rapid Recuperation will cause Rapid Fire to give 20/40/60 Focus immediately and will cause Rapid Killing to generate 3 Focus per second.
  
• Efficiency will reduce the Focus cost of Chimera Shot, Aimed Shot, and Arcane Shot.
  
• Thrill of the Hunt grants Focus when you land a critical strike.
  
• Hunter vs. Wild increases the hunter’s Focus generation when his or her pet is snared, stunned, or rooted.

Mastery Passive Talent Tree Bonuses

Beast Mastery
Ranged Damage
Haste
Pet Damage

Marksmanship
Ranged Damage
Armor Penetration
Double Shot

Survival
Ranged Damage
Ranged Critical Damage
Elemental Damage

Pet Damage: Many of the passive benefits to pet damage will no longer be available in the Beast Mastery talent tree. However, these will be provided through the new Mastery mechanic.

Double Shot: The hunter will have a chance to launch a free attack off of the global cooldown for 50% damage.

Elemental Damage: Hunter abilities such as traps, Black Arrow, and Explosive Shot will do elemental damage of the following types: Arcane, Fire, Frost, Nature, and Shadow.

We hope you enjoyed this preview, and ask that you provide your initial thoughts and feedback on what was presented here. Please keep in mind that what you’ve just reviewed is a work in progress and as we move closer to the Cataclysm beta, you’ll see these planned changes as well as others continue to develop in response to feedback and testing.

Just not my night.

Okay, the title does not really sum it up correctly.  I had a great night raiding.  Only did the first wing of ICC 25 man but all it took was about 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Getting nicer, that is for sure.  I think once we get down to 1 hour it will be better.  Why we did not continue is beyond me.  We could have at least taken down uncle fester.  The reason I say it was not my night is because I went in looking for at least 1 of 3 drops.  None dropped.  What did drop that I could use, I rolled like crap and won nothing.  There is always next week.

Skillscore?

I saw a post on the forums about someone saying that a "skillscore" mod is needed instead of a "gearscore" mod.  Interesting idea but I have two major problems with a "skillscore" that I think any, even partly, rational person would agree with.

Cataclysm Hunter Changes

We will soon find out, the 9th, some of the changes they have in store for hunters.  I am really worried about the focus turning us into ranged rogues.  I only played a rogue for a short time but one thing I learned from that time is that focus sucks.  On my kitty druid, on my rogue, I end up focus starved 6 seconds into a fight.  There is no management for doing thing because all you do is sit and wait and drop the next part of your rotation.  How freaking boring is that. Hit a few buttons... wait... hit a button... wait... hit a button... wait... hit a button... wait.  No thank you.

What I want to see is a new role for the hunter and I have the perfect idea for it.  Something that has been done for a long time already and something that will help the random dungeon finder tons.  Make Beastmastery a pure tanking spec.  I even came up with some ideas how they can do that.

The Great T10 Gear Debate

There really is not much of a debate here when it comes to the T9 vs T10 for the average hunter.  The T9 2 set bonus makes it "usually" a no brainer unless you are the type of hunter that never actually looked at what the gear says or never reads any forums or blogs.

The basic idea breakdown is this.
Keep the T9 2 piece bonus as long as you can, if it is the 245 version, then keep it longer and if it is the 258 version you might need to consider keeping it until you get the 4 277 T10 versions.

However, there is another angle to look at, and this is what I am judging it on.  If you are still gemming agility keep the T9 2 piece for the bonus.  If you have moved along to the gemming for Armor Penetration then you can switch to the 4 piece T10 sooner then you might otherwise. (With the deathwhisper 25 legs or the crafted legs)

Gearscore: No more debate needed.

There are many people that live by it and many people that curse the day the addon was made.  I am, oddly enough, both.  While I do not have the addon myself I do see the merits of it.  As a tool only.  Everyone has an argument about it, for and against it.  I will delve further into it and let everyone decide for themselves before giving my opinion. 

Moving on.

So it seems my time at my guild is over.  All in all, besides being sad some about it, I think it might turn out to be a good thing.  Raids where getting few and far between and while we always did seem to get one solid go in per week, waiting around for the other two sucked.  Why would no one make it to continue a raid they already started?  Your guess is as good as mine.

So with four options in mind, I know there were three but a forth one popped up unexpectedly, I decided to start breaking things down.  I move along knowing that if I had it all to do over again I would not change a thing.  The guild I was in was prefect for me, was full of great people and taught me how to raid basically while never once feeling stressed over it or making me feel inferior because I was new to the game.

I had to walk to quest... uphill... both ways.

I am a newer player, I freely admit that.  I remember reading about the epic ground mounts when they where being reduced in price and waiting to buy mine being I just had become able to.  I needed to save gold, gold was not easy to come by when I did not know much about the game. All I hear about now is how "hard" the game used to be and how "easy" it is now.

I agree.
&
I Disagree.

Heroic Tip: The Oculus Cache

While I have had many reasons to be grumpy lately about things in WoW there have also been a few moments when no matter how I might try I just can not be grumpy.  I had one of these cases with my frost run using the looking for dungeon system Tuesday.

The run will full of horrible play. It ended with disappointment.  Yet it ended, a full day later, with a new found hope in the system.