Monday, June 16, 2014

Monday Random Thoughts

- I sometimes wonder if I really like the idea of valor upgrades.

- I mean they are nice to have, but they suck to waste valor on them.

- I am at the stage on all my characters, even alts that just hit 90, that I hate using valor on anything less than 553.

- It almost seems like putting perfume on a pig.

- Even if you upgrade an LFR piece is is still a piece of crap.

- I really wish valor gear was back.

- Don't know about you but I would much rather spend valor on a 553 piece than on upgrading a 528 one.

- There is absolutely no competition there.

- Heck, I would rather buy a 553 piece at 2250 valor and then win a better 553 piece the same day than waste 1000 valor to upgrade something I end up replacing that same day.

- It happened to me on one of my hunters yesterday.

- I had won a pair of boots the last time I raided on it, to replace 540 ones.

- Logging on to it for the first time since then I put them on, upgraded them, reenchanted as needed, changed a few gems and did some reforging.

- Then I used the in game finder for a normal group while I went to kill some gulp frogs for stone so I can get my weekly valor.

- Within a short time I get a whisper asking if I want to come to nazgrim.

- I asked normal or heroic, he said normal, I said, okay.

- I really would have wanted to do sha of prided, could you an AoC warforged or the tier chest.

- I have a flex chest so that would be a nice upgrade.

- Or if I could get the freaking legs to drop of the celestial or klaxxi bosses.

- That would work too.

- I have off set pieces for everything, but no tier legs to move pieces around.

- Warforged legs, warforged shoulders, warforged helm and warforged gloves.

- No warfroged chest however, so even if I got legs, I do not have a decent chest for it.

- Either way, back to naz and we killed him no problem and the warforged boots drop.

- Ever win something you wanted and been upset you won it?

- I just spent 1000 valor on the boots I am wearing, I just changed 2 gems, 2 enchants and spent money on reforging.

- I just wasted all that.

- On this character is was no big deal because it was connected to my main collection of characters so getting everything it needed was just a matter of character hopping.

- But what if it were one of my hunters without a network.

- I decided to gem up my horde hunter the other day, only the pieces 553 or better mind you, and it cost me 3K.

- That is not all my pieces, that does not include enchants.

- Sure I can make money, but that sucks wasting it if you are just going to replace it.

- That is why I try to only upgrade things 553 or higher.

- Less chance of them being replaced soon.

- Back to my run, the chest dropped off spoils, I won it, so now I have a normal level chest, only need the tier legs to go with it so I can put on the normal chest in place of the flex tier one and still keep my 4 piece.

- Was having a great run, so when we get to klaxxi I am hoping for the best.

- To be all normal geared or better I would need those legs so I can downgrade my warforged one to put on the 553 chest and keep my 4 piece and a ring, because I still have a flex ring.

- I was hoping one would drop and I would coin the other, was having good luck so far this run.

- No luck this time.

- The group did not even make an attempt on garrosh.

- Either way, good night, except for the fact that I wasted all that valor on something that only lasted me a couple of hours.

- And lets say I won those legs.

- I would have to wait 2 weeks for it to be worth switching out the new chest and legs for the old chest and legs.

- Not to mention having to wait another week so I can put on those boots.

- And all this has me wondering, are upgrades really a good idea, or just a general annoyance.

- I like upgrades, do not get me wrong, but in times like this I just can't help but say I hate them.

- It just sucks to win something that will replace something you just wasted 1000 valor on.

- It sucks even worse that it is an upgrade that I need to wait a week so I can upgrade it before it is actually an upgrade.

- The upgrade system needs some work, not sure what, but it needs some work.

- Maybe a system to transfer the upgrade from one piece to another for half valor cost or for some sum of gold as a gold sink.

- But any way to actually put on my upgrade when I get it would have been nice.

- Hey, I am sure someone loves the upgrade system.

- I am sure someone hates it too.

- So if there are people that like it AND people that dislike it, it will be removed.

- Blizzard could not make up its own mind on anything.

- If some people like it and some people don't they will need to remove it, can't have that, have to try to please everyone or displease everyone.

- They can not listen to the whims of the players.

- Except if it is something everyone dislikes.

- Then it stays.

- Was reading over patch notes and thinking, I was just really starting to like druid healing again.

- So said I am going to have to ditch it again when the new expansion comes out.

- I like having all instants basically.

- I like being able to jump around as a tree while I heal.

- I like that I can move my shrooms wherever I want when I want.

- Now, no instants, 30 second cooldown on moving shrooms, no bloom.

- Can someone say... booooorrrrrriiinnnnngggg.

- Blizzard has a bad, very bad, habit of screwing over healers at the beginning of every single expansion and this next one will be no different.

- Except they are taking screwing healers over to all new heights.

- A jumping thee is probably one of the most iconic things I remember from my early raiding.

- I wanted to be that tree.

- It is why when my druid hit max in wrath I tried my hand at healing because that looked like so much fun.

- It is why I quit druid healing in cataclysm because they removed the tree.

- It is why I decided to give it a try again this expansion because there was a glyph that made me a tree.

- And it is why I will ditch it again next expansion because I will not be able to be the jumping tree any longer.

- People are enjoying something?  We can't have that.

- Lets remove it.

- Blizzards motto.

- Like I was so excited to see marks was going to be a top spec for hunters again.

- To almost ending up in tears just thinking about how they removed every bit of heart the spec might have had.

- What is it now, a 4 button rotation?

- Steady for focus, aimed to bleed, chimea and toss on cooldown.

- Oh yeah, and kill shot when the mob gets low.

- 5 buttons, no procs, no interaction on how the abilities work with each other.

- Just create a one button marco, because there will never need to be anything to react to, and you too can do 100% of your maximum potential as a hunter.

- Seriously blizzard, WTF?

- I am all for easier rotations, look at the player base, they can't even do the ones around now, but this is a bit too much.

- I liked the marks of old, an easy rotation that was hard to pull off perfectly with that split second delay and you lose your buff.

- All when you could not move and shoot.

- That is how rotations should be designed.

- Easy enough that anyone can do it, but rewarding for when people can do it right.

- You could tell a good hunter from a bad one back then.

- Now, with the rotation in a one button macro for 100% potential, you would never be able to tell.

- But they will not let that go live.

- They can not let that go live.

- I would be willing to bet that will not go live.

- I just hope they are testing something and going to add all the stuff they took out back in once they balance it as they add it back.

- I sure hope that is what is happening.

- It is the alpha after all.

- This can't be where marks ends up.

- But I never underestimate blizzard.

- Do you know how many things I have heard people say, don't complain, that will never make it live, and it does?

- Hundreds, easily hundreds.

- So never take for granted the stupidity of blizzard.

- I did some LFRs this weekend, way too many if you ask me.

- My monk needed 4 runestones to get the cloak, did every single boss that could drop one and now I need 2.

- Come on, that is ridiculous, if it were not for the guaranteed ones I would have got none.

- I needed 4 secrets for my mage to move onward and with more bosses to get them from this should not be a problem.

- I did every boss.

- I even queued again if I came in on a partial run so I could get them all.

- That is all 12 ToT bosses and the first 8 siege ones.

- I go into next week needing 2 more.

- I only got the two guaranteed ones?

- You have to be freaking kidding me blizzard, really?

- Now I remember why I stopped trying to get the cloak on alts.

- Now I remember why I stopped doing LFRs.

- It is bad enough I need to deal with wait times, bad people, bad players, toxic behavior, but I also need to deal with horrible drop rates.

- I did all the bosses I could do on two characters and only got the guaranteed ones on them?

- Basically that means I got none.

- Can't count the two I am guaranteed as getting one, because I am supposed to get one.

- However, I have been screwed on that one too plenty of times.

- Someone said put in a ticket, they will give it to you.

- Yeah, maybe in your little world, not mine.

- I once put in a ticket because I did not get one.

- By the time they got back to me the week reset and I got the one I needed and then they responded saying I do not need it, why did I put in a ticket about it, I can get in trouble for putting in false tickets.

- Well, I did need it three days ago when I put in the ticket you moron.

- I did not say it like that, but I sure as hell wanted to.

- I did tell them I did need it when I put in the ticket but I got it after reset.

- I did hint at the fact if they had answered in less than 3 days I would have still needed it then.

- Two weeks ago a friend that was collecting sigils put in a ticket, on my request, because he did not get one on sha of pride, one of the so called guaranteed drop ones.

- He had 10 power and 9 wisdom, that would have finished off that part for him and that was the last boss he could do that week.

- He got a quick response, unlike me.

- His response?

- It did drop one for you, a sigil of power and being you did not need any more you did not get it.

- My friend said exactly what I would have.

- It was fixed so that you can not get over 10 and if you would get one it would give you the one you need.

- The GM said, sorry, can't help you, it dropped a power, you did not need a power, you will have to wait until next week.

- There is useless, and there is a blizzard GM, less than useless.

- At least someone useless would have tried to help, this guy did not even try and fail, he just said "no soup for you".

- Have I mentioned that the mage circle thing should be instant cast?

- Would love to place it as I am moving from place to place.

- I am starting to get really good with it however.

- Learning the perfect time to drop it, keeping track of it, and all that jazz.

- People still seem to, oddly enough, stack in it for some reason.

- I was considering making a macro that says get off of my lawn.

- I am a gnome after all.

- Circle = lawn.

- Garden gnome.

- Get it.

- Ha ha.

- Okay fine, only I think it is funny.

- I got two complements on that pug I ran.

- One was someone that whispered me saying, "this is an alt, I would love to see what you do on a main, amazing"

- The other was after I said I could use the chest if no one else needed it because I only had a 540.

- Someone whispered me, how the hell can you do those numbers still having some 540 gear.

- Of course I did not lead on that my main was also a hunter.

- So my "alt" was not like most peoples alts.

- It is not like I was playing in a role or class I do not normally play on.

- So I let them have their fun.

- And I did get a smile from the complements.

- By my own standards however I did not even do that well.

- I did have one awesome start on thok and we wiped.

- I was still over 600K when he went into the first transition, still over 500K when he hit the second.

- I think I had a chance, a really outside chance, of breaking 400K on it for the first time ever.

- And not just breaking it, but really going above and beyond it.

- We wiped with 17% left and me still sitting at 458K.

- I would have done it.

- I ended with 316 when we did down it.

- It feels so blah after flirting with 450.

- It is all in the luck of the procs.

- I must have had a 50 in a row explosive shot streak that run.

- Heck, I do not know how long it was, but it seemed to last forever.

- And then when it stopped, it started all over again.

- I don't think I had my serpent sting up for 90% of that attempt because if it was a choice between another explosive or reapplying my sting there really was no choice.

- Screw the sting baby, I am going medieval on this dinos ass.

- I really do think that DPS sometimes seems like 80% luck 10% skill and 10% connection.

- A little bit of skill, a nice fast connection and with some luck you do 450K and without it you do 316K.

- I guess I will be glad is blizzard could get back to skill based rotations instead of luck based one.

- At least if I do poorly I know I can get better with practice.

- But when it comes to luck, I do not know if I did well, or just got lucky.

- How can you learn to be the best you can be when everything revolves around luck?

- Not saying I did not like having explosive shot lit for an entire fight, or what felt like it, I loved it.

- But now no matter how good I do the fight, even if I do everything 100% within my power correctly, I will never see that number.

- Not without luck, or lots more gear.

- And the game should be able skill.

- Not about luck.

- Not about gear.

- And most definitely not about people standing in my gnome mages circle.

- Get off of my lawn.

- Have a great day.

8 comments:

  1. I've finally got all my heroic pieces upgraded, and am sitting at valor cap again. Even though I realize that the valor would be wasted otherwise, I still feel bad quad upgrading (they're already double upgraded) normal pieces. At first I didn't even quad upgrade non heroic warforged pieces.

    We spent a good chunk of saturday wiping on 25h malkorok. But I didn't mind wiping because I was sitting between 440 - 450k dps, which I tend to feel pretty decent about, regardless of being an 8% wipe or a 58% wipe. Finally kill him on a pull where I've only got 380k. damn rng... :(

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    1. The longer the fight goes you always end up going down. Just a sad point of life with hunters, or really any class I guess.

      You think of the heroic pieces the way I think of normals. Probably because you are doing heroics. If I were then I would be the same. Alts I would still think 553 or better is worth upgrading. I feel "dirty" if I upgrade an LFR piece even on an alt. And I just do not like upgrading a flex piece unless I absolutely have to. I mean all my alts are basically normal ready except my paladin.

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  2. Hey Grumpy I've been playing wildstar... It's got a lot of the elements you complain that blizz did away with pretty sure it even has valor gear at 50 :P

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    1. I had looked into it and am considering playing it. I am going to buy it and test it out whenever my new computer gets here. They moved the date back to the 30th, so it might still be a while.

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  3. I don't mind the VP upgrades... and I'm also in a situation where I have a piece just waiting, I have a +2 559 belt (so 567) with a heroic belt waiting but 566 is currently a downgrade and I have more critical pieces to upgrade to +4 first. Not the end of the world... it'll be there when the time comes and there have always been reasons to keep pieces hanging around for when they'll come in handy. Pre-reforging I basically carried "hit" and "no hit" pieces in all slots on all my raiding toons to swap around as necessary. The new system is far superior. The WoD system will be another improvement, I think.

    The 2 week drop increase for legendary items should do you some good, then... assuming you take advantage.

    It's funny, my dps is normally really consistent but every now and then I'll put up an unusually high number... almost never an unusually low one. Almost never happens on a kill either. I have no explanation for it.

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    1. I have pieces like that in my bags too. A waist that has hit and haste, but less hit, so if I ever get an upgrade that put me higher on hit, I will but that one on which has less hit to get more haste out of the deal. I have more than a few pieces like that, should I need to switch.

      I will try to take advantage, but it all depends on if anything pops up. If I have a free weekend like I did last weekend it will really get a lot done.

      That is the RNG for you. I've had some weird runs. I was on my hunter and (forgot what fight it was) doing 180K on a fight and wondering if I still had my challenge mode gear on me, or a wrong trinket, or something, because I am never that low, then out of nowhere everything seemed to proc and 20 seconds later I was sitting at 260K and the boss was dead. If the fight went on longer I would have went higher because I was still bursting thanks to the RNG. Now imagine how much I had to be doing to boost my over all DPS that much in such a short time at the end of a fight? It was all luck. One of those odd times where I did not get the huge burst at the start and instead got it at the end.

      I think for survival hunters it is more pronounced than for some other classes. A nice proc streak from the 4 piece set while other procs are going on and you could easily pull 500K in my gear (568) but without that proc streak I will be sitting around 300K at absolute best.

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    2. Oddly, what I said is no longer true... last night got a first kill on H Thok and I was close to 50K above my usual dps on that fight, including a death/res... and I missed the pre-pot. My usual dps on that fight (dps, not dpse) is in the 270-290K range, did almost 330K last night... and considering monks have zero executes, my dps normally creeps down the longer the fight goes when hero is popped on the pull. I honestly have no explanation, especially with a death/res included.

      Normally dps settles by the end of a fight but I do find my early burst varies a ton... with hero popped on the pull I've done close to 600K dps for the first 10-20 seconds but other times I barely break 400K. RNG, obviously (especially for monks who have a high natural crit rating, I think I'm close to 60%), but it's amusing to see when it happens.

      You may have critted a bunch of Kill Shots late...

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    3. Oddly enough kill shot is not a priority any longer, it is way too weak of a shot. It is only the priority if the mob is going to die within 3 seconds of firing it otherwise explosive shot is priority. It hits for roughly the same and it applies a DoT which in turn means it actually hits for more than kill shot.

      I guess this is part of the reason why next expansion kill shot is being removed from survival, because even as an execute ability it hits for less than one of survivals standard rotational shots. And with the 4 piece set at the moment you will usually always have explosive ready to hit, or damn near close to it.

      /end of hunter less. :P

      Starting burst can be really wacky. There is a hunter in my group that sometimes pulls over 1M on the pull and other times he is like everyone else, between 500K-600K, but every so often on rare occasion, he will break 1M on the pull. Just the luck of procs lining up.

      In the end, it does matter a lot that lucky pull burst because if the fight ends up being shorter that burst means more over all because you will drop less on a shorter fight. So the difference between doing 290 and 330 for you could have been that first 20-40 seconds if the fight was quick otherwise.

      The more you pay attention to it the more you will notice that crap gets really wacky with the way numbers are now with concern to luck and procs.

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