Cataclysm Heroics

     Like most people, I am bloated with Cataclysm frenzy. I do dailies, I do heroics, I farm, and I even queue for Tol Barad. Which I never win, but it's the thought that counts.

    I've been enjoying the first tastes of the new raid instances. I've found them to be refreshingly intricate, they involve a lot more effort that "get out of the fire." Understanding of boss mechanics has become much more crucial. It's not enough to know the "what" to do, you have to understand why as well, or you run the risk of unintentionally sabotaging your group. You have to show up prepared.

     Which brings me to the most popular topic of discussion since Cataclysm went live: heroics are too hard.

     On one of my forum trolling visits, I read this article, in which the poster laments that a member of their group left in shame when their DPS was not up to par to kill a boss. Their compassion for the leaver is touching, however, the idea that a groups inability to carry a bad player -- in this case essentially four man current content -- indicates bad game design is ludicrous. This is, quite frankly, the entire point of the game. You would not take a player of level 80 into a level 85 instance. A player displaying the same damage output is no different. Players do not have the right to complete an instance. Games are, at their most basic level, creative mechanisms of effort and reward. You do not put in any effort, you do not reap the rewards. Showing up is not enough.

     This is not to say that games should be punishingly difficult. They are after all still tools of leisure. But their niche in that category shouldn't limit them to the single purpose of sunshine and rainbows.

     So yes, heroics are hard. But to say they are "too hard" undervalues the joy of conquering them. Without different strategies, mechanics, and fun fire to stand in, instances in WoW would be indistinguishable from each other -- just DPS with a different backdrop. As it is, every instance is a unique challenge and makes for different playstyles, pacing, and approaches. They are interesting. They are absolutely fun.

     I was disappointed that this particular thread was locked without a blue reply. I imagine the GMs are sick of the "QQ" and are ready for people to outgear the heroics so that we can hear the end of the complaints. But this thread touched me more than most, because the complaint wasn't quite that Blizzard should just give the players whatever they want, but rather it was full of pity for players who simply can't participate in the new game. They aren't bad people, these aren't the "l2p" trolls that make me die a little inside, they are simply...not interested. Part of me feels like people who can't be bothered to figure out how to put out more than 3k DPS at 85 just shouldn't play the game. They obviously aren't all that interested in playing, so why try? But abandonment of a game that you put, at the very least, leveling time into rings just as wrong in my heart. This begs the question, what are these players doing so wrong? Are they not pressing buttons fast enough? Are they spamming shadow bolt? How did we as community -- the introductory tool tips, their class trainer, Trade Chat, and everyone who grouped with this player along the way -- fail to teach them how to play?

    In the end, I am disappointed that this sympathetic forum poster didn't say anything to the under-performing DPS. They spoke as if there were only two options -- say nothing, or be an elitist prick. But there are ways to question other players about what they are doing that don't necessitate being mean. Sure, this player might be a little hurt if you suggest they are doing something wrong. That is natural. But I guarantee they will learn something from it, even if they don't immediately seem grateful or improve. There should be no disgrace in speaking up. As long as your intentions are good and you remain civil, this kind of interaction can be only positive. This is what the "M" in "MMO" stands for -- multi-player. We aren't playing with computers. We are playing with people who are capable of growth and improvement.

     This is what Blizzard is trying to teach us in Cataclysm. They are not trying to turn us all into high end raiders. They are simply raising the bar, a little bit at a time, to maintain the joy of a challenge. It's a moving finish line, you aren't supposed to "win." You are supposed to keep playing.

Succiu's Totally OCD Cataclysm Checklist

     As of this writing, we are 18 hours (and one minute) out from Servers Up! Cataclysm. I am psyched beyond all belief. In such cases, my enthusiasm manifests itself in overpreperation. This is usually right around the same time I drive my friends crazy with my ability to spit out really long sentences without the need for breath. I can whistle in. It's great.
     Ahem.
   
     1. 25 Quests Completed

     The fastest way to level in Cataclysm is to get a head start in Wrath. My quest log is full of 25 fully completed quests, including the Argent Dailies, Orgrim's Hammer Dailies, a few Deaths Rise, and one for the Frenzyheart and Sons of Hodir, which both boast one quest rewarding above average XP. If the amount of XP holds true to WoWHead's reports (and I am not sucking at math) these quests will give me a headstart of about half a million XP, or 36% of the XP needed for level 81. Not bad.
     I left Succiu logged out in Dun Niffelheim, after which she will take her Argent Tabard to Icecrown, fly south into Scholozar Basin, and take the zeppelin into Orgrimmar.
     While I intend to level in Vash'ir to avoid the crowds, I will initially head towards Mount Hyjal. Why, you ask? Arcanum of Hyjal. You're going to need it eventually.(Also keep your eye out for Therazane for your shoulder enchant, and the Dragonmaw Clan has some great caster gear.) You may as well get the required rep to buy their Tabard when the quests actually help you level. You only need to get to friendly to get the Tabard.

     2. Empty Out Those Bags

     The more stuff you can carry, the longer you can stay away from an Innkeeper. While eventually you will need to see a vendor, the fewer trips you need the make, the less time you waste. Aside from the quest items needed to turn in the above, my bags contain only the essentials. Which brings me to...

     3. Bring It

     I have a full stack of health potions, mana potions, bandages, food, water, salmon, Frost Wyrm, and Elixir of Water Walking. Water Walking is probably my favorite. You cant imagine how often that comes in useful. I'm also carrying my PvP Trinket, my Disenchanting Rod, my fishing rod, and a stack of vanishing powder to switch out glyphs. And of course, my Argent Tabard and my Hearthstone.
     For the record, yes, I know I am insane. I know my Frost Wyrms and salmon probably aren't all that helpful, but hey. I had them. May as well use them and squeeze out a few more points of damage. A few seconds less between pulls, a few seconds closer to 85.

     4. Spec-tacular! 
   
     As predicted, I will be rolling into Cataclysm as Destruction. 80-82 are tuned for Wrath leveling gear, and Succiu is full 277 geared. Affliction is wonderful damage, and there is a lot to be said for running around DoTting things up and letting them fall around you, but it has a long ramp up time, and the difference even in DoTs wont be noticeable on these kinds of mobs. Destruction has a lot more upfront damage.
     My off-spec is raid-ready Demonology. This is for my five mans. I am lucky enough to have a close group of friends just as excited to level as I am. It includes a very trustworthy tank and queues will be fast enough I think I'll see more than a little bit of dungeons. Demonology will help me stay alive, give me damage, mobility, and CC.
     I'll be switching to Affliction around 83, which is where Blizzard expects you to have replaced all your Wrath gear.
     I already mentioned I'll be carrying a full stack of Vanishing Powder, and this is a very good reason to make sure you know all of your classes glyphs. Glyphs are easy to switch in and out nowadays, and you can really help yourself tackle some mobs (or groups of mobs) with the right glyphs. 

     5. Add-on Your Add-on
   
     Cataclysm isn't the only thing you need to download. Make sure all your add-ons are up to date. There shouldn't be too many changes since most of the Cataclysm content has already been implemented, but expect it to be messy anyway.
     I'd also recommend cleaning up your bars. If you have ever thought to yourself "I'd really like to change this keybind, but retraining my instincts is too hard!" this is a great time to try. Leveling doesn't have the same pressure as raiding, so if you mess up, it isn't as punishing. Not to mention, oh man, you get all kinds of crap on your bars that you might not need. And, since you'll be needing your CC a lot more frequently in Cataclysm than in Wrath, you might want to try to open up some of your high-priority keybinds for these spells.

     6. Out of Game

     Your preparation out of game is just as important, if not more so. If you are planning on being on right at servers up (3 AM for me, oh god) a nap might be a good idea. Comfortable clothes and a good chair can also make a big difference. I personally will be trading my contacts for glasses (nerd disguise!) and hiding my hair beneath an efficient headband.
     And then, of course, there is sustenance. Caffeine, caffeine, caffeine. Try to eat something that doesn't reinforce the pizza-bites stereotype (although it is warm, nourishing, and bites sized for ease of consumption with one hand on the keyboard...NO). Try some orange juice or some granola bars, and vitamins. You'll feel so much less icky.
     My beverage of choice? A big bottle of cold, fizzy, nose tickle-y Seltzer.



     So there it is. OCD? Oh god yes. Self-indulgent? More than I'll admit. But man, this is going to be a fun week. Check back on the weekend for my list of Raid Starter gear.

 

Leveling a Warlock in Cataclysm: Installation

        Before I left for work today I logged into Battle.net (something I do so infrequently Firefox doesn't even auto-complete the address for me) and started the installation on my Cataclysm Beta client. I've been in the Beta since Day 1, but haven't really done much with it because there's still so much I want to do on live. I've been having some issues installing it that are going to cost me my sanity, but I am determined to prevail.

So there's that.

       The decision to level a warlock to 85 (pre-launch) and write about it was inspired by an attempt to understand the constant comments on the Elitist Jerks forums about "So x is the new best spec for leveling?" Wait, what? People care about leveling? Apparently so. This kind of thinking is a little flummoxing to me. Doesn't it all kind of get you to the same place? I plan on getting my Succiu from 80 to 85 by mainlining caffeine and buying that dry shampoo you see commercials for. I'm more concerned about what my personal spec, err, I mean, desk, will look like than what Succiu's packing. 

       I had kind of an unorthodox leveling experience though. WoW was my first MMO, so the whole finesse of talent trees was lost on me. I went Destruction because I wanted to use Chaos Bolt. It was shiny and green. While leveling, I also had a lot of patience for things other people might not be as willing to tolerate. I knew I wasn't very good, and so I didn't mind dying and corpse running when I had to. (My tolerance for it now is about on par for walking up a broken escalator.) And of course, leveling doesn't last that long! Or at least, it shouldn't. Putting thought into what spec will serve you best for just a few days didn't seem all that worthwhile to me. Leveling is a mildly annoying detour on the way to the real fun.

       What does seem worthwhile to me is becoming familiar enough with the new content that I can race through it on December 7th without feeling guilty.Yes I am soulless and mercenary, but at least I can admit it. I am a warlock, would you expect anything else?

Leveling Talents: The Philosophy
Damage vs. Survivability

       Leveling casts a starker contrast on what is always a trade off for damage dealers: damage and survivability. You can push really hard to kill something before it kills you, or you can take longer with less risk of death. A raiding warlock, my dogma has always been to aim for lean and mean. That would be great, except for this little setback: a dead DPS does no DPS. You cannot cast Chaos Bolt when you are eating dirt.
       A middle ground between the two will usually serve you best. There's no need to gem stamina, for goodness sake. What will really decide the trade off is how you stack up in comparison to your opponent. There's no point worrying about survivability when you can run around throwing Corruption up, and still leave a trail of dead bodies in your wake. My recollection of my first run through Hyjal was that the mobs had pitifully low health pools. Supposedly, these have been doubled. I am likely to dabble in all three specs, just for fun. But where to start?

Destruction
      Well, probably Destruction. I've always liked Destruction, and there are some nice talents that will make it even better this time around. This is the talent build I'll be starting with.

      Much of it isn't all that different from a raiding build, especially those talents that increase your fire damage. But they have a much different use in the context of level 80 mobs vs a boss. Take Improved Soul Fire, for instance. You can take your time casting a Soul Fire to open combat, something you don't have the option of during raids, and tend to resent the full cast time of anyway. But damage per cast time (DPCT) isn't relevant when you are out of combat. You could even Soulburn and pop an instant Soul Fire if you were in a hurry (although I'd sooner save the instant one until after combat begins!) Either way, you'll be able to cast that much faster throughout, which will be great.
       In this build, I picked up Aftermath, which isn't a part of my current Destruction raiding build. Aftermath puts a daze effect on the target when you cast Conflagrate-- useless on a boss, who is immune, but great for slowing down the mob running towards you. You can stop him again with a well placed Shadowfury, buying you even more time. If he does manage to hit you, Backlash gives you a chance for an instant Incinerate.  Finishing with a Shadowburn will help you save time by getting Soul Shards back without spending time Soulvocating.
       And survivability? Lots of it. Soul Leech returns a portion of the damage you do as health and mana. Fel Synergy will also regen some of your pet's health. Demonic Embrace will put that much more of a cushion between you and the floor, and if you are fighting a caster you can pop Nether Ward for a handy shield.
       Those talents I skipped were Searing Pain, Burning Embers, Empowered Imp, and Bane of Havoc. Searing Pain isn't going to out-damage Incinerate no matter what you do to it, and the threat is useless for soloing. Bane of Havoc could get some usage when you are fighting multiple mobs, but honestly you'd get just as much out of simply DoTting a second target when they are dying so fast. The hardest choice was definitely Burning Embers. The DoT your Imp puts up is certainly powerful, and the chance for an instant Soul Fire is always great. The reason you eschew it is simply that you aren't going to be using your Imp much. He is just too squishy! His Blood Pact could easily replace the increased stamina from Fel Synergy if you do end up using him, but you'll probably be happier using your Voidwalker.
       I also skipped talents for improving Corruption and Bane. While useful in their own right, the mobs we are fighting aren't going to live long enough that empowering spells that take 15 seconds to execute will be all that worth it. Especially when they are such a low percentage of our damage to begin with. 
       An advantage we have from pre-4.0 leveling is of course, Soul Link, which is now available to everyone. I also really enjoy Soulburn for extra burst, and Soulvocate is so much faster than eating (and with such a short cooldown!) that our downtime between fights will be very short.

Affliction
       For Affliction, I would go with something like this.

Affliction has a lot more options, and there could be a lot of variation on what I chose to start with. I put points into Improved Fear and Howl of Terror. Improved Fear will be a great way to incapacitate an enemy, especially when coupled with Glyph of Fear, to make sure he doesn't run around and bring back friends you aren't prepared to entertain. The Howl of Terror talent effectively makes Howl of Terror an instant cast, making it a great "Oh shit!" button.
       I also chose to pick up the Soulburn: Seed of Corruption affect. This will probably get limited use, but when you do use it, it will help burn down enemies you can't afford to target just yet. I thought it was more useful than Jinx, if for no other reason than I'd rather spend GCDs to do damage, and not increase the damage I'll do uh, later. (Jinx is also best used to put up a magic debuff on mobs that other casters will be AoEing, which isn't the case when soloing.) Plus, I wanted to grab Curse of Exhaustion, because Affliction doesn't have the power to stop enemies in their tracks like Destruction does.
       I skipped Nightfall altogether. I love this proc during raids, but a 4% chance for an instant nuke just isn't enough to justify skipping points elsewhere. I left a point out of Eradication for the same reason, and put all three of those points towards Fel Synergy. Improved Life Tap only got one point as well, although we might see this change later. Though it's hard to imagine in 4.0 raiding, at higher levels we might actually start to run out of mana, and so decreasing the demand of Life Taps during combat might be worthwhile. Warlocks aren't anything like mana efficient.
       The best part about Affliction is the totally effortless survivability. Never forget to keep your drain life handy (I keep mine next to Death Coil!) and you can Soulburn Drain Life for a faster return of health when you are pressed. Haunt and Corruption (via Siphon Life) constantly give you back reasonably significant chunks of life, and unlike Destruction which thrives on nukes, loading up multiple targets with every DoT you have is extremely viable with Affliction.

Demonology
       At a glance, Demonology offers a happy medium between the "Impossible to Kill" Affliction and the "Kill it Faster!" Destruction. Here is what my idea of a leveling Demonology spec might look like.

What makes Demonology unique is that alone among warlocks, Demonology forgoes the Voidwalker and (naturally) chooses the Felguard. The Felguard is akin to the Voidwalker, and can make a much better meat shield if you use him as such. He is slightly squishier, and he doesn't hold threat quite as well, but he does a good deal more damage, particularly his new Felstorm ability (oooer!). You'll have to manage him more than you would the voidwalker-- remember to hit Demonic Empowerment to get him out of a stun, his Felstorm ability is not on auto cast, and he'll need more Health Funnel heals from you on hard hitting mobs. But his multi-target taunting keeps mobs off of you, and makes him your go-to choice. And seriously, did I mention Felstorm?
      The downside of course is that should your pet die, you are a good deal weaker. You devote your talents to your pet, at the cost of your own damage. Luckily, Demonology comes with an instant Demonic Rebirth talent if such were to happen, so you should be able to recover in sticky situations better than Affliction and Destruction. The Aura of Foreboding affect of Hand of Gul'dan will be excellent for mob control, but you don't have many other options when it comes to taking mobs to the face, sadly. Demonology's situation control are more effective when used in proactive anticipation, and not negative source reaction. Don't hesitate to use your metamorphosis cooldown, and get out your Infernals and Doomguards as often as you can. Popping metamorphosis increases your armor, allowing you to take more hits, but it doesn't make you invincible; if you wait too long to use it, you won't stay alive for it to be worthwhile.
       I skipped Master Summoner and Molten Core talents, as well as a single point in Ancient Grimoire. I personally am not all that fussed about Demon summoning time. I usually pop a Soulburn for an instant summon, especially since it's usually a good idea to Soulvocate to regen health anyway. Molten Core is nice in raids, but like Nightfall, waiting for a proc on low level mobs just isn't worth it. I only put one point in Ancient Grimoire, which I needed to get to the top of the tree. Having the pets last longer sounds good in theory, but it will entirely depend on how long fights last. My guess is that most fights won't last anything like a full minute, so the extra time is either wasted on one fight, or you pull a second set of mobs, and risk your demon expiring too soon and leaving you with too much to handle on your own. It's a mixed bag.
       An often overlooked talent while leveling is Decimation. It is obviously a huge cornerstone for Demo-raiding, but people tend to think that by the time you get a quest mob to 35%, the fight is over, so there isn't much point to the talent. Not so. While you do need to proc Decimation off of a low-health mob, you can cast the hasted Soul Fire on anything. It will also continue to refresh on every new mob you hit sub-35%, so you can keep it up indefinitely. The faster casts on such a huge damaging spell will be wonderful to burn through small groups of mobs and chain pull. 
       The strength of Demonolgy will be it's excellent elite-mob soloing capability. I'll most likely keep this as my off-spec full time, so that I can get out the Felguard whenever I run into a mob that just hurts too much to solo. Demonology will also be great to have for 5 mans, as it loses the least in terms of damage when picking up utility talents. (Destruction without Imp talents? Affliction with weak Eradication and no Nightfall?) I'd sooner have a real damage spec for five mans, but in a pinch Demonology will be the best. Demonic Pact certainly doesn't hurt.

Overall I really am deplorably behind when it comes to Cataclysm preparation. I am overcome with self recrimination. BUT, as I write this, Blizzard is helping me to solve this problem by slowly claiming ever-more (more, more, more!) of my hard drive.

Untalented

Okay so Scofield and I are terrible at um, writing stuff. This has a lot to do with Scofield being all "Guild drama!" (and crying) and me being all like "Sleep is for the weak!" (and being weak) and also with gnocchi. Gnocchi has a lot to do with why Scofield and I are bad at getting in vent together. We are eventually going to write more SUMMARYZ of The Guild, but in the meantime I will say this: "Game On" is not funny.

I've been watching the warlock talent trees develop, and a lot of my concerns have been downsized as they start to resemble things that follow the laws of logic. Kind of. In playing with them and putting together specs I start to get annoyed that I have to have silly talents like "Mana cost reduced" and "damage reduction." I'm a lean, mean, pew-pewing machine, frown on that noise. While the trees are much better designed now, I am finding myself inversely frustrated with them. In any given tree, the number of points you are forced to invest leave you with only one or two things you AREN'T picking up.

This has led me to the conclusion that I hate talent trees. 31 point, 71 point, whatever. People poke fun at "cookie cutter" specs, which generally are what most people end up with because they give you all your damage increasing abilities. No brainer, right? Then there are utility specs, where you enhance your survivability or utility in ways to ensure you will lose the least amount of damage, which can be fun to balance between tier levels. Like a destruction spec, where you need to pick up Replenishment AND Shadowfury, so you drop a point in Backlash. These kinds of specs won't really exist in the 31 point trees. You will pretty much already have everything you want for any given situation, and you won't have to make these kinds of choices. Not that they were perfect in the 71 point trees (Try getting anyone to pick up Improved Healthstone. You cant even think about it unless you are Destruction.) but there was still a lot more variability, and I for one liked taking advantage of that. Now it is pretty much, well, everything. So what's the point?

I'm not advocating for no talent trees whatsoever, exactly. Yet. Customizing your spell enhancements will be great while you are leveling. But at the end, you aren't investing points so much as you are just training the skill set for the spec you have chosen. Accessible to new players without the help of a spreadsheet? Yes. But specialized? No.

I'll be back soon, Scofield and the funnies in tow, to make fun of Codex being an e-slut.

31-Point Warlock Talents

So the new 31 point talent trees were released today and are available in Beta. It has been stated that the warlock trees are far from finished, and after playing with the talent calculators a little bit I’m glad to know they are going to be taking another pass at them. You can read my full comments behind the cut, but the TL; DR version is that they are moving the direction of less variation in the passive parts of the game, like talent choices, and much more variation in the actual game play. The trees are a mess at the moment, but its still worth looking at them to guess at future intentions.