Blog Posts from "Zug Gaming" - Gameriot.com

Rogue / Priest 2v2 Arena Strategy Breakdown

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:56:57 -0500

Preface: this article is somewhat of a response one of the another article that brought up the point that top arena players don't really care about nurturing new players or developing any sort of a mature community. Maybe this will be a catalyst for other players...in any regard, here it is.

As many of you know (or at least Klynxx, Ykoops, and the 3 other people who regularly read my blog) I recently released my first pvp arena video, Zuggy 1: Revenge of the Troll. The video features myself, Zuggy (combat rogue), and my partner, Engage (disc priest), in 2v2.

The video showcases a variety of top ranking teams on battlegroup 1 (Reckoning) and was initially created for the purpose of entertainment. However, since it's release I've received a ton of questions about the video. Why I fought certain battles a particular way, why I had particular talent over another, you get the idea.

The following is meant to be something of a tutorial and to hopefully explain why I made the decisions I made through the arena matches.

Note: I am spec’d deep combat (16/45/0) throughout the video and Engage is spec’d heavy disc with searing light and reflective shield.

If you haven't seen the video already you can download it here.

Match 1: Warrior / Priest

If you could sum this match up in 2 words, it'd be mana burn. The early portion of the fight is simply the priests attempting to mana burn each other. This type of strategy is one we often employ to get an early lead and get the opposing team on the defensive.

By having me attack the priest it prevents him from getting off nearly as many burns, in addition he's forced to heal why my priest is able to sit back and get the burns off on him. If the warrior had switched to Engage I probably would have needed to switch to the warrior to reduce damage and allow Engage to get away.

After the initial pillar dance and spam mana burning I was forced to switch the warrior after the priest got a good fear off on me. At this point I'm going into somewhat off a defensive play. My main goal is take lock down the warrior as much as possible, IE, try to get behind him to guarantee the kidney shot and keep him directly in front so he can't just lay into my back.

That's pretty much it for this fight, my defensive play allowed my priest to catch up on mana, as soon as he was caught up he came over and finished the mana of the opposing priest while I killed the warrior.

Match 2: Mage / Rogue

With any double dps team I try to play it defensively. My primary objective is to reduce damage and allow my priest to get away so he can heal. Some have asked why I was slow to go in on this particular match. My reasoning? I knew there was a good chance the rogue was going to be subtly spec’d, so staying back to avoid the sap is absolutely crucial. Playing somewhat passively early on allowed me to take the opener and shut the rogue down.

The only other major thing to note in this match up is to be aware of the blind. A blind / sap combo would be absolutely devastating and would without a doubt be the end of my priest. Therefore, I always take care to save my trinket for blinds in double DPS situations.

Match 3: Warrior / Druid

As with any warrior / druid combo it’s going to be tough to do any type of serious burst damage. So my goal for the early part of this match was really to just lock down the warrior as much as possible. Meanwhile my priest was attempting to put pressure on the druid via mana burns.

This is the type of match where we are just biding our time. For most druid / warrior games we try to pull of the blind / sap / fear crowd control combo and we were able to pull it off here. While we’ve got the CC train going you’ll notice that my priest is assisting in damage, this is crucial during the blow up phases to ensure a kill.

Match 4: Warlock / Paladin

Somewhat of an endurance match up here. Obviously it’s going to be difficult to drop any type of serious burst against an SL lock (even though he was somewhat low early on). Our goal vs. this match up was to basically put enough pressure on the lock that paladin has to continually heal, preventing him from line of sight kiting and / or drinking. This type of play allows my priest to get additional mana burns off, putting even more pressure on the paladin to perform.

At one point the warlock just gets more distance than I’m willing to cover, and knowing the paladin is already without a bubble he’s just as good an option. So I let the warlock walk on by, cut back into the paladin who falls over very quickly. A couple of kicks and throwing cloak to prevent any type of crowd control from the lock ensures the kill. Not necessarily our initial plan, but being able to adapt to the opposing team’s positioning was key for us this match.

Match 5: Warrior / Paladin

Awful opener here due to latency when trying to land the cheap shot, though once things get going it settles into me locking down the warrior while he attempts to attack my priest. This match really comes down to a few crowd control moments on the paladin.

In order to assist me with this type of crowd control I use a focus frame for the paladin and various focus macros (kick, gouge, blind). Once we get the warrior to a place where we can bomb him I hit the paladin with a focus gouge then I vanish cheap shot the warrior. Meanwhile, I’m already looking at my focus casting bar (you’ll notice it towards the top of my screen) for the next heal. Before it even goes off I’m moving back towards her to kick.

Quite simply, I land the kick, Engage throw’s a smite / shadow word: death combo and it’s game over.

Match 6: Priest / Rogue

Subtly rogue gets the best of me on the opener, though it turned out not to be a big deal because he cheap shotted me a few seconds later. This match somewhat resembles the druid / warrior match, except much shorter. The rogue makes the wrong decision when he drops target on me to go for my priest. For starters he’s line of sighting his priest and he’s already taken a good chunk of damage.

The priest trinketed a fear early on, so we quite simply went with the blind / sap combo, Engage healed himself through the rogue’s damage and I came over to finish him off while we had the priest crowd controlled for 22 seconds (blind 10 seconds, sap 12 seconds).

Match 7: Mage / Rogue

Very similar to the first mage / rogue team we faced. My objective initially is to avoid a poor opener by getting sapped , therefore I was forced to stay back until the rogue showed himself. Once things get started I basically hit the rogue with everything a mace spec’d AR pumping rogue has to offer.

An early blind on the mage slows his damage / sheep train down long enough for me to get through my AR. Beyond that it just came down to Engage line of sight kiting while I bombed the rogue down. A fight like this can get infinitely more complicated if the opposing team has a very good crowd control rotation.

Match 8: Shaman / Warlock

Not the most popular combo by any stretch of the imagination, in this instance a shaman is more like a nerfed druid. Even so the goal of this match up was to quite simply to stay on the lock. As combat spec nearly 65% of my overall damage output is white attacks, therefore I’m not too concerned with blowing a big energy load to spam sinister strike the warlock.

My 2 primary attacks in this match up were without a doubt kick and shiv. I always saved energy back in the match to kick / gouge / kidney shot a fear, as that’s the only thing that can really screw us over in the match. Even though shaman / warlock isn’t the greatest combo it’s still very capable of becoming problematic if the lock and shaman get significant distance from me. Therefore, objective number one is to simply avoid getting feared and focus on producing a stream of steady damage.

Match 9: Druid / Warrior

We handled this druid / warrior combo like we handle any other, early pressure on the warrior. I do my best to lock him down so Engage can get a bit of distance, meanwhile we’re constantly watching for the trinket. As soon as we saw the druid blow his trinket I through the blind / sap combo and Engage went into complete offensive mod.
The 22 seconds of control is quite simply too much for any warrior to handle.

Match 10: Warlock / Druid

If you remember back to the shaman / warlock combo you’ll see many of the same things present in this match up. My goal above all is to prevent warlock casts and stay with his as much as I can. Obviously my job gets much more difficult with a druid continually cyclone spamming and rooting me.

In this match I used the blind to simply allow my priest a breather. With the druid blinded he was able to heal to full and setup for the next round of mana burning while I locked the warlock down. Ideally we should have setup the blind / sap here, though I blew vanish early to break a crowd control.

This match basically came to an end when Engage finally burned the druid to zero, certainly not our most flawlessly executed match, but then again there are going tough moments against any team that has a half decent druid on it.

ZugGaming
Zuggy's Gold Mastery Guide

Free Character Moves and New Realm

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 01:26:42 -0500

In order to alleviate increasing queues and wait times Blizzard is once again offering free character transfers. The list of servers included in this round of free transfers is below.

Kind of funny to see Smolderthorn on the list, a server that has been virtually a revolving door for players and teams transferring to BG9. Though the last few weeks have seen nightly queues (something rarely seen on Smolderthorn) and arena wait times spiraling out of control.

Hopefully these free transfers will help to better balance some of the overpopulated areas.

Source A (PvP)
Arthas
Burning Blade
Illidan
Skullcrusher
Warsong

Destination A (PvP)
Balnazzar

Source B (PvP)
Mal'Ganis
Mug’thol
Sargeras
Tichondrius
Twisting Nether

Destination B (PvP)
Onyxia

Source C (PvP)
Gorefiend
Kel'Thuzad
Mannoroth
Shattered Hand
Smolderthorn

Destination C (PvP)
Malorne

Source D (PvE)
Aerie Peak
Aggramar
Alexstrasza
Alleria
Argent Dawn
Blackhand
Cenarius
Doomhammer
Hellscream
Whisperwind

Desination D (PvE)
Ghostlands*

Ghostlands* is a new realm. Character creation for this realm will be turned off for the duration of the transfers

Zug Gaming
Zuggy's Gold Mastery Guide

Destram: Killer Instinct II Video

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:12:55 -0500

Now I usually don’t get too excited about WoW PvP videos anymore, frankly they all end up looking about the same (my own included). You get the pretty standard, ok here is me playing X combo in Y bracket and we win without much effort at all. However, a recent video I saw on warcraft movies went well beyond the average.

Video: Destram – Killer Instinct II

Class: Rogue

Spec: 19/42/0 and 18/0/43

Download: http://files.filefront.com/Destram+Killer+Instinct2avi/;9476176;/fileinfo.html

Stream:
http://www.stage6.com/user/Cadaveri/video/2105860/Destram---Killer-Instinct-II

When I first started watching this video I was already under the impression of, “oh great, another lame ass shadowstep rogue bombing full cooldowns in a 30 second period to get a kill”. I mean let’s be frank, AR/prep was exactly that. As much as rogue’s would like to believe it was our only chance for glory, well it just couldn’t be further from the truth.

In any regard, the video was the type that really got me excited. Not only from an entertainment perspective, but I could really see the skill and precise angle Destram handled every fight with. I think this is best showcased in the very first few minutes in a duel series with a gnome rogue. Destram’s ability to effectively manage his cooldowns throughout the fight and continually make well timed and well executed decisions is simply wonderful to watch.

The music in the video is wide ranging and fit well with most of the fights, in addition the editing was fine. I thought the intro turned out well and really set the stage for the whole video. All in all this is simply a very well done movie filmed by an obviously skilled rogue.

Great movie that’ll even get the most critical people excited.

Zug Gaming

Zuggy's Gold Mastery Guide

Wrath of the 1337 King

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:30:49 -0500

Athene, "best paladin in the world", has just released his full feature documentary on the his life!

"I, Merciless Gladiator Athene, who am also the best World of Warcraft player in the world, am now documentizing my life as a pro-gamer in a real movie (like Hollywood), for you guys, for free. My movie will show how good I am so the world can see, just like Jesus putted himself on the crouse to show ppl that he was a cool guy, I am putting myself on the cinema. I just heal ppl and I help ppl, that's me, it's just like profets, for the movie ppl; u can compare it with John Skywalker from Star Trek.

Learn 2 become pro in game and in life thx to my tips
Watch me teach the Light to ppl in real life and interact with the real world
Learn how to seduce chicks ATHENE-style
Watch how I am pro at cooking
Learn how to make good money ATHENE-style
See my family
Learn how I play Arena and how u can pwn in 5v5"

Arena, Playing for Fun?

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:04:51 -0500

So here we are, just under the 2-month mark for season three. Teams are beginning to establish themselves and fine-tune their various class combinations. Now, for me the game has always been centered around a couple very simple goals. First, gear out, second, win.

Over-simplistic? Perhaps, but when it gets right down to it that was always the objective. Regardless of if we’re talking about raiding or arena, it was always to “win”, to have the best record, to have the highest damage, to achieve what others could only hope to.

If anything arena has certainly made the path to gear quick. At just under two months into the season both my rogue and shaman are completely geared in their respective arena and honor sets. Now granted, each season I’ve completed the sets with plenty of time to spare, so there was always that feeling like I was playing for the gear while also playing just for the fun of it.

A part of me is somewhat disappointed that their probably won’t be any new items till season 4 begins, but then again it’s nice to just play for fun, without having to consider the repercussions of dropping rating or rank.

Honestly, I think it just makes arena more enjoyable. In the end not having to worry about rating and just playing to improve makes the game the brackets better. Too often I think players worry so much about their ratings and rankings that they refuse to queue “too much” during the week. The more people can get away from sitting on their ratings all week long and just playing to play the better off arena’s are going to be.

Zug Gaming
Zuggy's Gold Mastery Guide

Hunters - Once Useless, Now Just Skill-less

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 01:40:22 -0500

Any PvP patch that Blizzard releases always begins with the same motive, balance, though they often end by creating a new host of imbalances. These imbalances frequently translate into these “chosen combos” for arena. Now certainly there have been severely overpowered specs, compositions and classes since arena began, though they all have been overshadowed by the revolution of hunter drain teams.

I can remember in the not so recent past a time when the objective of an arena match involved dealing damage, coordinating crowd controls and effective team coordination. Now it appears that just spamming various forms of mana drain and crowd controls without any regard to diminishing returns, timers or teamwork works just a well.

Can’t do damage? Who cares! The drain mechanic is so out of control you don’t need any serious damage, just let the pets handle the rest of the team once their healers are out of mana.

Now this isn’t to say that hunters didn’t need some of the buffs they received. However, these buffs in combination with a skill-less drain mana mechanic have dumbed down certain aspects of the game significantly. This type of “strategy” has been used by SL / SL warlocks for quite some time. Even though it was nerfed it really hasn’t been enough to stop the incredible synergy of lock / hunter drain teams.

Since the very beginnings of arena there has been a certain rock / paper / scissors mechanic involved. Even though a particular composition countered another all hope wasn’t lost. There was always that feeling that if you played well enough, timed your damage and crowd controls perfectly you could take on your toughest counter comp. With the evolution of hunter drain teams I’m not so sure anymore.

http://www.ZugGaming.com/
http://www.GoldMasteryGuide.ZugGaming.com/

Drop your ping by 100-150 in 10 minutes

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 13:27:34 -0500

This topic has been posted a few different times on various forums and sites, though I feel due to it's importance it really needs repeating. Now patch 2.3.2 was supposed to eliminate the nagles algorithm, for me it had no change, so I gave this solution a try and it worked great.

My ping which was in the 380-400 range (due to some network issues) dropped into the 200-250 range.

Warning...if you aren't comfortable changing files in your registry you may just want to wait for blizzard to create a working fix.

"1 - TcpAckFrequency - NOTE if you are running Windows Vista this setting may not have any effect - a hotfix is needed which i'm tracking down. This works fine under Windows XP

Type "regedit" in windows "run.." dialog to bring up registry menu

Then find:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\

There will be multiple NIC interfaces listed in there, find the one you use to connect to the internet, there will be several interfaces listed (they have long names like {7DBA6DCA-FFE8-4002-A28F-4D2B57AE8383}. Click each one, the right one will have lots of settings in it and you will see your machines IP address listed there somewhere. Right-click in the right hand pane and add a new DWORD value, name it TcpAckFrequency, then right click the entry and click Modify and assign a value of 1.

You can change it back to 2 (default) at a later stage if it affects your other TCP application performance. it tells windows how many TCP packets to wait before sending ACK. if the value is 1, windows will send ACK every time it receives a TCP package.

2 - TCPNoDelay
This one is pretty simple (Discussed here)

Type "regedit" in windows "run.." dialog to bring up registry menu

Then find:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSMQ\Parameters

Right-click in the right hand pane and add a new DWORD value, name it TCPNoDelay, then right click the entry and click Modify and assign a value of 1.

Click Ok and close the registry editor, then reboot your PC."

Basically, this fix is deactivating the Nagle algorithm to improve your ping. If you don't want to do it you can just wait for the 2.3.2 patch as it's supposed to deactivate it too, but I don't think you can test it on PTRs right now because the updated patch notes from the latest PTR Build (7705) are actually for the upcoming build (7710).

Hotfix for Windows Vista Users:
http://www.snapfizzle.com/files/Windows6.0_KB935458_v2_x64.rar Vista 64
http://www.snapfizzle.com/files/Windows6.0_KB935458_v2_x86.rar Vista 32

Sources: mmo-champion, hunters forums (megatf)

http://www.ZugGaming.com/
Zuggy's Gold Mastery Guide

Zuggy 1: Rogue / Priest 2v2 Arena Video

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:31:17 -0500

Zuggy: Revenge of the Troll - Rogue/Priest 2v2 arena
Battlegroup 1 (Reckoning)
Team: My Drink and My Twostep
http://www.wowarmory.com/team-info.xml?r=Smolderthorn&ts=2&t=My+Drink+and+My+TwoStep&select=My+Drink+and+My+TwoStep&fl=1

All matches are filmed in arena, with the exception of one filmed in BEM, as 2v2 rogue / priest. This is my first experience with Vegas, fraps, and encoding, so my apologies on the quality.

Mods:
Ag unit frames
Proximo
Bongos2
OmniCC
Quartz

Enjoy!
http://files.filefront.com/ZuggyRotT1wmv/;9400565;/fileinfo.html

Stream:
http://www.stage6.com/user/Zuggy/video/2047071/Zuggy-1:-Rogue-/-Priest-2v2-Arena-Video

Blue Visits Rogue Forums - Early X-Mas!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 00:53:51 -0500

I can hardly remember the last time a blue posted on the rogue forums with anything other than the phrase “working as intended”, but December 21st is an early Christmas for rogues and many questions and concerns were addressed in one way or another.

AR / Prep change to “fix” subtlety, not nerf AR / Prep
“” –Drysc

ZugGaming
Zuggy's Gold Mastery Guide

Priest / Rogue 2s - Beginnings

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:43:01 -0500

My Drink and My Twostep

When I think of 2v2 the first thing that comes to my mind is imbalanced. In particular class combinations that simply dominate the ladder, and though rogue / disc priest certainly isn’t in the weak category, I wouldn’t call it overpowered either. I started playing 2s with a priest, Engage of Smolderthorn, towards the end of season two. Now I’ve played priest / rogue before, both as shadow and holy though this time something was different. Perhaps it was the way I changed my play style or maybe the advent of the discipline tree, but something had changed dramatically.

The best aspect of the combo is the ability to play both very offensively and very defensively. Depending on the combo my priest and I can throw a series of kicks, gouges, blind, fears, and mind controls on a target while we run the DPS train on the other. By the same token if the team we are facing is something that is going to try and outlast us, we can play the defensive, “how many waters will Engage drink this game”, strategy. Either way, it allows for great flexibility in the combo.

Many players have asked me why I don’t play with a shadow priest. Not to say that shadow isn’t an amazing spec for rogue / priest 2v2, though based on my own style I think the disc priest just works better. There’s so much flexibility in the matrix and so many possibilities in the strategy. I’ve always found shadow to be an all or nothing sort of a spec in rogue / priest 2s, either way, it just never fit well with me.

Obviously we don’t win every game, and there are certainly the hard counters to our composition. Even so, I don’t have that sense of utter hopelessness vs. these combos. We may be outclassed, but the flexibility in our own combination allows us to make adjustments that might lean the fight in our favor.

The dreaded druid / warrior combination is certainly one of the most difficult fights we have. The big problem here for us was simply the mana battle. It’s a battle that the druid is going to win nearly every time. Our first encounters with the matrix were anything but entertaining, and in many ways we went about the combo the wrong way. We spent too much time chasing the druid around trying to keep him in combat when we could have been dropping a DPS bomb on the warrior.

In the end the “drop a bomb” strategy worked for us, and in all honesty I think the more we are able to take advantage of priest / rogue’s dual offensive abilities the better off we’ll be. Some of you may be asking “wtf priest? Offensive?” Hell yeah! Now obviously a priest isn’t going to be out there chain queuing smites, but between searing light, reflective shield, power infusion, and the devastating double DoT (devouring plague and shadow word: pain) a priest is capable of throwing some serious damage during our CC train.

Though we’ve had some success early in the season there are still a lot of games and a wide variety of class compositions left for us to master. But overall the combo just feels right. There are so many options and so many ways to dramatically change the pace of the game. That type of control over the battle is really where the priest / rogue is going to shine, and hopefully will continue shining all the way to the end of the season.

ZugGaming
Zuggy's Gold Mastery Guide

Rogue's "Golden Age" Ends

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 01:12:42 -0500

Check out the new ZugGaming.com!

Since the dawn of arena a select few talent specializations were chosen as “viable” for each class. This methodology of balancing arena around a very small number of talents has persisted for all three arena seasons. However, for the first time it looks like Blizzard is actually taking steps to correct this, as seen by the many changes to rogue talents since patch 2.3.

For virtually all of season one and two the rogue class was limited to basically two specs, deep combat or mutilate. They were and continue to be very strong specs in the hands of the experienced players. The changes to subtly in patch 2.3 were huge for the rogue class, and many top rogues considered AR / prep to be the beginnings of a new “golden age” for the class. Personally, I was still undecided on the issue.

So unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week then you’ve seen the imminent changes in patch 2.3.2. For starters prep no longer resets AR, though it does reset shadowstep. In addition, shadowstep also adds a 70% movement increase for 3 seconds and sinister calling adds 10% damage bonus to hemorrhage / backstab.

In essence, AR / prep is virtually dead. I’ve done a bit of testing on the PTR, and from what I can initially tell shadowstep will be quite viable. It’s got great mobility and awesome utility in the sub tree. What it lacks in sustainable white damage it makes up for in consistent hard hitting specials.

Will it be the new age of overpowered specs for arena? Doubtful, though a new “spec of the month” isn’t what WoW needs, and I think Blizzard is beginning to see that. Rogues are now presented with three very good talent specializations, each conducive to a particular style of play.

Though this methodology in talent tree balancing isn’t universal it’s beginning to spread. More and more we see other classes expanding to other talents. Giving all mages ice block is certainly a step in the right direction; I wouldn’t be surprised to see many mages playing elemental again come 2.3.2. Other specs which were once the end all be all, SL / SL comes to mind…aren’t as powerful as they once were, recent nerfs to the spec have allowed other specs such as fel guard (though it was never really bad) to see an increase in the number of players choosing it.

Many rogues have complained incessantly about the changes to AR / prep, and though the 2.3.2 changes will certainly decrease the presence of the rogue class in arena I think it’s for the best. Creating a new dominant talent spec does nothing but cover up greater fundamental problems with the class, not just for rogues but for all classes. Hopefully many of these problems will be addressed come WotLK, but until then talent tree fixes will have to do.

Hunters 1, Moose 0

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 13:12:16 -0500

A friend linked me this article earlier this morning, check it out.

"Feign death really works After playing World of Warcraft, the 12 year old boy knew how to cope when he was attacked by a moose in the forest.

In the article he describes how he first yelled at the moose, distracting it so his sister got away, then when he got attacked and the animal stood over him he feigned death. "Just like you learn at level 30 in World of Warcraft."

Now who says you can't learn useful stuff from WoW? All I have to say is - I am really really glad his skills at feigning death were not resisted by that beast. Imagine if it had been an immune elite..."

Source: http://www.nettavisen.no/innenriks/article1453635.ece
http://torillsin.blogspot.com/2007/11/feign-death-really-works.html

Zuggy's 2v2 Video Preview

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 02:56:49 -0500

ZugGaming

For about as long as I’ve been playing my rogue I’ve been planning to do a PvP video, and at last I can finally say I’ve actually started it. In the upcoming video, which with any luck I’ll get done in the next week or two, I’ll be including fights from all arena brackets.

I managed to record a few games this past week of my 2v2 team, rogue / disc priest. Here’s a bit of a “Sneak Peek!” for the full feature film coming to ZugGaming.com soon!

Download the Video Here!

Assume The Position...-al Awareness!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:49:26 -0500

ZugGaming

Zuggy's Gold Mastery Guide

For most of my PvP and arena career I thought I knew what it meant to have positional awareness; to not only understand my position and my target’s position, but also the position of all other players both friend and foe. Most of my PvP experience has been as a rogue and though dropping target occasionally for a drive-by gouge, kick, or blind you really won’t be switching targets much at all.

In addition to the rogue I also play an elemental shaman on my newly reformed 5v5 team, a 2345 setup. I quickly learned and am still learning what it means to have “positional awareness”. It’s one of those things I have always been conscious of on the rogue, but I don’t think you can really understand it until you’ve played a class that requires continual target switching and awareness of your position to multiple targets.

This past week was the first for my shaman as part of a serious 5v5 team and while we did well it was anything but a simple transition. The most difficult aspect of playing the shaman has been learning to play both parts of the matrix, to go from an all out DPS blitz one minute to a conservative save the warrior and survive strategy the next.

In learning this aspect of the combo I’ve had to dramatically change the way I survey every game. Keeping myself in a position where I can LoS a DPS bomb if necessary while also staying in LoS of my healers, staying in range of the focus target for purges, and watching the opposing team’s caster movements for earth shock, all of these and others I failed to mention are certainly factors a rogue rarely needs to consider.

Above all the best part about playing a shaman in arena is the incredible utility. As a rogue the role is always damage, damage, and more damage. While damage is my primary objective as an elemental shaman in 5s there are infinitely more responsibilities I can take on to further aid my team. Hitting the rank one earth shock at just the right moment, nailing BoPs and BoFs for my warrior, assist healing when other teams try to blow up the priest, and dozens of other scenarios which can allow me to take the shaman to a whole new level. The ability to exponentially improve is a very appealing aspect of the class and a challenge I’m excited to take on.

BG 9...The Man, The Myth, The Legend

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 21:43:58 -0500

ZugGaming

Zuggy's Gold Mastery Guide

The phenomenon that is battle group nine has attracted many teams and players to it, promising greater intensity and more competition. Reckoning (BG1) has been a virtual training ground for battle group 9 and many of the world’s best players laid their foundations on battle group one. Players including Serennia, the self-proclaimed best warrior in the world, the golden child Xecks, Ohnoes, and Zizek, Kollekiv one of the world’s best 5v5 elemental shamans and many others.

Today yet another one of Reckoning’s finest sailed away to Tichonderous forever. Project Mayhem comprising Modelf (paladin), Kamii (priest), Lumberjim (shaman), Nothydro (warrior), and Unleet (mage) did well both season one and two and hope to transition their experiences from Smolderthorn into a top team on BG9.

Many skeptics will down play their chances for their success on BG9, citing just how much more difficult the teams on BG9 are. Though this wasn’t the case when Zeck’s 5v5 team transferred and I don’t foresee it here either. Their ability and coordination as a team is just as good as any, and though the number of games played throughout the season may be higher I don’t believe the overall skill level will be.

In any regard I think it’s a real shame that so many great teams and players have been funneled into BG9. Though the hyped dream that is BG9 is popular today the effect that it has on other servers is 100% negative. The game overall doesn’t gain anything from having so many great arena teams on one server and I hope more teams can see beyond the immediate future and continue to help support their original servers.

Tis The Season...3!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 02:18:12 -0500

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Zuggy's Gold Mastery Guide

Much like Christmas, the day that just wouldn’t seem to ever come finally did, and season three at long last began. What’s there to say…it’s amazing! It’s the rejuvenation I was so hoping for and I’m so excited to begin serious arena play again.

It’s really hard to put my finger on exactly what is so great about the transition from season to season. Maybe it’s the new items, maybe it’s the completely fresh start on my teams, maybe it’s just getting to play with all of the people who were “retired” and have come back to play the new season. Regardless it’s just great to see so much activity.

Every night Smolderthorn (and most servers I imagine) has been a buzz of activity. It’s been virtually endless battlegrounds and arena since season three started. I love all the additional activity and I truly hope to can continue well into this season.

Tonight we began our first 3v3 games rogue / mage / priest, and well, so far so good. Since the time I hit 60 I’ve really never spec’d much of anything besides combat. It’s a spec that I can play effortlessly and near flawlessly, and certainly my preferred specialization. That said, the lucrative and perhaps imbalanced nature of AR / prep has lured me away for the time being.

I hate to feel like I’m jumping on the bandwagon, but all things considered it’s currently the dominant talent spec for arena. The combo as a whole feel very strong, though we’ve played similar combos previously (lock / rogue / priest) I believe this matrix requires a greater level of finesse and coordination in burst, a challenge I’m more than happy to undertake.

In addition to a bit of 3v3 I also got to start my shaman’s 5v5 team, or rather continue. Season two ended with a bit of a last second invite to a friend’s 5v5 team. The combo? 2345…naturally, but in any regard it’s great and is without a doubt the most confident I’ve felt on any 5v5 team I’ve played on. We finished the last season with a respectable 2412 rating and I can’t wait to see how far we can push it this season.

All things considered it’s been an early Christmas, new items, new teams, and a new record auction house day, 4.5k gold in a 12-hour period! I truly hope the increased level of excitement and play continues throughout the season and beyond.

World's "Best" 2v2 Team!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 21:13:09 -0500

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As the final hours of arena season two draw to a close I think it’s a great time to reflect on the past few months of amazing PvP. Season two has seen record breaking ratings, the rise and fall of the WSVG, and a host other memorable moments. Though the length was certainly a bit excessive, I’d say the season has been thoroughly enjoyable.

The biggest disappointment for me is without a doubt the increasing number of players who have resorted to win trading. Recently I browsed the 2v2 armory for Reckoning to find that a team had amazingly reaching a rating of 2851. Impressive, no doubt, though sadly enough the players involved decided to use a pair of feeder teams to achieve the rating, securing a faulty merciless gladiator’s title.

The real pathetic thing for me is that these aren’t bad players. They have frequently been a top 10 team in all brackets, so why resort to using a tactic so underhanded? It’s a scenario that’s been repeated time and time again on my own battlegroup, and I’d imagine the same holds true on most other servers.

Beyond the rampant win trading and cheating that has marred this season I am incredibly excited for the season three to begin. It’s a chance to start all over; new players, new items, and a chance to experience all of the excitement that comes with the ascent of the ladder.

2345, The End All Be All For S3

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 20:19:42 -0500

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5v5 arena has been a continually changing and evolving game. Teams and class combinations that dominated season one aren’t necessary as good now as they previously were. These changes have been fueled by a desire to counter the current dominant matrix.

Various balance issues have allowed a particular combo to dominate briefly, though patch changes often change the current alpha team. If there’s one combo that has held strong for the entire duration of season two, I’d say it’s got to be 2345 setup.

Based on the recent changes in patch 2.3 and those coming in 2.3.2 I see no reason why 2345 won’t continue to be the dominant team composition for season three. The biggest change certainly came in the form of healers receiving 33% of their healing as damage, allowing for even greatest burst damage across the team.

In addition, we saw buffs to shaman via greater damage and mana longevity, disc priest viability, and trainable ice block / icy veins for mages. It’s not difficult to see why this combination is so powerful. You’ve got a great ability to withstand burst damage via the 2.5 healer mechanic, though in addition you also have great burst damage yourself, enabling your team to simply kill on command.

This isn’t to say that other class combinations won’t continue to find promise. However, the ease at which a 2345 team or slight variation can create a team and ascend the ladder is unmatched. In any regard, I’m incredibly excited to see the start of season three. New arena teams, new items, and a whole new beginning for everyone will certainly renew the ladder system, and hopefully the entire game.

Hilarious ZA Night and Happy Thanksgiving!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 03:19:43 -0500

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Happy Thanks Giving, I hope yours is filled with as much food as mine will be. So as many of you know I’m planning a bit of a PvP video, and I’d like to report it’s still in the works. I expect it to be ready shortly after season 3 begins. Until then you’ll just have to check out the antics from last night’s Zul’Aman clear.

The dragonhawk boss was nothing short of glorious victory, check out the hilarious clip here. A bit of a preface to the glory…Fire monster mayhem…

In addition to yesterday’s amazing ZA clear there’s been a huge amount of information regarding patch 2.3.2. Some has been confirmed via blue posts, though much of it is still speculation from various “insider” sources.

Check out the alleged 2.3.2 changes here.

Most of the changes in store look fairly reasonable. That said, mages are looking pretty damn amazing. Beyond the fact that all mages will have ice block trainable, the new talent, ice veins, is simply going to be godly. The possibilities for coordinated burst damage in all brackets are certainly there and I can’t wait to see what sort of new strategies my teams can develop.

My 3v3 team has already been planning a mage / rogue / priest roster for season 3 and it’s looking better than ever now. Disc priest, AR / prep rogue, frost mage, it’s going to be some serious damage. It reminds me a great deal of the rogue / priest / warlock team we played season one, using a rush down strategy to overwhelm opponents.

It’s the type of team that with a good bit of practice I think you’ve got the ability to compete with virtually any team. That type of consistency really appeals to my teammates and I.

Battlegrounds? Fun Again!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:58:59 -0500

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I think I speak for every World of Warcraft player when I say patch 2.3 brought a much needed revitalization to the game. Beyond the host of balance changes, new items, and Zul’Aman, the changes to battlegrounds have truly got me excited to actually play each day.

The biggest change has got to be the introduction of daily battleground quests. For 12g and 419 bonus honor, well, let’s just say I’ve certainly got more motivation now than I ever had before. Even the new 5-man daily quests have got me doing a bit of PvE from time to time. For me it all goes back to the idea of giving players more incentive to continue playing and more objectives to achieve. The host of daily quests are a great step in the right direction and I hope Blizzard can continue providing new and more exciting goals of this nature.

One of the most overlooked changes in the patch certainly has to be those involving Alterac Valley. Previously AV was nothing more than a PvE race. You’d kill commanders, capture towers, and charge full throttle up the field. Most games I wouldn’t even see an alliance till we hit the aid station.

2.3 changed it all though, no commanders and a reinforcement based winning mechanic. For those of you that aren’t familiar with how the reinforcements work, here it is.

-Each team begins with 600 reinforcements

-When Balinda / Galv are killed the opposing team losses 100 reinforcements

-When a bunker / tower are destroyed the opposing team losses 75 reinforcements

-Each time a player is killed that team losses 1 reinforcement

-Killing Vandar / Drek takes all remaining reinforcements

-When you reach zero reinforcements the game is over

So what does this all mean? Well, you actually get to fight real people instead of a barrage of NPCs. It’s simply wonderful. Sure, some games inevitably turn into a race, but more often than not there is actually a legitimate amount of fighting. So much so that I actually feel like the battleground has some strategy involved in it. Now each player on the team has the potential to have an impact on the game and it’s truly made AV a much more exciting environment.

Headset Secrets for the Gamer

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:54:26 -0500

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In World of Warcraft sounds are just as important as your visuals. I could play many games based on audio signals only, quite simply because it offers just as much information, if not more, than actually watching the games. So finding the right headset or speaker setup is of extreme importance.

Communication is of utmost importance in WoW, so finding the nice headset or mic / speaker combo is priority number one in arena. Personally, I prefer just a standard headset; if anything else going with the headset eliminates many issues you might have with speaker feedback.

There are two big factors that can affect your ability to effectively communicate with your teammates.

Your ability to hear your teammates quickly and clearly, IE your headphones speakers
Your ability to speak with your teammates quickly and clearly, IE your microphone

Now these can be improved through two sources, 1) upgrade of your current headphone / microphone and / or 2) upgrade your current sound card. Though many of the newer motherboards offer high quality sound production you might consider investing in a sound card. The nice thing here is you don’t have to spend a lot of many to drastically improve the quality of your sound.

I’ve been using what I consider to be the “cheapo” headsets for over two years now and they’ve worked quite well for my purpose. It’s a standard behind the head / microphone combo made by Logitech. It’s lightweight and rests comfortably on the back of my ears; the microphone is pliable and can be shifted towards or away from my face. When it gets right down to the bottom line you really just need to find the right pair of headphones for you.

Key points to remember:

Purchase headphones with the microphone attached, you don’t want to have to deal with a standalone microphone sitting on your desk.
Upgrade your sound card. Though on-board sound has come a long way it’s still hard to beat the quality you get from a solid sound card.
Look for comfort. Well-padded headphones are great, in addition you’ll want to look for something that’s relativity lightweight and sits comfortably on your head.

Personally I’m a big fan of Logitech’s headphone options, they are affordable, work well, and above all are comfortable. In addition they can be found quite easily at any electronics dealer. If you’re looking for something a bit nicer check out the products http://www.xoxide.com/headphones.html have to offer.

Zul'Aman Glory!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:43:09 -0500

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Last night I got my first chance to really get a good look into Zul’Aman. Though I don’t really consider myself a “PvE’er” I do enjoy seeing the new content. All in all, hats off to Blizzard on this one. The dungeon was graphically beautiful and each of the boss encounters were unique and quite entertaining.

Since it was our first night in the dungeon we certainly weren’t breaking any speed records, though we did kill 4 of the 6 and made some solid attempts on the 5^th boss. Of all the bosses we killed, Nalorakk (bear god), Akil'zon (eagle god), Jan'alai (dragonhawk god), and Halazzi(lynx god), the dragonhawk god was the certainly most entertaining.

The fight’s main mechanic involves killing dragonhawks. These dragonhawks are hatched from eggs positioned on both the left and right side of the boss. You simply kill one of the hatchers, let the other break 6-8 eggs then kill both him and the dragonhawks. It’s important to kill a few dragonhawks each round because at 35% the boss will hatch all remaining eggs.

Between rounds of egg hatching the boss throws out spherical bombs around the room, these bombs blow up after a few seconds dealing around 6k damage. So long as you aren’t too close to them you’ll be ok. Overall it’s one of those fights that starts out in total panic mode, though once you’ve got a good feel for the fight it’s highly entertaining and exciting encounter.

It was fairly late by the time we hit the warlock troll boss, but we did a few attempts anyway. Looks to be a fight that’ll always be new and random. The boss will steal the abilities of a particular class and use them against the raid. He stole my fire nova once, warrior whirlwind, warlock’s rain of fire, etc; certainly a fight that we’ll be more apt to kill when it’s a bit earlier in the evening.

Unfortunately I didn’t get any screen shots of the first boss, though I took a few throughout the rest of the run. Check out the gallery here. Zul'Aman Screen Shot Gallery.

Day 1 - Patch 2.3

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:39:54 -0500

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Well, the obligatory “first day” for patch 2.3 was today, and while it certainly had its fair share of crashes and delays it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had anticipated. After picking up the new cloak from badges I headed on to check out Zul’Aman. The entrance is certainly cool looking, though it seems that allowing players to duel right at the top steps might be a bit of an issue.

Though it’s hard to make any sort of definite conclusions about class changes and balance fixes I’m certainly enjoying the change of pace in spec from full combat to AR / prep. The variance in stun locks and attack combinations is very appealing, on top of the insane amount of cool downs. Needless to say it’s a pretty fun spec to play and it’ll certainly be a viable option for arenas.

As far as elemental shaman goes, I’ll give it two thumbs up. The machine gun lightning overload procs were just hilarious, kind of reminded me of the old WF. Of course, restoration is going to be amazing, though I’m very interested to see how these new changes to enhancement pan out. Currently I’m still of the opinion that the spec as a whole simply isn’t viable for arena, though with the correct team composition and gear I suppose anything is possible.

All in all a pretty awesome patch day, though we all know this is just a warm up till the big one come next Tuesday. A brand new season and new items across the board, it should be nothing short of amazing.

2.3 / Season 3 Prep List

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:33:08 -0500

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Well, it’s now 4:30 PST and patch 2.3 hasn’t been delayed, so I think we can all rest easy tonight knowing we’ll wake up to a host of new changes, content, and plenty of new items. If you haven’t started already (which I hope you have!), then you should consider taking some to prepare for the new patch and new arena season.

Gear Preparations

75,000 Honor Points
5,000 Arena Points
Gems (helm 1, neck 1, shoulders 2, chest 3, bracers 1)
Meta Gem
Enchanting Materials
Badges of Justice
Head Enchants
Shoulder Enchants
Leg Enchants

Consumables (Zul’Aman)

Flasks
Mana Potions
Healing Potions

You can check out the full patch notes here, or if you prefer here’s the quick bulleted version of all the biggest changes.

Patch 2.3 / Season 3 Changes

Zul’Aman – It’s a 10-man instance with a 3 day cool down. Plenty of new armor, weapons, great trinkets, and a bear mount! In addition badges of justice drop off all the bosses.
Guild Banks – Guild banks are being introduced and will allow you to purchase up to 6 tabs each containing 96 item slots. Guild members may make deposits and withdrawals based on permissions.
Heroic Badge Set – There will be new sets purchasable through badge of justice.
Class Changes – Lots of changes for every class.

Other than that what can I say, I’m just about as excited as you could possibly be for the patch and season 3; a completely new set of gear, an awesome 10-man, and a host of balance changes amongst others. It should be a blast to tackle all the new content Blizzard has created, I just hope they are able to keep it coming at this rate.

Quad-Box Shaman Video and 2.3 Elemental Changes

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:23:48 -0500

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Smolderthorn’s very own quad-boxer, Jeff “Allie” Ware released a new arena video yesterday evening. The video features his four elemental shamans participating in 5v5 games. Overall it’s a very entertaining video, including several matches against 2200+ rated teams.

Though the video is a bit short it’s a great watch and certainly a nice break from the typical 5v5 arena videos. Get the download here.

The subject of elemental shamans has been a hot topic the past few days on the forums. After posting some incredibly ludicrous comments, Eyonix spent most of the day trying to reconcile his mistake. In large part I think he did, especially when he was able to announce that lightning bolt and chain lightning would be receiving an increase in their coefficients, adding 5-6% more damage.

If +damage <1100, then slight buff to overall damage output

If +damage >1100 or <1200, then damage will remain roughly the same

If +damage >1200, then slight reduction in overall damage output

Peripheral's Guide - Gaming Mouse

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 22:49:35 -0500

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In World of Warcraft, like many other sports, you are only as good as the equipment you play with. So maybe you have the perfect set of keybindings, and all the skills, if you are playing with an unresponsive set of peripherals it won’t matter. It is absolute crucial that your equipment standards are just as high as your desire to achieve success is.

For those of you who bought those first Microsoft optical mice, it’s time to upgrade. In late 2004 Logitech released it’s first “laser” mouse, the MX 1000, unlike an optical the laser mouse produces no visible tracking light, so it can be used on any surface just as effectively. Before the Logitech MX 1000 I had been playing with a standard 4 button Microsoft optical, going from the optical to laser was like night and day.

I’m not sure on the exact specs of that by gone optical mouse, though I imagine it was somewhere in the around 1000 DPI, the MX 1000 was 2000 DPI. Even though it was wireless it was still far superior to the optical and offered me a comfortable ergonomic design allowing me to extend gaming sessions longer than I ever imagined.

Now let’s face it, there are a lot of mice on the market, but all mice are not created equally. Points to consider:

Comfort
Additional Buttons
DPI
Cost
Weight

These are just a few of the things you might want to think about when purchasing a mouse. Now personally I’ve been a Logitech and Razer fan for the majority of my gaming years. When I began using the Logitech MX 1000 it was a considered a masterpiece of modern innovation and technology. It was the first laser mouse and offered a great design, three thumb buttons, and precision unmatched. The two major cons to the mouse were 1) it was wireless and 2) it was heavy. Through countless hours of gaming I’ve developed a much greater desire for comfort and precision, and it’s my opinion that a solid laser mouse is where you should begin your peripheral search.

Things you should look for when purchasing a mouse:

Laser precision of 2000 DPI+
Wired, wrapped cord if available. The Logitech G5 was the first mouse I saw to offer the wrapped cable, which resists tangling and isn’t rigid like other wired mice on the market.
A minimum of two thumb buttons. As you begin to develop a greater sense of importance in your keybindings you’ll begin to love the ease of thumb buttons. Getting a mouse with at least a front and back button on the side is great, though if you can find one that offers more go with that.
The majority of mice on the market are quite lightweight, so long as you don’t get a wireless mouse you shouldn’t have any problems here. Many gaming mice now offer additional weights and a balancing cartridge. This allows you to load small weights (usually included with the mouse) to balance it in accordance with your preferences.
USB 2.0. It should go without saying, but in the event you are still plugging your mouse into a PS2 slot, well you need to stop. USB 2.0 offers superior speed and response times that you need to be effective in any game.

Currently I am using the Razer Copperhead Anarchy Red. This was my first Razer and I’ve absolutely loved it. It had all the standard gaming features, 2000 DPI, two thumb buttons on both left and right side of the mouse (so it could be used by both right and left handed players), scrolling wheel, comfortable feel, and it’s extremely light. The response times are great and well, it’s hard to explain, but it’s just got the awesome “clicky” feel. It’s tough to find a mouse that feels so nice to play with, but when you do you know it, and the Razer Copperhead Anarchy Red has my seal of approval.

Trainable Ice Block!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:15:51 -0500

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Alert the media and more importantly alert the mages, because the biggest change to hit the mage class is headed our way. Though it’s unlikely that it’ll make patch 2.3, trainable ice block is on the way! When I initially considered this change I was thinking, damn, mages are going to be just ridiculously amazing now, though I’m not so sure.

Currently the options for mage arena specs are limited to frost. The survivability is simply unmatched compared to other specs. Even with an ice block, I don’t see how a fire or arcane mage would be viable. If I’m the rogue on the opposing team and I see fireball queued up, well, you might as well have a giant red arrow over your head saying “KILL ME!”

In any regard, it’ll certainly be a solid buff for mages in many other aspects. From a PvE standpoint it’ll be a great addition, and it certainly adds some extra value to off specs in battlegrounds.

Even so, I still can’t see how any other talent spec other than frost would be viable for mages in arena, even with a trainable ice block. Perhaps this is due to my inability to look objectively on the class due to my inexperience playing them. That said, if I’m on the opposing team and can discern that the mage doesn’t have cold snap, then I’d feel much more confident in choosing the mage our team’s primary target.

Here’s the full post made by Kalgan earlier this evening.

“

Zuggy's 1st PvP Video!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:39:13 -0500

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So, after months upon months of abject laziness and procrastination I’ve finally decided the time has come to make my very own PvP video, (waits for applause). So then, I’ve already starting shooting some of the initial footage though I’m looking for a bit of advice from experienced video creators.

Any advice on what resolution to record at and the best way methods of encoding the footage would be highly appreciated.

But, beyond the PvP video, here’s a few updates from Drysc this afternoon regarding patch 2.3, season 3, and the personal rating system.

Patch 2.3 – November, 13^th

Season 3 – November, 20^th

Up to this point there has been a bit of confusion on how the new personal rating system will actually function, though Drysc cleared up most of the questions. Simply put, your personal rating, which will be used to determine your eligibility for end of season rewards as well as your eligibility for the shoulders and weapons, is determined by the games that you participate in. For example, you have a 1500 team, you play 3 games on the week and get up to 1548, then your team mates play another 7 games on the week and get to 1670. Your personal rating would still only be 1548, even though your team rating would be higher.

Here’s the full post by Drsyc if you have any more questions.

“

Season 3 Date Confirmed!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:25:39 -0500

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Well, not much to say here, but finally! Drysc confirmed what we’ve all been waiting for today. So let the season 3 preparations begin!

“While testing continues and a delay could possibly change these dates, we are currently planning to start Season 3 on November 20 once the realms come back up from their weekly maintenance. This means that Season 2 will come to a close when the realms come down for maintenance on November 20. During that maintenance the final standings are taken and the end of season rewards are distributed.

The start date for Season 3 is purposefully planned to be one week later than the release of patch 2.3, which is currently scheduled for November 13. We will be closely monitoring the testing of the 2.3 patch, and if it looks like it won’t make the November 13 date, we will announce a delay.

With the end of the current season all previous recipients of the end of season titles will have them removed, and the titles will be redistributed for participation in Season 2. A unique armored swift nether drake, visually distinguishable from the Season 1 reward, will be awarded to the top 0.5% of teams. We’ve recently added new requirements for a team to be counted when determining the top 0.5%, which can be found here:

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=2649798359&sid=1

FAQ

Q: Can I keep my title from Season 1 even if I haven’t participated in Season 2?
A: No, the seasonal titles are intended to be a reward for performance in the previous season. Similar to a sports title or award, it’s handed off or moved to different players/teams as their performance rises or declines throughout the seasons.

Q: What happens to my Nether Drake?
A: You will keep your Swift Nether Drake, and a new visually distinguishable Swift Nether Drake will be given to the top 0.5% of teams for their efforts in Season 2.

Q: So I’ve heard something about items having rating requirements?
A: Yes, the Season 3 weapons will have a personal rating requirement of 1850, and the shoulders will have a personal rating requirement of 2000.

Q: What is a “Personal Rating”?
A: We’re introducing an additional rating system with the start of Season 3 that will only track your personal games played, which you’ll be able to see through the in-game PvP interface. This rating will be used to determine the ability to buy specific items, and also to determine eligibility for the end of season rewards. The personal rating rises and declines using the same formula as the arena team rating, but only in games that you participate in. If you switch teams the rating will be reset to a default 1500. The personal rating is only used for the initial purchase of specific items, and isn’t required that you maintain a rating to use them.

Q: What happens to the Season 1 and 2 items?
A: The Season 2 items will be priced the same as Season 1 is now, and the Season 1 items are moving to the honor system, purchasable with honor points and Battleground marks.

Q: What happens to my rating when Season 2 ends?
A: Ratings for all teams are reset to the default 1500 for the new season. You still keep your arena points though, they aren’t diminished or removed.

Q: When does Season 2 officially end?
A: Barring a delay, when the realms come down for maintenance on November 20.

Q: How sure are you that 2.3 will make a November 13 release?
A: Pretty sure, but there’s always the possibility for a delay. Due to the upcoming holidays any necessary delays to the release of the patch may require us to delay Season 3 into the start of December. We’re trying very hard to avoid that.

Q: Why isn’t Season 3 beginning with the release of the patch?
A: To help us focus on both a major content patch release, and start of a new season, we’re separating them by one week.”

Silence / Interrupts on DR

no.spam@gameriot.com (Zuggy) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:54:16 -0500

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In the most recent build to hit the public test realm a potentially huge change to silence and interrupt effects was introduced.

My primary class is a rogue, so it’s tough for me to view this change completely from a casters point a view. That said, I believe in many ways this dramatically reduces the skill involved for many aspects of casters, specifically healers.

The differences between a good healer and average healer are going to be dramatic. A more experienced player will constantly be concerned with his position; line of sight, faking heals, watching for incoming crowd controls, etc. In my experience as a restoration shaman it’s been one of the most difficult and distressing learning curves I’ve undertaken.

Though I feel that there is always something I can do better, with a change like this to interrupts I think it really just makes it that much easier to close the gap between the very good and the average. The opposing team will only have so many available interrupts, so simply cast early and often to avoid situations where these interrupts could be used to secure a kill.

The same thought process could be applied to teams that have mastered their series of crowd controls and interrupts. Timing and hitting these in rapid succession is no easy task, and now many of these strategies may function with less chance of success.

If there’s been an overall theme to World of Warcraft arena and player vs. player since the Burning Crusade was released I’d say it’s got to be extended survivability. This change only further reinforces that aspect and will allow many players and teams to be competitive for longer durations in a game. That said, I can’t help but feel that it’s a step back for accomplished casters and healers who have really perfected the strategies involved in their spells and heals.