Thoughts on RealID
I've spent the last few days very excited about the new features of the Blizzard and Battle.net network. It is something that I think has been missing. Period.
Even though the Battle.net world includes World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Starcraft (and also an unknown in-the-works franchise), WoW is the one that is being impacted today. So that is where I will begin.
When it all falls to the floor, World of Warcraft is a social game. Those who solo their way through the game tend to be the first ones to complain about the game or, even, quit.
Any long-time WoW player will tell you that this game is many times the fun when played with friends and people that soon become friends.
That being said...
One of the biggest complaints I've heard over the last few days concerned privacy. I think this is bogus. There are no more privacy issues now than before.
On any day in the last 5 years, you could freely give out your name or email address to a fellow player and they could easily find you on Facebook, send you spam, or whatever they would like. You could give your phone number out as well and txt back and forth to your heart's content. Nothing could stop you.
And nothing could stop you from keeping that information secret and to yourself either. And now, NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
World of Warcraft Tier 10 Armor Sets
A sneak peek has been released of the new Tier 10 Armor Sets for World of Warcraft. Hopefully soon I'll be able to see the priest set. But Warriors, Druids, and Death Knights have a step up on the rest of us.
I sometimes feel that the armor sets from vanilla WoW look better than they do now. As if they are running out of ideas. But as I look through, there are some neat aspects to the sets. The new druid set looks cool to me.
Let see some clothy's soon please.
Respecced Holy
Holy Priest
Today is the day that I want Dual-spec more than ever.
I've been feeling the need to start running as a Holy Priest for several weeks now. I've been considering waiting until the Dual-spec feature comes out, but I decided to go for it now.
I've been running Heroics and Raids over the last few weeks as Shadow. Finding a Healer has always been a battle. As a class who can heal, getting into Heroics and Raids should be no problem at all.
(But I'm going to miss Shadow badly. Dual-spec, please bring us back together.)
Now I have to relearn Holy. So some lower level players are going to like me while I heal their low level instances to get the hang of Holy again.
Here's what I'm running for talents and glyphs glyphs [edit: 02-17-09 - changed Renew to PoH]
Anyone have some better suggestions?
Photosynth – The Storm Peaks – Thunderfall
I have uploaded a new Photosynth of the area that I have been questing in World of Warcraft.
This shows a frozen battle near Dun Niffelem in The Storm Peaks called Thunderfall. Many giants battling Dwarves.
I thought this area was very cool.
WoW Raid Tonight
I finally found some time to make it through a raid. The is the second raid that I've been in that actually finished. The first being I was never able to enjoy the Level 70 "end-game". I wasn't there long enough before Wrath of the Lich King came out. So I never geared up.
But now that I'm 80, I want to experience everything that I missed. And now do 80 "end-game" stuff as well.
We ran Karazhan in Deadwind Pass tonight. It's a level 70 raid. But I felt that it was ok for me to run since I had never seen it before.
The first interesting thing about this one so far was the stage and play that was put on. On my first run attempt with a group, the play was Romeo and Juliet. This time it was Little Red Riding Hood. I think the other one it could be is The Wizard of Oz. Curious about that one.
The second, and probably my favorite, feature of Karazhan is the chess game. At first I was confused. But then, once I knew what to do, I had a blast. We failed the first time. But I can't say that I helped much since I wasn't sure how to control my piece (along with others who hadn't been there). And worse then that, they wanted me to play the King piece. If only they had known listened.
I didn't pick up much as far as gear, but I did get plenty of reputation with The Violet Eye.
And the achievement.
Priest Talent Specs
My lovely Azeroth Adivsor posted some re-spec information for me to use with my Shadow Priest.
I don't think I'm going to respec yet. I love my Shadow. And I'm doing quite a bit of grinding still.
But the thought has crossed my mind to do an experiment. Save my talent information and screenshot my bar button locations (anyone know a better way) and then grind with Damage Meter on for a while. Note the DPS and mana/health efficiency and then respec. Then do it all with my new spec. Then compare.
I wonder if one of these specs can out-DPS my Shadow. I am doubtful.
On the other hand though... I've heard rumors of the "dual-spec" coming to WoW for several months. Even without losing my Shadow, I may be able to give one of these a try.
What do you think?
With your final talent points arriving, you finally have the points to complete the ultimate group healing spec. This spec is tailored toward offering great regen, healing power, and versatility in a group or raid environment. It is generally accepted that with a deep Holy build you should focus on gathering gear that has a lot of Spirit. Talents like Spiritual Guidance make this a must-have stat. This spec also has Improved Holy Concentration and Empowered Healing to make you a very strong tank healer while talents like Circle of Healing and Divine Providence bolster your group healing capabilities. With this spec you are the ultimate group healer and will be welcomed in any heroic or raid group.
If you plan to solo but still want a viable group healing spec, know that this spec maximizes your DPS and regen but maintains strong group healing abilities. This spec picks up Divine Fury and Searing Light to maximize DPS from your Smite and Holy Fire. It also includes Spirit Tap for regen and even Divine Spirit to increase your regen and DPS. This spec is good when you are grinding small groups of mobs by shielding yourself then casting Mind Sear and Holy Nova to bring the mobs down. You will even be able to cast free Smites from Surge of Light procs.
The Discipline tree holds many of the best PvP talents, but do not overlook the Holy tree. By picking up a few of the PvP talents offered there, you can be a viable PvP Healer and instance group healer. This spec takes you all the way to Guardian Spirit at the bottom of the Holy tree. This can be invaluable in PvP by giving you time to land heals on a target close to death. If your target receives a killing blow while Guardian Spirit is active, they will be instantly healed to 50% health. This spec also includes the basic PvP talents of Spell Warding and Blessed Resilience to keep you alive long enough to get heals off. Overall, this talent build offers a nice compromise between group healing viability and PvP survivability.
WoW Patch 3.0.8 – First since WotLK
Blizzard has released their first patch for the WoW expansion, The Wrath of the Lich King. This new patch includes quite a few changes that I think are great. Read down to the full post for all of the patch notes that Blizzard posted in the WoW Client.
The first one that is most notable is about Death Knights. I foresee a LOT of Death Knights being created. Now you can instantly have a Level 55 toon on a new server. This is an advantage that I think is not desired. But for those who honestly want to roll a Death Knight, having to run another toon just to begin your 'real' character isn't desired either.
"Players may now create death knights on any realm once they reach level 55."
For those Tauren's who wanted to ride a Hawkstrider, or the Night Elves who wanted to ride a Mechanostrider, you now can!
"Racial restrictions on mounts have now been lifted. Night Elves on mechanostriders? Tauren on raptors? You're not seeing things."
I'm going to need someone to fill me in on this a little. Someone who can actually use this. But it sounds like it might be kind of neat. Maybe.
"World of Warcraft now supports 3-D imaging. Visit http://www.nvidia.com/object/GeForce_3D_Vision_Main.html for more information."
Glyph Calculator
Suntao's Glyphs
If you need to figure out which Glyphs to use with your character, you can head over to WoWDB.com's tool Glyph section.
You can jump to the Glyph's the I am using as of this date.
It's a great way to learn which Glyphs are available for your class.
Campfire Need No Wood
Campfire Profession
One feature in World of Warcraft that I feel was included but is never used past level 5 is the Campfire. As soon as you realize that you need to carry Flint and Tender and Simple Wood, they stow it away and just claim that it isn't worth it.
And I agree. Bag realestate is valuable.
Well a simple change in the new patch now allows you to create a campfire without the need for Simple Wood.
Now combine this with the Gnomish Army Knife (which everyone who does any professions should carry) and you have a super good deal.
WoW: The Wrath Gate
The Wrath Gate
After completing a quest line in The Dragonblight zone in Northrend, you will receive an achievement and jump to an in-game cinematic of The Wrath Gate.
Some of you may wish to see it in the game and follow the storyline that way. But if you are interested in seeing the video now, you can view it at the World of Warcraft website.
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/wrath/wrathgate.xml
If you want to jump directly to a download link of the video, you can use the ones below:
Download (Windows) - Size: 103mb - Format: DivX
Download (Mac) - Size: 103mb - Format: DivX
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- Sitting out on the back porch. It feels nice. Almost cold. About to head back to El Dorado.
- Been a long day. Lunch made it better. Will prob be working late.
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- Rachael slept through the night tonight I did not have to wake up for her at all. First full night's sleep since last week.
- If you want to practice patience, then I'll see you here in my office first thing in the morning. Come prepared! (and bring a snack)
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