Talent Spec & Glyphs: 51/2/18
Glyph Choices: Will be replacing the Plague Strike and Icy Touch glyph with DRW and Dark Disease. Servers went online late and I was using Glyph of Rune Tap, Blood Strike and Obliterate - None of which would effect me in the slightest with my new 3.1 build so I just picked up two glyphs that would at least be used.
Below is a breakdown of my performance for our Ignis attempts.
Attempt # | DPS | *Effective Self Healing | Length of Fight
#1 | 3,199 | 26,562 | 1:28
#2 | 4,576 | 38,900 | 1:51
#3 | 4,790 | 34,392 | 1:53
#4 | 4,440 | 16,169 | 1:31
#5 | 3,446 | 20,665 | 1:28
#6 | 3,454 | 23,907 | 1:47
#7 | 3,884 | 23,095 | 1:48
*Effective Self Healing: This is the healing done to myself that was not over healing. For example in each encounter I would heal myself for 80k-85k but a lot of that is over healing done to me so I didn't count that. Only counted the healing done by myself to myself that actually healed me.
I did not use Hysteria or DRW in any attempt.
Rotation was more of a priority system of keeping diseases applied and making turning F/U Runes into D Runes. Basic rotation I followed was...
PS - IT - DS - HS - HS - DS - HS - HS - HS - HS
First impressions: DPS'ing is ezmode now, seriously easy to DPS. I was amazed at just how easy it was to DPS with this spec as my previous Diseaseless build required setup to burst down targets.
I'm still not comfortable with AoE type fights as I've been in a spec where AoE was laughable - the potential is there but we'll see what it's like once I can fight a pack of mobs.
I feel that this spec can compete with the heavily favored Unholy spec and can shine on fights like Ignis where the sole component is to actually survive. In pretty much every attempt I was one of the last to actually die as I can actually heal myself rather well when taking periodic damage.
Also I'm toying with the idea of doing a double DPS setup for my dual spec instead of a DPS/Tank setup. Raiding tonight will give me a better idea on how much AoE will be necessary on Boss fights as well as more information on Blood AoE.
Showing posts with label Tanking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tanking. Show all posts
Monday, March 16, 2009 3.1 DK Changes, Guild Changes, Me Changes?
So I haven't really written anything on my thoughts on all the upcoming changes Blizz making to Deathknights. If you haven't seen them all yet (and there are a lot) I'd head on over to MMO Champion and read over them, and while you're there look at the Tier 8 armor because it looks hot. My first thought about all of this is simply - So, obviously they didn't get DK's right the first swing. What I mean by that is that we aren't really seeing some minor tweaking to the class, we're getting a complete overhall. DPS, Tanking, PvP it's all changing and there is still more to come, so it just raises the question "Are Deathknight's almost finished?", of which nobody has the answer to.
From a PvE DPS standpoint I'm really not minding the changes too much, obvious some nerfs but I view it as a culling of the weak. As Blood I really like the new direction of our base FU ability - which is now starting to favor Death Strike over Obliterate. I will admit I did create and participate in threads over on the live forums pushing for this change. One more change I would like to see on it is DS (Death Strike) added to the Sigil of Awareness with the other two FU abilities as well as to the Tier 7 gear. I understand that we'll be getting new gear in Uldaur with new set bonuses, but we're going to be stepping into new content not in this new gear, but with our old Tier 7 gear, so I do see it as something that would greatly benefit Blood as Blood is the only 2H build that come 3.1 won't get any benefit from them. I am confused as to why they are nerfing some Blood and Frost abilities while making the Unholy tree more attractive when the goal was to have more DK's stray away from Unholy. I do get that Blood has too much burst for PvP right now so they're taking all that way...but hey, the reason why I like Blood for PvE DPS is the burst, and I don't PvP. The way I DPS is all through throttling my burst, I build up my RP and get my runes ready then pop Hysteria, DRW and go through a basic OB x2, HS x2 Rotation and then hit ERW (Empowered Rune Weapon) and do it again and see 10k DPS spike! Then 15 seconds later I will start to throttle down, down, down then once my CDs are back up I'll do it again. For me, it's a fun play style that I enjoy, I really don't care if the above can /faceroll their way to high Arena ratings (besides, isn't that what rogues have been doing for 4 seasons now?). But who knows what future changes will take place to make what I wrote above useless information. Things seem to change every week so I'm sure if there are any new patch notes today or tomorrow we'll see some more DK DPS nerfs.
As for guild changes, Khaeli and I left our previous guild after I was called Hitler and she was called a Nazi because we supported when our Guild Leader wanted to post WWS reports. We're now apart of a more dedicated raid guild and I really hope it works out as the people seem both nice and informed (I actually had good DK conversations about the future of the class and current PTR changes, this is vastely different from my previous guild where there wasn't any mutual sharing of information, I was just called upon to answer questions and go through gear/gems/enchants/specs/etc. and find where people could use some help). It's been awhile since I was apart of a raiding group that could actually perform, have it's members live up to standards while still having drunken Vent nights (I'm not sure how this guild would handle a drunken Kaleyen IRL - I think I'll wait to test them with that if I make it past recruit). I really hope that Khaeli and I can surpass their standards as they test us with Heroics. I know that Khaeli gets a tad upset because her class/spec (Disc Priest) really has a difficult time healing a group as it's more about single target damage absorption and she gets really hard on herself when someone dies. She has mentioned that when she goes to play on her Resto Druid just how extremely easy it is to keep a group up compared to her Priest.
As for my self changes...in my interview for my new guild they were very interested in me and tanking as I mentioned in my application that I don't mind changing specs to suit the guild's needs and that I do know how to tank as a DK. Now, this does have me nervous as I really haven't tanked anything in 25 man content nor do I have a decent tank set or even a spec in mind. When I joined my previous guild as a tank and was asked to go DPS, I pretty much stopped reading all my DK tank forums as I had to be a quick learner on DK DPS. So now I might find myself in the opposite position and need to freshen up on Tank specs and gemming. As a DPS DK I am confident in my ability to DPS as I have done so in the 25 man raid environment and it's just what I do. But as for Tanking, I'm slightly nervous as I don't want to be judged so much on an aspect of game play I have set aside for the better half of three months to focus on DPS. I know I can be a great tank as it's all about awareness, of which I do have, it's the whole "Join a raiding guild and be judged on role that I haven't previously done in a raid environment" bit that has me nervous. We'll see...
From a PvE DPS standpoint I'm really not minding the changes too much, obvious some nerfs but I view it as a culling of the weak. As Blood I really like the new direction of our base FU ability - which is now starting to favor Death Strike over Obliterate. I will admit I did create and participate in threads over on the live forums pushing for this change. One more change I would like to see on it is DS (Death Strike) added to the Sigil of Awareness with the other two FU abilities as well as to the Tier 7 gear. I understand that we'll be getting new gear in Uldaur with new set bonuses, but we're going to be stepping into new content not in this new gear, but with our old Tier 7 gear, so I do see it as something that would greatly benefit Blood as Blood is the only 2H build that come 3.1 won't get any benefit from them. I am confused as to why they are nerfing some Blood and Frost abilities while making the Unholy tree more attractive when the goal was to have more DK's stray away from Unholy. I do get that Blood has too much burst for PvP right now so they're taking all that way...but hey, the reason why I like Blood for PvE DPS is the burst, and I don't PvP. The way I DPS is all through throttling my burst, I build up my RP and get my runes ready then pop Hysteria, DRW and go through a basic OB x2, HS x2 Rotation and then hit ERW (Empowered Rune Weapon) and do it again and see 10k DPS spike! Then 15 seconds later I will start to throttle down, down, down then once my CDs are back up I'll do it again. For me, it's a fun play style that I enjoy, I really don't care if the above can /faceroll their way to high Arena ratings (besides, isn't that what rogues have been doing for 4 seasons now?). But who knows what future changes will take place to make what I wrote above useless information. Things seem to change every week so I'm sure if there are any new patch notes today or tomorrow we'll see some more DK DPS nerfs.
As for guild changes, Khaeli and I left our previous guild after I was called Hitler and she was called a Nazi because we supported when our Guild Leader wanted to post WWS reports. We're now apart of a more dedicated raid guild and I really hope it works out as the people seem both nice and informed (I actually had good DK conversations about the future of the class and current PTR changes, this is vastely different from my previous guild where there wasn't any mutual sharing of information, I was just called upon to answer questions and go through gear/gems/enchants/specs/etc. and find where people could use some help). It's been awhile since I was apart of a raiding group that could actually perform, have it's members live up to standards while still having drunken Vent nights (I'm not sure how this guild would handle a drunken Kaleyen IRL - I think I'll wait to test them with that if I make it past recruit). I really hope that Khaeli and I can surpass their standards as they test us with Heroics. I know that Khaeli gets a tad upset because her class/spec (Disc Priest) really has a difficult time healing a group as it's more about single target damage absorption and she gets really hard on herself when someone dies. She has mentioned that when she goes to play on her Resto Druid just how extremely easy it is to keep a group up compared to her Priest.
As for my self changes...in my interview for my new guild they were very interested in me and tanking as I mentioned in my application that I don't mind changing specs to suit the guild's needs and that I do know how to tank as a DK. Now, this does have me nervous as I really haven't tanked anything in 25 man content nor do I have a decent tank set or even a spec in mind. When I joined my previous guild as a tank and was asked to go DPS, I pretty much stopped reading all my DK tank forums as I had to be a quick learner on DK DPS. So now I might find myself in the opposite position and need to freshen up on Tank specs and gemming. As a DPS DK I am confident in my ability to DPS as I have done so in the 25 man raid environment and it's just what I do. But as for Tanking, I'm slightly nervous as I don't want to be judged so much on an aspect of game play I have set aside for the better half of three months to focus on DPS. I know I can be a great tank as it's all about awareness, of which I do have, it's the whole "Join a raiding guild and be judged on role that I haven't previously done in a raid environment" bit that has me nervous. We'll see...
Monday, March 2, 2009 Weekend Observations & Thoughts
I have a lot of thoughts about the 3.1 patch notes in general and even more about the proposed changes to the class. Most of which is me looking at the changes as a whole and worrying that spec diversity will soon be a thing of the past. But what this post is going to be about is this past weekend's happenings.
Khaeli and I were awarded the status of "Raider" in the guild, it was a long over due promotion as we were told 2 weeks earlier by the guild leader "LOL! You two still aren't promoted yet? That's an oversight by your Class Leaders, I'll get it sorted out". And there are people with the Veteran Raider tag that only raid Vanilla WoW raid zones at 80.
So I'm going to start off with the idea of Class Leaders. I actually like the idea and it would be a great way to pass off some administrative duties of the guild leader and officers. However, the Deathknight Class Leader is a Paladin (His BC main was a Paladin, went DK for the WoTLK expansion but when he finally started to raid in LK he went on a 25 man Naxx run on his Paladin and used his BC DKP on the Betrayer of Humanity and decided that now his main is going to be the Paladin yet he still is the DK CL) who logs in about twice a week and raids once every other week. His knowledge of the class is lacking but overall he's a nice guy, certainly not what I would consider worthy of the CL position. He actually told me that he's going to pass me the DK CL so he can be the Paladin CL - Well there's only 1 raiding DK in my guild and it's me, so it's not that hard of a job. However 3 seperate incidences popped up that have left me just dumb founded and have shown me that I am really not appreciated as a person who knows their class.
~Brief Backgound~
I was a tank until level 80, tanked all heroics in all 3 specs and did some MT/OT work in Naxx and OS 10. Upon joining the guild I was asked to go DPS and since doing so I am a top 2 DPS, the one other person we go back and forth per encounter on who's #1. While him and I are doing 4500 DPS on a boss encounter the #3 guy is usually around 3k...meaning there is a large gap between us and the rest of the raid. Also I have a tank set as I am asked in 25 mans to help with tanking when needed.
Incident #1: We have a new Warrior tank and we're running through Naxx 25, the new guy is asked to tank Khel while the other tanks grab the adds. The convo went something like this in raid chat...
New Tank "Who's on the Frost Bolt interupts?"
Raid Leader "Nobody is, we don't do that and we down him just fine"
Me "I interupt Frost Bolts"
Raid Leader "It's not really an issue, we can heal through them np"
Me "I have always interupted the Frost Bolts from Khel"
Raid Leader "Just tank him at the thone, Khaeli will keep you healed"
Me "<--------------------interupts Frost Bolts"
Raid Leader "Oh, good work Kale"
At the time it was nothing, shrugged it off because it was just whatever. Didn't really get to me that even the raid leader didn't know what I was doing to help the raid but that's ok, not everyone goes through the WWS like Khaeli and I do.
Incident #2: Doing a quick and easy OS 25 with all drakes down, had some people get on their DK alts for the achievement because it's loleasymode. The convo went like this in raid chat...
DK Alt "Is there a point to having more then 540 defense?"
Mage "Nope, it's useless"
Me "Yes there is, IBF for example scales with defense"
Mage "Getting anything over won't help with anything"
DK Alt "Cool, I'm almost to cap then"
What do I know right? The mage had a DK alt who's in their mid 70s and who is Frost because Frost is the tank spec, amirite?
Incident #3: I'm getting my Priest PL'd in SM while this conversation took place. The convo went something like this in guild chat...
Non-Raider DK "Is the class lead on by chance?"
Me "Nope, but if you have a DK question ask away"
DK Alt "Yup, we have some very good DK's in the guild - like me" (yes he was being serious)
Non-Raider DK "Well, I'm new to 80 and I wanted to try to tank and wanted to know what would be a good tank spec to try"
Me "Well, all three specs have the ability to tank as long as you take 5/5/5 in each tree, from there I would suggest Frost because you can rotate 3 of your tanking CD's to have one up all the time and you get a nice increase in your IBF, this is not to say Unholy isn't a great tank spec even after the nerf to BS as you can glyph for two extra bones and has superior passive mitigation then the other two specs, I wouldn't suggest Blood at your gear level and compared to Frost and Unholy it lacks the abilities to really smooth out the incoming damage"
DK Alt "LOL! Vampiric Blood is better then anything in Frost and Unholy"
Warlock Alt "Yeah, I was in Heroic HoL and a Blood DK tank solo'd Loken because the self heals are amazing" (The Blood DK had a healer with him - it was Khaeli - and this DK is geared in 25 man gear)
DK Alt "Ya, you'll be just fine as Blood"
Warlock Alt "It really doesn't matter how you spec to tank as a DK"
Me "Guys, I never said that Blood couldn't tank - I tank as Blood DPS when needed because I have the gear. He's not in raid gear and will have an easier time rotating his CDs with Frost or Bone Shield with Unholy. It's not about what's the best tank spec but what's the best tank spec for him at his gear level."
DK Alt "Whatever dude, Blood is insane for tanking because of the self heals"
Warlock Alt "Yup, the self heals really smooth out the damage for the healers"
The DK Alt thinks he's the best DK in the guild, he will argue his point just to get the last word in, he's 15 and thinks he knows it all. I am not going to argue with a 15 year old as there is no point, especially with this kid who thinks he's so clever because he picked his name out of a Latin dictionary. The Warlock Alt was the guild's former MT and is an officer of the guild.
So have the 3 above combined together and I just feel that I am not appreciated for what I do at all. I don't need countless praise or a fancy guild title or anything like that, what I do expect is that when there's a question regarding DK's and I respond that others might actually take what I have to say with some consideration. The fact is I could start to do 2k DPS and I would still be brought to every single raid, instead I'm busting my ass to be the best DPS DK that I can be and there is really no point in doing so.
The guild still has other issues but hey, whatever right? We are still killing Patchwork in 6+ minutes with all of our DPS being decked out in 25 man gear. We have 10+ DPS that can't break 3k that we bring to every raid. The raid healers don't heal the raid, they heal the MT/OT and themselves which causes serious issues when we try 2D OS. But it doesn't matter, casual guild is casual.
Just going to keep my mouth shut and pay my repair builds from now on.
Khaeli and I were awarded the status of "Raider" in the guild, it was a long over due promotion as we were told 2 weeks earlier by the guild leader "LOL! You two still aren't promoted yet? That's an oversight by your Class Leaders, I'll get it sorted out". And there are people with the Veteran Raider tag that only raid Vanilla WoW raid zones at 80.
So I'm going to start off with the idea of Class Leaders. I actually like the idea and it would be a great way to pass off some administrative duties of the guild leader and officers. However, the Deathknight Class Leader is a Paladin (His BC main was a Paladin, went DK for the WoTLK expansion but when he finally started to raid in LK he went on a 25 man Naxx run on his Paladin and used his BC DKP on the Betrayer of Humanity and decided that now his main is going to be the Paladin yet he still is the DK CL) who logs in about twice a week and raids once every other week. His knowledge of the class is lacking but overall he's a nice guy, certainly not what I would consider worthy of the CL position. He actually told me that he's going to pass me the DK CL so he can be the Paladin CL - Well there's only 1 raiding DK in my guild and it's me, so it's not that hard of a job. However 3 seperate incidences popped up that have left me just dumb founded and have shown me that I am really not appreciated as a person who knows their class.
~Brief Backgound~
I was a tank until level 80, tanked all heroics in all 3 specs and did some MT/OT work in Naxx and OS 10. Upon joining the guild I was asked to go DPS and since doing so I am a top 2 DPS, the one other person we go back and forth per encounter on who's #1. While him and I are doing 4500 DPS on a boss encounter the #3 guy is usually around 3k...meaning there is a large gap between us and the rest of the raid. Also I have a tank set as I am asked in 25 mans to help with tanking when needed.
Incident #1: We have a new Warrior tank and we're running through Naxx 25, the new guy is asked to tank Khel while the other tanks grab the adds. The convo went something like this in raid chat...
New Tank "Who's on the Frost Bolt interupts?"
Raid Leader "Nobody is, we don't do that and we down him just fine"
Me "I interupt Frost Bolts"
Raid Leader "It's not really an issue, we can heal through them np"
Me "I have always interupted the Frost Bolts from Khel"
Raid Leader "Just tank him at the thone, Khaeli will keep you healed"
Me "<--------------------interupts Frost Bolts"
Raid Leader "Oh, good work Kale"
At the time it was nothing, shrugged it off because it was just whatever. Didn't really get to me that even the raid leader didn't know what I was doing to help the raid but that's ok, not everyone goes through the WWS like Khaeli and I do.
Incident #2: Doing a quick and easy OS 25 with all drakes down, had some people get on their DK alts for the achievement because it's loleasymode. The convo went like this in raid chat...
DK Alt "Is there a point to having more then 540 defense?"
Mage "Nope, it's useless"
Me "Yes there is, IBF for example scales with defense"
Mage "Getting anything over won't help with anything"
DK Alt "Cool, I'm almost to cap then"
What do I know right? The mage had a DK alt who's in their mid 70s and who is Frost because Frost is the tank spec, amirite?
Incident #3: I'm getting my Priest PL'd in SM while this conversation took place. The convo went something like this in guild chat...
Non-Raider DK "Is the class lead on by chance?"
Me "Nope, but if you have a DK question ask away"
DK Alt "Yup, we have some very good DK's in the guild - like me" (yes he was being serious)
Non-Raider DK "Well, I'm new to 80 and I wanted to try to tank and wanted to know what would be a good tank spec to try"
Me "Well, all three specs have the ability to tank as long as you take 5/5/5 in each tree, from there I would suggest Frost because you can rotate 3 of your tanking CD's to have one up all the time and you get a nice increase in your IBF, this is not to say Unholy isn't a great tank spec even after the nerf to BS as you can glyph for two extra bones and has superior passive mitigation then the other two specs, I wouldn't suggest Blood at your gear level and compared to Frost and Unholy it lacks the abilities to really smooth out the incoming damage"
DK Alt "LOL! Vampiric Blood is better then anything in Frost and Unholy"
Warlock Alt "Yeah, I was in Heroic HoL and a Blood DK tank solo'd Loken because the self heals are amazing" (The Blood DK had a healer with him - it was Khaeli - and this DK is geared in 25 man gear)
DK Alt "Ya, you'll be just fine as Blood"
Warlock Alt "It really doesn't matter how you spec to tank as a DK"
Me "Guys, I never said that Blood couldn't tank - I tank as Blood DPS when needed because I have the gear. He's not in raid gear and will have an easier time rotating his CDs with Frost or Bone Shield with Unholy. It's not about what's the best tank spec but what's the best tank spec for him at his gear level."
DK Alt "Whatever dude, Blood is insane for tanking because of the self heals"
Warlock Alt "Yup, the self heals really smooth out the damage for the healers"
The DK Alt thinks he's the best DK in the guild, he will argue his point just to get the last word in, he's 15 and thinks he knows it all. I am not going to argue with a 15 year old as there is no point, especially with this kid who thinks he's so clever because he picked his name out of a Latin dictionary. The Warlock Alt was the guild's former MT and is an officer of the guild.
So have the 3 above combined together and I just feel that I am not appreciated for what I do at all. I don't need countless praise or a fancy guild title or anything like that, what I do expect is that when there's a question regarding DK's and I respond that others might actually take what I have to say with some consideration. The fact is I could start to do 2k DPS and I would still be brought to every single raid, instead I'm busting my ass to be the best DPS DK that I can be and there is really no point in doing so.
The guild still has other issues but hey, whatever right? We are still killing Patchwork in 6+ minutes with all of our DPS being decked out in 25 man gear. We have 10+ DPS that can't break 3k that we bring to every raid. The raid healers don't heal the raid, they heal the MT/OT and themselves which causes serious issues when we try 2D OS. But it doesn't matter, casual guild is casual.
Just going to keep my mouth shut and pay my repair builds from now on.
Friday, February 13, 2009 A Boy Named Nancy
My daddy left home when I was three
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me "Nancy."
Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk,
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Nancy."
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man who gave me that awful name.
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
There at a table, dealing stud,
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Nancy."
Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
He was big and bent and gray and old,
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
And I said: "My name is 'Nancy!' How do you do!
Now your gonna die!!"
Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down, but to my surprise,
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.
I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
But I really can't remember when,
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.
And he said: "Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's the name that helped to make you strong."
He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you "Nancy.'"
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
And I came away with a different point of view.
And I think about him, now and then,
Every time I try and every time I win,
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but Nancy! I still hate that name!
Yes - Again I'm unsure of my DPS spec, and like before, I'm confused as ever as I like certain things from each tree but dislike other things from each tree as well.
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me "Nancy."
Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk,
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Nancy."
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man who gave me that awful name.
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
There at a table, dealing stud,
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Nancy."
Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
He was big and bent and gray and old,
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
And I said: "My name is 'Nancy!' How do you do!
Now your gonna die!!"
Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down, but to my surprise,
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.
I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
But I really can't remember when,
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.
And he said: "Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's the name that helped to make you strong."
He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you "Nancy.'"
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
And I came away with a different point of view.
And I think about him, now and then,
Every time I try and every time I win,
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but Nancy! I still hate that name!
Yes - Again I'm unsure of my DPS spec, and like before, I'm confused as ever as I like certain things from each tree but dislike other things from each tree as well.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 Just /sigh
So tonight we stepped foot into a fresh Naxx 25. We were low on tanks so I was asked to grab my tanking gear for encounters that required more then two tanks. Not a problem, I really don't care what role I play as long as we clear through a zone. We're doing really well, one shotting every boss and getting some good loot. My class lead is on his Paladin alt for the night and is getting some nice gear, was up to 2-3 pieces before reaching the final boss. And finally! The axe drops! I'm sitting over here jumping for joy cause we've never had it drop! I'm nearly doing back flips in my chair until I hear that the Paladin alt has more DKP and gets the axe.
Whaa???
Normally I could care less about loot, but this pisses me off on several fronts.
1. Khaeli and I joined the guild over a month ago, in that time we have never missed a raid and within that time my Class lead has only raided once - once.
2. My class lead has old DKP from BC, since he hasn't raided WOTLK at all.
3. I had not bid on several items to build up DKP and had the most DKP of any MAIN that could have used the axe.
4. His alt had already gotten several drops that night.
5. IT'S AN ALT!
I know I know, I have to suck it up and just carry on...but damn it...what the hell is that BS? I don't think of myself as a loot whore, I've passed on upgrades for myself to others which it was a larger upgrade for. I do like to have nice gear - I mean I spend the time to get it, and I'm not the type who will stir any guild drama crap over this, it just pisses me off and I need to vent. But the thing is, if I would have lost this to one of the Warriors who go Fury/Prot depending on what is needed, or hell even one of the Holy Paladins who's going to go Ret now, it wouldn't really bother me. I mean they put in the time like I do week after week and they can decide how to spend their DKP, that wouldn't have bothered me.
/rant off
Our first clear of Naxx 25 in a single night, and I got to tank some - woohoo!
Whaa???
Normally I could care less about loot, but this pisses me off on several fronts.
1. Khaeli and I joined the guild over a month ago, in that time we have never missed a raid and within that time my Class lead has only raided once - once.
2. My class lead has old DKP from BC, since he hasn't raided WOTLK at all.
3. I had not bid on several items to build up DKP and had the most DKP of any MAIN that could have used the axe.
4. His alt had already gotten several drops that night.
5. IT'S AN ALT!
I know I know, I have to suck it up and just carry on...but damn it...what the hell is that BS? I don't think of myself as a loot whore, I've passed on upgrades for myself to others which it was a larger upgrade for. I do like to have nice gear - I mean I spend the time to get it, and I'm not the type who will stir any guild drama crap over this, it just pisses me off and I need to vent. But the thing is, if I would have lost this to one of the Warriors who go Fury/Prot depending on what is needed, or hell even one of the Holy Paladins who's going to go Ret now, it wouldn't really bother me. I mean they put in the time like I do week after week and they can decide how to spend their DKP, that wouldn't have bothered me.
/rant off
Our first clear of Naxx 25 in a single night, and I got to tank some - woohoo!
Thursday, January 15, 2009 Land of Confusion
So today has been a wild ride and it's only 3:15pm. Of course there's RL things going on (Birthday and an US Airways plane crashed into the Hudson River) but also some interesting PTR changes that effect DW DPS and Frost Tanking.
These changes are that Killing Machine only procs off your main hand and Howling Blast is back on a cooldown, abit a 5 second CD compared to it's live state at 6 second one.
All forums are in an uproar and I myself and feeling like a yoyo. So this yoyo has no idea how to take this news, how to spend his DKP (wtf do I spend it on a slow 1H or what happens if a 2H drops?!).
Or...maybe this yoyo will be given a tank role...or does this yoyo even want that? I'm so damn confused now...
These changes are that Killing Machine only procs off your main hand and Howling Blast is back on a cooldown, abit a 5 second CD compared to it's live state at 6 second one.
All forums are in an uproar and I myself and feeling like a yoyo. So this yoyo has no idea how to take this news, how to spend his DKP (wtf do I spend it on a slow 1H or what happens if a 2H drops?!).
Or...maybe this yoyo will be given a tank role...or does this yoyo even want that? I'm so damn confused now...
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 I'm now Unholy?
I've been Frost since Beta - I wasn't in beta mind you, but I had already decided on my tank spec. I liked Frost because it seemed to be all about control...that and it wasn't a popular spec, of which I like being the underdog (underdog spec) and making it shine. So before patch 3.0.8 goes live (hurry up and go live!) I wanted to try out the Boneshield/Unholy tanking first hand.
I had a few specs in mind, but I decided on a 5/11/53 to test out instead of the more common 9/11/51 that a lot of Unholy DK's are using. Some of the key changes that I like in my build is the 3% increase of Strength from Ravenous Dead and the 2/2 in Unholy Command (which I use for my 2nd taunt).
So far I have noticed two things with respecing into Unholy 1. My DPS has increased and 2. My survivability has increased. I did some of my own testing using WWS in regards to Frost vs Unholy pre-Boneshield nerf and as expected, I mitigate a lot more damage as Unholy but as Frost I avoided more incoming attacks but took more damage - and took a lot more spell damage. Now, this is the same conclusion that is pretty common knowledge for Deathknights who read more then the WoW live forums - seriously, why do people in the LFG channel think that Frost is the "tank" spec? -. Now my only question is how will 3.0.8 impact me and my spec? Keep in mind that I roll with a Disicpline Priest all the time so my Boneshield uptimes are much higher then the average DK.
With the new Runeforge, new tanking Sword and the changes to the Tempered Titansteel Helm (getting a blue and a meta gem socket) I think Unholy will still be a better spec for me (hrmm, do I need to change my blog template to a more greenish theme because I'm Unholy now?). The only thing that I am thinking about is do I keep 11 points deep into Frost? Lichborn is nice, there's no denying it but seeing that a lot of Unholy and now Blood tanks that are in the 25 man raids are stating that it's not that needed...that those points can be better spent else where. And truth be told I can see where they're coming from, I rarely use it between IBF and Boneshield and Lichborne is a 25% Miss Rate on MELEE attacks, so it doesn't do much for spell damage. If I did drop it I would probably go with a 13/5/53 build which would help my TPS on single targets and also give me a self heal to take the place of Lichborne.
I actually find it amazing (in a good way) that a few points here and there really determine a build. I really like it in the fact that it allows you to customize your build to your play style. Take for example myself, I am with a Disc Priest all the time and when I run groups I am more then likely always with an Enhancement Shaman - Thus if I was still Frost my Icy Talons wouldn't stack.
I had a few specs in mind, but I decided on a 5/11/53 to test out instead of the more common 9/11/51 that a lot of Unholy DK's are using. Some of the key changes that I like in my build is the 3% increase of Strength from Ravenous Dead and the 2/2 in Unholy Command (which I use for my 2nd taunt).
So far I have noticed two things with respecing into Unholy 1. My DPS has increased and 2. My survivability has increased. I did some of my own testing using WWS in regards to Frost vs Unholy pre-Boneshield nerf and as expected, I mitigate a lot more damage as Unholy but as Frost I avoided more incoming attacks but took more damage - and took a lot more spell damage. Now, this is the same conclusion that is pretty common knowledge for Deathknights who read more then the WoW live forums - seriously, why do people in the LFG channel think that Frost is the "tank" spec? -. Now my only question is how will 3.0.8 impact me and my spec? Keep in mind that I roll with a Disicpline Priest all the time so my Boneshield uptimes are much higher then the average DK.
With the new Runeforge, new tanking Sword and the changes to the Tempered Titansteel Helm (getting a blue and a meta gem socket) I think Unholy will still be a better spec for me (hrmm, do I need to change my blog template to a more greenish theme because I'm Unholy now?). The only thing that I am thinking about is do I keep 11 points deep into Frost? Lichborn is nice, there's no denying it but seeing that a lot of Unholy and now Blood tanks that are in the 25 man raids are stating that it's not that needed...that those points can be better spent else where. And truth be told I can see where they're coming from, I rarely use it between IBF and Boneshield and Lichborne is a 25% Miss Rate on MELEE attacks, so it doesn't do much for spell damage. If I did drop it I would probably go with a 13/5/53 build which would help my TPS on single targets and also give me a self heal to take the place of Lichborne.
I actually find it amazing (in a good way) that a few points here and there really determine a build. I really like it in the fact that it allows you to customize your build to your play style. Take for example myself, I am with a Disc Priest all the time and when I run groups I am more then likely always with an Enhancement Shaman - Thus if I was still Frost my Icy Talons wouldn't stack.
Thursday, December 4, 2008 Deathknights, Tanking and You
So, I'm only level 73 but Khaeli and I have decided to take it slow and explore and quest in both Howling Fjord and the Borean Tundra. We aren't going to race to level cap like we did in EQ2 just to be stuck running other people through questlines and instances...we're actually enjoying ourselves! What a concept!
Now, throughout the early 70s I've ran into so many Deathknights not really knowing how to use their abilities, how to spec themselves - throwing points into every which direction and in general, not knowing how to tank. So here is my tanking guide for the low 70s Deathknight, I'll probably make another for when I turn 80 if I still see the complete lack of knowledge out there.
First off, lets talk about talent specs. At this level in the game it really doesn't matter but we're looking at the bigger picture here. I favor a heavy Frost build (if you couldn't tell by the name of this blog). Here is my armory page with my current spec. As I have my hockey helmet on snuggly, I have been viewing the live forums and have come to think of myself as a broken record when I see topics like "Frost tank spec help" as people are not putting points into the basic abilities. If you are serious about Frost tanking here is my list of MUST TAKE abilities in the Frost tree...
Frigid Deathplate- This is not a 3% Dodge or Parry, this is a solid 3% miss...it's huge! However I have been seeing a lot of Frost tank builds not picking this up...their thought process "Well it's not that much, only 3%".
Unbreakable Armor- I have yet to see a tank build not take it, Unbreakable Armor is to Frost tanking as Corn is to midwest farmers.
Toughness- 5/5/5 is the standard Tank build...it's not going to change, use it, love it, embrace it.
Tundra Stalker- If you go Deep Frost and don't get Tundra Stalker you're entire spec is fail...seriously 10% increase in spells & abilities that have FF (and you should have all your targets under FF 90%+ of the time) AND 5 Expertise...no brainer right?
Icy Touch/Talons Talents- If all you are doing is raiding end game and roll with an Enhance Shammy I would say don't bother as Wind Fury totem and Icy Talons don't stack. However, for a lot of us, the Echance Shammys are few and far between, so this is a solid pickup.
Frost Aura- No it doesn't stack with the Druid's MotW buff, however it also includes some resists that motw doesn't touch. DK's are suppose to mitigate spell damage more so then the other tank types, and this is one of the abilities in the Frost tree that make is possible.
Acclimation- You'll find people bashing this talent all over the live forums, but the reality is, it stacks quickly...it's situational, but when those situations arise often you'll be happy to have it.
Guile of Gorefiend- Lets pretend that it doesn't have any DPS boost at all...it increases the duration of Icebound Fortitude, which alone is worth the 3 points into it.
Where you spend your points from there on out is personal preference, just don't put them into Killing Machine as a tank or DPS really. We are not a white damage class, so it's a waste of 5 points that could be better spent else where. As to which Frost build is better...well I'm still trying out a few myself. Crunching some numbers to see if I do a 51 Frost build while picking up Shadow of Death (2% STA & STR increase) from Unholy to boost my HP.
2 Handers vs Duel Wielding
There are a shit-ton of posts on the live forums regarding this hot topic. Lots of mis-informed people stating that DW sucks without really knowing the reason why. It's viable, but your survivability will decrease while doing so. And since as a tank your main job is to survive, DW kind of starts to fade. There are some great on-going threads regarding duel wielding as a DK tank that can be found at Deathknight.info here, but also there are some great charts made by Berthold on Elitist Jerks that can be found below or at Elitist Jerks here.
Conclusion: 2H > DW
Now, Bliz may change things as they are mixing up some of the DK tanking mechanics as GC himself mentioned that DK's are taking too much of a beating for their liking. The specifics of such are still unknown but I am eagerly awaiting to read what their plans are.
Now, throughout the early 70s I've ran into so many Deathknights not really knowing how to use their abilities, how to spec themselves - throwing points into every which direction and in general, not knowing how to tank. So here is my tanking guide for the low 70s Deathknight, I'll probably make another for when I turn 80 if I still see the complete lack of knowledge out there.
First off, lets talk about talent specs. At this level in the game it really doesn't matter but we're looking at the bigger picture here. I favor a heavy Frost build (if you couldn't tell by the name of this blog). Here is my armory page with my current spec. As I have my hockey helmet on snuggly, I have been viewing the live forums and have come to think of myself as a broken record when I see topics like "Frost tank spec help" as people are not putting points into the basic abilities. If you are serious about Frost tanking here is my list of MUST TAKE abilities in the Frost tree...
Frigid Deathplate- This is not a 3% Dodge or Parry, this is a solid 3% miss...it's huge! However I have been seeing a lot of Frost tank builds not picking this up...their thought process "Well it's not that much, only 3%".
Unbreakable Armor- I have yet to see a tank build not take it, Unbreakable Armor is to Frost tanking as Corn is to midwest farmers.
Toughness- 5/5/5 is the standard Tank build...it's not going to change, use it, love it, embrace it.
Tundra Stalker- If you go Deep Frost and don't get Tundra Stalker you're entire spec is fail...seriously 10% increase in spells & abilities that have FF (and you should have all your targets under FF 90%+ of the time) AND 5 Expertise...no brainer right?
Icy Touch/Talons Talents- If all you are doing is raiding end game and roll with an Enhance Shammy I would say don't bother as Wind Fury totem and Icy Talons don't stack. However, for a lot of us, the Echance Shammys are few and far between, so this is a solid pickup.
Frost Aura- No it doesn't stack with the Druid's MotW buff, however it also includes some resists that motw doesn't touch. DK's are suppose to mitigate spell damage more so then the other tank types, and this is one of the abilities in the Frost tree that make is possible.
Acclimation- You'll find people bashing this talent all over the live forums, but the reality is, it stacks quickly...it's situational, but when those situations arise often you'll be happy to have it.
Guile of Gorefiend- Lets pretend that it doesn't have any DPS boost at all...it increases the duration of Icebound Fortitude, which alone is worth the 3 points into it.
Where you spend your points from there on out is personal preference, just don't put them into Killing Machine as a tank or DPS really. We are not a white damage class, so it's a waste of 5 points that could be better spent else where. As to which Frost build is better...well I'm still trying out a few myself. Crunching some numbers to see if I do a 51 Frost build while picking up Shadow of Death (2% STA & STR increase) from Unholy to boost my HP.
2 Handers vs Duel Wielding
There are a shit-ton of posts on the live forums regarding this hot topic. Lots of mis-informed people stating that DW sucks without really knowing the reason why. It's viable, but your survivability will decrease while doing so. And since as a tank your main job is to survive, DW kind of starts to fade. There are some great on-going threads regarding duel wielding as a DK tank that can be found at Deathknight.info here, but also there are some great charts made by Berthold on Elitist Jerks that can be found below or at Elitist Jerks here.
Conclusion: 2H > DW
Now, Bliz may change things as they are mixing up some of the DK tanking mechanics as GC himself mentioned that DK's are taking too much of a beating for their liking. The specifics of such are still unknown but I am eagerly awaiting to read what their plans are.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008 It's all about Race!
With Blizzard announcing changes to racials there are countless posts from players wondering what the racials are now, and which race will be the best for tanking on the Deathknight. Below is a complete list of racials for every race.
Draenei
Gemcutting (passive)- Jewelcrafting skill increased by 5.
Gift of the Naaru (active)- Heals the target 50 + 15/Level over 15 sec - 40 yd range - 1.5 sec cast - 3 min cooldown. The amount healed is increased based on the caster's Spell Power or Attack Power. This ability does not lose casting time from taking damage.
Heroic Presence (passive)- Increases chance to hit with all spells and attacks by 1% for you and all party members within 30 yards.
Shadow Resistance (passive)- Reduces the chance you will be hit by Shadow spells by 2%.
Dwarves
Stoneform (instant | 3 min cooldown)- While active, grants immunity to Bleed, Poison, and Disease effects. In addition, Armor increases by 10%. Lasts 8 sec.
Gun Specialization (passive)- Your chance to critically hit with Guns is increased by 1%.
Frost Resistance (passive)- Reduces the chance you will be hit by Frost spells by 2%.
Find Treasure (instant)- Allows the dwarf to sense nearby treasure, making it appear on the minimap. Lasts until cancelled.
Gnomes
Escape Artist (instant| 1.75 min cooldown)- Escape the effects of any immobilization or movement speed reduction effect.
Expansive Mind (passive)- Intellect increased by 5%.
Arcane Resistance (passive)- Reduces the chance you will be hit by Arcane spells by 2%.
Engineering Specialization (passive)- Engineering skill increased by 15.
Humans
Perception (passive)- Increases your Stealth detection.
The Human Spirit (passive)- Spirit increased by 3%.
Diplomacy (passive)- Reputation gains increased by 10%.
Sword Specialization (passive)- Expertise with Swords and Two-Handed Swords increased by 3.
Mace Specialization (passive)- Expertise with Maces and Two-Handed Maces increased by 3.
Every Man for Himself (instant | 2 min cooldown)- Removes all movement impairing effects and all effects which cause loss of control of your character. This effect shares a cooldown with other similar effects.
Night Elves
Shadowmeld (instant | 2 min cooldown)- Activate to slip into the shadows, reducing the chance for enemies to detect your presence. Lasts until cancelled or upon moving. Any threat is restored versus enemies still in combat upon cancellation of this effect.
Elusiveness (passive)- Reduces the chance enemies have to detect you while Shadowmelded or Stealthed.
Quickness (passive)- Reduces the chance that melee and ranged attackers will hit you by 2%.
Wisp Spirit (passive)- Transform into a wisp upon death, increasing speed by 50%.
Nature Resistance (passive)- Reduces the chance you will be hit by Nature spells by 2%.
Blood Elves
Arcane Affinity (passive)- Enchanting skill increased by 10.
Arcane Torrent (instant | 2 min cooldown | (Hunters/Paladins/Mages/Priests/Warlocks only)- Silence all enemies within 8 yards for 2 sec and restores 5 + 1/Level% of your Mana.
Arcane Torrent (active | Rogue only)- Silences all enemies within 8 yards for 2 sec and restores 15 of your Energy.
Arcane Torrent (active | Deathknight only)- Silences all enemies within 8 yards for 2 sec and restores 15 Runic Power.
Magic Resistance (passive)- Reduces the chance you will be hit by spells by 2%.
Orcs
Blood Fury (instant | 2 min cooldown | Death Knight/Warrior/Rogue/Hunter only)- Increases attack power by (Level*4)+2 per character level (322 at 80). Lasts 15 sec.
Blood Fury (instant | 2 min cooldown | Shaman only)- Increases melee attack power by (Level*4)+2 and your spell power by (Level*2)+3. Lasts 15 sec.
Blood Fury (instant | 2 min cooldown | Warlock only)- Increases your spell power by (Level*2)+3. Lasts 15 sec.
Hardiness (passive)- Duration of Stun effects reduced by an additional 15%.
Command (passive)- Damage dealt by Death Knight, Hunter and Warlock pets increased by 5%.
Axe Specialization (passive)- Expertise with Axes and Two-Handed Axes increased by 5.
Tauren
War Stomp (instant | 0.5 sec cast | 2 min cooldown)- Stuns up to 5 enemies within 8 yds for 2 sec.
Endurance (passive)- Base Health increased by 5%
Cultivation (passive)- Herbalism skill increased by 15.
Nature Resistance (passive)- Reduces the chance you will be hit by Nature spells by 2%.
Trolls
Berserking (instant | 3 min cooldown)- Increases your attack speed by 10% to 30%. At full health the speed increase is 10% with a greater effect up to 30% if you are badly hurt when you activate Berserking. Lasts 10 sec.
Regeneration (passive)- Health regeneration increased by 10%. 10% of total Health regeneration may continue during combat.
Beast Slaying (passive)- Damage dealt versus Beasts increased by 5%.
Throwing Specialization (passive)- Your chance to critically hit with Throwing Weapons is increased by 1%
Bow Specialization (passive)- Your chance to critically hit with Bows is increased by 1%.
Da Voodoo Shuffle (passive)- Reduces the duration of all movement impairing effects by 15%. Trolls be flippin' out mon!
Undead
Will of the Forsaken (instant | 2 min cooldown)- Removes any Charm, Fear and Sleep effect.
Cannibalize (instant | 2 min cooldown)- When activated, regenerates 7% of total health every 2 sec for 10 sec. Only works on Humanoid or Undead corpses within 5 yds. Any movement, action, or damage taken while Cannibalizing will cancel the effect.
Underwater Breathing (passive)- Underwater breath lasts 233% longer than normal
Shadow Resistance (passive)- Reduces the chance you will be hit by Shadow spells by 2%.
As for myself, I'm going with a Night Elf. Granted, they now have one of the best racials for an avoidance tank, but in reality they're the only alliance males that I can stand to look at. My only problem with them is that the facial hair all looks like poor Amish comb overs and if you choose not to have any facial hair then you are blessed with no eyebrows. Tough call eh?
Draenei
Gemcutting (passive)- Jewelcrafting skill increased by 5.
Gift of the Naaru (active)- Heals the target 50 + 15/Level over 15 sec - 40 yd range - 1.5 sec cast - 3 min cooldown. The amount healed is increased based on the caster's Spell Power or Attack Power. This ability does not lose casting time from taking damage.
Heroic Presence (passive)- Increases chance to hit with all spells and attacks by 1% for you and all party members within 30 yards.
Shadow Resistance (passive)- Reduces the chance you will be hit by Shadow spells by 2%.
Dwarves
Stoneform (instant | 3 min cooldown)- While active, grants immunity to Bleed, Poison, and Disease effects. In addition, Armor increases by 10%. Lasts 8 sec.
Gun Specialization (passive)- Your chance to critically hit with Guns is increased by 1%.
Frost Resistance (passive)- Reduces the chance you will be hit by Frost spells by 2%.
Find Treasure (instant)- Allows the dwarf to sense nearby treasure, making it appear on the minimap. Lasts until cancelled.
Gnomes
Escape Artist (instant| 1.75 min cooldown)- Escape the effects of any immobilization or movement speed reduction effect.
Expansive Mind (passive)- Intellect increased by 5%.
Arcane Resistance (passive)- Reduces the chance you will be hit by Arcane spells by 2%.
Engineering Specialization (passive)- Engineering skill increased by 15.
Humans
Perception (passive)- Increases your Stealth detection.
The Human Spirit (passive)- Spirit increased by 3%.
Diplomacy (passive)- Reputation gains increased by 10%.
Sword Specialization (passive)- Expertise with Swords and Two-Handed Swords increased by 3.
Mace Specialization (passive)- Expertise with Maces and Two-Handed Maces increased by 3.
Every Man for Himself (instant | 2 min cooldown)- Removes all movement impairing effects and all effects which cause loss of control of your character. This effect shares a cooldown with other similar effects.
Night Elves
Shadowmeld (instant | 2 min cooldown)- Activate to slip into the shadows, reducing the chance for enemies to detect your presence. Lasts until cancelled or upon moving. Any threat is restored versus enemies still in combat upon cancellation of this effect.
Elusiveness (passive)- Reduces the chance enemies have to detect you while Shadowmelded or Stealthed.
Quickness (passive)- Reduces the chance that melee and ranged attackers will hit you by 2%.
Wisp Spirit (passive)- Transform into a wisp upon death, increasing speed by 50%.
Nature Resistance (passive)- Reduces the chance you will be hit by Nature spells by 2%.
Blood Elves
Arcane Affinity (passive)- Enchanting skill increased by 10.
Arcane Torrent (instant | 2 min cooldown | (Hunters/Paladins/Mages/Priests/Warlocks only)- Silence all enemies within 8 yards for 2 sec and restores 5 + 1/Level% of your Mana.
Arcane Torrent (active | Rogue only)- Silences all enemies within 8 yards for 2 sec and restores 15 of your Energy.
Arcane Torrent (active | Deathknight only)- Silences all enemies within 8 yards for 2 sec and restores 15 Runic Power.
Magic Resistance (passive)- Reduces the chance you will be hit by spells by 2%.
Orcs
Blood Fury (instant | 2 min cooldown | Death Knight/Warrior/Rogue/Hunter only)- Increases attack power by (Level*4)+2 per character level (322 at 80). Lasts 15 sec.
Blood Fury (instant | 2 min cooldown | Shaman only)- Increases melee attack power by (Level*4)+2 and your spell power by (Level*2)+3. Lasts 15 sec.
Blood Fury (instant | 2 min cooldown | Warlock only)- Increases your spell power by (Level*2)+3. Lasts 15 sec.
Hardiness (passive)- Duration of Stun effects reduced by an additional 15%.
Command (passive)- Damage dealt by Death Knight, Hunter and Warlock pets increased by 5%.
Axe Specialization (passive)- Expertise with Axes and Two-Handed Axes increased by 5.
Tauren
War Stomp (instant | 0.5 sec cast | 2 min cooldown)- Stuns up to 5 enemies within 8 yds for 2 sec.
Endurance (passive)- Base Health increased by 5%
Cultivation (passive)- Herbalism skill increased by 15.
Nature Resistance (passive)- Reduces the chance you will be hit by Nature spells by 2%.
Trolls
Berserking (instant | 3 min cooldown)- Increases your attack speed by 10% to 30%. At full health the speed increase is 10% with a greater effect up to 30% if you are badly hurt when you activate Berserking. Lasts 10 sec.
Regeneration (passive)- Health regeneration increased by 10%. 10% of total Health regeneration may continue during combat.
Beast Slaying (passive)- Damage dealt versus Beasts increased by 5%.
Throwing Specialization (passive)- Your chance to critically hit with Throwing Weapons is increased by 1%
Bow Specialization (passive)- Your chance to critically hit with Bows is increased by 1%.
Da Voodoo Shuffle (passive)- Reduces the duration of all movement impairing effects by 15%. Trolls be flippin' out mon!
Undead
Will of the Forsaken (instant | 2 min cooldown)- Removes any Charm, Fear and Sleep effect.
Cannibalize (instant | 2 min cooldown)- When activated, regenerates 7% of total health every 2 sec for 10 sec. Only works on Humanoid or Undead corpses within 5 yds. Any movement, action, or damage taken while Cannibalizing will cancel the effect.
Underwater Breathing (passive)- Underwater breath lasts 233% longer than normal
Shadow Resistance (passive)- Reduces the chance you will be hit by Shadow spells by 2%.
As for myself, I'm going with a Night Elf. Granted, they now have one of the best racials for an avoidance tank, but in reality they're the only alliance males that I can stand to look at. My only problem with them is that the facial hair all looks like poor Amish comb overs and if you choose not to have any facial hair then you are blessed with no eyebrows. Tough call eh?
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