Temporal Change of Pace

I know, I know! I was supposed to have that follow up of the certain article by last saturday, but the weekend was quite weird with some events that had me playing from a different perspective.

First things first tho. There’s my Death Knight, who I leveled to 80 to just mess around with it and understand a bit of the class, as DPS, and who knows, maybe replace my rogue as my main AS DPS. Funny twist to the story, as Miara started hitting the 75’s and above, I started tanking with my DK (Voryan), and so it happened that he at least got Defense capped, in mostly blues (only greens were trinkets…).

And so The Crown needed a tank last thursday for Naxx-10. And so my DK got to tank Naxx (Off Tank actually), and as our Main Tank said, “we have a Fury warrior as MT and a Rogue as an OH, let’s hope it’ll go well” (he mainly goes as DPS but has grabbed quite a few pieces of tank gear).  Amazingly enough we cleared the place by friday, with almost the same team.

And I say amazingly because of the people we had with us weren’t exactly our top geared, but our fresh 80’s and just a couple of very well geared people (one healer and one mage). So that might mean the “new batch” of 80’s are better than a lot of the “veterans” in terms of survival/paying attention. We actually did Thaddius without crossing charges. Something Akhellar got in a run with only our 10 best. Long ago. Anyway, that ended up well and people got gear, I got T7 Leg piece and a necklace that were upgrades to what I was carrying.

Then Saturday came, and with it, my parents. They’re staying for 9 days (7 now if we include saturday), therefore I might be a bit busy, but anyway, they brought along Meara’s old laptop. That is relatively good because now we can play together during raid. Granted, it’s old and it’s slow, giving me a whopping 6 FPS in Naxx 25, but it’s better than sitting out there doing nothing.

Welcome Back Miara

I remember not to long ago I promised myself that I wouldn’t go back to healing. I have a soft spot for my guildies, it seems. I hope however I won’t regret it this time. I know the mocking in Gchat has already started since I still count myself as .5 rather then 1.

With what I just said, I want to make sure every one knows. I don’t HATE healing, I just hate being “forced” to do it, if it makes sense. In TBC I was the only healer who could solo heal the Mage tank (at Gruul’s Lair), and somehow I always had a feeling I kept the other healers “in-line”. I hate overhealing with a passion and I try to keep it to a 46% maximum. I only reached that high on mage tank healing. So thus if there was no healing assignments, I would raise hell and make them myself.

When I switched to Velun (my shaman) it seems like the healing got way too sloppy. King Maulgar became a pain in the arse, since we needed 3 healers on the mage tank then, and healing scattered randomly. I continued to keep my Priests on a short leash, until wrath where I no longer keep track of that stuff. I trained a few and some hated me for it, constantly nagging them about proper gems and healing rotations, and Greater Heal over Flash. A few however became rather great healers that now just need to learn a few things on their own. Such as: watching their surroundings AND the bars. Using bars more as a rear view mirror rather than the windshield.

I would never say I was a great healer, simple on the fact, the tank would always die 3 times before I got it, exactly, many wipes were my fault. I was never top of the healing meters and still refuse to try, nor was I ever bottom of the Over Healing charts which was how I graded my performance. I was always guilty of whining about other people healing my targets when I never asked for help, and I never clicked one button more than I felt was needed at the time.

Something however is different with me when healing then on my Shaman. I always ask Ak the same question “was I good?”. I donno if there is a hidden passion in me that I always run from, or is it that I know I suck at DPS so my healing must be the same way?

Besides the constant Mocking on how dwarf chicks don’t shave their legs, and the “We have 6.5 healers”. I feel like maybe I should give up and just heal. I have always been confronted with it, specially back in the days when Meara was my main. I have always wanted to tank but it just doesn’t seem to work when you have a Priest as an alt. I was so close once, but Agent Smudson ratted me out. I’ll always have that debate going in my head “The guilds short healers..maybe I should get Miara.” then the vicious cycle begins, of me trying to get an alt into runs but them always being short a healer.

Maybe if Blizzard would allow Race changes.. Things would be better? Hm.

Akhellar’s Quickies!

It’s friday, and contrary to my last “serious” job as a Computer Technitian, where fridays were hell and every person seemed to want their issues solved, here it is quite boring, so…I’m bored.

Waking up 2 hours before the time you actually have to wake up bites, and even more so if you notice a very nasty and sharp pain in your tooth that gives you problems to go back to sleep.

We have been out of gas for a week, can’t cook or take hot water showers, so it’s been a week of cold showers and take-out food.

The first season of the Knight Rider remake has apparently reached an end, being cut short by the NBC, rumors are saying either it gets cancelled and no 2nd season will be aired or they just cut the first season short to make a re-boot of the show at season 2. I’m REALLY hoping for a second season, I was enjoying it a lot.

Waiting on new episodes of Heroes and Smallville, and that’s all the TV I watch really.

As usual, I should’ve kept my mouth shut about being bored, I just got swamped.

I forgot to put a post break, so I am editing the post, heh.

Vel Vrs PTR Part 2 Argent Tournament

Considering we have hit a big snag in both Ak and I playing on the PTR. This will take a bit to release. Damn Vista!

I wanted to head out to Ulduar but since I don’t have my guild there to test, I feel that my presence up there would be rather… Pointless. So I’ll let them test in peace. MMo Champs Videos are enough to give me a heads up on what will go on in there. I really don’t think I’ll be hitting that place up when it comes out any way.. I refuse to go unless I feel my guild is ready, and we all know I’m not in Premonition.

However, I am and Ak is going to continue (Once Vista agrees with Ak again) to work with the Argent Tournament. I didn’t want too much of a spoiler. I just wanna see the difficulty of the Dailies, and what I can get from the Quartermasters. I’ll also have to check out the priest changes. I know we are not going to get our AOE Shield witch made me shed a tear. Divine Hymm is going in and out like a good nights fun. However it was a bit of a useless spell. I couldn’t ever see myself using it.

Chronicles of a Dying Guild 01

Warning: This post may contain some drama topics, furthermore, if you don’t like the “my guild” kind of posts, please turn back and skip this post.

- Ak.

I was sitting here reading one of Meara’s drafts, checking spelling as I am supposed to do, and I thought of something interesting to do (interesting for me anyway).

For a while now, the guild we both are in – from now on referred to as The Crown – has been going in an apparent spiral down to oblivion. And I think to myself: “If it does happen, and the guild ends up falling under its own weight, it’d be the 3rd 4th time I’ve witnessed such a thing first hand, why?”. So I think it’d be interesting to “record” the downfall of such events.

Hey, the rogue is back!

I should have named this “Of PTR’s, DS Gaming, Blue Penises and a Reluctant Macbook”, but I didn’t so yeah.

What’s been up? Not much, first there was that mean issue with instances booting people offline, issue that affected us a lot during a full week. There is no news about it that I can see, but last night I ran Naxx 25 for the first time since that awful week and had no problems, so I’m hoping that issue got fixed finally.

Also we had ISP issues of our own, a week after those instance problems showed up, we started to have several continuos disconnects, not only from WoW but our internet overall kept going down, it was an issue with the conexions physically, that one is definitely fixed and we’ve been enjoying our full 2mbps since then, yay!.

While that whole internet-losing ordeal was going on, I decided to sit back and play some NDS games I had laying around there. I’ve been having a blast with some various games and I may make a post about those individually, but for now, I’m still playing them when I have the time (mainly while Meara is playing WoW and my brother is using the other computer).

Vel VS. PTR 3.1 Part 1 Shaman Changes

~ For those of you who saw this on the RSS Feed and on the Site before this updated on was Publish I appologize for it becuase I accsadently hit the Publish Button when my bother in law came home and I had to switch computers. SORRY!

So Yea I have Finlay decided to hit the PTR. Normally I try to avoid it since I don’t like to get exited about something before it’s release.  How ever there was so much hype about it I had to dig my fingers and beat up a few Target Dummies to see the changes it would do to my shaman. I love to theory craft so I figured it would be a fun experience as long as I stay away from Ulduar.

Ill Brake this bost since its a Loooong one.

The hardships of a Enchance shaman

There are many hardships that I have seen as an Enchance shaman from the short few months I have been playing. Many people will probably disagree with me, but hear me out. I feel there is nothing wrong with the spec it’s self. Maybe a few things that can be changed but over all if worked at hard and well, can a Enhance shaman really shine.

Besides looked apon like a back up healer. Please people out there who don’t play Enhance Shamans please understand this. With out heavy healing gear could a Enhance shaman really have the edge needed to do some things that a normal healer can put out. Here’s why:

1. Our mana reagen is based of melee attacks, Hence Shamanistic Rage. With this attacking shamans pretty much never run out of mana. It’s our main sours of mana, other then that it’s replenishments from other classes, like paladins Judgment of Wisdom. Yes, Water Shield dose help, but remember it is only 100MP5. You would think that’s a lot, but most of our stat based mana reagen comes from our Intellect, since we don’t have a need for spirit, or getting MP5 from the Attack Power gear we are wearing. Nor are we speced in to it, a true enhancement shaman is speced in to Imp. Shield. Witch only increases the amount givin by orbs, rather then the bace return.
2. Our cast times are much longer then a Resto Shamans. Since well we aren’t speced in to any “Resto” talents. My opinion is that going elemental will up an Enhancement shamans DPS by far.
3. Spell power is vary low. We get it maybe from people like me who still have a Spell damage trinket  because we keep loosing our rolls on the Grim Toll and the Sphere of the Red Dragon’s Blood and from our Attack power. It never gets more then maybe 700 though versus 2000 like a full fledged healers are packing.

Of cruse a Enhance Shaman with a Decent healing set could pull the job off and well. I for instance don’t carry my healing set with me since it’s a collection of level 70 epic elemental stuff and a few blues I’ve picked up along the way. I’m not really going out of my way to get a healing set. Since I have no want to heal as my shaman. Other people need to understand that not only do some people enjoy to play the class, they enjoy to play the spec. Enough said .

One other hard ships the shaman face in this day-in-age. Is gear, there is plenty of hunter gear for us to roll on and rub in the hunters face, or getting that shiny fist weapon that we then flaunt in the rouges. The main reason why Hunter gear really isn’t “optimized” for both parties is one simple key. EXPERTISE. Hunter’s who get stuff with expertise is either 1. A little confused 2. can’t find any thing better, and 3. huntarded. really the only place i get expertise from is Rings Sets and Necks. Maybe there’s a bit on a weapon or so, but hitting Expertise capped for Shamans is a bit on the hard side with out being all “best in slots”. I have this Ruthlessness for instance. I felt bad taking it out from under the Paladins and Warriors (even though I didn’t even roll or say any thing and got it) but they’re rolling on any thing with AP these days. Want me to stay away from your STR? Stay away from my Agi! It was one of the only rings I have seen yet that has Expertise on it. Actually there is only the Hemorrhaging Circle that has Expertise on it and agi. Sigh!

I’m starting to think that maybe they need to change Spirit weapons to not Incresase my parry but increase my Expertise instead… What Enhancement shaman is tanking this day-an-age? I guess we will just have to wait for that blue post from Ghost Crawler that says

Spirit Weapons Was:

Gives a chance to parry enemy melee attacks and reduces the threat generated by your melee attacks by 30%.

Now Is:

Increases the shamans Expertise rating by 6 and reduces the threat generated by your melee attacks by 30%.

Hehe I would worship him for that kinda message. So I guess I’ll just pray for that day along with “Spirit Wolves (Feral Spirit) DPS will now scale with the Shamans Attack Power, How ever Healing effect will not change“.  I can dream can’t I?