Ulduar

Well, my guild hit 25 man Ulduar on Sunday for the first time. 

Flame Leviathan is a fun fight, and it only took our guild 2 attempts to get him down.  He dropped a new enchant (which I am not quite sure the use of is yet) that I won the roll on, and even a fragment of the new legendary, which our resto shaman won the roll on.  Congratulations to him!

We tried XT-002 for an hour and a half after that, but to no avail.  At first, it seemed that our healing wasn't sufficient, but we quickly found that our DPS wasn't doing the job.  We healed through tantrum and everything just fine, but we didn't make the enrage timer.  We decided to call it for the night, and try again last night.

It didn't go much better.  We still managed to live through most of the fight, but the DPS just wasn't there.  We then tried Razorscale, and we just couldn't get it after all of those wipes on XT, and decided to break until this week to keep everyone from hating Ulduar so early on.

On the bright side, ARENA SEASON 6!  My mage friend, Agney, and myself are doing 2v2.  We are both pretty new to arena, so I don't expect to be competing at high levels, but it is fun and even after 12 games today I can already see improvement.  I am playing as ret to provide a double-burst composition.  I would play as holy, but I find Ret much more fun to play in PvP.  Forget min/maxing....ENJOY THE GAME!

First Impressions

Well, 3.1 has been pretty solid (at least for me) so far, after they took forever to implement it on Tuesday.  Here is what I think so far.

Ulduar

Haven't been yet, but tonight is our guild's first 25 man so I'll see it soon.  I've heard it is definitely a step up from Naxx, and that the trash can be surprisingly tough.  I hope it is a challenge and that my guild will be up for it.  Progression raiding is much different than the farming we have been doing for the past couple months.

Dual Specs

LOVE THIS.  I can heal a heroic, then go do dailies and switch to Ret (which is so good, especially now since Excorcism works on all targets).  I haven't had the chance to DPS an instance as Ret yet, but I think the results would be damn good.  Also, the Ret tree is THIN.  I used 51 points in it and had all of the talents I wanted, and had 15 left over that I had no idea what to do with.  I ended up picking up the pvp talents and going down the protection tree.  There just isn't that much to the Ret tree right now.

On my hunter, I dummy tested (briefly) all three specs, and decided to switch it up for a while and go MM/BM.  All three specs were pretty even in DPS, and while I like SV, I wanted to try something new.  Picked up a wolf pet, as well, since their furious howl is now hunter and pet only, which means it stacks with other AP buffs.  As BM, it gives me 300~ AP for 20 seconds with only 8 seconds of downtime, so the wolf seems the way to go.

Argent Tournament

I'm finishing up my last daily now to get the required 15 Aspirant Seals, so I'll be starting on the Valiant stuff hopefully.  I like the dailies, they are quick, and the mounted combat seems somewhat interesting, although I suck at it personally.  Overall, I think this will be a great event and only get better as it progresses.

What are your impressions of 3.1 so far? How is Ulduar for those of you that have been?

3.1 is here

Well, it's finally here.  Patch 3.1.  Ulduar, dual specs, the Argent Tournament, swimming mounts and new fishing dailies.

I'm excited, but I'm also curious.  Personally, I have never been part of a guild that is going to try and progress quickly through conent.  Plus, I have never gone into an instance where there is little written about the strategies of the bosses in the raid.  There is definitely Ulduar information, obviously, but not to the extent that there was information about Naxx when I started raiding (a little later than most) that.  It's going to be a new experience for me to be with a guild that is pushing for progression on raid nights, not just farming the same bosses every week.

I'm also curious as to how my guild will handle the trasition.  No more playing alts, no more being late for raids...everything seems like it's going to be back in order after a little down time.  Raids are also starting earlier, which is going to keep some people out of them unfortunately.  Also, how are we going to decide who goes on 10 man runs?  I'm assuming we will have 2, maybe 3 groups going, but who is in what group? We have been running 25 mans for months now, and reverting back to 10 mans will be different.  We still plan to run 25 mans on our regular raid nights, Sunday/Monday, but the 10 mans have me wondering.

That said, my guild will be fine.  We will probably not compete for any server firsts (as there are a couple of guilds on my server that I know will be there all night tonight and tomorrow and the rest of the week), but I know we will progress fairly quickly and keep everyone happy.  I'm hopingi the DKP resets, personally, but I doubt it's going to happen.  We have too many people who have obnoxious amounts of it because of farming Naxx25 after they were all geared up, and it would be these 10-12 people ALWAYS getting gear in Ulduar before anyone else, who joined a little later, like myself.  We'll see.

Dual specs is incredible.  I simply can't wait.  Holy/Ret for my paladin.  Probably PvP Ret, but most retribution specs can go either way without too much trouble.  I never minded paying to 50g to respec.  It was the GLYPHS that annoyed me to hell.  Replacing them every time, then getting my old ones back again...those days are finally over and I'm exstatic about it.

I'm curious as to what will happen to Naxx10, and possible Naxx25/Malygos.  I already see OS being shunned by most people (my guild hasn't run it in over a month), and now people are just dropping Naxx completely and focusing on Ulduar, which is understandable I guess.  My guild hasn't killed Maly25 yet, mostly because we have had one good night of attempts and that is it.  But, we cancelled our Maly25 night immediately when Ulduar was announced for today, and I'm sure it is going to get left aside while we push through Ulduar.  Then again, people were running Karazhan well into BC, so I'm sure Naxx will still be pugged or run or whatever.  

If all of this seems crazy to you, it probably is.  I have personally never been an active raider who has cleared most content and been waiting for a new raid.  I've done Naxx, Maly10, and OS, and I have Valorous/ilvl213 items all over my character.  I even have my hunter in some 10 man epics.  I've never been in this position before, and it's interesting to me, if not a little scary in some ways.  It's very weird to think of the gear I just worked hard for and spent a lot of DKP on is now going to get replaced, but that is the game right?  It all works out, and I'm curious to see how it plays out for me and my guild.

Anyone else nervous/curious/(insert feeling here) about the patch? Why?

Top 10 Bosses in WoW (from my PoV)

Here are my Top 10 bosses in WoW.  This isn't an official list, it is my opinion, based on different reasons.  You may certainly disagree or share your favorite bosses in the comments, and I encourage you to do so!

Honorable Mentions:

Gluth (10 man, as ONLY a hunter)

As you may know from previous posts, kiting Zombie Chow on 10 man Gluth on my hunter is my favorite thing to do in the game right now.

Mekgineer Thermaplugg

Yeah, Gnomeregan is obnoxiously long and full of trash, but it was great, and this boss was no different. Who's on button duty?

Malygos

This fight is tough, but its great.  I love doing it (even though I've only completed it once).  Tons going on, damage buffs, bubbles, pressure, and riding dragons at the end.  It's great when it all comes together.

The List:

10. Nightbane

The first of 2 Kara bosses on here.  I liked this fight because of how tough it was.  The fight was long and really made you focus for more than 2 mins to get him down.  GET OUT OF CHARRED EARTH! STACK UP! SPREAD OUT!  TURN HIM!  Lots of yelling in vent, lots of pressure.  Loved it.

9. Herald Volazj

The first time you fight this guy (if you haven't read up on it) is chaos, but its great.  "Why are you guys attacking me?!?!?!"  It's a great mechanic.  No other explanation necessary.

8. Onyxia

I never fought her at 60, but she was the first raid boss I ever killed, at level 64.  She's a huge dragon, breaths fire, and has a tail swipe.  This is what WoW is about at it's roots, and fighting a giant dragon was awesome.  Plus I soloed her and got 163g for it (before they nerfed that).

7. Princess Theredras

"Woah, shes HUGE! and gross lookin."  That is everyone's reaction when seeing her for the first time, and after fighting through Maraudon (which took seemingly forever), she was a tough fight for appropriate level players.

6. Big Bad Wolf

I am a huge fan of the Red Riding Hood theme, and telling someone to run around in a circle dressed in a little gnome costume never gets old.  The other Opera events are "meh," but this one really shines.

5. Thaddius

This fight is a giant check on the mental capabilities of your raid.  I like it because of not only the HUGE damage people can put out, but because it requires everyone to be on their game.  One person can ruin it for everyone, so it holds people accountable for their actions.  PAY ATTENTION!

4. Sapphiron

The room is cool, the spawn animation is cool, and the fight is cool.  Hiding behind iceblocks to avoid huge damage? Awesome.  It's fun as a healer (but stressful) too, which probably makes me partial.

3. Mr. Smite

My personal favorite boss in the Deadmines.  It's really the first fight where anything different happens.  It's still tank and spank, but the first time he stuns you and runs to his chest, you are like "what the hell? what is he doing!?"  Plus, as alliance, he's the first giant Tauren I saw, which was really cool.

2. Heigan the Unclean
Ah, the dance.  It's priceless.  It's fun, but challenging (especially at first), and I love the fact that even if half the raid dies, you still have a chance.  The first time my (old) guild downed him on 10 man, I was solo healing our tank, OT, and one dps for 14 mins before Heigan fell.

1. Mograine/Whitemane

Scarlet Monastery, for a lot of players, is both a pain in the ass and a ton of fun.  I ran it so many times, but hated it because of the ridiculous run to get there as alliance!  And, there were always horde outside ready to attack.  But, when we did get in there, this fight was a hell of a lot of fun.  "Yay, we killed the boss!....oh wait? who is this b***h? OH SHIT!"  Killing a warrior like Mograine only to find out that his woman was rezzing him and now you had to fight BOTH was a crazy feeling, and it was essentially the first "event" style boss that I remember fighting.

My "Elevator Pitch"

Well, it seems to be the "thing to do."  The 31 days to a better blog challenge is working it's way around the blogosphere, and it seems only natural for me to join the party.

Except, I'm not doing it just because others are.  I like writing, and to write about the game which I enjoy most is great.  I am getting more visitors, and would like to really improve this blog as much as I can, both for you readers and for myself.

So, here is my "30 second, 'dis is what I got for ya, read it and wheep Elevator pitch" for Beacon of Light:

Essentially, this is the musings of my time in Azeroth.  I've played a Holy Paladin since early 2007, when I reached level 35 and said "screw protection, I am trying something new."  Yes, I leveled from 35 to 70, then 80 as holy, and it was a damn fun ride.

Here you will find my experiences, opinions, and rants about how the World of Warcraft works and evolves.  I am mainly a casual (what does THAT mean?) raider, but as you can see from my previous posts I like to explore and dabble in other things, which I am not so good at.  PvP, Raid Bosses, Healing tips, add-on questions, strategies, and even a little bit about a certain Hunter alt.  All of that will be here, hopefully in a readable, interesting way.

I don't theorycraft, and you won't see me analyzing a piece of gear for min/max purposes and things like that.  Other people do and will do that much better than I ever could.

I write about how I enjoy (and sometimes don't enjoy) the game.  I'll never forget my first time in Deadmines, with my level 37 hunter friend (in RL) and his level 40 warrior buddy running my through.  I'll never forget re-rolling to my paladin with said hunter friend (who rolled a mage) and being so damn happy to be able to wear mail armor.  The Paladin and Mage that were rolled are now our mains, and with another RL friend playing an 80 warlock and a brother with an 80 warrior, we make a damn good team and always have a blast doing whatever it is we do.

Nor will I EVER forget the first time (at level 28) that I ran into horde territory with said friend warlock.  He was level 20 and had to hit the Barrens for his Sucubus.  We were scared sh**less, but amazed by this area we had never seen.  That moment, I think, hooked me into the game.

It is these kinds of stories and musings that you will find here.  For me, the game isn't about numbers, but about the experiences with friends (real life or in game), good or bad.  That is what makes the game interesting and dynamic, and I hope to convey that as I continue to try and blog about Azeroth and my time in it.

My Love/Hate Relationship w/ Wintergrasp

Ya know, Wintergrasp is great.  Siege vehicles, lots of honor, destructible buildings, and incentives.  I love it.

But, Wintergrasp sucks.  People don't understand it.  Siege vehicles, unlimited amount of players, lag, no role for healers.

Alright, Wintergrasp.  You are great, but you suck at the same time.

I love riding in a siege vehicle, hurling fireballs at walls and knocking back hordies with my knock-back thingamajigger.  I love getting 3k honor even if we lose (often in 10 mins or less, which makes the honor/hr unbelievably worth it).  I love killing Archavon for easy Emblems and a chance at Tier 7/S5 gear.  It's great.

But I hate (HATE) when people don't understand how to win.  Running around on your mount is near useless when you are trying to capture it.  Get in a vehicle and attack the walls please.  I hate Siege vehicles and HAVING to use them for "PvP."  It's not about my player skill, its about how well I can mash 1 or 2 buttons and aim a boulder at a wall.  I hate how, as a healer most of the time, I can't really do ANYTHING to help out my teammates except for be in a vehicle.  I can't heal the vehicles, either.  When my vehicle gets destroyed, I am out in the open for 29 hordies to destroy and I can't do anything to any of them, even with Tenacity.

And Tenacity! Oh Tenacity...how I hate thee.  Tenacity "levels the playing field" right?  WRONG.  I don't care if I have 70k health!  I am surrounded by 30+ horde instantly, and no amount of health is going to get me out of a chain of stuns and crits.

My server is heavily (not as heavily as some) horde favored.  Last I knew, it was about 3:1.  The number of raiding/PvPing level 80s is much more unbalanced in my experience.  I don't care how many stacks of Tenacity I and my teammates have, we are outnumbered every time.  Every. Single. Time.  Generally, we get somewhere around 30-35 people fighting for Wintergrasp, depending on the time that can reach 50-55.  

The problem is the number of Horde that show up for the fight.  During off times, when we have 20-30, they generally come in with 60-70 people and just utterly destroy usl  During peak times, when we can maybe get 50, they show up with well over 100 people.  No amount of tenacity is going to help us when we have that many people burning down our vehicles.  Its just not going to happen.

So, Wintergrasp, I will continue to endure your painfully fun, yet annoying, game for the good honor and Commendations in hopes of someday being at least a little competitive in the Arenas.

P.S. - Tenacity sucks.

PvP?

Normally, I'm not big on PvP.  I've never done well in Arenas, and never really enjoyed the BGs.  Recently, however, I've been PvPing quite a bit in my free time.  I respecced Ret for arenas last week, and with an arms warrior friend we won 5 of 8 arena matches, which is about the most success I've had in Arenas in my time playing WoW.

So, with this high-flying feeling of success, I've been playing as Ret in my non-raid days and running BGs, Wintergrasp, etc. to get honor and work on getting some PvP gear.  It's been fun...much more fun than it used to be playing as Holy.

So, I've been trying something different lately.  And I encourage you to do the same.  It keeps the game fresh, and you might end up enjoying something you never thought you would.

The Weekend

Well, I got lucky on a Naxx 10 run that my guild threw together and got some T7 shoulders and chestpiece on my hunter during the run.  I was doing about 2.5k dps throughout, which I was pretty happy with.  I volunteered (begged?) the druid leading the raid to let me kite Gluth.  I absolutely LOVE doing it...it's so much fun.  Probably one of my favorite things to do in game right now, as weird as that sounds.

I also respecced Ret to do some arenas with an old warrior friend of mine, and we suprisingly went 5-3 in the 8 games we played.  I've never been a fan of arena (or been any good at it), but it felt good to win some games.  I didn't have any ret pvp gear either, so if I can collect some of that over the next couple weeks we may be able to stick around 1500 or so.  That would be an accomplishment for me.

I seem to be getting a few readers (maybe because I'm starting to post on other blogs? I dunno), but I appreciate you guys coming here and reading my stuff, even if you don't comment.  I'm going to be away this weekend visiting my girlfriend who I haven't seen in over a month, so I'll be back posting probably Sunday night or Monday.  

Thanks again all! Enjoy your weekends, in Azeroth or otherwise.