Writer takes short break, re-outfits bank toon

Yah, I'm supposed to be working. /blush. But nothing cheers ME up like a new outfit, and one of my bank toons was just frothing for a pair of bunny ears, so...

Tiny little patch today - 3.1.1

GAH! Again??

General

• In order to address issues with the dual talent specialization system, all players will have their talents points refunded. Players who have purchased dual talent specializations will have both specializations reset. Glyphs will not be affected by this reset.

/eyeroll. I'm completely over having to respec every time I log in. I hoping - HOPING - that this is the last one for a while.

Malarea, the Noble

No, not NOBLE. More like, noble.


Probably the easiest set of holiday achievements, ever. Not that I'm really complaining, or anything, but - wow. No special boss = disappointing; none of the achievements necessary for Long Strange Trip based on RNG = relieving.

The best achievement, in my opinion, is Hard Boiled. Now THAT was actually fun! There were a variety of ways to accomplish this. Mal chose to hearth to Dalaran, port to Caverns of Time, and then hop across Tanaris and lower Un'Goro.

I managed to keep my bunny costume all the way there, and on the first try, too! Go, me.


In other news, Zohara jumped on the bandwagon and took one for the team. As one of the few female trolls on our new server, she made herself available to those looking for the Bunny-Maker achievement.



What? Why should Night Elves get all the best tips?

Managing Your Minions - the Voidwalker

The first part of this series can be found here, where we talked about the Imp and when to have a minion set on Aggressive, Defensive, and Passive.

The void. Big Blue. The Blueberry. Pocket tank. I call mine "Mack." However you refer to him, your Voidwalker becomes your questing sidekick at level 10. Most of the complaints about him concern his low damage and difficulty in holding aggro. My answer to the first is that, like most tanks, he's not designed to generate huge amounts of damage. That's your job. My answer to the second is a bit more complex.

Your Void is 'born' with the ability to taunt a single mob in the form of Torment. For any occasion where your Void is the minion o'choice, you can leave this ability on auto-cast. He'll use it when he needs it - the only danger is that he may pop it right at the beginning of a pull and then not have it available when you pull aggro from him. For most fights this isn't going to be much of a problem since you're the least squishy of the cloth-wearing classes and are perfectly able to take a couple of hits.

At level 16 your Voidwalker gains an ability called Sacrifice. This ability can be very useful when you've bitten off more than you can chew. You can sacrifice your void while running away, which will keep you from getting dazed and allow you to gain some distance. Because your spell casting won't be interrupted, you can also choose this technique to finish off a particularly difficult enemy; you should have time to fire off a couple of Shadow Bolts and a Fear. You could also use this window of opportunity to summon another Voidwalker or any other pet. This ability is always "use when needed" and cannot be set to auto-cast.

Consume Shadows, learned at level 18, is the Voidwalker's self-healing ability. As part of the changes that came with WotLK, this ability now also increases stealth-detection. Experienced Warlocks will remember that as part of the Felhunter's repertoire. In my opinion, putting this ability on the least-PvP useful pet is a waste, but you should at least be aware that it's available. Because this ability can only be used out of combat, you will have to trigger it yourself instead of having it auto-cast.

The Void's last ability is an AoE-taunt, Suffering. The first rank of this spell is available to you at level 24. The difference between this and Torment is the number of mobs that can be affected by it. For that reason, you want to keep this ability off of auto-cast so that it's available to you when you need it.

At level 12, you will learn the Health Funnel ability. This spell works on all your minions, including Enslaved Demons. Vastly improved over early incarnations of the spell, you can channel a heal to your minion while in combat. When combined with just a dot or two, you can effectively solo elite mobs at level. Keep in mind that the Funnel does generate some aggro, although it's not extreme, so you should let your minion get a few swipes in before you start dotting. Also, remember to just use one or two high-damage DoTs at a time, do not use any DD (direct-damage) spells, and start funneling early. If you wait until your Void is below 50%, you probably won't be able to keep up with him. If it looks like you're going to lose him, go ahead and start summoning a fresh incarnation.

In short, your Voidwalker is probably the easiest minion to manage. Since he will rarely be out in group situations, you can count on his being set to Defensive, with only the Torment ability set to auto-cast. Remember to let him get a few swipes in before you start wailing on your target, and use the Funnel and Shadows to keep him topped off. He can be bandaged in a pinch, but if his health is that low it may be worth the time and mana to simply spend your shard and trade him in for a healthier model.

Next time: dancing Night Elves got nothin' on this broad; your Succubus! Do you wish you could turn off her emotes? There may be a way...

Why not?

There have been several changes of late that have made me ask, "why wasn't it ALWAYS this way?"

• Fishing anywhere, regardless of skill
  
• Mounts can swim - WOOT!
  
• Flight Paths don't go around Wintergrasp anymore
  

But for everything that Blizzard has fixed and improved, there are still those little annoyances that I could live without. Why, for instance, can I not name my non-combat pets? For that matter, why can't I name my minions? They're always the same minions, yes? I should be able to have a Felguard named Bubbles.

I'd also really love the option to change the color of my gear. I know that a lot of players have voiced this opinion before, so I won't go into the methods by which it could be implemented. I'll just say that there's absolutely NO REASON why I shouldn't be able to be dressed in dark red from head to toe - 24/7.

We've all heard the chatter about how Druids may be getting unique - or at least, different - bear forms. Well, I'm not so concerned about the bear, but I AM pretty ticked that Alliance got the pretty cats. It wasn't enough for Night Elves to get the best racial mounts in the game (followed closely by Orc wolves); oh no, they also get to be panthers while in feral dps form. That - coupled with the fact that I'm really struggling with the idea that I'd be a COW - is what is keeping me from rolling druid. That, and that alone.

Rogues shouldn't have the ability to use maces. There, I said it. I mean, come on, how sneaky is a ginormous club to the head? Exactly - daggers preferably, swords in a pinch, and even fist weapons are rather sketchy options for a stealthy class.

Want to solve the problem of Melee Huntards? Easy - quit letting them equip melee weapons. A hunter should be able to equip a bow or a gun. Close range combat should involve shooting the enemy in the face, stunning them long enough for the hunter to gain range and switch to his bow. Remove the gun and bow options from warriors and rogues, give them thrown weapons only instead, and boom - problem solved.

While I'm complaining about maces... why the hell do priests start with one? They should start with a wand, instead. In fact, that's not a bad idea for mages and warlocks, too. Caster weapons should be wands and staves only; I mean seriously, wouldn't that make a lot more sense? Another change I'd make to caster gear: robes vs vests. I think that Chest gear should have the option of showing up as a robe or just the chest piece. Not all casters like running around in dresses, and I don't just mean the guys.

What small, petty, inconsequential thing would YOU change about the game?

I could totally be a GM

Watch how skillfully I handle the "outdated addons causing UI errors" plight of my guildy:




Of course, I have no idea whether or not it worked, or if that even had anything to do with her issue. And really, isn't that the point? Yeah, I'm totally GM-material.

Managing Your Minions - the Imp

A skill that every warlock worth her Deeprock Salt should master, minion-control is in large part a matter of knowing when to micro-manage, and when to click that handy little auto-cast button on the minion's ability bar. This is in addition to knowing whether your minion should be on Aggressive (shudder), Defensive, or Passive.

• Aggressive - Just don't. The only PvE argument for a minion on Aggressive concerns farming lower-level mobs for mats. Even then, there is a real danger that your minion will kill mobs without your landing any damage yourself. This makes the mob unlootable, which negates your reason for killing it in the first place.
• Defensive - While soloing and questing, setting your minion on Defensive status makes sense. It keeps you from having to send your minion on to the next mob if you're taking on multiples. When in a dungeon or other party with a tanking character, however, having a Defensive pet can make the tank's job more difficult.
  
• Passive - Set your minion to Passive status if you want the most control over which mobs your minion will attack. Get familiar with the Shift-T keystroke; that is the default keybind for Pet Attack. It's helpful to change the keybind the Passive ability button as well, so that you can always pull your minion back to you if he's causing trouble. The default Ctrl-0 is almost impossible to pull off in a hurry.
  

In this first installment, we'll begin with the Imp. By the time you reach level 14, your Imp will have access to all of the abilities he'll ever get.

• Blood Pact - a buff to you and all of your party members of extra stamina, this ability should never be turned off. Leave it on auto-cast.
  
• Firebolt - situational. This is your Imp's only form of damage, and it's not inconsiderable. Sadly, it does seem to draw aggro very easily. In the first few levels, however, before you get access to your Voidwalker, this Warlock's opinion is "better him than you." If you're using your Imp to quest early on, go ahead and set his Firebolt to auto while the Imp himself is on Passive.
• Fire Shield - In a dungeon or while partied with a tank, leave this ability off. Otherwise, your Imp could cast it on the healer or other clothy, and make the tank's job of pulling the mob off of that player more difficult. While soloing, however, it does add just a tiny little bit of extra damage.
• Phase Shift - available at level 12, this ability is your Imp's salvation. Affliction Warlocks who spec into Dark Pact will want to always have Firebolt turned off and Phase Shift active; the Imp's high Int and Spirit make him an awesome choice for a mana battery. Caveat: make sure to turn this ability off at the beginning of a dungeon or whenever buffs are being handed out. Your phased imp will not receive the Arcane Brilliance, Power Word: Fortitude, or Divine Spirit buffs while shifted.

Tune in next time for a how-to on controlling your Voidwalker!