Sister Despairity - Take Heed!

http://automagica.blogspot.com/2008/08/frost-specs-zupa-style.html

You are totally going to be working on the above method by Zupa this week. Hawli is only 1/2 a level from 70; it's time for you to come into your own.

/hug

August Poll Results

Okay, it appears that a lot of people are looking forward to playing their priests once WotLK releases - second only to Death Knights.

Why?

Too Sexy For My Horns

So... Prin finally managed to score the Viking Horns of Vicious Death, Doom, and Chaos!! Or whatever they're called...

Sister Mal has been rocking these for a long time, now, and has pretty much scorned all other headgear as being just not sexy enough to replace it.

How to get these bad boys? Well, pull up a chair, my darlings, and I'll spin you a yarn of Ogres and Murkbloods, of the Crypts and those freaking wandering Ancestors (who knew they'd be elites?).

Here's the quest that awards the horns: http://www.wowhead.com/?quest=10212. If you don't happen to be sporting a Shadow Priest, or other caster, you'll notice that there are some really awesome pieces for other classes, too. You'll also notice that the reward comes at quest #14 in what seems to be a long - yet do-able - chain, right? Hold on to your knickers, there, this quest chain doesn't even OPEN unless you've completed the three - yes, THREE - prerequisite chains first. Greatmother Geyah takes a hint from Linda Evangelista and refuses to wake up for less than $10k. Or a &*^%load of quests.

Anyway - how to get started.

Introduction to the Mag'Har

Start with taking The Assassin from Nazgrel in Hellfire Penninsula. This quest line will introduce you to the small group of Mag'Har in that zone, and eventually lead you to Thrall in Orgrimmar to spread the news of his peoples' survival.

Mess Up Some Ogres

How? Talk to Jorin Deadeye by the bonfire in Garadar to get The Impotent Leader quest. Three full sets of Ogres later you're sent to find the Blademaster for another full chain of quests.

Get Out Your &%^$-Stirring Stick

And by that, I mean you're going to hook up with Lantresor to cause a little trouble between the Kil'sorrow and the Warmaul Ogres. Once you've set both groups up for each other, take Lantresor's message back to Garrosh. Garrosh, however, is still being a whiny little girl and it appears that he's going to need a big smack back into reality. Hmmm...

If I Were a Mag'har Captive, Where Would I Be...?

Well, you might be Teddy Roosevelt, but you're not. You're in the Murkblood camp - or rather, he is - and he requires some escorting out. By you. Yes, you. Take some friends if you must, but you don't have to escort very far and this one wasn't as teeth-gnashingly frustrating as most escort quests. Once you've got him back to the road, he drops a cheerful bit of news on you and vamps.

Those happy-go-lucky Orcs in Nagrand offer a whole slew of Murkblood quests, might as well grab them up and do them all at once, since you gotta be there anyway. Mirite?

And Why Are We Taking Quests From a Night Elf, Again?

At some point, Matron Celestine will send you out to locate Altruis the Sufferer. You just know this guy is gonna be a barrel of laughs with a name like that... and oddly enough, he does chuckle a bit every time you turn in to him. Anyway, Altruis is concerned with the two demon camps nearby. Now, this chain you WILL want a couple of friends for, since it's just frothing with elites. A drunk engineer in Shattrah helps out a bit, for an errand of his own, and shaBAM! we're in business now!

Tell Us A Story, Greatmother

Garrosh sends you into the Inn to speak with Greatmother. If you've been following the lore this far, you're really going to dig this chain. Greatmother Geyah decides to train you to be the next Miss Cleo, and explains how she's going to teach you to communicate with the ancestors. After much hither-ing and yon-ing, you're given the task to defeat Exarch Maladaar in Auchindoun. No problem, right? Well, no, not really, but he IS the final boss in Auchenai Crypts so you ARE going to have to put together an instance party for this part. In all the excitement after Maladaar falls you just might miss the Sha'tar D'Ore decending from the ceiling to complete your quest for you. Don't - what a pain to have to do it over again, right?

The item D'Ore asks you to pick up is right there in the same room as Mr. Boss Man, a glowing purple crystal-thingy. Grab it. It's time for some elite action back in Nagrand. I found the best place to nab ancestors was on the little rise just south of the Consortium camp, leading down into Oshu'Gun. Although the quest advises 3 people in a group, you can easily 2-man it with just about any party composition. And since they are susceptible to fear, I even solo'd it on my 'lock.

Okay, then - the hard part's finally over. Yes, finally. I didn't say this was an easily obtainable bit of gear, now, did I? In the interest of not ruining any of the story - and you have been paying attention to the story, right? - Let's just say that once you're completely done, and back in Garadar, and you hear the drums... wait over by the eastern entrance to the town. Don't leave Garadar until the show is completely over, trust me on this one.

By FAR one of the coolest quest chains ever, this quest also introduces you to D's & my favorite NPC in the entire game: Floon. It is suggested - nay, imperative - that you call out his name in a high falsetto tone repeatedly while on that leg of chain. FLOOOOOOOOOOOONNNN!! There is no more fun to be had in WoW than this.

Battlegrounding for Peace

You do it your way, I'll do it mine.

Thanks, Pugnacious!

http://pugnaciouspriest.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/how-to-make-a-quick-and-dirty-guild-website-banner/

I just found this post by Pugnacious Priest on how to make a website banner. I've been using simple photo-editing and Powerpoint, myself, doesn't this look like it's tons easier? Yah, stay tuned for the new Melted Faces banner, coming your way.

Ultimate Class Balancing: by D

So when the Beta key was graciously extended our way, D graced my account with it. Amazingly sweet, huh? In turn, I've tried to keep him up-to-date on the changes that Wrath is bringing. He was a bit rocked by the "Spell Power" combination of +damage & +healing, but Blizzard's treatment of downranking spells just sent him over the edge.

Downranking: used by casters and healers. Casters may use a low-level rank of a spell for its primary effect, saving a great deal of mana. Ex: PvP Mage casts Arcane Explosion to draw a Rogue out of stealth. Healers may use lower-level ranks of healing spells, combined with a high +Heal stat, to achieve the same amount of healing for considerably less mana.

Did I ever mention that D had a Resto Shaman? Who raided pre-BC? You can imagine what this piece of information did to him.

D: That's it - I've solved it. There will be no more "unintended strategies" used. All stats will be combined into one - called 'Leetness.'

(This is where I started to giggle.)

D: And all classes will have only one spell - called 'Leetness.' "I'm going to cast 'Leetness' on the mob." "Oh, your health is low - I'll grant you some 'Leetness.' " "Wait - everyone 'Leet' up for this next pull."

(I'm now laughing uncontrollably.)

D: No more bitching about class balance. No more "That's Druid gear," or "look, a Priest ring." We'll just sit here and wait for Blizzard to tell us the only approved way to play, and not try to be creative.

All I know is that they had better come up with some way to improve mana efficiency, regeneration, and pool-size - or I'm going to be consoling one VERY perturbed Resto Shammy.

LF Priest Alt - PST!!

I took some inspiration from WoW Insider blogger Natalie Mootz for today's post; on Blood Pact, Natalie give some wonderful advice on transitioning from one's main class to playing a Warlock. One of our best friends and guildies recently started a Priest from a career of Rogues, and although she's going for more of an "lolsmite" spec, it's still been interesting to watch the transformation.

So - are you thinking of starting a Priest? Long considered the "pure healer" class, Priests are really coming into their own as mighty damage dealers. First, some pros and cons of the class.

Pros

• High caster dps
• Talents for threat reduction
• Ability to generate health and mana for self and party members while dpsing
• "Oh crap!" panic-button in PW:S
• CC abilities (Psychic Scream and Shackle Undead)
• Can switch to healing up to non-heroic 5-mans with appropriate gear
• PW:F buff, Shadow Protection, Dispel Magic, and Cure Disease
• Ability to Resurrect fallen teammates

Cons

• CC abilities are situational
• Cloth armor = squishy
• VE & VT generate extra threat over dps
• Must keep 2 sets of gear for effective cross-spec utility
• Cannot self-rez
• Holy / Discipline specs are sub-par in dps, leading to slower leveling and grinding

If your main is a Tank:

You're used to either charging your target or pulling back to you with a ranged weapon / spell and then staying in it's face. As a priest, you'll learn that what you really need is distance - mobs that invade your interpersonal space are dangerous for you. And unless you're a Paladin, you'll need to learn how Mana is different from Rage and / or Energy. While Rage is used as it is generated, Mana needs to be rationed out. It doesn't regenerate as quickly as Energy does, either.

If your main is Melee DPS:

You're used to using your weapons or abilities "up close and personal," and again, maintaining your distance will be your biggest challenge. Learn to use the strafe (see my article HERE). Many melee dps classes also prefer to position themselves behind their targets whenever possible, and this just isn't going to happen for you while soloing.

If your main is Caster DPS:

You probably won't have much problem with the Priest class if you've already played a Mage. Warlocks will need to get used to not having minions upon which to call and a completely different mana regeneration / conservation strategy. Stacking Spirit and MP5 as a Priest will help make up for the lack of Life Tap and Dark Pact abilities. Whereas my Warlock carries only health pots, my Priest carries a couple of health pots and two stacks of mana pots. For us, Mana = Health - for everyone. You'll need to get used to watching your tank and melee party members; if you can Fear Ward, Cure Disease, or Dispel Magic, DO SO. Yes, even if you're not the party healer.

If your main is a Healer:

You should have no problems transitioning to a Priest. The ability to heal oneself, dps while solo, and manage your mana will all be familiar tools to you. We are, however, the most fragile of the healing classes and can't rely on Mail / Plate armor or a quick Shapeshift into Bear Form if we get into trouble.

If your main is a Hunter:

Hunters don't fit perfectly in either melee or caster dps categories, and are most closely related to the Warlock in play style. If your main is a Hunter then you're familiar with mana and its conservation. You're not going to have the uber-high dps, ability to multiple- or chain-pull, or a pet to take the heat for you. Your Fade ability does just that in comparison to a Hunter's Feign Death. At this point, you're probably asking yourself why you'd ever want to leave your Hunter in the first damn place, especially for a Priest, of all things. And honestly - I'm not sure, either.

Oh - yeah, now I remember. For a spot in groups! When was the last time you saw "LF1M for Old Durn and g2g - need Hunter!"? Yeah, never. When was the last time you saw a guild recruitment ad, "Needs Hunters! Priest recruitment currently closed" Again - not f'n likely.

Seriously - once that pet gets feared and the Hunter gets MC'd into his own trap you'll see the draw to the perfect Good & Evil Twin class. It will become crystal clear.

more cat pictures