2/27/09

I'll Be Crying this Weekend

GhostCrawler's official response to the 10% Heart of the Wild nerf:

In order to keep our goal of having all 4 tank classes capable of handling Ulduar, we need to get tank health pools a little closer together.

While I won't hide that this is a nerf for bears, we also don't want to get to the point of having a "mana sponge" tank, now that we are making mana more of an issue for healers.

If druids slip behind as a result of lack of mitigation, avoidance or cooldowns, we will buff them.

"If druids slip behind..." Why is there an "if" modifier there? Why are we even being nerfed? It's pretty clear we do have a significant lack of mitigation, avoidance, and cooldowns, now that we'll be equal to the other tanks in regards to stamina.



Until the next Faerie Fire pull...

-Lushious

My Work Related Cop Out

Work is crazy and hectic today, so gone is the planned post. In its place, though, is a recommendation to read Kalon's latest entry.

My official commentary on this change is that I can only wonder what my role will be in Ulduar. At this point, with the ~6k armor nerf and now a ~3k health nerf, what serious guild is going to pick a Druid bear to tank when Warriors, Paladins, and DKs will be so much better.

I'm already having a tough time, as I pull about 5.5k TPS, whereas the warrior and Pally tank in my guild are pushing at least 2k more. And believe me, it's not for a lack of trying on my part.

I get more and more disheartened about being a bear tank with each successive Lich King patch. I am, though, addicted to being a bear. I will not give up so easily, Blizzard, even in the face of genocide*!

Until the next Faerie Fire pull...

-Lushious

* Added for dramatic effect.

2/25/09

Who is the Lushman? Part I

August 9, 2007. That is the day I got my first "hit." Realistically, it probably was a few days before, but the record books only tell of that day. It was when I first subscribed to Azeroth and all it has to offer.

My friend, Doublevision, separated by 160 miles between us, finally coerced me into playing WoW. It was a way we could "hang out," without actually driving three hours either way to do so.

Now, I'd been adamant about playing WoW since it first came out. As a full-time college student, going to one of the toughest business schools in the nation, the thought of dropping out of college on account of an all-consuming video game was very real to me and, as such, much opposed.

See, I have an addictive personality. :P

Suffice to say, I did get to see my fair share of Warcraft adventures. A good college friend of mine was very active in the game and I watched him play from time to time since launch. I would only sit and watch, never taking the reigns. In time I could carry on decent conversations with players, even though I was not a player myself.

Once graduated and three months into the workforce, on that fateful August day, Doublevision finally twisted my hand and I caved. I joined the ranks of Alliance and Horde to vanquish a common foe.

The biggest decision I had to make, of course, was what kind of character would I be? Double and I discussed this greatly. He was happy to inform me of the inner-workings of all of the classes. In the end, I had it narrowed down to three classes:

* Hunter
* Shaman
* Druid

The hunter interested me because of their pet. How cool would it be to sick Fido on a pack of killer crabs? Having a partner-in-crime as I leveled is a cool component of the class and I nearly rolled the dice on this class.

The Shaman was an easy choice for me. As a master of the planet's natural energy, Shaman's particularly connected with me. I grew up in a house that admired and respected the Native-American culture, and the Shamans embodied their spirits closely. I chose against the Shaman, though, because I fell in love with the following class.

The Druid. That was it. I knew instantly. Incorporating the natural angle of the Shaman (though to a different extent) and the unique hook of shape shifting, there was no doubt in my mind. And, of course, the ability to mimic any other classes' playing style (melee, caster, healz, or tank) only sealed the deal. In a lot of ways, the Druid mimics who I am. I am a vegetarian with strong values that acknowledges, appreciates, and respects the earth's life force. Some might be quick to label that as being a "hippie," but I wouldn't say that of myself. "Eco-nerd" is what I said once to a co-worker, and I feel that describes me pretty accurately.

And that is Part I of my origin story. Part II intends on detailing my venture into bear country and how I survived and only got a t-shirt. Tune in to see what happens next!

In other WoW news, I am totally digging Druid Tier 8 armor (male and female). Tier sets 1, 5, and 6 have always appealed to me. Their art style of incorporating various aspects of nature (and sixth's Native-American influence) embodies the Druid spirit. So, naturally, Tier 7 was a pretty big letdown for me (in addition to it just being a slightly modified tier 3). How does that have anything to do with druids, other than the snake on the shoulder pads and the green color? Seriously.

Tier 8's return to nature, complete with the Ulduar motif of creationism and stone golems, is a sight to behold. Bravo, Blizzard! I will wear Tier 8 with pride!

Until the next Faerie Fire pull...

-Lushious

2/24/09

Howdy, Stranger

Wow. A lot sure can happen in a month's time. Just a quick recap of where I've been and what my Azeroth adventures have led me to:

* Left my stalemate of a guild to join one that is equally serious about progression as I am. My first week in the guild had my tanking Sarth with three drakes up and led us to our first 3 drake victory.
* I am now best in slot, except for Origin of Nightmares and Gatekeeper.
* I've been working a LOT. This has been counter-productive to my blogging, as any free time has been spent playing the game and not writing about it.
* In my guild I've had to cat-scratch a lot of bosses, when not tanking. This was met with groans initially, but I've come to enjoy the cat rotation now.
* I snagged the Nobles Deck in just one week after posting High Rollers Only. And at the cost of only 8000 gold before the changes to Inscriptionist's ink!

As things begin to wind down in my work life, I should find myself posting more often. On the plus side, WoW news is aplenty right now.

3.1 hit the PTR today. I've had just about 15 minutes to play with it. I wish I had more, but I've been encountering nasty memory crashes every 3 minutes. So, I cannot offer any opinions on the fun stuff, like swimming mounts or dual-specs, but I can speak about the following:

I lost about 6000 armor in bear form with the redone Survival of the Fittest. That stings really, really, really badly right now. I'm sure as I begin to acquire the latest Ulduar gear I'll work my way back to the 33,000 armor I had before the patch.

Yes, I'm still putting stock in armor. I'm not too worried about my crit chance, since I'm already of the mindset of stacking agility. I think as long as I keep my current mindset of stacking armor, health, and agility I'll be in a good place for Savage Defense.

Goodbye Outfitter. Blizzard's new outfitter-esque interface item is awesome. It sits in the Character item screen, in the upper right-hand corner. Ala Outfitter. It works the same way, really. I am of the mentality that the less Add-ons running, the better. So, any opportunity to replace a Group Calendar or an Outfitter is a good thing in my eyes.

Get ready to replace Trollwoven Girdle with Death-warmed Belt.

Until the next Faerie Fire pull...

-Lushious
 
Love All Animals
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