"2.3 Mage Forecast: Looks Cloudy with Possible Sunny-breaks  Inserido Thursday 12 June 2008 11:31

"Harro, this is Lipstick! Yes it is I, the notorious Mage named after a make-up product from Vengeance Battlegroup (BG6). My real name is Tim, I’m 20 and reside in the frigid cold reaches of the north, Northren– I mean.. Ontario, Canada. I’ve server bounced quite a bit in my time, I played on Eredar originally in the legendary PVP guild ROAR, bounced to Agammagan where I battled it out against the Angrycarebears for PVP domination over the server in it’s glory days, after that I headed over to Balnazzar to play my first Mage in the infamous guild : “We Brought Snacks”. I fell in love with Mage at this point. When the dust settled I ended up rolling a priest on Darrowmere, just before TBC hit and shortly after dropped the Priest to play a Paladin for Season 1 of Arena. Co-leading the #1 Whirlwind Battlegroup 5’s team came to an abrupt halt just one month before the Season One finished where upon, I decided to play an Undead Mage alongside my Warlock friend Mascara, on Mug’thol, the server famous for hosting “The Fighting Mongooses”. During Season 2, I’ve maintained Standing 1 in 3’s for most of it’s duration, and also held Standing 1 in 5’s, making me the highest rated Mage in the battlegroup. You can armory my current spec, gear, standings at here. I’ll get straight to the goods, Patch 2.3 PVP-oriented effects on the Mage class. Ritual of Refreshment will allow players to pick up their own stacks of food and water: You’re probably thinking, why would he cover that for PVP. A couple reasons actually! The first reason, will lighten your wallets Mages with the reagent cost! Instead of your 3v3 and 5v5 team, having to constantly buy arena vendor water, they will no longer be needed to carry stacks of 100 water for those possible endlessly long games! With the spammable amount of Enriched Mana Biscuits you can pick up the from the Ritual of Refreshment, you no longer need to waste time preparing those extra stacks of food for your teammates they can use while they’re getting a few key sips off, or for them to purchase their own water, it’s just like Season 1 all over again! Damage coefficient reduction removed from Improved Fireball and Improved Frostbolt: This is a sweet, sweet, change for the Mage class.


I interpret this change as basically receiving free spell-damage. On the PTR, my Frostbolts were hitting for roughly 1600-1700ish and critting for 2.6-2.7k on max resilience targets in full Season 2 gear. This change brings about our biggest boost in damage for Season 3, meaning - stacking spell damage next season won’t be as big of a deal. I’m almost sort of glad to announce, Dreadweave for Mages is dead come Season 3. " "I know it’s been awhile since my last post, but I’m back on track again! Before I get started, let’s quickly recap the previous articles of this three part series. wow gold Paladins like any other class, despite popular belief, are easy to initially play but rather difficult to master. This class has a variety of tools and weapons it can utilize in the arena that no other can provide, such as Blessing of Freedom (immunity to movement impairment), Divine Shield (god-mode), powerful heals (Holy Light and Flash of Light), and Blessing of Protection (Immune to Physical Damage). With perks like those, it’s easy to see why Paladins are a widely represented class in the arena scene. wow gold Although Paladins do get the shaft in 2v2 arena for the most part, mainly because the Druid class dominates with its CC, HoTs, and survivability, they are viable when paired with certain classes such as a Warrior or Warlock (SL/SL). Because of these two classes survivability, the Paladin can pair perfectly with them in 2v2 and success for the most part follows. So what about 5v5, how do Paladins fare. If you’re new to the Arena scene, or just haven’t bothered to look, Paladins are extremely well represented in the 5v5 arena. mp3 Unlike the 2v2 scene where you are, obviously, limited to a Paladin and X (for your partner), in 5v5, you can almost never go wrong with bringing a Paladin on board.


In 2v2, the main reason why Paladins may not be used is due to their lack of offensive abilities, lack off CC, and/or vulnerability to being interrupted while casting. However, this situation differs very much in the 5v5 arena. wow gold As stated before, the Paladin class can provide to a team: steady, effective heals, clutch Blessing of Protections, Blessing of Freedom, a 5 second stun, occasional cleanses (pending on a team’s makeup) and Divine Shield. And if one adds another healer to the team, you’re looking at a very solid team already. Even if the Paladin is the only healer while running a 4-dps team, with the precise execution of CC from the team, the paladin will be able to provide reliable healing. Let’s take a look at two common team compositions consisting of a Paladin in the 5v5 arena, and the raw potential the Paladin has for each team. buy wow gold Although I want to say that a Paladin in all of these teams will fair equally, that would be just lying. So, I will discuss what most likely will be expected of the Paladin in each team, and if teams had an alternative option (instead of using a Paladin): Warrior/Mage/Shaman/Priest/Paladin This team composition is your standard cookie-cutter lineup (2345). This team functions on the 1 form of CC they have from the Mage, the heavy burst, totems, and Purges from the Shaman, the constant pressure by the Warrior, the offensive/defensive Dispels from the Priest, and the constant healing from the Paladin. If you play in this makeup, then you know that your Priest will be your best friend, and that your Priest should be always be alive unless certain situations hinder you from doing this. wow gold The Priest will provide you with Dispels from Polymorphs, and other forms of CC. If the Priest isn’t kiting, he/she is Mana Burning, and vice versa.

 

 

 

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Rogue & Holy Priest Explained, Part 4½  Inserido Thursday 12 June 2008 11:28

"Although I was supposed to follow up with this article a lot sooner, things have been hectic with the site and work. We do have some very exciting features coming out next week, so make sure to check back! To start things off from where we had left off, we ended the last article with different methods of dealing with Rogue’s hardest match, the Warrior. Although we have covered how to deal with the Warriors, it is still a must to understand how different each fight can be upon change of their healing partner. The order of difficulty from easiest to hardest for Rogue & Holy Priest goes: Priest, Shaman, Paladin and Druid. Some might find Shaman paired with Warrior to be the hardest, but this is mostly due to gear issues. To withstand the bursts from Windfury procs — which leads to a ton of Rag — it is a must that the Priest and Rogue both are quite durable in the Resilience department. Now, let’s take a look at what each healer can do with a Warrior in 2v2. Priest & Warrior – Priests are very offensive healers to classes with Mana. Having both a nice CC (Fear) and Mana Burn makes them very hard to deal with for other healers. By also having instant heals and PW: Shield, Priests can easily keep a Warrior up against a Rogue, without having to stand still and heal for a long time. Meanwhile, the Rogue will take heavy damage from the Warrior, forcing your Priest to spend a lot of Mana healing and exposed to Mana Burns. Lucky for Rogues, Priests are the only class that does not have the ability to remove Poisons. Outside of PvP Trinket and Dwarf’s Stoneform, there’s no other ways for a Priest to escape from a Rogue once Crippling Poison is applied.


With the Rogue’s handful of cooldowns, it won’t be difficult to land a 2nd or 3rd Crippling. To win this fight, it is very important for you to get the jump on the Priest. Take your time and carefully make your way there; the difference of the opener could mean that extra Crippling or losing the Priest. Besides that, it’s important to know how to kill a Priest fast. If you can’t kill the enemy Priest before the Warrior can kill your’s, then there’s no hope in this fight. The effective ways to drop a Priest is via building up the burst. Start yourself off with Slice and Dice to get Wound Poison up. As you reach 3-4 layers, spend the next 5 Combo Points on a full Expose Armor. This will greatly increase the damage of your Blade Flurry, Trinket, and Adrenaline Rush. It is pointless to bother kicking heals at the start. The reason for this is the initial damage prior to your Wound Poison stacking up will not out damage instants, such as Prayer of Mending and Renew. Usually, the Priest will attempt to kite you at first, once they realize they can no longer kite, they will start trying to cast heals. It is important for the Rogue to realize when this will happen. Sometimes, it’s wise to let a Flash Heal to go through if you’re not confident on your Kick being on time to interrupt due to global cooldown, or lack of Energy. wow gold It is much better to let them heal once than to miss a Kick. Your Kidney Shot should not be used until the Priest is below 40%. Usually, this will finish them off during the burst, or come very close to it; don’t be tempted to use all your Energy in attacks like Sinister Strike — even if the Priest is at 10% health! Always save 25 Energy for a Kick towards the end to ensure the death of their Priest. As long as you can drop their Priest before your’s runs out of Mana healing you, or your Priest dying to their Warrior, then this match should be a free win.


wow gold The hardest case is if their Priest is Dwarf, but the match should still be in your favor. " "Synergy – “The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.” This is the dictionary definition of what synergy is. Basically, the combination of two classes together brings a lot more to the table than just two of the same classes paired together. Synergy in arena has been developed through the first couple of seasons, and several combinations have been found to work very well together. wow power leveling This article will look over some of the more popular synergies that exist, along with explaining what creates great synergy, and how it’s used in all brackets. Synergy has been a huge force in many aspects of plenty of games, and WoW is no exception. In PvE, groups are set up together to gain the most beneficial advantage to help accomplish a goal. This can include: placing a Shadow Priest in Mage groups to replenish their Mana, putting an Enhancement Shaman in a Rogue/Warrior group to enhance DPS, or placing a Restoration Druid in the main tank’s group to provide additional healing. mp3 players With the arena scene, this idea of synergy was brought up once again to make a dominate team — whether it be in the 2v2, 3v3 or 5v5 brackets. Experiments were done early on in season 1, with many make-ups to test how they would work. As time went on, answers became clear, and some combinations either grew more popular or fell completely off the map. wow gold Synergy does not have to exist between the entire group; it can only exist between a couple of the players, if need be. In 2v2, of course, synergy has to exist to be successful, because there are only two of you to defeat the opponents. A good example of a 2v2 combination with synergy is Paladin/Warrior or Druid/Warlock. wow gold An example of a group with little to no synergy would be Shaman/Mage or Spriest/Paladin.

 

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Synergy in Arena, The Building Block  Inserido Thursday 12 June 2008 11:27

"Another great 2v2 lineup with great synergy is the Druid/Warlock combination. This combination has a Restoration Druid and a SL+SL Warlock, thus burst is not an option, and games can take a while. But, because of this, the synergy shines between the two and can lead to easy defeats of opponents. First off, both classes bring their own form of CC, Druids have Cyclone/Entangle Root and Warlocks, of course, have Fear. They are on separate diminishing returns, so switching between the two classes, or using one then the other on the same class, can be huge in most matches. The Warlock, however, will be taking hits in several situations – and, this is why being Soul-Link/Siphon Life spec is a must for this synergy to perform well. The channeled Drain Life on a target, the 20 percent less damage done to the Warlock, along with the hot heals from the Druid, makes the Warlock a very hard target to take down – especially, with only one DPS. With that said, attacking the Druid will prove to be a failure, as kiting is what a druid thrives on, especially, against melee classes. Even if some sort of CC is put on the Druid – although, sheep and blind are unlikely to work — the Warlock’s survivability is still there, and the Druid just needs a split second out of CC to cast an instant Lifebloom or Rejuvenation to help keep his Warlock partner up. The lack of burst from the Warlock is made up with abilities such as Drain Mana and CC from both the Druid and the Warlock. In the end, most of these lineups will have ended up draining the opposing healers’ Mana, then, slowly but surely, getting both of the opponents down. Despite the lack of Dispel from the Druid to keep the Warlock from being CC’d, it is not as costly then if the Druid was paired with a Warrior or Rogue, even.


The reason for this is because the Warlock does not need to be in melee range to effectively help his Druid. But, instead, can cast CC from a long range and damage as well. Synergy between two classes can mean great success in the 2v2 bracket, but in the 3v3 and 5v5 bracket, more synergy is needed to be successful. For example, in the 3v3 bracket, a Paladin/Warrior combination can be paired with a Restoration, or, even, Elemental Shaman, and added synergy will have occurred. Although synergy between a Warrior and Shaman may not be as big, it still does exist and can be effective; thus, why it will work well when added in 3v3. You may then look at the 5v5 bracket, and notice that the “cookie-cutter” line-up, or most popular line-up, consists of a Paladin/Warrior/Mage/Elemental Shaman/Priest. A large reason for this being such a successful and popular lineup is because synergy between them exists. The Paladin/Warrior combination is strong, as well as the Paladin/Priest combination for healing. The key to making a 5v5 lineup work is to synergize your healers and DPS for the best efficiency in all situations that may occur. 4 DPS lineups in 5v5 play, as well, have become very popular; and, in most of these lineups, you will see an Affliction Warlock/Shadow Priest combination, which has a very strong 2v2 synergy because of the combined extra Shadow and spell damage. This synergy is why you will usually never see more than one class on the same team competing together. Rather than combining the same abilities from two players, it is better to combine the abilities of several classes to gain a greater advantage. Although, it is still very possible to run with more than one class, the more synergy and better efficiency will exist when the classes are different from one another. Arena play between the brackets can be seen as a stepping stone.


In 2v2, synergy is created between two classes, and becomes very powerful in its bracket — as we already went over, Warlock/Druid or Paladin/Warrior. wow gold When making a 3v3 team, however, it is best to look at what works well together in the 2v2 bracket, or what synergizes, and then combine that with another to further enhance this synergy. Then, of course, in the 5v5 bracket, synergy either needs to be created in pairs, or combined as a whole, to create the most efficient and powerful line-up possible. There are many combinations of classes which create synergy, but some just happen to be stronger than others are. wow gold It is a matter of finding that synergy between the classes to create a powerful lineup to gain an advantage over others. " "There are many general tips for play in the Arena, such as: kiting melee, pre-healing a target, spell-lock or CC when about to burst, etc. But, there is one general tip that, although seems very basic, can be very advanced and used very effectively against top Arena competition. Line of Sight (LoS) has always been an integral part of the WoW game for both PvE and PvP content. wow It has become especially crucial in the Arena scene, as it is a very valuable tactic against all ranged classes, and can even be used as an offensive advantage against melee. WoW Armory fixed for now There are many situations in which LoS is used effectively. This article will be taking an in-depth look at this aspect of the game, as it can be easily overlooked, while also game breaking. First off, let us look at the three maps we currently have for Arena competition. wow gold Nagrand Arena consists of four large posts in a circular arena, all spread out evenly from each other, with two on each team’s side. This is your basic Arena for any game, yet the posts really add a lot to what looks like a simple arena layout. We then have the Blades Edge Arena. mp3 player This Arena has the famous bridge going across the middle, with an even ramp on both side, and a pillar on each side of the bridge. This map has plenty of LoS features, but it can be more dangerous then the likes of Nagrand Arena, because there are two levels. The final, and most recent, addition to the Arena maps is the Ruins of Lorderon, the widest of all the maps; but, still has some LoS points. wow gold There is a large object in the middle of the map to run around and even climb over. This object itself presents multiple LoS opportunities.

 

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Arena at the Next Level: Line of Sight  Inserido Thursday 12 June 2008 11:25

"A Warrior is a popular target for many 4 DPS teams, because most cookie-cutter lineups will center on the Warrior. Because of this, Warriors have discovered how to play more and more defensively when in these situations. Besides just doing a typical Defensive Stance/Shield combo, better Warriors will Intervene back to their healers, and LoS the other team’s DPS while still able to receive heals. It is very important that you do not line of sight your own healers when avoiding damage. That is a common mistake when using the LoS mechanics. People think that just because they are out of LoS of the DPS that they are in a good situation, when in reality, they might have only hurt themselves. This is where strong communication is direly needed between the healer and the focus target, or else tragedy can occur (and, unpleasant words might be exchanged). This strategy is more effective if a ranged caster is getting focused; simply because they don’t need to worry about staying in melee range to do damage or CC, they can do it while they LoS another target. Now, LoS is not just used for focused targets, it is also a very effective method to prevent CC or interruption effects, such as: Sheep, Fear, Counterspell, Cyclone and more. Healers especially need to know how to LoS opposing players while keeping their teammates up, and this is where communication is a huge key, once again. Casting healers (Paladin, Shaman) especially need to do their best to stay LoS, whenever possible. But, there will be situations where these healers will have to come into LoS, and, at this point, they need to utilize another skill called “juke-healing,” or assistance from a fellow CC. Some classes are more affected when the opposing teams LoS, and two that stand out are Hunters and Elemental Shamans.


These two classes rely on standing still for a majority of the time to execute their damaging abilities; making evading opponents very annoying for them. Whenever an opposing team has one of these two classes, whoever is being focused on needs to keep in mind that LoS will hurt their DPS a lot, and needs to use it to their own advantage for survival. Be ready for quick switches, however, as teams who use these two classes will have a tendency to switch up targets a lot for this reason. wow gold Also, against Hunters, one misconception is to try to get into their dead-zone rather then LoS. This is a mistake in most cases, as it will only result in easy kiting from the Hunter over a Frost Trap, and allows their other DPS to stay on you, as well. The next in line for classes who are hurt by line of sight are Mages and Warlocks. Again, they are casters, so, obviously, LoS can make it very hard to get efficient casts off, whether it is CC or damage. wow gold However, they have a lot more instant casts that can be effective. Because of this, CC should be performed on these targets, rather than trying to LoS, or even focus on one of them instead. Letting any of these classes stand still and cast will greatly increase their efficiency. Then, there are the Warriors and Rogues, of course, where LoS still can be used, but to a weaker extent, and, most of the time, isn’t worth trying. cheap wow gold An effective method to LoS a melee target — as mentioned earlier — is to “pull” them out of LoS of their own healers, then burst down, or pull LoS and CC at a location where they are out of dispel LoS or range.


This can hurt Warriors especially, and can slow down the game for the opposing team while you gain an advantage on the offense. " "Welcome to the second part of the Viability of Paladins in Arena. I will begin by discussing 2v2 Arena. wow gold If you haven’t already noticed, partner choices available are quite limited for Paladin in the 2v2 environment. Warrior/Paladin and Warlock/Paladin are two dominating 2v2 combinations. Why. mp3 players Although Paladin’s are powerhouse healers built to outlast, they are very vulnerable to spell interruptions such as Kick, Pummel, Counterspell and other forms of CC. The reason behind this is that all of Paladin’s healing moves — excluding Holy Shock — require casting time. During the time when a Paladin is CCed or spell locked, their partner has to survive whatever damage is being inflicted. wow gold Therefore, the most ideal and effective partner for a Paladin is someone with tons of life and survivability; hence why a Soul Link Warlock or a Warrior become great choices. One might bring up Rogue and Mage because both of those classes have a great amount of survivability as well.

 

 

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Rogue & Holy Priest Explained, Part 4  Inserido Thursday 12 June 2008 11:22

" Today’s topic is the dreaded Warrior. Being very strong when paired with a healer, Warrior teams has dominated Season 1 Arena for the most part. However, nowadays with better gear, many DPS classes can now last quite some time without any healing. This has opened up room for 2 DPS teams to overrun Warrior and healer teams through raw damage. With that in mind, Warrior and healer teams are still the hardest match ups for Rogue and Holy Priest. In order to overcome these odds, we have to first understand why Warrior is such a tough enemy for the Rogue. Rage: Warrior has always been known as the best “scaling” class with gear. With the nice gear that Arena provides, Warrior has benefited greatly. One of the main reasons this is can be attributed to how Rage works. Warrior gets Rage based on how much damage he deals and receives, and with better gear comes more Rage from their damage; their abilities are also mostly based on “Weapon Damage”. Because of this, it has been considered taboo to damage the Warrior with direct damage, in fear of giving them “too much rage”. Although, in teams with a Mage or Druid, it’s not very difficult to control a Warrior –Rogue/Holy Priest combo does not have this luxury. Solution: The best way to deny Rage is to avoid the white hits. Power Word: Shield will do this just fine, as absorbed damage does not contribute to Rage. It’s often best to time your PW: Shield so that you can take the yellow hits head on, and have your PW: Shield absorb the white hits. Warriors do not like to sit on 100 Rage. If they’re on the Rogue, simply use Evasion when their Rage is around 80%, then, unload your damage. All the extra Rage will be wasted as they either sit on it or switch to Battle Stance at a cost. Intercept: Intercept was designed based on a 30 second cooldown; however, with the 4 piece PVP bonus and Improved Intercept (which used to be Fury exclusive), it’s now a 15 second cooldown ability.


wow gold The difference is so big that Warrior has become nearly impossible to kite by most classes. Rogue, on the other hand, is still sitting on 1 Sprint every 5 minutes. You’ll often see a Rogue being kited by a Warrior when they Intercept a Rogue’s healer, leaving a Hamstringed Rogue 20 yards behind. wow gold Add in the ability to Intervene, and they, basically, have the ability to zone across the map within seconds. On a small map — like Blade’s Edge Arena, especially — it’s next to impossible to create the much needed 25+ yards in order to avoid Intercept. Solution: If your Priest knows range very well, it’s quite easy to stay outside of melee range while also being too close to be intercepted. This will force the Warrior to turn on you, which you could then kite using the same technique, whenever you’re empty on Energy, or waiting for the next Kidney Shot. buy wow gold Keep in mind, that Crippling Poison is 20% stronger than Hamstring. If your Priest plans on running, make sure they get out of the 25 yard range, or don’t run at all. When you’re afflicted with Hamstring, any 25 yard Intercept can send you back by over 5 seconds. 10k Armor: Many fully geared Warriors are out there with that much armor, today. wow gold That’s nearly 50% physical damage reduction prior to putting on a shield. Which means, you’ll be doing half damage to them. " "Although, many players may believe that the Paladin class is a powerhouse in terms of raw healing and efficiency (which, I completely agree upon), Arena certainly does put a spin on this — having both its positives and negatives. As a Paladin myself, I do recognize the potential of this class in Arena; but, at the same time, realize it’s not going to be the definitive, best healer in the game. Other healer classes, such as priests and druids, are able to provide other forms of support (Cyclone, Manaburn, heals over time… etc), which Paladins, obviously, cannot.


mp3 players Does this mean that the Paladin class is at a disadvantage in Arena to these other healers. Not necessarily. Paladins are a very versatile class with skills and tricks, just as notable as other healers are. Before continuing with this article, I’d like to clear up a common misconception about the Paladin class: it being a very simple, “easy class to play” (Blizzcon 2005). wow gold Maybe, in lower Arena brackets, battlegrounds and raiding, Paladins are simple to play — pressing Holy Light, Flash of Light, Hammer of Justice and using Blessing of Protection (BoP)/Divine Shield (bubble) when death is imminent.

 

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