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After a week filled with Love in the Air and 3.1 news abounding, Haf and Stomp take some time to sit down with Matt from World of Matticus, and talk through the upcoming Priest, Druid and Death Knight class changes.

We also discuss a blogging related e-mail sent to us by Amanda from The Grind, and discuss the fine line between reading and writing about World of Warcraft related topics and actually playing the game we all love so much.

Listen to Episode 6 on iTunes, RSS feed, download, or stream it from our main page.

Thanks again for all of the wonderful comments left on iTunes!

Next week’s podcast will cover upcoming Hunter and Mage changes so send us your questions!

Music provided by: All That Remains – Chiron

Through discussions we have all agreed that the impending Dual Spec change to the game will mean something different to everyone. Someone that might raid spec and a PVP spec will benefit, someone that may mainly DPS and back-up raid heal as needed will benefit, and even someone that may main tank and solo DPS will benefit. It is clear that it everyone will benefit from the change, no matter what roll or class they play. And, how they use the secondary spec will depend upon the rolls they play within their guild. And, it will save everyone countless amounts of gold!

But, what about the narrow minded folks like myself that have been playing only one aspect of our characters? I have leveled resto, DPS-solo resto, raid heal resto, I even dream about resto… How can I best put the new secondary spec to use?

Defined Main Spec
I first had to get my head around the fact that having a second spec at my disposal doesn’t entitle me, or anyone else for that fact, to gear as if that second spec is equal to my main. After talking at length with our guild leadership about possible gear challenges, it is still quite clear that in a solid raiding gear for my MAIN RAID SPEC it is still priority. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance to have a clearly defined RADING SPEC. I went into the discussion bright and bushy-tailed thinking that Dual Spec would open the door to an entire new set of gear that I would otherwise be passing on. Quite the contrary. The Dual Spec change will not change the fact that the secondary spec is still OFF-SPEC.

Dual Spec isn’t intended to give players multiple rolls to play, it is intended to help fill gaps where various specs might be needed. Just that simple. Maintaining your raid roll as you play it is still important. Granted, being able to switch specs will help in raid composition more than we can probably imagine at this point.

Weigh Your Options
Current content now on farm, I have now seen more than my fair share of sharded epics. Granted, most of the best-in-slot items are still needed by a majority of guilds since the game hates us and never drops the best items when we want it to. But, for the most part, well-progressed guilds are meandering through raids with easy and picking up the items they are looking for. This farm is a great opportunity to pick-up OFF-SPEC gear. Take the mediocre, not quite what everyone wants gear and make use of it.

In my case, I have decided to work on my feral tanking set. Going from one extreme to another seems to make sense. Typically parties are either looking for a tank or a healer. Being able to flip-flop would be helpful. Although, being the hardcore resto that I am, shifting into the bear state of mind is going to be challenging. I am going to be treating the change almost like I am playing another toon for awhile.

RAWR IMMA BEAR
Knowing that I don’t ever do anything half-ass, I will probably be switching specs quite often and start tanking level 70-75-ish instances for a bit. Another good place for anyone to hone new spec skills is in battlegrounds. You don’t have to worry much about people complaining that you did something wrong, you leave the party after 10 or so minutes and typically never see them again. Or, if you are grouped for battlegrounds it is a good opportunity to talk with people you know about what you are trying and bounce around ideas without the pressure of being in a raid. Racking up honor and tokens is a bonus in the case.

So, look for Stompalina to start running flags in Warsong Gulch and screaming like a little Nancy-girl as she scampers across the fields of battle in post-patch WoW. I know it will probably take some getting used to, but I know that with time, playing feral will help to put a little more RAWR in my play. I won’t be tanking Sarth anytime soon, but through giving it a shot, and leaning on our other more experienced bear tanks in the guild for guidance, I will certainly one day be a back-up-bear-butt that our guild can count on.

No matter what roll or class you currently play, I encourage everyone to take this change as an opportunity to gain comfort in another roll. By doing so you will not only experience another aspect of your character, but also aid your raiding guild by strengthening the pool of experience that your leaders have at their disposal.

How will you benefit from Dual Spec? Share your thoughts on the subject!

In the past two weeks I have been told I wasn’t going to be allowed to join Heroic PuGs three times. “DK’s just mess things up.” It wasn’t because of anything I did, but rather a general malaise towards the class because of the actions of a few players, known as “Deathtards”, which seemed to have made things rough on their groups. In today’s post, I will be talking about the basics of DPSing in a pick up group (PuG) and some of the Dos and Don’ts specific to the DK class. So let’s get to it…

1) DO Stay Alive!
I heard a saying once that I think still holds true (I would give credit to whomever coined the phrase, but I don’t know who it is).

The only reason you should die in a group is because the tank is already dead. If you die for any other reason, it’s probably your fault. Use Icebound Fortitude if you have to. Run away from the mob if you have to. Use a health potion and a healthstone if you have to. But it’s your responsibility to stay alive during a fight. If the healer can possibly keep you up, they will, but don’t blame them if you die just because you were too stubborn to run out of a Flamestrike.

2) DON’T pull aggro (unless you HAVE to)!
I know this sounds like it should be part of the first point, but I see them as slightly different. You can take damage without have aggro from a mob, which is what I am considering part of staying alive. This is more to the point of, keep the hate on the tank and things will go smoother. If you pull off the tank, he is going to try to get the mob back (unless you do it all the time in which case, he and the healer are likely to just let you die). If he is working on getting a mob off of you, he’s probably not building enough hate on the others in the pull and soon enough one or some of them is going to peel off and take out another DPS or worse yet, a healer. Don’t pull aggro. It just complicates things. Make sure you’re not in Frost Presence as this will get you aggro faster than a corn cob in a pig trough. Always assist the tank. If you don’t know what this means, there is a function built in WoW that allows you to basically hit the same target as someone else without having to tab through targets and try to work it out for yourself. I use a simple macro (although I know there are much more elegant ones out there).

I just change the NAME whatever the tank’s name is in our group at the beginning of the run, and I’m all set. You can add the macro to your hot bar and use a hotkey to target his target whenever you want. It’s really helpful to get on track if things get a little sketchy and you’re not sure who to target next. Also, don’t start AoE too early, especially Death and Decay (DnD). On a typical pull, I start with Icy Touch on the tank’s target as they run to our group, then Plague Strike once they’re in melee range. Now that my diseases are up on that target, I use Pestilence to pass them around, THEN I use DnD. It has alot of threat built into it, so hold off as long as you can so the tank can wrangle all the mobs.

3) DON’T Break Crowd Control!
It’s the one caveat to the typical pull I listed in the last section. If there is a mob that is supposed to be cc’d, then RESPECT THE CC (Crowd Control)!!! That means, don’t Howling Blast it or use pestilence if you’re in range of it or dump a DnD on it. With the change to Heart Strike (HS) hitting two mobs, it WILL hit sheeps and saps and such, so I generally turn my back to that mob so it can’t or avoid HS altogether till it’s not a concern.

Your personal DPS is secondary to the success of the group and if you break cc then you are making everyone’s life difficult by changing up the pull. Just don’t do it. I know that a DK’s DPS really shines with AoE, but it’s just not worth it in the long run. If you do break the cc, then you should be responsible for handling the mob till the tank can pick it up or it can be cc’d again (if possible). Otherwise, your mob is probably going to wait for the healer to get off one decent heal and head straight for them. So, make sure you use Chains of Ice if you need to lock it down for the tank to get it back or the healer to get away from it. Try not to use an attack that will put a damage over time effect on it, because then it can’t be cc’d again.

4) DON’T initiate pulls!!
I know it’s tempting to sucker punch a mob or Death Grip (DG) the first target smoothly through the air to start a pull, but if you’re not the tank, you’re just making things difficult. The tank will have to pull EVERY mob off of you before they get to you because you have the initial aggro and if your tank doesn’t have an AoE taunt available, then it’s gonna be a tall order. Then we’re back into the hassle of you getting hit HARD and needing heals and mobs maybe running to the healer if the tank can’t grab them all. It’s just unnecessary and drives healers and tanks crazy. It also makes it tougher on the other DPSers because the may not know who to attack. Just don’t do it.

5) DO Save the healer!!
I mentioned in my first point, not to pull aggro unless you HAVE to. If there is a mob racing to your healer, this is when you can use your DK uberness to save the day and everyone likes a hero class to play like a hero. The only time you should use Death Grip in a group (other than if it’s requested by the tank to get a pesky ranged mob closer or if there is a mob near death that’s running away, possibly to pull another group) is when mobs are running at your healer. I will use DG (since I am right next to the tank almost always) and then will use Chains of Ice to lock the mob in place so hopefully the tank can taunt it back. I then, run away screaming like a little girl, since DG is also a temporary taunt and the mob will punch me if I stand there. So, I’ve saved the healer, given the tank a chance to get a mob back AND stayed alive. That’s the kind of thing that will get you invited back, fo sho!

6) ZOMG DEE PEE ESS!!!
Yup… the very last thing you need to worry about in a PuG is doing the one thing you were invited to do. Wierd huh? If you can do all the things we’ve talked about up to this point, then this part is the easy one. Bash heads… ’nuff said.

Understanding what goes into a smooth run, and more importantly what will make things go badly and avoiding them, will keep you from perpetuating the notion that all DK’s are “Deathtards” and hopefully get you asked back. I’ll be honest, any trained monkey can DPS. Learning what buttons to hit in what order is what monkeys were doing 40 years ago when they got sent into space… That’s right. A monkey can DPS AND has been to space. If I were setting up a group, I would rather invite the one that would make things go easily and quickly… and not having to dodge poo the whole run would just be gravy.

Have fun.

Last week Matticus posted a discussion (which had to be difficult to write), regarding The No Asshole Rule. While the theory of being able to weed through people and dismiss trouble-makers is ideal, it isn’t always possible. Usually raiding guilds have limited resources available to “make up the slack” left by dropping people who cause controversy. In the event where a guild leader must choose between dealing with the controversy, potentially creating more friction, and avoiding the issues… In my experiences, more times than not the asshole causing the issue is glossed over.

I did a quick tally of guilds that I have personally left due issues like these, and I came up with four. Four guilds that I enjoyed being in, I had a long history with, I was a dedicated raider in, and most of which I was an officer with. All of them I left because of one specific asshole.

Back then I was opinionated (not that I’m not now…), I documented incidents, addressed my concerns, spoke up to the other leadership about issues that this or that person was creating. Yet, in most cases I was excluded and made to feel as if I was the one that had the issue. It all seemed really weird at the time. These were people that I had played along side for awhile, sometimes years, and yet it all seemed to go bad when I looked like the crabby old bitch.

What’s a bitch to do?

Well, after getting burned time and time again due to the same challenges, I decided to STFU. I know it isn’t the best way to deal with things, but so far it has worked. In my current guild I often get challenged, called out, and talked down to in one manner or another. Rather than fighting back I am taking the high road and writing about my challenges. Deep down inside the manager in me still researches advice and insight as to how I might deal with difficult people. But, for now it is just for my benefit in knowing that their insecurities are causing them to be jerks towards other people.

Additionally, in coping with my mute opinions, I have a druid voodoo doll that I often cut and poke with pins in hopes that one day my mojo vibes will make some asshole’s penis fall off. (I keed!)

In the grand scheme of things, you can’t always pick your guild mates. And, it isn’t always possible to weed out the bad apples… sometimes they just have to be dealt with, ignored, and you move on. In some ways, I like to kill ‘em with kindness, stroke their egos, and remember not to push-to-talk on vent as a scream at their ignorance and attitude.

So, to fulfill our court-ordered community service, I am passing along word through my little section of the blogosphere…

Our buddy over at Big Bear Butt seemed to have a RSS feed fiasco. If you had previously been a tried and true subscriber of his feed, please take a minute to resubscribe. He will be super-excited to see you again… just hope he doesn’t tinkle on your foot.

This week Haf has been racking up the Northrend Rare Elite kills in working towards the Frostbitten achievement, and shares his secret for racking up the rares. And, in the boredom caused by the recent lag-pause in raiding, Stomp is racking up the pets and mounts and getting her own achievement bugs.