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Archive for the ‘PVP’ Category

So over the last month we have seen many buffs and nerfs to PvP. From a 100% resilience buff to a 10% healing nerf. Over the next few paragraphs I will be expressing my opinion on each buff and nerf to pvp.

If you have been following this at all you will see that our good friend(or enemy) Bornak over on the WoW forums has been a busy man. Lets go over what has happened. Firstly in season 7 we saw the up rise of protection specced warriors and paladins doing well in arenas. Protection specced warriors were a huge challenge, they had an incredible survivability, and a rather large amount of burst damage which was the problem. So to keep protection a viable PvE spec they upped the threat of the burst abilities and lowered the damage. This was needed. There was far too much survivability with a prot warrior, which there should be, and a huge amount of burst. That is where the problem came along. If you look at any of the classes you either have survivability or burst not both. So to fix it and not effect PvE, Blizzard went ahead and made this very simple and easy change. Read more…

Well 34 was a little better than 32 and 33, but I am seriously questioning my decision to try this. What was I thinking? Am I a jackass? I think I have realized that when people say they leveled up in the Battlegrounds (BGs), they are either masochists or they do a combination of BGs and questing. For these people the BGs may be the primary means of leveling, but they are also getting a huge infusion of experience from questing while they are waiting for the BGs.

There have been many times where I had to wait 20+ minutes to get into one of the two BGs that are available at this level. This is a slow process when you are not questing. That is how I know that most of the people who claim to have leveled a number of levels in the BGs also supplemented them with questing. Let me just put it this way; leveling in BGs without any supplementing takes either extreme patience or you’re as crazy as a loon. Read more…

We have all heard the rumors and reports from people who have leveled their toons in the battlegrounds. Well I am a skeptic and I don’t totally believe all of the reports of how easy or how quick it is in the BG’s. So, I decided to do something about it and test out the theory on how easy it is to level in the BG’s.

Over the next couple weeks I am planning on leveling my toon almost solely in the BG’s. The reason I say “almost” is the fact that I am planning on leveling my cooking and doing some exploring at the same time. The cooking will most likely require some killing and xp gains in the process and while I explore I am bound to be pulled by some mobs and will need to kill them also. In the end however it is my plan that 90+% will be from the BG’s.

Okay, here I am a level 30 Paladin ready to enter the first Arathi Basin of my leveling experiment. I am ready to be pwned and mocked as a level 30 pally when I am facing too many higher level 30’s. This is going to be an experience!

I am now Level 31 and the first level did not go so well. I was killed so many times I do not care to count, I was somewhat useless to the horde in many of these battles. It was not pretty. The saving grace was that Arathi is somewhat fun, but this level in Warsong is like having someone slowly insert a steak knife into my eyeball. Read more…

“Time and tide wait for no man.”

If this quote is true in life, then it’s doubly true in WoW. Patches, class changes, and new raid content seem to be coming out every couple of weeks to change the core game play of WoW. Getting left behind is a real concern for WoW players, especially since the introduction of new and powerful loot can quickly leave players lagging (forgive the pun) in their class roles.

After showing up late to the party for the last patch, I was bound and determined to be on the “Bleeding Edge” of the new 3.2.2 patch content (or at least as bleeding edge as I can be without playing on the PTR… we’ll call it the Oozing Edge). I logged on, jumped into a ten man Onxyia raid and promptly had the retro Nemesis Skullcap to show off to other jealous locks on my server (due to my stunning DPS…and the fact that I was the only Warlock in the group). I felt, at least for the moment, that I’d gotten the monkey off my back.

This pressure of “get in and play while it’s still new” is facilitated by “leaked” patch notes, WoW podcasts, Blue Posts on the official WoW forums and WoW news sites all working together to drive an incredible amount of traffic to the game on patch day. It’s often theorized that Blizzard times their releases to cannibalize the player base of other MMOs (see WOTLK coming out around the same time as Warhammer and Patch 3.2.2 being released in the same month as the launch of Aion and Champion’s Online). Whether or not this is true remains unclear (although coincidences abound).

What is clear is that the massive amount of hype swirling around patches drives home the opportunity costs of playing other games. Whenever I steal a few hours in Fallout 3 or try to revisit saved games in Fable 2, I’m constantly thinking about what I could be doing in WoW. For myself (and I’m sure many other players), WoW has obliterated my interest in other games. Time in Fallout 3 doesn’t translate to hours, it translates to lost instance runs and missed battlegrounds. The pressure surrounding patches simply drive home how deeply Blizzard has their claws sunk into their players and how easily we can dance to Blizzard’s tune. Fortunately for Blizzard and myself, I love the song they’re playing.

Welcome to another installment of Dead or Alive. I will be your host and today I would like to talk about the ins and outs of Arenas for the new player:

The first question is… What are arenas?

Arenas are areas set up by the Steemwheedle Cartel where players can create a team of 2, 3, or 5 and face off against another team of the same size to the DEATH for gear, titles, mounts and glory. You can find everything you need to make a team and play one in Dalaran sewers or at any one of the 5 arenas located around Azeroth. We have The Ring of Trials in Nagrand, The Circle of Blood in Blades Edge Mountains, The Ruins of Lordaeron in Tristfal Glades, and The Ring of Valor in Orgrimmar. Each offer a variety of different obstacles to use at your disposal.

There are three different scores a player can obtain and this is where it gets confusing for most people. You have a team rating, personal rating, and match making rating (MMR). The easiest to understand is the Team Rating so lets start there.

Read more…

In a recent post I made reference to running the battlegrounds (bg’s) as a lowbie and some of the benefits. I thought today it would be best if I delved further into this subject and really addressed the bg’s issue in this post and for those of you that read my posts for levels 35-70, I will also be addressing the bg’s for those levels this weekend.

At the 1-35 levels there are only 2 bg’s that you can get into: Arathi Basin and Warsong Gulch. The first bg that low level characters can jump into is Warsong Gulch. You can make access starting at level 10 and continue to battle through the rest of the game. This will most likely be your first experience in WOW battlegrounds.

For a long time now a debate has been raging over the balancing of PvE and PvP. The debate is, nerfs come to classes unfairly due to PvP and how its ruining the game. I am sure that many of you will agree with that statement. The fact is, yes nerfs happen to PvE and PvP because said skill is used unfairly. For example lets take a look at the incoming Fan of Knives (FoK) nerf. FoK is a rogues only AE skill and I’m sure that if you ask and one in PvE including rogues they will say yes it is a bit over powered compared to other AE from mages and warlocks.

Enter PvE
You and your guild are rolling through Ulduar faster than ever. DPS is high from everyone except one stands out above everyone – a rogue. He is bragging about his DPS and shows everyone on trash pulls he can pull over 15k DPS. So I will ask this question. In this situation Who is going to complain to Blizzard that its unfair? Is Hodir going to, or the rogue that is using it? No. Are your Mages going to go running to the forums and say it needs a FoK-ing nerf? Maybe a few here and there but your raid leader will be overjoyed to have a rogue that is pulling huge DPS on trash pulls and probably give him a permanent raid spot.

Enter PvP
Your 5v5 team is very excited to play games this week. Everyone is on, pumped, and ready to kill! The queue pops, the strats laid out and you charge in expecting victory only to lose because your casters and healers cant cast due to a rogue spamming FoK. Everyone is slowed, has wound poison, and mind numbing poison on. There is massive damage going out to everyone on your team and this rogue pretty much solos you. You exit the arena wondering how to prevent that from happening again but consistantly lose to teams with rogues. This is what most teams have been trying to figure out for months. Now asking the same question as before: Who is going to complain to Blizzard that this is unfair? Since there is an actual person on the receiving end, they will. This is just one example which can carry over to the many other nerfs that have come about, but a good one. Since there is not an actual person behind the PvE situation you will see less complaints. So when the nerf comes it falls on PvP’s shoulders to take the brunt because they complained the most.

There are defiantly ways to avoid the QQ sessions on both sides and you can see it in many forms already: With fear effecting NPC’s differently than players, Resilience effecting player damage only, and some player made items such as rocket boots and mind control caps not being allowed in arenas at all. Blizzard is making huge steps in separating PvE and PvP and so far it looks good. Until they find a way to separate both aspects of the game, PvE will continue to see Nerfs based off PvP complaints. Just know Blizzard is always working on ways to further separate the two and will keep learning from their mistakes.

-Aellerian

The World of Warcraft turns and seasons come and go. Gladiators fade to Rivals and even Rivals fade to Challengers, soon forgotten by those who rise to the top. In this season, a new set of Furious Gladiators are set to be named; for this is the end of season 6.

End dramatic intro.

Lets get into it shall we? August 25th marked the end of season 6. Lets take a moment to go over what this means for you and what you should prepare for in the next season. First of all, we have at least a week off from rated matches. You should defiantly take this time to farm money for gems and enchants for the new gear you will be acquiring because they are expensive and almost guaranteed to go up. Also get honor capped, stock up on stone keeper shards and battleground marks of honor. All this will ensure that you get the latest and greatest gear as soon as you get the arena rating required.

As early as the first of September, we will see season 7 appear. This means your arena points, team ratings, and personal ratings will all be reset to the magic number 0. So spend any extra arena points you have on an upgrade you have been waiting for or the Commendations of Bravery that you can purchase with arena points from your local arena vendor. Don’t let your hard earned points go to waste.

Season 7 will bring about more changes to the PvP landscape you ought to know about. 2vs2 will still award you points based on your rating but with that rating you will NOT be able to purchase season 7 weapons, shoulders, or get any titles. This is because Blizzard has stated they cannot effectively balance PvE and PvP around the 2v2 bracket which is the most popular at this time. With 3v3 and 5v5 they feel confident that it can be done and have used the 3v3 bracket in almost every tournament they have sponsored.

I’m sad to season 6 go but more excited about 7. Its a new start for everyone and again new rules for everyone. It may be the decline of 2v2 but the rise of 5v5. If your new to the arenas this may be the season for you! 2v2 will be far less competitive, so you may find it easier to advance easier than before. Very exciting stuff for the PvP enthusiasts and new PvPers alike. I hope to see you in the arena!

- Aellerian

Welcome everyone to the first installment of the dead or alive blog. We will be talking about everything from beginner to advance PvP tactics and news. In this article we will talk about 3.2 and what to expect from this patch and how it effects PvP.

Last week Blizzard let out the most important patch to effect PvP in World of Warcraft since the installment of Arenas. I wanted to take a moment of your time to go over this and point out some points that come with it and how it is effecting you and me. You can check out the patch notes over on the official site for the full report.

Isle of Conquest

The biggest change some may argue is the new battleground: Isle of Conquest. Where the Alliance and Horde are pitted against each other once again to fight over precious resources that will help them inevitably defeat the Lich King himself. Simply put, this battleground is amazing. Wherever you go, there is something to do. The only dull moment I could find in the first 50 games played was running between nodes trying to get the achievements. When you first hop in it all seems a bit overwhelming with the large map. Where do I go? How do I win this? Best idea is to follow everyone else and ask plenty of questions. Once you get used to the battle 3 or 4 times in you should do fine.

Even with all the great things about this battleground there is always a downside. You cant make everyone happy right? The only flaws I can see with this battleground are that both sides immediately go for the hanger. If you control the hanger 100% of the time and have participation from people jumping in, you will most likely win. Also what goes with this strategy is graveyard camping. If the enemy controls your base without capping the keep flag they can possibly control you in the graveyard that is next to your keep thus making you inconsequential to the battle because every 30 seconds you are dying! Even with these 2 small flaws its rare that either happen. You most likely wont control the hanger 100% of the time because the other side is going for it too and if they don’t control the hanger then they wont be camping your graveyard!

Resilience Changes and YOU

That being said, what I believe is the most important change in 3.2 for PvP would be the resilience change. Blizzard has changed resilience from reducing DoT damage, mana drains, critical strike chance, and critical strike damage; to reducing critical strike chance, mana drains, and ALL damage done by players against you. This one change has made resilience THE most important stat in PvP. If you don’t have resilience you are missing out, bottom line. Once again, this change comes with a downside, what is great for most will make someone too great. There are complaints about healers and their ability to survive but it is not an impossible task to take them down. I know as a priest I still die very quickly, and often to melee classes.

BG EXP!

Another major part of this patch for PvP, and I would be silly to not mention it, would be BATTLEGROUND EXPERIENCE! When I first heard this little snippet I was overjoyed. I said to myself “Aellerian, You can finally spend 100% of your time PvPing if you really want to improve your toon.” That is, until I actually put it into effect. If you don’t know, the brackets go from 10-19, 20-29, 30-39, and so on and so forth till you hit 80 when there is a dedicated one end-game level players. The level 10-19 bracket only consists of Warsong Gulch, and it gives hardly any experience for the time spent in the battleground. With games averaging 10-15 minutes and some going to the full 20, I am making only 1 bar per battleground with each level going much slower than questing. On the other hand, once you reach the level that Alterac Valley comes in, you will level quite quickly. The experience that comes from AV is amazing. My rogue is level 77 and going leaps and bounds from Alterac Valley only. My advice, if you want to start PvPing with a new toon, it would be wise to gain experience via questing until level fifty when you can enter Alterac Valley. Between battlegrounds you could do some questing or just kill random mobs to make it go even faster.

Will It Ever End?

Finally I would like to give a little attention to the end of Season 6. There is no official end-date but it has been announced it will be no later than August 25th. At the end of the season your rating, personal rating, and arena points will be reset. Your hidden match making rating will stay the same. There will be a week in between season 6 and 7. So get those games in, get your rating, get your title, and kick ass!

In closing, I will say 3.2 is by far the most important patch to PvP since Burning Crusade. It is a lot to take in and more is still to come. There is another mini-patch coming to fix the little bugs that are out right now with classes and battlegrounds alike. Until then, let us hope that the new movement for PvP improvement will continue and will see great new things in the future!

-Aellerian

For the longest time, battlegrounds have been slowly losing their popularity among the WOW player base. They were either too long, such as Warsong gulch, or they were just too unorganized and chaotic like Alterac Valley. The best rewards from the honor points that you received were PVP gear and for many players it was just not worth it.

The interest level increased with the inclusion of Wintergrasp. It was a much more interesting battleground and along with honor points, you had the ability to gain more experience and make access to Vault of Archavon if your faction had control of Wintergrasp Keep. Some of the players who had given up on the battlegrounds returned for Wintergrasp.

Now, with the patch 3.2 having been released there is even more reason for toons in the 35-70 level range to be entering the battlegrounds. First and foremost is the addition of experience being given to players in the battlegrounds. Now, your kills in these PVP battles will mean something as well as your faction’s ability to win the battle.

I have a friend who has been slowly making his way towards 80, but after 3.2 he was able to do battleground after battleground to level up those last two levels. And for anyone who does not know or remember the last two levels are slow going. You are so close and you have accomplished almost all the large groupings of quests to the point that you are traveling far and wide to complete single quests or hitting the dailies, day-in and day-out.

This is huge. I have played around even with my level 16 Warlock in Warsong Gulch and the experience you can obtain is equal to doing quests. If a quest would take you an hour to complete to get 6000 experience, then an hour in the battlegrounds will pay off in almost equal fashion. Plus, knowing that for every kill you are getting more and more experience, you try even harder. The battlegrounds have never offered so much to the WOW players as they are now.

That is not to say that I advocate someone just leveling their character in the battlegrounds. I do not. I do however support the use of battlegrounds as a means to supplement your questing. The challenges of the battlegrounds help players to get better at their character. You need to be able to perform much quicker and know your characters abilities at a much higher level to be good in the battleground PVP situation, at least when all things are equal.

You will die… Accept it.

Even if you aren’t that good at the PVP aspect, you can still go in and get some experience by just trying. There is a natural amount of dying built into the battlegrounds, so don’t get frustrated. The way they were designed, with a 10 level range of toons all fighting it out, means that unless you are at the top of that range, there are bigger, badder players out there just waiting to pwn you. Just go in and do your best and get some experience.

For many players an additional benefit to the battlegrounds is the honor points and the PVP gear. While PVP is not a major thought for players on non-PVP servers, the ability to accumulate PVP gear both for battlegrounds and Arena teams is big. PVP gear holds a significant advantage over regular gear when in a PVP fight. If you want to take PVP serious, then the need for you to accumulate some of the gear should be high on your list.

Having loads of earned honor points is also an advantage because there are other items that can be purchased with them other than strictly PVP gear. You can purchase rare and epic gems that can be socketed into your gear. And while you could wait until you are level 80 to start accumulating these points for such items, it is best to start early and just continue to use the battlegrounds as one more aspect of your game play.

More to look forward to as you level

One last reason for getting into the battlegrounds is the release of Isle of Conquest. This battleground is staged on a small island off the coast of Northrend where the Horde and Alliance battle it out. It is like Wintergrasp in game play with siege machines, workshops and now airships that battle it out to see which faction is the best, but it has many of the best Alterac Valley aspects.

I found this battleground to be even more fun than Wintergrasp, but I still hold Arathi Basin as my favorite. There are new vehicles such as the glaive thrower and new options such as being thrown over the walls of the enemy keep where you fight the opposing faction from the inside. It is a fun and entertaining new battleground that everyone should try. The unfortunate part is that you will not be able to get into the Isle of Conquest until you are level 71. So practice up now, so when you hit 71, you are ready to battle the opposing faction with aplomb.

I know there are still people out there that just hate the battlegrounds or hate the PVP aspect, but there are many new reasons why you should try to overcome your objections and get out there into a battleground. Just tell anyone that asks; the Inquisitor made you do it!

- Inquisitor