Hello all.  Lot’s of happenings in the world of PTD, I have some upgrade stories, new levels of uberness, and a bit of a rant about my 10% less cool Fury Warrior.  Let’s get this started.

The Great Fury Warrior Nerf of 3.1

Titan’s Grip was one of the first "new" talents that sounded really freaking cool.  Be able to use TWO giant, badass 2-handers?  Sign me up!  Since it’s inception, though, it’s gone through a number of changes, tweaks, buffs and nerfs.  Blizzard just doesn’t seem to have a clue how to balance the talent.  I’m almost at the point where I wish they’d quit tinkering and just rework the 51 point fury talent completely. 

If you recall, when we first got to take this talent for a spin, it came with a hit penalty when wielding 2 two-handers.  It’s gone through quite a few iterations, and I’m not even sure where it started out.  I believe it was in the neighborhood of a 15% hit penalty for yellow (special) damage, then a straight 5% penalty to hit, and then finally it was removed completely.  Trying to actually remember the roadmap of changes to Titan’s Grip makes my head spin.

The newest change introduced in 3.1 gives Titan’s Grip a straight up 10% damage nerf. 

Should there be a penalty or nerf to Titan’s Grip?  If so is a straight damage nerf the best way to do that?

The answer to the first question is "yes," while whether a damage nerf was a good idea is more difficult.  If you look at the talent honestly, you would have to think that a penalty-less Titan’s Grip is an overpowered talent.  I think the difficulty, though, is determining just HOW overpowered it is.  You see, the Warrior class is, in my opinion, THE most gear dependent class in the game.  A poorly geared warrior can’t do anything, really, but that also means that we SCALE better than most with GOOD gear.

The issue is that if you looked at the TOP geared fury warriors in the game, they were often blowing other classes away on the damage meters.  Personally, I was consistently in the top 5 in 25 mans, and that was with sub-par weapons.  If I had a couple of BOH’s, I may have been leading the meters.  (Though at this point I’ll never know.) 

With this recent nerf, however, I’ve dropped a good 3 or 4 spots on the DPS hierarchy.  I still do solid DPS, and with some recent upgrades I’m sure to be climbing the meters again (more on those upgrades later.) 

My issue is this.  Were fury warriors nerfed based on the performance of the top geared warriors in WoW?  I’m a little afraid that just might be the case.

I’ve also heard the argument that warriors are a hybrid, and therefore should not be tops in damage.  Well, that makes sense, but where is the explanation for the Ret Pallys and Feral Druids I see at the top all the time post 3.1? 

Like I said, though, I’m happy with my damage output.  I guess I just don’t quite understand the reasoning, and in some ways feel a straight damage penalty was a lazy way to fix the problem.

Lucky Night With the RNG

On a lighter, happier note, my terribad luck with weapon drops came to a merciful end last week.  I was online doing some questing when a call went out for a DPS to fill Naxx 25, where they were on KT.  I had no plans to run it later that week, so I piped up and got ported in. 

It turned out to be the most profitable single, fill-in boss fight I’ve ever been a part of.    It was the first time that KT dropped the Betrayer of Humanity for our group, and guess who was on top of the SK list in that particular raid.  Wahooo!  It’s about freaking TIME I got rid of my crap Naxx 10 mace, Demise.

Now, I felt a tiny pang of guilt, having only gotten on for that one kill, but at the same time I had run Naxx many, many times with this group previously.  And we do use SK for a reason!  I am also a believer that if you took part in a boss kill, you have the right to roll on any loot that he should drop. 

And, just to make things even more profitable, I picked up my T 7.5 helm at the same time. 

80 Number 3

This is a testament to how much easier leveling is in Wrath than it was in BC.  I now have THREE, count them (3), level 80 toons.  My Druid, my Warrior, and now my Hunter.  Heck, it wasn’t until the tail end of BC’s reign that I got my 2nd level 70, and here I sit with 3 level 80s.  I know I could easily get more, as well!

But, as a more casual player, I’ve always been pretty heavily invested in alts.  If I only have a half hour, the best thing for me personally is to log on an alt and do a few quests.  I just can’t stand dailies, I’ve never been able to, and I’m not really an achievement junkie, either, so alts are it for me. 

Rarely am I forced to immediately post something, but Curse and their frigging “premium” service offering have forced my hand. 

I’ve been pissed since they blocked WoW Matrix.  I understand they want their visitors and whatnot, but WoW Matrix was just flat out a better product.  But, again, I understood their reasoning.

So I did what they wanted.  I grumbled a little bit, sure, but I started using the Curse client to download the brunt of my mods. 

Well, tonight I went to log on for an  hour or so, and because it’s been a few days or so I thought I should check for updates to my mods.  I see that a few do in fact need updating (using the Curse client, like I’m ?supposed” to) and click the old ?update all” button.  And this is what I get:

You have got to be EFFING KIDDING ME.  So I went from a superior, free program, to Curse begging for my cash.  Just for giggles, I check out the prices.  5 bucks a month?  30 bucks a year?  For an addon manager I used to get for free?  WTF?

So, everyone join in with me!

SCREW YOU CURSE, YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!

Now excuse me while I go update my addons one by one.  Jerks.

p.s.  And, to top it off, even if you do it one by one, you have to WAIT for each download to finish and install before doing the next one.  AAAARRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

By now the blogging world is well aware of the departure of two big names, BRK and Resto4Life.  They aren’t even the only bloggers to have retired their pens – I also see a general slowdown in the entire community.  Now granted all this stuff went down awhile ago, but yours truly didn’t just want to come here and say “Yeah, this sucks.”  So I let it sit, and thought about it and tried to gather some deeper meaning.  And honestly, it really made me think about the world of WoW blogging — like a lot. 

So my question to you is this:  is there something bigger going on in the WoW Blogosphere?  Or is this just coincidence that two of the big boys (well, one big boy and one big…gal – to be fair) have made their final exits?  Maybe some kind of swine flu or general malaise is sweeping World of Warcraft Writers, or maybe it’s just time for a select few to take their bows. 

The Fleeting Nature of Blogging

Blogs are, by there very nature, somewhat impermanent.  Just think how easy it is to set a blog up today.  Anyone and their grandmother can head over to WordPress.com and get the ball rolling.  You can be blogging in minutes, literally. 

Well, as easy as they are to set up, in many ways they are just as easy to shut down or let go.  It’s not like we (the bloggers) are all under contract somewhere.  Very few of us, if any, see any kind of income out of the deal, and we don’t have editors begging us for more posts, either. 

Take my blog, for instance.  I have a middling number of subscribers, in the 500′s (as you can see from my sidebar) which isn’t great, but is decent for a WoW blog.  I have a Jinx affiliate account, that has a whopping 7 bucks in it.  Still too low for them to even send me a check.  I’ve yet to see a dime from my work, and in fact I have to spend 8 bucks a month for hosting along with paying to renew my domain every year.  I am by no means complaining, I just want to illustrate that WoW blogging is a largely thankless job.

Larger blogs may earn a LITTLE bit, but not enough to quit a day job and take up blogging full-time, I guarantee.  And not all of us can catch on with WoW Insider, where I hear they get actual checks.

What’s the point?  Bloggers aren’t beholden to anyone, even the big blogs, and can close up shop at the drop of a hat.  That’s just the way it goes.

Nothing to Write About

The release of Wrath homogenized many aspects of WoW.  Gear was distilled into more distinct, but more inclusive categories.  (Caster gear, Melee DPS gear, etc.)  The classes themselves were remixed in a way to make all classes at least adequate to fill any role.  Druids got their out of combat Rez, for instance (pre-Wrath, I know, but still part of the larger Wrath update). 

On top of the homogenization, everything was made a little bit easier.  Leveling in Northrend is a piece of cake.  There’s a whole host of easy to attain gear, including BOE crafted epics and the like  Heroics are doable right when you hit 80, without the need to grind rep or get “attuned” to anything.  Even raiding is easier.  I would argue that a lot of good blogging had to do with the more difficult aspects of the game.  What’s the best way to grind rep?  How can I gear up for T5 raiding?  What’s the best array of healers for an SSC run?

All of that is gone.  I don’t really need to update my post about gearing a Resto Druid.  Just find a leatherworker and get it done.  The same can be said for most classes.  Sure, it might be best to have a mix of healers for raiding, but you can go with 4 druids and a pally if you so choose.  It can be done. 

Hell, we can’t even complain about not being able to solo as a healer for grinding cash or whatnot.  We have dual specs now.  

So I ask you this, what is there to write about that’s really compelling?  I don’t know, maybe that explains the slowdown of posts here, in some way.

Blogging to Write

Another issue I see relates to the act of Blogging itself.  And to relay this point, I’ll once again get personal. 

I began Part Time Druid because I loved WoW, but I also REALLY wanted to be a writer.  I felt like I wasn’t pursuing that dream in any way, and I wondered if I could somehow translate my WoW obsession into writing.  I thought about WoW a lot, maybe I could use it as a tool to jumpstart my actual attempts at writing.  I can tell you without hesitation that my nefarious plan worked – it really worked.

Writing the blog gave me confidence that I COULD in fact buckle down and put words on paper.  It gave me valuable practice at the craft of writing, and it even gives me something I can SHOW people.  Yes, I do write.  I’ve had close to 100,000 page views or whatnot.  Some people even read it. 

I don’t think I’m alone in this, either.  I suspect many bloggers were people who really wanted to write.  Maybe they just never felt like they had anything to say, or couldn’t figure out how to make it fit in.  Blogging about WoW can give you easy material, and plenty of practice and feedback. 

For me, personally, I do keep writing.  I just don’t write as much about WoW as I used to.  I like to think I have more interesting things to talk about, and maybe some day I’ll link out to my personal blog, as others have done in the past.  I don’t know.

The Real Reasons are Individual

I don’t think you can really boil it down to a couple of universal reasons — it’s probably more personal than that.  BRK found real life calling, wondering where he had been.  Phaelia decided it was time to start a family, and made the wise choice to concentrate on that.  I can’t blame them.

For all of you reading this who don’t already write a blog, think about this.  You probably play WoW a lot, often thinking you play it more than you should, but not as much as you’d like.  (A terrible conundrum, I know.)  Now imagine adding to that the act of writing about your obsession.  You thought about WoW a lot before, now imagine having to come up with things to write about on top of it!  It can get overwhelming at times.  Do I really want to think about this game so many hours of the day?  (Yes I do, but no I don’t…you know what I mean.)  Am I wasting my time with this?

You have to look in the mirror, and honestly ask yourself:  “Do I spend too much time thinking about a game?”  My guess is that BRK and Phaelia asked themselves quite similar questions, and came to similar conclusions.  Yes.  Yes I do.

This is another cross-post on Big Hit Box….check it out!

You’re here for info.  I’m here to try to help.  3.1 finally dawned on Azeroth, and there are a couple things I’d like to go over.  I won’t cover dual specs, tradeskills, or anything like that.  I’m cherry picking some stuff that I’m personally interested in, and hope you are too.

3.1 Fury Talents

First, let’s talk Fury specs.  Honestly, I don’t think a lot has changed.  The big, BIG thing to note, though, is the removal of Weapon Mastery from the fury tree.  For us Furies, it means it’s time to boost up that expertise.  In the old cap, you only had to get to 18 expertise, which equated to about 148 expertise rating.  Now, without the benefits of Weapon Mastery, you need to get to 26 expertise, which is 214 expertise rating.  That’s a sizable amount more of expertise you will need, and after getting hit capped for yellow damage, expertise is the next thing you want capped.

Seriously, cap expertise.  Do it now before you forget.

Anyhow, here is what I went with spec wise.  It’s pretty standard up and down.  You have a few play points here and there.  Like if you want to look cool on the trash DPS meters you could get Improved Cleave, but I didn’t bother.  Many of the points in arms are negotiable as well. 

Ulduar Weapon Drops

Now for the fun stuff!  I’ve been hurting a bit weapon wise.  I’ve had terrible luck in Naxx 25, and I’m still running around with Demise and the Titansteel Destroyer.

Thankfully, blizz has come to save the day with a handful of new weapons to shoot for, in both 10 and 25 man Ulduar.

10-Man Drops

Ironsoul – Drops from the Flame Leviathan

Very nice weapon, available from what I believe is the first boss in Ulduar.  Strength has always been a great stat for fury, but now that zerker stance boosts str and not AP, it’s even sweeter.  Armor penetration got a big boost in 3.1 as well, so this is another good side stat to shoot for.  The crit is also nice, and it’s overall DPS is even higher than Death’s Bite from Naxx 10.  I will be gunning for this from the start.  Fury DPS LFG Uld 10.

Stormedge – Drops from Hodir

Another solid weapon from Ulduar 10.  The hit is ok, but again we find a good amount of strength and some Armor Pen as a bonus.  The DPS is also solid.  This may be itemized more for an Arms warrior, but still a good weapon nonetheless.  Especially if you have been unlucky like I have. 

25-Man Drops

Worldcarver – Drops from Ignis the Furnace Master

Here we have our first weapon on the ?next level? in terms of DPS.  232.5 DPS is higher than the previous BIS, the Betrayer of Humanity.  Now, the stats make it more of a DK tanking weapon.  I don’t know a whole lot about that class/spec, but the stamina budget, expertise and haste scream out tank to me.  Still an excellent choice for a Fury Warrior if you’re still carting around old 186 DPS weapons like me.  I would probably pass it to a DK tank, but I’d roll about anyone else for it.  Strength again, some expertise to help us cap out, and some haste, which isn’t bad.

Rune Edge – Drops from the Iron Council

Another big 232.5 DPS.  If this had strength rather than agility, I would be MUCH more excited, but it’s still a great, great weapon.  (Hell, the Betrayer had agi and not str too!)  Crit, AP and Armor Pen are all high and very welcome.  Beware of hunters if this drops, try to distract or confuse them if possible.  Use the ?hey, wait for a spear? argument if necessary.

Voldrethar, Dark Blade of Oblivion – Drops from General Vezax

This is the present King of the Fury Hill in terms of weapons.  244.7 DPS, 999 max damage ? I think my head is about to explode.  Strength, 2 sockets, crit, armor pen – it’s a dream come true.  Expect to have lots of competition for this sword, it’s the bee’s knees.  Excuse me a second while I wipe the drool off my keyboard.

So there you have your new weapons to shoot for.  I think Blizz did a much better job of itemizing weapons this time around, the choices in Naxx just seemed a little too limited.  Keep in mind this list does not include loot from the last 2 bosses.  They are still a mystery to all.  I’m sure there’s a big nasty axe in there somewhere, with a DPS number over 250. 

WoW Matrix

To wrap things up, a big BOO to Curse and WoW Interface for blocking WoW Matrix.  Now, I understand there is money involved and whatnot, but can’t they work with WoW matrix in some way?  It really was by far the best updater.  Now I have to use the invasive Curse client, and then manually install my outlier addons that aren’t available on Curse.  I know it’s no HUGE deal, but I have a lot of addons.  WoW Matrix made everything cake, and Curse and WoW Interface have taken that away. 

So Boo to you Curse and WoW Interface!  A Pox on you and both your houses!

That’s all for now ? shouldn’t you be in Ulduar right now?

Yeah, I know.  It’s been awhile.  But you see I promised myself something when I first began writing this blog:  I will try my best NOT to write posts JUST to write posts.  It’s not like I have to clock in or whatnot, this is no job.  I write when I have something worthwhile to talk about, or at least I hope so.  Please don’t now inundate me with examples of crap posts from the past, as I’m sure I have many out there.   

With that out of the way, I can tell you that I indeed have something to talk about.  A couple of things, really. 

Bye Bye Maly

For starters, I’ve beaten WoW.  (Save the accolades for later, really.)  I’ve been raiding once a week for the past couple of months, and Friday night we finally accomplished the last real thing I had to accomplish, downing Malygos in 25 man.  Now I know there are things I have not done on my warrior, like OS25 for instance, but between my warrior and druid I’ve really done it all.  I’m itching for Ulduar now just like many of you are.  But I’ll get back to that in the second part of this post.

Back to Malygos – it took us a long time, and a lot of tries.  Overall the fight really isn’t that difficult.  It wasn’t long before we had phases 1 and 2 pegged.  Anyone who’s done Maly knows, however, that phase 3 is the rub. 

Individually, it’s not all that difficult.  Just keep your stack up, and stack as many as you can.  In a way I have some advantages in this area due to my experience with Resto Druiding.  For a long time I made my living on proper stack/HOT management. 

The problem is you have to get SO MANY people doing the same thing.  In other phases, in other fights, you can carry some people through who aren’t performing like everyone else.  In Maly your room for error is marginal at best.  You need most everyone to be handling their stacks RIGHT. 

In a way, it’s reminiscent of the Teron Gorefiend fight from Black Temple.  To take down Gorefiend, you had to play this itty bitty mini-game that Blizz had thrown in, and you needed everyone to be able to play it.  The same thing goes for Malygos.  At least here Blizz had the foresight to institute some in game training.  There is a daily quest near Transitus Shield, Aces High, that shows you how the drakes you will have to use for Maly work. 

I can’t say I’m a fan of that kind of boss fight, but it was very satisfying when we got it done.  Pics or it didn’t happen, I know?

There you go, proof.  Are you happy?  My apologies for the fairly crappy shot, it’s hard to get anything decent with 20+ drakes in the air and whatnot.  Don’t even get me started on the horrors of trying to loot the stupid chest thingy afterwards.  Ugh.  (On a side note, can we have a moratorium on any loot “boxes”?  I’d much rather always have a big old corpse to click on, where we can ALL get in!)

So goodnight Maly, it was fun?.ish.

Razor Thin Layers of Progression

My Fury Warrior (who is my present main, in case you haven’t heard) has pretty dang spiffy gear.  I finally got done with the dreaded Nobles Deck to get the Darkmoon Card: Greatness, I have several pieces of near BIS gear from 25 man Naxx, and I’m capped in everything useful and sport over 4k unbuffed AP.  But still, I have a pretty big problem. 

My frigging weapons.

I have Demise from 10 man Naxx and the Titansteel Destroyer.  Good weapons, sure, but overall they are really holding me back. 

The problem is that there are very few upgrades in this area.  There are four I’m looking at, to be exact, and to date I’ve only seen one of them drop, and that only once.  In case you are wondering, the four weapons are The Jawbone, Armageddon, Death’s Bite and the Betrayer of Humanity.  3 of them only come from 25 man Naxx, and the last comes from 10 man Naxx.  I can only raid once a week, and I do 25 man Naxx on that one day, and to this day I’ve only seen Armageddon drop, and that only once.  To add to the futility of trying to upgrade my weapons is the fact that I really need TWO in the long run, and there are usually 4 other people in each raid that would like the same drops.

Ugh.

So here I find myself on the narrowest of upgrade paths, and it’s disheartening.  This is why PTD gets bored, and why I find myself wondering what alt to level next.  It gets tough as you approach the upper echelons of gear, and fewer and fewer upgrades are appealing.  I need nothing from heroism badge gear (unless I start looking at tanking gear), and there aren’t many drops left in Naxx 25 that I’m interested in anymore.  I just want a new stinking weapon.  And then one more to boot.

So I keep on heading into Naxx 25, and hope every time that I get lucky.  I do my job, put out very good DPS, and approach most boss lootings as uneventful.

So why are there no good badge weapons?  Back in the BC days, there were some VERY nice weapons you could get with badges.  Now I see nothing at all.  Does Blizz have something against those of us who wield two-handers?  And then, just for kicks, did they say “hey, maybe we should make a class able to use TWO two-handers, and thereby magnify their frustration tenfold!”  I sure hope not. 

Thankfully, there look to be some good choices coming along in Ulduar.  Now where the heck is 3.1??