Out in It

Aenara decided to finish up Dinner Impossible. Needed Strand, Eye, and AV. Lost them all, of course, but it wasn't too bad. Was actually top damage in Strand, tied for second on kills. Sort of surprising yet maybe not. Moonkin are incredibly versatile and rather annoying to face.


Look at that. Horde had the rest of the damage. *sigh* Rated BGs are going to be wonderful. So tired of the slack-ass Alliance fools in our battlegroup. At least we still own Wintergrasp. *snicker*

They Can Do That??

Whoa! Found a Rogue who has the 80 inscription on his BoA shoulders!! The Armory doesn't indicate if it's active or not. Hrm. The Horde Rogue isn't on Martini's account, but the Horde Druid is…

Definitely a Day of the Dead

Was up a little bit late last night making use of the final few moments of Call to Arms: Arathi Basin on the Horde Rogue. I haven't laughed and ganked that hard in ages.

It began on the Exodar server when Pro finally hit level 36. Decided to try some Warsong Gulch. Her gear is quite horrible yet I hoped the level might be enough to not get insta-gibbed. Boy was I wrong. Rogues were eating my cookies left and right.

I had heard in Aenara's guild that Rogues were the scourge of the lower brackets and that's sure not an understatement. They mentioned mutilate so I spec'd that on Unpleasant yet it didn't seem that OP. Dragonsblitz and Gorestep showed me the error of my ways... it was Subtlety that was insanity. I thought the problem was not having Flare yet it would be useless against Shadowstep. While they could see my traps at 32 they couldn't disarm them. Yet it didn't help me much.

There is incredible synergy at very low levels in the Subtley tree:

• Shadowstep (25 yd range, Instant) Causes you to step through the shadows and appear behind an enemy target. Your next Ambush or Garrote delivered within 10 sec will deal 30% additional damage, and your movement speed is increased by 70% for 3 sec.
• Master of Subtlety (Passive) Attacks made while stealthed and for 6 seconds after breaking stealth cause an additional 10% damage.
• Sinister Calling (Passive) Increases your total Agility by 25% and increases the percentage damage bonus of Backstab and Hemorrhage by an additional 25%.
• Improved Ambush (Rank 3) Increases the critical strike chance of your Ambush ability by 60% and its damage by 15%.
• Waylay (Rank 2) Your Ambush and Backstab hits have a 100% chance to unbalance a target, increasing the time between their melee and ranged attacks by 20%, and reducing movement speed by 50% for 8 sec.
• Opportunity (Rank 3) Increases the damage dealt with your Backstab, Mutilate, Garrote and Ambush abilities by 30%.
• Hemorrhage (35 Energy, Melee Range, Instant, Requires Melee Weapon) An instant strike that deals 110% weapon damage (159.5% if a dagger is equipped) and causes the target to take 30% additional damage from bleed effects for 1 min. Awards 1 combo point.
• Ambush (60 Energy, Melee Range, Instant, Requires Melee Weapon, Requires Stealth) Ambush the target, causing 190% weapon damage plus (330 * 1.9) to the target (274.93% plus (330 * 2.75) if a dagger is equipped). Must be stealthed and behind the target. Awards 2 combo points.

It's a lot to take in yet it plays incredibly well. And it's all available to a Rogue at 29. In fact most of it is available through the 20s, with Hemorrhage and Waylay or Opportunity coming at the end. In the 30s it's ridiculous.

Core talents and abilities aside, one Prime, one Major, and one Minor glyph slot become available at level 25. And there are some really sweet ones available to compliment the devastation:

• Glyph of Hemorrhage (Prime Glyph, Requires Level 29) Your Hemorrhage ability also causes the target to bleed, dealing 40% of the direct strike's damage over 24 sec.
• Glyph of Backstab (Prime Glyph, Requires Level 25) Your Backstab critical strikes grant you 5 energy.
• Glyph of Eviscerate (Prime Glyph, Requires Level 25) Increases the critical strike chance of Eviscerate by 10%.
• Glyph of Ambush (Major Glyph, Item Level 25) Increases the range on Ambush by 5 yards.
• Glyph of Gouge (Major Glyph, Requires Level 25) Your Gouge ability no longer requires that the target be facing you.
• Glyph of Vanish (Major Glyph, Requires Level 25) Increases the duration of your Vanish effect by 2 sec.
• Glyph of Sprint (Major Glyph, Requires Level 25) Increases the movement speed of your Sprint ability by an additional 30%.
• Glyph of Blurred Speed (Minor Glyph, Requires Level 25) Enables you to walk on water while your Sprint ability is active.

So many great choices! Hemorrhage would be useful against other rogues and druids, keeping them out of stealth. Ambush and Backstab are expensive moves so Backstab, when landing, would get you a little extra for another. Eviscerate would help ensure a big finisher (if needed, heh). Ambush would make Ambushing a mounted target is even easier. Since Blind isn't available until 34, Gouge could fill the gap. Vanish would give you more breathing room to escape with. Sprint would help you escape while Blurred Speed would make escape in Arathi Basin easier. Wow! Naturally I logged out and went back to Azjol-Nerub. After respecing for 53s, I threw Unpleasant out there to see what was what.

It went as well as all the whining indicated. It was astonishing the damage that was unleashed. Unfortunately I was half-way through 29, so after a win and a loss, I leveled into the 30 bracket. It is always rough to be at the bottom of the bracket plus other players often jeer at the flotsam dragging the team down, but I was on a rush and had to see what could be done. I managed to deal out more death than I expected. Unfortunately it's easy for the higher-level enemies to see through stealth so I had to be at the top of my game. The kills I got were a real testament to skill and timing. The best one I got was at level 31 where I one shot a 39 Warlock that was mounting up. She had over 1600 health which didn't seem to even be there. For a kill like that to be possible with an eight level disparity definitely says there something out of wack. Yet I understand it must be rough on Blizzard to balance a class through their level progression. Glad I got all this down for posterity as I'm sure something will get hot fixed.

While the rogue is fierce, it's not all a cake walk. All the usual requirements are there… catch someone unaware with as few friends around as possible while your cooldowns are all ready and theirs are down. And as at all the lower brackets the BoA gear can make an incredible difference. Currently the worst targets are the DoT casters and the mail-wearers. If you don't one-shot them things get dicey. While Shadow Priests are painful, 4.x Warlocks are devastating. Bane of Doom can now be cast on players. It lasts FOREVER (one minute, heh) and does a TON of damage. A quick reacting paladin that survives will usually Lay on Hands then try to slam a Hammer of Justice on you. Those two have been the most troublesome survivors of a failed one-shot for me.

As realization has dawned on everyone the play-style has suffered. Rogues summarily ignore flag groups and swim out mid-field looking for targets. So there were a few games that ended 0-0 because no one could survive the onslaught since no one would support the flag carrier. Lot of people leaving games in a huff but whatever. I am there to gank not help the team. *snicker* I am just one of the sharks looking for chum.

Went out to Hammerfall to grab Defiler's Leather Boots. Since the Inherited Insignia of the Alliance doesn't translate from Alliance to Horde I had to grab an Insignia of the Horde for 55 honor points. Still need to decide on glyphs then it's time to see what the fields of battle are like today.

Almost Done Before Restarting

Still a little rough downing Heroic Sindragosa 25 but we got her on the third attempt. Picked up the Heroic Phylactery of the Nameless Lich. (Yay!) Excepting three Heroic Vanquisher's Marks of Sanctification and the ultra-elusive Professor's Bloodied Smock, Aenara now has all of the gear she's been eying. For now.

Oh Come On

Got done with the Headless Horseman on all the toons when Aenara saw some spam in Trade Chat for Black Temple. They were on council so it would be getting the achievement done pretty quick. Trying to zone in kept erroring out with a message: “You have entered too many instances recently.” Searching the forums there was a blue post that stated: “Five instances per hour is the current limit. Please note that this is per account.” *sigh* I understand they want to limit instance farming but there's obviously a bug. I'd done HH easily six times in 30min so whatever. Maybe the LFG system gets around it but if Blizzard is going to deny access, the least they could do is provide a “XX more min until you can enter an instance” message.

Thankfully they wiped on their first attempt due to lack of healing. *snicker* Might be able to get in while they try to fine more.

Out on the West Coast

Been fun watching the 3v3 tournaments at BlizCcon 2010. Some really amazing matches. It makes me understand the allure of televised sports… watching others do what I cannot from the comfort of my home. *snicker*

Wonder if Blizzard notices/cares about the caster dominance and Druids being the preferred healer. There was one PMR team that made it to the third round yet the pressure matches were all ranged casters. Personally I favor LSD since I love the burst and utility of 3.x Elemental Shaman. Yet DML has also been amazing. Watching the second match of the Top Bracker (*aAa*/LSD) versus Lower Bracket (Complexity.Red/DML). Co.Red actually lost to *aAa* in the upper bracket, 0-3. See if they come back for the $75k.

On a completely shallow note I love how all the competitors are pasty white boys and Asians. Hate to be the creepy old guy, but there are a few really cute ones. Have to say my top three are:

1. Jenõ "Lopaay" Tanos (LightZ CaMerA ActioN/Fra?)
2. Fabio "Jamesbond" Nardelli (*aAa*/Ita)
3. Romain "Hrk" Neveu (*aAa*/Fra)

It's Over 7000!

Aenara got stuck at 98/100 on The Summit of Storm Peaks. EveryQuest's incomplete list showed a missing drop-quest started from a Dark Armor Sample. Didn't stick around to finish The Iron Colossus chain once the zone was done since there were still Tournament dailies waiting. Just have to finish up 87/140 Icecrown: The Final Goal for Loremaster of Northrend.

Aenara is now up to 7050 achievement points, with 661/1056 completed. Currently #8 in the guild.

Long, Strange #4

Finally! Picked up the only item Aenara needed for more than a year from the Inn Keeper in Westguard Keep… the damn Hallowed Helm for Sinister Calling. Picked up Hallowed Be Thy Name and What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been.

Was down in Howling Fjord to finish up I've Toured the Fjord. Working on The Summit of Storm Peaks while watching 3v3 PvP at BlizzCon. Got Into the Basin done late last night so only Icecrown: The Final Goal remains for Loremaster of Northrend.

If Only They Were All This Fat

This pumpkin wasn't simply loot-filled, it was about to explode!!

Two More Done

Somehow found the patience to grind out some more kills today, so Aenara finished up Oh My, Kurenai… which was also the last reputation needed to finish up The Diplomat. It did take some time yet it was sort of amusing running around camps of Burning Crusade mobs, dropping a single Insect Swarm on each, then circling back to collect loot. Which reminds me… I really need to see if Loot Filter is running again. It makes culling the loot trash so much more tolerable.

The mobs in The Steamvault didn't fare much better. Still spread IS around yet the new super-damaging Thorns made quick work of any melee mobs. The turn-ins were the most tedious part of finishing up Cenarion Expedition. Seems somehow right in an role play sense to have the druid astride a Cenarion War Hippogryph. Still have 72 Coilfang Armaments left over for the next toon that wants the rep. *rolls eyes*

This brings me up to 27/30 Exalted Reputations, 18/25 Tabards, and 77/100 Mountain o' Mounts. Thinking of targeting The Argent Dawn along with Deathcharger's Reins next while getting Hero of the Zandalar Tribe finished up.

So Not Fair

Faerune got a second pair of The Horseman's Reins. *sigh* These things should really be Bind on Account.

Drop Rates or What

Trade Chat babble has mentioned that the drop rate on reins has increased. Naturally I took this with a grain of salt, yet Scheme's loot-filled pumpkin had The Horseman's Reins along with a Flimsy Male Undead Mask. Whoa! Would sure be nice to get the mount on one of the toons I'm doing Mountain o' Mounts on…

Surprise! Heroic Sindragosa

Was pleasantly surprised to get Heroic: The Frostwing Halls (10 player) done tonight. Faerune is in a casual guild that has few hardcore people in it, so our progress through Heroic encounters has been pretty difficult. Yet after an hour-and-a-half of face grinding we managed to down her on our last attempt for the night. If we can somehow pull the Heroic Putricide rabbit out of our collective hats, we might get some Bloodbathed Frostbrood Vanquishers before the expansion.

Having both raiding experiences does help me not take Aenara's progress for granted. For instance… tonight she cleared 10/12 of the heroic 25 encounters in two hours—all one-shots. The officers actually called it early to do the weekly raid so we'd have something to do tomorrow. Heh.

On a completely unrelated vanity note, I really love the Ninja DK on a Horseman's mount. Here she is waiting with Sindragosa circling and Peddlefeet keeping everyone company.

LFG Tool Success!

I have Aenara running around doing dailies when I get a whisper from someone named Rhialla asking if I wanted to do the Weekly. Took me completely by surprise because I'd queue'd up in the Raid Finder over two hours earlier. *snicker* Sadly I forgot to mark the Healer checkbox so I suppose I was lucky to get an invite at all. Was a bit rough as I out-geared the tank, Svennorsky, by a great deal and started pulling aggro around 80%.

It really isn't worth sitting in a city and enduring trade chat to find a raid yet I'm glad we got Anub'Rekhan Must Die! done. Aenara had 434 Frost Emblems and 188 Triumph Emblems so she doesn't really need any, but she only had 2304 emblems towards 2500 Dungeon & Raid Emblems. Sadly, when the quest was turned in, it didn't increment the count. Turns out rewards don't count as it's not looted. *sigh* Not sure I'll get that achievement since emblems will be going away next patch.

Argent'd

Scheme finally got done with the primary Argent Tournament grind. She was so far behind on Exodar reputation I kept her doing the dailies until she had over one hundred Valiant's Seals and almost ninety Champion's Writs. Worked out that I actually had a few too many yet she got it all done:

• Champion of the Alliance
• Champion of the Exodar
• 10 Exalted Reputations
• Exalted Champion of Stormwind
• Exalted Champion of Gnomeregan
• Exalted Champion of Darnassus
• Exalted Champion of Ironforge
• Exalted Champion of Exodar
• Exalted Champion of the Alliance
• Ambassador of the Alliance
• Exalted Argent Champion of the Alliance
• Exalted Champion of the Exodar

Thankfully I had 201 Champion's Seals so the Rogue now has both the Argent Crusader's Tabard and an Argent Pony Bridle for her squire.

Call in the Cavalry!

Did some late night PvP with the guild on Aenara. We usually win a bunch so I had to spend honor as I approached the 75k cap. Still don't want to break up my 2t10 bonus so I decided to grab a Black War Elekk and got Call in the Cavalry done. Hoping the honor grind in Cata isn't too painful as I'll need to get the other four mounts eventually.

Wasn't So Dark

Finished up the Ulduar achievement run from two weeks ago. We only had to drop Yogg-Saron left—who I'd never seen let alone killed. Went through the exhaustive tactics writeup on the Wiki so I felt confident, though I still watched Cassette's and TankSpots ten-man videos. Took four attempts with twenty-two people yet it felt a lot smoother than General Vezax.

Since Aenara hasn't done much Ulduar there was quite a number of achievements that scrolled by:

• Glory of the Ulduar Raider (25 player)
• One Light in the Darkness (25 player)
• Two Lights in the Darkness (25 player)
• Three Lights in the Darkness (25 player)
• The Descent into Madness (25 player)
• The Secrets of Ulduar (25 player)

Actually would have used Show of Faith for healing yet a pally beat me out. Took home Soulscribe as a memento. Of course the real pay off was the Ironbound Proto-Drake. I'm finding I like it more than the Icebound Frostbrood Vanquisher.

Classic Cenarion!

Magmadar finally gave up a pair of Cenarion Leggings so Aenara was able to complete her tier one Cenarion Raiment set! It looks so corny and I love it.

Finally got enough trash killed to move the druid into Revered so she turned in Hands of the Enemy and completed The Fifth Element. Looks like she and Sloosh will be the only toons to earn that Feat of Strength.

Meow Someday

Aenara continues to gather Feral gear. In this lockout she picked up Frostbitten Fur Boots along with Aldriana's Gloves of Secrecy. With Cataclysm so close I'm not sure I'll really get a chance to use any of it. *sigh*

Pay Attention

Heading towards the Netherwing questing hub I passed over the green lava near Eclipse Point. My mouse happened over a Felfire Diemetradon and the tooltip said they can drop Fel Glands for A Slow Death. *facepalm* I was under the impression that only Greater Felfire Diemetradons would drop them. Guess it will be easier doing that quest here on out as the pools at [46/61] are crawling.