The Shadow

Really enjoying the Priestly DPS. Got the official invite to Aequitas tonight which I'm excited about. They've just gotten to Mother and will be attempting the Council shortly. It's been very stressful to getting Shadow Resist farming done along with building a respectible DPS set. It's coming together though and should be contributing meaningfully within a month.



Really liking the look, too. I put together 100 badges on Tuesday and decided to go for the Robe since it was the biggest upgrade. Naturally Gorefiend dropped the Shadow Council tonight and none of the other casters were interested. *sigh* Technically not a strong upgrade since it just trades +hit for +crit, but I'm very hit capped at the moment. Ironically they have the exact same texture.

Oh well. I knew I should have picked up the Shoes instead. Even then, I'm probably not going to be able to avoid doing Shadoweave. The sockets on the Boots are too incredible, and the shoulders would be a significant boost. Once I do that though my healing gear is ravaged. Oh well. Tired of healing anyway.

Some More Health

Shadowshot managed to get in one game before RL got in the way. It was all about farming mid-field until the Horde started with some Defense on the final capture. So down I went for the grab. The run back went pretty well despite being under 1k health still. Sat atop the base at my favorite spot when some level 11 druid got friendly:



Took a few minutes before the mid-field finally rallied to return our flag. Managed to get down for the final cap a few feet ahead of a too-slow Rogue. Even with cooling my heels for the last five minutes of the game, I was still top in damage and tied for top kills.



The most delicious moment was squaring off with Shadowcurse near the Alliance tunnel entry. It was obvious that he out-geared me yet I saw him first so up went Hunter's Mark. He was too close for a Charge yet I got the Wing Clip in early. Poor guy must have been so pissed as we bouncy-jousted; I was two-thirds health when I looted his corpse. *evil lol*

After RL, got a few more games. All three that Shadowshot got in were already in progress with the Horde in the lead. *sigh* Decided to another Deadmines run in before heading to bed—for another goddam Cape of the Brotherhood. *sigh x2* This has been the hardest character to gear, but I won't relent until he's wearing Blackened Defias Armor.

Finally got Aenara to attach the Clefthide Leg Armor to some Dark Leather Pants this morning so the Hunter's Health went from 948 to 1168 unbuffed. She can't make Nethercleft Leg Armor yet because she doens't have the Cenarion Rep. Might have to ask a friend because I'm sure it's insanely priced in the AH. Still have no bracers on so I must get that taken care of tonight.

First Night of Killing

Had a pretty good run for a few hours last night. At 18 I'm still using the Hand of Argus Crossfire so my DPS isn't that great. I don't have anything enchanted yet so I'm around 750 Health unbuffed. And I've only been using the 140-180 Lesser Healing Potions. Yet I managed to joust a number of people, making some enemies in the process. I was laughing out loud constantly at Warriors who had no hope. Or constantly refreshing Hunter's Mark on Rogues that ganked me only to find them once I rezzed.

The first game out I went for kills and damage. Ended up second in kills and third in damage despite my gear! That game I also found a Hunter to inspire me: Lolwingclip. She had top in kills and damage plus she's on my server. Just checked on the Armory though and she's not there. Great name though as Wing Clip is the best skill evar. Whenever I'm going to die, everything around me gets some Wing Clip'age. *giggle*

The next five or six games I started playing defense. I park the pig under the balcony, plant an Immolation Trap on the flag, then Shadowmeld somewhere random in the flag room. Usually it's some hot worm who comes charging in with the speed buff. If my concussive shot misses, the pig will usually get them. Then they're Wing Clipped until dead. *lol* In all the games only one uberRogue managed to get past me.

The one class that gave me trouble were Druids. Shifting allows them to drop my speed impediments plus the twinks have a lot of health, so I wasn't taking them down fast enough. But I'd just wait for my Concussive Shot cooldown and recall the pig for another charge. Close in for more Wing Clipping. It was odd but I never saw many Horde pallies, so Blessing of Freedom wasn't a problem. And the druids... well, it's my own damn fault for forgetting that Scare Beast is now instant with a thirty yard range!! *face palm* Things will be different for my fuzzy Druid opponents this evening.

Such good times. Even writing this now I'm laughing about how OP Hunters are in this bracket.

One astonishing discovery I made was getting killed repeatedly by Forgetdps… a Troll Priest wielding the Gravestone Scepter!! Every site I've checked said that BFD quest could not be attained until in the low 20s, but she had it! Naturally she did Wand Specialization for the extra 25% damage and was tearing people apart. Managed to kill her on my third rez with help from a Rogue.

I made another, less exciting, discovery last night. I enjoy starting camp fires while waiting for the gates to open. Still only 41 skill in Cooking and when the fire was lit, I skilled up! I wonder how high lighting fires can take your skill?

Had to add another line item to my “Other” list: Dartol's Rod of Transformation! *doh* Second or third game there was a Priest that used it; I still have that thing on a few of my 70's… can't believe I forgot it! I have to do it quick too because I only have three bubbles left in 18. I did manage to get a Deadmines run in where I picked up an Emberstone Staff but I still need Blackened Defias Armor. If I try for a Leggings of the Fang and a Girdle of the Blindwatcher, it could be a lot of experience.

Still having difficulty deciding on the third pet. The Deviate Viper is so gorgeous and the Poison Spit is amusing. Yet I really want a flyer. The Deviate Dread Fang is really pretty too plus Petopia shows then with a 7% DPS bonus, so I'll probably grab one when the Hunter hits 19. The Boar is really the only pet I must have, so I suppose I could just drop the Ravager. See what happens.

Had to do some Pet Skill research as I've completely ignored picking them up. At 19, I need to have:

• Bite 3: Bloodsnout Worg (16-17, Silverpine Forest); Wood Lurker (17-18, Loch Modan)
• Charge 2: Young Goretusk (12-13, Westfall); Goretusk (14-15, Westfall); Great Goretusk (16-17, Westfall)
• Claw 3: Black Bear Patriarch (16-17, Loch Modan); Shore Crawler (17-18, Westfall); Den Mother (18-19, Darkshore)
• Cower 2: Savannah Patriarch (15-16, The Barrens); Ornery Plainstrider (16-17, The Barrens); Giant Foreststrider (17-19, Darkshore); Moonstalker Sire (17-18, Darkshore)
• Furious Howl 1: Coyote Packleader (11-12, Westfall)
• Gore 3: Great Goretusk (16-17, Westfall)

For tonight, I would like to get the Engineering skilled up for the goggles and another run for the Defias chest. Maybe some enchants. We'll see. Must do more killing. *evil grin*

Hunter Twinking in the Teens

Running with the Lowbies

The teen bracket is definitely fun. There's a lack of bullshit. Without mounts, limited mobilty means shit isn't getting away and even organzied players can't be everywhere at once. No plate armor. Each class has parts of their defining characteristics, but nothing deterministic.

• Druids can't Stealth, cheetah away like pussies, Innervate, or instaUberHeal.
• Hunters can't aim shot, mana drain, flare, feign or move fast.
• Mages can't PoM/Pyro, Ice Block, or Slow.
• Paladins don't have their uber bubble, can't cleanse magic, nor can they DPS.
• Priests miss their serious healing or damage specs, can't Mind Flay, and can't Mind Control.
• Rogues can't double Sprint, nub-Cloak or use Poison.
• Shaman can't dual weild, only have two types of totems, nor can they go wolf, and no goddam Frost Shock!
• Warlocks can't go DoT wild, have no AoE fear, miss out on Nubcoil, and have the semi-useless PvP pets.
• Warriors can't charge if they're in combat nor can they silence.

An extravagently geared character can rock shit hardcore since each class isn't at full strength.

Why a Hunter?

I find Druids and Rogues very formidable in the teen bracket and Warlocks to a degree, yet I observe Hunters constantly dominating. Their ranged damage infrequently misses and does considerable physical damage, which isn't resistable and is hardly mitigated with limited armor ratings. Multishot spreads this to three adjacent targets every ten seconds. Concussive Shot, Wing Clip, and Boar charge are incredible for flag recovery. The Immolation trap is a pleasant surprise for Rogues. With high Agility and Aspect of the Monkey, Mongoose Bite can be mean with a good top-end weapon. Plus the pet's stats scale with the twinking gear… it's like facing two twinks at once!!

Talents for the Hunter were pretty easy to decide on. Under survival, three points went immediately into Hawk Eye for the extra six yards of range. No other class can touch me when I start killing them. The next five points went into Marksmanship's Lethal Shots. This was a debatable expendature since the gear will be making the crit% high already, but it's a solid DPS increase. The final two points went into Beast Mastery's Improved Aspect of the Hawk. The chance to proc is 10% with a twelve second duration regardless, so the two points provide a 6% increase in attack speed. It might be wise to move 3% from crit to push this up to the 15% haste maximum. Casters would die so fast.

Pets

Shadowswine

It's a foregone conclusion that Hunters have a Boar for PvP. They have enhanced Armor, slightly enhanced Health, and decreased DPS. Yet none of that really matters since they are the only pet that has the Charge skill. Picked up a Longsnout since I wanted the black texture to fit into the shadowy stealth concept.

MyFangsUrAss

I really wanted a Dragonhawk but when I snuck into the Undercity, I couldn't click on the transporter to Silvermoon City! Didn't have any Warlock friends to pop the Hunter up to Zul'Aman, so I decided to grab the other BC newbie pet, a Ravager. They have very enhanced DPS, slightly enhanced Armor, and decreased Health. The drop in Health is easily mitigated by my twinked Stamina. Picked up a Ravager Specimen in the Dranei newbie area since there are no dark textures available.

Third Pet: TBD

Shadowshot

Head

( ) Green Tinted Goggles
( ) Lucky Fishing Hat

Neck

( ) Sentinel's Medallion

Shoulders

( ) Serpent's Shoulders

Back

(√) Miner's Cloak
( ) Sentry Cloak

Chest

( ) Blackened Defias Armor
(√) Tunic of Westfall
(√) Armor of the Fang

Wrist

( ) Forest Leather Bracers

Hands

( ) Blackened Defias Gloves
(√) Gloves of the Fang

Waist

(√) Blackened Defias Belt
(√) Belt of the Fang
(√) Deviate Scale Belt
( ) Girdle of the Blindwatcher

Legs

(√) Blackened Defias Leggings
(√) Smelting Pants
( ) Leggings of the Fang
(√) Dark Leather Pants

Feet

(√) Blackened Defias Boots
(√) Footpads of the Fang
(√) Feet of the Lynx

Fingers

(√) Seal of Wrynn
( ) Protector's Band

Trinkets

( ) Insignia of the Alliance
( ) Arena Grand Master

Weapons

(√) Thief's Blade
(√) Buzzer Blade
(√) Tail Spike
( ) Taskmaster Axe
(√) Emberstone Staff
( ) Sentinel's Blade
( ) Protector's Sword
( ) Lorekeeper's Staff
( ) Twisted Chanter's Staff

Ranged

(√) Hand of Argus Crossfire
(√) Venomstrike
( ) Lil Timmy's Peashooter
( ) Outrunner's Bow

Other

(√) 17 Pound Catfish
(√) Chicken Egg
(√) Quiver of the Night Watch
( ) Silverwing Battle Tabard
( ) Dartol's Rod of Transformation

Priestly Talents Refresh

Kevanassa found my old Priest spec notes and got riled up, contesting a few of my assertions. And it's true. I've needed to revisit it for a while. For instance: Mindflay. The novely of being Disc with Mindflay has nearly worn off. Mainly Sloosh would use it while waiting for Fear's 30-second cooldown eon. If a melee was on a fleeing Hennesy she would slow them down. With Hamstring/Crippling/Wing Clip and/or resists, it's not terribly effective. In fact, lately she would resort to Mind Control as it's amusing and effective to break their momentum, throw them off the bridge or move them away from their team mate.

So yeah. It's time to retire my Mindflay Disc spec (48/2/11) so I reviewed some other specs. Started at WoWWiki.

Disc PvP Healer (47/14/0)
A build with increased survivability. Strong buffs, including Pain Suppression and Power Infusion. Mana Burn is the strongest spell to use against opponents if you get caught in a 1v1 situation. A .5 second Mass Dispel, as well as Improved Power Word: Shield, Reflective Shield, and Healing Focus make this a very effective healing build in PvP.

Divine Fury makes no sense to me. In PvP Flash Heals are best for non-instant healing. 1.5 seconds of breathing room is hard to get as it is, but 2.5 seconds is way too long. Inspiration is also of dubious value since the significant boost on cloth is nearly as meaningless as it would be for plate. It might help Feral druids yet that's three points with a pretty narrow use. Those three points should have gone to Blessed Recovery.

How would I fix this build? Give up both DF and Inspiration along with Holy Nova in favor of five points in Mental Agility (Disc is so mana intensive, let's keep those Shields, Prayers of Mending, and Renew cheap!) and a full five points in Silent Resolve. The remaining three points are a tough call. Absolution is nice to make those dispels even cheaper along with lightening the heavy cost off Mass Dispel. The three points would also be useful in Spell Warding to trim off 6% of all spell damage. Personally I would put the final three points in Blackout. Getting a 3 second stun for spamming 23 mana rank 1 Shadow Word: Pain is godly.

The only lingering problem is Enlightenment. On the surface, simultaneously boosting Stamina, Intelligence, and Spirit sounds wondrous. Yet I've read commentary that's convinced me a 5% stat gain for five points is a nominal benefit at best, even with 2.4's changes to Spirit. It would be wise to take two of those points to max Blackout. As above, the remaining three points could go either into Absolution or Spell Warding. With the focus on Disc PvP healing, Absolution makes most sense.

PvP "Face Melter" (17/0/44)
This build is a pure PvP build. The build is only slightly viable for raiding, but in the new arena system, as well as normal PvP, it will truly "melt faces."

Beautiful. I hate losing Shadow Power's +15% crit, but this spec makes perfect sense to me. It's a pity Sloosh never seems to fill a DPS slot.

Common Disc PvP Healer (livelong build) (41/20/0)
This build seems to be the best current build for PvP priest healers as it allows you to take plenty of hits while still doing your job. This build is also the most popular among the 25th and up top rated priests in 2v2 3v3 and 5v5!

Once again a slant towards the big heals with Divine Fury and Improved Healing. While it would be wonderful to have Blessed Recovery, this much Holy makes little sense to me in BGs and even less in Arenas. These points belong back over in Disc for Improved Power Word: Shield and Reflective Shields.

I think the spec would make sense for main healing in a 5v5, yet I see it in 2v2. The 9th 2v2 rated team in my battle group and on my server is actually a Priest and a Warlock. The Priest uses a variant of the livelong build above. But they are Dwarf and Gnome while Hennesy and Sloosh are both Human. Perception doesn't compete with Stoneform and Escape Artist.

Another Priest a few slots down was pretty close to livelong yet he worked in Blessed Recovery and, of all things, Improved Inner Fire; at least he had the shields. Kevanassa mentioned playing with IIF and felt the same way I do—useless. Maybe in the buffed armor of full Vengeful (which he does have) I'd consider it, but I'm still dubious.

My Dwarf Priest is still 59 and it might be worthwhile getting him to 70 to let Sloosh retire from PVP. I would miss the lovely Spirit bonus, but it would be worth losing Feedback and Perception for Stoneform and Chastise while retaining Desperate Prayer. Alliances sucks in BGs so badly I'm not sure I'd have the patience to re-farm all the Vindicator gear. It might work if I kept him in the 59 bracket for a while though. It's less honor but there are a enough Alliance twinks for wins which would mean more tokens/honor in the long run.

Anyway. I'm going to ask Kev for some feedback around this Disc spec (51/5/5). Want to hold onto Blackout and the initial points in Holy. I like the shields and I'm going for Improved Spirit since it helps me and Hennesy (so long as it doesn't get dispelled, heh). In the interim, I have two green gems to replace and a few enchants to get done.

Arena First

Sloosh and Hennesy are still struggling in the 1600s but it finally happened: Druid/Warrior team downed!



Hennesy noted that I was doing unnecessary pole dancing. A Warrior or Rogue pinning me down would follow me out of his LoS so he couldn't assist me. With Nightal on my ass, I parked against the corner of the Ruins of Lordaeron's center obstacle and focused on keeping myself alive while throwing occasional instant heals when Hennesy was in range. After Pain Supression's brief respite I didn't last long, but Erwynn died seconds later. Nightal was at 40% health yet Hennesy managed to finish with 7% health. I cheered rather loudly.

The most amusing fight was when we dipped down to 1596. We were pitted against a dual Frost mage team. I threw Power Infusion on Hennesy then went into full rabbit mode. Got their pets on me in the center of the field then chain dispelled my way to a corner. Pretty sure they didn't get a single Ice Lance crit on me though I was down to 20% health once behind the pillar. Hennesy had them dead seconds later.

Ended the day 5-5 with a 1649 rating. Going to start gearing up Aenara for PvP I guess. Druids are still too powerful with Swiftmended massive heals, Nature's Swiftness of anything, ultra CC, an AoE heal that isn't affected by LoS, a HoT that heals when dispelled, and immunity to polymorph/snare. For me the biggest losses will be Mana Burn and Dispel, but I'm sure I can adjust. I don't think Hennesy is happy about playing a Warrior but it might work out.

First Step in Arathi Basin

Virulence, now 52, decided to try the Arathi Basin daily. Was a little rough as it took ten minutes for the queue to pop and when the game started, we only had four on our team. But, as usual, Horde rocked it. We held four nodes until we had over 1200 resources and Alliance never recovered. *shock* Such a good feeling.

Still pretty frail, Virulence did the usual bait thing. Dot someone up to piss them off then run back to a group. The target usually follows in hopes of insta-killing the clothie but they rarely made it. So much fun. Sadly I'm not used to playing an Undead and would forget to break fears. Yet I did remember to eat nearby corpses. *snicker*

So in less than thirty minutes Virulence had three AB tokens, 100 rep with The Defilers, another 70 silver, and over 400 honor. This is the good life.