Ailis in Hunterland

Ah, gear.  The subject of much controversy and debate and hording and ninjas and raid drama and bragging rights.  Don’t get me wrong, I love new gear as much as the next person.  I also fully stand behind the desire to have great gear with optimal stats for your character.  Stack that AP/Agility/SP/Stamina.

However.

When gear becomes the focal point to the exclusion of everything else, I have an issue.

Gear Without Skill

We’ve all seen it.  People hollering in LFG or Trade looking for raiders with a particular gear score, a specific AP/SP/HP, or whatever.  How many times do those same people stop to think about skill?  I’m sure most of them just figure that if someone meets a certain mark then they know how to play their character, right?  Eh, maybe.

We can all agree that gear is stupid easy to get at the end-game. If you have a bit of cash, time to grind some heroics and get lucky in a Vault run or two, you can be in full purples within a couple of weeks of hitting 80 with your hit/expertise/ap/agi/crit/hp/sp/etc/etc at their optimum levels for your spec.  Two weeks.  Does that mean you know how to raid with your toon properly?  Does that mean you possess the skill and knowledge needed to be a part of a team and you know your proper role in each fight?  Not necessarily and we all have run across “that guy” who doesn’t know the first thing about his toon despite having 3/5 T9.

Skill Without Gear

The flip side of this issue is one that I actually see more of lately and it somewhat saddens me.  Good players thinking they aren’t good enough or they can’t be better because they don’t have “good gear.”  How many times have you run across this?  ”We don’t have the gear for this.” or, even worse, “I don’t have the gear for this.”

We’ve become so conditioned as players to equate great gear with great healing/dps numbers, that anything below that arbitrary bar is seen as not good enough and therefore not worth trying to improve.

Before you protest and say that you DO need great gear to do great things, think about the number 1 or 2 guild on your realm.  The guilds that get the server firsts.  Maybe even the guilds that get the world firsts.  When that guild got your realm’s first downing of Algalon-25, that was, what, 5 weeks or so after Ulduar was released?  Maybe not even that long?  So 25 people (assuming it was the same 25 from start to finish) went through Ulduar-25 5 or so times.  3-4 drops a boss, assuming everyone got really lucky and pieces for main specs actually dropped all the time, you’re looking at the group having 1-3 pieces of Ulduar 25 gear apiece.  Mix that with some crafted pieces, a couple of badge items (this was before heroics dropped Conquest emblems, mind you) and the rest is, remember this, Naxx25 gear.

And they downed Algalon.

Go watch the video for Ensidia’s world first downing.  You will see Warglaives and a Thunderfury.

It’s not all about gear.

I have seen players in a mix of purples and blues pump out more dps than someone in the same spec fully epic’ed out in the latest and greatest.

Skill Trumps Gear

None of this is to say that gear has no place in the measurement of your character’s ability in any given fight.  It is definitely on the list.  But it’s at the bottom of the list.  Skill, attitude, attention, build, glyphs, gems, enchants, THEN gear.

This is something that, as a guild leader, I try to communicate to my raiders when we’re up against something particularly challenging.  It’s easy to get frustrated and say that we can’t do it because of gear level.  ”We can come back after we get some more gear.”

Well, yes, we could.  But will we do better because we upgraded someones chest piece from 232 to 245?

I realize there is a mental component that goes with it.  We equate great gear with great performance, therefore, when we have the gear, we do better inherently.  I want us as players to move past that and move away from it.

Always try to better your raider through research, build tweaking, rotation tweaking, and, yes, even gear.  But, remember, while you will inevitably do better with better gear, don’t forget that you are capable of doing great things with the clothes you have on your back.

This is definitely a topic that has been brewing in my mind for some time now and I’m curious to hear your thoughts on it.  How much importance do you HONESTLY place on gear?

Warcraft is a global phenomenon.  Some may roll their eyes when they hear anything having to do with the game and yet others may immediately start regaling anyone who will listen with tales of raids, rewards and wipes.  WoW has permeated a vast majority of the facets of our culture and has become (intentionally or not) a standard by which other MMOs are measured, an ever-raising bar, and a game that millions of people complain about yet still play relentlessly.

If you ask any WoW player what the game is to them, you will get a wide variety of responses.  It’s a social medium, it’s a place to relax, it’s a place where I don’t have to be so shy, it’s an escape, it’s a challenge, it’s a place to keep in touch with long-distance friends, it’s a place to stretch my creative legs, etc.

The one phrase that will, however, incite some sort of reaction is: “It’s just a game.”

You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who can, with a straight face and total believability, say that and truly, honestly, sincerely mean it.

Monopoly is just a game.  Scrabble is just a game.

Now, I’m not saying that WoW is a new form of life itself (although some may see it as so) but it has transcended the phrase “just a game” into something more – even for the most casual of player.  There is an attachment that grows.  Even people who have left the game for one reason or another will have a story or two they will never forget.

I was thinking about this aspect of the game as I, my husband, and our friends build this guild and attempt to lead it in a fun and fair fashion.  Sometimes you have to, as a leader, take a few steps back and try to see how your guild members see the game.  It’s not just a game to them but what level are they on?  Having this knowledge or, at the very least, attempting to understand this knowledge helps tremendously when it comes time to ask your members to do or not do something.  How will they react if you ask them to save a certain Raid ID for a guild run and then the guild, due to unforeseen circumstances, doesn’t get to go?  Does any potentially negative reaction keep you from asking in the first place?

In our guild, no.  We ask, and then if something happens, we deal with it as best we can.  But some guild leaders may hesitate.  There is a fine line between playing WoW to have fun and playing WoW because your guild is a job.  Some leaders may not want to turn the guild into a job for any of their members – do this, this and that; but don’t do that, that or this – because they fear that they will be seen as dictatorial.

Honestly, you’re going to be seen that way by at least one person any time you make any rule that someone doesn’t agree with.  My advice?  Make your rules but keep them simple, succinct and easy to follow.  And keep the list to a minimum.

WoW is more than a game to most everyone who plays it, even on the smallest level.  As a guild leader, figuring out what level(s) your members are on is key in effectively and fairly running a guild; and making sure that you have the right members in your guild.

Shaman

• T10 Elemental Relic (Shocks) – Your Earth Shock, Flame Shock, and Frost Shock spells grant 73 haste rating for 15 sec.  Stacks up to 3 times.
• T10 Enhancement Relic (Stormstrike) – Your Stormstrike ability grant 146 attack power rating for 15 sec. Stacks up to 3 times.
• T10 Restoration Relic (Riptide) – Your Riptide spell grants 85 spell power for 15 sec. Stacks up to 3 times.
• Reincarnation: The cooldown on this spell has been lowered from 60 minutes down to 30 minutes (Improved Reincarnation will continue to lower the cooldown by 10/20 minutes).

/dies

3.3 is coming.

I would venture pretty soon based on the amount of information we already have and the speed with which new information is being released.

My guess?  Before Thanksgiving.

Anyway, let’s talk changes, shall we?

Classes: General

• Default Equipment: Starting weapons are now more uniform. Rogues now start with a pair of daggers equipped. All other classes except shamans start with a 2-handed weapon equipped and the required skill already known. Shamans start with a 1-handed weapon and a shield, as they benefit more from the shield than they would from a 2-handed weapon.
• Health and Mana Regeneration: These regeneration rates have been increased by up to 200% for low level characters. As a player’s level increases, the regeneration rates gradually reduce, returning to normal rates at level 15.
• Spell Mana Costs: These costs have been reduced for almost all lower level spell ranks. In general, if a spell decreased in cost with a higher level rank in patch 3.2.0, that spell now has the decreased cost at all ranks. In addition, spells learned before level 20 with reduced cast times and/or durations have even further reduced mana costs, proportionate to their reduction in cast time or damage.

Races: General

• Orc and troll shamans now have their own unique totem art.
• Racial Attribute Bonuses: These bonuses have been recalibrated to even out the amount of starting health on the various races. All races start with a standardized level of stamina, except for orcs, dwarves, and tauren who now start with 1 extra point of stamina. For each class, bonuses and penalties to all attributes have been adjusted so that each race has an equal attribute total.

Shamans

• Fire Nova Totem: This totem has been replaced with a new spell, Fire Nova, which is available at the same ranks as the old Fire Nova Totem. Existing characters will automatically learn this new spell in place of the totem. With a Fire Totem active, shamans will be able to use Fire Nova (fire magic) to emit the same area-of-effect damage as the old Fire Nova Totem from the active Fire Totem, not consuming the totem in the process. Fire Nova will activate a 1.5-second global cooldown when used and has a 10-second spell cooldown. The caster must be within 30 yards of the totem to use this ability, but does not need to be within line of sight of the totem.
• Talents
  • Elemental Combat
    • Improved Fire Nova Totem: Renamed Improved Fire Nova. This talent now provides an additional 10/20% damage to the spell and reduces the cooldown by 2/4 seconds.

Items

• Glyphs
  • Shamans
    • Glyph of Fire Nova Totem: Renamed Glyph of Fire Nova. This glyph now reduces the cooldown of Fire Nova by 3 seconds.

And just released (so therefore subject to many, many changes…):

• Item – Shaman T10 Restoration 2P Bonus – Your Riptide spell grants 20% spell haste for your next spellcast.
• Item – Shaman T10 Restoration 4P Bonus – Your Chain Heal critical strikes cause the target to heal for 25% of the healed amount over until cancelled.
• Item – Shaman T10 Elemental 2P Bonus – Your Lightning Bolt spell reduces the remaining cooldown on your Elemental Mastery talent by 1 sec.
• Item – Shaman T10 Elemental 4P Bonus – The cooldown on your Lava Burst ability is reduced by 15 sec.
• Item – Shaman T10 Enhancement 2P Bonus – When you activate your Shamanistic Rage ability you also deal 12% additional damage for 15 sec.
• Item – Shaman T10 Enhancement 4P Bonus – Each time the beneficial effect of your Maelstrom Weapon talent reaches 5 charges, you have a 15% chance to gain 20% attack power for 10 sec.

Breakdown

Well, that certainly is a lot going on.  Add to that the new Icecrown Heroics and Raid instance plus all emblems are being upgraded again (All emblems of Conquest drops are now Triumph drops and the new instance drops Emblems of Frost) and you have a solid packed patch that will, hopefully, keep us busy enough until Cataclysm releases.

The large majority of the general changes are next in a long line of changes designed to make leveling faster and easier.  With Cataclysm being released next year and the introduction of Worgens and Goblins plus the re-mapping of Azeroth, you’re going to have a lot of people re-rolling in starting zones.  So, Blizzard is making it easier for those of us with multiple max-level characters to start from 1 again.

Totem art. It’s about damn time.  Granted, I play Alliance, so my totems have always been unique but I’ve never ceased to find it odd that all Horde totems look the same.  Now, each race will have totems unique to their race.  Currently available pictures are Dwarf, Troll and Orc.  Goblin totems still unavailable (and probably for quite some time, honestly).

Fire Nova Totem. Shamans: “We don’t have AoE!”  Blizzard: “You do now.”  I haven’t been on the PTR to test this out but it sounds ridiculously fun and I wonder what the effect is with pairing it with Magma Totem.  Something tells me this is no comparison to a Mage’s Blizzard or a Druid’s Hurricane, but it adds another level of DPS to any Shaman tree.  This can be an “oh shit” button for Resto Shamans and a way to help with mobs (whelps anyone?) for both Elemental and Enhancement Shamans.

Set Bonuses. Okay, an Enhancement set bonus I can get behind.  I still cringe a little when I look at the current Tier 9 bonus especially compared to the awesome that is the Tier 8 bonus.  Tier 10 seems to make up for Tier 9 in that both bonuses focus on one of our most important stats – Attack Power.  With the reduction in CD on Shamanistic Rage in the last patch from 2 minutes to 1 minute, with the T10 2P bonus, you will have an extra 12% damage every 60 seconds.  Add to that the constant MW procs now potentially giving you 20% more AP, Enhancement Shamans are going to see higher instances of burst damage in a full T10 set.

Let’s just hope the design is something I can get behind as well.