Jul
03
2009

Recommended Reading

While scanning the WoW headlines over at DailyRadar.com, I saw one that really caught my attention from World of Matticus. It was the second part in a two part series about MMO gaming addiction, particularly World of Warcraft. The post is entitled, "Online Gaming Addiction Part 2 - Signs and Symptoms". The story was written by guest poster Professor Beej, who happens to actually be a College Professor.

Upon seeing the headline, I had immediately thought, "oh no... Matticus has gone BRK on us". Although quitting WoW isn't necessarily a bad thing, often times it is associated with a negative impact on a person's real life. Thankfully, it appears Matticus is simply trying to enlighten his readers and possibly try to reach some of them before it adversely affects their personal lives. Essentially, that's what my intention is by linking these posts.

I think everyone should take a few minutes out to read what ProfessorBeej has to say, even if you don't think you are at all addicted to the game. What you read may be surprising. You just may be able to relate to some of the things he has to say.

Here's a little bit of my own experience with gaming addiction (namely WoW addiction) that you may want to read as well...

I was most definitely addicted to this game early on, so I found ProfessorBeej's personal accounts of WoW addiction to be very similar to some of the feelings and behavioral patterns I'd expressed early in my WoW "career" as it were. Although I wasn't as addicted or attached to the World of Azeroth as other admitted WoW addicts, I was pretty addicted nonetheless. Read More »

By Garwulf | Posted in Hunter Discussion, Ramblings | Comments (0)
Jul
03
2009

Horde Hunter T9 Preview

MMO-Champion posted a sneak peek at some more of the T9 armor sets coming in Patch 3.2, including the Horde version of the T9 Hunter set. PvE Hunter sets never seem to disappoint looks-wise. T9's no exception. Here's a preview:

Horde Hunter T9

Official Blue Post:

In patch 3.2, Call of the Crusade, players will be able to work toward the all-new tier-9 class sets by competing in the Crusaders' Coliseum. To keep with the themes of the Argent Tournament, players will notice this time around that the Horde and Alliance have unique looks to distinguish them apart.

Visit MMO Champion to preview some of the other T9 sets such as the wicked looking Alliance cloth T9. I'm really liking the Mage set for some reason.

By Garwulf | Posted in Dungeon Discussion, Hunter Discussion | Comments (0)
Jul
03
2009

I’m Pretty Good At Pushing Buttons

This blog isn't about raiding and it certainly isn't about theorycrafting. What it is intended for is to share news, stories and advice about about a class I am passionate about, within a game I enjoy.

However... just because I'm a freak for rare pets and choose to spend my time talking about taming Spirit Beasts as opposed to arguing about Armor Penetration vs. Attack Power, that doesn't mean I'm a lightweight when it comes to button pushing. No siree... I can push buttons with the best of 'em.

I'm not a spreadsheet guy, nor am I a go-with-the-cookie-cutter-highest-dps-spec sort of Hunter. I have always played the spec I enjoy, placing more emphasis on having fun and being comfortable with the play-style, rather than going for the uber damage build. Coincidentally, the spec I enjoy raiding with right now also happens to be a top DPS spec as well. Bonus. ;)

I'm a Beast Mastery Hunter at heart - always have been and always will be. Presently, I raid as MM because it's in the best interest of my guild (being that I'm usually the only Hunter in our raids), but I really would like to raid as BM again. Perhaps when our pets get buffed a bit more, or our guild secures another Hunter, I will go back to Beast Mastery for PvE.

Prior to the dual specializations, I always raided as Beast Mastery. Even though I was sometimes shown up ("owned" may be a better way to put it) by well geared and skilled SV and/or MM Hunters, I really liked the plight of the underdog. It was always fun for me to try and prove that my beloved spec was fully capable in the right hands, even though it was statistically inferior.

I really enjoy the Hunter class as a whole, but I've always been partial to the Beast Mastery tree, almost as if it were another class unto itself. I've flirted with Marksman over the years, only from a PvP standpoint, but I've never really been interested in the Survival tree. That may put some of you off, but I'm just keepin' it real. I am a Hunter, but I consider myself a Beast Mastery Hunter first and foremost. I've always played the spec I enjoy as opposed to going with the supposed top damage spec at the time.

While I do like to make my name go higher up on the bar graph thingy... I just don't see that as a priority in my WoW experience. The following list serves as a quick example of my in-game priorities, and/or things I find most enjoyable about WoW.

  1. Taming rare pets
  2. PvP achievements
  3. Raid progression
  4. Loots
  5. Topping DPS meter
  6. Leveling fishing

With that said, although this blog doesn't tend to delve too deeply into DPS theorycrafting and the like, that doesn't mean I don't know what the hell I'm doing. If you have any questions concerning specs, shot priorities, gear, enchants, or any other BS, please fire way.

While I try to reply to each and every comment that's posted here, provided it's in the form of a question, the forums are the ideal place to inquire about furthering your Huntering abilities.

Anyhow... after a two month break, I've been pretty happy to get the opportunity to raid again. My wife and son went out of town for a week, so that's left daddy with more time to work during the day and play at night. Since my last raid, which was about two months ago, our guild's picked up a lot of new members. After a lengthy rebuilding period, we are just now finally able to start fielding 25 mans again. The future for Clan Destined is looking bright indeed.

I'll end tonight's post with a souvenir from tonight's raid. Here's some Marksman-Hunter-Patchwerk-Face-Melting at it's finest. Our Death Knight always hates it when I beat him too. Especially by a c**k hair as he would put it. ;)

Marksman Hunter DPS on Heroic Naxx Patchwerk

I don't mean to brag (well... maybe I do), but I'm guessing that's pretty respectable for a casual raider in ilvl 200-213s. Not to mention I forgot to blow my Rapid Fire at the end of the fight, which may have had me breeching the 5.7k mark. Not only am I a noob... I'm a rusty noob. I'll try to do better next time. ;)

On Sunday we're finishing up the run, with only Thaddius, Saph and KT left to down. Oh how I'd love to get my mitts on that boomstick.

I'll keep you posted.

By Garwulf | Posted in Dungeon Discussion, Hunter Discussion, Ramblings | Tagged , , | Comments (4)
Jul
02
2009

A Casual Raiding Guild

That's what we refer to ourselves as anyway. At three years of age, our guild is officially one of, if not the oldest Alliance guilds on our server. Our premise has always been quality over quantity, which has perhaps stifled our progression a bit, yet on the other hand has strengthened our identity and increased our longevity.

Although we're a "casual raiding guild" it doesn't necessarily mean we're a bunch of ninnies. We're 7 bosses deep in Ulduar and our progression team is definitely business.

For us, the term "casual" means that we only raid 2-4 nights per week, and our raids are considered a "fun" organized group activity. Although we try to encourage preparedness and punctuality, we don't bust anyone's balls too bad if they're a bit late for a raid or show up without flasks. After all... this is a game. Am I right..?

Anyway, we celebrated our three year anniversary party last week, but sadly I was unable to make it due to my most untimely computer troubles. Considering I was the first member of our guild to sign the charter back in '06, I was pretty sad in the pants about missing our guild bash.

If you have a few minutes to spare and want a glimpse into the wacky world of Clan Destined, then peep this here video that our GM made of the crazy hijinks from our 3 year anniversary party.

Enjoy.

 

I'm not sure what sort of soundtrack he put to the video, but YouTube muted the audio due to copyright protection. Without any background music, the video is definitely dulled down a bit, but with a little musical improvization, that can be quickly remedied. Just throw some Kool and the Gang or Ohio Players on your turntable and you'll be good to go.

By the way... if you're looking for a new server community and a fun guild, then give Clan Destined of Kul Tiras a consideration. Simply put...

we rock.

By Garwulf | Posted in Random | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)
Jul
02
2009

The Hunt Is On

The Hunt for Skoll

Since finding out about Skoll, the new wolf-model Spirit Beast being added in patch 3.2, I have made it a point to tame this guy. I've not been spending too much time camping him, but I have been been logging in to the PTR at various times throughout the day checking the two known spawn locations.

Mostly I've been parked at the location in the Foot Steppes which was the taming spot featured in the popular taming video. About every third or fourth time I log in, I'll mount up and take a quick patrol through the Snowdrift Plains. I'm not spending too much time with it, since it's not on the live realms, but I would like to see him first hand before 3.2 hits.

I really don't need a second Spirit Beast, and I certainly don't intend on ditching Loque in favor of Skoll, but I am intrigued by this new pet model. More than anything though, I just want to tame Skoll and play with him for a bit on the PTR. That way when patch 3.2 goes live I won't have the urge to ditch one of my beloved pets in order to go after this new flavor of the month. Now granted he is a whole new model of Spirit Beast, and a wolf to boot, he's still a Spirit Beast.

As it is now, I hardly ever take Loque'nahak out of the stable. These days I usually have either my Grimtotem Spirit Guide out if I'm raiding, and either my worm or Chimera the rest of the time when I'm specced BM. Sometimes I like to pull King Krush out just because he's, well... he's KING KRUSH! Plus he likes to come with me to battlegrounds now and then to chomp on some Hordies. ;) It's been nearly five months since I'd tamed him, and I still have yet to see another Hunter with him in-game. Now that's a rare pet Imo!

I really only have one pet I'd even consider dumping in favor of Skoll, and that'd be my worm. Now granted I love my worm for PvP and I'd be a fool to abandon him, I have been known to make spontaneous and whimsical decisions based upon "fun factor". We'll just have to see how cool looking this Skoll really is...

Anyone else looking for him, or had any luck finding and/or taming him on the PTR? Has anyone found him at other spawn locations aside from the one in the Foot Steppes or the Snowdrift Planes?

More on this later, with hopefully some screenshots and a taming video to follow. Wish me luck. :D

By Garwulf | Posted in Hunter Discussion | Tagged , , | Comments (2)
Jun
29
2009

Deterrence Now Deflects From Behind!

Well that's good news... for PvP Hunters at least.

Deterrence is not only getting a new spell animation, but it's also going to act like even more of a Hunter bubble.

Official Patch 3.2 PTR Notes on Deterrence

  • Deterrence: This ability now allows the hunter to parry spells and attacks from behind as well as in front. Now has a new visual spell effect.

This will help us to create a little more distance in PvP by not having to constantly be facing our target. A small improvement, but an improvement nonetheless.

Plus, we still get that new cool spell animation to look at just before we die. :D

By Garwulf | Posted in Hunter Discussion | Tagged , | Comments (4)
Jun
29
2009

New T9 Hunter Set Bonuses

These are interesting buffs. I like them more than the previous bonuses, but I'm still not totally impressed. I wonder what the refresh rate is for the pet AP buff? If it's anything like an IAotH proc, then this could be pretty nice.

I'm also assuming that the new boss encounters must be pretty pet friendly, because otherwise the 4pc bonus is totally useless.

Hunter T9 Armor Set Bonus Revisions

  • The damage done by your Serpent Sting ability can now be critical strikes.
  • Each time you hit with a ranged attack, you have a chance to grant your pet 600 attack power for 15 sec.

I'm happy they've at least gotten away from the pet focus buff, although I'd rather see the AP buff go to the Hunter instead of the pet. Maybe drop it to 400RAP or something.

Right now these bonuses look pretty Marksman friendly. MM Hunters will have higher Serpent Sting ticks than the other specs, plus the pet's AP boost will get a little bump from Trueshot Aura.

BM will see some nice gains from these bonuses as well, but I have a feeling that the Serpent Sting crits will occur at a much higher rate than the pet AP buff.

By Garwulf | Posted in Hunter Discussion | Tagged , | Comments (4)
Jun
29
2009

SKOLL!

Skoll, the new Spirit Beast in Patch 3.2

Please excuse my cheesy Strongbadian heavy metal moniker of this new Spirit Beast. I am a little sleep deprived at the moment and feeling a bit loopy.

I had a feeling that Blizzard wasn't going to limit the Spirit Beast models to cats only. While my preference was for a black worg with a red aura, this incredibly awesome looking blue wolf with an electrifying aura will do nicely. ;)

Holy crap that thing is cool looking..!

This new Spirit Beast was recently spotted on the 3.2 PTR. His name is Skoll, and he can be found lurking in the Storm Peaks. Skoll is a neutral mob just like Loque'nahak and Gondria, so be on the lookout for the yellow dot on your mini-map if you happen to be looking on the ptr. He is of course an exotic pet, so only Hunters with the 51 point Beast mastery talent will be able to tame him.

Skoll, an exotic Beast Mastery pet in 3.2

According to a few of the Hunters that have tamed him, Skoll can be found on the Snowdrift plains and in the Foot Steppes. Both of those locations are also known spawn areas for the Time-Lost Proto Drake, so I imagine getting this guy won't be all that easy. I'm sure more locations will be known in the next few days, so count on me posting a map once more locations are verified and confirmed.

He possesses the same abilities, Prowl and Spirit Strike, as the other two Spirit Beasts. I'm not sure yet what his howl or growl emotes sound like, but I'll be sure to find out. I am downloading the 3.2 patch as we speak. :D

I won't be able to patrol for him until maybe later tomorrow, but I am making a point to acquire this guy on the public test realm. I want to tame him before the patch goes live so that I can get it out of my system before I go and abandon one of my prized pets. The last thing I need is another Ferocity pet, especially an exotic one.

Christ... I'm gonna end up abandoning my worm for this stupid thing, I just know it. More stable slots please!!!

Skoll has Spirit Strike and Prowl abilities.

View more screenshots of this incredible new Spirit Beast discovery here. More breaking news on this amazing new exotic pet over at Mania's Blog.

By Garwulf | Posted in Hunter Discussion, Hunter Pets | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (13)
Jun
28
2009

Hunter Season 7 Arena Armor

Hunter Season 7 Arena ArmorMMO Champion posted a sneak peek at some of the upcoming Season 7 Arena sets coming in 3.2. Here's an early look at part of the Hunter Season 7 Arena PvP set coming in the next patch.

This is a really early look, so the model is missing the helm and shoulders which have yet to be finalized. Since the helm and shoulders are usually the most eye-catching of all the pieces, it's a little difficult to get a clear cut idea of how awesome this set will look, but here ya go anyway.

Also, it's worth mentioning again that this and the other newer Season 7 Arena rewards will only be available to 3v3 and 5v5 teams. Other than obtaining a title or going after season 6 items, there will be no reason to queue for 2v2. At least that's the way I understand it. Blizzard decided to quit trying to balance 2v2 arena, and instead elected to kill it off slowly.

While I do enjoy 3v3 arena (5v5 can be fun, but is a little too chaotic for my tastes), this change is going to be rough on casual PvPers and those that have a harder time scheduling 3v3 and 5v5 matches, like myself. Guess I'd better be on the lookout for some fellow night owl PvPers. :-|  

I imagine the new boss in VoA will be dropping these pieces as well, but I haven't heard for sure yet. I'll post another screenshot of the complete set when it's made available.

By Garwulf | Posted in Hunter Discussion, PvP Discussion | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)
Jun
28
2009

Tier 9 Hunter Armor Set Bonuses

Tier 9 Hunter Armor Stats

  • (2) Set: Reduces the focus cost of your pet's abilities by 50%.
  • (4) Set: Increases the critical strike chance of your Steady Shot ability by 5%.

What do you think of the Tier 9 Hunter set bonuses? I think they're interesting, but I'd still prefer to see something along the lines of a straight AP buff and pet damage boost. The reduced pet focus buff would almost be more aptly placed upon PvP gear and the Steady Shot buff looks a bit lackluster as far as Survival is concerned.

My initial thought was that the bonuses would be most beneficial to BM Hunters, which is ironic considering they are the least represented in raids. However, after thinking about it a bit more, I think MM and SV Hunters have more to gain from it. It could allow for MM and SV Hunters to drop the point in GftT and put it elsewhere. I don't necessarily think that this buff is better than one point in GftT, but both would be overkill IMO.

The reduced pet focus cost would merit dropping Bestial Discipline, and allow for talent point placement elsewhere. But... the way the BM tree is structured right now, there is really no way to take advantage of that from a DPS improving standpoint. If this buff were to allow BM Hunters to reapportion points from Bestial Discipline into a DPS boosting talent, this buff would be money. Right now I feel it's a little meh.

The T9 4 pc Steady Shot buff straight up rocks for BM Hunters. The synergy with 3/3 Cobra Strikes is indeed juicy. For Marksman Hunters it looks to be a decent bonus, but for SV Hunters who use this shot the least and who have fewer synergies with Steady Shot, it seems a little weak.

What do you guys think? You like these bonuses or do you think we're getting hosed again compared to some of the other classes' set buffs?

/discuss

By Garwulf | Posted in Hunter Discussion | Tagged , | Comments (7)