WotLK News

[b0lg]

Ask and Thou shall receive, behold what may be a F69 WotLK beta server. Now only if I could find time to set it up. Who needs sleep anyway....

[bl00k]

holy awesomeness!!!! that would be sweet man!

[Mathazar]

Me love you long time.

[Mathazar]

Blue Post on the future of Tanking

Threads have popped up in several class forums that seem to be converging on a few of the same issues. So rather than cross-posting a lot, I thought I would start a new thread.

Tanking design:

1) Our goal in Lich King is for all 4 tanking classes to be viable.

2) We would like for tanking to be a little more fun. I’m going to leave this vague on purpose, but it is definitely a concern.

3) In 5-player instances, most warriors, druids, paladins and death knights should be effective tanks. The healing specs may have a harder time than the dps specs. Arms wariors, Fury warriors, Ret paladins, Ferals and most DKs should do fine.

4) In 5-player heroics, the expectation is that the tank has a heavy investment in tanking talents and appropriate gear. Arms warriors might have trouble tanking a heroic unless they overgear the instance.

5) For raids, we want all 4 tank classes to be viable. If your group has e.g. a Prot paladin and Feral druid as main tanks with appropriate gear and reasonable skill, you should be good to go.

6) This is a shift in philosophy for us. Previously, we sometimes tried to steer Ferals as being better off tanks than main tanks. We also expected specific classes to appear in the raid. Our new assumption is that you might have any of the 4 tanking classes as a tank. We are trying to achieve as much parity as we can among the 4 tanks without making them too similar. If nearly all guilds want the same class as their MT, we’ve failed.

7) This is a big one: the game isn’t finished. We aren’t spending too much effort yet to make sure mitigation, threat and tools are similar across the 4 classes at level 80 in blue or purple gear. Likewise, your talent trees and core abilities aren’t finished. Tanking (and PvP) need to have a lot of other pieces of the game in place before we can really get the numbers right. It’s fine (useful even) to point out when you feel a particular ability, talent, class or build is too good or not good enough. But please don’t infer the work in progress as a reflection of our intent. If we end up changing our minds or if things don’t work out, it will be posted here.

8 There are a lot of changes in Lich King that change tanking and raiding in general. I won’t list them all out here, but keep in mind things like itemization changes, widespread raid buffs, consumables, UI changes, etc. Just keep them in mind. We’re not in Tempest Keep anymore.

[bl00k]

I don't see Disc Priest listed as a viable tank. Power word Shield and Inner Fire and GTG!!!

[b0lg]

The new rank of Inner Fire gives you a +spell power buff as well!

[b0lg]

Also this whole chaning the +healing and +spell damage is stupid. Now it's just +healing spell power and +spell power. What's the point?

[Mathazar]

I'm not looking forward to the revamp of stats again. It sucked in BC too. It's part of the reason I'm thinking of switching mains. Atleast with a new char and class to focus on I won't be lamenting how my Lock used to work.

[bl00k]

We missed the BC chaos and changes. Guess we have a second chance to experience it.

[b0lg]

Here is a list of mats Herbalist may want to start stock piling for WotLK. You can use them to make gold or to level your own toon in inscriptions! Keep an eye out for a good leveling guide so we know how much may be needed for leveling!

# Inscription 1: Earthroot, Peacebloom, Silverleaf.
# Inscription 25: Briarthorn, Swiftthistle, Bruiseweed.
# Inscription 75: Wild Steelbloom, Grave Moss, Kingsblood, Liferoot.
# Inscription 125: Fadeleaf, Goldthorn, Khadgar's Whisker, Wintersbite.
# Inscription 175: Firebloom, Purple Lotus, Arthas' Tears, Sungrass, Blindweed, Ghost Mushroom.
# Inscription 225: Golden Sansam, Dreamfoil, Mountain Silversage, Plaguebloom, Icecap.
# Inscription 275: Dreaming Glory, Felweed, Terocone, Ragveil, Flame Cap, Ancient Lichen, Mana Thistle, Netherbloom, Nightmare Vine (All Outland herbs).
# Inscription 325: Adder's Tongue, Goldclover, Tiger Lily, Lichbloom, Icethorn, Talandra's Rose (All Northrend herbs).

[bl00k]

OH yeah! There will be a AH boom! Good thinking Bolg! Does inscription use any enchanting mats?

[b0lg]

Some of them do, but there is not a good list yet! I'll keep posting what I find...

[Mathazar]

Green post on WotLK

[Jackdruid]

"Q u o t e:
Major glyphs will be effective in combat - adding damage over time or stun to a physical attack, for example - while minor glyphs will give convenient or cosmetic improvements, removing the need for some spell reagents. Like jewels and enchants, they'll be useful to every player; unlike enchants, they can be sold on the auction house, and indeed plans are afoot to allow enchanters to use auctions to sell their wares as well."

[Mathazar]

"and indeed plans are afoot to allow enchanters to use auctions to sell their wares as well."

This isn't good for Enchanters imho. Currently we can make money at max skill. Not much, but some. Currently you offer to do an enchant for tips if the person brings the mats. You're out of pocket nothing, and up 5 or 10 gold in most cases. The time spent is a bit of a pain. But the real profit is in selling the mats on the AH.

With this change we become like every other profession. You make something with mats out of your pocket and place it on the AH, someone else under cuts you and you lose you deposit (I'm betting we'll have to play by the same rules as everyone else if this goes live). Most enchants go the route of my other player made items, the price is less than the cost of mats and almost no one is making any money.

The upside I see is mailing premade enchants to alt's on the same account.