Comments on: Pre-Wrath Lich King Content Patch http://egotisticalpriest.com/2008/08/pre-wrath-lich-king-content-patch/ A World of Warcraft Blog Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:09:09 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Iratio http://egotisticalpriest.com/2008/08/pre-wrath-lich-king-content-patch/comment-page-1/#comment-3615 Iratio Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:51:34 +0000 http://egotisticalpriest.com/?p=359#comment-3615 QQ tangent: A lot of people cry for free re-spec when talent trees change. I want to QQ over being stuck with a dwarf priest after they nerfed a racial ability (fear ward) - how about a free race change (to human for spirit bonus)? QQ tangent:

A lot of people cry for free re-spec when talent trees change. I want to QQ over being stuck with a dwarf priest after they nerfed a racial ability (fear ward) – how about a free race change (to human for spirit bonus)?

]]> By: Iratio http://egotisticalpriest.com/2008/08/pre-wrath-lich-king-content-patch/comment-page-1/#comment-3614 Iratio Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:47:22 +0000 http://egotisticalpriest.com/?p=359#comment-3614 I haven't seen anyone guess that the talent trees would still only go upto 41 points. Still a guess, but given the concerns over the talent trees in beta I've read, this would make sense. I haven’t seen anyone guess that the talent trees would still only go upto 41 points.

Still a guess, but given the concerns over the talent trees in beta I’ve read, this would make sense.

]]> By: Xtian http://egotisticalpriest.com/2008/08/pre-wrath-lich-king-content-patch/comment-page-1/#comment-3613 Xtian Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:36:19 +0000 http://egotisticalpriest.com/?p=359#comment-3613 To be honest, I'm sure Blizzard realizes the issue with not updating current 70 raid bosses though. And they're not going to implement changes that will make raiding harder right now. If people can't raid now, where are they going to go until WotLK? Not farming primals, that's for sure. With WAR on the horizon, the open beta test only a week away and launch day less than a month away, Blizzard won't implement changes that will deny their players content to run, lest they risk losing players permanently. My guess is that current raid bosses will get recoded. To be honest, I’m sure Blizzard realizes the issue with not updating current 70 raid bosses though. And they’re not going to implement changes that will make raiding harder right now. If people can’t raid now, where are they going to go until WotLK? Not farming primals, that’s for sure. With WAR on the horizon, the open beta test only a week away and launch day less than a month away, Blizzard won’t implement changes that will deny their players content to run, lest they risk losing players permanently. My guess is that current raid bosses will get recoded.

]]> By: Ithilien http://egotisticalpriest.com/2008/08/pre-wrath-lich-king-content-patch/comment-page-1/#comment-3612 Ithilien Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:14:47 +0000 http://egotisticalpriest.com/?p=359#comment-3612 What Xtian said. This isn't us worrying about level 80 content. By the time we get to the first raid instances at 80, most issues will have been balanced out and all we'll have to wait for are the inevitable nerfs because bosses are deemed too hard. What we're worrying about is Blizzard applying the patch early, meaning we have to raid unmodified level 70 content with certain abilities already nerfed to hell. Take Illidan for example. Fair enough he doesn't crush, but he does have this fun ability called Shear - from Wowwiki: Shear: 1.5 sec cast, 7 sec debuff reducing max health by 60%, cast on Illidans current target. Cannot miss but can be dodged, parried or blocked It is your number 1 reason why your warrior MT keeps up shield block all of the time. Right now, shear will hit very rarely. Once it's CD is increased to 30 seconds, you'll see shear hitting home a lot more, and your MT will become close to impossible to heal, turning a fight which is can be fully controlled if you know what you're doing into a fight which will rely on luck to beat it, bumping it back from farm content into a potential wipe fest. And that's just 1 example of how things can go horribly wrong. Anyway I'll say no more about it, but it will be the end of any serious raiding. Hell even Karazhan could become a problem. If they do stuff things up this badly, I guess I have a nice long break from raiding to look forward to (and a lot of praying WotLK doesn't get delayed ;-) What Xtian said. This isn’t us worrying about level 80 content. By the time we get to the first raid instances at 80, most issues will have been balanced out and all we’ll have to wait for are the inevitable nerfs because bosses are deemed too hard.

What we’re worrying about is Blizzard applying the patch early, meaning we have to raid unmodified level 70 content with certain abilities already nerfed to hell.

Take Illidan for example. Fair enough he doesn’t crush, but he does have this fun ability called Shear – from Wowwiki:

Shear: 1.5 sec cast, 7 sec debuff reducing max health by 60%, cast on Illidans current target. Cannot miss but can be dodged, parried or blocked

It is your number 1 reason why your warrior MT keeps up shield block all of the time. Right now, shear will hit very rarely. Once it’s CD is increased to 30 seconds, you’ll see shear hitting home a lot more, and your MT will become close to impossible to heal, turning a fight which is can be fully controlled if you know what you’re doing into a fight which will rely on luck to beat it, bumping it back from farm content into a potential wipe fest. And that’s just 1 example of how things can go horribly wrong.

Anyway I’ll say no more about it, but it will be the end of any serious raiding. Hell even Karazhan could become a problem. If they do stuff things up this badly, I guess I have a nice long break from raiding to look forward to (and a lot of praying WotLK doesn’t get delayed ;-)

]]> By: Xtian http://egotisticalpriest.com/2008/08/pre-wrath-lich-king-content-patch/comment-page-1/#comment-3611 Xtian Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:29:27 +0000 http://egotisticalpriest.com/?p=359#comment-3611 @ Urthora + Morane - The issue isn't about level 80 bosses or about stepping into the right instances. The issue is whether or not current 70 raid bosses will have their crushing blows coded out. According to the article, vanilla 60 raid bosses did not have their mechanics changed to update with the expansion content patch. If that trend continues, current raid bosses will crush just as normal, except player mechanics will have changed such that those crushes are not avoidable. Therefore, raiding becomes harder for warrior tanks. This will be a nonissue if Blizzard does recode current 70 raid bosses to not crush. But they didn't last time, so people fear they won't this time around either. @ Urthora + Morane –

The issue isn’t about level 80 bosses or about stepping into the right instances. The issue is whether or not current 70 raid bosses will have their crushing blows coded out. According to the article, vanilla 60 raid bosses did not have their mechanics changed to update with the expansion content patch. If that trend continues, current raid bosses will crush just as normal, except player mechanics will have changed such that those crushes are not avoidable. Therefore, raiding becomes harder for warrior tanks.

This will be a nonissue if Blizzard does recode current 70 raid bosses to not crush. But they didn’t last time, so people fear they won’t this time around either.

]]> By: ObiChad http://egotisticalpriest.com/2008/08/pre-wrath-lich-king-content-patch/comment-page-1/#comment-3598 ObiChad Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:58:41 +0000 http://egotisticalpriest.com/?p=359#comment-3598 I for one am greatly looking forward to the new calendar. I love Group Calendar but it was buggy from time to time. Sign ups on web sites are great but most people are more likely to use something if its in game. I for one am greatly looking forward to the new calendar. I love Group Calendar but it was buggy from time to time. Sign ups on web sites are great but most people are more likely to use something if its in game.

]]> By: Hildi http://egotisticalpriest.com/2008/08/pre-wrath-lich-king-content-patch/comment-page-1/#comment-3597 Hildi Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:45:15 +0000 http://egotisticalpriest.com/?p=359#comment-3597 @Matticus - I hope not. If it does, then raiding is done. While guilds like mine could do BT still with that debuff, there is no way we could do anything in Sunwell anymore, and certainly Killjaeden will be impossible. You don't even want to know how many pots I used last night on him. So even though we could do BT, there is really no point in it for guilds like us... not too mention all of us are pretty darn sick of it anyway. That one debuff alone will kill raiding. I don't see how any guild doing progression raiding could do it, no way, no how. Still, that seems like a very easy switch to turn on and off, so I wouldn't be surprised for it to be off until the you install the xpac. Glyphs scare me. Some of the buffs I've seen on those are crazy. I think introducing them now is very bad idea. Very bad. @Matticus – I hope not. If it does, then raiding is done. While guilds like mine could do BT still with that debuff, there is no way we could do anything in Sunwell anymore, and certainly Killjaeden will be impossible. You don’t even want to know how many pots I used last night on him. So even though we could do BT, there is really no point in it for guilds like us… not too mention all of us are pretty darn sick of it anyway.
That one debuff alone will kill raiding. I don’t see how any guild doing progression raiding could do it, no way, no how. Still, that seems like a very easy switch to turn on and off, so I wouldn’t be surprised for it to be off until the you install the xpac.

Glyphs scare me. Some of the buffs I’ve seen on those are crazy. I think introducing them now is very bad idea. Very bad.

]]> By: Morane http://egotisticalpriest.com/2008/08/pre-wrath-lich-king-content-patch/comment-page-1/#comment-3593 Morane Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:05:27 +0000 http://egotisticalpriest.com/?p=359#comment-3593 Ithilien, I think you're missing the point of the quote. Yes, all end game bosses can still crush. In fact everything over level 4 can theoretically still crush a player 4 levels below them. Crushing blows was not a mechanic peculiar to specific bosses but was, and is still, a general game mechanic. As the quote says "If you are running an instance of the appropriate level, you will not be crushed.". If you are running end-game bosses at level 69 you deserve to get crushed. Also, if you read the comments on Matticus' article you'll note that Illidan and Brutallus don't crush anyway. Ithilien, I think you’re missing the point of the quote. Yes, all end game bosses can still crush. In fact everything over level 4 can theoretically still crush a player 4 levels below them. Crushing blows was not a mechanic peculiar to specific bosses but was, and is still, a general game mechanic.

As the quote says “If you are running an instance of the appropriate level, you will not be crushed.”. If you are running end-game bosses at level 69 you deserve to get crushed.

Also, if you read the comments on Matticus’ article you’ll note that Illidan and Brutallus don’t crush anyway.

]]> By: Urthona http://egotisticalpriest.com/2008/08/pre-wrath-lich-king-content-patch/comment-page-1/#comment-3592 Urthona Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:51:29 +0000 http://egotisticalpriest.com/?p=359#comment-3592 @Ith Skullbosses are considered max level +3, = 83. SO If you're 80, they won't crush. If you're dumb and try raid tanking at 79, you're getting crushed. Likewise, if Death Knights are given 58 Champion greens and rush into Blood Furnace, he'll be crushed by The Maker, who sits at level 62. 4 level gap = crushes. Simple. Warriors are fine. Block is iffy. WoW is fun. @Ith

Skullbosses are considered max level +3, = 83.

SO If you’re 80, they won’t crush. If you’re dumb and try raid tanking at 79, you’re getting crushed.

Likewise, if Death Knights are given 58 Champion greens and rush into Blood Furnace, he’ll be crushed by The Maker, who sits at level 62. 4 level gap = crushes. Simple.

Warriors are fine. Block is iffy. WoW is fun.

]]> By: Ithilien http://egotisticalpriest.com/2008/08/pre-wrath-lich-king-content-patch/comment-page-1/#comment-3591 Ithilien Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:48:42 +0000 http://egotisticalpriest.com/?p=359#comment-3591 Hannelore AFAIK this still stands: "Crushing blows used to apply to mobs 3 levels above you, which included most bosses. The change was to make them apply to mobs 4 levels above you. If you are running an instance of the appropriate level, you will not be crushed. Crushing blows originally served a dual-purpose: they discouraged you from attacking mobs much higher level than you, and they made bosses more challenging. Now they only fulfill the first role. We have plenty of other knobs to make bosses more challenging that feel less random." Which means all end game bosses can still crush (and I seriously doubt they've invested time to remove the ability from all existing bosses) and shield block had its CD increased from 5 seconds (which granted was pretty stupid as you'd keep it on constant CD) to 30 seconds. None of this would be a problem if this was done come the launch day of WotLK because nobody's gonna give a damn anymore about lvl 70 raid content. But they're doing it ahead of schedule, which means you suddenly have warriors who can't make themselves nearly uncrushable. Unless they failed to mention something today, this is bad - very bad. Hannelore

AFAIK this still stands:

“Crushing blows used to apply to mobs 3 levels above you, which included most bosses. The change was to make them apply to mobs 4 levels above you. If you are running an instance of the appropriate level, you will not be crushed.

Crushing blows originally served a dual-purpose: they discouraged you from attacking mobs much higher level than you, and they made bosses more challenging. Now they only fulfill the first role. We have plenty of other knobs to make bosses more challenging that feel less random.”

Which means all end game bosses can still crush (and I seriously doubt they’ve invested time to remove the ability from all existing bosses) and shield block had its CD increased from 5 seconds (which granted was pretty stupid as you’d keep it on constant CD) to 30 seconds.

None of this would be a problem if this was done come the launch day of WotLK because nobody’s gonna give a damn anymore about lvl 70 raid content. But they’re doing it ahead of schedule, which means you suddenly have warriors who can’t make themselves nearly uncrushable. Unless they failed to mention something today, this is bad – very bad.

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