tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29749078292599714772024-03-20T00:19:13.353-04:00A View from BehindDoomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-34789559502846437032007-11-12T14:38:00.001-05:002007-11-12T14:40:14.443-05:00Making the MoveSick and tired of blogger.com, I created myself an account over at wordpress.com. I'm going to try it for a bit and see if I like enough to do invest in self hosting.<br /><br />My new address for the time being will be <a href="http://doomilias.wordpress.com">doomilias.wordpress.com</a>. If you link to my blog at all, make sure to update the jump. Thanks!Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-28439010707723959872007-11-09T15:18:00.000-05:002007-11-09T15:20:51.241-05:00BeowulfI would like to share the following clip from the upcoming movie Beowulf.<a target=blank href="http://www.beowulfmovie.com"></a><br /><br /><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" width="475" height="323" id="http://beowulfmovie.com/videoplayer/beowulf_player" align="middle"><br /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><br /><param name="movie" value="http://beowulfmovie.com/videoplayer/beowulf_player.swf?defaultVideo=filmfive" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><embed src="http://beowulfmovie.com/videoplayer/beowulf_player.swf?defaultVideo=filmfive" quality="high" bgcolor="#000000" width="510" height="323" name="http://beowulfmovie.com/videoplayer/beowulf_player" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" ></embed><br /></object><br /><br />Yes. This is CGI...Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-20663264839094764672007-11-07T14:55:00.000-05:002007-11-07T15:12:50.590-05:00Another QuickieSo busy again today, apparently we are hitting crunch time where all of the various brands we work for *find* extra money and decide to spend it all before year end so as to retain reason (no matter how ridiculous and false) for their inflated budgets to carry into quarter 1 of the following year.<br /><br />First,<br /><br /><strong><u>Memorandum</u></strong><br /><u>To</u>: The 37 females I've seen so far today, in various wings of my office building, wearing skirts and knee-high black boots<br /><u>Notice</u>: Thank you<br /><u>From</u>: Doomilias S. Rogue<br /><br />Second, watch this video. It may not be all that amazing to someone who doesn't play the drums. But I do. And it makes me want to throw away my sticks and sell my kit. The video is unimpressive at first, but hang around until the end when the guy maintains a flawless beat while juggling three drumsticks...<br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.collegehumor.com/moogaloop/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1787916&fullscreen=1" width="450" height="360"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" quality="best" value="http://www.collegehumor.com/moogaloop/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1787916&fullscreen=1" /></object>Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-24825785123062409592007-11-06T23:57:00.000-05:002007-11-07T00:03:40.576-05:00OH NO!I have a really long post written about three possible builds for raiding with the new hemo, but it isn't finished yet!! AH! Such a busy day today at work, I couldn't actually procrastinate to write the post.<br /><br />Then <a href="http://temerity-jane.com/">someone</a> wanted her CE heroic key...<br /><br />And as for the new layout...eh, I was messing with it at work and haven't had a chance to finish. Either way, I'm moving to wordpress very soon...Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-72701741955576615902007-11-05T12:05:00.000-05:002007-11-07T09:59:22.483-05:00The New Hemo vs. Sinister Strike<a href="http://www.worldofraids.com/news/november/hemo4.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.worldofraids.com/news/november/hemo4.jpg" border="0" /></a>Finally! I've been asking for this. Wishing for it, even. Yes, you are reading that right. With the upcoming patch, hemo will deal 125% weapon damage, along with the up-to-36 physical damage increase.<br /><br />See ya later sinister strike!!<br /><br />But seriously, this is a very nice buff. I've argued before that hemo is a bit better than sinister strike, from an energy to damage, 1:1, ratio. This definately gives the sub tree a kick in the pants for raiding purposes. Lets take a look...<br /><br /><strike>Using <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28729">Spiteblade</a> as an example, with 1800 attack power:<br /><br />Spiteblade<br />Weapon speed: 2.7<br />Minimum damage: 165<br />Maximum damage: 308<br />Minimum Range = [((165 / 2.7) + (1800 / 14)) * 2.7] = 510<br />Maximum Range = [((308 / 2.7) + (1800 / 14)) * 2.7] = 653<br /><br />So, I've established an attack power modified weapon damage of 510 to 653.<br /><br />Sinister strike rank 10 adds 98 damage to each attack. Simple:<br />(510 + 98) to (653 + 98) = 608 to 751<br /><br />The new hemorrhage does 125% weapon damage, plus the physical damage buff of up to* +36 after the first strike:<br /><br />(510*1.25) to (653*1.25)+36 = 637 to 852<br /><br />At first glance it looks like hemo would out damage sinister strike per hit, right? Well, not necessarily. There are a few talents that are going to further modify the damage of each ability. Between aggression and surprise attacks (2%/4%/6% and 10%), sinister strike receives a 16% damage boost:<br /><br />((510 + 98)*1.16) + ((653+98)*1.16) = 705 to 871<br /><br />Now, to look at two significant damage modifiers to hemo. The first is serrated blades, with which 3/3 points causes your attacks to ignore 560 armor (8 armor per level at level 70).<br /><br />Ugh...this is going to get complicated. First, most raid bosses have between 6200 and 7700 armor**. Physical damage mitigation from these armor values comes to about 37% and 42%, respectively. Since I am giving this will all to be happening in a raid, well, here we go...assuming that the raid boss will also have sunder armor x5 (-2600 armor), faerie fire (-610 armor) and curse of recklessness (-800), we can expect the sum of armor debuffs to equal a decrease of about 29% and 26% damage mitigation. So, our raid boss now only has 8% or 16% damage mitigation.<br /><br />Adjusted, our sinister strike becomes<br />(705/1.08) to (871/1.08) = 652 to 806<br />(705/1.16) to (871/1.16) = 608 to 751<br /><br />Armor penetration is still a bit hazy for me, but I managed to find some interesting information. According to <a href="http://elitistjerks.com/f31/t16629-raid_boss_armor_values/">this thread</a>, 500 armor penetration in concurrence with the above armor debuffs equates to about 4% and 3.6% decrease in damage mitigation. 560 would then very roughly translate to about 4.5% and 4%. Adjusting once again, our raid boss now has either 3.5% or 12% reduction.<br /><br />(637/1.035) to (852/1.035) = 615 to 823<br />(637/1.12) to (852/1.12) = 568 to 760<br /><br />Interesting. Sinister strike has a higher minimum damage, but hemo has a higher maximum damage. So it could be argued that the difference between the two, over the course of a boss fight, would be non-substantial***. That is, until you consider the 20% damage bonus when a target is below 35% health from 2/2 dirty deeds. Up until this point in a fight, both sinister strike and hemo will theoretically provide similar amounts of dps. But then...<br /><br />(510*(1.25 + .20)) to (653*(1.25 + .20))+36 = 739 to 982<br /><br />Mitigated...<br /><br />(739/1.035) to (982/1.035) = 714 to 948<br />(739/1.12) to (982/1.12) = 659 to 879<br /><br />Compared to sinister strike in the same circumstance...<br />Raid boss with a base of 6200 armor and full armor debuffs = 652 to 806<br />Raid boss with a base of 7700 armor and full armor debuffs = 608 to 751<br /><br />So whats to conclude from all this horrible math? Other than I probably have no business trying backup a theory in such ways? Basically, that with the new changes in patch 2.3, hemorrhage and sinister strike are going to be fairly comprably, with hemo coming out on top in longer fights. However, the talents built around each attack really make the difference between which one is more viable for significant raid dps.<br /><br />More on that tomorrow...<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">*For this calculation, I assume the minimum damange to be a strike that gets no benefit from the hemorrhage debuff, and the maximum damage to be a strike that gets the highest possible benefit.<br />**Ok fine...when I did my research on this, all signs led back to </span><a href="http://www.elitistjerks.com/"><span style="font-size:78%;">elitistjerks.com</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;">. I feel...dirty....<br />***I considered trying to factor in the energy regeneration for a combat build from combat potency versus the reduced energy cost of hemo, but there are too many other factors at play there; i.e., added energy cost from finishing moves.</span></strike><br /><br /><span style="color:#ffff33;">Well, as Anon so anonymously posted...my math is wrong. Mostly because I didn't account for hemorrhage being normalized. What does that even mean? Basically, I would have to redo all of math with a normalized swing speed, which I believe for 1 handers is 2.6. I fully intend on doing so, but not this week. I'm moving out of my apartment tomorrow and just have too much to do at work in the meantime. However, I would like to thank anon for bringing this to my attention.<br /><br />Without getting into all the numbers, he is right. Before 500 weapon damage sinister strike is better, but after 500 weapon damage hemo becomes better. Then there is the adjusted energy cost value of sinister strike when considering the combat build (combat potency). The reason I left out DPE in this post was because I wanted to save the discussion of how a combat swords build would compare to a hybrid combat hemo build for it's own post. I have it written...just need to do some adjustments to my math now. Or you could just go the EJ forums and read all about it there.<br /><br />Should I just give up on trying to be a mathhead?! Poser...</span>Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-55506240108291169392007-11-04T22:16:00.000-05:002007-11-04T22:50:18.948-05:00I'm not the only one?<a target=blank href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/post_office_showdown.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/post_office_showdown.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><center>courtesy of <a target=blank href="http://xkcd.com/337/">http://xkcd.com/337/</a>.</center><br />Thoughts are strange. Indeed. This isn't the first time I've <a target=blank href="http://doomilias.blogspot.com/2007/10/punch-in-face.html">posted</a> about the occurance of seemingly unmentionable passings of the mind.<br /><br />I hadn't even remembered that I do this until <a target=blank href="http://temerity-jane.com">TJ</a> sent me the link this morning.<br /><br />It happens when I'm driving and someone does something to make my inner road rage seethe from the tips of my hair...<em>So if this guy slams on his breaks and gets out, I'm breaking his knees with a swift mule kick of my driver side door</em><br /><br />When I'm dining in a fine restaurant, <em>I'll scan the room for any object that, when launched from my siege weapon-like catapult of a right arm, could cause heavy cranial damage. Should...you know...terrorists break in heaving hand grenades and spraying the room with armor piercing rounds</em>.<br /><br />The point is, always have a plan. Always. You never know when those strangers around you will reveal that they are really <a target=blank href="http://www.realultimatepower.net/ninja/ninja_movie_script3.htm">pirates with lasers and everything</a>. <a target=blank href="http://realultimatepower.net">Ninjas rule</a>.Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-29844498265266174862007-11-03T23:28:00.000-04:002007-11-03T23:51:07.804-04:00On (Procrastination) MovingI suck at it. Period.<br /><br />Two weekends in a row now I've gone to bed on a Friday night with the intention of waking up early to drive the hour from my parents house to my apartment in New Jersey to pack as much as I possibly can in the entirety of a Saturday afternoon.<br /><br />Two weekends in a row now that I've woken up around noon on a Saturday, lazy'd around for a bit (read: more than a bit), eventually made my way east, and wasted the entirety of a Saturday afternoon doing everything but packing (note: last Saturday wasn't a waste of time, by any means. But for the sake of the story, it was a waste of time, ok? Good.)<br /><br />I have to be out by the 11th of November. I am going to miss living by myself, but I won't miss the diet I came to rationalize as healthy during that time. A 27 year old person should not be eating as if he was a 17 year old college student who traded 1 month of his dining commons points for adult beverages and a 2 month supply of ramen noodles (chicken, not beef) and brand X mac n cheese.<br /><br />Nothing beats mama's home cooking. Especially when mama is a middle aged Italian woman. And when Tuesday night is pasta night...<br /><br />Uh, yeah. Moving. I suck at it. Period. ! point.<br /><br />Taking the day off from work on Thursday because my brother has off, and my parents can come help. That means I can do what I do best.<br /><br />Pretend I'm working hard by achieving a pronounced scowl and letting everyone else do it all for me.<br /><br />I am. A. Procrastinator.<br /><br />Proof? Look at the time of this post...<br /><br />...juuuuuuust in time for this NaBlaPoBlowMe thinger.Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-73356134148018822792007-11-02T15:17:00.000-04:002007-11-02T15:39:13.211-04:00NaBlo...PoMo...Oh...No...Dammit, <a href="http://temerity-jane.com/">TJ</a>. This must be some kind of <a href="http://nablopomo.ning.com/profile/Doomilias">evil ruse</a>. To...to...to get me to post more?<br /><br />Ok, fine. 1 post per day for the month of November. I ken haz manijments fer tat, rite? But the pressure! But I'll do it. But but.<br /><br />Um.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkU3x5xIoX5FlIaP3L4zLEyP5cJvX8Had6aFTgqclpT1McGMk8ngAkWVmU9KRJl9KaxBKBHwmDGwghgSqun5YM12TjXWzFhXVrkwaKyZynm7KhiGBmQSnAZNCObYKPwXlzUYjgTw9SQo/s1600-h/naruto.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128327481368227122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkU3x5xIoX5FlIaP3L4zLEyP5cJvX8Had6aFTgqclpT1McGMk8ngAkWVmU9KRJl9KaxBKBHwmDGwghgSqun5YM12TjXWzFhXVrkwaKyZynm7KhiGBmQSnAZNCObYKPwXlzUYjgTw9SQo/s200/naruto.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Here. This is a picture of me wearing a Konoha forehead protector. The first person who quotes Naruto as saying "Believe it!" instead of "dattebayo!" is gonna get teh banhammer. I reserve all rights to be elitist here...anime does not belong on American television. The voice actors are generally terrible. Translations are hideous. Most anime is NOT intended for a young audience. Also, if you watch a particular anime series, you should also be reading the coinciding manga. Otherwise you're just a poser. Also, I will stop using also twice in the same sentence.<br />POSER!<br /><br />I will also try harder, to use proper punctuation; and be more better with my grammar'<br /><br />Lastly, I HATE that blogger.com uses <em>div</em> tags instead of <em>br</em> tags for line breaks.<br /><br />/end.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(</span><a href="http://egotisticalpriest.omen-guild.net/"><span style="font-size:78%;">Ego</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> claims she doesnt own a forehead protector, but I know she is lying. This saddens me. There is no shame in being a shinobi. NO SHAME!)</span>Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-2256355874283953592007-10-30T10:20:00.000-04:002007-11-01T15:15:17.932-04:00Gearing Up and Resocketing and Some Other Stuff<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkoN1Qoje8kvgezFidrgEbhT_g5okbjDogM21g3_6w7CW6W7K4QiYy9LAd4_fSZAoZMf1hWlp1WLpEWx90C7b90OdJ8ddsK-lot0XETg9POTeLxzUe-006HyAHPdIx3RqUMBKc-lUF0E/s1600-h/t4shuolders.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5127134799014898978" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkoN1Qoje8kvgezFidrgEbhT_g5okbjDogM21g3_6w7CW6W7K4QiYy9LAd4_fSZAoZMf1hWlp1WLpEWx90C7b90OdJ8ddsK-lot0XETg9POTeLxzUe-006HyAHPdIx3RqUMBKc-lUF0E/s320/t4shuolders.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div>Monday night was good to me. Finally had enough points to win the token for my T4 shoulders, which gives me 3/5 total. Yay me!<br /><br />I also made the decision to do a major resocketing job. I had been stacking alot of agility so as to balance attack power and crit to support my build. I knew that while my hit rating met the minimum requirements for specials (about 9%), eh, yeah it's been lacking. But up until this week, I haven't had the extra gem slots or other gear to warrant the necessary reduction of other stats <em>just</em> to improve hit. Anyway, I placed 7 +4agi/+4hit gems in 7 of my available red sockets and raised my hit rating to 224. Knowing that one of our <a href="http://balancepower.blogspot.com/">druids</a> has improved faerie fire, I can loosely calculate (for raiding) my chance for direct melee misses as follows:<br /><br />Base miss for dual-wielders = 28%<br /><br />Current hit rating modifiers:<br /><li>5% = 5/5 Precision<br /><li>14.20% = Gear and itemization<br /><li>3% = Improved faerie fire<br /><br />Thats 22.20% chance to hit. Right? Well, not exactly. It would be more accurate to say that my miss chance is reduced by 22.20%.<br /><br />Talented, geared, and raid buffed (28% - 22.20%), my chance to miss is now around 5.8%. I actually have the recount data to support this, but I forgot to email the screenshot to my work email address before leaving this morning. Ah, well.<br /><br />I'm still struggling with dodges and parries, which I have read can be eliminated by standing >.5 yards directly behind the enemy target. Go ahead and try that during the HKM or Gruul fight. I. Dare. You. Regardless, it's nice to finally be settling into a comfort zone with my gear and itemization.<br /><br />A random list for today, mostly because I am too busy at work to complete any of the 4 posts I've been <em>trying</em> to write about the following subjects:<br /><br /><li>Eating pizza with a fork and knife should be a federal offense. Charges should be considered capital when the fork and knife have been proved to be plastic.</li><br /><br /><li>I may or may not have acquired a level 70 warlock through means by which may or may not be worse in comparison to eating pizza with a (plastic) fork and knife.</li><br /><br /><li><a href="http://temerity-jane.com">TJ</a> reminds me of her awesomeness daily, sometimes through force and other times just by sheer...awesomeness. However, a certain <a href="http://bigredkitty.blogspot.com">BM</a> hunter and I have a plan that involves the recent allowance of paid character name changes and the word "brkfangirl".</li><br /><br />In fact, I need to end this list and this post with the following awesomeness of teh TEEJ because of the following exchange, which literally JUST took place:<br /><br />TJ: %ranting about work sillyness%<br />TJ: I need you to distract meeeeeee<br />Me: Ok, hold on, do you want me to write about your awesomeness, or not?<br />/pause<br />Me: I guess not<br />TJ: Doom wait, I do<br />Me: Let me finish the post<br />/pause<br />(Speaking to the frustations of TJ's workday)<br />Me: DIRECT YOUR FURY AT MEH<br />TJ: I can't. I like you<br />TJ: As much as that disgusts me<br />Me: That was possibly the most amazing backhanded compliment I've ever received. And I love it<br />TJ: Who? What, me? Oh.<br />TJ: Yeah, I totally meant whatever you thought I meant that was funny and made you like itDoomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-45936725920349170822007-10-25T14:38:00.000-04:002007-10-25T14:42:13.391-04:00Elite Game MastersDon't have much to say today. Not anything new, but I love this vid.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HmgLOKRl5J0&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HmgLOKRl5J0&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="400" height="355"></embed></object>Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-91617825423467559902007-10-24T10:25:00.000-04:002007-10-24T11:36:15.869-04:00Hump(ing) DayUgh. October, can you make up your MIND already?! I cannot continue with this 75-degree-100%-humidity-one-day-55-degree-and-windy-the-next cycle. Seriously, my sinuses are in /wrist mode with all of this atmospheric fluctuation.<br /><br />This has been somewhat of a slow week at work, with the exception of a pretty embarassing SNAFU by yours truly yesterday afternoon. It's been a bit of a stressful start for this new job (which I guess isn't really all that new anymore), having to assume project management on the implementation phase of multiple Pharma web presence initiatives. Not being involved from the start of design means that there are required elements to pushing development into production that I just don't know about. Regardless of how many handoff/status meetings I have with the previous owners of my current responsibilities, knowledge transfers are never complete.<br /><br />Anyway, a marketing email for a popular drug was supposed to drop yesterday, and I thought everything was in order. I had the final meeting with my business technical contact for the brand, and assured him that we were good to go. On sending out notification to the communications team to initiate the delivery of the email, I was returned the following response:<br /><br />"We cannot send this email until tickets 27406, 27757, 27770, 27269, 27047, 27022, and 26859 have been pushed to the productin environment."<br /><br />(Quick explanation: I work with web/graphic developers, and we use a ticketing system to submit and track active development. Each element of a website is tracked in it's own ticket by the program we use, so this means that SEVEN pieces of the website still needed to moved to the live domain.)<br /><br />Weeeeeeeeeeeell, crap. You'd think it wouldn't be so hard to move a bunch of files from one network folder to another (which is essentially the difference between test and live environments). At my previous job, a small development company, this would have been no problem. Just copy and paste, right? Eh, here it's a bit more complicated. Big company = many departments = multiple avenues of approval.<br /><br />I had to go back to the BT and admit my mistake, which was made to suck even more because he is out for vacation for the rest of the week. "My fault.", I say. And that's fine, for now. But the expiration on my new guy card is coming up pretty soon.<br /><br />In the end, I learned a valuable lesson. Not that I need to be more diligent about covering the entirety of a project's scope, regardless of at what point I have been given ownership. No, something much more valuable.<br /><br />What happened late yesterday was may fault. It was caused by my actions, or rather, my inactions. But the developers and back end quality control team (who are ultimately responsible for pushing development to production) were more than willing to put forth some extra effort to help me get the situation right. They stayed late, helped me gather the requirements I had missed, and kept me updated as tickets were closed (which means they were verified as working on the live website).<br /><br />I learned that my colleagues are not only reliable to, but are <em>willing</em> to help each other out in order to accomplish the goals set forth unto the information systems team.<br /><br />THAT is enough to make someone enjoy coming to work everyday.Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-813560552419676272007-10-23T09:45:00.000-04:002007-10-23T12:17:05.471-04:00Arena God Mode?Since TBC came out, Rogues have been complaining about how the subtlety tree just isn't good. For anything. Shadowstep and the surrounding talents just weren't tuned for the way that arena playstyle was evolving, where mutilate and combat maces were shining. Fair enough. Blizzard can only give skills and talents, they can't dictate how to actively use them. They can, however, adapt talents, retune, and reapply.<br /><br />From what I have experienced so far on the PTR, the changes to sub have been very good. The improvement to hemorrage is actually quite nice when paired with the upgrade to dirty deeds (2/2 points gives 20% additional damage from specials when enemy is below 35% health). Since I don't PvP much at all, I have been fooling aroud with builds that would allow the new hemo to be used as a raid buff while still dealing significant dps.<br /><br />More on that later, as I am still getting some screenshots and theories together.<br /><br />But.<br /><br />This new change, released this morning. Is. In. Sane.<br /><br /><strong><u>Cheat Death</u></strong> (Subtlety) chance to trigger increased to 33/66/100% and now also causes the rogue to take 90% less damage for 3 seconds when the effect triggers. This effect cannot occur more than once per minute.<br /><br />It seems that Blizzard wants to give the sub tree a real strong boost for those who enjoy pvp and arena, and the change to this talent is proof. But seriously, don't expect the new cheat death to hit the live realms as it reads above.<br /><br />If it does, watch every other class QQ until it gets nerfed back to something between what it is now and it's current PTR capacity.<br /><br />Think of it this way. I am in an arena battle, getting pounded by an arms warrior. I have 3k health left and his next mortal strike crits for 4k. I've been hit by this before. It's not fun. It hurts. With 3/3 cheat death, not only do I completely avoid that amount of damage, but for the next 3 seconds I am pretty much invincible. Granted, this cannot happen again for another minute, so his next big crit will most likely kill me anyway. But 3 seconds could be all I need to finish off his healer...or something else that could turn the battle. I don't know much about arenas, but enough to know when a talent buff is overpowered. This is one of those times.<br /><br />Even more daunting is what this could mean in PvE and raiding: Roguetards. In other words, rogues who don't care about strategy because they know that once a minute, they cant die. Rogues who spec deep into a tree being retooled mostly for arena to get a talent because it's "cool". Rogues should not be raid speccing for death avoidance. If you need to avoid death once per minute it's because you aren't paying attention to the strategy of the fight.<br /><br />I don't know, I'm kind of shocked at this one still. I keep checking my calendar to make sure it's not April 1st.<br /><br />Another change I would like to see to hemo is the addition of a bleed. Not a significant bleed like garrote or rupture, something more along the lines of a rend. It wouldnt stack, only being reapplied after it's duration has run out.<br /><br />Anyway, what do you all think about this change to cheat death? Am I just being a huge negatron? To those who do arena often, is this as OP as I really think it is?Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-39827859018086027952007-10-22T10:30:00.000-04:002007-10-22T12:58:45.865-04:00The New Hemo: An Exciting ChangeTrained to rank 4, the new and improved Hemmorage adds up to 36 damage to any physical attack. Melee. Pets. Backstab. Mutilate. Sinister Strike. Shield Slam. Auto Shot. Steady Shot. Kill Command. Heroic Strike. Execute. Rip. Mangle.<br /><br />This could quite possibly be the answer to a Rogue's lack of a true group/raid buff.<br /><br /><a href="http://media6.curse-gaming.com/dl/11deeb04ef192cc1959b963e994dd49c/471cbe47/files/27/1/23/100267/Hemorrhage.jpg" target="blank"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://media6.curse-gaming.com/dl/11deeb04ef192cc1959b963e994dd49c/471cbe47/files/27/1/23/100267/Hemorrhage.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I really like this change, mostly because I ran a 20/0/41 hemo build leveling from 60-70 and I enjoyed it very much. But...thinking about using hemo as a raid buff could be entirely erroneous on my part. Is the overall increased physical dps worth the significantly reduced individual dps? Obviously one could forget about being in the top 5 of a 25-man raid. If I were any good at math I would try and calculate the damage per strike gained for each class that dealt physical damage, attempt to figure for an average attack per second, and try to estimate raid dps gained (assuming a certain number of each physical dps class) versus individual dps lost.<br /><br />Perhaps a hybrid <a href="http://wowhead.com/?talent=f0xZ0eVb0V0xZVbeoMhRoxo" target="blank">5/25/31</a> build would work best to serve the purpose of this grandiose idea of mine? Heh. I lawl just thinking about it.<br /><br />Sigh. Why do I always do this to myself? I know exactly <a href="http://doomilias.blogspot.com/2007/10/huge-mistake.html" target="blank">what's going to happen</a> anyway. Because...I just can't leave well enough alone.<br /><br />Maybe I'm just too in love with the idea of being able to have a significant raid/party buff like every other class.<br /><br />In other news, these changes look fun too. You can bet that I will be making a copy of Doomilias on the PTR this evening...<br /><br /><a href="http://media6.curse-gaming.com/dl/10aa499e2c36ca999ba1ade7b62aaf73/471cd5ed/files/27/1/23/100343/Aggression.jpg" target="blank"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://media6.curse-gaming.com/dl/10aa499e2c36ca999ba1ade7b62aaf73/471cd5ed/files/27/1/23/100343/Aggression.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://media6.curse-gaming.com/dl/facf4300f70fb073ccf99853ec849335/471cd5bc/files/27/1/23/100266/Shadowstep.jpg" target="blank"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://media6.curse-gaming.com/dl/facf4300f70fb073ccf99853ec849335/471cd5bc/files/27/1/23/100266/Shadowstep.jpg" border="0" /></a>Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-37792830244769412042007-10-19T13:49:00.000-04:002007-10-19T14:18:15.240-04:00Quick RantEver see that Visa commercial where everyone is dancing around the store effortlessly buying their merchandise with the swipe of a card and smile? And then some noob comes along and breaks out the checkbook, the music stops, and everyone stares?<br /><br />Well...<br /><br />EXCUSE ME LADY TWO SPOTS AHEAD OF ME IN LINE THE TIME IS 12:34PM AND THERE ARE 31 PEOPLE BEHIND YOU SEARCHING YOUR POOP COLORED WALLET FOR COINS TO MAKE EXACT CHANGE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE WHEN THERE IS A PERFECTLY FUNCTIONING SPEEDPAY RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU OMFG YOU NOOB ITS NOT FUNNY STOP LAUGHING MY LUNCH IS GETTING COLD AND I CAN FEEL THE PERSON BEHIND ME GETTING IMPATIENT WHICH IS MAKING ME ANXIOUS WHICH MEANS YOU ARE ABOUT TO GET SLAMMED IN THE FACE BY ONE OF THOSE 18 INCH TWISTED PRETZELS NEXT TO THE CASH REGISTER!<br /><br />WHILE IM YELLING I DONT CARE THAT THE SWEET POTATO FRIES ONLY COST 90 CENTS THEY ARE UNDERCOOKED SOGGY POORLY SEASONED AND THEY MAKE ME WANT TO STOMP ON THE TOES OF THAT 5 YEAR OLD KID WHO IS OBVIOUSLY CELEBRATING HIS BIRTHDAY BY HAVING LUNCH WITH HIS DAD AT WORK HOW CAN YOU MESS UP SWEET POTATO FRIES OMFG JUST HEAT UP OIL FRY AND SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERVE!<br /><br />/breathe<br /><br />...at least the cheddar bacon potato soup was delicious. Until I added one packet of salt too many.<br /><br />/fail<br />/queuesadbastardemo<br />/wristswidthwisenotlengthwisebecauseidontreallywanttodie<br />/weepforattention<br /><br />Otherwise, the new <a target=blank href="http://myspace.com/coheedandcambria">Coheed</a> album is rocking my face(s) off.Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-33701569979161009192007-10-19T11:55:00.000-04:002007-10-19T13:42:02.824-04:00The Back UpI was going to use today's post to write about my experience playing a friends 41/0/20 affliction lock in Kara last night, and how I loved it so much that I may or may not be browsing Craigslist looking for a good deal.<br /><br />And then I came across this video, which led to me spending the last 30 minutes clearing brain matter from my monitor.<br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.collegehumor.com/moogaloop/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1781479&fullscreen=1" width="400" height="360" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" quality="best" value="http://www.collegehumor.com/moogaloop/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1781479&fullscreen=1" /></object><br /><br />Who. What. When. Where. How. BLAM!Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-1760771965856565512007-10-18T11:18:00.000-04:002007-10-18T16:36:27.270-04:00A Huge Mistake<a href="http://stickandballguy.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/simpsons-the-doh-4900579.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://stickandballguy.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/simpsons-the-doh-4900579.jpg" border="0" /></a> I often over analyze. Hardly ever satisfied with what is, I probe/consider/examine/experiment different avenues of change. Changing just for the sake of improvement, however, is not always necessary. In fact, changing that which already has found synchronicity can prove, in the end, to be counter productive.<br /><br />Why, then, did I respec my rogue from combat mutilate (41/20/0) to combat daggers (15/41/5)? Because. I wanted to try something old again.<br /><br />5 minutes into leading the mid-week Kara group last night and I was furious. Howling mad. Everything that I had come to love about raiding with my rogue was gone. No cold blood. No shiny double crits. Nowhere near enough combo points.<br /><br />I spent the better part of yesterday running spreadsheet calculations comparing the situational differences of backstab and mutilate. This is why I hate paperdoll scenarios. I somehow figured that over the course of a long raid, with an increased amount of critical chance from improved backstab (after respec, it was at 60% [30 base and 30 from the talent]), that backstab would out-damage mutilate by close to 55%. Maybe my math was wrong, but I checked and rechecked and it seemed to be right.<br /><br />30 gold and two hours later I was standing behind mobs spamming backstab and waiting what seemed like forever to generate enough combo points to do any kind of finisher. BS, SnD, BS, BS, BS, BS, BS, Evisc.<br /><br />2-7-2-2-2-2-2-3<br />2-7-2-2-2-2-2-3<br />2-7-2-2-2-2-2-3<br /><br />Shoot. Me.<br /><br />I don't know, maybe if I had the patience. But I don't. I am too much in love with the micromanagement of cooldowns and countdowns that drive the combat mutilate build. I adore the incredible combo point generation.<br /><br />Anyway. A bit of an analysis.<br /><br /><strong>Combat Mutilate</strong><br />Pros:<br /><li>Highest single-hit damage offensive rogue skills<br /><li>Increased healing taken improves survivability<br /><li>Pseudo group buff via improved kidney shot<br /><li>Superior stun-locking<br /><li>Superior combo point generation</li><br />Cons:<br /><li>Gimped against poison immune enemies<br /><li>Higher hit rating cap makes pushing miss from the attack table an itemization nightmare<br /><li>Heavy crits increase threat generation</li><br />Intangibles:<br /><li>Maximizing dps output requires serious micromanagement<br /><li>Combo point generation allows for robust rotation of finishers and offensive abilities</li><br /><br /><strong>Combat Daggers</strong><br />Pros:<br /><li>Weapon expertise decreases miss/block/parry/glancing chance<br /><li>Increased base critical damage<br /><li>Superior sustained melee dps</li><br />Cons:<br /><li>Slow combo point generation<br /><li>Limited options for combo point sink<br /><li>Boring</li><br /><br />Anyway, there you have it. I know that it's somewhat crude in that I'm not giving any calculations or theorycraft as proof or backup. Neither of those, however, is relevant to my ultimate conclusion.<br /><br />For me, combat mutilate is infinitely more enjoyable than combat daggers (and presumably combat swords/maces/fists). I just plain have more fun with the deep assassination talents than I do with combat. <br /><br />I should have been ecstatic last night. I co-led the raid (with the help of <a href="http://thepositivewarrior.blogspot.com">Brigin</a> as MT) to clear Moroes, Opera(BBW), Curator(2d evocate), Aran, Chess, and Prince in just over 3 hours. Only one wipe in the beginning because of an accidental pull and one wipe on prince because of those damned infernal drops. Only three pieces of gear were sharded. It was an extremely successful run.<br /><br />But I didn't have fun. And that is the most important thing. This is a game. A game, by nature, should be fun.<br /><br />No worries though. As soon as we were through handing out the prince loot I hearthed to IF and respecced back to 41/20/0.<br /><br />I'll never make THAT mistake again.Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-10946994386711021982007-10-16T10:07:00.000-04:002007-10-16T11:32:57.109-04:00Today's Agenda1. Hit level 32 with Doomtard, even if it means staying up until 2am. - Done<br />2. Reset alarm clock since <a href="http://temerity-jane.com/?p=268">power pwntage</a>. - Done<br /><strike>3. Wake up at 6:00am to get an early start.</strike><br /><strike>3. Wake up at 6:30am to get an early start.</strike><br /><strike>3. Wake up at 7:00am to get an early-ish start.</strike><br /><strike>3. Wake up at 7:30am.</strike><br />3. Wake up late. - Done<br />4. Don't fall asleep during 9:00am status meeting. - Do...ne<br />5. Get toasted bagel with maple syrup cream cheese and chocolate milk. - Done<br />6. Get coffee from the campus Starbucks. - <strike>Cancelled</strike> Reopened, In process (white mocha latte).<br />7. Don't fall asleep at desk or during any of the three remaining meetings. - PendingDoomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-26168962162461756332007-10-15T12:48:00.000-04:002007-10-15T13:44:09.589-04:00HuntardinessA while back, after my rogue became completely dedicated to raiding, I became completely bored. I've never been one for alts, just couldn't get into them.<br /><br />Until I started a hunter. Now I'm hooked. I hit 31 with him last night.<br /><br />This is entirely too much fun. Group quests? pfft. Elites? /lawl. Yes, I'm using the BRK "<a href="http://bigredkitty.blogspot.com/2007/06/new-bm-leveling-tree-your-first-40.html">how to build a BM hunter</a>" guide.<br /><br />And it is absolutely shining. Here are some pics of Doomtard and Cyboarg.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLxlCsx55tzf7JKKHiOhaG1JbBp-jQahtGnzhEOpor0vY4e_HL_NueABy5noMYAHf8n-7lSnxVGRrmbXQthj8F1FFug_jyxHNOIhMbxFdF1lzJeam_ye-vXq1XUsKUiIgQH3NFN321Oc/s1600-h/WoWScrnShot_101507_005236.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLxlCsx55tzf7JKKHiOhaG1JbBp-jQahtGnzhEOpor0vY4e_HL_NueABy5noMYAHf8n-7lSnxVGRrmbXQthj8F1FFug_jyxHNOIhMbxFdF1lzJeam_ye-vXq1XUsKUiIgQH3NFN321Oc/s400/WoWScrnShot_101507_005236.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121620632055742610" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1hB52pb-qsNCLlcy6fWH43UZSa2lCWH2E_sg4VMJHamVXkXs9QMoEiOBoTDaeTLnLF3yFyrwc8PinbzyUCICmPGyrrdBGxL7APDVqx39eGBzn7NpY8kVrkjBc9FHof7GNjkmeZBN3yg/s1600-h/WoWScrnShot_101507_005609.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121619794537119858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1hB52pb-qsNCLlcy6fWH43UZSa2lCWH2E_sg4VMJHamVXkXs9QMoEiOBoTDaeTLnLF3yFyrwc8PinbzyUCICmPGyrrdBGxL7APDVqx39eGBzn7NpY8kVrkjBc9FHof7GNjkmeZBN3yg/s400/WoWScrnShot_101507_005609.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNxdTMFonnAi6gjQGDY691U-29j0D1_Lzkq8mLAXku_Ep3_gipFwK9R13AI-a7TgjAC9wvRtNy0x8FPv7JRqDvR7TlOZg3w8SrhEJ1_px3fwJWJ-S7Hqid_VJszm4i5H7vJyngE9W064/s1600-h/WoWScrnShot_101507_005335.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121619910501236866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNxdTMFonnAi6gjQGDY691U-29j0D1_Lzkq8mLAXku_Ep3_gipFwK9R13AI-a7TgjAC9wvRtNy0x8FPv7JRqDvR7TlOZg3w8SrhEJ1_px3fwJWJ-S7Hqid_VJszm4i5H7vJyngE9W064/s400/WoWScrnShot_101507_005335.jpg" border="0" /></a>Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-37989184572189933402007-10-12T14:04:00.000-04:002007-10-12T14:57:15.826-04:00Illudium PU-36 Explosive Space ModulatorSo I have gotten a few emails asking about the mods I use. Here they are, in no particular order<br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB50Cr9txTX9W98aOIFV7lj5s-B-h4db8aTspNVWzIih5PNGhGj2rUsyyZYMqLxhaPOSRwJWIBw-y6Pqu_Jr4J-hXcvCGQQP1Rsd6ydaV9Q-eiBW0CAxdfxfNPD37k7L3lSXp-QJCdVzc/s1600-h/WoWScrnShot_101207_080857.jpg" target="blank"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5120515657229566018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB50Cr9txTX9W98aOIFV7lj5s-B-h4db8aTspNVWzIih5PNGhGj2rUsyyZYMqLxhaPOSRwJWIBw-y6Pqu_Jr4J-hXcvCGQQP1Rsd6ydaV9Q-eiBW0CAxdfxfNPD37k7L3lSXp-QJCdVzc/s400/WoWScrnShot_101207_080857.jpg" border="0" /></a>I run 1680 wide screen resolution, which is why the screenshot is so large. Alot of my addons run on the <a href="http://files.wowace.com/">Ace2</a> framework, so I recommend downloading that first. I don't want to link to each mod, but they can all be found either on the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/files.wowace.com">Ace2</a> download site (just do a CTRL+F and search) or on <a href="http://www.blogger.com/curse.com">Curse</a>.<br /><br />The action bar modification is actually two add-ons in one. The first is Bartender3. It allows you to have complete control over the position, size and interactivity of your actionbars. You will need to first turn all of your actionbars off in the Blizzard UI before implementing these. The second, which gives the polished circle look, is called CyCircled. It is a very simple addon that allows you to choose from library of graphics for your hotbar buttons.<br /><br />To the left of the actionbars is my chat window. I just recently added a mod called Prat, which allows you to change the look and feel of your chat windows. I am still fiddling with it, but I like it so far.<br /><br />To the right of the actionbars is a combat log reader called HitsMode. There is a ton of customization you can use, such as displaying post-combat summaries, and color-coded sequences and actions. I am just using the default settings here.<br /><br />Above the HitsMode window is Omen Threat Meter. I used to run KTM, but this one is much better. If nothing other the customizable bar sizes and settings for aggro gain threshold warnings, it is a must have for any class.<br /><br />In the middle of my screen, which can barely see beacuse I did not have the foresight this morning to target anything before snapping the shot, is a HUD called IceHud. I really like this because it keeps my focus in the center of screen, instead of continually needing to look up to see my health, energy, and the mobs health and mana. One of the best attributes for rogues is the energy ticker. Knowing when you are about to a tick of 20 energy REALLY helps you be proactive about your next move. If I have both slice and dice and rupture up and running, 2 combo points, and say about 60 energy, I can watch the ticker so I can time a mutilate > finisher > mutilate with only the global cooldown to worry about.<br /><br />At the top-right-centerish youll see two timer bars. This addon is called SorrenTimers. It can be used for any class, and can track any ability that either has a cooldown or has a countdown. It learns your skills as you use them, so if you are using it while you level, remember to keep updating it. Another thing you can do with this addon is create categories. For instance, I have cheapshot, kidney shot, gouge, and blind all categorized under "Stuns". I can then move this category anywhere on my screen. Similarly, I have garrote, rupture, deadly poison, wound poison, and crippling poison under Debuffs". What you see on this shot are my bloodlust brooch and cloak of shadows both counting down.<br /><br />For my party UI, I use Perl Classic. I've tried Perl-X, but I just can't get into it.<br /><br />Finally, I use Titan Panel to track things like guild, money, performance, bag space, and armor percentage.<br /><br />What are some of the mods you guys use? I am always looking for new ones. I like change.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(not pictured: damagemeters. I hardly ever have this up on my screen, except during bossfights or certain situations to watch the active performance of the raid)</span></p><p><span style="font-size:78%;">(if i gave out cool points, which i dont, you'd get 5 for knowing where i got the title of this post)</span></p>Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-15252695576630684102007-10-11T11:29:00.000-04:002007-10-11T11:45:21.160-04:00Violated?So I just got up to walk to the bathroom, to you know, go to the bathroom.<br /><br />As I turned the corner, I found myself within inches of my life. Suddenly the office transformed to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleistocene">Pleistocene</a> and I was about to be gored by a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolly_Rhinoceros">woolly rhinoceros</a>.<br /><br />She seemed to be just as scared as I.<br /><br />Then I looked to my right and there was her male companion. I guess they were making their way to the watering hole or something, but he was about a third of her size.<br /><br />And we made eye contact. And he looked at me. And I looked at him. And then his eyes slowly lowered to my chest.<br /><br />To my waist.<br /><br />Legs.<br /><br />Back up to my eyes again.<br /><br />"Hey."<br /><br />It speaks?<br /><br />Standing at the urinal (for some reason, I had a momentary random thought about how urinals should definately have rearview mirrors), I realized that was no woolly rhino.<br /><br />No no. That was a very oddly shaped large woman with wild hair dressed in a grey pantsuit.<br /><br />And her male friend?<br /><br />OMG.<br /><br />Thats the <strong>last</strong> time I get up from my desk without putting my pants back on.Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-89655433606318782452007-10-10T17:16:00.001-04:002007-10-10T17:16:36.102-04:00A Bit About Rogue LevelingMinnieu from Kargath has a young rogue, and is asking for some leveling advice:<br /><br /><span style="color:#ffcc33;">"...I am having problems with the </span><a href="http://doomilias.blogspot.com/2007/08/pickpocket-macro.html"><span style="color:#ffffff;">pickpocket macro</span></a><span style="color:#ffcc33;"> that you have. I copied and pasted it directly from the web site to the macro menu in WOW. Then changed it from cheap shot to the opening skills that I do have and it worked a few times then nadda. I see the toon stand up but not window pops up. If I then stealth and then go to another mob sap it then pick pockets I alway get a window with some loot. Any idea?"</span><br /><br />First, if you play a rogue and don't use this macro...well, shenanigans. It's free money and loot, and will support your poison and reagent needs (at least until blind becomes reagent-less in 2.3) with junkboxes from humanoids (note: If you can, dont completely loot these junkboxes. Leave something in them and stash em for <a href="http://www.wowwiki.com/Ravenholdt">Ravenholdt</a> rep turn-ins). Second, to answer your question Min I kinda need to see the macro itself. Could send me a screenshot of your macro window? Make sure to turn on auto-loot in your interface options as well, otherwise it can get buggy.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ffcc00;">"...As a relatively new player to WoW and to playing Rogues I have my points all over the place...what in your opinion is the best solo spec for a Rogue?"</span><br /><br />That all really depends. On alot of things. Any one of the combat weapon specs (maces, daggers, swords, fists) are great solo specs. But you can make any spec effective for soloing, since rogues have the ability to stealth past unnecessary or unbalanced fights. But, uh, what would I recommend for a new rogue leveling?<br /><br /><span style="color:#ffcc00;">"...should I go with dual daggers/dual swords/or dagger and sword?"</span><br /><br />Combat swords. The only reason I suggest swords by default is that they are probably the most accessible one-handed melee weapon. Why? Because one-handed swords are the most diversely used melee weapon across all melee or physical damage classes.<br /><br />However, through your first 40 or so levels, use the best dps weapons you come across. Always check the auction house for upgrades. Use whatever you can find that will give you both the highest dps available and the best stats (for leveling, agility and stamina). At some point, you may want to make a point of trying to wield a sword in your main hand and a dagger in your off hand if nothing more than to have your sword/dagger skill level with you. When I made the decision to switch to combat mutilate at 70, I had to spend an entire Saturday afternoon leveling my dagger skill...and that just plain sucked.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ffcc00;">"...Please if you are able to take a look at my profile and give me ideas."</span><br /><br />Now, as for your spec. I see you currently have all 14 points in the combat tree. I would personally go with something like <a href="http://wowhead.com/?talent=fhxZGz">this</a> instead.<br /><br />I'm not really a fan of lightning reflexes. 5% dodge at that level isn't going to give you as much benefit as you would get from 5% increase to crit. Crit will fluctuate as you level, and having this base 5% increase is really going to help you kill mobs faster.<br /><br />Don't worry about parry and riposte. The amount of mobs you'll be fighting that you can actually use this ability against doesn't really justify the points spent...yet. It's much better to get the points into abilities that you should be using on every single fight: eviscerate, sinister strike, and gouge. Why improved gouge? Because it gives you 5.5 seconds to regen energy, reposition behind the mob, not take damage, etc. You can also use it as an evasion tactic. Aggro'd something you dont want to fight? Gouge it and you'll get away.<br /><br />So. This is just my recommendation, but fill up your imp's first, along with malice, and then start putting points into improved slice and dice. Some may argue this, but having more slice and dice time at the cost of less combo points is something I would want if I was leveling again. Fill out precision next, endurance (you should be using evasion whenever you have it up), and finally dual wield spec. Your level 28 build should look like <a href="http://wowhead.com/?talent=fhxZGcVb0V">this</a>. Where to go from there? Write me again when you get there!<br /><br />Again, these are just my recommendations. I'm sure there are other rogues out there who will tell you different, and thats fine. In fact, how about some more advice for Minni? Anyone?<br /><br />Thanks for writing Minni. Hope this helps!Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-19037589150016941892007-10-09T15:54:00.000-04:002007-10-09T15:57:05.017-04:00Can't Post! Busy Bee!Well, its been somewhat of a busy day, I have started three different posts on three different topics...but I just can't finish em yet.<br /><br />Anyway, someone posted this in my guild forums.<br /><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.expectnothing.com/pub/posts/attached/0002k1cc.gif" border="0" /></p><p>I lawl'd</p>Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-27200321555966087842007-10-08T10:21:00.000-04:002007-10-08T14:20:44.087-04:00Dungeon Stunlocking: A Tank's Plea<span style="color:#ffcc66;">Excuse me, Mr. Rogue. Do you know what my job is? I r ur meetshield, k? I stand in the way of angry monsters and ugly humanoids, trying to MAKE them hate <em>me</em> enough to want to kill <em>me</em> instead of you. Sure, I wear heavy pieces of thick metal and carry a shield. But you couldn't <em>imagine</em> the ringing in my ears after taking a good mace to the face. You know those huge pyroblasts I take for you? Well, try getting used to the smell of your own singed body hair after being trapped inside your breastplate for a few hours. I do all this for you. All so that you can stand safely behind this deadly foe, stabbing ankles and dissapearing at the first sign of trouble. When we are finished, and you are marveling at the shinyness of your new dagger, I'm over here in my little corner, just wondering how I'm going to explain to the mrs. another 20 gold wasted on repairs.</span><br /><span style="color:#ffcc66;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ffcc66;">That's all fine. I chose this line of work, I will live with it. I enjoy being your protector. But you're not making it easy. You know how your skills and special moves cost energy? Yeah. You get energy pretty fast right? Course you do, you little bugger. Mine cost rage. Do you know what rage is? I didn't think so. Let's just say that it's the opposite of energy. I <em>NEED</em> to be hit in order to generate rage. I know you're just trying to help, but it's just making my job harder. Stop stunlocking my target! If I don't get hit, I don't get rage. If I don't have rage, I can't use my abilities to control the threat of the bad guys. If I don't control the threat of the bad guys, you die. Got it? Good!</span><br /><br />This has been an excercise in role play. Failingly, maybe...but there is a point.<br /><br />Stunlocking. It is one of the greatest treats of playing a mutilate specced rogue. You get all the combo points you could ever need, and the nice little benefit of increased damage when your target is under the effects of kidney shot. But it's poor practice to stunlock everything when your tank is focused on a single target. Your intentions are good, but they are more of a hinderance than a help. Not allowing your tank to get hit will also keep him from generating the rage necessary to use his abilties (shield bash, sunder, etc.) in a threat generating manner.<br /><br />Wait. Let's back up.<br /><br />What is a stunlock? Well, to put it simply, it's when the attacker uses different stunning abilities in succession to keep the attackee in a completely helpless and immobile state. Some rogue builds are better for stunlocking than others (seal fate is almost a necessity to stunlock effectively). It starts by opening from stealth with a cheap shot. This stuns the target for 4 seconds and rewards 2 combo points. For a 41/20-ish specced rogue, mutilate is the next move. Depending on wether or not the mutialte crits, the rogue will then have 4-5 combo points. This means that either a 5 or 6 <strike>point</strike> second kidney shot will follow. 10 seconds of target-cant-do-shiii<span style="font-size:85%;">iii</span><span style="font-size:78%;">iii</span>...nevermind. [note: in pvp, following the kidney shot with a gouge (assuming 3/3 imp gouge) will allow the rogue to get to a distance that will remove in-combat status and restealth, which then allows the rogue to start the process all over again).<br /><br />So, running an instance (raids are a completely different post). When is it ok to stunlock? These are the general ideals I try to follow:<br /><br />1. Watch the tank's rage bar. If it's above 50%, go ahead and use your stunlocks.<br /><br />2. Multiple targets. In a situation where your tank needs to tank more than 1 mob, by all means stunlock the second target. This is where the 41/20 build will shine. You are controlling the mob while giving a very nice dps party buff (9% increased damage for the duration. 3/3 imp kidney shot). But beware, make SURE to have the party leader mark YOUR mob as the focus fire target. While you are stunlocking, ranged and melee dps should be attacking your target to get it down first. Mobs don't like stunlocks. When it comes back, it will want you dead.<br /><br />3. Staggered stuns. So this doesn't really count as stunlocking, since you are not using your stuns in succession. Anyway, one of the situations where I use kidney shot the most for 5-mans is as a finisher. Open with a cheap shot, get your slice and dice up, smack some mutilates, and hit that 5 point kidney shot when the mob is at or below 40% health. The 9% damage increase helps burn the mob down, and allows the healer to catch up on tank hp for the next pull/mob.<br /><br />I hope this helps. I know I didn't even figure it out until I had already been 70 for some time and my tank said to me over vent "I can't hold aggro if I don't have rage."<br /><br />Always remember, while the primary focus of the rogue class is to deal damage, you have the abilities and skills to be much more valuable to your party than just pwning the meters.Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-13366634082469345552007-10-05T09:24:00.000-04:002007-10-05T12:15:25.705-04:00Have fun with it<span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffcc66;"><em>"Hey Doom...I had a quick question about the [41/20/0] build as I recently ran mech for the first time. As you probably know a large chunk of the trash and all the bosses in there are immune to poisons and bleeds. This really hampered my dps, and i was struggling to figuire out what i could do with my 5 combo points. I cant slap ruptures on, or use evenom, and mutilate damage is hampered also by the lack of poisoning. Do you put eviscerate on your bar as a finisher? Basically what should i be doing on these mobs? Is this instance one of the more painful for the mutilate rogue? - Lalecize on Aman'thul"</em></span><br /><br />Thanks for the email Lal. Are you sure you are talking about <a href="http://www.wowwiki.com/The_Mechanar#NPCs">The Mechanar</a>? I've never had an issue with mobs being poison immune in any of the Tempest Keep instances, seeing as how the large majority are blood elves and demons. The first boss in mech, <a href="http://www.wowwiki.com/Mechano-Lord_Capacitus">Mechano-Lord Capacticus</a>, is immune to poison and bleed. Seems fair enough, he is a mechanical type after all. The Tempest-Forge Destroyers (the big mechanicals that do charged fist), however, are not immune to poison. At least, they are not immune to offensive poisons. What is your poison setup? I highly recommend using an instant poison on your main hand, and a deadly poison on your offhand. There really is no good reason to be using mind numbing or crippling poisons while you are running an instance. Some circumstances call for them, but they are very few and far between.<br /><br />As for bleeds, well, yes. Er, no. You will come across alot of mobs and bosses that are immune to bleed effects. All mechanicals and certain undead bosses, for instance (Laj in Botanica, Attumen the Huntsmen and Moroes in Karazhan). In this case, by all means use eviscerate as a substitute finisher, but wait until you have 5 points to do so. To maximize your dps for bosses like these, make sure not to use mutilate unless you have the find weakness buff. Instead of spamming your attacks to try and make up for the lack of rupture, focus on keeping your energy bar close to full. Watch your energy ticker and try and time your regen so that you will be able to get two mutilates off. I will also use a 5/5 envenom on occasion, using shiv to quickly refresh 5 charges of deadly poison. Be very very careful of your threat when not using rupture, as your tendancy will be to try for more burst.<br /><br />Lal, one of the most important things as a rogue is to find a rotation that works for you. You have to be comfortable with the skills you are using. If you aren't, your dps will suffer because you wont be confident, you'll get distracted by trying to do the "right thing". One last thing that is important is not to pay too much attention to any sort of damage meters (I have meters, but I only check them every once in a while). Watch your energy, be aware of your cooldown timers and buffs, and work with your environment and party. There are all sorts of <a href="http://elitistjerks.com/">elitist jerks</a> out there. Play your rogue to have fun.Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974907829259971477.post-24698507680186139052007-10-04T14:32:00.000-04:002007-10-04T15:12:59.879-04:00Punch in the FaceI swear. My mind is entirely distracted today. 30 solid minutes of work followed by 40 more solid-er minutes of drifting into the ceiling tiles does NOT make for a productive work day. Pfft. It just took me 4 minutes and 3.23 seconds to write those three sentences.<br /><br /><br />Sometimes I am right smack in the middle of concrete concentration, and something or someone comes flying out of nowhere to...<br /><br /><br />...example. Real time. Just a few seconds ago, the woman on the other side of my cube wall sneezed, and immediately said, "ooo. excuse me!". Why did she have to do that? It's been dead silent for over an hour. Is anyone even here? I can hear papers rustling, but that could be a desk fan or the wind. I can't understand why people excuse themselves after sneezing. It's not a burp, it's not a poot. It's a sneeze. Hairs inside of the nose have suddenly sent a signal to the brain that translates "bad things here. get rid. fast. hard.". Why apologize for that?<br /><br />And then I always have this...um, problem? Say I'm standing in front of someone with a notepad and pen. And that person is talking to me, explaining that I need to do this in order to make that happen, and blah blah blah the world is safe. During said person's speech, as I am listening and taking notes, I have this completely destructive thought process:<br /><br />- What would happen if I stabbed this person in the neck with my pen?<br />- WTF, why would you even think that?<br />- Seriously though, could I make it out of here in time not to get caught?<br />- Would he die from the wound or from ink poisoning?<br /><br /><em><pause></em><br /><em>AMBER ALERT - AWFUL PERSON JUST OVERHEARD IN THE FOLLOWING CONVERSATION: "So omigawd guess whaaaaat happened to my girlfriend? Sheeeee went to see the Rachel Ray Show, and she was standing in line waiting to get into the studio, when she noticed that the producers were going through the line and giving all the attractive women FREE TICKEEEEETS!!! Can you belieeeeeeeve that?! Welllll, wouldn't you know, when she got to the front of the line, they said there were no more seats!! How awful IS that?!"</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>NO! What's awful is that your girlfriend went to see the Rachel Ray Show. And she's also apparently not attractive at all. You have effectively forced me to form an extremely shallow and negative opinion of your friend.</em><br /><em></pause></em><br /><br />- Stop. Look Normal. Pay attention.<br />- Crap. What has been saying for the past 5 minutes?<br /><br />This happens to me often. It usually is just "what would happen if I punched this person in the face right now?", but as you can see...my brain seems to be a bit more morbidly distracted than usual. Am I insane?<br /><br />And yes, the above conversation was transcribed as it happened.Doomiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527541265654877363noreply@blogger.com