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Encrypted Text: Macro guide for rogues
Every Wednesday, Chase Christian of Encrypted Text invites you to enter the world of shadows, as we explore the secrets and mechanics of the rogue class. This week, we talk about a few of the most common rogue macros in use today.Over the past couple of weeks, I've had the opportunity to play my rogue quite a bit more than I am typically able to. Brewfest and Onyxia have had me busy every night, helping my guild mates slay Coren Direbrew over and over again. I was able to pick up a Direbrew's Shanker 2.0, although it won't see much use, it's still nice to see one in my bank beside the previous versions.I captured this bit of a World of Logs parse from one of the Onyxia attempts, where I was able to my AoE combination macro: it's a very deadly combination. Looking at numbers like these make me wonder if perhaps the great FoK nerf of 3.2.2 wasn't as heavy-handed as it was made up to be. With a Vanish fix on the horizon for patch 3.3 (who's PTR is coming "soon") and the red-hot topic of 'weapon swapping', I decided to do a bit of housecleaning and tidy up my macros and addons in anticipation.
The best of WoW.com: September 22-29, 2009
The World of Warcraft is a strange and savage place: not only is there continually some Orc or Murloc or crazed cult attacking whatever various settlement you choose to spend your time in, but you've also got to deal with patch releases, forum trolls and the occasional crazed developer too! That's why you should be reading WoW.com -- we're your own personal sherpa for the biggest MMO around.Peep our roundup of ten popular posts from the past week after the break.
WoW Insider Show Episode 109: Drakes for everyone
We recorded our latest podcast last Saturday afternoon, and it was a good one -- not only did we have Eddie "Brigwyn" Carrington and Turpster on from here at WoW.com, but we welcomed two special guests: Fimlys and Nibuca from the Twisted Nether Blogcast. They were on to talk about their podcast and what they do with Twisted Nether, as well as their new Azeroth United project and what they'll be doing with that in the future. And of course, after we introduced everybody, we sat down and chatted about the most popular stories from the last week in Warcraft, including Brewfest and Onyxia, as well as patch 3.2.2 and the bugs contained therein. Enjoy the show.And if you've heard something you'd like to respond to on the show, feel free to drop us a note via email -- the address is theshow@wow.com. We'll see you next Saturday as usual, thanks for listening!Get the podcast:[iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes.[RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator.[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.Listen here on the page:
Raid Rx: Healing Onyxia
Every week, Raid Rx will help you quarterback your healers to victory! Your host is Matt Low, the grand poobah of World of Matticus and a founder of No Stock UI, a WoW blog for all things UI, macro, and addon related. Onyxia's the latest raid boss to challenge healers. Here's some phase-by-phase tips to help you get through the ordeal. I finally managed to heal this fight through a lag infested night when patch 3.2.2 landed. Onyxia was a pain in the butt to heal at level 60. Have things changed since then? No, not by much. In some of the pickup Onyxia groups I joined on my alts, I've seen tanks drop several times. I don't want to guess who the blame should go on to (tank or healer) but I'll provide some pointers and observations for all the healing classes to help streamline the entire healing process. My colleague, Matthew Rossi, has written a fairly detailed piece on what the entire raid can expect throughout Onyxia's various phases. While the encounter is easy in terms of theory, in practice it can still be challenging for healers if they let their guard down. Do not take Onyxia too lightly.
WoW Insider Show with Twisted Nether today at 3:30pm Eastern
Hey hey, our podcast is finally back on the air this afternoon at 3:30pm Eastern, and it's gonna be a good one: Fimlys and Nibuca from the Twisted Nether Blogcast (and the new Azeroth United project) will join Turpster, Eddie "Brigwyn" Carrington and myself to talk about the past week in the World of Warcraft. I'm sure this week's events will come up, both the Brewfest celebration and the return of Onyxia, not to mention the new patch this week (and all of the problems we've seen with it). Sounds like a full show!It all kicks off this afternoon at 3:30pm Eastern over on the Ustream page -- if you're around, you can tune in, listen live, and chat with us and all of our guests. Even if you're not around, you can always email us at theshow@wow.com, and then hit up the site here on Monday when we'll post the recording of the show over on iTunes. But as our commenters will probably tell you, the chat room is always a good time, so if you can make it, it will definitely be a lot of fun. See you there!
WRUP: Brewfest is back edition
What's the WoW.com team playing this weekend? What are the WoW.com readers playing this weekend? Even before looking at our highly scientific poll data, I think it's safe to say that quite a few of have our eyes on the prize (which is to say one Violet Proto-Drake) and are working on Brewfest achievements. But as one or two of the team still insist on maintaining independent thought and action, below I have included a list of what we're all playing this weekend -- including those of us who aren't bothering with Brewfest.
Ready Check: Onyxia
Ready Check is a column focusing on successful raiding for the serious raider. Hardcore or casual, Vault of Archavon or Ulduar, everyone can get in on the action and down some bosses.Hi howdy and hello, everyone. I'm Matthew Rossi, famous for being tail whipped into the cave on our first Onyxia 10 attempt yesterday. Twice. Despite having been a veteran of the original raid, which means I've heard this kind of ranting many, many times. What I'm getting at is, there are certain things you do not do in a successful Onyxia kill (then and now) and if you go in cocky, thinking that you're mister fancy pants Conquerer of Ulduar, then she's going to embarrass you. If, on the other hand, you just go in and kill her, it's much less embarrassing all told. As long as you keep her mechanics in mind, she's not a terribly complicated or hard fight, but she's been updated and tuned fairly well for an 80 raid.Before we get to the meat of things, two caveats: one, she can hit very, very hard. On 10 man, as I dragged her back into position (we'll go more into that) I found that I went from 45k health to 11k health in two seconds. My healer actually screamed on vent. Later, we had a discussion about how mister tank doesn't go out of range on mister healer without warning. Secondly, I'm not sure if I'm just remembering it differently or if it has actually changed, but her hit box seems a lot smaller than it was at 60. It does not seem possible to melee her while she's in the air, for instance, and my melee DPS reporting having to come in fairly close to hit her.Not to worry, though. You'll have plenty to do without being able to melee Ony. She brought friends! Oh, so many friends if you're not careful.
Encrypted Text: Rogue loot guide to patch 3.2.2
Every Wednesday, Chase Christian of Encrypted Text invites you to enter the world of shadows, as we explore the secrets and mechanics of the Rogue class. This week, we talk about the new gear (mostly weapons) available in patch 3.2.2 and Brewfest.Much to everyone's surprise, Blizzard released patch 3.2.2 this week. I've talked extensively about what this patch means for Assassination Rogues via the Deadly Poison and Envenom changes, and how hard the loss of Throwing Specialization and a 30% damage cut will be hitting Fan of Knives. With the recently stealth buffs to Volley that snuck their way into the 3.2.2 patch, I am already wondering where Rogues and Hunters will land in PvE after the dust settles. The FoK nerf will hurt some of our AoE-centric PvP builds and compositions, but I don't feel that these strategies had much going for them in the first place besides an obviously overpowered talent.Patch 3.2.2 also brings us Onyxia reborn, completely re-tuned for all of her level 80 glory. This means that she's not only been buffed to challenge level 80 raiders, but her gear has been taken up a notch as well. With ilvl 232 rewards from her 10 man version, and ilvl 245 gear from slaying her with 24 friends, there will be many Rogues foraying into her lair. There are also a few new items available from the Brewfest holiday, one of which surprised even me. Read on for the full details.
WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.2.2
Patch 3.2.2 is here today! The patch brings us back the big bad Brood Mother herself, Onyxia, in the form of an updated 10 and 25 man raid. Check out the loot and achievements for the new level 80 Onyxia.For Patch 3.2.2 we've been steadily updating WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.2.2. with everything we've written about the Patch 3.2.2 PTR. Included in there are links to the latest patch notes, class changes and analysis.Check out the guide and all its updates for Patch 3.2.2 goodness! Read the Patch 3.2.2 Guide >>
Patch 3.2.2 lives. It lives!
The day is here. Patch 3.2.2 is now downloaded and can at last be played. From changes to classes to the return of Onyxia (I'm not sure if the Broodmother of the Black Dragonflight will be actually raidable tonight, but boy howdy do I hope so) it's going to be, as a certain robot who I'm sure would play WoW if it wasn't a thousand years out of date in his time would say, fun on a bun. New pets, a new mount, and lots of new loot with an old time aesthetic, it's the patch that I, at least, have been waiting for. Shark head helmet ahoy!Are there patch notes, you say? Indeed, and after the jump ye shall find them! Sorry, my dreams of shark head helmet are kind of running my brain.
Raid Rx: 14 patch 3.2 trinkets to check out
Every week, Raid Rx will help you quarterback your healers to victory! Your host is Matt Low, the grand poobah of World of Matticus and a founder of No Stock UI, a WoW blog for all things UI, macro, and addon related. It's been a while since I looked at trinkets. What options are there available since then? Yes, the linked article goes to the Priest column on trinkets. Not every healer's going to use them. But truth be told, there aren't that many new options for healers in the current game since Ulduar and Trial of the Crusader opened up. Let's look at everything available since Malygos. So what do we have to work with?
Insider Trader: Patch 3.2.2 madness
The shining feature of patch 3.2.2 will be Onyxia's return, and of course, the already infamous Ony mount, but there are some profession changes coming too. As always, they can be found in the latest patch notes, although you'll have to scroll past the Brood Mother to find them. This week's Insider Trader will analyze these changes and tell you what they mean for you.
One Shots: Somewhere, a skinner is twitching
You can imagine - once people heard that Onyxia was being retooled so that players could take her out and land themselves a shiny new pet - the frenzy was on. This image of insane amounts of Dragonkin carnage in World of Warcraft comes to us from Mr. P. who didn't send any other note along other than to explain it was from the PTRs outside of Ony's lair. That said, knowing World of Warcraft fiends like we do, we know someone out there with skinning is looking at this picture right now and twitching, just because there are so many skins to be had - and nobody is cleaning them up!One Shots is in need of your screenshots, so while you're out getting your game time in, why not send us some of your images! It's easy to do. Just email them to oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post them out here and give you the credit - bonus points if you can make someone twitch! %Gallery-9798%
The best of WoW.com: August 25 - September 1, 2009
We're still reeling from everything we saw at BlizzCon a few weeks ago over at WoW.com, from all the news we heard about the next expansion, Cataclysm, to everything else about Icecrown and the anniversary celebration in the upcoming patch 3.2.2. There's a ton of big news lately over on the site, but here's our most popular posts for you to browse through. Don't forget to hit the costume galleries -- we've got tons more pictures like the gem above. News Patch 3.2.2 Onyxia achievementsAchievements from the second go-round of the big bad dragon fight for the game's 5th anniversary. BlizzCon 2009: First impressions of Cataclysm racesOur staff breaks down their first impressions of the new races announced in the next expansion. BlizzCon 2009: The Guild's Michele Boyd and Jeff Lewis hands-on with the WorgenTwo stars of The Guild webseries take on the playable Worgen demo available at BlizzCon. BlizzCon 2009: The Cataclysm trailerThis is where it all began -- the expansion trailer revealed at BlizzCon's opening ceremony. Battle.net conversion to become mandatory soonWith the onset of the new Battle.net, everyone's going to have to move over eventually. Features BlizzCon 2009 Insider Trader: Cataclysmic professionsThis big feature (here's part two and part three) takes a look at what's new with professions in Cataclysm. BlizzCon 2009: Bingo failOur bingo card for BlizzCon fails again. We need to stop making these so hard. BlizzCon 2009: Costumes, part twoHere's a roundup of all the costumes we saw on the show floor. What does Blizzard have planned for an ingame launch event?We know there's going to be a launch event for the new expansion, but what will it look like? Guildwatch: "ur name is remembered"Here's our weekly look at guild drama, downed, and recruiting news from around the realms.
Breakfast Topic: What classic loot would you want to see upgraded?
So this question was actually inspired by the photo Rossi put on his latest warrior column: That of a Worgen warrior wielding Ashkandi. It brought me back to the old days where that sword was pretty the dream in every possible way. It had good DPS, a decent speed, nice stats, it looked absolutely amazing, and it once belonged to the OG of Humanity, the greatest hero the Alliance has ever known, Anduin Lothar. Back in the day, pretty much every Arms Warrior and Retribution Paladin I knew lusted for it.
Patch 3.2.2 Onyxia achievements
The newest Patch 3.2.2 PTR build which came online this morning has some hot new achievements for our favorite brood mother. The Onyxia achievements are as we expected - pulled straight from the classic NSFW Onyxia Wipe Animation.Of particular note is the Level 60 Onyxia Achievement – that is now a Feat of Strength as it will be unobtainable after Patch 3.2.2 releases and Ony becomes a level 80 raid. In my opinion, guilds should be doing nightly Ony runs to get their alts the achievement. Nothing says awesome like some good old level 60 Feats of Strength.The full list of Level 80 Onyxia Achievements after the break
BlizzCon 2009: The short version
For all those of you out there who don't have the time to slog through the 100+ articles we published on BlizzCon 2009, we've condensed the events of the past few days into the most important things you need to know: THE END OF WRATH: Developers gave some pretty revealing information on what we can expect to see in patch 3.2.2 (the revamped Onyxia raid) and in patch 3.3, where we'll finally stare down Arthas himself. THE NEXT EXPANSION: Blizzard's own loremaster Chris Metzen debuted the first trailer for the next expansion, titled World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, and that sound you hear is millions of players who can't believe Blizzard would ever pull a stunt this big. Cataclysm's basic storyline features the return of Deathwing and the re-sundering of the world in his wake, forever altering Azeroth's classic landscape and sending players to previously unseen parts of the world like the Lost Isles, Hyjal, Gilneas, Uldum, and Grim Batol. FEATURES OF CATACLYSM: The most important features of the next expansion include two new races (Goblins for the Horde and Worgen for the Alliance), new class possibilities for existing races, a new secondary skill, character stat simplification, cross-server instances, the ability to level and "talent" your guild, new means of character advancement through the Path of the Titans, Mastery, and the revamping of the talent system, and rated battlegrounds. LIVEBLOGS: We blogged and liveblogged the convention from start to finish: the Opening Ceremony, the WoW Preview panel, the WoW Art panel, The Guild's panel, the first and second WoW Class, Items, and Professions Panels, the general WoW Q&A, the Breaking Into the Industry panel, the Game Systems panel, and the Raids and Dungeons panel. FUN AND GAMES: Even in the middle of all the craziness, we still found time for our third annual Reader Meetup (we expected maybe 300 people and got 1200+) with the cast of The Guild present, Premonition's live raid, the Costume contest, and the Dance and Soundalike contests. If you'd like a more thorough look at how BlizzCon 2009 went, visit our round-ups on Day One and Day Two of the con for a more complete guide to our articles, galleries, and videos.
The Queue: Nuts and bolts
Oh boy. Most of us are the walking dead after BlizzCon, but let's get back to something resembling normalcy with a Queue. We're going to start off today with an important matter concerning authenticators and account security, then move on to a bit of WoW.com business and Onyxia. I'd also like to direct attention to two really good comments from the last column re: technical issues, Shadow's and Logarth's.Zerounit asks... I recently got an Authenticator in the mail and I noticed something while I was inspecting it: there appears to be no way to open it short of cracking it open with large objects. Is there a battery life on these? If it stops giving me my magic codes, will I have to get a new one? I got an authenticator for my own use recently and have to admit I hadn't thought to look into the battery life, which is a very good question indeed. A dead authenticator means you have no way of getting into the game (or even into your online account) without official help from Blizzard. Turns out the little security doodads are manufactured by a company named Vasco, and after poking around their website, I'm reasonably certain that Blizzard authenticators are a variant of Vasco's DIGIPASS GO 6 model. What makes me so sure? The GO 6 model page is the only one accompanied by an article on fraud and hacking in online gaming. They don't come right out and say that Blizzard is a customer, but unless Hello Kitty Online is a bigger hive of scum and villainy than even we gave it credit for, you don't have to be a genius to figure out that World of Warcraft figures prominently in MMORPG account theft.
BlizzCon 2009: How far along is the development of Cataclysm?
We knew Cataclysm was coming, but it's nice to be able to play it. Today. At BlizzCon. Yes, rather than firing up the PTRs to let visitors kick Onyxia's butt (again) or proffering a glimpse of Arthas' defeat, attendees get their first taste of the new expansion set. How awesome is that? To be able to play the game this weekend, though, suggests that it's at a good stage in development. After all, Wrath was announced at BlizzCon 2007 but we didn't actually get to play it (at least the internal Friends and Family Alpha version) until the WWI in July 2008, nearly a year later.Blizzard's Lead Level Designer on World of Warcraft, Cory Stockton, has stated that Cataclysm's development began before Wrath shipped (there's a surprise ...) but it's obviously futher along than many might have thought and then Mike Morhaime hesitantly confirmed the game was slated to be released in 2010 along with StarCraft II. So when exactly could we expect to see the third World of Warcraft expansion?
BlizzCon 2009: The Return of Onyxia
It's not just Cataclysm that we're hearing about at BlizzCon: in addition to Icecrown Citadel, we're also seeing news about the upcoming revamp to Onyxia's Lair. As we previously reported, Onyxia will be retooled as a 10/25 man raid with an updated loot table consisting of classic Tier 1 and 2 skins with stats in line with Wrath of the Lich King levels. A fitting return since her dad's totally going to come beat us all up in Cataclysm.We have a gallery below, but be warned: Onyxia's not going to be the same fight as she was at level 60. New spells and abilities are promised to help keep the fight fresh and interesting for new players. All in all, a fitting return for the Brood Mother just before her flight takes center stage in the next expansion. However, with a sweet mount available (and a cute pet for just logging on during the event) as well as all that gear, I'm sure we're all eagerly awaiting our turn to handle many whelps.%Gallery-70746% BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
