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Build Shop: Warrior 8/5/48
Hey folks! This week on Build Shop I'm examining another Warrior build, but this time it's not about dealing damage with the spec -- it's about taking damage. That's right, it's time for a Protection Warrior build! This one is focused on raid tanking, and maximizing your damage reduction. It's not the most rage-efficient Protection spec out there, but 8/5/48 (and its variants) seems to be pretty popular these days. This build does skip some of the talents that make grinding and solo play easier, so I wouldn't use this one for anything but main tanking a raid instance. With that said, let's take a look under the hood and check out what makes this build so great at damage reduction and threat generation.
Phat Loot Phriday: Bulwark of Azzinoth
I was just thinking that we haven't done a shield in a while (or at least it seems like we haven't done a shield in a while), so here's THE shield.Name: Bulwark of AzzinothType: Epic ShieldArmor: 6336, 174 BlockAbilities: +60 Stamina It's huge! Look at it! You can't even tell what's going on back there! On Equip: Increases defense rating by 29. When struck in combat, has a 2% chance of wrapping you in teflon bacon increasing your armor by 2000 for 10 seconds. That's over two thousand! Armor, as you may know, directly reduces the damage you take even when you get hit. So this proc is a damage reducer, and less damage means a tank that's still standing at the end of the fight. Did I mention how huge it is? Imagine if that thing really was made out of solid metal, with all those spikes and everything. You'd have to have a bonus to strength just to carry it around. How to Get It: This baby belongs, or at least used to belong, as the name might have told you, to Azzinoth. He's not a good guy-- in fact, he's a demon who commanded the Burning Legion way back when. Way back before he met Illidan, that is. When Illidan was just a demon hunter (and not the Lord of Outland), he killed Azzinoth, and according to the rules of the Warcraft playground, took all his stuff. That includes both of those Warglaives of Azzinoth, that Illidan is now known for.And it includes this, Azzinoth's Bulwark. So to get it, you have to take it from Illidan himself. That's right, be prepared like a Boy Scout, drop the big bad, and pick up this shield at a drop rate of around 10-12%.Getting Rid of It: Vendors for 9g 45s 38c. Man, when you look at that price versus the price of the ring we posted the other week, it really makes you wonder what's going on in the heads of those developers.
The Light and How To Swing It: Maximizing Paladin DPS, Part 3
It's time for another edition of The Light and How to Swing It on this fine patch 2.3 Tuesday! Today is the final installment in our three-part series on Maximizing Paladin DPS, and there's lots to go over. With the changes to healing gear implemented now with the new patch, I'll talk a little bit about what you can do with your Healing spec Paladin, but mostly I'm going to focus how to deal damage with a heavy Protection Paladin.As usual, I will be recommending talents but don't feel tied to the choices I make. As I said last time, if you need certain talents to support your style of play, go for it -- but at least read about why you should consider taking some of the talents I suggest.Let's start by briefly examining a typical healing-orientated build, and how you'll be able to deal damage in your healing gear starting today!
WoW Moviewatch: Moonkin vs. Prince
This is hardly the only Moonkin tank (Panzerkin?) video you'll find on YouTube, but this video of a Moonkin tanking Prince Malchezaar strikes me as one of the best done, complete with strategy tips. As a healer, however, I have to wonder about this strategy -- with sufficient gear (i.e.: outgearing the content), good enough healing, and a raid group disciplined enough to manage their aggro, you could probably get by any class tanking. But that doesn't mean any class ought to tank. What do you all think: is a Panzerkin a viable way to tank, or is it just for novelty value?Previously on Moviewatch...
British Army looks to make tanks, troops invisible
While not the first bunch to try and mesh invisibility with military equipment, the British Army is reportedly staying busy by "testing technology it claims makes tanks and troops invisible." Apparently, the (previously) uber-secret trials were conducted by the Royal Engineers and scientists from QinetiQ, and if eyewitness reports are to be believed, they were able to "make a vehicle seem to completely disappear." The illusion (read: we're no closer to actual invisibility cloaks) was reportedly created by utilizing "cameras and projectors to beam images captured from the surrounding landscape onto a specially-adapted tank coated with silicon to maximize their reflective qualities," and if things go as planned, these elusive machines could make their way onto the battlefield "within five years." 'Course, it's not like anyone will have visual proof of that, but we suppose that's just the nature of the beast.[Via DailyMail]
Tank Beat 2: Tank Beater
Well, that's not actually the real title of the Tank Beat sequel (it's the decidedly less catchy Tank Beat 2 Clash! German Forces Vs. the Allies), but maybe if the game is localized, O3 or whichever company will pick up on our suggestion. Their title is more descriptive, we guess.The first Tank Beat detailed a fictional war between the countries of Codusal and Kyushengaard, though it included some real-world tanks. This one, however-- unless they've invented a new set of "Allies" and "Germans"-- takes place in World War II. You know, like every other game.Did any of you check out Tank Beat? We didn't, though we like the idea of an arcade-ish tank game with stylus controls; we're thinking an updated Battlezone.
/silly: Dire Straits
Greetings, my brothers in arms! Once again it is time to delve into the land of my artistically rendered personal views on this walk of life we call World of Warcraft. A few hours of private investigations deep into my inner psyche brought forth this small one panel sight gag, aimed at those sultans of swing, the Feral Druid. Since this ended up being a mere one panel affair, I invested extra time into the quality of the art, so no one should feel that they wasted their money for nothing. Addendum: Check after the jump for a nifty bonus pic!
The dynamics of Death Knights and Warriors
Over on the forums, poster Berzork makes an interesting point: if both Death Knights and Warriors are designed to be damage-dealers and tanks wearing plate, how will they peacefully co-exist? Though we don't yet have full details on the Death Knight class, it seems as though there's potential for a lot of overlap -- and the big question is how Blizzard can release a class like the Death Knight while continuing to allow Warriors a viable role. And on my end, I have to wonder if throwing another tanking class into the game mix is going to solve any problems -- many Warriors want to DPS rather than tank (see many previous posts on the subject), and can we expect Death Knights to be any different? Bornakk attempts to calm everyone's fears by simply stating: By adding another dps/tanking class, the Death Knight will give players and groups more options for what they need to complete their objective(s).Some Druids tank, some Paladins tank, some Warriors tank -- and hopefully some Death Knights will pick up the mantle of tank as well.
The Light and How to Swing It: How to tank as a Paladin
Before the Burning Crusade, Paladin tanks didn't really exist. Players certainly could spec into Protection (and some did, I'm sure), but the player base as a whole wasn't ready to even accept the possibility that a Paladin could or should tank. The gear didn't really exist for it, the Protection tree was weak, and most seemed willing to accept their role as heal / buff bots in raids.Protection was even more laughable than Retribution is today, if you can believe it. You think finding a group as a Retribution Paladin these days is tough? I can't think of a single group I ran in before BC that had a Paladin tank, and I ran a lot of groups.However, that all changed with the introduction of the Burning Crusade, and the redone talent trees...
Thank a Tank (and everyone else) Day
I find it really interesting how class roles, originally created completely by Blizzard, have been given their own flavor by the people who play them. Take a main tank role, for instance-- sometimes it's the raidleader (although it doesn't have to be), but usually it's someone dedicated to the success of the raid, a person who likes getting their hands dirty, is super knowledgeable about both the bosses and their own gear, and both supports and benefits from (in the form of gold for repairs or first choice on equipment) the entire raid. The main tank (just like the top DPSer or the main healer) is a position created partially by Blizzard, and partially by the people who play it.Donaven (quite randomly) calls today "Thank a Tank Day." Unfortunately, he himself is a tank, so the actual proclamation sounds more like whining about being a tank rather than a sincere thanks for a tank who knows what they're doing, but the thought is noble. Instead of just thanking tanks, how about we thank all players who take a role and fill it out to the best of their ability-- who take a job, whether it be grabbing aggro, laying down damage in the right places, or playing the whack-a-mole game of healing, and do it well and without question.For all the QQing about PvP and all the crying about how Arena is unbalanced, the best times I have in this game are in PvE situations, where everyone is working together and doing what they're meant to, all the way until the boss' health reaches zero. The main tank plays a huge part in that, by standing where they need to stand, and laying down sunders when it counts. But when a raid is really working together, everyone does what's needed, and that's when it's really great. I'll thank everyone for that.
Avoidance: do you have enough?
By way of Blessing of Kings (why are all the good blogs about paladins?), here's a nifty macro to tell you if you have enough avoidance, as a paladin tank. How much is "enough"? Basically, enough to ensure that you avoid all crushing blows. If you pump up your dodge, block, and parry, you can push crushing blows entirely off the attack table, which goes a long way towards reducing the spikiness of incoming damage. More predictable damage = easier healing = fewer deaths. So let's see that macro:/script DEFAULT_CHAT_FRAME:AddMessage("Need 102.4 combined avoidance. Currently at:",0.8,0.8,1) /script DEFAULT_CHAT_FRAME:AddMessage(GetDodgeChance()+GetBlockChance() + GetParryChance() +5+(GetCombatRatingBonus(CR_DEFENSE_SKILL) + 20)*0.04,1,0.5,0)A couple caveats: in "(CR_DEFENSE_SKILL) + 20)", the "20" represents your defense from the Anticipation talent. Adjust accordingly. Also, if you want Holy Shield to be taken into account, you have to turn it on first. This macro was made by Raymond of Nazjatar, so all props to him. I love math.
Forum Post of the Day: New hunter role... MT!
I'm sure when every warrior visited the official Warrior forums today and saw this thread started by Nokoma, claiming that a Hunter's turtle pet successfully main tanked SSC, there were a lot of angry Warriors thinking about how they were quickly becoming obsolete. But then they checked the video link, and hopefully LOL'd as much as I did. While I'm sure pets can be viable tanks in certain situations, I don't think any associated video wouldn't be nearly this amusing.[via Severkill's Blog]
Remote controlled VS Tanks engage in small-scale warfare
Nothing like full-on tank warfare to release the pent up frustration from waiting in line all day to acquire an iPhone, right? The remote controlled VS Tanks kit consists of two infrared-enabled machines, two controllers (that eerily resemble those on the Atari Jaguar, to be honest), and a battlefield. Each tank sports a rotating turret, a sweet "super spin" move for times when only a spray 'n pray maneuver will do, a machine gun, and flashing LEDs to show when you've been hit. Each unit fires out AirSoft pellets and can be equipped with an "action cam" to record the carnage for future viewing, and while the £50 ($100) set may cater to the younger crowd, even the suits can't deny the rush experienced when gunning your opponent down on the field. Peep a demonstration video after the break.[Via Coolest-Gadgets]
Forum Post of the Day: Are Tanks A Dying Breed?
I think we've all been there. Waiting and waiting and waiting for a tank to be LFG so you can get your 5-man underway. Random /tells to every druid in your level range. Plaintive cries in the General channel. Wondering if you should just switch to an alt. Why oh why is it so hard to find a tank for a 5-man these days?A few theories are floating around. They are all PvPing. Or they get snatched up in guild based 5-mans and don't have to resort to pick up groups for their runs. Or they are frustrated with getting stuck with big repair bills and groupmates that don't understand the basics of managing their own aggro.What do you think? Do you find it hard to get a tank into a pick up group? Are you more willing to put up with a poor tank just to get the 5-man together? Shouldn't there be more tanks available since the tanking enhancements that druids and paladins received in the expansion? Or is this just more crying by players who need to make more friends in-game?
Shifting Perspectives: How fun is a druid?
Welcome to Shifting Perspectives! This is a new feature here on WoW Insider, which will bring you various perspectives on shifting forms as a druid, from David Bowers one week, and Dan O'Halloran the next.I'm here kick off our little druid feature for this week with a simple pair of questions to answer: "Is playing a druid fun?" and "should I play a druid?" I reply to both with a resounding yes, of course. "But why?" you ask. "What has the Druid class got to offer me that other, so-called 'superior classes' haven't got?" The answer is, naturally, everything! Well mostly everything. You see, more than any other class, druids have such a variety of abilities and can specialize in these abilities to such a degree that there are many very different play styles available to each druid player. The Druid is the ultimate class for the player who wants to tank sometimes, stealth and kill sometimes, heal sometimes, and then sit back and nuke things from a distance for a few months in order to get a change of pace. A druid can alternately be very good at healing, tanking, dealing up-close melee damage, or dealing far-away nuking damage, filling the roles of a priest, warrior, rogue or mage -- all in one class!
Build Shop: Druid 0/47/14
Last week I asked for Druid builds. How many of the builds I got do you think were Feral? That's right, all of them. Never let it be said I can't take a hint; here's a Feral build for this week. The tree is enjoying a justifiable period of popularity right now, I think. Every druid I regularly group with is Feral, and bear tanks do a great job. Tanks are in demand on my realm, so I haven't seen many druids get a chance to go kitty and shred some face butt, but when I have seen it it's been pretty impressive. And of course, like any other class that can heal, if they carry a healing set they can be pretty solid off-healers.I got two 0/47/14 builds from two different people. One build included Intensity and Savage Fury, while the other one had Brutal Impact and Natural Shapeshifter. For reasons I'll get into later, I prefer the first variant, by Athaliana of Moonrunner, so that's what I'll look at here. Oh, and to answer your question, bwest0526, there is, as you can see, no set reason why builds have to be 0/41/20 or 31/0/30 or other such patterns like that. However, talent trees are designed such that particularly appealing one-point talents are placed at 11, 21, 31, and 41 points into each tree, so many builds go into trees with the goal of getting one of those talents, and then put the rest of their points in a different tree for some other purpose. The 21, 31, and 41 point talents especially tend to be very good values in many cases.
To shield or not to shield? Rage is the question.
The forums are abuzz with the debate on when to use the ability "Power Word: Shield" on the tank in your group. The original poster on the forum asked why pre-shielding the tank was looked down upon, and the response was abundant! Warriors and feral Druid tanks need to generate rage to use their abilities to generate the rage required to hold a mob's agro so that it doesn't run rampant in the group, slaughtering the squishies. They generate rage by being hit by a mob and also by hitting the mob as well. In order to be a raid/heroic tank, you have to have your mitigation and avoidance up to a point that you're almost always dodging, parrying, or blocking, in order to not die from a single hit, but in turn that will decrease the amount of rage you can generate. "Power Word: Shield" only decreases the rage generated, while not protecting the tank from that much damage. On boss mobs, it gets even more tricky. In order to successfully hold (most) bosses, you have to front-load your agro and maintain that agro lead throughout the fight. This means that they need an abundance of rage up-front in order to establish that agro, and they also need time to build up that buffer to keep them ahead. Most tanks only need a few seconds to accomplish that, but the shield just prolongs that time. This also hinders the raid on fights where time is a factor. For example, the old Kazzak enraged after 3 minutes of fighting (he probably still does), and every second of dps counted.
Hybrid Theory: Why paladin tanking needs buffs
Each week, Jason Lotito contributes Hybrid Theory, a new column on hybrid classes in World of Warcraft.Prior to the expansion, paladin tanking wasn't something many people took seriously. A few daring paladins tanked and kept alive the hope that one day the paladin class would be a serious contender for the role of main tank. With the expansion, paladin tanking was suddenly taken seriously. Being a protection paladin was no longer considered just a gimmick, but a real spec with the very real goal of main tanking. For many paladins, this was a welcomed change to the class. Making paladin tanking more appealing to the masses pushed the stereotype of paladins being strictly healers out the door. With the expansion, paladins started working together to find what worked, and more importantly what didn't work. Of course, any discussion of tanking would lead naturally to comparing the class to a warrior. Druids went through the same treatment at the start of The Burning Crusade. Though, in the case of druids, the consensus was druids being able to spec for both tanking and DPS with the same build was too overpowering. Through the first couple of patches, druids and warriors were balanced out, and in the end, both were made comparable. Druids come away still being viable tanks, and protection warriors still retain the role they feared losing. During this time, protection paladins didn't see much in the way of any changes despite much feedback. But I'm geting ahead of myself.
Wi-Aquarium: the WiFi-enabled fish tank
We've seen everything from WiFi-enabled PMPs, robots, and even gardens, but a recent creation showcased at the Embedded Systems Conference in California took remote access abilities underwater. While not as profound as a bay-patrolling nuke detector, Lantronix's Wi-Aquarium was able to grab the bronze for its snazzy internet-enabled fish tank, which reportedly "allows users to remotely control and monitor their aquarium anytime from anywhere in the world." Moreover, users can login and keep an eye on the situation via webcam, and they can even dictate the water temperature, lights, and filter from afar. The standout feature, however, is the ingrained ability of the tank to send the owner emails containing status reports of several key metrics, which should certainly keep you connected to your sea-dwelling pets no matter your location. Now this is what Tamagotchi should have been from the start, eh?[Via The Raw Feed]
The continuing saga of Druid consumables
Druids make great tanks. Like any other class, they have strengths and weaknesses, and one of those weaknesses is that they can't use consumables, like health potions, in feral forms. A while back there was some buzz about the devs letting them use some potions in forms, and just having to decide which ones; that's been the Blizz party line for a while now. Now it looks like that may not be happening after all, basically because Druid tanks are currently working as intended™:Unfortunately we do not yet have much new information available regarding this topic. The developers are still evaluating which pots and procs should be usable in forms, but it is not an easy evaluation process because for the most part Druids currently appear to be performing where the developers want them to. Because the Druids appears to be performing the way the developers want, then they have to be very considerate and cautious in the evaluation process in order to avoid potential balance issues, which means that they also have to consider whether or not pots/procs in forms is even necessary anymore. I know that this might sound like bad news to some of you, but please remember that the evaluation process has not yet finished so it is still too early to proclaim doom and gloom. Druids, what do you think? Do you need pots, or are you doing OK without them?
