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About the Bloggers: David Bowers
Twice a week, our writers will tell you more about themselves, and let you get to know them and the characters they play a little better. Click here to read more About the Bloggers.What do you do for WoW Insider?I blog about whatever seems interesting at the time, and I also write the roleplaying column, All the World's a Stage. I'm especially interested in writing about roleplaying and PvP, too, because they're the things I participate in most often. Everything and everyone in the game is interconnected, though, so even if I'm not a big raider, for instance, I still care a great deal about the things raiders are going through.What's your main right now?My current main is a draenei hunter, pictured above, but I'm spending just as much time with other alts right now, trying to decide which one will be my main Horde character. My most-played Hordie is currently a warlock. Previous mains I don't play as much anymore include a druid and a rogue, both Alliance.For the Horde or Glory to the Alliance?Heh. For both! I used to be all for the Alliance because I couldn't relate to the whole deformed and inherently violent look that many Horde characters have, but I'm one of those people for whom blood elves really opened up access to the Horde and see them in a new light. I like to appreciate the stories of the monstrous Horde races without actually having to play a monstrous character myself.
The happiest class?
We all know which class QQs the most (I know, I know, low blow-- but it made me laugh), but which class smiles the most? Skrattin (who is actually a Warlock himself) speculates that it's 'Locks who are happiest with the game. Even though they've taken some nerfs (although they might still be OP, depending on who you listen to), they still seem to be pretty happy with their class and the game at large. And it's true-- I've never once heard of a Warlock protest out there on the realms.I generally think of Warriors are pretty happy guys, but even they have had their problems. And while most Priests I know tend to actually be pretty cheery about being the first to die when aggro is lost and playing whack-a-mole all the time, they've had their problems as well. And while I do like my Shaman, I can't really defend my class-- we're pretty big whiners (even if it is justified).So maybe it's true-- Warlocks just might be the happiest class in the game. It's not that there isn't Warlock QQ, it's just that, for most of the game, it's been about 'locks, not by them.
Seen at CES: Warlock vehicle security is overpowered
We knew there wouldn't be much of anything Warcraft-related at CES 2008 worthy of coverage here on WoW Insider, but we kept our eyes open as we scoured the show floor and had a chuckle to stumble upon the Warlock vehicle security systems booth. We don't even want to know what it does to any intruders it detects. If more gratuitous gadgetry is your thing, hit up our sister site Engadget for a literal metric ton of CES news (including the best of the worst).
New online tool shows popular arena setups
You may already be aware that SK Gaming has a listing of the top arena teams in the US, Europe, and Korea, all ranked against one another. Now SK Gaming has added another feature to this listing, which shows both the most "popular setups for high ranked teams" and the "average rating for popular setups." You can see very clearly the top five class combinations in each category of the arenas, from 5-vs-5 to 2-vs-2, all right above their regular listing of the top teams in each category.I originally found this new interface via World of Raids, and they have their own summary of the most popular class setups. However, clicking through some of the options on SK Gaming's site, you can clearly see it's not just a simple matter of having the right classes in order to win. In 5-vs-5 it seems that, for the most part, the warrior and the paladin provide the backbone of a good group, while after that, you need a balance of some hybrid healing and dps classes. In 3-vs-3 and 2-vs-2, however, you can find many groups doing very well without any warriors or paladins at all. The traditional roles of "tank, healing, damage" we see in PvE obviously don't always apply in the arena, where the balance of your team's abilities working together is what matters most. Druids, rogues, and warlocks in particular seem to shine much more here than in 5-vs-5. So if you're a serious arena junkie, and you like analyzing these things, head on over and see what you make of these various class combinations. As always, our regular Blood Sport column can help you, as V'Ming has lots of information about how the classes are balanced together as well.
A vision of pets with armor
The image you see on the right is not an actual pet in the game. Originally highlighted on Mania's Arcania as a possible mystery pet somewhere in Darkshore, it turns out that some player just switched around some of the files on his computer and replaced this pet's normal skin with the night elf armored mount's skin. We certainly don't suggest you try skin-swapping at home -- it's against Blizzard's Terms of Service. Nonetheless, the image brings to mind the hopes and dreams of hunters everywhere, that their pets could someday have armor of their own.It would be a lot of work for Blizzard to adapt even one piece of armor to fit all the different pet models in the game, but surely just a few different armor pieces would suffice to start with. If even one armor slot were implemented for pets, it would be a way for hunters to further adapt and scale their pets to varying situations, and of course visually it would help set epic pets apart from regular ho-hum pets. Of course, there should be a way to hide this armor, too, in case Blizzard got carried away with some sort of ugly design.In addition, hunters might not be the only ones to benefit from this sort of effort: if such armor could be adapted for pets, perhaps something similar could work out for druids in feral forms as well. Blizzard has given no sign that they intend to make this sort of change, but who knows? Perhaps they'll even go crazy and adapt some of the humanoid armor for demon pets too! It never hurts to dream...
Blood Pact: Looking back at Locks
Between Arenas, V'Ming spends his time as a lock laughing ominously in AV, tanking Olm with his own minions and pondering troll fashion from Zul'Aman.What? It's the new year already? Obviously so ... judging by the sheer barrage of weight-loss ads on TV. They make reaching for my next fistful of buttered popcorn a journey in guilt, even though I'm considered somewhat undernourished in my household.Here we are in the first week of 2008 - an opportune time to look back on the past year, when memories of being fear-dotted to death are still vivid. If warlocks owned 2006 since skillcoil, then 2007 was the year that warlocks became just so OP with every nerf.
Breakfast Topic: If warlocks could summon any demon....
... What would it be? As it is, warlocks already have a variety of demons for seemingly every occasion, yet in my mind's eye, I imagine warlocks being able to summon a much greater number than just 4 (or 5, depending on your talents). I close my eyes and envision a mad little gnome cackling as 5 or 10 minor demons come popping out of a portal he has just opened up. In fact, a demonology warlock in particular should be able to do everything he or she needed with the assistance of demons, is it not? It's true the Felguard is a nice pet -- but is he that nice? So just for fun, let's play "imaginary abilities": what would you envision for walocks' evil little minions in the next expansion?
Breakfast Topic: What's your anti-class?
We're not talking about drugs here, and I don't mean to ask what class you just can't seem to beat in PvP. Nope, today's topic is a little more humbling and personal. Charly over on WoW Ladies wants to know: what class can't you play?Me, I've never been able to play a Paladin to my satisfaction-- despite my obvious concerns (which have come up before and which I won't belabor here), the class just never vibed with my playstyle. Warlock is another one that, for whatever reason, I've just never been able to play past about level 10 or so. It's not that I think they're bad classes-- it's just that I personally just don't vibe with their playstyle.What about you? Are there any classes that you just can't seem to play and get into? What's your anti-class?
Blood Pact: The Warlock wishlist
Between Arenas, V'Ming spends his time as a lock laughing ominously in AV, tanking Olm with his own minions and pondering troll fashion from Zul'Aman.The luckier ones among us would have some or most of our Christmas wishes granted yesterday, especially wishes that can be fulfilled at your friendly neighborhood mall - no, your presents are not made by elves in the North Pole.Some altruistic individuals might have wished for something more nebulous like "world peace". But perhaps nothing feels more nebulous than wishes for improving the Warlock class; world peace might happen sooner than some Warlock wishes in this thread!Combing through the current 52 pages of the thread, and leaving out complaints and unrealistic requests that will obviously upset class balance, I've come up with this (hopefully) definitive wishlist for warlocks.
Blood Pact: Locked and loaded
Between Arenas, V'Ming spends his time as a lock laughing ominously in AV, tanking Olm with his own minions and pondering troll fashion from Zul'Aman.Sweet 70! Time to rest on your shadowy laurels, or press on into "endgame"? Stripping it down, WoW endgame is raiding and PvP. You may have reputations to grind, heroic instances to run and daily quests to complete, but raiding is truly the only way to experience content you haven't seen before, at least from the perspective of a Warlock. Similarly, PvP - with unpredictable opponents, ever-changing scenarios and the thrill of competition - is another way to keep things fresh and challenging.Most players engage in a little bit of everything, and the choice really lies with you. Since The Burning Crusade, PvP has become a good alternative means of progression, with rewards that rival those from PvE. Many raiders also dip into PvP as a reliable source of gear upgrades to improve their raid performance.Regardless of what you choose to focus on, the game at 70 definitely involves more group work. If you have soloed all the way to 70, your lone wolf days are over, if you wish to progress further. Let's look at some of endgame expectations for warlocks.
Arcane Brilliance: Statistical battle of the clothies
One thing I've noticed while playing my warlock, and now my mage, is that many WoW players can't seem to tell one cloth-wearing class from another. Anyone wearing a dress is fair game to be asked for healing, water, or (in extreme cases of dumbness) a soulstone. But there's reason behind their madness. Warlocks, mages and (shadow) priests are all meant to be damage classes with some utility added in. They compete for the same clothes, weapons, trinkets, and often the same raid slots. So, when it comes down to it, what's the difference between mages, warlocks and shadowpriests? Who has the most raid damage? Who's the most wanted in arenas? Who do you fear most in world PVP? Join me and my Azgalor-killing mage pal Skwisgaar for ... the BATTLE OF THE CLOTHIES! Raid/Group Damage This is the latest complaint in the ongoing fight between mages and locks. An Illidan-killing lock I talked to suggested I check out two fights for comparison: Shade of Akama for burst DPS, and Teron Gorefiend for sustained DPS. After spending some time on WoW Web Stats looking at the two fights, I came up with a few ideas about damage.
Blood Sport: Gearing up for Arenas
Every Thursday, V'Ming - who thinks that gnome warlocks are travesties of nature and need to be KOSed - shares thoughts and ideas on becoming deadlier at the Arenas. He also dabbles in the dark arts in Blood Pact. Thank you for your comments in my previous article on "How to beat a Warlock". The article must have struck a chord in many players, and I hope to bring similar articles for other classes soon. I started with warlocks mainly because I'm most experienced with playing the class. The fact that they seem to be the most 'hated' class currently, of course, has nothing to do with it. ; )Much have been discussed about 'gear inflation' in PvP. Do new entrants have a chance against more established PvP toons? No. Can newbies gain a foothold eventually? Yes.
There is no summoning in the Zul'Aman room... yet
Tried summoning within Zul'Aman lately? If you have, you may have noticed that since yesterday's maintenance, it's a no go. Tigole confirms that summoning within Zul'Aman has been disabled due to an exploit (although we haven't heard what the exploit was-- it may have been something to do with the timer quests). It should be re-enabled soon.And he says something else that summoners everywhere will be extremely happy to hear. Blizzard is planning to enable summoning from within instances to anywhere else in the world. No longer will you have to wait for that extra healer or that battleground PvPer to make it all the way into the instance before you can summon them and the get the raid started-- after this gets implemented, you'll be able to summon people to the instance (with a Warlock, of course), directly from anywhere else they are in Azeroth.Huge change, and definitely will help not only raids to get started on time, but substitutions to join raids quickly as well. Not summoning in Zul'Aman now is a small price to pay for that update, which may come (Tigole says they're still working out the kinks) as soon as patch 2.4.
Blood Pact: The final stretch
Between Arenas, V'Ming spends his time as a lock laughing ominously in AV, tanking Olm with his own minions and pondering troll fashion from Zul'Aman.Ding, 58! You're officially eligible for Outland content now. Go ahead, step through the Dark Portal. The quality of Outland gear simply outclasses the stuff you will get in the old world, for the same time investment. Yes, Outland mobs will hit harder and fights will last longer, but the increased difficulty shouldn't faze a Warlock, and will certainly be pie if you brought a friend (preferably a healer) along. Be cautious with the pulls, remember your lessons, and you should do just fine in the Outland at level 58.Completists among us would sneer at this suggestion to skip content. If you're in no hurry to hit 70, then more questing power to you!
Build Shop: Warlock 43/0/18
Welcome back to another edition of Build Shop, talent fans! I've gotten a couple of emails about Warlock builds, so this week I'm going to take a look at one of the most infamous builds around -- Affliction. When people complain about Warlock DoTs, they've often just had a run in with an Affliction spec Warlock. Boasting up to 5 DoTs (Corruption / Seed of Corruption, Immolate, Curse of Agony, Siphon Life, Unstable Affliction) and a bevy of channeled drain spells, one of these warlocks can make quick work of your health bar. In addition, Affliction warlocks also sport talents that make their DoTs harder to dispel or make you think twice about trying to dispel them.Amongst warlocks, it's a popular grinding build, able to handle multiple mobs at a time with very little downtime. Though it lacks the higher health pool and greater survivability associated with Demonology warlocks, or the pure nuking power of a Destruction warlock, Affliction is a build which performs well in many areas of the game. Let's take a look at an Affliction / Destruction build that incorporates threat reduction, DoT protection, and maximizes the damage done by DoTs.
Doomguard & Infernal getting buffed
Yesterday, a player posted on the official WoW forum asking about the current state of the Doomguard and Infernal Warlock pets. It's a hassle to learn how to summon these demons, requiring the completion of multiple quests for each, and summoning them requires reagents, including the death of one of your party members (for the Doomguard at least). With all these requirements, one would think the pets would be worthwhile, but their cost and unpredictability (they have to be continually enslaved, which is on diminishing returns and may break at any time) make them worse than the normal Warlock pets.Eyonix answers the original poster, saying that the devs are concerned about these pets and will buff them sometime in the future. That "future" may be the next expansion, but this is a better answer than the class has received on the subject in a long time. To the best of my knowledge, previous answers were something along the line of "These spells may have situational uses and will not be changed from that role". Now there is once again hope that these cool and iconic (watch the original WoW cinematic, if you don't recall) Warlock pets will become more than simple novelties.
Blood Sport: How to beat a Warlock
Every Thursday, V'Ming - who thinks that gnome warlocks are travesties of nature and need to be KOSed - shares thoughts and ideas on becoming deadlier at the Arenas. He also dabbles in the dark arts in Blood Pact. You see a squat robed figure hobbling towards you from across the Arena. "A clothie!" you mutter, preparing yourself for some gnome punting. Your confidence wilts when you see that right behind the gnome is a bounding four-legged creature. "Argh, Warlock." Do you feel a sense of dread when you face warlocks in 2v2 and 3v3? Fear not, fellow gladiator. While warlocks are known to be formidable in smaller brackets, the class does have weaknesses.Surprisingly, many players have little clue about what warlocks do or what they're capable of, besides fear and DoTs. Yes, fear is powerful but it does not make the class invincible. In the spirit of "knowing thy enemy", let's take a closer look at the game's best dueling class.
Blood Pact: Let's lock and roll to 60!
Between Arenas, V'Ming spends his time as a lock laughing ominously in AV, tanking Olm with his own minions and pondering troll fashion from Zul'Aman.Freshly mounted, you are perched at the beginning of the end of your Azerothian adventures: levels 41-60. The fantastic Outland beckons, but it is not time yet. While your demonic collection of minions is almost complete, and your spellbook is swathed in shadowy flames, your training is far from complete.More power, more dungeons and more slaughtering of hapless fauna wandering stupidly in the wilderness awaits. With a resolute glint in your eyes, you give a silent command to your flaming steed and gallop into further depths of shadow and flame.
Blood Pact: Free mount at 40!
Between Arenas, V'Ming spends his time as a lock laughing ominously in AV, tanking Olm with his own minions and pondering troll fashion from Zul'Aman.I confess that I rolled a lock for simply the coolest mount in game, back in May '05 when I was still a wide-eyed WoW newbie. Yes, the one thing that visually - and financially - sets us apart from most other poor sods who have to cough up 90g or so: the free Felsteed mount at level 40!When you ding 40, put EVERYTHING on hold, fly/run/swim to the nearest Warlock trainer and get Summon Felsteed for 1g (or probably just 90s, depending on your reputation with the city). For this low, low price, you also get 75 riding skill, so that you can ride all other basic mounts - but why would you wanna?!Now that I've stuck this carrot-on-a-stick in your face, let's hope that this will spur you through the enchanting mid-levels of 21 to 40.
How much mini-management is too much?
I've rolled a Hunter at least 4 times in World of Warcraft, only to lose interest after about level 12. Why? I couldn't handle the thought of all that pet maintenance. Seriously, who needs the hassle? Keep it fed, teach it new abilities, swap it in and out of stables, worry about loyalty ... and you don't even get the benefit of being able to play-wrestle with it in off hours!Is it worth it to go through all that trouble just for a companion that's meant to address a class's deficiencies? I've never been a warlock; is it the same with those pets? At what point does the fun of having a pet get outweighed by the annoyance of upkeep? What do you think, is caring for your pet fun, or should it be streamlined?
