Patch day!

[Piotyr]

So, 4.0.1 just finished downloading to my home computer. This is the first of two pre-Cataclysm patches that will significantly alter the game.

You may be thinking to yourself, "What is even in this patch?" Well, most of the mechanics changes are in this patch, while most of the world and game changes are going to be in the 4.0.3 patch.

So, in this patch we get:
- Emblems consolidated into Justice Points (up to 4000) or money
- Talent overhaul: All trees only go to 31 points now, each character now gets a talent point for every other level, once you select a tree, you must go 31 points down into that tree before putting points in any other tree.
- Class mechanics overhaul: Hunters now use focus as a resource and no longer use ammo, DK rune resource is modified, Druids now get an Eclipse resource, Paladins get a Holy Power resource, Warriors get normalized Rage, and Warlocks now have Soul Shards as a resource, rather than a bag object.
- Glyph overhaul: Now three types of glyphs - Prime, Major, and Minor. Glyph component cost is increased. Once you learn a Glyph, you keep it permanently in "Glyph storage", meaning you can put it into a slot at any time if you have a reagent for it (Disappearing Dust)
- UI overhaul: New character info page, new guild management, new UI effects on procs
- World events: Events will start occurring in a build up to the cataclysm.

What we DON'T get:
- New class-race combinations
- New quests
- New world
- New zones

 

[Shakey]

You can track multiple things on the mini-map! Now if you are a miner/herbalist you can see both on there at the same time.

Hopefully I'll be able to get on soon. Gotta check out the moonkin changes.

 

[Dei]

The servers aren't going to be up anytime soon. The running bet in my raiding guild is Wednesday.

 

[Shakey]

Yeah, by soon I meant within the next week. I don't expect the servers to up until late tonight at the earliest.

 

[Dave]

I hope I have internet access still tonight!

 

[Baerdog]

Weeee, this is exciting! It looks like I'll have to spend the next couple days trolling Maintankadin and the other pally blogs to see what the word is on new prot specs and rotations.

 

[SpecialKO]

Weeee, this is exciting! It looks like I'll have to spend the next couple days trolling Maintankadin and the other pally blogs to see what the word is on new prot specs and rotations.

Everything you need to know about Prot and 4.0.1 at 80 | Righteous Defense

TL;DR: no more rotations, only priority systems. Don't freak out about maximizing your GCD-count, because tanking doesn't work like that anymore.

 

[sixpackshaker]

By the builds that I researched hunters will for the foreseeable future will be Beastmasters.

 

[Baerdog]

Weeee, this is exciting! It looks like I'll have to spend the next couple days trolling Maintankadin and the other pally blogs to see what the word is on new prot specs and rotations.

Everything you need to know about Prot and 4.0.1 at 80 | Righteous Defense

TL;DR: no more rotations, only priority systems. Don't freak out about maximizing your GCD-count, because tanking doesn't work like that anymore.[/QUOTE]
Yep, I've seen Ridach's post and its a good one (Righteous Defense is one of the blogs I visit regularly) but I was also hoping to get some kind of second or third opinion on things before spending talent points.

 

[SpecialKO]

Weeee, this is exciting! It looks like I'll have to spend the next couple days trolling Maintankadin and the other pally blogs to see what the word is on new prot specs and rotations.

Everything you need to know about Prot and 4.0.1 at 80 | Righteous Defense

TL;DR: no more rotations, only priority systems. Don't freak out about maximizing your GCD-count, because tanking doesn't work like that anymore.[/QUOTE]
Yep, I've seen Ridach's post and its a good one (Righteous Defense is one of the blogs I visit regularly) but I was also hoping to get some kind of second or third opinion on things before spending talent points.[/QUOTE]

I expect WoW Insider will have a pally post up about 4.01 specs/priorities soon. Their DK one is already up, and it's pretty good.

 

[linglingface]

Roommate was telling me about the patch. Been trying to talk me into playing again. XD There's so many changes a-coming that I'm pretty sure I'll be trying it out since it'll be like an all new game. /excited

 

[Chibibar]

I have to wait until I come back to play. It will be in 2 weeks.

 

[Baerdog]

Yeah I really like WoW Insider's class columns as well.

So far I'm thinking I'll go with this spec, which is Ridach's all-in-one prot recommendation. At this point I'd rather save my second spec for a ret/PvP type dealio instead of having a single target prot spec and a trash prot spec.

Crap, that means I'm gonna need ret gear.

 

[linglingface]

So are we taking bets on how long it'll be until they sort out all the bugs after this patch and stop restarting the servers every hour?
I say everything will run smoothly tomorrow at 2pm.

 

[Baerdog]

Well they've already extended maintenance from noon Pacific until 2:00 Pacific today. There's a huuuge list of known issues with this patch so I think we might not see them all ironed out until the weekend.

 

[SpecialKO]

I'm guessing we'll see patch 4.02 by the first week in November, as the "final" system patch update before the 4.03 content patch.

 

[Chibibar]

When a patch practically going to change game play (my friends are telling me that people pretty much have to "relearn" to play their class especially after tank changes) I can imagine the server will be "stable" in a day or two.

 

[SpecialKO]

When a patch practically going to change game play (my friends are telling me that people pretty much have to "relearn" to play their class especially after tank changes) I can imagine the server will be "stable" in a day or two.

You'd think WoW players would be used to that by now.

 

[Shakey]

Queue times for higher pop realms is going to suck. When the pre-Wrath patch came out there were wait times of nearly an hour on my other server. Ghostlands seems to be a bit smaller, so hopefully it's not too bad.

 

[Piotyr]

Addendum!

Other things I missed that are included today:
- New water and sunray graphical effects (turn on in graphics menu)
- Removal of spell ranks, all spells and skills scale with level. A new UI notification will let you know when new spells are available for training.

Blizzard has also posted a list of known bugs in 4.0.1, including many spell effects and graphical glitches that aren't working properly. Basically, stuff that doesn't break the game and shouldn't have prevented the patch from being deployed, but will have to be patched to fix at a later date (4.0.2, likely)

 

[Chibibar]

When a patch practically going to change game play (my friends are telling me that people pretty much have to "relearn" to play their class especially after tank changes) I can imagine the server will be "stable" in a day or two.

You'd think WoW players would be used to that by now.[/QUOTE]
Nah...

 

[SpecialKO]

- Removal of spell ranks, all spells and skills scale with level. A new UI notification will let you know when new spells are available for training.

First of all, thank goodness! Second of all, does that mean that we're all owed a few hundred g or have the costs of brand new abilities been scaled accordingly?

 

[Piotyr]

- Removal of spell ranks, all spells and skills scale with level. A new UI notification will let you know when new spells are available for training.

First of all, thank goodness! Second of all, does that mean that we're all owed a few hundred g or have the costs of brand new abilities been scaled accordingly?[/QUOTE]

Just add it to the "Blizzard owes me!" pile along with the 900g extra you may have spent on riding costs in vanilla, the endless gold from quests completed at max level before they rewarded gold for that, and the gold owed you for respeccing and relearning all your skills every time prior to them fixing that (and the upcoming 900g for the dual spec when it gets reduced to 100.)

 

[SpecialKO]

*sigh* I was hoping, but in my digitally-respeccing heart, I knew it couldn't be so.

---------- Post added at 03:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:47 PM ----------

They really need to add Feats of strength to the folks who bought riding (or did the Pally/Lock mount quests) in vanilla.

 

[Baerdog]

They've already got feats for doing the mount quests.

Charger (achievement) - WoWWiki - Your guide to the World of Warcraft
Dreadsteed of Xoroth - WoWWiki - Your guide to the World of Warcraft

 

[ScytheRexx]

So far I'm thinking I'll go with this spec, which is Ridach's all-in-one prot recommendation. At this point I'd rather save my second spec for a ret/PvP type dealio instead of having a single target prot spec and a trash prot spec.

That is pretty much what I was going with, though I will probably give up one point in Crusade to get Divine Guardian, since the skill has always been a life saver in certain dungeons when aggro management gets difficult, because it gives you some breathing room for that healer or mage to get a few hits without getting gibbed. I use it multiple times every Halls of Reflection run I do, and often mix it into my ultra-button that also casts Divine Protection, Gift of the Naaru, and my Rotting Thumb.

I will max out Crusade when I hit 81. My plan after that is to get either Eye for an Eye or Improved Judgements to open up Pursuit of Justice, since the speed boost has always been something I consider a requirement. If I find I can get by with a simple 8% enchant speed increase, I may instead move into Holy for Judgements of the Pure (will have to see how well haste helps threat gen) or fill out a few more Protection talents (Eternal Glory).

 

[Piotyr]

I have no idea what points I will put into where, except that I know they're going into the fire tree (until 31, and then I will pick up the 3% crit from the frost tree).

 

[Baerdog]

So far I'm thinking I'll go with this spec, which is Ridach's all-in-one prot recommendation. At this point I'd rather save my second spec for a ret/PvP type dealio instead of having a single target prot spec and a trash prot spec.

That is pretty much what I was going with, though I will probably give up one point in Crusade to get Divine Guardian, since the skill has always been a life saver in certain dungeons when aggro management gets difficult, because it gives you some breathing room for that healer or mage to get a few hits without getting gibbed. I use it multiple times every Halls of Reflection run I do, and often mix it into my ultra-button that also casts Divine Protection, Gift of the Naaru, and my Rotting Thumb.

I will max out Crusade when I hit 81. My plan after that is to get either Eye for an Eye or Improved Judgements to open up Pursuit of Justice, since the speed boost has always been something I consider a requirement. If I find I can get by with a simple 8% enchant speed increase, I may instead move into Holy for Judgements of the Pure (will have to see how well haste helps threat gen) or fill out a few more Protection talents (Eternal Glory).[/QUOTE]

Not a bad idea. I'll have to play around with it when I get home from work and kung fu tonight.

I have no idea what points I will put into where, except that I know they're going into the fire tree (until 31, and then I will pick up the 3% crit from the frost tree).

Enchantertim with frost talents? BLASPHEMY!

 

[Piotyr]

I have no idea what points I will put into where, except that I know they're going into the fire tree (until 31, and then I will pick up the 3% crit from the frost tree).

Enchantertim with frost talents? BLASPHEMY!

After 5 minutes of playing, I came up with a 3/35/3 talent build. I blame Blizzard for putting a crit% talent in the frost tree.

Also, maintenance has been extended to 4pm PST (3 hours from now).

 

[Baerdog]

So I think I'm looking at this for my eventual level 85 build. I think the extra damage against magic attacks from Eye for an Eye will outweigh the usefulness of a longer-ranged Judgment. There's not really much reason to use Judgment out of melee anyway.

WoW Talent Calculator - Sigrie

 

[Dei]

Ret paladins at 80 are pretty blah. I think a lot of paladins right now are suffering a lot from not having Inquisition (which is a lvl 81 ability), so hopefully the ret blahs will be temporary until Cata comes out. I was screwing around tanking on Test on my DK (I screwed around with my pally some too, but watching my husband play his pally was good enough for me really) and I can say right now that DPS really need to get re-used to the idea of giving tanks a couple of seconds before they start to DPS, as a lot of the "frontloaded" threat tanks used to have is gone. (I could manage on my DK for the most part, but DPS would unleash before I even got to the heroic bosses and no amount of taunting was helping me hold threat off that).

TLDR: DPS you damn well better have a threat meter or I will come kill you in your sleep.

ALSO: SMITE HEALING YAY!

 

[ScytheRexx]

After 5 minutes of playing, I came up with a 3/35/3 talent build. I blame Blizzard for putting a crit% talent in the frost tree.

It looks good, though I think you are skipping most of the fun talents. I don't think Molten Shield will work well without Blazing Speed since I don't thin the Blazing Speed proc would occur without it, plus you passed up the juicy goodness of Improved Scorch and Firestarter for mana free scorches while moving. Yes, the fun talents won't squeeze out the best dps possible, but come on, with Cataclysm so close will if even matter?

---------- Post added at 09:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:00 PM ----------

There's not really much reason to use Judgment out of melee anyway

Never underestimate the usefulness of long range snap aggro abilities. Sometimes you may find yourself with both Hand of Reckoning and Righteous Defense on cool down and that extra long range shot to the straggler means your healer didn't end up with a fireball to the face.

I am leaning on Eye for an Eye also, but I just wanted to point out that improved judgment won't be a bad option either. Both in the end will have very situational usage.

 

[Baerdog]

In the end I think it will probably depend on how many of the new dungeon and raid bosses dish out magic damage.

 

[Piotyr]

After 5 minutes of playing, I came up with a 3/35/3 talent build. I blame Blizzard for putting a crit% talent in the frost tree.

It looks good, though I think you are skipping most of the fun talents. I don't think Molten Shield will work well without Blazing Speed since I don't thin the Blazing Speed proc would occur without it, plus you passed up the juicy goodness of Improved Scorch and Firestarter for mana free scorches while moving. Yes, the fun talents won't squeeze out the best dps possible, but come on, with Cataclysm so close will if even matter?

[/QUOTE]

Actually, the Molten Shields proc works without taking the Blazing Speed talent (it basically just procs 50% extra movement speed). I'd like to take Imp Scorch and Firestarter, but I can't find 3 points to move from elsewhere

But really, who needs 3% haste when you can run circles around enemies casting Scorch forever?

 

[SpecialKO]

I can say right now that DPS really need to get re-used to the idea of giving tanks a couple of seconds before they start to DPS, as a lot of the "frontloaded" threat tanks used to have is gone.

I anticipate a solid month of back-and-forth, "please focus-fire on skull" and "STOP BEING A FAIL TANK!! THISGRPSUX!!" before DPS re-learns how to play heroics when everyone doesn't massively outgear the place.