Tinnitus: Leatherworking drums cause a debuff
by Amanda Miller 
Jul 31st 2008 at 3:31PM
With the new Tinnitus debuff, any targets affected by drums are immune to the effects of all other drums for two minutes. While this sounds like a nerf, it might actually have a balancing effect.
In fact, other professions are seeing similar changes. Potions will create Potion Sickness, which will prevent the consumer from using more than one in any given encounter. Players will have to rest out of combat in order to refresh the privilege.
So far, this also is affecting mana gems and similar items, although it is unclear if that particular effect is a bug or not. What does this mean?
Encounters will have to be tuned assuming that players have limited access to buffs, self-heals and mana solutions. Mana regeneration will be of increased importance, and while you'll have to brush up on your mana management skills, Blizzard devs will also have to balance regeneration so that classes can last through raid encounters with only one mana potion.
It will also mean that raiding classes who have no use for leatherworking outside of providing drums for the raid, might be able to respec back to a profession that is personally useful and lucrative. I welcome the idea that raid members might bring unique benefits, rather than having a raid full of drummers.
What do you think about the change? Is your guild going to have to revamp its strategy, or have you worked around using drums anyway?
Filed under: Alchemy, Leatherworking, Items, Analysis / Opinion, Guilds, Instances, Expansions, Buffs, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Charcuterie Jul 31st 2008 3:36PM
AKA, instead of just brute forcing your way through instances, you'll have to get better. Got it.
Telerion Jul 31st 2008 4:19PM
You all seem to forget that these techniques were developed to meet a need, more DPS and refreshing mana/health. Whatever new changes Blizzard comes up with for WotLK, people will come up with ways around them. It's just the nature of people.
People have attack, shot, spell, etc. rotations they use. Why? Because they work. Drums and pots are just another tool to get the job done.
deviationer Jul 31st 2008 3:38PM
Good.
only1rob Jul 31st 2008 3:42PM
Ive been wondering about this and the potion sickness.
With the current BC content tuned to require chain pots, drums and current pally buffs. What will it be like to come back to this content at 80?
Yes we will be a higher level and have better gear. But we will be missing out on these buffs that the encounter is tuned for, so maybe Blizz will tune the old 70 encounters to take this into consideration, or else I guess we will have to push through it as is.
Xioyn Jul 31st 2008 3:57PM
I imagine that it will be no different when you had to use every single elixir for 60 raids
Shinwei Jul 31st 2008 3:46PM
"One member might boost attack power and spell damage for party members in range, while another might restore health and mana."
The current reason you have multiple drummers in a party is not so you can provide multiple different effects but to keep the buff from Drums of Battle (80 haste rating) up 100% of the time. Drums of Battle's buff duration is only 30 seconds, with a 2 minute cooldown, so if you rotate 4 members drumming you can maintain 100% uptime on drums!
CursedSeishi Jul 31st 2008 3:55PM
I think you are wrong. It states all people affected by the drum, not just the people using it. Not quite sure since the wording is a little odd, but im sure it means all drum effects for 2mins
Jim Jul 31st 2008 3:58PM
Shinwei is talking about how raids currently do it, not how it will be in the xpac.
Shinwei Jul 31st 2008 4:09PM
Jim is right. I am simply correcting a mistake made in the original blog post in the hopes that additional journalistic integrity will be used in future posts on WoWinsider.
Matthew Rossi Jul 31st 2008 4:35PM
Unfortunately for you, you don't raid with every group in existence. My guild does exactly what the post suggests and has multiple drums up at once sometimes. And before you make a crack about us sucking, we kill bosses just fine with this technique. We only use drums at key moments, we don't use them often.
Shinwei Jul 31st 2008 6:45PM
Matt, I never suggested anything about who sucks and who does not. I respect your knowledge of the game and your ability to write, all I am asking for is that you respect your readers as well. Don't think we're all clueless noobs who don't know how drums work. I made a post in the spirit of constructive criticism in the hopes that (as I said) journalistic integrity may be raised on this very website.
Just because your guild uses drums a certain way does not make it the reason why all the clothies are dropping their other professions to level leatherworking. No, the reason they are all getting leatherworking is so they can maintain a Drums of Battle 100% uptime rotation in their DPS group. Be it the melee group, the mage group, or the hunter group - that's why everyone wants drums. That's why Blizzard decided to nerf it.
Sure, you can pop multiple different drums in your raid when you want. My guild does this sometimes as well in groups that aren't about DPS, such as the healer group or the group with the main tank and some extra healers. However, usage in this manner is not why drums are considered overpowered and certainly not why Blizzard is introducing the Tinnitus debuff discussed by this article.
Amanda Miller Aug 1st 2008 4:09PM
"Don't think we're all clueless noobs who don't know how drums work."
No one is speaking to the readers as though they are clueless. I offered an example of drums usage that would help players who don't raid, do not have level 70s, etc to follow the article better.
Paminen Jul 31st 2008 3:44PM
It will be.. uh.. extremely easy to do the 70 content at 80? I mean, level 60 raids have been soloed.
Paminen Jul 31st 2008 3:45PM
Huh, the post I was responding to disappeared. He was asking about what it would be like to do 70 content at level 80
BitterCupOJoe Jul 31st 2008 4:00PM
Remember, tho, that the ilvl jump was much bigger between BC and Wrath, and also that the way that stamina was treated in terms of item points also changed, which won't happen with Wrath, so that was another place for stat inflation. I wouldn't be surprised if the level 70 stuff is not quite the cakewalk that the level 60 stuff was, particularly with limited access to item buffs.
Paminen Jul 31st 2008 3:47PM
now its back, how do i delete posts =\
Alcanarias Jul 31st 2008 3:49PM
I like the change, I've always prefered the idea of not having to use potions in PvE and just skill, potions should be for emergencies and this enforces it. Adds a bit more challenge. Also with the new spirit levels on Wrath gear it may be a bit more passive that it appears.
If anything it is an excuse to not spend out on consumables, thats always good.
papawapa Jul 31st 2008 3:53PM
As long as the drum debuff doesn't affect the rest of the band we can add other instruments... Blacksmithing - "The Axe (guitar)", Engineering - "Synthesizer", Alchemist - "The Jug (jug band)", Jewelcrafter - "Crystal Goblets (glass music)"...
jbodar Jul 31st 2008 10:46PM
Pretty creative, but I can't imagine those instruments sounding good together. ;)
steve Jul 31st 2008 3:54PM
I see it from 2 standpoints as I have been in 2 end game raiding guilds. The one I'm currently in practices drum stinging and the other did not.
The guild that did not practice drum stringing was a competitve raid guild that cleared all of T5 and 4/5 Hyjal and the 1st two bosses of BT. The only reason that guild stopped raiding was because of summer vacations and the natural decline of raid participation every guild sees in the summer. Never knew we were missing anything.
The guild that I'm in now uses this method but primarily in the tank group (I'm a tank). We have cleared all of T6 and just downed Brutallus. And we use drums of battle to give more haste for tanks to build aggro faster and more consistantly so dps can go harder. As far as I know, nobody was forced into leatherworking to do this and the people who do it are more than happy to do it. The tank group usually consists of me (Prot warrior), another prot warrior or feral tank, 2 BM hunters (the drummers), and a resto druid. Again the reason for the BM hunters is for ferocious inspirations stacking effect to add to the tanks threat. I don't know of any mages/priests/warriors, etc. that are LW's just to use drums. I myself am a herb/alch and nobody's ever given me grief about my proffesion choices.
"AKA, instead of just brute forcing your way through instances, you'll have to get better. Got it."
Seems like a pretty ignorant thing to say. I guess somewhere along the way into SWP we never lrnd2p.