Skill Mastery: Horn of Winter
by Daniel Whitcomb 
Sep 12th 2008 at 3:00PM
Horn of Winter is a Death Knight skill that was added in a recent build. Much like the Shaman's Strength of Earth Totem, this skill will give a strength and agility buff to nearby party or raid members -- 155 at the highest rank, to be exact.
It has advantages over Strength of Earth to be sure. It lasts 2 minutes like the totem, but unlike the totem, it's quite a bit more mobile, being a straight-up buff. If there's one drawback to the skill, it's finding the time to cast it.
A Death Knight nearly never sits idle while DPSing. Every global cooldown is precious as you strive to use your runes as soon as they refresh and shed runic power as soon as you have enough for your chosen runic power dump. Some Death Knights think that shoehorning Horn of Winter into there might be asking a bit much, and want it to, at the least, not cost any runic power.
Still, it's a very nice "upgraded" version of the Shaman's Strength of Earth totem, and 20 runic power (10 with a glyph) isn't that bad a cost, so if you're in a physical DPS heavy group or raid, and any Shamans aren't putting out that specific totem, it's worth using it. Any slight hiccup in your damage rotation is probably worth all the nice extra AP and melee critical strike rating you'll get from the buff. Just skip a couple Rune Strikes and cast it already!
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Tips, Expansions, Guides, Buffs, Death Knight, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ozzy Sep 12th 2008 3:12PM
This could easily be cast right before a fight, and only the refreshes would cost you some dps. Also, in a 25-man, the marginal loss for a DK casting this is insignificant when compared to the dps increase the buff gives to other physical dps. Only DK's stroking the damage meter (and thereby there ego's) would deign not to cast this because of a tiny hit to their dps.
Terian Sep 12th 2008 3:23PM
Well...it costs runic power, which decays like rage. So if you had to wait a little bit for mana for the casters you may not have any runic power to use on it.
p-diddy Sep 12th 2008 3:42PM
But even the lowers-my-own-DPS argument doesn't make sense:
DPS + DPS + DPS
Zarzuur Sep 12th 2008 4:17PM
It is like Battle Shout - I mostly cast this on my warrior at the end of a fight to carry into the next.
jrizutko Nov 13th 2008 11:20AM
Buthcery 2/2 grants 20 runic power whenever you kill an enemy that grants experience or honor. Horn of Winter costs 20 runic power. Seems pretty easy to fit into soloing or pvp to me. In a raid, there is probably a strength of earth totem anyway. If there is no shaman, it still shouldn't be hard to justify buffing all melees and hunters every two minutes over upping your own DPS a smidge.
Why is this hard to figure out?
p-diddy Sep 12th 2008 3:54PM
Formatting fail. Let's try this again:
But even the lowers-my-own-DPS argument doesn't make sense:
(DPS + DPS + DPS x rest of the fight) is less than
DPS + Cast + (DPS + 155 Str) + (DPS + 155 Str) x rest of the fight
The same (non-sensical) argument can be made that warriors won't use shouts. And please tell me you don't know any that don't. That would be sad.
Axxam Sep 12th 2008 3:49PM
I think it was said when they first came out, Death Knights are plate wearing enhancement shamans who can tank.
One hopes we shaman don't become extinct
oldwisemonk Sep 12th 2008 3:53PM
They will just change your enh tree to another resto tree. :(
Axxam Sep 12th 2008 3:55PM
;_;
I hope not. I like the "wreck stuff" Shaman
Rattleshirt Sep 12th 2008 4:23PM
As a shaman, I can't help but be a little insulted by this -
We got stripped of some of our new high talent effects because they were thought to be too much like Druid unique abilities - and here DKs get a Str/Agi totem shoved in their *cough* pockets?
I know that they want DKs to be a big draw to both new and jaded players - but Shaman numbers are already in the toilet. Giving our key abilities away like party favors will not help us recover.
Bliz seems to be in the campaign of making the low shaman population stretch farther (increased totem range/raid wide coverage) instead of making the class more attractive to bring in new blood.
This is a bad idea - eventually even the die hard shaman will reroll or /quit the game in disgust, leaving the class dead from attrition.
Axxam Sep 12th 2008 4:26PM
Well said there. I was not there in the days when Shaman were overpowered, but today, there is indeed a need to fix the weaknesses.
I do wonder how many Enh shamans will roll DK and give up over time.
Daniel Whitcomb Sep 13th 2008 1:24PM
I sincerely doubt that Shamans will be disappearing. While Death Knights can get a decent amount of Shaman group buffs, some are talent only, such as Improved Icy Talons. In addition, Even Horn of Winter cannot get as good as a talented Strength of Earth totem.
Finally, Death Knights do not have a Heroism/Bloodlust equivalent.
All of these factors make me believe that a Shaman will still very much be a valid group member, especially since they can heal in a pinch where Death Knights can't (Unless you count Blood Aura).
insomnifox Sep 12th 2008 3:59PM
If DK's don't have time to use their horn, then my warrior doesn't have time to battle/commanding shout.
Ian Oh Sep 12th 2008 6:45PM
The strength of earth totem at rank 8 (lvl 80) gives 162 to strength and agi. with 3 points in enhancing totems ,which gives an extra 15%, the buff goes up to 192 to strength and agi. 40 yards raid wide. i think this is still better than horn of winter.
Cakaw Sep 12th 2008 5:07PM
This right here is blizz being lazy and stupid again.
SaintStryfe Sep 12th 2008 6:55PM
I wont' be going anywhere. Sure, he can buff the melee group. I as a Shaman can buff most anyone in a group. And do it faster, and with better results. I'm not scared of losing my spots to the horde (no pun intended) of DPS DK's on their way.
BTW, just from beta testing for a few hours: Death Knight Starting Area is FANTASTIC.
Hugh "Nomad" Hancock Sep 12th 2008 7:50PM
Am I the only one thinking "hmm, someone at Blizz has been reading George R R Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire"?
Typhun Sep 12th 2008 8:29PM
in WC3: TFT the last undead campaign was called "A Symphony of Frost and Flame" so I think they have been reading it for a while ;p