Patch 5.2 interview with Dave Kosak
Inside an old alt's vault
The latest patch 5.2 news
All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsMore on Ulduar and hard modes
by Eliah Hecht 
Jan 3rd 2009 at 6:00PM
Daelo, the lead encounter designer, has dropped a few more details about Ulduar, the tier 8 raid that is coming in patch 3.1 (whenever that happens to be). We heard yesterday that there will be more "hard modes" in the raid, analogous to Sartharion. Today we learn that, again like Sartharion, completing the hard modes will give you not only achievements but also additional, better loot. There is also, apparently, going to be an optional encounter in the raid that will be hard-mode-only; I'm picturing something like Nightbane here.
Furthermore, Ulduar in general, according to the post, will be harder than Naxxramas is. Naxx was tuned easy on purpose, and the devs have been saying for a while that Ulduar will not be that way, to the same extent. The analogy Daelo makes in his post is that if Naxx is "the introduction to raiding 101 class for players who have never raided before," Ulduar is "the second year class." So we won't be hitting a brick wall, but it probably won't be compared to UBRS either like Naxx often is now. Either way, we won't know much for sure until it's up on the PTR, but I'm certainly looking forward to it.
Filed under: Raiding, Wrath of the Lich King, Achievements
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 6)
SunwellVialist Jan 4th 2009 2:30PM
"I think most people have real life obligations that prevent them to play 24/7, I do too. From my personal experience, people who play 24/7 aren't good either."
You're missing the point.
The point is that these people, the so called 98% of the game, do not -want- to have to *work* in a game after they just spend the last 9-10 hours -at- work. Honestly, that is something everyone should be capable of understanding. If you have just spend mulling over books, working at the Computer, doing physical work, etc, doesn't matter. After those 9-10 hours you are -exhausted-. You want to sit down, kick back, have a great time with your friends and enjoy a good game.
To all these people WoW -is- a good game.
It doesn't make them idiots. It makes them hard working men and women who have a right to enjoy the content they pay for since it's supposed to be their recreation.
That you would deny those people that simply because to -you- personally the game is not *work enough* boggles the mind.
If you are -serious- and not just a Troll, then this paints you as one hell of a damn selfish person, who considers his own needs beyond everyone else, not to mention expects Blizzard to conform with it, alienating 98% of their playerbase.
You can not expect that to happen.
Which in turn makes me wonder... why do you complain here so loudly, attacking everyone? You -know- Blizzard will not change anything. They stopped listening to the *hardcore* faction about 2 years ago.
Accept the state of things and move on to another game.
The Elitist Jerk Jan 4th 2009 2:58PM
Define in-game "work". Is it raiding? Leveling professions? Heroics? Leveling an alt? How can you expect me to give a concrete answer with such blanket statements?
Oh dear, the "I pay" argument. You're paying for the right connect to Blizzard's servers. What you do with the time is no one's concern.
Last time I checked, the entire content is open to everyone. It's not that I want to lock everything down with attunements (although they were pretty cool when done right - NOT the onyxia attunement), but expecting a silver platter laid with epics for you to choose is just as retarded as 98% of players.
Raiding IS easy. I HOPE Ulduar will be harder. Blizzard disappoints in its catering to bad players once again. I blame Activision.
Also, I'm very selfish, that's why I'm better than 98% of everyone else.
Amaxe Jan 4th 2009 3:00PM
The Elitist Jerk said...
Oh and 98% of players are retards, so your argument is invalid once more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That kind of argument is just pathetic and juvenile, and if you want to act that way, expect to get treated that way.
So...
Isn't tomorrow a school day? Better go and get your homework done before your Mom takes the computer away little boy...
Juggy Jan 4th 2009 3:19PM
Well said SunwellVialist
@ The Elitist Jerk
I think you fail to realize that your skill and determination to be at the top of this game is respected by players such as my self.
Hell I wish I could work the combination to that rubics cube that is perfect gear/ talent tree/ enchants/ glyphs/ attack spell rotation. You did my hats off to you sir.
But you don’t need to piss all over me and the rest of us for not.
What you could do is spend some of you time educating players on all the wisdom you have. Pissing on blogs that talk about what different ways there are to progress is retarded.
I myself think you have no one but yourself and all the other progression retards to blame for this. If you elite players would take some time to come down off you mountain of epics to try to pull the rest of the player base up to your level and not piss on us then you might get your hard mode.
But you retards want to sit in LFG or Trade chat posting about how you will only take players that have this stats and this tier gear to such and such instance. I say settle your self’s down a little and make a small attempt to cooperate with the drooling masses.
Of coarse this would interrupt your epeen polishing.
Juggy Jan 4th 2009 3:27PM
Elitist
In your opinion what is the honest percentage of 11 mill total players are farming all the raids as of now?
How many do you think even understand how to play their class properly?
How many have no idea how any other class’s actually operate in a 5 man group let alone a raid?
The Elitist Jerk Jan 4th 2009 2:14PM
I can count the amount of times I wiped the raid throughout my entire wow career and that is 2. Both were also idiotic wipes after which I called myself an idiot and never did them again.
I was NEVER, EVER EVER carried in my interpretation of the word. Perhaps you think of "carrying" as "taking an undergeared scrub to a raid in order to gear him up", I think of "carrying" as "taking an underskilled retard..."
"So yes, your own words lead me to believe you're QQing because people who aren't as good by your standards are doing things now that you think they shouldn't be able to do and have gear you don't want them to have."
Gear is one thing. I'm about the skill requirements. Sulfuras can drop from Hogger as far as I'm concerned. I also never mentioned my standards either, except playing your class properly.
E.G: Anub'Rekhan40. Even a green-geared hunter could easily aspect of the pack up in order to assist the MT with kiting.
Anti-E.G: Doing less than the minimal DPS requirement on a DPS race boss such as Brutallus pre-jokepatch.
It's when Blizzard begins catering to bad players is when all value of gear is lost.
"So, is it worth it making yourself the most hated person on the forum for a cause neither we nor Blizzard cares about?" - I couldn't care less about your opinion of me.
My point is: LEAVE 25-MANS ALONE.
Oh and as far as "we won't make another sunwell" goes - what they probably mean is the insane raid stacking requirements that funwell was all about. I agree with this, but there are ways to make raids harder (Tip: Flame wave is NOT one of those ways)
Amaxe Jan 4th 2009 3:05PM
The Jerk said:
"Also, I'm very selfish, that's why I'm better than 98% of everyone else."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Time will tell. lets have a link to your armory page.
But in my experience selfish players are the cause of the worst parts of WoW: "OMFG... wurst grup evar!" and all that crap.
The other players in your raiding guild, either they have the patience of a saint not to have /gkicked you or else are all as big of smacktards as you are. In the former case, they have my sympathy. In the latter case, your server has my sympathy
The Elitist Jerk Jan 4th 2009 3:10PM
When you explain how a list of my gear is remotely relevant to my skill.
My guild is irrelevant to this argument.
Amaxe Jan 4th 2009 3:16PM
/shrug
My thought was first off lets see whether your achievements match your mouth. If you're as 133+ as you claim, we should be seeing a lot of heroic and raid clears dated 10-15-08 (the day the achievements took effect and previous things were dated to) which *might* allow us to see whether you really did everything you claim.
So can you back up your talk, Mr. "98% of all players are retards"?
It would also show us your guild so we could see if they were as hardcore as you claim.
Failing that, maybe some Gold Farmer could use the link to hack your account so you could shut up for a few weeks
The Elitist Jerk Jan 4th 2009 3:27PM
I have classic/outland dungeonmaster/dungeon hero/raider as of oct 17th. Yes, going around the world and soloing ye olde instances takes time and I said I don't play 24/7.
I top my guild's damage meters. Here's a screenshot of a patchwerk kill 2 or 3 resets ago: http://img148.imageshack.us/my.php?image=patchwerkdpseditedforredw1.jpg The dps difference hasn't changed, except for bugged HAT rogues closer to me.
Leave my guild out of this. Let's say they have their glory of the hero I was too busy studying to get.
Explain how gold farmer is relevant to my wowinsider account. Are you honestly thinking I'm retarded enough to use one email/password for everything? Of course not. It's just envy and spite.
aurorallew Jan 4th 2009 3:17PM
Gosh, if you hate the game and those who play it so much, why are you playing? Why are you visiting a web site like this one?
Could it be you need a steady supply of people for whom you hold nothing but contempt in order to like yourself? Or are you just a sadist?
The Elitist Jerk Jan 4th 2009 3:37PM
"But you retards want to sit in LFG or Trade chat posting about how you will only take players that have this stats and this tier gear to such and such instance."
Does not apply to me, I don't pug. These people are idiots. I'm elitist but I always give people a chance.
"How many do you think even understand how to play their class properly?"
Their problem, not Blizzard's. Dumbing down the game in order to satisfy a drooling mouthbreather will ruin it.
"How many have no idea how any other class’s actually operate in a 5 man group let alone a raid? "
Again, this is learned at level 12 in Ragefire Chasm, level 34 in SM and level 60 in UBRS. I heard those instances are still in-game, maybe if people didn't rush to 80 and took some time to learn2teamwork we wouldn't have this easymode crap we have now.
"Isn't tomorrow a school day? Better go and get your homework done before your Mom takes the computer away little boy..."
Pathetic insult. Improve.
"What you could do is spend some of you time educating players on all the wisdom you have. Pissing on blogs that talk about what different ways there are to progress is retarded."
I never commented about leveling professions/alts/rep. Those are ways to progress your character which I hardly care about unless they are to improve my raid performance. I ONLY talked about 25-man raids being dumbed down.
Explain why should I 'educate' material that should be learned while leveling. You can't honestly expect me to teach level 80 hunters how to trap/MD/FD (best example because my main is). Yes I have great wisdom in my class and I DO tell my minions when they do it wrong.
But I will not teach basics to people. There's BRK to do that.
Amaxe Jan 4th 2009 3:42PM
Pathetic? Yes and intentionally so.
Keep in mind that is how you sound to us.
The Elitist Jerk Jan 4th 2009 3:47PM
Of all the points raised in my comment the only thing you bother to reply to is the insult part.
...
...
yeah
Amaxe Jan 4th 2009 3:51PM
Because your comments aren't worth responding to, when you tend to ignore everything you can't refute and use your ad hominems in every argument.
Really, I am beginning to doubt you really have the skill you boast of any more. You don't make reasoned arguments, you make loud complaints and then insult everyone you disagree with.
Quite pathetic really.
Well time to stop feeding the troll.
The Elitist Jerk Jan 4th 2009 3:52PM
Arguing on the Internet, special olympics, etc..
Tool.
Amaxe Jan 4th 2009 4:51PM
Since you seem to be obtuse as to my final statement, let me phrase it in WoWese:
/ignore The Elitist Jerk
The Elitist Jerk Jan 4th 2009 5:15PM
Oh novos.
Chibired Jan 4th 2009 4:29PM
I work 9-5 M-F, spend my Saturday's with friends, and Sunday's I usually just relax at home browsing the internet and such.
Yet, somehow, I have managed to be able to raid and progress through WOW before they dumbed it down to the point that any babbling idiot throwing out 800 dps can beat all raid content in a week. So lets get this straight, I play WOW maybe 16-20 hours a week. With that amount of playtime I've cleared almost all the raiding content that the game has thrown out at me. Now it takes me 4-5 hours to clear all the raiding content.. and I have no reason to play anymore.. so I essentially play WOW about 7 hours a week now.
Now I do believe Blizzard had the right idea in making raids more accessible, but did they have to dumb them down to the point that all the fights mechanics are negligible. Who cares about what these bosses can do when you can get hit by everything they throw at you without much fear of dying.
What I really don't understand is.. why didn't blizzard use the 10mans as the easy mode where all the people who don't know how to play can go; make the bosses just stand there looking pretty, so that everyone can kill them and see the lore, and the 25man back to how it was, where people who don't mind throwing some effort and coordination into the mix can be happy.
The Elitist Jerk Jan 4th 2009 5:14PM
I've been saying this all along.