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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsThe Queue: An unrelated Q
by Alex Ziebart 
Feb 25th 2010 at 11:00AM
I'm in charge of the Queue train today, which means for the first time this week, this is a Star Trek free zone. Admittedly, I can't shake the obsession with the letter Q, so we're just taking things a different route today. Behold: Q.
Darasen asked...
"Perhaps this is better answered by the Priest community but thought I''d ask here. I have been leveling a healing priest through the dungeon finder and was curious about the proper use of "Power Word Shield". I use the spell constantly as it is very mana efficient. I have had some players tell me I should not use it though. A warrior told me he thought the shield kept him from gaining rage (he was unsure) and a Paladin told me that he couldn't get mana back when shielded. So should it be used regularly or not?"
If you're a holy priest, you shouldn't need to use Power Word: Shield much, and probably shouldn't. It's just not a very good use of your mana unless you absolutely need to put up some sort of buffer. As a discipline priest, you should bubble as much as you please... except for one situation, I find.
Warriors, druids and death knights should have no problem with Rage and Runic Power because of your bubbles, that issue has been dealt with over the course of Wrath of the Lich King, those classes will still gain their resources regardless of the absorption. However, protection paladins do still have significant mana issues when there are shields involved. A large portion of a paladin tank's mana regen comes from Spiritual Attunement. The paladin takes damage, that damage is then healed, and a percentage of the healing becomes mana for him/her. If they're absorbing damage instead of being healed, they're not regaining any mana through Spiritual Attunement. It sucks, and in a 5-man dungeon it can cripple mana.
If you need your sweet, sweet Power Word: Shields to heal a paladin through a random heroic, you can still use them. But the paladin will probably need to sit and drink more frequently.
Gurluas asked...
"Will Cataclysm come with a function to rename your guild?"
"I'm sure this has been asked and answered a million and one times, but what sense does it make to allow the Cataclysm races Worgen and Goblins to be DKs if their origin events are happening after the demise of Arthas as the Lich King? I don't understand the lore behind this."
It's like the return of Onyxia. No lore, but maximizing fun. There's nothing to understand except that Blizzard thinks it would be enjoyable.
Zalaron asked...
"When in BRD - Upper from dungeon finder, which boss do you have to kill, in what order and any other requirements, to get the Satchel? I have been in it several times and never gotten the satchel. Any advice would be helpful!"
I don't actually know the answer to this, but I thought I would bring attention to the question because hopefully someone reading this will. I believe this bit here is bugged, because killing the Emperor certainly does not count as the 'end' which is very strange. I don't know if the requirement is something else in BRD, or if there's a very specific order you need to do things, but my gut says it's just plain bugged.
Update: I am a baboon and forgot that the latest WoW Rookie already tackled this. You need to keep the Princess alive!
Update #2: Or, according to the comments, this may not actually be true. Who knows! Let's just say it's a bug.
Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW.com crew is here with The Queue, our daily Q&A column! Leave your questions in the comments and we'll do our best to answer 'em!Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, The Queue
Reader Comments (Page 8 of 8)
Hoggersbud Feb 25th 2010 5:20PM
>When has it EVER been acceptable to bubble in a 5 man? <
Well, if nothing else, when they rewrote the book on discipline.
Balmar Feb 25th 2010 3:23PM
I am mostly in love with the dungeon finder tool, and use it at least once a day, because it is so easy and quick to find a group. I never went into dungeons before because I just didn't have time to look for a group. So, my question is... Is there a way for me, a lvl 80, to use DF to get into Outland dungeons? I made it through a couple of them back when I was questing in Outlands, but want to go back and do all the ones I missed, as well as their heroic versions. Surely there is a way to use DF for this purpose?!?
(cutaia) Feb 25th 2010 4:12PM
Nope, there isn't.
Not being able to queue for the heroics is actually kind of silly. You can queue for a regular UK, but not the Outland heroics? Wouldn't they be similar difficulty?
As far as the non-heroic dungeons, though? That makes sense. A level 80 could probably solo most (if not all) of them, so you'd be ruining the dungeon for all the at-level characters who got paired with you.
SerenityNow Feb 25th 2010 3:34PM
Not so much a question, but a couple of things I'd like to see Blizzard introduce in Cata... 2 new naming options:
1) Allow players to assign a name/label to their bags (so you can have a bag called "Quest Stuff", one called "Inscription Stuff", etc.). I'd find having such a name visible (or even tool tip appear when you float over the bag) very helpful.
2) Allow players to name their companion pets - but so only they could see the names. That way you could give your companion pets a bit more individuality in your mind, but Blizzard wouldn't have to worry about policing yet another source of offensive names.
Both very trivial enhancements, but would be nice.
duffy45696 Feb 25th 2010 3:57PM
"And unless I'm not remembering some great change to the mana cost of the bubble, the spell has never been very cost effective."
Power Word: Shield returns more mana than it costs me as disc due to rapture. Rapture will also provide energy, rage, mana or runic power to dps who're getting hit by AoE in 5 mans. In holy my shields speed people up due to Body and Soul. At top rank with 0 spellpower and untalented, it costs 23% of base mana compared to a flash heals 18% of base mana and absorbs more than the highest amount flash heal heals, with the same spell power coefficient. It can also be used before a pull, allowing you to enter the 5 second rule if there's a gap between mobs, while flash heal is reactive and should only be used once someone takes damage. There's really no reason not to use it as holy and if you're not using it all as disc... Ouch.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if the power: word shield breaks before another is applied or it runs out, its 100% mana efficient, while almost any other spell in a priests arsenal will suffer from overhealing at some point.
Quazal Feb 25th 2010 4:44PM
It was said somewhere that the events of cata started and are going on DURING the time of our battles in northrend timeline wise. Not sure if anyone said that in the last 5 pages but I thought I would put that out there.
Artificial Feb 26th 2010 5:42AM
Yes. People who have a problem with worgen DK's are confused about the timeline in question. In real-world terms, yes, ICC was released before Cataclysm, but in game lore/story-timeline terms, the Catacylsm occurs *while* we're still fighting the Lich King. There will be no temporal anomalies created by Gilnean worgen joining your raid to kill Arthas. There will be no lore contradicted. Do not confused real-world events and game mechanics for in-world timelines and lore.
People who have a problem with goblin DK's are just too stupid to understand the lore to begin with. Goblins have been involved in every major war on both Azeroth and Draenor for over a generation. Sometimes on one side, often on both (or more) sides... XD
vmonte200 Feb 25th 2010 5:59PM
You probably answered this in a Q already but i can't find it...
I would like to know what to do with all the frostweave cloth I get. My main is a tailor but there is nothing really worth making, should i just vendor it all or is there something that is in high demand that i'm not aware of. I have a fair amount stock piled to help level tailoring come next expansion. I'm thinking just vendor.
Zanathos Feb 26th 2010 4:14AM
bags always sell.
Evil Midnight Lurker Feb 25th 2010 10:06PM
Time in Azeroth is not measured by expansions, it's measured by level. At first level, you're still in a world where Arthas is alive and the ultimate boss of the Plaguelands Scourge.
After Cataclysm, Gilneas Worgen and Whatever-cartel Goblins will have been part of the Alliance and Horde from near the start of the timeline, just as Blood Elves and Draenei have been. Furthermore, Deathwing will be retconned in as having been freed from the beginning. Why? Because Nozdormu punched time! :)
Vacasta Feb 26th 2010 2:30AM
Wow, 8 pages of comments and I'm the first to say: awesome, awesome use of the 8-ball! No better way to answer some of the Cataclysm-related questions. Please keep it handy for future queues (and if you have a spare minute, ask it if I should re-roll as a Goblin Mage).
Celess Feb 26th 2010 4:05AM
BRD is split into Upper and Lower.
Lower BRD is the full run. Lower because it goes further down into Blackrock Mountain.
Lower BRD ends with Thaurissan.
Upper BRD on the other hand is near pointless. Zone in, go diagonally forward right and down a small corridor to a boss near the cells. It's a corridor that isn't a cave one, if you get me. I don't remember the boss' name, but she's in there.
Shadow Feb 26th 2010 4:18AM
Lore wise, the Worgen DK's and Goblin DK's actually is quite easy to explain.
It's not that they're just starting to become Death Knights, but more that we're just starting to see them. These guys have always been floating around, waiting for their time to arise and become one of the chosen...I mean hideous death knights. Problem is, there were so many corpses before them, that Arthas took forever to get to them.
Time in Azeroth is a funny thing. The Death Knight quest area takes place over (as far as anyone can tell) several weeks, perhaps even a month or more. Once that ends and you go to outland, you spend oh, a week out there leveling. Yet when you get to northrend, a number of the quests suggest that it's been several months more, perhaps even another year, since the Death Knight you are was freed. The same thing happens with the Worgen. From all we've seen about the start area, it takes place over several years through flashbacks. Once you leave that area and start questing in the regular world, various things are happening, (time wise) that could predate your leaving the start area.
In the end, it's best to leave well enough alone and not ask questions about when a particular event (like a worgen or goblin dk) happens, and just smile and nod.
siikalord Feb 26th 2010 1:30PM
What happened to the patches of the yesteryear column?
Earthbound Feb 26th 2010 7:22PM
Is there anyway of getting a name that is in use if that person doesn't play anymore? I've recently started playing on a new realm and some names that i wanted are taken by people level 14 and below, however these people haven't played in months and don't have any heirlooms or are in a guild, or anything that would show that that person might have a main.
Grimoure Feb 27th 2010 10:44PM
Alright, well I had quit WoW until cataclysm. Mainly because I wanted to catch up on the othe games I had been missing (Bioshock 2, DragonAge, Mass Effect 2, AvP, etc) That I had been picking up recently and since I didnt want to pay for a game if I wont play it, well you know.
Aaaaanyways, I plan on coming back on cataclsym, and from what I have been reading there will be a bunch of these events. EX: Retaking the Gnomefucker's home. Will they be available when Cataclsym comes out? Or, will they no longer be able to be done?
Thank you.
Lornicide Feb 28th 2010 1:47PM
Here's one I can't figure out....
I just took my 80 druid and dual-specced him, adding a resto build.
My base healing bonus (in balance spec) is 1262. When I switch to the healer spec, the healing bonus DROPS to 1180.
I'm not switching any gear yet, just talent specs. I've set up my glyphs for the new spec, but I don't see any glyphs in either spec that would affect my healing bonus.
Can anyone tell me why bonus healing would drop? Also, with the new spec, I picked up a lot of haste-increasing talents, but my haste rating doesn't change at all when switching specs.
Any ideas folks? thanks
Lornicide Feb 28th 2010 2:19PM
Nevermind, figured it out. :)