The Queue: Amazon now says January
by Adam Holisky 
Sep 30th 2010 at 11:00AM
In a followup to a story we posted last Saturday evening about Amazon spamming everyone who pre-ordered with shipping updates, Amazon's now done it again. This time, Amazon is saying that the Cataclysm Collector's Edition will arrive for those who pre-ordered it sometime in January. We don't consider Amazon a good source for release date information, but with the sheer number of people sending us tips about it, we find it's important to acknowledge and report it.
There is still no official word from Blizzard on the release date, and the only way we can attempt to get it out of them is to say, "Please?" Maybe give the blues some flowers, ask them what their favorite dishes are ... (Not that we're gonna cook it for them, but we'll order it from Zanzibar.)
Maybe then they'll tell us the release date.
Finnegan asked:
Is there any word on what's happening with the paladin and warlock epic mount quests?
From what I can tell, they're gone. That's not to say Blizzard isn't redesigning them, but I can't find them anywhere. Other people have also reported the quests are no longer accessible.
Vegeta asked:
What is the purpose behind making some weapons main hand or off hand only? For instance, the heirloom one-handed sword is main hand only, as are various other weapons. I get the idea behind shields and spell-book-type off-hands, but weapons that you can easily equip in your off hand realistically?
In old-time weapon usage, there is a difference between a main-hand weapon and an off-hand. The way it was described to me was that a main-hand weapon can be larger and heavier, and an off-hand weapon should be lighter and quicker. This is because you have more strength with your main hand and less with your off. So it makes sense that such correlations will travel over to the in-game world, as well.
There's also a reason for it mechanics-wise in game. As some commenters pointed out, most spellpower weapons are main hand only, thus preventing some insane stat-stacking in which the off-hand weapon gets just as much utility as the main-hand weapon does.
Molley asked:
Is there any word on whether Blizzard is planning to add more character slots? I'm out of room for my goblinette!
Blizzard has stayed pretty quiet on this front lately, but it's previously said that there are no plans for an increase in the number of character slots. So I wouldn't expect Blizzard to increase them at this point.
Highlighter asked:
Has there been any news relating to when BlizzCon ticket barcodes will be mailed out?
That should happen soon.
Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW Insider 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: The Queue
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 12)
Gamer am I Sep 30th 2010 11:01AM
This question wasn't answered last time I asked it, so I'm hoping posting it early can increase its chances.
This has been bugging me for a while: What is the logic behind the first tier in the priest's Cataclysm shadow talent tree? Because as a player with a solo-ing shadow priest alt, I just don't see it. As far as I can tell, the tier is comprised of a boring flat bonus that won't produce much of a noticeable effect (Darkness), which as far as I can tell is exactly the kind of boring talent they were trying to get rid of with the redesign; a talent that improves a skill I rarely use while leveling, especially at low levels (Improved Shadow Word: Pain), and improves it by a pitiful amount, at that; and a talent the reduces the cooldown of an ability I never use while leveling (Fade) and an ability I don't get until level 66 (Shadowfiend). If a player were to start a shadow priest from level 1, I see no way they could be excited about choosing between these three talents. They all seem either boring or irrelevant to leveling. Is there something about this tier that I'm missing? If not, what gives?
earthexile Sep 30th 2010 11:15AM
So the talents apply a flat damage bonus, a bonus to your first Shadow DoT spell, and a bonus to your threat dump, but because you have a specific way you like to play your Priest you've decided those are useless.
Does that about sum it up?
Saminator Sep 30th 2010 11:16AM
I think this better suits a shadow priest discussion.
Fythian Sep 30th 2010 11:20AM
Alright, Tier 1 Shadow Priest
You've got Darkness, a nice little haste buff; not too sexy but sitll really nice.
You've got Improved SW: P, a damage buff to a main part of the Shadow Priest rotation. There is no reason why you shouldn't be using SW: P (cheap intant cast) and increasing the damage is only a good thing.
You've got Vieled Shadows, reduces the cooldown for you fade ability and decrease cooldown for Shadowfiend. Fade is awesome for dropping aggro in any instance while you're leveling and at endgame. Shadowfiend is also great and you might see healer priests taking that ability depending on how hard mana regen is.
So, the short answer is they're nice, if somewhat vanilla increase output talents that will appeal to healers (maybe) and will b beyond mandatory at 85.
Bapo Sep 30th 2010 11:33AM
It's tier 1, so it's not going to be amazing talents that immediately define you as a shadow priest. Those are talents holy and Disc priests can get as well, if they choose to.
Rob Sep 30th 2010 12:07PM
A large part of the problem is that Blizzard balances for 85. The leveling experience often gets shoveled to the side, and you run into things where our tier 1 used to have very useful talents for leveling (Spirit Tap), and now it's not the case.
That's not to say they ignore leveling altogether - but leveling is generally an easy experience, and doesn't require much tweaking. So, it gets put to the side burner, as does balance when leveling. Most people pass through it fine, with no real roadblocks, and then spend forever at the max level cap a month after the expansion hits, so it's understandable why they focus their attention there - even though it's disappointing for things to be out-of-whack until you get there.
Gamer am I Sep 30th 2010 12:08PM
"So the talents apply a flat damage bonus, a bonus to your first Shadow DoT spell, and a bonus to your threat dump, but because you have a specific way you like to play your Priest you've decided those are useless.
Does that about sum it up?"
No, that doesn't sum it up at all. What I was saying was that, from the perspective of a *solo-ing low-level shadow priest*, these talents are either boring or useless. At level 10, shadow word: pain is just not a good spell to use; the enemies die so quickly that you'll burn through your mana way too fast using it. Fade has no use at all to a solo-ing shadow priest, and like I said, you don't get shadowfiend until level 66, leaving Darkness as the only useful talent for the level 10 priest choosing his first talents, and a boring one at that. I know these talents are useful for a high level shadow priest, but try to see it from the perspective of a young shadow priest investing his first points into the tree; shadow is, after all, the only DPS tree the priest has, and not all priests want to level through groups by healing. The first tiers of all of the other 29 trees are much more interesting and exciting, including all of the leveling ones, so my question is, why is the first tier of shadow, the priest's *leveling tree*, so bad for low-level solo-ing priests?
Xoth Sep 30th 2010 12:22PM
I'll try to say this without being too harsh.
Look at shaman: elemental and enhancement get nothing interesting. Crit or more damage. Haste, crit, and damage for druids. Damage and range for ret pallies. The first tier isn't awesome. You already have the tree's significant ability though, so stop complaining about something that nearly every class has. Every talent will not be an amazing game changing thing, and in my opinion the very first ones shouldn't be.
SINisterWyvern Sep 30th 2010 12:38PM
Look at the top tier of every tree. The top tiers of trees have to be useful for other specs as well. I know in priest it's a little odd but the haste talent at the top of shadow actually looks appealing to my healing priest. Look at the holy tree "ooh 10% bonus to renew?".. is in the same boat.
Take Darkness 3/3 and Imp SW:P 2/2, watch the bonus %ages mean a higher bonus with every level gained and get over it.
My main is a warlock. If I was leveling one again from 10 going down affliction I would start with +8% crit on BoA/BoD (so a whole 8% crit on them since low levels won't have any crit) and +12% damage to corruption. This won't have a huge effect on leveling early on either.
That's the way it's always been though. You do not start really filling in the class until 20's and 30's.
"The first tiers of all of the other 29 trees are much more interesting and exciting, including all of the leveling ones, so my question is, why is the first tier of shadow, the priest's *leveling tree*, so bad for low-level solo-ing priests?"
Actually according to what I just posted the starting tier for Afflocks is less useful than the starting tier to SPriests. So stop crying like a bitch, and get over the fact that you're going to blow through the levels anyway.
When I had to level my priest my first 20 levels were spent casting Smite because that's all there was. Smite and Shadow Word Pain (the spell you say sucks)
By the way if you do use SW:Pain at an early level you won't be blowing through mana because of the super health/mana regen you get at low levels, then after that the 5 seconds it takes to restore that mana with a drink isn't going to screw up your day.
If you want to bitch about leveling a priest, start it now, before the changes.
Gamer am I Sep 30th 2010 12:46PM
My shadow priest is level 63, SINisterWyvern; it's the shadow priests of the future I'm worried about.
Alithoe Sep 30th 2010 12:48PM
I'd be all for an answer to this question if it meant Van Allen got the queue again. :V
Sassafras_ltk Sep 30th 2010 12:53PM
I thought the conventional wisdom was that holy was the solo levelling spec and shadow was the group levelling spec? If you play them that way then the first tier of shadow seems pretty good.
Fox Van Allen Sep 30th 2010 12:55PM
"Why is the first tier of shadow, the priest's *leveling tree*, so bad for low-level solo-ing priests?"
What exactly do you want out of level 10, 11, 13, 15 and 17 talents, anyway? :|
muddy Sep 30th 2010 2:01PM
Stop voting down comments when people are asking questions, makes it very hard to read them. /glare
Powatodapeople Sep 30th 2010 1:12PM
that's a result of blizzard putting in your bonus for choosing talent trees. you get mind flay and more just for choosing the tree at level 10, doesn't that help your leveling experience?
Vogie Sep 30th 2010 1:12PM
I'm just glad we don't put those talents in the affliction tree to make Corruption instant-cast. That's the original reason I went Afflic in the first place, although I grew to love it so much I can't change it on my other warlocks.
Every first 2 tiers are dull. All of 'em. They're designed that way because:
1)You don't want to overwhelm the newbies. With the damage abilities in tier one, it makes sense for the Shadowpriest to start the fight with Holy Fire + SWP + Run opposite direction + Mind Flay. That's fun :D
2) it has to be useful (to an extent) to the other trees. Undergeared healers can take haste, Bored healers Can take Imp SWP, and everyone likes more Shadowfiends once you get 'em... healers moreso because they're choking for mana. Not to mention, All priests can convert spirit to hit via Twisted faith
Fade helps while leveling so you don't have to run as far for the mob to lose interest.
Arinnaya Sep 30th 2010 1:13PM
As far as I can tell your first decision is to choose the Shadow Tree, which gives you Mind Flay, sounds pretty sweet to me. The first 2 tiers are accessibly by other trees as well, which is why they're trying to keep them general.
Rando Sep 30th 2010 3:07PM
They are freaking lvl 10 talents they are usually ain't so great but if no one likes them just level up 5 more levels and that is not very hard these days anyway.
jbodar Sep 30th 2010 4:20PM
@muddy
Yeah, that's supposed to be a hint. It's not just shadow priests in this boat, as pointed out by others in this thread. The issue is that since we now only get 10 points or less to spend in our secondary/tertiary trees, the lower tiers are just not going to be awesome, esp. since Blizzard already provide key class abilities with the very first point spent.
Ronin Sep 30th 2010 5:43PM
And once again, a poster gets rated down for asking a well-worded question. They weren't rude, they weren't attacking anyone, they simply explained their perspective and asked for input. What about that calls for a down-rating?
If you think it's a silly question, explain why. If you think you have good answers, post them. But ranking a question down like this just doesn't make sense to me.