WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com WoW Insider http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com prods@weblogsinc.com (Weblogs, Inc. Producers) (Weblogs, Inc. Web Support) en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. View our terms of service here: http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/ Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: The potential return of Insect Swarm for balance druids]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/20/shifting-perspectives-the-potential-return-of-insect-swarm-for/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/20/shifting-perspectives-the-potential-return-of-insect-swarm-for/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/20/shifting-perspectives-the-potential-return-of-insect-swarm-for/#comments Image
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our DPS edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. This week, we go hunting for mosquito nets.

A few weeks ago, I talked about the impact of removing Insect Swarm from balance druids' toolboxes. I was pretty positive about the change; in my view, Insect Swarm was mostly superfluous, as the times you would use it independently from Moonfire were few and far between. Removing it was a welcome simplification to the rotation. Several commenters took an opposite view, however. To them, removing IS (along with some of the other changes) took things too far, and made the spec boring to play.

Well, if you were one of those commenters, you're in luck. Take it away, Ghostcrawler!

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: The potential return of Insect Swarm for balance druids

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Shifting Perspectives: The potential return of Insect Swarm for balance druids originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 20 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> balancebalance-druidbalance-druid-shifting-perspectivesdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedguide-to-druidsmoonkinmoonkin-armormoonkin-shifting-perspectiveswow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druids (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 20 May 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[An introduction to the Diablo 3 economy for WoW players]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/an-introduction-to-the-diablo-3-economy-for-wow-players/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/an-introduction-to-the-diablo-3-economy-for-wow-players/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/an-introduction-to-the-diablo-3-economy-for-wow-players/#comments Image
Are you a WoW economy titan, or do you simply dabble? Either way, you'll be in for a treat in Diablo III. Blizzard has created a virtual economy that mirrors WoW's in many ways, giving you the ability to gain (or lose!) a fortune. Before you dive in and lose your virtual shirt, though, it wouldn't hurt to review some of the basics.
Gold is king

As in WoW, the primary resource that makes the world go 'round is gold. There's no silver or copper here, though; it's gold all the way down, and lots of it. If you're still in the WoW mindset of "Gee, a couple of thousand gold is a lot of money," then you'll want to recalibrate. You can expect to have several thousand gold by the end of the first Act. Your primary source for gold will be drops. Monsters, chests, objects -- most everything drops gold, and the amount increases as you progress through the game.

Continue reading An introduction to the Diablo 3 economy for WoW players

An introduction to the Diablo 3 economy for WoW players originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 15 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> diablo-3diablo-3-artisansdiablo-3-auction-housediablo-3-craftingdiablo-3-economydiablo-3-real-money-auction-housediablo-iiireal-money-auction-house (Chase Hasbrouck) Tue, 15 May 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: Honey cat don't give a ...]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/13/shifting-perspectives-honey-cat-dont-give-a/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/13/shifting-perspectives-honey-cat-dont-give-a/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/13/shifting-perspectives-honey-cat-dont-give-a/#comments Image Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our DPS edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. This week, we gem +10 in awesome.

With apologies to Isaiah Mustafa ...

Take a look at your cat. Now look at me. Now back at your cat. Now back at me. Sadly, your cat isn't me, but if you stopped playing that silly rogue and switched to feral, you could have a cat that looked like me. Look down, back up -- where are you? You're on a boat with an armored cat, the cat your cat could look like. What's in your hand? Back at me. I have it -- it's a clam with patch notes declaring ferals to be epic. Look again; the notes are now the tears of all the classes who wish they could look like me. Anything is possible when you roll feral. Forget horses; I'm a stag.


Yes, I was tempted to end the column right there --but we've got so much good stuff to talk about.

Armored cats

A few weeks ago, Ghostcrawler mentioned that Incarnation would have specific art for cats, bears, and moonkin; in the latest patch, a datamined model showed us what is likely the first example of that. At first, I wasn't too sure about the idea of putting armor on a feral form, but it's really grown on me over the last couple of days. It's obviously difficult to do cosmetic effects for a class that revolves around shapeshifting, but I'm grateful that Blizzard's continuing to add something for forms. I can't wait to see the bear and moonkin armor. (Do moonkin even need armor?)

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: Honey cat don't give a ...

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Shifting Perspectives: Honey cat don't give a ... originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 13 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> balancebalance-druidbalance-druid-shifting-perspectivescat-armorcat-artdisentanglementdream-of-cenariusdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedferalferal-armorferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-druidferal-formsguide-to-druidsheart-of-the-wildnatures-vigilwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druids (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 13 May 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Mists of Pandaria Beta: Certain PvP maps may be blacklistable]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/13/certain-pvp-maps-may-be-blacklistable-in-mists-of-pandaria/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/13/certain-pvp-maps-may-be-blacklistable-in-mists-of-pandaria/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/13/certain-pvp-maps-may-be-blacklistable-in-mists-of-pandaria/#comments Image In the latest Mists of Pandaria beta patch, Wowhead has uncovered some quite interesting new client strings that might herald a change in the way you choose which Arena or Battleground to fight in.
  • ERR_PVP_BLACKLIST_CAP = "You have already blacklisted the maximum number of maps."
  • ERR_PVP_MAP_NOT_FOUND = "Blacklisted map not set."
To me, this seems like an excellent idea for Arena players. There's always lots of controversy about the random damage and LoS components found on some maps (hello, Ring of Valor); this would let you avoid that entirely. Of course, that means you can no longer use it as an excuse, either -- so you may not want to reach for the blacklist too quickly. While I don't do much in Arenas, I certainly wouldn't mind a way to ensure not getting WSG three times in a row.

One concern, though, is if Blizzard allows too much blacklisting, that could make matchmaking much more difficult. A smooth matchmaking process has been one of the highlights of WoW compared to other online games, so any algorithm tweaks have to be made carefully.
It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

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Mists of Pandaria Beta: Certain PvP maps may be blacklistable originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 13 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> arenaarenasbattlegroundbattlegroundsnewspvpring-of-valor (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 13 May 2012 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: If you could de-level your main, would you?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/breakfast-topic-if-you-could-de-level-your-main-would-you/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/breakfast-topic-if-you-could-de-level-your-main-would-you/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/breakfast-topic-if-you-could-de-level-your-main-would-you/#comments Image I've been playing a good bit of Disgaea 2 on my PSP lately, and I'm frequently impressed by the depth of some of the game's mechanics. As a strategy RPG, it features the typical characters, levels, items, and so on. However, it also offers you the option to reincarnate a character at level 1, retaining a portion of his or her stats. A player with enough patience can repeat this multiple times, eventually creating characters that are godlike (and yes, you have to do something like this if you want to complete all the game's content).

This type of mechanic has been kicking around in RPGs for a long time. Kingdom of Loathing allows characters to "ascend" after defeating the final boss, and several classic text-based MUD's allowed characters the option to "remort" or "immort" (return to level 1 and start the game again, or become an immortal and help develop the game) upon reaching maximum level.

Obviously, the stat thing wouldn't work very well in WoW (how long would it take before raids started requiring X number of reincarnations?), but from a purely character-driven perspective, it'd be nice to let my night elf see the old zones again. Sure, I can go there as a level 85, but much of the fun and mystique is lost when you can one-shot enemies and fly to all the quest objectives.

What do you think? If you could de-level your main to level 1 and start again, would you?

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Breakfast Topic: If you could de-level your main, would you? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 07 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> disgaea-2featuredgame-discussiongamer-discussionkingdom-of-loathingMUDsworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Chase Hasbrouck) Mon, 07 May 2012 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: An easier rotation for balance druids in Mists of Pandaria]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/06/shifting-perspectives-an-easier-rotation-for-balance-druids-in/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/06/shifting-perspectives-an-easier-rotation-for-balance-druids-in/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/06/shifting-perspectives-an-easier-rotation-for-balance-druids-in/#comments Image Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our DPS edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. This week, we teach our treants how to charge their lasers.

Last week, we covered the issues that moonkin were having in Cataclysm. Happily, I'm able to say that the new design for Mists of Pandaria has corrected many of the glaring issues that I identified. While numbers remain fluid, of course, there's been some large quality-of-life fixes that have made moonkin much easier to play for the newcomer. I'm afraid, however, that somethings still remain that could use a tweak.

A simplified rotation

DoT abilities reworked First, while the mechanic of Moonfire becoming Sunfire while in a Solar Eclipse remains, both spells now have separate timers and no longer overwrite each other. This means that you can cast a Moonfire before entering Solar Eclipse, then cast Sunfire (with the same button, yay) and have two DoTs ticking for damage on the target.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: An easier rotation for balance druids in Mists of Pandaria

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Shifting Perspectives: An easier rotation for balance druids in Mists of Pandaria originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 06 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> balance-druid-shifting-perspectivescelestial-alignmentdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentseclipsefeaturedforce-of-natureguide-to-druidsincarnationinsect-swarmmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-betasoul-of-the-forestwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druids (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 06 May 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: What game mechanic will WoW borrow next?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/05/breakfast-topic-what-game-mechanic-will-wow-borrow-next/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/05/breakfast-topic-what-game-mechanic-will-wow-borrow-next/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/05/breakfast-topic-what-game-mechanic-will-wow-borrow-next/#comments Image One of the most fascinating things about World of Warcraft is its wide variety of minigames and nods to classic games incorporated into the traditional narrative. The original game had an entire quest line dedicated to The Legend of Zelda. The Burning Crusade gave us chess and a flight simulator. Wrath of the Lich King added mounted combat in a big way, from drake fighting in the Oculus (boo), to storming the gates of Ulduar in steam tanks (yay), and finally medieval-style jousting (double boo). Cataclysm, of course, brought the absolutely sublime Plants vs. Zombies homage, and Mists of Pandaria will bring us the don't-call-them-Pokemon Pet Battles and FarmVille.

So, dear readers, come 2014 (or so) and the next WoW expansion, what new minigame will we all be discussing? I'm leaning toward a miniature fictional world, where we hop from place to place persuading the inhabitants to unite against a greater force. That could be cool -- or maybe not, as it likely wouldn't end well. What would you like to see?

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Breakfast Topic: What game mechanic will WoW borrow next? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 05 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bombing-runchessfeaturedgame-discussiongamer-discussionjoustingoculusplants-vs-zombiesworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Chase Hasbrouck) Sat, 05 May 2012 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Heart of the Wild controversy: Should players be allowed to change specs in combat?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/01/the-heart-of-the-wild-controversy-should-players-be-allowed-to/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/01/the-heart-of-the-wild-controversy-should-players-be-allowed-to/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/01/the-heart-of-the-wild-controversy-should-players-be-allowed-to/#comments Image In a recent Mists of Pandaria beta build, the tooltip for one of the currently inaccessible druid talents, Heart of the Wild, was significantly rewritten and updated. The full tooltip is long, but the key assumption is that every six minutes, a druid of any spec can click a button and automatically be able change to another combat role for 45 seconds, with little drop-off in effectiveness. Restoration druids can start dealing damage, DPSers of either persuasion can throw around some heals or tank an add, and guardian tanks can even spread around a few HoTs without having to leave Bear Form and turn into paste. That's the theory, anyway.

As you can imagine, this idea generated some heated debate in the druid blogger community. The noted Lissanna of Restokin called it "(likely) the the least used talent out of any talent tree in the history of the game" Murmurs also agreed, saying "HotW has a pure functionality problem. It can never truly fulfill the position that it is attempting to grasp."

In opposition, Tangedyn, the co-creator of the Mew feral druid simulator and frequent contributor to The Inconspicuous Bear, wrote "... there's no reason to deny druids that want the versatility the capability to perform to their best of their abilities."

So who's right? Well, let's take a closer look at both sides of the argument, since this debate brings up several important issues to any WoW raider.

Continue reading The Heart of the Wild controversy: Should players be allowed to change specs in combat?

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The Heart of the Wild controversy: Should players be allowed to change specs in combat? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 01 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bearcatdruiddual-specheart-of-the-wildhybridhybridizationraid-stackingspecspecializationspecialization-systemutility (Chase Hasbrouck) Tue, 01 May 2012 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: 5 moonkin issues that need fixing]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/29/shifting-perspectives-5-moonkin-issues-that-need-fixing/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/29/shifting-perspectives-5-moonkin-issues-that-need-fixing/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/29/shifting-perspectives-5-moonkin-issues-that-need-fixing/#comments Image Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our DPS edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. This week, we go fast and furry.

Well, it's happened again. Once more, I intended for this week to be a first look at balance druids in Mists of Pandaria, but as I wrote the article, I felt that much of it was lacking the proper context. Since we haven't had a moonkin post around here in some time, I'd like to step back briefly and discuss some of the issues with the specialization that were identified going into the new expansion. Next week, we'll discuss the changes Blizzard is implementing on the beta and how they fix (or don't fix!) the issues I've described here.

Overpowered AoE/multitarget rotation For the majority of the expansion, balance druids were one of the best AoE DPS classes in the game. This was due largely to two factors, the relative strength of the moonkin DoT abilities plus Wild Mushroom and the ability to remain in a Solar Eclipse nearly indefinitely during AoE phases to buff those two abilities (aka solarcleave). Even for non-AoE fights, it was still very easy for moonkin to supplement their damage on their primary target with DoTs on a secondary target. Heroic Morchok and Warmaster Blackhorn are excellent examples of this for this tier.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: 5 moonkin issues that need fixing

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Shifting Perspectives: 5 moonkin issues that need fixing originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> balance-druidbalance-druid-shifting-perspectivesdruiddruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentseclipsefeaturedguide-to-druidslunar-showermoonkinwild-mushroomwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druids (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Chi: World of Warcraft's new resource for monks]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/chi-world-of-warcrafts-new-resource-for-monks/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/chi-world-of-warcrafts-new-resource-for-monks/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/chi-world-of-warcrafts-new-resource-for-monks/#comments Image
Secondary resource systems are all the rage in World of Warcraft these days. Gone are the days of simply energy, rage, or mana. Now, the majority of classes in the game have an additional resource that must be managed in order to do their role well. From the traditional (combo points for feral druids and rogues, or runes for death knights) to the new (Burning Embers for warlocks, or Shadow Orbs for shadow priests), it's clear secondary resources are here to stay.

Chi is the secondary resource common to all three monk specializations in Mists of Pandaria. It is conceptually most similar to paladins' holy power, as a stored 4-point pool. Through his level 30 talents, a monk can choose to buff chi generation in one of three ways, either increasing the maximum pool size via Ascendance, increasing the rate of generation via Power Strikes, or enabling an ability that can periodically completely refill chi (Chi Brew). For all monk specializations, chi is required in order to use the majority of abilities.

Before I move on, let's make one thing clear: Chi and combo points (CPs) are very different systems. CPs are stored on a single target; if a rogue or feral switches targets and uses a CP-generating ability, any CPs stored on the previous target are lost. Chi, in comparison, is stored on the monk, making target switches much simpler.

Second, most abilities that consume CP scale with the number of CPs used; for example, a 5-CP Ferocious Bite hits much harder than a 1-CP Ferocious Bite. All of the monk's chi-consuming abilities have a fixed cost, though this may change later in the beta.

Continue reading Chi: World of Warcraft's new resource for monks

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Chi: World of Warcraft's new resource for monks originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> brewmasterbrewmaster-monkchimists-of-pandariamistweavermistweaver-monkmonkmonk-resourceswindwalkerwindwalker-monk (Chase Hasbrouck) Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Buy and sell Azerothian real estate in World of Warcraft Monopoly]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/25/buy-and-sell-azerothian-real-estate-in-world-of-warcraft-monopol/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/25/buy-and-sell-azerothian-real-estate-in-world-of-warcraft-monopol/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/25/buy-and-sell-azerothian-real-estate-in-world-of-warcraft-monopol/#comments Image We've featured the World of Warcraft Monopoly game before, along with the heroes depicted on their currency. Some more concrete (or steel, depending on your faction) info has come our way from Kotaku. As you might have expected, Orgrimmar and Stormwind are the Boardwalk and Park Place analogues. Apparently, goblin financing terms are steep; of course, that whole Deathwing thing might have depressed Stormwind real estate values a tad.

Additionally, the traditional houses and hotels are replaced by taverns and towers. Personally, if I'm playing, I'll take the four taverns over the tower any day. Call it a "morale bonus."

World of Warcraft Monopoly is due to release later this spring.

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Buy and sell Azerothian real estate in World of Warcraft Monopoly originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> monopolymonopoly-world-of-warcraft-editionmonopoly-wow-editionwarcraft-board-gamewow-monopoly (Chase Hasbrouck) Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Level 85 premade characters now creatable in beta]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/25/level-85-premade-characters-now-creatable-in-beta/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/25/level-85-premade-characters-now-creatable-in-beta/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/25/level-85-premade-characters-now-creatable-in-beta/#comments Image
If you've tried to create a premade monk (or other level 85 character) on Battle.net over the last few days, you may (like many others) have been frustrated with the request remaining locked in a Pending state. Well, we now have an inkling as to why; in the latest build on the beta realms, a Template Character box has been added to the log-in screen. Clicking Create Character here takes you through the standard character creation process, but your character pops out at level 85 in Pandaria.

It appears that the system is designed to allow for multiple templates or levels, but currently Level 85 is the only option. Hopefully, future builds will add differing level options so those wanting to test abilities can do so without needing to take the time to level. It's really quite slick and saves a lot of testing hassle. Kudos to Blizzard for implementing this.
It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

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Level 85 premade characters now creatable in beta originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> betabeta-testcharacter-creationmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-betapatchpremadepremade-characterpremade-characterspremadestesting (Chase Hasbrouck) Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[New achievements in the Mists of Pandaria beta]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/24/new-achievements-in-the-mists-of-pandaria-beta/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/24/new-achievements-in-the-mists-of-pandaria-beta/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/24/new-achievements-in-the-mists-of-pandaria-beta/#comments Image The latest Mists of Pandaria beta build has revealed over 100 new achievements, including about 60 (yes, 60!) related to Pet Battles. If you like your points, I hope you like your pets. There's also mention of a platinum level for challenge modes.

Some of the more interesting achievements:
It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

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New achievements in the Mists of Pandaria beta originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Achievementsbetachallenge-modesguild-achievementsmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-achievementsmists-of-pandaria-challengesmists-of-pandaria-pet-battlesmop-betapatchpet-battle-systempet-battlespetsrealm-first (Chase Hasbrouck) Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[3 windwalker monk abilities that channel classic fighting games]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/3-windwalker-monk-abilities-that-channel-classic-fighting-games/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/3-windwalker-monk-abilities-that-channel-classic-fighting-games/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/3-windwalker-monk-abilities-that-channel-classic-fighting-games/#comments Image One of the key themes being presented with the new monk class is arcade brawlers, and the new windwalker specialization delivers this in spades. I spent my youth getting rocked by Sagat in Street Fighter II on the SNES, and I've enjoyed the genre ever since. From my time on the beta with windwalkers, here are three abilities that immediately evoke my childhood. Sorry, brewmasters and mistweavers; these abilities are only for those of us who can kick back and knuckle up.

Flying Serpent Kick Josh Myers touched on this in his earlier article on monk abilities, but remember Liu Kang's signature flying kick from Mortal Kombat? It's here, and it's every bit as awesome now as it was then. Hit Flying Serpent Kick, and your windwalker takes off at what appears to be epic mount speed, which lasts for several seconds (about 100 yards of travel). Click again and he lands, damaging and slowing anything in the area. This doesn't hit overly hard, but combined with Roll, it's amazing maneuverability around the battlefield. I used to call feral druids the fastest spec on the battlefield, but not anymore. Forget Heroic Leap; this is now my favorite ability in the game.

Continue reading 3 windwalker monk abilities that channel classic fighting games

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3 windwalker monk abilities that channel classic fighting games originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fighting-gamesfists-of-furyflying-serpent-kickmonkmonk-classmortal-kombatrising-sun-kickstreet-fighterwindwalkerwindwalker-monk (Chase Hasbrouck) Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shadow priest takes down solo heroic Alysrazor]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/shadow-priest-takes-down-solo-heroic-alysrazor/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/shadow-priest-takes-down-solo-heroic-alysrazor/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/shadow-priest-takes-down-solo-heroic-alysrazor/#comments Proving once again that anything is possible with creative use of game mechanics,Shantál on Al'akir (EU) has successfully soloed the heroic version of the Alysrazor encounter. I've done some soloing myself in the past, and I can say that this is one of the most impressive individual feats I've seen, especially from a non-tank class. To my knowledge, this is the first heroic tier 12 encounter to be soloed, period.

According to Shantál, many hours were spent "figuring out the tactics, pushing DPS to the limit, and not going crazy after dozens of near kills." For a full strategy explanation, check out the thread on MMO-Champion.

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Shadow priest takes down solo heroic Alysrazor originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> alysrazorpriestshadow-priestShantálsolosoloingsoloing-alysrazor (Chase Hasbrouck) Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: Another look at what Symbiosis means for druids]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/22/shifting-perspectives-another-look-at-what-symbiosis-means-for/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/22/shifting-perspectives-another-look-at-what-symbiosis-means-for/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/22/shifting-perspectives-another-look-at-what-symbiosis-means-for/#comments
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Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our DPS edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. This week, we disagree with the world while glorying in the real-life beauty of symbiosis.

So my plan for this week's column was to talk about how balance currently looks in the beta (short version: pretty good), but judging by a quick scan through the beta forums, that's not what druids want to talk about. It's Symbiosis, all the way down ... and judging by the discussion, most people don't like what they're seeing. Allison's already written about it once before, but the topic's grown enough to where it deserves another treatment. (My blog contains a full breakdown of what each class currently gets and receives from the ability, along with more in-depth recommendations and strategy.)

I'll be blunt: I still love the unique concept of Symbiosis, and I think most of the criticism is shortsighted. I do have quibbles about some of the specific abilities. Overall, though, I think that the concept works and will provide access to some entertaining abilities we haven't had previously.

To be fair, however, let's look at some of the more common arguments against Symbiosis and attempt to deconstruct them. One important thing to note: Many of the abilities gained/given from Symbiosis are modified from their original forms, so read tooltips carefully (and realize that many are not updated). The Symbiosis version of Mirror Image, for example, is much weaker than the version used by mages.

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Shifting Perspectives: Another look at what Symbiosis means for druids originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> balance-druidbalance-druid-shifting-perspectivesdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-druidguide-to-druidsshifting-perspectivesSymbiosiswow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druids (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: First thoughts on ferals in the Mists of Pandaria beta]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/15/shifting-perspectives-first-thoughts-on-ferals-in-the-mists-of/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/15/shifting-perspectives-first-thoughts-on-ferals-in-the-mists-of/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/15/shifting-perspectives-first-thoughts-on-ferals-in-the-mists-of/#comments Image Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our DPS edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. This week, we practice our looks of genteel disdain.

So, I've been down for a few weeks (pro tip: try not to have an allergy attack and a scratched cornea in the same week; they do not mix well), but I finally got into the beta with last week's big push of Annual Pass members. Unfortunately, now that I've had the chance to give the initial feral changes a spin, I'm a bit concerned with the current design direction for the class. Let me start out on a positive note, though, and talk about the good things that Mists is bringing us.

What I like

The new talents Some of the new talents are great and force tough decisions. The talent design is clearly trying to make you choose between always-on but weak passive abilities, a short-cooldown ability of moderate strength, and a long-cooldown ability of high strength. While some of the talents and tiers need some adjustment, they generally work on a design level.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: First thoughts on ferals in the Mists of Pandaria beta

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Shifting Perspectives: First thoughts on ferals in the Mists of Pandaria beta originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> druid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedferalferal-dpsferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-dps-in-mists-of-pandariaferal-druidguide-to-druidsmists-of-pandaria-betawow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druids (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: Mega moonkin, fabu ferals, and Symbiosis specs]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/25/shifting-perspectives-mega-moonkin-fabu-ferals-and-symbiosis/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/25/shifting-perspectives-mega-moonkin-fabu-ferals-and-symbiosis/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/25/shifting-perspectives-mega-moonkin-fabu-ferals-and-symbiosis/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our DPS edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. This week, we discuss how fast to deny hunters Symbiosis in exchange for all those taming attempts.

This is apropos of nothing, but I love how the current Incarnation effect for balance druids simply makes them huge. (For comparison, here's the before image, and thanks to Lissanna at Restokin for the screenshots.) This totally reminds me of the first time I got a Mega Mushroom in New Super Mario Bros, actually. "Yes, I'm just going to walk through everything in the level; maybe I'll pick my teeth with the flagpole."

Sadly, this effect isn't going to make it to live. Happily, though, we've got plenty of other stuff to talk about this week, such as several new glyphs and a mostly complete reveal of Symbiosis.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: Mega moonkin, fabu ferals, and Symbiosis specs

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Shifting Perspectives: Mega moonkin, fabu ferals, and Symbiosis specs originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> balancebalance-druidbalance-druid-shifting-perspectivesdruid-glyphsdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedferalferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-druidglyphsguide-to-druidsmists-of-pandariaSymbiosiswow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druids (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: Feral soloing Ulduar and other dragons in the 4.3 era]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/18/shifting-perspectives-feral-soloing-ulduar-and-dragons-in-4-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/18/shifting-perspectives-feral-soloing-ulduar-and-dragons-in-4-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/18/shifting-perspectives-feral-soloing-ulduar-and-dragons-in-4-3/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. This week, we discuss proper defrosting techniques for animal fur.

As you'll recall, last week we decided that we might need something to do while we're waiting to explore Pandaria, so we decided to go kill things solo in Northrend. Soloing Naxxramas, save a few encounters, isn't too much of a challenge. But Onyxia? Malygos? Ulduar, even? Now we're talking ... or dying -- frequently, as the case may be, while testing these strategies. (If you need a quick primer on how to get up to speed with bearcat soloing, check out the Naxxramas article.)

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: Feral soloing Ulduar and other dragons in the 4.3 era

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Shifting Perspectives: Feral soloing Ulduar and other dragons in the 4.3 era originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> druid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedferalferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-druidguide-to-druidsulduarulduar-10ulduar-solowow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druids (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: Soloing Naxxramas for feral druids in the 4.3 era]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/11/shifting-perspectives-soloing-naxxramas-for-feral-druids-in-the/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/11/shifting-perspectives-soloing-naxxramas-for-feral-druids-in-the/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/11/shifting-perspectives-soloing-naxxramas-for-feral-druids-in-the/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. This week, the editors refuse to let me write the column in Elcor.

Let's face it: Mists of Pandaria isn't going to be released any time soon, and Dragon Soul is starting to become Draggin' Soul, for those of who you starting raiding it on the release of patch 4.3. Of course, many of us are off saving the galaxy from annihilation, but if you're staying in Azeroth, you need something to do -- a new challenge. This week, I'm resurrecting my old series on druid soloing. A new tier of gear has made possible many feats that were not before, so pack your bags. We're heading back to Northrend to fight the undead ... since they cannot die. (/sunglasses)

Before we start, however, a quick refresher for those who missed the earlier series. Druids are one of the best raid soloing classes in the game for one simple reason: Prowl. While we don't have the solo survivability of a blood DK or the DPS of a hunter, we can skip the annoying trash most of the time. If you're doing a full clear, that isn't much help -- but in most cases, you can get in, kill the boss, and get out without ever having to wait to kill a trash mob.

In terms of strategy, I use this bearcat talent spec and glyphs. The primary source of your survivability will come from Leader of the Pack heals and Savage Defense shields, using Barkskin and Survival Instincts on cooldown, and popping Frenzied Regeneration as your oh-crap full heal. For some fights, you'll also be mixing in Rejuvenation, Lifebloom, and Predator's Swiftness-procced Healing Touches. For your rotation, you'll be using the default bear priority list (FF once, Demo Roar, Mangle, Thrash, Lacerate to three, Pulverize). For trivial bosses, feel free to go Cat part-time or full-time to speed things up. Finally, note that my ilevel was about 390 when I did these bosses, so this may be a bit easier or harder depending on what you're packing. (Also, credit where it's due to Reesi for helping me nail down bear details and Braindwen for his soloing guide.)

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: Soloing Naxxramas for feral druids in the 4.3 era

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Shifting Perspectives: Soloing Naxxramas for feral druids in the 4.3 era originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> druid-guidedruid-infodruid-solodruid-soloingdruid-talentsfeaturedferalferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-druidguide-to-druidsnaxxnaxx-10naxx-solonaxxramasnaxxramas-solowow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druids (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: Does WoW need more emotes?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/breakfast-topic-does-wow-need-more-emotes/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/breakfast-topic-does-wow-need-more-emotes/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/breakfast-topic-does-wow-need-more-emotes/#comments
Emotes are ... well ... efficient. See that picture up there? It clearly communicates to you, the viewer, that this noble individual is involved in a thoroughly arduous task of navigation. Truly, William Rand and Andrew McNally would weep with joy.

Unfortunately, before the lovely /map emote was added as part of patch 4.1, the last time new emotes were added to the game was as part of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion pack. That was more than three years ago.

Personally, I'm a big fan of NCIS, and I would love a /headslap animation. What do you think? What new emotes should be added (keep it clean!)?

Editor's Note: WTB /doublefacepalm, for when one /facepalm just isn't enough.

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Breakfast Topic: Does WoW need more emotes? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> emoteemotesfeaturedgame-discussiongamer-discussionworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Chase Hasbrouck) Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Darkmoon Faire achievement progress reset yet again]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/05/darkmoon-faire-achievement-progress-reset-yet-again/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/05/darkmoon-faire-achievement-progress-reset-yet-again/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/05/darkmoon-faire-achievement-progress-reset-yet-again/#comments
Remember that big controversy in January when all of the progress people had made toward the big Darkmoon Faire achievements was reset? Remember how it happened again a month later, but we were promised that it would be saved from that point forward? Well, you can probably guess what happened:

Orlyia -- Issue - Darkmoon Faire
February's Darkmoon Faire achievement progress status was cleared prior to the launch of March's faire. Any achievements that were started but not completed have had their criteria reset. Completed achievements are unaffected. We previously announced that this was resolved for this month and going forward, unfortunately, that did not happen and this is still being investigated for a resolution.

The following achievements are most likely impacted:
  • Darkmoon Defender
  • Darkmoon Dungeoneer
  • Darkmoon Despoiler
Regrettably, we are not able to restore any progress you may have made during February's faire. We understand the impact this may have had and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused.

At this point, I'd recommend to everyone still working on these achievements that you save up your artifacts and turn them all in during one Faire, in order to ensure credit. For the goblins among us, however, this means it's still a good gold-making opportunity, so check out our guide to profiting off the Darkmoon Faire.

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Darkmoon Faire achievement progress reset yet again originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> achievementAchievementsbreakingbugsdarkmoon-defenderdarkmoon-despoilerdarkmoon-dungeoneerdarkmoon-faire (Chase Hasbrouck) Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: Do you enjoy strategic healing?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/05/breakfast-topic-do-you-enjoy-strategic-healing/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/05/breakfast-topic-do-you-enjoy-strategic-healing/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/05/breakfast-topic-do-you-enjoy-strategic-healing/#comments
I found this picture on Reddit's /r/wow subreddit the other day, and it reminded me of the original promise of Cataclysm. "No more spamming heals! Triage is king!" Blizzard said -- and it actually stayed that way ... for a while. Unfortunately, strategic healing took a left somewhere around Majordomo Staghelm and hasn't been heard from since.

As mana regen spiraled out of control (again), the encounter designers went to the usual place -- heavy AoE raid damage that required massive throughput, with thoughtful deliberation out the window. This has not made many people happy. A recent thread in the Healing forum showcases this, with many healers reporting general dissatisfaction following tier 11's raid content.

So what's your opinion? Do you prefer to act with a surgeon's efficiency, using the right-sized heals at the right times? Would you rather JUST HEAL ALL THE THINGS? Or do you think "monks will fix it?"

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Breakfast Topic: Do you enjoy strategic healing? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cataclysm-healingdruid-healingfeaturedgame-discussiongamer-discussionhealingpaladin-healingpriest-healingshaman-healingworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Chase Hasbrouck) Mon, 05 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: How top feral cats provide essential value to their guilds]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/04/shifting-perspectives-how-top-feral-cats-provide-essential-valu/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/04/shifting-perspectives-how-top-feral-cats-provide-essential-valu/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/04/shifting-perspectives-how-top-feral-cats-provide-essential-valu/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. Let the face clawing begin!

You finally did it. On your last Raid Finder run, you finally outrolled that silly heroic-geared rogue who kept auctioning gear you could use and completed your four-piece tier 13 set. An extra Ravage every 30 seconds! Free damage! Awesome!

Take another look. Guess what? It's the other part of that set bonus that's really special. Don't get me wrong, I love Ravage to death (Tendonnnnn!!), but it's just a bit of extra damage. Raidwide Frenzied Regeneration, in contrast, is so powerful that progression guilds regularly work it into their cooldown rotations. In some isolated cases, it may allow you to run with one less healer than normal.

Why is it so powerful? Two reasons. First, it's the only one of the four raid-wide tank cooldowns granted by four-piece tier 13 set bonuses that's accessible to a DPS class. (Well, theoretically, DPS plate-wearers could get it, but they'd take a large hit to their DPS from having to wear tank gear. It's effectively a free bonus for feral DPSers, since they share gear with feral tanks. This is exhibit A for why the feral tree is being split in Mists.)

Second, it's the most powerful raid-wide cooldown in the game at this point. Other cooldowns come close in strength, such as Power Word: Barrier, but none come close in duration. It can't stop damage spikes, true -- but assuming you can take it, it'll help your healers patch things back up ASAP and keep them patched up for a good, long time.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: How top feral cats provide essential value to their guilds

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Shifting Perspectives: How top feral cats provide essential value to their guilds originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> druid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedferalferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-druidferal-druid-dpsferal-set-bonusfrenzied-regenerationguide-to-druidsmass-regenerationwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druids (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: Is "For the Horde" obsolete?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/02/breakfast-topic-is-for-the-horde-obsolete/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/02/breakfast-topic-is-for-the-horde-obsolete/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/02/breakfast-topic-is-for-the-horde-obsolete/#comments Dave Kosak sent out a tweet recently asking for appropriate rallying cries for the Alliance. Of course, the predictable responses ensued (the last time I looked, "Not in the face!" was the clear leader), but the discussion led me down a different line of reasoning altogether. Besides the orcs, who's really "For the Horde!" anymore?

The Forsaken are busy doing their own thing, as they always have. Vol'jin and the trolls were last seen sending emissaries to the Alliance to help contain the Zandalari. The tauren are still mourning Cairne and have little love for Garrosh. The blood elves lost their reason to stay in the Horde at the end of The Burning Crusade and seem to be sustained solely by inertia at this point. The only loyal Hordies left are the orcs themselves and the goblins, a race long known for their steadfast loyalties.

Of course, the Alliance isn't all too chummy, either. What do you think? Do the races need new battle cries, or will Mists of Pandaria spur a new wave of unity?

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Breakfast Topic: Is "For the Horde" obsolete? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Allianceevil-babyfaction-pridefactionsfor-the-hordegame-discussiongamer-discussionHordeworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Chase Hasbrouck) Fri, 02 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: More on level 90 feral Mists of Pandaria talents]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/26/shifting-perspectives-more-on-level-90-feral-mists-of-pandaria/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/26/shifting-perspectives-more-on-level-90-feral-mists-of-pandaria/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/26/shifting-perspectives-more-on-level-90-feral-mists-of-pandaria/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. Let the face clawing begin!

This week, I want to take a closer look at the proposed Mists of Pandaria level 90 talents for feral druids. This tier of talents has received significant criticism on the WoW forums and other discussion boards, with the most common appellation being "useless." I couldn't disagree more. Given the constraints that Blizzard has to operate under, I think these talents offer up some interesting new game mechanics.

Heresy, yes, I know. Before you bring out the pitchforks, remember these key facts about how talents are supposed to work:
  • Talents are no longer the prime determinants of player power; they are now merely utility skills. You can fulfill your core DPS/healing/tanking role in a raid with no talents at all, you'll just be slightly less good at it. Rogues, as a comparison, only have one tier of talents that affect their DPS, just as we do; everything else is survivability, crowd control, or movement.
  • Talent choices must be reasonably balanced; otherwise, we're back to everybody picking the same thing, which leads to the developers balancing around everyone having that thing, which causes complaints about not having choices. This balance has to extend to both PvE and PvP.
  • The benefits granted by talents can't be so strong that they cause significant changes in class desirability, or we're back to the shaman stacking model again. Admittedly, any advantages are still going to be min-maxed by heroic raiding guilds, but the perception that it's required cannot be allowed to exist.
At least, that's the theory. The ideal is for all six talent choices to be equally valuable for each PvE role and PvP (cynics are free to substitute "equally useless"). Unfortunately, having four specs makes this exceptionally difficult, so I expect we'll likely end up with two to three no-brainer choices and two to three actual decisions after the balancing and theorycrafting is done. That ends up being pretty similar to the Cataclysm model but with much less added cruft -- perfectly fine with me.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: More on level 90 feral Mists of Pandaria talents

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Shifting Perspectives: More on level 90 feral Mists of Pandaria talents originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> druid-feral-dps-shifting-perspectivesdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsferalferal-dpsferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-druidferal-druid-dpsferal-druid-tipsguide-to-druidswow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druids (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 26 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: Feral thoughts on the new talents and abilities]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/19/shifting-perspectives-feral-thoughts-on-the-new-talents-and-abi/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/19/shifting-perspectives-feral-thoughts-on-the-new-talents-and-abi/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/19/shifting-perspectives-feral-thoughts-on-the-new-talents-and-abi/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. Let the face clawing begin!

Because there are just not enough cute cats around here! This is Hello Kitty Online, right? Where we gossip about how cute our cats are? This is my oldest and grumpiest, Hailey Reagan, in a decidedly non-grumpy pic. ...Oh. Oh. WoW. Right.

Anyway, news! Finally! I've returned from my brief hiatus, and happily, there's lots to discuss. Blizzard has updated the Mists of Pandaria calculator with tons of new info, so let's take a look at what we could be seeing Soon(TM).

Baseline abilities

I won't cover everything that's changed, but here are a few tweaks that I thought were interesting for feral druids:

Bear Hug This is now available to all druids at level 22 and is essentially the replacement for Bash. The damage (30% of your HP channeled over 3 seconds) is fairly decent; I can definitely see this being used as a finisher in PvP for trolling purposes. Personally, I'm just going to macro /hug to it.

Thrash This former Bear ability is now able to be used in all forms, so we might see a change to our AoE rotation from Swipe, Swipe, Swipe, zzz.

Symbiosis This ability probably deserves its own column; a blue post revealed some more details on how it would be implemented. Three abilities signposted as likely to be received are Feign Death, Frost Nova, and Soul Swap. The first two aren't that interesting, obviously, but if I can SS my bleeds? Hello, Mists, you have my attention.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: Feral thoughts on the new talents and abilities

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Shifting Perspectives: Feral thoughts on the new talents and abilities originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedferalferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-druidguideguide-to-druidsMists-of-Pandaira-Talent-Calculatormists-of-pandaria-druid-talentsmists-of-pandaria-talent-changesmists-of-pandaria-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druidswow-guidewow-talent-guide (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: The 5 top mistakes new ferals make]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/29/shifting-perspectives-the-5-top-mistakes-new-ferals-make/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/29/shifting-perspectives-the-5-top-mistakes-new-ferals-make/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/29/shifting-perspectives-the-5-top-mistakes-new-ferals-make/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. Let the face clawing begin!

It was finished.

I spat, again, attempting to purge the taste of gronn from my mouth. Ugh. My ribs still hurt from the powerful backhand which had struck me unawares and knocked me from the ledge, but it was over. Skullcrusher was dead, his minions scattered--and I was ready to take the fight to Deathwing. My eyes lifted, tracing the path of the gigantic corrupted dragon across the sky...

Stones skittered closely behind me, and I whirled to find another druid standing atop a small boulder. His solemn eyes were mesmerizing, but it was the words I heard.

"Bah. Ready for Deathwing? More like, ready to be Deathwing's dinner."

I snorted. "And what would you know, old-timer? Shouldn't you be getting back to your tree?"

The other druid shrugged, and turned away. "As you wish." He abruptly shifted, assuming the form of a great panther, and began to quietly pad away. Suddenly, I noticed that his fur was criscrossed with scars from head to toe, and a nagging feeling arose in the pit of my belly.

"Wait," I said abruptly. "Maybe I've misjudged you."

The strange druid reassumed his elven form, and turned back, smiling. "Good. We've lost too many of our people fighting the Quiraji, Illidan, Arthas, and now this abomination. I don't want to lose another." With that, we began to speak in earnest.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: The 5 top mistakes new ferals make

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Shifting Perspectives: The 5 top mistakes new ferals make originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedferalferal-dpsferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-druidferal-druid-dpsferal-druid-tipsguideguide-to-druidstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druidswow-guidewow-talent-guide (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: A feral guide to the Fall of Deathwing]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/22/shifting-perspectives-a-feral-guide-to-the-fall-of-deathwing/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/22/shifting-perspectives-a-feral-guide-to-the-fall-of-deathwing/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/22/shifting-perspectives-a-feral-guide-to-the-fall-of-deathwing/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. Let the face clawing begin!

As the portal from the Eye of Eternity shimmered and closed behind me, I continued to curse loudly.

"Enough, OK? Enough! I've been slimed, tentacled, and now? Frozen solid. You dragons got your precious iris; send someone else to get the next Magic Battery or whatever else you decide you need!"

"Alaron," Tyrygosa began, "perhaps now's not the ..."

"No! Maybe I wasn't clear. I AM DONE WITH DRAGONS."

All conversation stilled, and heads turned in my direction ... which is how we heard it. Wingbeats. Lots of wingbeats. In the distance, an uncountable horde of twilight drakes came over the horizon, preceded by the largest and ugliest dragon I'd ever seen, and headed straight for the Temple. A soft groan rippled through the room as we prepared yet again for battle.

"You may be done with dragons," Tyragosa murmured, "but they do not appear to be done with you."

Last week, I covered the first four bosses in Dragon Soul, and this week, we'll finish things up. As before, I'll provide a quick capsule strategy for those attempting the fight in the Raid Finder, then describe the changes to the fight for normal and heroic modes.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: A feral guide to the Fall of Deathwing

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Shifting Perspectives: A feral guide to the Fall of Deathwing originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpdruid-feral-dps-shifting-perspectivesdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfall-of-deathwingfeaturedferalferal-catferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-druidguideguide-to-druidstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druidswow-guidewow-talent-guide (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: A feral druid guide to the Siege of Wyrmrest Temple]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/15/shifting-perspectives-a-feral-druid-guide-to-the-siege-of-wyrmr/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/15/shifting-perspectives-a-feral-druid-guide-to-the-siege-of-wyrmr/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/15/shifting-perspectives-a-feral-druid-guide-to-the-siege-of-wyrmr/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. Let the face clawing begin!

I was tired. I'd traveled to the End of Time, participated in one of the biggest moments in the history of Azeroth, and helped the spiritual leader of the Horde kill the spiritual leader of the Alliance (who, admittedly, had tried to kill us first). I'd never felt much of a calling to the Dream, but a few hundred years of meditation sounded great right about now.

Peering over the scales of my drake (I'd have flown myself, but they insisted), I gestured to the large dragon in flight beside me.

"You know, you dragons are always causing trouble," I shouted as the frigid wind of Northrend whipped by. "Can't you just drop me off at the nearest forest and call it a day?"

Nethestrasz chuckled. Through some queer trick of the dragons' magic, they were fully understandable, even in dragon form.

"If a forest existed that would be spared from Deathwing's flames, I might join you," he replied. Unfortunately, any further reply was drowned out by a sudden, loud cracking noise as the earth split asunder before us, revealing a gigantic earth elemental.

"Well, looks like it's time to be troublesome," I thought. Wordlessly, I nodded to Nethestrasz, and our army turned as one and dove for the surface.

This week and next, I'll be covering everything you need to know to DPS your way through the new Dragon Soul raid encounter. I'll provide a quick capsule strategy for those attempting the fight in the Raid Finder, then describe the changes to the fight for normal and heroic modes.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: A feral druid guide to the Siege of Wyrmrest Temple

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Shifting Perspectives: A feral druid guide to the Siege of Wyrmrest Temple originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpdragon-souldragon-soul-guidedragon-soul-raiddruid-feral-dps-shifting-perspectivesdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedferalferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-druidguideguide-to-druidshagarahagara-the-stormbindermorchoksiege-of-wyrmresttalenttalentswarlord-zonozzworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druidswow-guidewow-talent-guideyorsahjyorsahj-the-unsleepingzonozz (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[64-bit World of Warcraft game client now available for testing]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/64-bit-world-of-warcraft-game-client-now-available-for-testing/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/64-bit-world-of-warcraft-game-client-now-available-for-testing/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/64-bit-world-of-warcraft-game-client-now-available-for-testing/#comments So, remember the hints that've been dropped recently about a 64-bit game client? Well, it's here. In a blue post on the PTR forums, Dresorull has formally announced the client's existence and provided a link to a 64-bit executable file that runs in place of the normal 32-bit one. (This means that you won't have to download a huge new version of the game, just a small file that you can then toggle between in the launcher settings.) This is still being heavily tested; it will only work on the PTR and is being distributed separately from the PTR itself.

Now, before you get too excited, realize that this isn't a panacea. If you're running a 32-bit OS, you won't be able to use this at all, and a 64-bit system with limited memory (say, 4GB of RAM or less) may actually see decreased performance due to the increased memory usage of 64-bit programs. Systems with more memory, however, will be able to cache more program data in RAM. This should help speed up things that require large reads from the hard drive, such as changing zones, and may increase stability for those who run lots of addons.

A 64-bit client is now available for use with the 4.3.2 PTR. You can download it at the link below, unzip it into your PTR directory, and then run the executable to test it.

o. The 64-bit client is being distributed separately from the PTR as it is not yet supported for use with World of Warcraft.
o. This can only be used with the 4.3.2 PTR, it is not to be used with the live version of the game.
o. A Mac version is not available yet, though we are working on one and plan for it to be available in the near future.
o. The game's built in voice chat does not currently work in the 64-bit client.

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64-bit World of Warcraft game client now available for testing originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 64-bitdresorulllauncherptr (Chase Hasbrouck) Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: Feral tactics for Well of Eternity and Hour of Twilight]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/08/shifting-perspectives-feral-tactics-for-well-of-eternity-and-ho/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/08/shifting-perspectives-feral-tactics-for-well-of-eternity-and-ho/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/08/shifting-perspectives-feral-tactics-for-well-of-eternity-and-ho/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. Let the face clawing begin!

As the great dragon crashed down, I turned and began padding toward the entrance to the shrine. The padding quickly became walking as I assumed my elven form, feeling the familiar weight of armor settle around my body. Brushing the sand out of my cloak, I turned to the figure who had silently watched us battle.

"Now that we've killed you," I began, "You can help us?"

"Yes. The path to the Dragon Soul is open. It must be retrieved if we are to have any chance of stopping Deathwing and saving our world. I will now take you there." He gestured, and a portal coalesced into existence.

I couldn't help myself. "Um, I know you're the Aspect of Time and everything, but wouldn't it make a bit more sense to just go warn the other Aspects about Neltharion before he betrays them? This seems rather roundabout."

He stared back at me, expressionlessly.

"Right. I'll just ... take the portal, and Shred something. Sounds good."

The Well of Eternity

Well of Eternity is the second of the new 5-man instances released with Patch 4.3, and it is full of Burning Crusade lore. (In my subjective opinion, it's the best of the three, which further proves that Blizzard needs to go ahead and release The Burning Crusade 2: They're Really On Fire Now.) After a quick intro fight with a demon, you'll meet Illidan, who will promptly enlist you, cloak you, and then lead you around as you kill demons and break things. After a short while, you'll meet Peroth'arn.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: Feral tactics for Well of Eternity and Hour of Twilight

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Shifting Perspectives: Feral tactics for Well of Eternity and Hour of Twilight originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedferalferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-druidguideguide-to-druidshour-of-twilighttalenttalentswell-of-eternityworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druidswow-guidewow-talent-guide (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: 2011 for feral druids]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/01/shifting-perspectives-2011-for-feral-druids/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/01/shifting-perspectives-2011-for-feral-druids/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/01/shifting-perspectives-2011-for-feral-druids/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. Let the face clawing begin!

Just like last year, this December brings both new beginnings and endings. A new raid, with new toys, but the end of an expansion, with likely no significant changes to mechanics until the release of Mists of Pandaria. As we sit around the fire with mugs of cider, enjoying (or loathing) our new sweaters, let's take a moment to look back at the events of 2011. Those of you who have already set them on fire, feel free to follow along from outside. (Bad cat! Bad cat!)

Patch 4.0 blues

Let's face it: Life was not so hot in early Cataclysm for us ferals. It's long enough ago that it's hard to remember, but our AoE damage was just pathetic. Swipe hit so weakly that our best AoE strategies revolved around multiDoTing, which was quite difficult and even then wasn't very powerful. Heroic Maloriak really brought this out; feral was consistently the lowest DPS spec, a good 10% below the next spec and almost 50% below our fellow balance druids. While most of the balance issues are typically ironed out quickly, this one persisted for quite a while.Thankfully, our single-target damage was passable, but only just.

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Shifting Perspectives: 2011 for feral druids originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 2011class-helpdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedferalferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-druidguideguide-to-druidstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druidswow-guidewow-talent-guideyear in reviewyear in review 2011year-in-reviewYearInReviewYearInReview2011 (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: Feral fighting in End Time]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/25/shifting-perspectives-feral-fighting-in-end-time/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/25/shifting-perspectives-feral-fighting-in-end-time/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/25/shifting-perspectives-feral-fighting-in-end-time/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. Let the face clawing begin!

So there I was, just minding my own business and trying to get the smoke out of my gear (being a flaming kitty is cool and all, but the dry cleaning costs are incredibly expensive), when one of those bronze dragons showed up. She looked human, but I can smell dragon a mile away (which incidentally has not helped much, being as the things seem to be around every corner these days -- I thought dragons were rare, mystical creatures?).

"Champion," she said. "My master, Nozdormu, needs your help urgently. The list of heroes powerful enough to assist him in his time of need are few. Please come at once!"

I glanced at the list. Apparently, "few" means half the population of Azeroth. Still, I was bored.
"So," I said, wearily. "What needs killing now?"

"He does," she replied. "We must kill his future self, who is preventing us from going to the past to get the item needed to save the present."

"Right. Wait, what?" I answered, confusedly. "If he has a future self, than that means we've already succeeded, and ... fine. Just tell me where to go, before I have to think about it again."

End Time, the first of the new 5-man instances, is arguably the easiest. In order to get to not-Nozdormu, you'll have to go through two of four echoes, which are alternate future versions of today's faction leaders. There's a bit of trash, but nothing that can't be AoEed down. As such, we'll jump right to talking about the echoes, which are more interesting.

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Shifting Perspectives: Feral fighting in End Time originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 25 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsend timeEndTimefeaturedferalferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-druidguideguide-to-druidstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druidswow-guidewow-talent-guide (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 25 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: The feral gear list to rule them all]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/11/patch-4-3-feral-druid-gear-list/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/11/patch-4-3-feral-druid-gear-list/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/11/patch-4-3-feral-druid-gear-list/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. Let the face clawing begin!

This is it -- the final feral list of this expansion. By following this, you'll be well prepared to take on anything Deathwing throws your way.

Some notes:
  • This list is focused on items suitable for PvE content. You may have some success in PvP with these items ... or not. To compare PvP items with PvE, a good rough estimate is to take five points off the item level for weapons and 20 points off the item level for armor. This accounts for the useless resilience.
  • This list starts at item level 378 (normal Firelands or new 4.3 5-man instances). If you've just hit 85, check the lists for items that can be acquired via the AH or crafting, then take a look at my previous gear list.
  • In general, one point of agility is worth three points of any of the secondary stats, and all secondary stats are roughly equal. Use that as a guide when comparing items.
  • I've grouped all the items into rough tiers. These typically line up with ilevel, but not always (mostly due to gem slots). You will almost always want to gem the best +agility gem you can afford into each socket, ignoring socket bonuses unless they are 20 agility or greater.

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Shifting Perspectives: The feral gear list to rule them all originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-dps-gearferal-gearferal-gear-guideguideguide-to-druidstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druidswow-guidewow-talent-guide (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: Will Raid Finder popularity be sustainable?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/06/breakfast-topic-will-raid-finder-popularity-be-sustainable/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/06/breakfast-topic-will-raid-finder-popularity-be-sustainable/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/06/breakfast-topic-will-raid-finder-popularity-be-sustainable/#comments
When the Raid Finder feature rolled out on the PTR, it was terrible. Queues were long, dropouts were common, and the overall experience was poor. The Raid Finder on live, in contrast, is new, shiny, and by all accounts a success. Everybody's happy ... for now. Now, I don't want to channel Ol' Grumpy here, but will that success be sustainable?

Right now, a good 90% of the active playerbase still has upgrades they need from Raid Finder, including current raiders. This means quicker queues and better groups overall. Once those raiders have their gear, though, will they continue to participate in the Raid Finder?

With gear levels topping 380 and the heroic 5-mans reasonably easy, those seeking quick valor will likely end up there instead of the Raid Finder, which demands a larger commitment with less chance of reward. Two months from now, I'm afraid the Raid Finder queues will be full of nothing but alts and occasional players, causing the situation from the PTR all over again. What do you think?

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Breakfast Topic: Will Raid Finder popularity be sustainable? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> facebookfeedgame-discussiongamer-discussionpickup-raidpug-raidingraid-finderraid-groupsraidingworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Chase Hasbrouck) Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: Your patch 4.3 feral cheat sheet]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/04/patch-4-3-feral-druid-cheat-sheet/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/04/patch-4-3-feral-druid-cheat-sheet/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/04/patch-4-3-feral-druid-cheat-sheet/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. Let the face clawing begin!

Patch 4.3 is upon us. It's time to take down Deathwing. Are you prepared? If not, fear not: This handy cheat sheet will sum up all the feral changes you need to know to keep you performing at your best. (As always, thanks to Tangedyn and Yawning for their invaluable analysis; make sure to check out Mew, if you haven't already.)

I'm going to put this right up front, since this is easily the most frequent question I receive: What should I reforge to, and what are my stat priorities? Easy -- it doesn't matter.

Seriously. All of the secondary stats (mastery, haste, crit, hit, expertise) are roughly equal in value for DPS purposes. This was the case in 4.2, and it remains the case in 4.3. (To put a more exact number on it, it's a roughly 1% DPS difference, which is well within the margin of error for any given fight.) My personal preference remains the same: Cap hit and expertise (960/780 rating, respectively) to reduce rotational unpredictability, which has benefits that aren't captured by computer simulations that play perfectly. By all means, however, reforge to whatever you prefer; just make sure you're still gemming and enchanting your gear, going for agility wherever possible.

OK, on to the interesting stuff.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: Your patch 4.3 feral cheat sheet

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Shifting Perspectives: Your patch 4.3 feral cheat sheet originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpdruid-feral-dps-shifting-perspectivesdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedferalferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesferal-druidguideguide-to-druidspatch-4.3talenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guideworld-of-warcraft-patch-4.3wow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druidswow-guidewow-patchwow-patch-4.3wow-patch-4.3-newswow-patch-newswow-talent-guide (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: Symbiosis speculation]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/27/feral-druid-mop-talent-preview-analysis/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/27/feral-druid-mop-talent-preview-analysis/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/27/feral-druid-mop-talent-preview-analysis/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. Let the face clawing begin!

So, last week, I said I was going to start talking about 4.3 this week; of course, Blizzard decided to release its official talent calculator a couple of days ago. Oops. I posted my snap reactions to the new stuff on Twitter, but let's dive in and take a more in-depth look.

Front and center in the discussion is our new ability, Symbiosis. Teased by the developers during Blizzcon, we finally have a tooltip, and the possibilities are potentially mind-blowing (if you have a priest).

"Symbiosis: Creates a symbiotic link which grants the Druid one ability belonging to the target's class, varying by the Druid's specialization. In exchange, grants the target one Druid ability based on their class and combat role ..."

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: Symbiosis speculation

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Shifting Perspectives: Symbiosis speculation originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpdruid-abilitiesdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesguideguide-to-druidsmight-of-ursocSymbiosistalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druidswow-guidewow-talent-guide (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Mists of Pandaria talent preview new ability roundup]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/25/mists-of-pandaria-new-ability-roundup/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/25/mists-of-pandaria-new-ability-roundup/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/25/mists-of-pandaria-new-ability-roundup/#comments
A few days ago, Blizzard launched its official Mists of Pandaria talent calculator, which also contained a full list of abilities for each class, complete with the level learned and tooltips. Several new abilities were revealed, as well as changes to existing abilities. Some of the highlights:
  • Druid: Symbiosis (level 87) Creates a symbiotic link which grants the druid one ability belonging to the target's class, varying by the druid's specialization. In exchange, grants the target one druid ability based on their class and combat role.
  • Mage: Alter Time (level 87) Instant, 3-minute cooldown. Alter the fabric of time, causing the caster to return to their current location, health, mana, and conditions after 4 seconds. Effect negated if the caster dies within the 4 seconds before the effect occurs.
  • Paladin: Blinding Light (level 87) Instant, 3-minute cooldown. Emits a dazzling light in all directions, blinding enemies within 10 yards, causing them to wander disoriented for 6 seconds.
  • Rogue: Dispatch (level 70, assassination) Instant, 30 energy, melee range. A vicious strike that exploits the vulnerability of foes with less than 35% health remaining, causing 200% weapon damage plus 766 to the target. Requires a dagger in the main hand. Awards 1 combo point.
  • Warlock: Demonic Portal (level 88) 70-yard range, 5-second cast. Create a demonic gateway between two locations. Stepping into the gateway causes any party member to be instantly transported to the other gateway. Limit 5 charges.

Ths possibilities behind Symbiosis are incredible. A moonkin Heroic Leaping to safety in PvP? Bears borrowing pally shields to finally get their ranged silence? Resto shaman begging for an Innervate? (Wait, that happens already.)

Alter Time is also super cool and really increases the Arcane flavor of the class. "Hi, I just hit you with a cooldown-boosted stacked Arcane Blast ... and now, I will do it again." I see mages figuring out just how far they can fall in 4 seconds, in order to troll their raid leaders.

Check out the full list of changes and new abilities at Wowhead News.
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria is the next expansion, raising the level cap to 90, introducing a brand new talent system, and bringing forth the long-lost pandaren race to both Horde and Alliance. Check out the trailer and follow us for all the latest MoP news!

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Mists of Pandaria talent preview new ability roundup originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> alter-timeblinding-lightdemonic-portaldispatchpatch-4.3symbiosistalentsworld-of-warcraft-patch-4.3wow-patchwow-patch-4.3wow-patch-4.3-newswow-patch-news (Chase Hasbrouck) Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Shifting Perspectives: 4 tips for intermediate ferals]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/20/shifting-perspectives-4-tips-for-intermediate-ferals/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/20/shifting-perspectives-4-tips-for-intermediate-ferals/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/20/shifting-perspectives-4-tips-for-intermediate-ferals/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. Let the face clawing begin!

This week, we're going to break away from Mists of Pandaria talent speculation and look more at concrete matters: how to improve your DPS in a raid. Judging from the mail I've received recently, several newer feral players have mastered the basic rotation but are having troubles dominating the meters. Forgive the Cosmopolitan-esque title, but I've compiled four helpful tips to help ferals in their quest for blood, destruction, and nice purples.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: 4 tips for intermediate ferals

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Shifting Perspectives: 4 tips for intermediate ferals originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpdpsdruid-guidedruid-infodruid-talentsfeaturedferalferal-dps-druid-shifting-perspectivesguideguide-to-druidstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-druidwow-druid-infowow-druidswow-guidewow-talent-guide (Chase Hasbrouck) Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider