I will, if all goes as planned, have my brand new PC by Saturday. Specs are:
Motherboard: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Windsor 3.2GHz Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core
Hard Drives: Seagate Barracuda 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive x2 (2x160GB)
GFX: EVGA GeForce 8600GTS Superclocked 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP
Memory: mushkin 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit x2 (4GB)
To someone who has no clue what all this computer jibber-jabber means, I'll spell it out for you.
New PC = Rape = Fraps = videos.
I currently am planning to release two PvP videos -- One Arena video (focused around 5v5) and one solo PvP video (Nerf Treisk 2). Both videos are slated for a late Spring release, and will probably be released about a month to a month and a half between each other.
Clutch Tactics 5v5
This video will be mostly about our 5's team, Clutch Tactics, which is currently (and plans to continue) running Hunter, Rogue, Disc Priest, SLSL Lock, Resto Druid. The comp is essentially a drain team, with burst and mass CC. While we are outlast, it is absolutely normal to see us kill a target in the first minute or so of a fight. While the drain setup might not always be the most entertaining to watch, we don't truly look at this as an absolute drain setup -- We look at this as a regular 3DPS team with emphasis on CC and wearing out mana pools.
Since our Priest is regularly put on the defensive to spam heal, more often than not he is not allowed the opportunity to mana burn. While he does usually work early in the game to purge down a target and prepare to put pressure on the DPS target, he seldom doesn't have time for a Mana Burn cast. Having Mass Dispels to keep pressure on Mages and Paladins is invaluable, and having an AOE fear for additional CC against casters that enjoy getting up close and personal (Affliction Warlocks, Frost Mages) makes a Priest a great tool for this comp. That's where the Druid comes in.
One of the strengths of this comp is that MS is seldom on a target. This is helped by the Druid, who compliments this setup in a way that most Paladins could never dream. Having a Cyclone/Root CC rotation on a Warrior, combined with Frost Trap, Entrapment, Scatter Shot, Wing Clip, Blind, Mind Control, and Fear (forcing Death Wish or waiting for Berserker Rage to initiate DR), a Warrior is usually taken out of the game with ease. Because of that, Druid heals are incredibly effective at keeping a player alive. With Lifebloom ticking for 600+, Rejuv ticking at 800+, and Regrowths critting for 3K+, our Druid is usually able to keep a player alive without MS. With MS, his mana pool is not challenged.
As well, our Warlock's main focus is stopping casters and CCing while applying DoTs for pressure. Curse of Tongues, Fear, Spell Lock, and Death Coil are absolutely incredible for locking down their CC and any Paladins or Shamans on their team. Taking a class with as much burst as a Shaman out of the equation while still managing to use half of his GCD's for other things makes a Warlock an invaluable asset to our comp.
The Hunter's role in this build is as main drain, kiting, and DPS. The Hunter also acts as a backup MS when Wound Poison isn't applied to the DPS target and the Hunter is wide open. Multi Shot does a good job of keeping pressure up on multiple targets, and devastating DPS from a Hunter stacking AP (~2100 unbuffed, meaning 900+ top-end) puts incredible pressure on their healing, distracting Priests from mana burning and Druids from CCing. Essentially, this comp was 100% built around having a Hunter, and would not work the same way without one.
The Rogue's role in this matrix is to lock a target down. This is usually the Rogue's job in any case, but our Rogue's focus is so strongly on controlling the fight, our Rogue is Shadowstep (pre-2.3.2) for the extra mobility. Having him onboard for Crippling Poison and Stunlocks makes mana burning a snap, as we don't have to concern ourselves with LOS, and Crippling Poison covers Viper Sting like a champ.
Still haven't played a ton of games, so no strats quite yet, but with any luck, by the time our 5's video is ready to drop, we'll have enough put together to come out with strats from the POV of each player.
Clutch Tactics is currently #9 in Battlegroup Rampage, and claims victories over S1/S2 top teams such as Grizzly, SPAWN MORE OVERLORDS, and Dejthstoneibilyfunecima. "You Can't Spell Skill Without S" (working title) should be released before April 1st.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
21/22/18: It f*cking works!
That's right, kiddos. 21/22/18, the Hunter tri-spec, absolutely and 100% works in 5v5.
Our current comp for 5v5 is:
Pheq -Rogue
Orgodemir - Warlock
Vengyr - Priest
Doubts - Druid
Treisk - Hunter
NOTE: Link to each class directs to their talent spec.
Day One of the new 5's
While a 75% win percentage might not be outstanding under certain circumstances, take note that we beat two former top-10 teams (SPAWN MORE OVERLORDS who is now currently 7th and.... I honestly can't remember the other team, but I remember two of my teammates mentioning that they were #1 at some point and held top 10, fail@me for not remembering their names), as well as suffering four of our losses to D/C, and one to Pheq being feared through the world.
Pulling up to 21-7 for the night and knowing that five of the losses were flukes, and that the other two were 4DPS means two things. One: This comp has a lot of power as an outlast + pressure team. Our players seldom have MS on them, so healing through the ranged DPS isn't as difficult as it could be. Two: Four DPS is our toughest match right now, even with Pain Suppression.
I discovered last night that truly, our biggest threat, DPS-wise, is an Elemental Shaman. Being devastated by a 2900 crit LB, 1900 noncrit LB, 3K crit LB, 2K noncrit CL, and 1300 noncrit Earthshock made me question... More of what I could have done better, on top of what the Hell I'm supposed to do against that DPS. My Feign was down to block a Sheep. My Scatter was down from peeling the Warrior. I was Intercepted and Stormherald Stunned, so I couldn't pop my HS/Talisman. What else was there?
With all of my buffs purged, that damage comes to 11100 -- All but 15 of my HP -- In one burst. That's 11K damage in 6 seconds, or roughly 1850 DPS. No other class is capable of that much incredible burst. Period. So why are they? I know this comes off as a whine, but Christ, that's unstoppable. With MS on me, fully loaded up with HoT's, and our Priest CC'ed, I dropped like Sean Preston Spears. Oh yeah, I went there.
Regardless, let's talk about 21/22/18. I can't grab you with a title like that and not discuss this unorthodox spec.
Pros
That's right. Our team are a bunch of PROS. Srsly. But no srsly, the strengths of this comp are simple. You become an absolute Utility Whore. Let me count the ways.
Viper Sting + Imp Stings
Aimed Shot
Scatter Shot
Imp Revive Pet
Bestial Swiftness
Intimidation
Imp Arcane Shot for more Dispels
Entrapment
Improved Wing Clip
Surefooted
Deterrence
Clever Traps
Cons
Take the bad with the good, right? Luckily, there's not as much bad as you might think. Here's what you lose by going 21/22/18:
vs. BM
TBW
DPS
vs. MM
Silencing Shot
DPS
That's it. Seriously. It sounds insane, but that's honestly all you lose. Crazy, ain't it?
Overview
The PURE purpose of this spec is to be strong for an outlast/control setup. Having this much peel, good offensive dispels, a mobile MS (to double-pressure), pet survivability, peel vs. Melee, and kiting ability is just unstoppable. On paper, the spec looks retarded, but in practice, all you lose is about ~10-15% DPS as opposed to full MM or BM, and your job was never purely DPS to begin with.
Think of why people bring Hunters: Frost Trap, Viper Sting, and peel. That might not be a whole lot to bring to the table on paper, but all three make outlast setups incredibly powerful. It's this pure longevity that makes Hunters such a great asset in this comp.
'Til next time.
-Treisk
Our current comp for 5v5 is:
Pheq -Rogue
Orgodemir - Warlock
Vengyr - Priest
Doubts - Druid
Treisk - Hunter
NOTE: Link to each class directs to their talent spec.
Day One of the new 5's
While a 75% win percentage might not be outstanding under certain circumstances, take note that we beat two former top-10 teams (SPAWN MORE OVERLORDS who is now currently 7th and.... I honestly can't remember the other team, but I remember two of my teammates mentioning that they were #1 at some point and held top 10, fail@me for not remembering their names), as well as suffering four of our losses to D/C, and one to Pheq being feared through the world.
Pulling up to 21-7 for the night and knowing that five of the losses were flukes, and that the other two were 4DPS means two things. One: This comp has a lot of power as an outlast + pressure team. Our players seldom have MS on them, so healing through the ranged DPS isn't as difficult as it could be. Two: Four DPS is our toughest match right now, even with Pain Suppression.
I discovered last night that truly, our biggest threat, DPS-wise, is an Elemental Shaman. Being devastated by a 2900 crit LB, 1900 noncrit LB, 3K crit LB, 2K noncrit CL, and 1300 noncrit Earthshock made me question... More of what I could have done better, on top of what the Hell I'm supposed to do against that DPS. My Feign was down to block a Sheep. My Scatter was down from peeling the Warrior. I was Intercepted and Stormherald Stunned, so I couldn't pop my HS/Talisman. What else was there?
With all of my buffs purged, that damage comes to 11100 -- All but 15 of my HP -- In one burst. That's 11K damage in 6 seconds, or roughly 1850 DPS. No other class is capable of that much incredible burst. Period. So why are they? I know this comes off as a whine, but Christ, that's unstoppable. With MS on me, fully loaded up with HoT's, and our Priest CC'ed, I dropped like Sean Preston Spears. Oh yeah, I went there.
Regardless, let's talk about 21/22/18. I can't grab you with a title like that and not discuss this unorthodox spec.
Pros
That's right. Our team are a bunch of PROS. Srsly. But no srsly, the strengths of this comp are simple. You become an absolute Utility Whore. Let me count the ways.
Viper Sting + Imp Stings
Aimed Shot
Scatter Shot
Imp Revive Pet
Bestial Swiftness
Intimidation
Imp Arcane Shot for more Dispels
Entrapment
Improved Wing Clip
Surefooted
Deterrence
Clever Traps
Cons
Take the bad with the good, right? Luckily, there's not as much bad as you might think. Here's what you lose by going 21/22/18:
vs. BM
TBW
DPS
vs. MM
Silencing Shot
DPS
That's it. Seriously. It sounds insane, but that's honestly all you lose. Crazy, ain't it?
Overview
The PURE purpose of this spec is to be strong for an outlast/control setup. Having this much peel, good offensive dispels, a mobile MS (to double-pressure), pet survivability, peel vs. Melee, and kiting ability is just unstoppable. On paper, the spec looks retarded, but in practice, all you lose is about ~10-15% DPS as opposed to full MM or BM, and your job was never purely DPS to begin with.
Think of why people bring Hunters: Frost Trap, Viper Sting, and peel. That might not be a whole lot to bring to the table on paper, but all three make outlast setups incredibly powerful. It's this pure longevity that makes Hunters such a great asset in this comp.
'Til next time.
-Treisk
Thursday, December 13, 2007
What Happened to Good Videos?
Jesus Christ, I've been watching Warcraft Movies for the past month or so, and I think I've seen THREE videos over 4.0, one of which was Neilyo's. The rest were 2.X videos that truly lived up to the reputation built for them. What happened to the days when WCM were FULL of 4.X-rated videos?
While I truly love the new Skill Rating on WCM, I can't say I've seen anyone with a very high Skill Rating yet, which disappoints me, and leads me to believe people aren't noticing it. Obviously, Neilyo's video has the highest Skill so far on WCM, since his video was the first video made by a sponsored gamer since the system was put in place.
I took note of two videos that were made by Hunters, both rated 2.X. One was a clicker, and the other.... His video ran at about 4 FPS, which made it unbearable to watch. For the love of God, Invasion, Invix, whatever the Hell you call yourself now, PLEASE come back and work your magic on WCM. We need another good Hunter video producer to step up and show these kids how terrible they are.
While I'm at it, I'll let my begging for another Vurtne video fall on deaf ears.
'Til next time,
-Treisk
While I truly love the new Skill Rating on WCM, I can't say I've seen anyone with a very high Skill Rating yet, which disappoints me, and leads me to believe people aren't noticing it. Obviously, Neilyo's video has the highest Skill so far on WCM, since his video was the first video made by a sponsored gamer since the system was put in place.
I took note of two videos that were made by Hunters, both rated 2.X. One was a clicker, and the other.... His video ran at about 4 FPS, which made it unbearable to watch. For the love of God, Invasion, Invix, whatever the Hell you call yourself now, PLEASE come back and work your magic on WCM. We need another good Hunter video producer to step up and show these kids how terrible they are.
While I'm at it, I'll let my begging for another Vurtne video fall on deaf ears.
'Til next time,
-Treisk
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Slight Revamp to the Blog
First and foremost, what the fudge? No comments on my last blog? By God, it looks like it's time to head to the Hunter forums on the WoW site and on Arena Junkies and get the word out that I'm back, by God.
Now to real content:
2.3.
2.3 didn't look too good on paper, as it definitely appeared that the Hunter class was shafted once again. However, it quickly became evident that things changed dramatically in 2.3, less in class balance and more in appeal.
Allow me to elaborate; in 2.3, every player that kept up with patch notes and PvP decided that Hunters would be brought up to speed in 2.3 by simply reading the notes. Hunters weren't happy with the notes themselves, but almost every Hunter I talked to was happy to hear that their friends' teams wanted to try a Hunter for Season 3. Hunter populations are exponentially higher in Arenas in 2.3, relative to 2.2. While you still don't see a ton of Hunters in Arenas, you can tell by the few there are (more than before) that something really has changed.
The Dead Zone removal (best bug fix ever), and Arcane Shot providing an offensive dispel. Those were the two major changes we received in 2.3 that turned our worlds upside down. Giving Hunters the ability to drop a BOP (or Freedom), an Innervate, a Rejuvenation (gl with Lifebloom though), or any damageshield or Prayer of Mending (or even Presence of Mind, my favorite so far) has extended our arsenal by miles, not yards. While I feel we still need work, this was a major step in the right direction.
In the last two weeks of doing Arenas on my Hunter (popping 2K in 3's in week 1), I've still only fought two Hunter teams at 1700+ (1500 bracket, however, provided us with 6 scrub Hunters in 8 games, while 1600 provided us with 3 in 9), but in 2.2, that number would be zero, so I honestly have no qualms with it overall. It was most definitely a great patch for us, despite what I originally thought, and many other top Hunters believed. I will stand by my prediction that Hunter representation in Arenas will flop a bit once the competition picks up in the next couple of months but, if nothing else, hopefully 2.3 got us noticed.
WoW Star News:
The last few weeks have also seen Hamchook placing high at DreamHack (Sponsored by Dell), who played with an unfamiliar team and still placed third. I will be making an announcement or two regarding Hamchook in the coming weeks, regarding some appearances he'll be making for different sites.
Speaking of players making appearances, my good friend Agnos (the Warlock from fnatic Insurrection) will be making an appearance on the next PvP Source PodCast, so be sure to check that out.
Speaking From Experience
As I mentioned, I'm back to Arena mode with Lileth and a couple others. In doing these games, I've made a few observations as far as what works for us. It may not help you, but this is what works for our playstyles and our comp.
3v3: Warlock, Hunter, Priest.
I tried a new tri-spec for this comp (as well as the 5's we didn't start yet) of 21/22/18 . Weird, right? Maybe not as much as you might think. The pure outlast of this build (in that it keeps your pet alive, and helps you Revive him,) + Imp Stings, all your favorite Survival Talents, and a pair of peels (Intim and Scatter) make this build very formidable... Just not for Lock/Hun/Pri.
I feel that Utility-Whore Spec (my name for 21/22/18) would be much more effective with a Resto Druid over a Priest, where the healing is stronger and you play more defensively. When you're running a Priest, you really need the extra DPS somewhere, but since you're a drain team, you also need pet survivability, self survivability, and DPS. So where does one turn?
41/0/20. My original spec, and one that I truly missed from when BC first hit. Maybe it's that I'm very at home with BM, but when I respecced, we went on a massive winning streak. Not having to concern yourself with Warriors, Rogues, or Frost Mages in the first seconds of the game helps you get a very healthy lead and, contrary to popular belief, a BM Hunter is not useless after TBW, just less useful than he would be with it.
While it's true that TBW is an amazing oh-crap button (family site, lawl), burning it doesn't gimp you completely. Going full BM gives you great long-term DPS and provides your pet with better mobility with Bestial Swiftness. Obviously, if you're full BM, you're not running a Scorpid. I went with a Ravager for the pure DPS, and let me just say that putting the pressure on someone so much harder with a Ravager keeps them too preoccupied with healing to cleanse themselves 90% of the time. It is WORTH the switch.
We have yet to try this setup with me as full Marks, simply because I truly don't believe we'll need to until the later brackets. Being BM allows me to solo grind while still being very effective in Arenas, which I need right now to buy BT gems and an epic flying mount.
Final Notes
Finally, I'll announce that I've fully transitioned back into playing my Hunter 100%. My Warrior and Mage are on the back-burner, as I simultaneously gear my Paladin while finishing my Hunter's honor gear and Heroics. Once that's settled in, I will gear my Warrior and Paladin as alts through arena and honor gear, and hit 70 on my Mage to do the same with him. Having such a widespread arsenal of classes to play will, hopefully, put me in a strong position if I were to play on a bigger stage, as having multiple "masteries" is a major benefit to any team seeking one more.
One final note, I may be rehosting this blog on GameRiot soon, as I've heard nothing but good things about going there, short of them owning everything I write. I'd like some input from my readers before I make the move, but I will promote the idea that GameRiot can get this blog more recognition than GameRiot right now. Your thoughts? Leave me a comment people.
--- To anyone who's reading me here: If you enjoy reading my blog as an informational blog or otherwise, please help spread the word to any other players you think would benefit from reading my work. ---
'Til next time,
-Treisk.
Now to real content:
2.3.
2.3 didn't look too good on paper, as it definitely appeared that the Hunter class was shafted once again. However, it quickly became evident that things changed dramatically in 2.3, less in class balance and more in appeal.
Allow me to elaborate; in 2.3, every player that kept up with patch notes and PvP decided that Hunters would be brought up to speed in 2.3 by simply reading the notes. Hunters weren't happy with the notes themselves, but almost every Hunter I talked to was happy to hear that their friends' teams wanted to try a Hunter for Season 3. Hunter populations are exponentially higher in Arenas in 2.3, relative to 2.2. While you still don't see a ton of Hunters in Arenas, you can tell by the few there are (more than before) that something really has changed.
The Dead Zone removal (best bug fix ever), and Arcane Shot providing an offensive dispel. Those were the two major changes we received in 2.3 that turned our worlds upside down. Giving Hunters the ability to drop a BOP (or Freedom), an Innervate, a Rejuvenation (gl with Lifebloom though), or any damageshield or Prayer of Mending (or even Presence of Mind, my favorite so far) has extended our arsenal by miles, not yards. While I feel we still need work, this was a major step in the right direction.
In the last two weeks of doing Arenas on my Hunter (popping 2K in 3's in week 1), I've still only fought two Hunter teams at 1700+ (1500 bracket, however, provided us with 6 scrub Hunters in 8 games, while 1600 provided us with 3 in 9), but in 2.2, that number would be zero, so I honestly have no qualms with it overall. It was most definitely a great patch for us, despite what I originally thought, and many other top Hunters believed. I will stand by my prediction that Hunter representation in Arenas will flop a bit once the competition picks up in the next couple of months but, if nothing else, hopefully 2.3 got us noticed.
WoW Star News:
The last few weeks have also seen Hamchook placing high at DreamHack (Sponsored by Dell), who played with an unfamiliar team and still placed third. I will be making an announcement or two regarding Hamchook in the coming weeks, regarding some appearances he'll be making for different sites.
Speaking of players making appearances, my good friend Agnos (the Warlock from fnatic Insurrection) will be making an appearance on the next PvP Source PodCast, so be sure to check that out.
Speaking From Experience
As I mentioned, I'm back to Arena mode with Lileth and a couple others. In doing these games, I've made a few observations as far as what works for us. It may not help you, but this is what works for our playstyles and our comp.
3v3: Warlock, Hunter, Priest.
I tried a new tri-spec for this comp (as well as the 5's we didn't start yet) of 21/22/18 . Weird, right? Maybe not as much as you might think. The pure outlast of this build (in that it keeps your pet alive, and helps you Revive him,) + Imp Stings, all your favorite Survival Talents, and a pair of peels (Intim and Scatter) make this build very formidable... Just not for Lock/Hun/Pri.
I feel that Utility-Whore Spec (my name for 21/22/18) would be much more effective with a Resto Druid over a Priest, where the healing is stronger and you play more defensively. When you're running a Priest, you really need the extra DPS somewhere, but since you're a drain team, you also need pet survivability, self survivability, and DPS. So where does one turn?
41/0/20. My original spec, and one that I truly missed from when BC first hit. Maybe it's that I'm very at home with BM, but when I respecced, we went on a massive winning streak. Not having to concern yourself with Warriors, Rogues, or Frost Mages in the first seconds of the game helps you get a very healthy lead and, contrary to popular belief, a BM Hunter is not useless after TBW, just less useful than he would be with it.
While it's true that TBW is an amazing oh-crap button (family site, lawl), burning it doesn't gimp you completely. Going full BM gives you great long-term DPS and provides your pet with better mobility with Bestial Swiftness. Obviously, if you're full BM, you're not running a Scorpid. I went with a Ravager for the pure DPS, and let me just say that putting the pressure on someone so much harder with a Ravager keeps them too preoccupied with healing to cleanse themselves 90% of the time. It is WORTH the switch.
We have yet to try this setup with me as full Marks, simply because I truly don't believe we'll need to until the later brackets. Being BM allows me to solo grind while still being very effective in Arenas, which I need right now to buy BT gems and an epic flying mount.
Final Notes
Finally, I'll announce that I've fully transitioned back into playing my Hunter 100%. My Warrior and Mage are on the back-burner, as I simultaneously gear my Paladin while finishing my Hunter's honor gear and Heroics. Once that's settled in, I will gear my Warrior and Paladin as alts through arena and honor gear, and hit 70 on my Mage to do the same with him. Having such a widespread arsenal of classes to play will, hopefully, put me in a strong position if I were to play on a bigger stage, as having multiple "masteries" is a major benefit to any team seeking one more.
One final note, I may be rehosting this blog on GameRiot soon, as I've heard nothing but good things about going there, short of them owning everything I write. I'd like some input from my readers before I make the move, but I will promote the idea that GameRiot can get this blog more recognition than GameRiot right now. Your thoughts? Leave me a comment people.
--- To anyone who's reading me here: If you enjoy reading my blog as an informational blog or otherwise, please help spread the word to any other players you think would benefit from reading my work. ---
'Til next time,
-Treisk.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
It's Been A While, I'm BEEECK
Don't get the "BEEEECK" reference? allsp.com, Season 9, watch The Losing Edge.
So, I'm back to my Hunter full-time after realizing that I'll never master another class the way I mastered my Hunter. However, after noting that players are mastering multiple classes for tournament play, I've decided to continue playing and gearing up my Warrior, and level-capping my Mage and playing/gearing him as well. This means I'll have a personal arsenal of Warrior, Hunter, and Mage at my disposal that I can confidently play well.
I've been experimenting a lot since coming back to my Hunter. Lileth and I are doing 2's again, and we went 11-0 with Hunter/Warlock in 2v2 last night. It's not much, but it's still early in the season. A lot of old FOTM teams gave us minimal trouble (like War/Pal, War/Dru, and Rog/Prst). We haven't fought any of the newer, somewhat FOTM teams like Rog/Mag, Rog/Lock, Lock/Dru, or Lock/Pal. Actually, we haven't fought any Locks yet, which is probably a largely contributing factor to our success as a 2DPS team. That won't last long later in the season.
3v3, we've been running the cookie cutter drain team of Hun/Prst/Lock. We'd like to grab a Druid over our Priest, but we'd rather have a good Priest than a bad Druid, and the only good Druid we know is preoccupied. We ended up playing Hun/Prst/Lock much more aggressively than most teams end up doing, as we would usually have a target dead before our first drain target was OOM (thanks mostly to Lileth being Godly at CC, or is that just the premise of the class? ;p)
5v5, haven't started it yet. The plan is to get it going this week, but it's unknown yet whether we'll do just that. We're short a Druid and a Paladin, so if any Illidan Druids or Paladins are reading this by some wild chance, we'd like to hear from you. The plan is to go pure drain/outlast, but those plans might change quickly; we're thinking of going with a bizarre setup of Hun/Lock/Prst/Rog/Dru, which would definitely be unprecedented in the higher brackets, if it were to make it. I do not have a ton of faith in the matrix, but I do have faith in the players we'd be using.
I haven't been too active on the "boof huntars lul" scene, as I'm actually pretty happy with our current state. The two things we truly lack now are survivability and good pet design. Good pet design is a combination of a lot of things that would surely end up as more than two, as pet survivability, utility, scaling, and the loyalty/happiness systems are dramatically flawed. On top of that, Dismiss Pet is trash. Utter trash. As far as our survivability goes, I truly feel that all we still need is a good oh-shit button against casters and we'll be in great shape. The state of Hunters has most definitely improved, but I'd still like to see a few more changes made.
Hamchook just placed third at Dreamhack, which makes him the third Hunter ever signed to a contract to play on a team, and receive money for it (Reznap receives money even for tournaments he doesn't participate in with Pandemic). Good shit Hamchook, can't wait to talk to you again.
I've decided on when I'm going to pick up my video project again, and many people aren't going to like this. Basically, I'm waiting to get an entirely new rig (~6mo.) to make my new video. I'd like to get a bit more financially stable before I even order my new PC, which will probably end up being a Dell XLS. At the very least, I need to back up a bunch of shit on this PC and reformat it, but I haven't decided to yet, nor have I taken any initiative to start backing it up. This time around, I'd have to do it with CD's, as I think some of my files are infected, and I'd hate to infect my laptop as well by giving it shitty files.
Whether or not I'm still going to make a push to be a pro player is up in the air. At this point, my social life has picked up a lot, and I'm not so sure I'd have the time to commit to practicing, or the money to travel if I were accepted to compete. That's all still assuming there will be another WSVG-esque competitive domain for WoW as an eSport (although I wouldn't be surprised to see CAL/CPL pick it up).
I don't have a lot of faith in the organizers of DreamHack to carry on hosting WoW competitions, simply because DreamHack is an annual event, if I'm not mistaken. Nor do I have faith in GameRiot stepping up and doing anything, since they're owned by the same company that brought is the failure that was WSVG. If anyone were to pick it up, my money would be on CAL/CPL, simply because they've always been known to pick up popular games, financially bacled or not (case in point: DotA). A game like WoW would shake things up a lot in CAL.
Radikal has rejoined us in the blogging world, and I could not be happier to have him back. His most recent post was a poker flashback, which, by the sound of it, would be boring but, in actuality, was fucking mad entertaining. I could read Raddy's writing for hours and not get bored. Raddy, if you're reading this, I have got to meet you, my friend.
That's it for me. I'm tired and it's 4:45 AM. Good night kids.
'Til next time,
-Treisk
So, I'm back to my Hunter full-time after realizing that I'll never master another class the way I mastered my Hunter. However, after noting that players are mastering multiple classes for tournament play, I've decided to continue playing and gearing up my Warrior, and level-capping my Mage and playing/gearing him as well. This means I'll have a personal arsenal of Warrior, Hunter, and Mage at my disposal that I can confidently play well.
I've been experimenting a lot since coming back to my Hunter. Lileth and I are doing 2's again, and we went 11-0 with Hunter/Warlock in 2v2 last night. It's not much, but it's still early in the season. A lot of old FOTM teams gave us minimal trouble (like War/Pal, War/Dru, and Rog/Prst). We haven't fought any of the newer, somewhat FOTM teams like Rog/Mag, Rog/Lock, Lock/Dru, or Lock/Pal. Actually, we haven't fought any Locks yet, which is probably a largely contributing factor to our success as a 2DPS team. That won't last long later in the season.
3v3, we've been running the cookie cutter drain team of Hun/Prst/Lock. We'd like to grab a Druid over our Priest, but we'd rather have a good Priest than a bad Druid, and the only good Druid we know is preoccupied. We ended up playing Hun/Prst/Lock much more aggressively than most teams end up doing, as we would usually have a target dead before our first drain target was OOM (thanks mostly to Lileth being Godly at CC, or is that just the premise of the class? ;p)
5v5, haven't started it yet. The plan is to get it going this week, but it's unknown yet whether we'll do just that. We're short a Druid and a Paladin, so if any Illidan Druids or Paladins are reading this by some wild chance, we'd like to hear from you. The plan is to go pure drain/outlast, but those plans might change quickly; we're thinking of going with a bizarre setup of Hun/Lock/Prst/Rog/Dru, which would definitely be unprecedented in the higher brackets, if it were to make it. I do not have a ton of faith in the matrix, but I do have faith in the players we'd be using.
I haven't been too active on the "boof huntars lul" scene, as I'm actually pretty happy with our current state. The two things we truly lack now are survivability and good pet design. Good pet design is a combination of a lot of things that would surely end up as more than two, as pet survivability, utility, scaling, and the loyalty/happiness systems are dramatically flawed. On top of that, Dismiss Pet is trash. Utter trash. As far as our survivability goes, I truly feel that all we still need is a good oh-shit button against casters and we'll be in great shape. The state of Hunters has most definitely improved, but I'd still like to see a few more changes made.
Hamchook just placed third at Dreamhack, which makes him the third Hunter ever signed to a contract to play on a team, and receive money for it (Reznap receives money even for tournaments he doesn't participate in with Pandemic). Good shit Hamchook, can't wait to talk to you again.
I've decided on when I'm going to pick up my video project again, and many people aren't going to like this. Basically, I'm waiting to get an entirely new rig (~6mo.) to make my new video. I'd like to get a bit more financially stable before I even order my new PC, which will probably end up being a Dell XLS. At the very least, I need to back up a bunch of shit on this PC and reformat it, but I haven't decided to yet, nor have I taken any initiative to start backing it up. This time around, I'd have to do it with CD's, as I think some of my files are infected, and I'd hate to infect my laptop as well by giving it shitty files.
Whether or not I'm still going to make a push to be a pro player is up in the air. At this point, my social life has picked up a lot, and I'm not so sure I'd have the time to commit to practicing, or the money to travel if I were accepted to compete. That's all still assuming there will be another WSVG-esque competitive domain for WoW as an eSport (although I wouldn't be surprised to see CAL/CPL pick it up).
I don't have a lot of faith in the organizers of DreamHack to carry on hosting WoW competitions, simply because DreamHack is an annual event, if I'm not mistaken. Nor do I have faith in GameRiot stepping up and doing anything, since they're owned by the same company that brought is the failure that was WSVG. If anyone were to pick it up, my money would be on CAL/CPL, simply because they've always been known to pick up popular games, financially bacled or not (case in point: DotA). A game like WoW would shake things up a lot in CAL.
Radikal has rejoined us in the blogging world, and I could not be happier to have him back. His most recent post was a poker flashback, which, by the sound of it, would be boring but, in actuality, was fucking mad entertaining. I could read Raddy's writing for hours and not get bored. Raddy, if you're reading this, I have got to meet you, my friend.
That's it for me. I'm tired and it's 4:45 AM. Good night kids.
'Til next time,
-Treisk
Monday, October 15, 2007
Back to my Hunter, Kinda
I'm going to continue gearing up my Warrior while I play my Hunter, but the changes coming in 2.3 have given me hope for my class again. I'm confident that the changes that are currently in the PTR build, combined with the changes Kalgan has been teasing us with and the few things we've datamined (Disarming Shot, Dead Zone Removal, Aimed Shot MS and other Aimed Shot changes) will give Hunters what they need to be played on a competitive level.
I still feel that Warrior is and will be a more powerful class, but mastering a new class is just such a large feat that I'm reluctant to fully pursue it. When S3 hits, I'll have enough honor for (probably) the S1 Sword and a piece or two of S1 gear, combined with the S3 gear I'll be able to get from Arena points (on alt teams). Meanwhile, my Hunter should be capped on Arena points and will be grabbing the Chest, Helm, and WarAxe on day 1, and should be close to honor capped for the S3 Honor rewards.
I'm hoping that once I finish gearing up my Warrior, I'll be able to find a sufficient enough healer for 2v2, mostly just to learn the class as well as I'd like to, but knowing my Hunter and being effective at it is a large step in the direction of the Hunter in this self-debate.
By the second month of Season 3, I'll have probably finalized my decision, it's just a matter of the 2.3 changes and how good Warrior burst is, and the demand for both classes. There's also a great chance I'll end up playing both classes nearly full-time.
'Til next time,
-Treisk
I still feel that Warrior is and will be a more powerful class, but mastering a new class is just such a large feat that I'm reluctant to fully pursue it. When S3 hits, I'll have enough honor for (probably) the S1 Sword and a piece or two of S1 gear, combined with the S3 gear I'll be able to get from Arena points (on alt teams). Meanwhile, my Hunter should be capped on Arena points and will be grabbing the Chest, Helm, and WarAxe on day 1, and should be close to honor capped for the S3 Honor rewards.
I'm hoping that once I finish gearing up my Warrior, I'll be able to find a sufficient enough healer for 2v2, mostly just to learn the class as well as I'd like to, but knowing my Hunter and being effective at it is a large step in the direction of the Hunter in this self-debate.
By the second month of Season 3, I'll have probably finalized my decision, it's just a matter of the 2.3 changes and how good Warrior burst is, and the demand for both classes. There's also a great chance I'll end up playing both classes nearly full-time.
'Til next time,
-Treisk
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Warrior Dings 70, Day One
Using full greens tonight (http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Illidan&n=Abydos gear has not changed since ding) with the Paladin from my 5's (http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Illidan&n=Eloreck), we managed to beat two other teams with full-Merc Warriors and PvE-geared Paladins that hovered around 1700, a feat that I could've never accomplished on a Hunter. Albeit, Eloreck is an incredible Paladin, being a Warrior means I have options. The healing reduction is great, as is having spell lockout on an interrupt. With Blessing of Freedom, being kited isn't a problem.
I took some advice from Dahis (shadow-gaming.com , worldofming.com) and Noktyn's armory and picked up Imp Slam and Imp Demo Shout. I couldn't be happier. Imp Slam is great if I have extra Rage to burn on some burst, and Imp Demo Shout minimizes a lot of damage done by melee classes (especially Hunter pets that were hitting me for 90). While I miss Booming Voice from 60-68, I think Imp Demo Shout goes a long way towards making up the difference. But you didn't come to a Hunter blog to read about Warrior talent builds.
Just know, folks, that the player that many major players called one of the best Hunters in the world (second, in the eyes of some, only to Hamchook) is now having almost as much success as a Warrior in greens than on his Hunter in epics. If this is not a testament to class balance, I don't know what is.
The grass truly is greener, thus far, on the other side. Now all that's left is to wait for Season 3 to deck myself out in S1 gear (from Honor), and in the meantime, grab a PvE weapon and get as many Arena points as possible. I can only imagine how dominant this class's performance will be for me once my gear is on par with my other potential competition.
I took some advice from Dahis (shadow-gaming.com , worldofming.com) and Noktyn's armory and picked up Imp Slam and Imp Demo Shout. I couldn't be happier. Imp Slam is great if I have extra Rage to burn on some burst, and Imp Demo Shout minimizes a lot of damage done by melee classes (especially Hunter pets that were hitting me for 90). While I miss Booming Voice from 60-68, I think Imp Demo Shout goes a long way towards making up the difference. But you didn't come to a Hunter blog to read about Warrior talent builds.
Just know, folks, that the player that many major players called one of the best Hunters in the world (second, in the eyes of some, only to Hamchook) is now having almost as much success as a Warrior in greens than on his Hunter in epics. If this is not a testament to class balance, I don't know what is.
The grass truly is greener, thus far, on the other side. Now all that's left is to wait for Season 3 to deck myself out in S1 gear (from Honor), and in the meantime, grab a PvE weapon and get as many Arena points as possible. I can only imagine how dominant this class's performance will be for me once my gear is on par with my other potential competition.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Nerf Treisk 2 Canceled, Reroll Time
With the release of the 2.3 patch notes, combined with 2.2 providing a multitude of technical problems, Nerf Treisk 2 has been canceled. I may, at some point, pick this project up again in the future, but for now, I'm finishing the leveling process on my Warrior and continuing on with that project. The frustrations that the Hunter class has bestowed upon me has forced me, ultimately, to give up on my Hunter as a PvP class.
It's a shame, too. So many players have given me major props and praise for doing well on my Hunter. Players like Dahis, Evertras, and other very popular players have toted me as their favorite Hunter and the best Hunter they'd seen. However, thanks to Blizzard, I no longer have any choice but to begin playing another class. The Hunter class has been butchered entirely since patch 2.0.1 (the TBC Primer Patch that hit in December) when Blizzard revoked the Hunter buffs completely, and ruined the scaling of our DPS entirely. They gave every class that didn't rely on mobility more mobility options, while the most mobility-based class in the game (for PvP) got nothing. It has been two full patches and one set of patch notes since this occurred, and we have been given nothing.
I apologize to any and all of my fans that were awaiting the completion of this project. I'm frustrated and disappointed with the Development team right now, and it's never been more obvious that they are giving me the shaft.
I also have another announcement to make. I was hired by Curse Gaming to write an extensive PvP guide for their upcoming PvP portal. While this was a HUGE deal for me that would've greatly promoted my video project, there's no longer a reason for me to promote anything, so I will continue writing for this project simply to fill my obligation. I can now, truly and honestly, say that I hate my class. I hate the Hunter class. I hate a lot of the people that play it. I hate our itemization. I hate how weak our class is. I hate how we have to deal with the most ridiculous crap that any community in this game has ever had to put up with. I hate Blizzard for doing this to me. To us.
It was very hard for me to come to this decision, but I've already shelled out the money to transfer my Warrior to my current server, and have almost finished leveling him. I can now be found either on my Hunter (Treisk@Illidan) fulfilling my obligation to the rest of my 5v5 team for Season 2, or on my Warrior (Abydos@Illidan), completing the leveling process and starting to gear up.
I want to finish this post with one thing, very simply, to the entire Hunter community that supported me and my work, and were hoping for an outstanding video project. I'm sorry. I can't say that enough. I'm sorry to all of you. I did all that I could to get our class the support it needed, but it simply was not enough. In giving up on this class, I feel nothing but regret. I wasted so much time learning, mastering, and flat-out playing this Class that re-learning and re-mastering a Warrior is going to be a major pain in the ass, but I'm hoping that it will be worth it.
Wish me luck, fans. I'm sorry, again, that things didn't work out with my video or with this class. I'm going on, now, to play a class that hasn't been shafted for three years.
Thank you all.
-JD
It's a shame, too. So many players have given me major props and praise for doing well on my Hunter. Players like Dahis, Evertras, and other very popular players have toted me as their favorite Hunter and the best Hunter they'd seen. However, thanks to Blizzard, I no longer have any choice but to begin playing another class. The Hunter class has been butchered entirely since patch 2.0.1 (the TBC Primer Patch that hit in December) when Blizzard revoked the Hunter buffs completely, and ruined the scaling of our DPS entirely. They gave every class that didn't rely on mobility more mobility options, while the most mobility-based class in the game (for PvP) got nothing. It has been two full patches and one set of patch notes since this occurred, and we have been given nothing.
I apologize to any and all of my fans that were awaiting the completion of this project. I'm frustrated and disappointed with the Development team right now, and it's never been more obvious that they are giving me the shaft.
I also have another announcement to make. I was hired by Curse Gaming to write an extensive PvP guide for their upcoming PvP portal. While this was a HUGE deal for me that would've greatly promoted my video project, there's no longer a reason for me to promote anything, so I will continue writing for this project simply to fill my obligation. I can now, truly and honestly, say that I hate my class. I hate the Hunter class. I hate a lot of the people that play it. I hate our itemization. I hate how weak our class is. I hate how we have to deal with the most ridiculous crap that any community in this game has ever had to put up with. I hate Blizzard for doing this to me. To us.
It was very hard for me to come to this decision, but I've already shelled out the money to transfer my Warrior to my current server, and have almost finished leveling him. I can now be found either on my Hunter (Treisk@Illidan) fulfilling my obligation to the rest of my 5v5 team for Season 2, or on my Warrior (Abydos@Illidan), completing the leveling process and starting to gear up.
I want to finish this post with one thing, very simply, to the entire Hunter community that supported me and my work, and were hoping for an outstanding video project. I'm sorry. I can't say that enough. I'm sorry to all of you. I did all that I could to get our class the support it needed, but it simply was not enough. In giving up on this class, I feel nothing but regret. I wasted so much time learning, mastering, and flat-out playing this Class that re-learning and re-mastering a Warrior is going to be a major pain in the ass, but I'm hoping that it will be worth it.
Wish me luck, fans. I'm sorry, again, that things didn't work out with my video or with this class. I'm going on, now, to play a class that hasn't been shafted for three years.
Thank you all.
-JD
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Back to Filming
Oh my!
Filming for NT2 has resumed today. Hopefully my newly re-tuned machine can hold up to the stress of Fraps. We shall see. We shall see...
On a side note, special thanks again to Evetras. It seems like every time I talk to you, I get more and more driven to put this thing out. <3
Video release date is still 10/31/07. A special guest will be introducing my video to the Hunter community, and the project is being overseen by a few very big names that will be credited. I can't wait.
Filming for NT2 has resumed today. Hopefully my newly re-tuned machine can hold up to the stress of Fraps. We shall see. We shall see...
On a side note, special thanks again to Evetras. It seems like every time I talk to you, I get more and more driven to put this thing out. <3
Video release date is still 10/31/07. A special guest will be introducing my video to the Hunter community, and the project is being overseen by a few very big names that will be credited. I can't wait.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Hunter/Warlock... Wait, What? (Turning Things Around)
Short and sweet tonight. I started playing with my old Warlock buddy again tonight (Lileth) and broke 2K (2007) from 1700 even in less than two hours. This was a switch-off from playing with my RL best friend, VÃper, who is a Destruction Warlock. I don't know if it's the synergy Lileth and I have, or if Lileth is just that much better, but I was blown away from game one playing with Lileth again at how much better games were going.
Warlock/Hunter is working very well for us. He handles CC, I help him drain mana if need be, and we can usually focus one down with little problem. He's Affliction, so splitting his DPS with DoTs allows the healers to become distracted and open more opportunities for us to burst. He can completely lock down a healer after DoT'ing up a focus target, while I drop a Frosty and keep them both snared, allowing us to kite both players around with ease.
All in all, I think with Lileth on my side again, and with me actually having gear this time around, I can return to my Season 1 glory and get my old 2300's back. This season, I promised myself I would have my Gladiator title. Thanks to Lileth, this task is much more feasible.
Final record for the night: 17-2. Our two losses were to Combat-Mace Rogue and 2833 Priest (the same team). The series with them ended up as 2-2, as we figured out the solid counter to it in the third and fourth games (essentially, kite the Rogue and gradually work the Priest's mana down by multidotting, forcing him to heal, Viper Stinging, and Mana Draining. Throw down a Frost or Snake trap and watch their lives become a living Hell).
Warlock/Hunter is working very well for us. He handles CC, I help him drain mana if need be, and we can usually focus one down with little problem. He's Affliction, so splitting his DPS with DoTs allows the healers to become distracted and open more opportunities for us to burst. He can completely lock down a healer after DoT'ing up a focus target, while I drop a Frosty and keep them both snared, allowing us to kite both players around with ease.
All in all, I think with Lileth on my side again, and with me actually having gear this time around, I can return to my Season 1 glory and get my old 2300's back. This season, I promised myself I would have my Gladiator title. Thanks to Lileth, this task is much more feasible.
Final record for the night: 17-2. Our two losses were to Combat-Mace Rogue and 2833 Priest (the same team). The series with them ended up as 2-2, as we figured out the solid counter to it in the third and fourth games (essentially, kite the Rogue and gradually work the Priest's mana down by multidotting, forcing him to heal, Viper Stinging, and Mana Draining. Throw down a Frost or Snake trap and watch their lives become a living Hell).
Thursday, August 30, 2007
A Great Day, Once Again Driven
Yesterday was an amazing day for me. I got to talk, throughout yesterday, to two of the people in this game that I truly respect head-and-shoulders above most of my peers. One of them will be obvious, the other will take some explaining.
Hamchook.
Speaking to Hamchook yesterday did a few things for me. For starters, it gave me some extra insight into the workings of WSVG and how things work there. He was also a very good sport about the WSVG "drama," which ended up not being a big deal to YWL after all. I would've imagined he'd've been steamed about it, but once again the true maturity if eSportsmen shines through.
We talked on a few topics. One primary topic was debating whether or not I should learn the MM playstyle (whether it's in my best interest), or if I should stick with what I'm comfortable with. Going into the conversation, I was leaning towards putting the work into learning MM; Hamchook agreed, and I've decided that once NT2 is complete and Season 3 begins (which is where, I firmly believe, my WoW career will truly begin), I'll be switching to full MM solely for Arenas.
The new server (information I still can't release until it happens), new guild, new talent pool, and new season will allow for me to find some talented players, period, to form or join a team that shares my interest and plays on the same level that I do (meaning, steering clear of low 1700-1800s and settling for nothing less than what I feel capable of, 2K+). Right now, I have an abundance of drawbacks that I simply can not work around; every 1900+ team has a Bench Hunter or doesn't want one, so there is -literally- no place for me to go other than where I currently sit. It's for that reason that I've been leaving my MM learning in the hands of my PTR copy (non-premade, of course).
Dicking around with MM on the PTR hasn't done quite everything I hoped it would. But I'll get to that in a bit. Enough about me, let's get back on the topic of the two big names I had the pleasure of speaking with.
Speaking to Hamchook gave me a lot of insight, not only about WSVG and my spec but, on dealing with the Boar pet and how he plans on preparing to use it for LA if he needs to. They're also discussing how to counter Druids (a point that Ming and others have been discussing), and even if there was something to say on the topic, I couldn't say it.
A lot of the conversation between Hamchook and I, he asked me to keep under wraps. A lot of questions will be answered before or throughout WSVG: LA. He's not a hugely secretive guy, but there's also a point to be made that giving away your strats a month before an event probably, in and of itself, isn't a solid strat. Regardless, speaking to, whom I now consider, my good friend and getting his thoughts on the WSVG drama and how he handles certain things was a very good experience. I am currently discussing, with him, the possibility of having him write for the other half of my blog ( http://huntarena.blogspot.com ). With any luck, that will help, largely, to build that blog and get it back on track.
So enough about Hamchook, as though there's not enough to be discussed about Hamchook, especially now. Let's talk about the other person I met last night.
Evertras. Hunters may not recognize the name, but a lot of Mages will. Evertras is one of my primary inspirations as far as video-making. You may recognize his "I Suck At Dueling" and "I Suck At PvP" series from WCM, even if you don't recognize him on AIM. Once more, my conversation with Evertras was, unfortunately, mostly confidential, but I'm not going to drop his name then not tell any stories about it.
We talked a lot about video editing, about content, about current and future projects, and about transitions. We critiqued each other a bit, an activity of which I felt unworthy to be participating (I don't believe I have the right to critique the work of a potential WCM Hall-Of-Famer when I've accomplished so little in the video world). He gave me some good advice and positive feedback about my video (after showing him the progress I'd made thus far), and something a lot more important.
After discussing the explosion of my computer and how it demoralized me from even working on the project, Evertras was a very good friend-figure, giving me some great advice, analyzing my situation, and just helping me turn it around. When I spoke about all I had in front of me and how anxious I was for it to all happen, he advised me to not look at the bigger picture, but look at the here and now. That was probably the best piece of advice he gave me. I'm more focused now, after talking to him, than I have been in the last month.
We also discussed the opportunities, what's in front of me, and how I can work with it. We discussed my accomplishments and how I can work on returning to my "glory," if you can call it that. And all along the way, he was incredibly friendly and had a golden heart and an amazing sense of humor. I don't think I've had many opportunities to laugh since my computer baboomed itself, but he's definitely been one of the best voices in my ear thus far.
We didn't just talk about me and my situation, we spoke about his. Recently (as in, two days ago), literally almost everyone Evertras knew transfered off of Chromaggus to different servers. I don't believe I'm at liberty to talk about what server they went to, but I will say that I expect to see the next "I Suck At Dueling" video to be from "Evertras @ (someotherserver) US".
It was almost awkward, speaking to Hamchook and Evertras yesterday, in that a lot of what we discussed concerned me more than them. While I felt self-serving, I can't help but think they appreciated the spotlight moving away from them for a change. Speaking with both of them in great length (probably three hours apiece) has me back on track, and I'm now completely focused and driven once again. The October 31st deadline will not only stick, but probably be beaten. This video will not become a last-minute work in progress. I'm focused completely, over the next few weeks, to get all the footage I possibly can.
Thank you to every last person that has supported my computer situation and given me advice. Hamchook and Evertras were not the only ones to speak with me and help me. There were others, but these two were the longest and stood out to me the most. Absolutely everyone is appreciated for the advice and conversations they give me. I always, largely, look forward to talking to any fans and potential friends, whether it be from the forums or from WSVG or the server. Anything. You are always welcome to speak with me in-game or on AIM.
AIM: xTreisk
In-Game: Treisk@Illidan US
Also, on another note, I will probably be gone from Illidan by 9/15. I will inform everyone here and via the forums when I've moved and where I've moved to.
Hamchook.
Speaking to Hamchook yesterday did a few things for me. For starters, it gave me some extra insight into the workings of WSVG and how things work there. He was also a very good sport about the WSVG "drama," which ended up not being a big deal to YWL after all. I would've imagined he'd've been steamed about it, but once again the true maturity if eSportsmen shines through.
We talked on a few topics. One primary topic was debating whether or not I should learn the MM playstyle (whether it's in my best interest), or if I should stick with what I'm comfortable with. Going into the conversation, I was leaning towards putting the work into learning MM; Hamchook agreed, and I've decided that once NT2 is complete and Season 3 begins (which is where, I firmly believe, my WoW career will truly begin), I'll be switching to full MM solely for Arenas.
The new server (information I still can't release until it happens), new guild, new talent pool, and new season will allow for me to find some talented players, period, to form or join a team that shares my interest and plays on the same level that I do (meaning, steering clear of low 1700-1800s and settling for nothing less than what I feel capable of, 2K+). Right now, I have an abundance of drawbacks that I simply can not work around; every 1900+ team has a Bench Hunter or doesn't want one, so there is -literally- no place for me to go other than where I currently sit. It's for that reason that I've been leaving my MM learning in the hands of my PTR copy (non-premade, of course).
Dicking around with MM on the PTR hasn't done quite everything I hoped it would. But I'll get to that in a bit. Enough about me, let's get back on the topic of the two big names I had the pleasure of speaking with.
Speaking to Hamchook gave me a lot of insight, not only about WSVG and my spec but, on dealing with the Boar pet and how he plans on preparing to use it for LA if he needs to. They're also discussing how to counter Druids (a point that Ming and others have been discussing), and even if there was something to say on the topic, I couldn't say it.
A lot of the conversation between Hamchook and I, he asked me to keep under wraps. A lot of questions will be answered before or throughout WSVG: LA. He's not a hugely secretive guy, but there's also a point to be made that giving away your strats a month before an event probably, in and of itself, isn't a solid strat. Regardless, speaking to, whom I now consider, my good friend and getting his thoughts on the WSVG drama and how he handles certain things was a very good experience. I am currently discussing, with him, the possibility of having him write for the other half of my blog ( http://huntarena.blogspot.com ). With any luck, that will help, largely, to build that blog and get it back on track.
So enough about Hamchook, as though there's not enough to be discussed about Hamchook, especially now. Let's talk about the other person I met last night.
Evertras. Hunters may not recognize the name, but a lot of Mages will. Evertras is one of my primary inspirations as far as video-making. You may recognize his "I Suck At Dueling" and "I Suck At PvP" series from WCM, even if you don't recognize him on AIM. Once more, my conversation with Evertras was, unfortunately, mostly confidential, but I'm not going to drop his name then not tell any stories about it.
We talked a lot about video editing, about content, about current and future projects, and about transitions. We critiqued each other a bit, an activity of which I felt unworthy to be participating (I don't believe I have the right to critique the work of a potential WCM Hall-Of-Famer when I've accomplished so little in the video world). He gave me some good advice and positive feedback about my video (after showing him the progress I'd made thus far), and something a lot more important.
After discussing the explosion of my computer and how it demoralized me from even working on the project, Evertras was a very good friend-figure, giving me some great advice, analyzing my situation, and just helping me turn it around. When I spoke about all I had in front of me and how anxious I was for it to all happen, he advised me to not look at the bigger picture, but look at the here and now. That was probably the best piece of advice he gave me. I'm more focused now, after talking to him, than I have been in the last month.
We also discussed the opportunities, what's in front of me, and how I can work with it. We discussed my accomplishments and how I can work on returning to my "glory," if you can call it that. And all along the way, he was incredibly friendly and had a golden heart and an amazing sense of humor. I don't think I've had many opportunities to laugh since my computer baboomed itself, but he's definitely been one of the best voices in my ear thus far.
We didn't just talk about me and my situation, we spoke about his. Recently (as in, two days ago), literally almost everyone Evertras knew transfered off of Chromaggus to different servers. I don't believe I'm at liberty to talk about what server they went to, but I will say that I expect to see the next "I Suck At Dueling" video to be from "Evertras @ (someotherserver) US".
It was almost awkward, speaking to Hamchook and Evertras yesterday, in that a lot of what we discussed concerned me more than them. While I felt self-serving, I can't help but think they appreciated the spotlight moving away from them for a change. Speaking with both of them in great length (probably three hours apiece) has me back on track, and I'm now completely focused and driven once again. The October 31st deadline will not only stick, but probably be beaten. This video will not become a last-minute work in progress. I'm focused completely, over the next few weeks, to get all the footage I possibly can.
Thank you to every last person that has supported my computer situation and given me advice. Hamchook and Evertras were not the only ones to speak with me and help me. There were others, but these two were the longest and stood out to me the most. Absolutely everyone is appreciated for the advice and conversations they give me. I always, largely, look forward to talking to any fans and potential friends, whether it be from the forums or from WSVG or the server. Anything. You are always welcome to speak with me in-game or on AIM.
AIM: xTreisk
In-Game: Treisk@Illidan US
Also, on another note, I will probably be gone from Illidan by 9/15. I will inform everyone here and via the forums when I've moved and where I've moved to.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
NT2 Deadline Update, @Hamchook...
Source Link:
http://www.radikalnoise.com/2007/08/huge-wsvg-drama-inc.html
A couple things really quick. First off, this is a joke. As bad of shape as Hunters are in, and people are complaining that we're using the main thing going for us? Would they rather our class just lie down and submit? Screw that. I agree with the Scorpid poison nerf (for the DPS), but the debuff is fine and should be a nonissue.
Hamchook. Oh my God, Hamchook, I love you, buddy. I can't wait to talk to you this week. I could not be more proud of you, my friend. If I've read everything correctly, Yea We Lift is now a top-three WSVG team. I knew you had it in you. Congratulations are definitely in order. Keep up the great work. You have the entire Hunter community's support.
My computer is now repaired. I have yet to give it an effective test drive, but so far it's performing better than it did before, and it's so quiet compared to the fan in the old Power Supply. Thanks to everyone who suggested that the Power Supply was the issue. You were a huge help.
(Somewhat of an update. Apparently as a result of the terribly idiotic Godfather drama, they're fourth, not third as I believed.)
Still, Hamchook is very quickly rising to become a celebrity in-game. I've been looking around to see all the great coverage Hamchook, not just YWL, is getting. Between Gameriot and other such sites making articles like "MoB Hunted by Hamchook," and discussing the second major Canadian screwjob in the last 20 years in "Low-profile sports" (Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in the WWF, and now YWL and MoB in the WSVG).
One other quick update. The video deadline has been pushed back to October 31st. My secondary Hard Drive (with my raw/unproduced/unrendered footage) had to be wiped because of the PS burning it out (it has been replaced). Luckily, I still have my already-included footage, but losing about two weeks of footage hurt, then, on top of that, missing roughly two more weeks with my internet being down and my computer exploding. I'm giving myself a bit of extra time on top of that to more-diligently choose clips.
I want to close this post with an address to Hamchook. Even though MOB screwed YWL, I think it'd be in the best interests of your team to take Godfather up on the Sponsorship offer if nothing comes along in the next two weeks or so. If you don't get any other offers, my advice, 110%, is to take his.
http://www.radikalnoise.com/2007/08/huge-wsvg-drama-inc.html
A couple things really quick. First off, this is a joke. As bad of shape as Hunters are in, and people are complaining that we're using the main thing going for us? Would they rather our class just lie down and submit? Screw that. I agree with the Scorpid poison nerf (for the DPS), but the debuff is fine and should be a nonissue.
Hamchook. Oh my God, Hamchook, I love you, buddy. I can't wait to talk to you this week. I could not be more proud of you, my friend. If I've read everything correctly, Yea We Lift is now a top-three WSVG team. I knew you had it in you. Congratulations are definitely in order. Keep up the great work. You have the entire Hunter community's support.
My computer is now repaired. I have yet to give it an effective test drive, but so far it's performing better than it did before, and it's so quiet compared to the fan in the old Power Supply. Thanks to everyone who suggested that the Power Supply was the issue. You were a huge help.
(Somewhat of an update. Apparently as a result of the terribly idiotic Godfather drama, they're fourth, not third as I believed.)
Still, Hamchook is very quickly rising to become a celebrity in-game. I've been looking around to see all the great coverage Hamchook, not just YWL, is getting. Between Gameriot and other such sites making articles like "MoB Hunted by Hamchook," and discussing the second major Canadian screwjob in the last 20 years in "Low-profile sports" (Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in the WWF, and now YWL and MoB in the WSVG).
One other quick update. The video deadline has been pushed back to October 31st. My secondary Hard Drive (with my raw/unproduced/unrendered footage) had to be wiped because of the PS burning it out (it has been replaced). Luckily, I still have my already-included footage, but losing about two weeks of footage hurt, then, on top of that, missing roughly two more weeks with my internet being down and my computer exploding. I'm giving myself a bit of extra time on top of that to more-diligently choose clips.
I want to close this post with an address to Hamchook. Even though MOB screwed YWL, I think it'd be in the best interests of your team to take Godfather up on the Sponsorship offer if nothing comes along in the next two weeks or so. If you don't get any other offers, my advice, 110%, is to take his.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
My computer fucking exploded
I'm not kidding. My computer exploded. I have no more WoW. I lost all progress on my video. I'm more than likely quitting WoW against my will. My video project is indefinitely aborted. I feel like ass. I'm miserable, bored, and actually quite amused by the whole thing.
There I was in AB. We had just 5capped, and I was fighting an Elemental Shaman. I shit you not, folks, he cast a CL, NS/EM Lightning Bolt, and it crit for Computer. I heard a "crack" and a "bzzzt," and smelled smoke. I knew the Shaman had won our fight.
What a day. I probably won't be getting a new PC any time soon, so the video project is aborted entirely, and my future in WoW is now in question.
Uncertainty is scary.
There I was in AB. We had just 5capped, and I was fighting an Elemental Shaman. I shit you not, folks, he cast a CL, NS/EM Lightning Bolt, and it crit for Computer. I heard a "crack" and a "bzzzt," and smelled smoke. I knew the Shaman had won our fight.
What a day. I probably won't be getting a new PC any time soon, so the video project is aborted entirely, and my future in WoW is now in question.
Uncertainty is scary.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Setbacks....
So, my internet has been agonizingly difficult the last half-a-week for me (It crashed on Sunday, was completely out until yesterday for 15min, then went back out again until now, and will surely crash again here shortly. My ISP has been very courteous about fixing the issue, and I should be back in full swing by Saturday.
However, because of this, I'm now being forced to push my NT2 project deadline back a week. The new "due date" is September 17th. Whether it'll take every minute of that time to bring this project to its full potential, I'm not yet sure, but I will be taking every opportunity possible to work on this project. This video is my current #2 priority in this game, #1 being to complete my gear (I've been lazy and haven't gotten 12stam gems, or the Veteran's pieces). By the end of next week, I'm hoping to break 400 resilience and still have 12K+ HP, so we'll see how that plays out.
I've also been hindered from commenting on the 2.3 announcement. God, am I ever excited about the patch after next. The developers finally take a good look at us, and we get the fixes we need. Hopefully, it lives up to what we need it to. Whether or not they'll adopt some of my ideas, I don't know, but if they do, it could mean great things for the class. However, I'm afraid I can safely say I'm 99% sure (Boy, what a lead-in for a sentence) that the dead zone will remain.
The Aspect of the Viper change. I haven't been on the PTR as of yet to test this new change, but it seems like a farming buff more than a mana issue buff. I still believe AotV should take 5-15% (based on your mana%) of your Attack Power, since AP is a stat that all (ALL) Hunters pursue. Many will surely disagree, but most of those are people dual-wielding 30int enchants and PvEing as Marks. Also, the mana cost of Aspect of the Viper needs to be eliminated. If a Hunter is mana burned, Viper Stung, and Mana Drained completely out of his mana, and sustained bottomed-out, we can't even put the aspect up to save our blue bar.
I'm currently in the midst of downloading (God, I hope my net doesn't drop on me again) the 5v5 video of Rag Dolled, from the PoV of Kollektiv (their Elemental Shaman). I'm looking forward to this download completing, as I've heard good things about it, both from Shadow Gaming (shadow-gaming.com) and from a couple of other players that I've spoken to concerning Arenas. From what I hear, Kollektiv is very good at playing his role, spam-healing when necessary and still putting out the burst they need from him. It still remains to be seen how he is on Purges, Earth Shocks, and totem placement, but those are all things I look forward to checking out for myself.
However, because of this, I'm now being forced to push my NT2 project deadline back a week. The new "due date" is September 17th. Whether it'll take every minute of that time to bring this project to its full potential, I'm not yet sure, but I will be taking every opportunity possible to work on this project. This video is my current #2 priority in this game, #1 being to complete my gear (I've been lazy and haven't gotten 12stam gems, or the Veteran's pieces). By the end of next week, I'm hoping to break 400 resilience and still have 12K+ HP, so we'll see how that plays out.
I've also been hindered from commenting on the 2.3 announcement. God, am I ever excited about the patch after next. The developers finally take a good look at us, and we get the fixes we need. Hopefully, it lives up to what we need it to. Whether or not they'll adopt some of my ideas, I don't know, but if they do, it could mean great things for the class. However, I'm afraid I can safely say I'm 99% sure (Boy, what a lead-in for a sentence) that the dead zone will remain.
The Aspect of the Viper change. I haven't been on the PTR as of yet to test this new change, but it seems like a farming buff more than a mana issue buff. I still believe AotV should take 5-15% (based on your mana%) of your Attack Power, since AP is a stat that all (ALL) Hunters pursue. Many will surely disagree, but most of those are people dual-wielding 30int enchants and PvEing as Marks. Also, the mana cost of Aspect of the Viper needs to be eliminated. If a Hunter is mana burned, Viper Stung, and Mana Drained completely out of his mana, and sustained bottomed-out, we can't even put the aspect up to save our blue bar.
I'm currently in the midst of downloading (God, I hope my net doesn't drop on me again) the 5v5 video of Rag Dolled, from the PoV of Kollektiv (their Elemental Shaman). I'm looking forward to this download completing, as I've heard good things about it, both from Shadow Gaming (shadow-gaming.com) and from a couple of other players that I've spoken to concerning Arenas. From what I hear, Kollektiv is very good at playing his role, spam-healing when necessary and still putting out the burst they need from him. It still remains to be seen how he is on Purges, Earth Shocks, and totem placement, but those are all things I look forward to checking out for myself.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Nerf Treisk 2 In Production!
After finally getting enough footage to comfortably start my new video project, as of yesterday morning, I have officially begun (began?) production of Nerf Treisk 2. I expect the video to be released before the end of August, no later than September 10th. As 9/10 is the day I am Xfering, it seems an appropriate deadline/duedate.
I currently have just over 6.5 minutes done on the video, and have resumed collecting footage as of this morning. This video could, no doubt, be released by the end of the week, but it's nice to give myself some extra time to work on it. This project is not going to be rushed like NT1 -- The editing will be better, the content will be better, and the music... Oh my God, I love this soundtrack. I haven't decided the order yet, but I do know for sure about the order of appearance of the first two tracks (although anything past track #1 is subject to change).
"Vela, Together we Await the Storm" by The Human Abstract.
"Remenissions" by Avenged Sevenfold.
"Medicate" by Flaw
"Crossing the Rubicon" by The Human Abstract
"Heretics & Killers" by Protest the Hero
"This Calling" by All That Remains (Btw, if anyone has an mp3 of this song, my comp won't let me rip this track from the CD.)
"Nocturne" by The Human Abstract
"Never Coming Home" by Crossfade (for the Credits)
Hoping to get this project finished, but at the same time, I'm not rushing it. You're gonna see a lot of things you've never seen in a Hunter video before, and I hope it does as I hope it will -- Blow you the f*ck away.
I currently have just over 6.5 minutes done on the video, and have resumed collecting footage as of this morning. This video could, no doubt, be released by the end of the week, but it's nice to give myself some extra time to work on it. This project is not going to be rushed like NT1 -- The editing will be better, the content will be better, and the music... Oh my God, I love this soundtrack. I haven't decided the order yet, but I do know for sure about the order of appearance of the first two tracks (although anything past track #1 is subject to change).
"Vela, Together we Await the Storm" by The Human Abstract.
"Remenissions" by Avenged Sevenfold.
"Medicate" by Flaw
"Crossing the Rubicon" by The Human Abstract
"Heretics & Killers" by Protest the Hero
"This Calling" by All That Remains (Btw, if anyone has an mp3 of this song, my comp won't let me rip this track from the CD.)
"Nocturne" by The Human Abstract
"Never Coming Home" by Crossfade (for the Credits)
Hoping to get this project finished, but at the same time, I'm not rushing it. You're gonna see a lot of things you've never seen in a Hunter video before, and I hope it does as I hope it will -- Blow you the f*ck away.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Short and Sweet Update, BlizzCon Class Discussion Panel:
Source: http://www.radikalnoise.com/
Q u o t e:
Panels
I crashed the Professions and Items panel as well as the end of the Class Discussion take two. Most of the interesting parts of the panels are on the web, the only thing you probably can't get from the slides you see online is little things like when one of the devs is talkign about increasing stamina and says "What makes PvP not fun" rhetorically with the intent of talking about getting 2-shot, but instead the audience screams warlocks and continues to scream about warlocks for a good few seconds. You sort of had to be there for that I think. ^^ He also mentioned at one point that he rerolled hunter briefly and "wanted to kill himself." Inevitable WoW forum drama.I love the WoW devs right now.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Shadow-Gaming Posts My First Article!
shadow-gaming.com
(Mmmm, delicious plug)
Shadow Gaming has posted my first (hopefully of many) articles written for their site. I hope to become a regular contributor to their site (I will try to get a contribution in once a week if allowed to do so), so there's something else to look forward to.
On a side note, to all the Hordies around, there's a very good chance that I'll be looking for a new / some new teams soon. Extra emphasis and interest on teams already on Illidan, for obvious reasons, but I mostly want a team I can travel with to play competitively in WSVG and the like. If you're interested, hit me up on AIM (xTreisk), or EMail me (Vela@oplink.net).
(Mmmm, delicious plug)
Shadow Gaming has posted my first (hopefully of many) articles written for their site. I hope to become a regular contributor to their site (I will try to get a contribution in once a week if allowed to do so), so there's something else to look forward to.
On a side note, to all the Hordies around, there's a very good chance that I'll be looking for a new / some new teams soon. Extra emphasis and interest on teams already on Illidan, for obvious reasons, but I mostly want a team I can travel with to play competitively in WSVG and the like. If you're interested, hit me up on AIM (xTreisk), or EMail me (Vela@oplink.net).
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Ming Asks Me To Write an Article!
World of Ming (worldofming.com), Kawklee/Yibby in particular, has asked me to write an article for their site. I have done as such, and I'd like as much input on it as possible. I went ahead and made an Angelfire page for it, just so people could get a better idea of the formatting.
http://www.angelfire.com/blog/thapromo1/huntarticle.html
The reference to Mint's article comes from shadow-gaming.com
http://www.angelfire.com/blog/thapromo1/huntarticle.html
The reference to Mint's article comes from shadow-gaming.com
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Fix Hunters Thread on Euro Forums, BLUE POST!
So the Fix Hunters thread was posted on the Euro forums, as I was informed this morning by Thorgrim (A German Hunter who's attention was caught by my threads). It is in three of the four languages supported on the Euro forums.
German:
http://tinyurl.com/yw5enf
French (Still in progress)
http://tinyurl.com/23qkrc
English:
http://tinyurl.com/28a8ge
We even got a blue post!
Blue Post!:
http://tinyurl.com/yvj9r3
(Rough) Translation:
Please continue the discussion suggestive and dont just sign the thread. The Devs want to take a closer look at hunters in the arena, but we dont have no further informations at the moment. Please continue to post constructive feedback, so we can transmit it accordingly. If we get some news or more details, we will let you know.
p.s: I did take some of the Caps out of the headline.
This marks the first blue post we've gotten on this issue yet (clear response, that is).
Also, I'm looking for someone who's VERY fluent in Spanish to translate the posts, in their entireties, into Spanish to cover all four bases. If you're interested, leave a comment here, or contact me by my usual contact info
AIM = xTreisk
In-game = Treisk @ Illidan (Horde USA)
German:
http://tinyurl.com/yw5enf
French (Still in progress)
http://tinyurl.com/23qkrc
English:
http://tinyurl.com/28a8ge
We even got a blue post!
Blue Post!:
http://tinyurl.com/yvj9r3
(Rough) Translation:
Please continue the discussion suggestive and dont just sign the thread. The Devs want to take a closer look at hunters in the arena, but we dont have no further informations at the moment. Please continue to post constructive feedback, so we can transmit it accordingly. If we get some news or more details, we will let you know.
p.s: I did take some of the Caps out of the headline.
This marks the first blue post we've gotten on this issue yet (clear response, that is).
Also, I'm looking for someone who's VERY fluent in Spanish to translate the posts, in their entireties, into Spanish to cover all four bases. If you're interested, leave a comment here, or contact me by my usual contact info
AIM = xTreisk
In-game = Treisk @ Illidan (Horde USA)
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
New Arena Armory Stats Up, Hunters Still Hurting
SRC: http://tinyurl.com/33gvmf
The Hunter class is still hurting. Araq has not posted his number crunch as of yet, but I expect our numbers to still fall beneath 4%, which is unacceptable. We're also being blatantly ignored. How, you ask?
http://tinyurl.com/2tozkt
The General Discussion thread link leads us to:
http://tinyurl.com/2vo73n
That's right, folks. Blizzard not only isn't helping our class, but they're reading our posts and removing them from the forums. They have yet to acknowledge a single issue that the Hunter class is having, and instead are squelching our voices.
But that doesn't mean we should just drop our shit and stop fighting. Oh no. This is incentive to push even harder, to let them know that we won't be silenced. They tore down one of the most well-constructed posts those forums had ever seen, and in doing so, made a mockery of almost 15% of their player base. Players are quitting over this, so perhaps losing a few thousand dollars (as though that's a huge dent in their wallets) will wake them up to the issue. We can only hope.
I truly don't wish ill will on anyone at Blizzard, but I truly hope they come to their senses. I'm crossing my fingers, hoping that it's a rogue (not the class) Forum Moderator that's got a deep-seated hatred for Hunters and the Hunter class, and that at some point, Kalgan and Tigole (Tom Chilton and Jeff Kaplan), and the rest of the WoW team, gets their shit together and takes a long hard look at this, and does something about it.
Pardon my French, but I don't think I'm the only one that's now infuriated and simply pissed off about this.
The Hunter class is still hurting. Araq has not posted his number crunch as of yet, but I expect our numbers to still fall beneath 4%, which is unacceptable. We're also being blatantly ignored. How, you ask?
http://tinyurl.com/2tozkt
The General Discussion thread link leads us to:
http://tinyurl.com/2vo73n
That's right, folks. Blizzard not only isn't helping our class, but they're reading our posts and removing them from the forums. They have yet to acknowledge a single issue that the Hunter class is having, and instead are squelching our voices.
But that doesn't mean we should just drop our shit and stop fighting. Oh no. This is incentive to push even harder, to let them know that we won't be silenced. They tore down one of the most well-constructed posts those forums had ever seen, and in doing so, made a mockery of almost 15% of their player base. Players are quitting over this, so perhaps losing a few thousand dollars (as though that's a huge dent in their wallets) will wake them up to the issue. We can only hope.
I truly don't wish ill will on anyone at Blizzard, but I truly hope they come to their senses. I'm crossing my fingers, hoping that it's a rogue (not the class) Forum Moderator that's got a deep-seated hatred for Hunters and the Hunter class, and that at some point, Kalgan and Tigole (Tom Chilton and Jeff Kaplan), and the rest of the WoW team, gets their shit together and takes a long hard look at this, and does something about it.
Pardon my French, but I don't think I'm the only one that's now infuriated and simply pissed off about this.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Patch Notes, General Forum Hunter Thread both up!
Let's start off with some good news.
Last night, our 5v5 finally broke 2K after some hard work, where the only losses we suffered were to Team EG (Formerly The HUKHUKHUKHUKs / Team Ice). We're absolutely stoked to be getting over 1K points a week at this point, and to have a fair shot at the top 20.
ALso, the Hunter Arena thread has made it to the General Discussion forums. Give it your support!
http://tinyurl.com/2j55qy
I'll just go over the highlights of the patch notes here, mostly those relevant to Hunters/Arenas.
SRC: http://tinyurl.com/3datle
"Resilience Rating: The reduction to the percent chance to get a critical strike now also reduces the damage dealt by damage over time effects by the same percentage. "
Awesome.
"Corrected the damage modifier calculation for Resilience when the attacker has bonus critical strike damage."
Indirect buff to Mortal Shots, great.
"Pets are now affected by Paladin greater blessings. "
Should help us out in raids, and make us less annoying when we beg for buffs.
"Cyclone: Paladin Auras, Trueshot Aura, and Aspect of the Pack will now be automatically reactivated when Cyclone wears off of a victim who had one of the abilities active. "
Great, we no longer have to recast TSA (500+ mana) after Cyclone.
"Aspect of the Viper: This ability has received a slight redesign. The amount of mana regained will increase as the Hunter’s percentage of mana remaining decreases. At about 60% mana, it is equivalent to the previous version of Aspect of the Viper. Below that margin, it is better (up to twice as much mana as the old version); while above that margin, it will be less effective. The mana regained never drops below 10% of intellect every 5 sec. or goes above 50% of intellect every 5 sec."
Don't know how big this will be yet, but it could end up being pretty huge. I'm psyched.
"Freezing Trap and Scare Beast duration against PvP targets has been reduced to 10 seconds."
If this didn't happen to a lot of other forms of CC, I'd be outraged. Now, all they have to do is buff traps, because after this nerf, they're even more of a joke.
"Kill Command will not charge the hunter mana if their pet is on passive."
Bug fix.
"Volley: This spell is now affected by area damage caps. Its bonus damage coefficients have also been increased. It also correctly consumes charges of Misdirection."
I'd like to get on the PTR's sometime today and test this out personally. It could be a nice buff for one of our worthless abilities, but we'll see.
"Blessing of Freedom cooldown increased to 25 seconds."
We finally get more time to kite in arenas. On top of that, another patch note stats that Guardian's Favor has been nerfed to increase the duration of BoF from 13/16sec to 12/14sec. That means 11 seconds of kiting if you can weather the storm. Also, Pally buff durations have been doubled (Actual buffs, excluding Freedom, Protection, and Sacrifice). Sacrifice CD upped to 1min, which means they can be CCed more easily now. Amazing.
"Prayer of Mending: This ability will now be triggered when a player takes damage from effects placed on friendly targets."
So POM now effects the damage done by Blessing of Sacrifice? Interesting.
"Elusiveness now reduces the cooldown of Blind by 8/15 seconds."
According to the patch notes, it looks like the Blind change was already nerfed. That, or I just can't find it. The notes said that Blind would now be on a 1min CD (no talents), and cost no reagents.
"Banish, Seduction, Enslave Demon and Fear duration against PvP targets has been reduced to 10 seconds."
Mmm... Less time in fear. So good.
Looks like that's about it.
Last night, our 5v5 finally broke 2K after some hard work, where the only losses we suffered were to Team EG (Formerly The HUKHUKHUKHUKs / Team Ice). We're absolutely stoked to be getting over 1K points a week at this point, and to have a fair shot at the top 20.
ALso, the Hunter Arena thread has made it to the General Discussion forums. Give it your support!
http://tinyurl.com/2j55qy
I'll just go over the highlights of the patch notes here, mostly those relevant to Hunters/Arenas.
SRC: http://tinyurl.com/3datle
"Resilience Rating: The reduction to the percent chance to get a critical strike now also reduces the damage dealt by damage over time effects by the same percentage. "
Awesome.
"Corrected the damage modifier calculation for Resilience when the attacker has bonus critical strike damage."
Indirect buff to Mortal Shots, great.
"Pets are now affected by Paladin greater blessings. "
Should help us out in raids, and make us less annoying when we beg for buffs.
"Cyclone: Paladin Auras, Trueshot Aura, and Aspect of the Pack will now be automatically reactivated when Cyclone wears off of a victim who had one of the abilities active. "
Great, we no longer have to recast TSA (500+ mana) after Cyclone.
"Aspect of the Viper: This ability has received a slight redesign. The amount of mana regained will increase as the Hunter’s percentage of mana remaining decreases. At about 60% mana, it is equivalent to the previous version of Aspect of the Viper. Below that margin, it is better (up to twice as much mana as the old version); while above that margin, it will be less effective. The mana regained never drops below 10% of intellect every 5 sec. or goes above 50% of intellect every 5 sec."
Don't know how big this will be yet, but it could end up being pretty huge. I'm psyched.
"Freezing Trap and Scare Beast duration against PvP targets has been reduced to 10 seconds."
If this didn't happen to a lot of other forms of CC, I'd be outraged. Now, all they have to do is buff traps, because after this nerf, they're even more of a joke.
"Kill Command will not charge the hunter mana if their pet is on passive."
Bug fix.
"Volley: This spell is now affected by area damage caps. Its bonus damage coefficients have also been increased. It also correctly consumes charges of Misdirection."
I'd like to get on the PTR's sometime today and test this out personally. It could be a nice buff for one of our worthless abilities, but we'll see.
"Blessing of Freedom cooldown increased to 25 seconds."
We finally get more time to kite in arenas. On top of that, another patch note stats that Guardian's Favor has been nerfed to increase the duration of BoF from 13/16sec to 12/14sec. That means 11 seconds of kiting if you can weather the storm. Also, Pally buff durations have been doubled (Actual buffs, excluding Freedom, Protection, and Sacrifice). Sacrifice CD upped to 1min, which means they can be CCed more easily now. Amazing.
"Prayer of Mending: This ability will now be triggered when a player takes damage from effects placed on friendly targets."
So POM now effects the damage done by Blessing of Sacrifice? Interesting.
"Elusiveness now reduces the cooldown of Blind by 8/15 seconds."
According to the patch notes, it looks like the Blind change was already nerfed. That, or I just can't find it. The notes said that Blind would now be on a 1min CD (no talents), and cost no reagents.
"Banish, Seduction, Enslave Demon and Fear duration against PvP targets has been reduced to 10 seconds."
Mmm... Less time in fear. So good.
Looks like that's about it.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
New Arena Armory Stats, No Activity Filter
http://tinyurl.com/yuaxxh
" Too many teams were returning 0 games played for last week, so I decided to not apply my filter that removes people who've played under 30% or 0 games for the week. That means this will pull info on all team members, active or not, but I felt that was preferable to getting a tiny sample 1/4 of the size of whatever teams happened to be properly returning game counts."
Araq's Number Crunch:
Paladin: 16.34% (+0.65% from last week)
Warrior: 16.25% (+0.36%)
Priest: 14.83% (-1.12%)
Warlock: 14.5% (-1.11%)
Mage: 10.07% (+0.13%)
Rogue: 9.7% (+1.01%)
Shaman: 9.04% (+0.39%)
Druid: 5.94% (-1.3%)
Hunter: 3.33% (+0.98%)
" Too many teams were returning 0 games played for last week, so I decided to not apply my filter that removes people who've played under 30% or 0 games for the week. That means this will pull info on all team members, active or not, but I felt that was preferable to getting a tiny sample 1/4 of the size of whatever teams happened to be properly returning game counts."
Araq's Number Crunch:
Paladin: 16.34% (+0.65% from last week)
Warrior: 16.25% (+0.36%)
Priest: 14.83% (-1.12%)
Warlock: 14.5% (-1.11%)
Mage: 10.07% (+0.13%)
Rogue: 9.7% (+1.01%)
Shaman: 9.04% (+0.39%)
Druid: 5.94% (-1.3%)
Hunter: 3.33% (+0.98%)
Rogue Buffs and "The Golden Trinity"
So I was thinking about it today, and I'm really afraid to see what happens when Rogues get their buffs. In 2v2 and 3v3, Rogues are quite devastating. One of the top teams right now runs Rogue, Mage, and Priest, which has been referred to as "The Golden Trinity" by Ming on tens of occasions. It's already been said in blue posts that Rogues will be getting a review. Everyone expects this review to be very positive in the direction of allowing Rogues to function in arenas. My question is, how devastating are those Rogues in top-tier competition (mostly in 2v2 and 3v3) going to be when they get their buffs? I see Rogue-Priest becoming one of the most devastating combos in the game for 2v2, and the Golden Trinity becoming truly incredible.
What about Druids, though? When they get their buffs, will they become a better stand-in as a member of these make-ups? That remains to be seen. I'm truly curious as to how they could buff Druids, though. Druids have incredible utility when played right (Locking down a Caster for 12 seconds [Feral Charge, Bash, Cyclone] is just incredible as it is right now. I can't imagine strong the class will become once they get buffs, although I do admit they definitely need help.
I'm still, for obvious reasons, pushing for a Hunter review. We can only hope at this point, though, unfortunately.
What about Enhancement Shamans and Holy Priests though? Shamans are supposed to be the ultimate hybrids, and 1/3 of their talent pool is worthless for PvP. Holy Priests need new high-tier "Ability" talents. Lolwell is a joke. Circle of Healing is even more of a joke. What do the Devs intend to do to make Holy less of a joke? Has there been a good proposal of how to buff Priests? If any of my readers are Priests that could give me some insight into the Priest community's wishes for these talents to be replaced, I'd ask you humbly to post a comment and let me know. If the ideas are there, I will definitely help you push for those changes, for what it's worth.
If these changes are made to each class/spec, I could see Arenas being a lot more balanced between each class. Hunter and Rogue utility is lacking, and Druids' roles are currently entirely undefined as the perfect in-combat Hybrid, but not truly excelling at anything at this point. I'm truly anxious to see the next Patch Notes.
What about Druids, though? When they get their buffs, will they become a better stand-in as a member of these make-ups? That remains to be seen. I'm truly curious as to how they could buff Druids, though. Druids have incredible utility when played right (Locking down a Caster for 12 seconds [Feral Charge, Bash, Cyclone] is just incredible as it is right now. I can't imagine strong the class will become once they get buffs, although I do admit they definitely need help.
I'm still, for obvious reasons, pushing for a Hunter review. We can only hope at this point, though, unfortunately.
What about Enhancement Shamans and Holy Priests though? Shamans are supposed to be the ultimate hybrids, and 1/3 of their talent pool is worthless for PvP. Holy Priests need new high-tier "Ability" talents. Lolwell is a joke. Circle of Healing is even more of a joke. What do the Devs intend to do to make Holy less of a joke? Has there been a good proposal of how to buff Priests? If any of my readers are Priests that could give me some insight into the Priest community's wishes for these talents to be replaced, I'd ask you humbly to post a comment and let me know. If the ideas are there, I will definitely help you push for those changes, for what it's worth.
If these changes are made to each class/spec, I could see Arenas being a lot more balanced between each class. Hunter and Rogue utility is lacking, and Druids' roles are currently entirely undefined as the perfect in-combat Hybrid, but not truly excelling at anything at this point. I'm truly anxious to see the next Patch Notes.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
DoTs to affect Resilience!
http://tinyurl.com/ynrqrz
"
That's going to happen too."
Translation: Next patch, Warlock nerf.
"
Q u o t e:
How about making DoTs affected by resilience sometime in the near future?
That's going to happen too."
Translation: Next patch, Warlock nerf.
Broken Links Fixed
Apparently, blogspot cuts off long URLs. So to remedy this, all links will, from here on out, be translated to Tinyurl links.
Hamchook's DQ Thread
http://tinyurl.com/298fuq
Hunter forums home:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/board.html?forumId=10016&sid=1
Fix Hunters in Arenas thread:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=174682194&sid=1
Hamchook's DQ Thread
http://tinyurl.com/298fuq
Hunter forums home:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/board.html?forumId=10016&sid=1
Fix Hunters in Arenas thread:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=174682194&sid=1
Hamchook's 2v2 Disqualified
SRC: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=174832470&sid=1
"I figured at least some of you would be interested. My 2v2 team (yes the only one with a hunter) apparently got DQed for a reason that I haven't been informed about yet. All I know is, teams got emails, including ones under the top 5 in my BG, and mine did not. I can only assume they eliminated me and Eks because he lives in Canada.
What annoys me the most is if there's no way for Blizzard to get around all of these ridiculous eligibility requirements, they should maybe POST THEM BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT STARTS so we can try to work around it."
Hamchook's 2v2, the one top-20 2v2 team across all battlegroups to feature a Hunter, has been Disqualified for some reason that has not yet been introduced. However, Hamchook's speculation is that, because his partner lives in Canada, they were ineligible.
I hope this is resolved, as I would love to see Hamchook and Eks make it into the tournament. At this point, he is the best overall representative of the Hunter class in that bracket, and, truly, the standout performer for the Greentext class.
Best of luck, Hamchook.
"I figured at least some of you would be interested. My 2v2 team (yes the only one with a hunter) apparently got DQed for a reason that I haven't been informed about yet. All I know is, teams got emails, including ones under the top 5 in my BG, and mine did not. I can only assume they eliminated me and Eks because he lives in Canada.
What annoys me the most is if there's no way for Blizzard to get around all of these ridiculous eligibility requirements, they should maybe POST THEM BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT STARTS so we can try to work around it."
Hamchook's 2v2, the one top-20 2v2 team across all battlegroups to feature a Hunter, has been Disqualified for some reason that has not yet been introduced. However, Hamchook's speculation is that, because his partner lives in Canada, they were ineligible.
I hope this is resolved, as I would love to see Hamchook and Eks make it into the tournament. At this point, he is the best overall representative of the Hunter class in that bracket, and, truly, the standout performer for the Greentext class.
Best of luck, Hamchook.
So... Blogs... Wtf?
I've never kept a blog before, but I think in this case, I've had enough requests to do a "Worldofming"-type blog that it couldn't hurt to give this a shot, right?
Essentially, this blog will be coverage of the progress of the Hunter class in Arenas, much like Ming's blog (worldofming.com) covers the progress of the Rogue class.
I'll start by throwing out a couple of quick reference links.
Blizzard's least-visited page ever:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/board.html?forumId=10016&sid=1
The Latest/Current OFHIR thread:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=174682194&sid=1
Blizzard seems to have turned a deaf ear to the Hunter community's pleas to make us more viable in Arena competitions. I do not want to believe that they're ignoring us, but it appears it's inevitable. I wish now more than ever that I worked at Blizzard Creative and Design. A lot of people have backed me on my "crusade" to get us buffed/fixed in Arenas. I thank the, literally, hundreds of Hunters and others that have backed my posts and ideas. I love just about every one of you.
Essentially, this blog will be coverage of the progress of the Hunter class in Arenas, much like Ming's blog (worldofming.com) covers the progress of the Rogue class.
I'll start by throwing out a couple of quick reference links.
Blizzard's least-visited page ever:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/board.html?forumId=10016&sid=1
The Latest/Current OFHIR thread:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=174682194&sid=1
Blizzard seems to have turned a deaf ear to the Hunter community's pleas to make us more viable in Arena competitions. I do not want to believe that they're ignoring us, but it appears it's inevitable. I wish now more than ever that I worked at Blizzard Creative and Design. A lot of people have backed me on my "crusade" to get us buffed/fixed in Arenas. I thank the, literally, hundreds of Hunters and others that have backed my posts and ideas. I love just about every one of you.
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