Serebihm, The Kingslayer

Yes!! After the early release debacle of our 1st Lich King kill We finally downed him for a second time on 25 man. Oh the relief, the joy, the excitement. On this raid night everything seemed to go oh so smooth. After one shots of Sindragosa and heroic Blood Queen we felt confident that this was the night. And sure enough, on our second attempt the stars finally aligned, and the Lich king was brought to his knees.
It was an extremely smooth kill we had only lost 1 person to Val'kyrs and 2 more to Vile Spirits. Our strategy had changed a little. Where previously we would assign groups to Val'kyrs, we would now just assign stunners and all other dps just go nuts on whatever they choose, but switch to remaining Val'kyrs once their target was down.

When it was finally time to inspect the loot, it was time to jump for joy. Having missed out on the Polearm on our previous kill due to the earlier mentioned mishap, I am excited to be the proud owner of nothing other than - Fal'inrush, Defender of Quel'thalas!!!

The rest of the raiding week didn't go to bad either, for our guild. I wasn't there due to work commitments but the guild downed Deathbringer and Blood Princes on heroic mode, meaning the guild is now 7/12 on 25 man heroic and sitting pretty at 12th overall for Khaz'goroth (4th overall for Alliance guilds). Now that the pressure is relieved and our second LK Kill is in the bag it is time to focus on the remaining heroic modes...and we shall see the Lich King again real soon!

Keep on hunting,

Serebihm

Best and Worst of Wrath of the Lich king - Raids

With not much to do ingame, and all of the new Cataclysm news very well covered by other blogs, I thought why not give my take on the best and worst of this expansion.
So without further ado...

Best Raid Boss
1. Yogg-Saron - Ulduar
This was a close one for me. Yogg-saron was the funnest fight I had ever done. It managed to balance difficulty and fun perfectly. It also brought out the best in raiders as it left little room for error.

2. Flame Leviathan - Ulduar
When Naxx was released, we were given an old instance redone. It bored people pretty quickly. So to step into Ulduar and be greeted by Siege Engines, Choppers and Demolishers it brought tears of joy to your eye. This fight was so different from everything else up to that point.

3. Mimiron - Ulduar
Another incredibly fun fight. Mimiron himself is a funny guy with incredibly funny speeches. The fight itself allowed different classes to shine with tanks and healers needing to be at the top of their game and all types of DPS needing to be aware of their surroundings. Oh yeah, and Hunters became Ranged Tanks...WOOT!!


Worst Raid Boss
1. Faction Champions - Trial of the Crusader
I hate this fight with a passion. Not because I couldn't do well (I usually topped the meters here) but because of what it represented. I am not a PvPer so for Blizzard to put a PvP fight into PvE environment - curse you Blizzard. The fight generally was utter chaos: Stuns and CCs were on diminishing returns and the fight changed in difficulty depending on what enemies you would face. Remember getting the Warrior, Ret Pally, Rogue, Warlock, Druid healer, etc combo? It was killer. This fight was Avidly nicknamed the ToC pug-wiper.

2. Thaddeus - Naxxramas
The mechanics weren't particularly hard but still players couldn't get their heads around the positive negative thing. No what made this fight so horrible was the jump. After killing his two minions the groups had to jump off the platform to the boss platform. Problem was players with bad latency would often just run of the edge and drop in the water. The jump would make this fight harder than it should be, as too often you were short a couple of DPS or heals because they just couldn't make the jump. Oh and the whole Positive/Negative thing making BattleRezzing near impossible sucked too.

3. Blood Princes - Icecrown Citadel
I hate Blood Princes because I'm often 1 of 2 people on Orb duty, and anyone whos' been on Orb duty knows what a pain it can be. getting bounced around trying to get to an Orb just isn't fun at all and as a hunter not featuring on the top of DPS meters sucks a lot :)



Best Raid Instance - Ulduar
Ulduar was an incredible raid. The instance itself was beautifully designed and the bosses felt so different from everything else. But I think the greatest thing about Ulduar, was seeing how it all tied in with the outside world. Having done the quest chains for Thorim in Storm Peaks, and Freya in Sholazar Basin, to come in and see what had happened was special. And who can forget how fun Flame Leviathan, XT and Mimiron were... Gnome Engineering at their best - Raid Design at its best!


Worst Raid Instance - Trial of the Crusader
ToC was just boring and for a major Tier raid way too short. Staying in the same room for 1.5 hours was boring and not having anything else to do for a week just sucked. The boss fights themselves were pretty bog standard the highlight being the splattering of a certain gnome warlock. And we won't talk about Faction Champions.


Next Week - The best and Worst of Dungeons!

Keep on hunting,

Serebihm

This Week's Raid and DBM

Hey guys, well another week in raiding has passed for me and my guild, and a successful one it was too. We have downed 3 more bosses on heroic ICC 25, namely Blood Queen, Rotface and Festergut. I was also very fortunate to win the DPS race on Blood Queen, being first bitten and finishing the fight with 21.5k dps sustained. Finally one up on our 2 rogues. This of course meant we got our first heroic mark which went to our trusty ret. pally Fullmetalzex. No hunter loot at all but I don't mind. I wouldn't have won the pieces anyway after using my EPGP on the boots from Ruby Sanctum earlier in the week.

One tip I want to share with you is something I noticed during our attempts. It is amazing how many useful functions in Deadly Boss Mods are not enabled by default. One of our biggest issues on Festergut heroic was constantly getting hit by Mallable Goo. I happened to have a look in DBM options and there it was: Special Warning for Mallable Goo was not enabled. After a quick enable, EVERY single Goo was announced and we could move accordingly.
Another useful function that helped us on the Lich King fight is the announce special warning for Defiles NEAR you, also disabled by default. I mean lets face it, you don't just want to know when defile is on you, but also if somebody near you has it so you can get some distance.

So if you are attempting new hard modes, or are simply struggling on a boss fight, open up DBM options for that boss and see what other hidden assists can be enabled.

Good luck and keep on hunting,

Serebihm

Preparing for Cataclysm

World of Warcraft is changing. The Hunter class is changing. The way we play is changing. With the Beta in full swing we have heard (and seen) enough changes, that indicate that our beloved hunter class will feel completely different to play once the Cataclysm hits. First lets review all the changes that will impact the hunter playstyle:

1. No more mana. Instead hunters will now use Focus (similar to rogue energy)

2. No more Volley. (Also all other classes have had their AoE nerfed.)

3. Misdirection transferred threat fades after 30sec. (same with Tricks of the Trade.)

4. Silencing Shot damage removed.

5. Trap launcher will allow to launch any trap to a specified location.

6. Aimed shot now deals 300% weapon damge + X-damage and is on a 2 sec cast.


There are numerous other changes, but I feel these are the ones that hunters can prepare for now, whilst the other changes, such as the change to Chimera Shot (now effect being dependent on venoms instead of stings) will need the Beta or actual game to be practiced.

Preparing for Cataclysm now, means changing your play- style. This will cause you to most likely drop in DPS. Discuss with your guild your intentions. Some of the ways to prepare will need the help of the rest of your guild during raids or dungeons. Without access to the beta it will be difficult to see how these changes will play out, but there are ways in the current game in which players without beta-acces can prepare.


Threat management
Threat management will be very different in Cataclysm. With the transferred threat disappearing, I suspect that any misdirects will be used as openers or Add management only. So to prepare, use it as such. Only misdirect to pull bosses or put adds onto a tank. Refrain from using Misdirection in your rotation and instead work Feign Death into your rotation a little more.

Crowd Control
There will be a lot more emphasis on Crowd Control in Cataclysm. With Volley removed and other AoE's nerved, AoE tanking will happen a lot less frequently. This means CCs will need to be put into place. So see if your guild will allow its players to practice that during current raids. Practice Frost trap pulling as much as possible as this will also give you a feel for how the new trap launcher will most likely work.

Shot Rotation
Shot rotation will be something that's difficult to practice now without all the skills available, and without gimping your dps too much. But if your guild agrees for you to practice, there a 2 things that can be done. First unmacro Silencing Shot and use it purely for its interrupting purpose.
Second use Aimed Shot as an opener only. The 2 second casttime will not make it viable to use as part of our rotation.

Focus instead of Mana
As stated before, Focus will function similarly to Rogue Energy. So the best way to see how it will feel is roll a rogue. Be careful however. Rogues do not have the same regenerating skills that hunters will have (their only one being Adrenalin Rush and it is on a 45 sec cooldown). So even though you'll see how Focus will work, it will not give you an idea on how it will affect your shot rotation.
To see an idea of how Focus will effect your shot rotation, macro Aspect of the Viper with your Steady shot and use it only when you get below 50% mana.

Conclusion
So there you have it, a few ideas to show how one could prepare their play-style for Cataclysm. I must remind again though these changes will lower your dps considerably. Check with your guild to see if they will allow you to use these techniques on raids and let your group mates know on randoms. I also suggest to make these changes on a second separate Action bar, as not to screw up your main raid action bar. Also consider that these are theoretical ideas. certainly Threat Management and effective Crowd control can be practiced without too much worry, but Any changes to Shot rotation are purely theoretical.

keep on hunting,

Serebihm

Improving your hunter skill

Wrath is coming to an end, the hunter class is getting reworked, it is the perfect time to talk about how to be good hunter. It is a common idea to think greatness should be judged by DPS meters, but unfortunately the majority of players judge a players skill in exactly that way. There is much more to be being a hunter than just Pew Pew.

So what makes a good hunter? In a raid it is determined by what happens behind the scenes, that often is not picked up by the naked eye, that truly determines the skill of a hunter. Situational Awareness, Class Knowledge and an understanding of fight mechanics can turn any average hunter into a truly great one.

Threat Management
This is probably the most important role a hunter plays, a role he only shares effectively with rogues. For every fight a hunter should know how the mechanics of the fight will affect threat management. As a hunter you should know if adds will spawn that need to be misdirected to a tank or off-tank. You need to know when to use feign death because of a Boss Threat-drop. But the one skill that is most underused by hunters, in terms of Threat management, is knowing when to taunt. A hunter with great awareness will use Distracting Shot to taunt a mob that's going to attack a healer. He will also taunt a mob or boss to allow the bear tank to Battle-Res someone. He will taunt things of tanks, to let tanks lose debuffs. Distracting Shot is one of the most useful skills available to hunters, but it is important to understand that it is a taunt, and needs to be treated as such i.e. be at range and Feign Death before the mob gets to you.

Crowd Control
In today's World of Warcraft crowd control is often limited to the idea of eliminating a mob from the battle. But, if you look at the words, it is the "control" of mobs, and that includes anything that makes a fight easier to control. This should include things like Tranquilizing Shot, the most effective way to remove enrage effects of mobs or bosses.
This also includes Silencing Shot, an interrupt that silences the target for 3 seconds. Today's hunters have it macroed into every shot as it also does damage and is off the global cooldown, but the good hunters also have a action bar where it is unmacroed to allow for use when needed (which is more often than people think).
And what about traps? People often forget about traps. They are not as good as other forms of slows and stops from other classes, but with the arrival of Cataclysm and Trap launcher, hunters will now be able to trap at range, allowing them to be effective at controlling Mind-controlled targets and loose mobs.

Situational Awareness and being proactive
Being aware of your surroundings and what's happening in a fight is key to being a good hunter. It is easy to top a dps meter, but what good is that, if you wiped because a loose mob killed the healers. Or the tank died to an enraged mob. Or the hunter pulled threat because they were to focused on winning the dps race. When a situation turns bad it's not always the fault of the person who caused it, but also of those who did nothing about it. Be proactive, look for ways to ensure victory for you raid, without needing to be told. Know what abilities you have and use them to your advantage. Don't have the attitude of waiting for someone else to do it.

Reaction Time
When a bad situation occurs, a fast reaction is important. This will never happen if one is using the mouse to click your spells. Learn to key-bind and practice it on the training dummies. This will not just improve your reaction time, but also increase your dps.

Movement
Using the keyboard to move by itself is old and cumbersome. Use the mouse to turn and don't ever walk backwards. Use disengage to gain distance or simply turn and run and Jump shot (Whilst running away jump, quickly turn sideways using your mouse, shoot and turn back in one fluid motion) to keep dps up.
Assist your raid members with movement. On some boss fights (i.e Sindragosa's Blistering Cold) you can switch to Aspect of the Pack to increase their speed. Just remember to switch back to Aspect of the Dragonhawk.

One Acronym: CRAP
Everyone likes acronyms, and when it comes to improving your play as a hunter I can't think of a better one than CRAP - Communicate, research, awareness, Proactively.

Communication is key on any raid. it can be in the form of macros that announce your misdirection targets. Or announce things yourself in raids to make people aware of what you are doing. Taunting of a bear tank so he can b-res is pointless if he doesn't know you are doing it.

Research will help improve any class, not just hunters. Research boss fights and mechanics, study your abilities and think how they could be applied to benefit you. And scour the web for other people's ideas.

Awareness during a fight can make all the difference between success and defeat. Do not just focus on yourself, see the broader picture. Notice the loose mob running around, notice the add that just spawned, notice the healer that just died, notice the voidzone under your feet.

Proactively use you abilities. Don't wait for someone else to do it. The fault lies not with the cause, but with the one who did nothing about it.

I am sure there are other ideas out there on how to improve a hunter's game. Feel free to leave your ideas in the comments below.

keep on hunting,

Serebihm

Stopping the Goldseller (and buyer) evil

Recently in a Groinstabber's Gold post I mentioned buying mats from hacked accounts, and that I though it was a good idea. At the time I did not really understand the consequences of doing that. A comment from Euripides (from the Call to Auction podcast) reminded me that buying from hacked accounts is risky and can get you permanently banned. But before I go on here's my story.

The most profitable Trade
When I first got into gold-making it was all about the AH game, until I saw a trade chat advertisement selling stacks of epic gems at well below AH prices. So naturally I contacted the person, bought the materials and went on my merry way. I made more than 10k profit that day.

I had a couple of more trades lek that one, and everything was well until, one day, after completing another such trade, I ran towards Stormwind bank only minutes later, only to see the guy I had just bought from, completely stripped of all gear. It dawned on me then I had bought from a hacked account, and I got that sinking feeling. I felt extremely guilty.

The next day I discussed thi with friends of mine. They assured me hacked accounts get all their stuff back. and I shouldn't worry. So I didn't I kept buying of trade chat sellers, except this time, I knew that the sellers were most likely hacked accounts or funnel accounts for hackers. Then after 1 such trade involving 48 Primordial Saronites and 12 stacks for Dreadstones, I was slapped with a 72hr ban. I received an email from Blizzard notifying me of the ban and explaining that I was suspected of "manipulating the in-game economy using real-world currency". I of course, immediately sent an email back, stating my innocence and that the trade was completed using gold, not money. 40 Hrs later my account was reactivated and I received an apology email from Blizzard.

Don't buy from hackers
Now it is important to note that my view on the issue has taken a reverse turn. I am now fully against buying materials from hacked accounts, and I'll tell you why.

I had a recent email exchange on the topic with Euripides and at the end of it he said something that made me think. He said "that they should punish the (gold)buyers, not the people duped by the sellers." I have always agreed with that statement, without goldbuyers there wouldn't be any Gold-sellers. Anyway, seeing that statement made me think of something else; when you buy from mats from these hacked accounts, you give them the gold that they will sell on. In other words you suddenly become the supplier to these gold-buyers, and, in my opinion, that is just as bad.

But lets look at it from another angle, one I haven't looked at before myself. The materials a hacker sells either from hacked accounts or funnel accounts are, effectively, stolen goods. Now would you buy stolen goods in the real world, knowing they are stolen goods? I didn't think so.

Recognising hackers
So how can we recognise hacked accounts? There are a few things to look out for:

1. The name- If the seller has name thats just some scrambled letters he could be a funnelling toon for hacked accounts (eg. Hposeutpsfh)

2. Attempt to engage the seller in conversation. Talk about the goods being sold. Hackers want fast sales, they want to minimise the amount of time they spend online, so they will only reply in singular words, or sometimes not at all.

3. look at what their selling and the price they are asking. Again, because of wanting quick sales, hackers will sell the most common materials (epic gems, Primordial Saronites, enchanting mats, etc) at well below AH prices. As they say, if you see a deal too good to be true it usually is.

It's just plain wrong
I won't be buying from trade sellers again, the risk is just too high for me, and more importantly, it feels morally wrong. I will not be a contributing factor to gold-selling or buying. Anyone who feels there's nothing wrong with buying from hacked accounts needs to get their blinders removed and see the whole picture - it's wrong, it's promoting the theft of accounts. What are your thoughts?

Let's all do our bit to stop these hackers and gold-sellers,

Serebihm

Cataclysm Hunter Skill Changes: Misdirection, Aspect of the Fox, etc

A recent Beta build introduced several new Hunter skill and talent changes, which in my opinion will have a pretty big impact on how the Hunter class will play in Cataclysm.

Misdirection - Transferred threat is no longer permanent and will fade after 30 sec.

(Note: The same applies to Rogue Tricks of the Trade)

The way I read this is, after Misdirection is applied, any threat that is transferred to the target will disappear after 30 seconds. Not return to the hunter, but just disappear.

I think this is a great change, and will make threat management a whole lot more interesting. With this change I now see Misdirection and Tricks of the Trade only used at the beginning of a fight, or to misdirect new spawned adds to a tank. The tank then has 30 seconds to build aggro on the misdirected target, before the transferred threat will drop off. This will put a lot more focus on watching threat not just for the hunter but all other classes as well, as all players will now have to take the threat loss into consideration. I would also say that this puts classes with an efficient threat drop ability (hunters, rogues, Shadow priests) into the dps drivers seat, as those without will have to really control their dps.



Aspect of the Fox - Now allows you to shoot Steady Shot and Cobra Shot while moving and causes you to gain 2 Focus whenever you take damage. (Old - allows Auto-Shot while moving and increases focus regeneration by 20%)

Blizzard have indicated that they did not want one Aspect for all situations, and I think this change will split the Aspects into two categories: Aspect of the Hawk for stationary fights and Aspect of the Fox for fights with lots of movement. It also means that we can keep our full rotation even on the move, and I expect that having Modifier Aspect switching macroed in with Steady Shot and Cobra Shot, will be mandatory for raiding hunters.


Hunting Party/Survival Talent - now also triggers a 20% ranged and melee attack speed buff.

I am guessing that this is a replacement buff for the current Expose Weakness, which is no longer part of the Survival tree.


Serpent Spread(New talent) - Targets hit by your Multi-Shot are also afflicted by your Serpent Sting equal to 50% of its total duration.

Now this is just plain awesome. With this I expect Multi-Shot to get a lot more use on multi-target fights. Expect Multi-Shot to become part of Survival Hunter Shot rotations, at least on multi-target fights.


Silencing Shot - Damage component removed.

This to me makes sense. As Blizzard have stated, Silencing Shot is supposed to be a situational utility, and not something that is macroed to every other Shot.


That's it from the Cataclysm front for now.

Keep on hunting,

Serebihm