A comment from Brajana about spamming the tar our of Steady Shot got me to thinking and testing. One thing that I don't have, compared to a lot of hunters is a significant mana pool. A lot of hunters out there have either Tier gear or Arena gear from BC and that gear provides significant INT and MP5 bonuses that you don't get from "green" Northrend gear. This isn't a real problem but it does affect how you utilize your shots some while questing. Loronar and Brajana both have also mention the use of MP5 foods. Here I have to say, "Yes" you definitely want to invest in this as this provides a boost to keeping your best damage numbers up. You can make the investment by buying the food on the AH when it is available or by leveling up your cooking, which in the long run in the cheaper route to go. (And this is what I am attempting to finish doing currently).
If you are relatively new to the high end content of BC and LK like I am and do not have the benefit of exceptional BC epics. You don't have to worry, but plan accordingly. Spamming Steady Shot is still doable. Just not all the time when Aspect of the Beast is up. So where we go for Zuluki's questing guide for the Non-Geared. LOL
We'll start with the Pet: *-* Gorilla *-*
Why?
Easy, the Gorilla maintians aggro so much better than Ferocity pets and he is a lot more capable of handling multiple mobs than the other Tenacity pets. This means you can mow down more mobs faster than if you were using a different pet. This is critical I've found for several reasons. First of all there are a lot of quests in the Borean Tundra and Howling Fjord where the mobs are pretty tightly packed and you will likely be pulling 2 or more mobs in each engagement. My Ferocity pet, a cat, has had difficutly in keeping all the mobs focused on him when there is more than one. Against 2 mobs this isn't such a bad deal since you can trap the break away mob and finish the one your pet is focused on. More than 2 mobs and things get real dicey real fast, especially if you tend to use volley. (Important disclaimer: I've found if you are dealing with mobs at least 2 levels below the level of your pet, this changes quite a bit. Ferocity pets can multimob tank so to say if the mobs are a lot lower in level.) Secondly, pet survivability. I want my pet to stay alive, period. Tenacity pets are better suited of this. And lastly, Thunderclap. This ability is simply amazing in conjunction with Growl. If growl doesn't pick the mob up or keep him focused on my pet, then thunderclap will. This is also good for those times when you have a straggler mob that chances upon when your are already involved against another mob or two. Just send you pet after the new guy and clip him so you can maneauver out of his range until you pet has him.
Aspect of the Beast.
More pet damage = more pet threat = pet keeps more mobs away from you. This means you have more time to Volley to your hearts desire until eveyone is dead. Since the release of LK and the changes to this aspect, I feel this is perhaps your best aspect while leveling. This aspect has made the difference in whether my pet tanks 4 or more mobs. Without this aspect, for some reason my pets can only keep 3 mobs focused on them.
Serpent Sting, Steady Shot, Aspect of the Viper
Even though this costs a fair bit of mana. If you have the Glyph, which you want to have along with Glyph of Steady Shot while leveling, then this is your opener on your focused mob. Following this, you either Auto Shoot to conserve mana or spam Steady Shot. Of note, Steady Shot is definitely faster and can finish mobs in one or two casts of this shot (even in green gear). Spamming this shot I've noticed with my small mana pool that I can down 3, maybe 4 mobs in a row before I begin to run into mana issues. Or I can spam Steady shot and Volley on multiple mobs engagements and make it through one group. Then I either stop and replenish my mana or pop Aspect of the Viper and continue on. In one on one situations I usually sting the mob and then Auto shoot. The norm for me though is different in that I usually enter engagements with 2 mobs at a time. The more I watch what I am doing in the game, the more I find this happening. I deal with multiple mob situations far more often than I deal with individual mob situations.
This means that Aspect of the Viper is up more than I would really like. But here is the deciding factor, when Aspect of the Viper is up, you should Always be spamming Steady Shot no matter what. You will regen mana faster than you can spend it by spamming Steady Shot. When I find myself in a situation where I am moving from one small group to the next I never come out of Apect of the Viper. Some of you may balk a little at this, but when your questing/leveling in an area where mobs are aplenty, this will save you from time to time. Ex.: There have been numerous times now when I have been fighting 2 or 3 mobs and had a pair of mobs aggro onto me from the side or behind. Without mana, I cannot trap, kite or volley and I will need all 3 to survive the engagement. Doing "uber" damage during these kinds of instances is unneccessary. Killing the mobs faster does not gaurantee that you'll survive. Ensuring that your pet has aggro on most if not all so you can Volley them to death is way more important at times like this. Doing less damage is not as important as having mana. Mana will win fights for you.
In places like Skorn or around Warsong Hold, Aspect of the Viper really becomes important. In less densely populated areas, Aspect of the Beast is your friend, unless you really need to be moving fast.. then Aspect of the Cheetah.
MP5.....
I am really beginning to find this stat being of more and more value while leveling. While a lot of gear has INT, if it has MP5 then it's even better. The sooner you get your mana back the quicker you can move inbetween mobs and this can be vital in some quests or in your survival in the wilds of Northrend. And the more of this stat you have the less time you'll have to spend under Aspect of the Viper.
In essence, what eveyone should know is, while your leveling and if you don't have access to higher end gear, do not under utilize Aspect of the Viper. Yes you do less damage, but you are doing more damage than Auto Shot, and you are regen'ing mana faster than your standard rate unless you have a high INT and good MP5. If you are in better gear and have these stats in abundance then you can afford to run less on Aspect of the Viper. Steady Shot should be your main shot while leveling as it provides the most bang for you buck. Just remember though that it will drain your mana pool fairly quickly if you are in "green" gear. Completing quests and staying alive is far more important than whether or not your are outputting the most DPS you can while you level to 80. This will go much faster if keep your mana pool full or as close to full as possible at all times.
Gorilla pet, Steady Shot, Aspect of the Beast/Aspect of the Viper as needed, Serpent Sting, and MP5 for your leveling happiness.
Good Luck, and Happy Hunting
Zulu.
Showing posts with label Theorycrafting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Theorycrafting. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Level 70 And Beyond
Finally, I dinged 70 this morning with little granduer. I am so happy I finally arrived at this level and can now begin the slow drive to 80 (I know, I'm already doing that). I also recently raised my leatherworking above 375 and I have almost crafted all of my Frostscale armor set. I have to say, this armor set is really nice as an introduction to what can be made at these levels. I'm actually kinda giddy to see how the whole set measures out when I reach a high enough level to wear the full set. Surprisingly leveling LW looks to be fairly easy so far and I am looking forward to what else I will be able to craft.
I am at a point now that I think I will have to put my cat away. My gorilla needs some serious leveling attention and the more that I run around leveling, the more I realize that a tanking pet is going to be better overall for the purposes of getting my quests done. I am finding that my cat is losing aggro too often and that I am having to spend a lot of time kiting and traping when I shouldn't be. This is doubly important in that I and a terrible kiter. I am getting the hang of chain trapping and understand what goes behind it to make it successful. Kiting on the other hand seems to elude me. In time I'll master this I'm sure, it just makes things difficult right now as I could really use that skill at times when my kitty doesn't hold onto the mobs.
Now that I am in full Northrend mode one thing that I have been starting to consider are the target numbers in AGI, AP and Crit that I will want to acheive when I hit level 80. From glancing at the gear available at that level acheiving high levels of AP should be relatively easy, as should hitting my hit rating cap. I would still like to know what would be considered low for AP and what the medium range would need to be for Crit. I know that having a decent mana pool is also going to be of benefit as that will mean less time under Aspect of the Viper. I know that like in BC having a Crit percentage near or better than 30% will be ideal. I just haven't figured out where the AGI and AP should be yet. If anyone has some numbers they would like to throw around I'd love to hear it.
Till Next Time,
Zulu
I am at a point now that I think I will have to put my cat away. My gorilla needs some serious leveling attention and the more that I run around leveling, the more I realize that a tanking pet is going to be better overall for the purposes of getting my quests done. I am finding that my cat is losing aggro too often and that I am having to spend a lot of time kiting and traping when I shouldn't be. This is doubly important in that I and a terrible kiter. I am getting the hang of chain trapping and understand what goes behind it to make it successful. Kiting on the other hand seems to elude me. In time I'll master this I'm sure, it just makes things difficult right now as I could really use that skill at times when my kitty doesn't hold onto the mobs.
Now that I am in full Northrend mode one thing that I have been starting to consider are the target numbers in AGI, AP and Crit that I will want to acheive when I hit level 80. From glancing at the gear available at that level acheiving high levels of AP should be relatively easy, as should hitting my hit rating cap. I would still like to know what would be considered low for AP and what the medium range would need to be for Crit. I know that having a decent mana pool is also going to be of benefit as that will mean less time under Aspect of the Viper. I know that like in BC having a Crit percentage near or better than 30% will be ideal. I just haven't figured out where the AGI and AP should be yet. If anyone has some numbers they would like to throw around I'd love to hear it.
Till Next Time,
Zulu
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The Theory Behind the Craft
So, like a lot of people I've been visiting Elitist Jerks forums lately to get a better picture of what is happening with hunters, their shots and possible rotations now that patch 3.0.2 has been out for a short bit. My biggest impression of this site right now is; OMFG!
I've been a huge fan of their site for quite some time. I came across their site as I was leveling my Alliance Shaman right after the release of BC and I've been an avid fan since. Thanks to their work my Shaman, at level 70 and way undergeared compared to a lot of other Shaman on my server and I can still do very impressive DPS. I followed several ideas and suggestions that I found from EJ regarding what stats to focus on and how to build upon those numbers. Prior to the release of the Beta, much of the hunter information was also very nicely laid out and the theorycarfting was laid out in technical and laymans terms for everyone to benefit from. This was the reason why I return to EJ all the time when I am researching new information or trying to learn a new class.
Well at least this was true until just recently. Since the release of Beta LK, the EJ site has been filled with so many people trying to figure out the math that they are not even attempting to realize there are other people who are regular users of the site. And when one of these more casual, per se, users makes a post asking a question the response is disheartening. For a group of people to not only epitomize the EJ moniker, they have taken it to a new level that leaves me wondering if the people here have totally lost touch with reality. I have seen several posts where people have asked for a summarization, much like what has been done in the past where the information is compiled into a logical and understandable manner, and these very same people have been put down, chastized and even in some cases banned.
Now what kind of sense does this make? Why would a small number of people distance themselves from the regular gaming community by handling perfectly sensible and logical questions in this manner? I totally get wanting people to become involved in the theory and math behind the game, but taking the mental masturbation to this level is beyond extreme. Given what I have read lately (and no I am not going to wade through 120+ pages of this stuff to find supposively answered questions) I have become quite disgusted with this particular community. Why? Because any group of people that isolate themselves in a way that does not allow outside contact or influence is a group of individuals cannot understand the truth.
The truth? This is first and foremost a game. Which means this at most it is a hobby and more likely, it is just passing recreation for most players. I like many other can do the math and learn all the dirty little secrets if I choose to spend my time that way, but RL really doesn't allow me that luxury any more, thankfully. So in turn I like to visit sites where people can constructively discuss the mechanics and math behind the game to get more insight and knowledge so that I can play more smartly. What EJ fails to realize is that not everyone spends all of their time reading the forums at EJ. In fact this is likely an impossibility for most people. So, having a consice summarization at the beginning of each category or thread would be very beneficial to everyone else. Why the regulars on EJ refuse to understand this is beyond me unless they are just being lazy.
A friend of mine recently made a post asking a simple question in attempt to get clarification on the usage of a certain spell for another class. While he did eventually get an answer, it took all day of being put down, berated and threatened before someone finally offered an answer. This is sad, really sad. I have come to have a lot of respect for the posters on EJ for the time they took to test many different things. During the course of BC, they did show an 'Elitist' attitude, you could still generally ask questions and receive answers or at least receive a link to the answer. This is far different from being flamed and harassed for having questions and posting those questions. I don't know what has changed, but something definitely has, and when the posters at EJ flame people for not wanting to read over 100 pages of their mental masturbation I cannot help but believe that the change is for the worse.
Putting the rant aside I wish someone would write some sort of summary so that the rest of the gaming community can look at what is being proposed as the best possible build talent wise and such so that we can begin to test for ourselves what works and doesn't. I have my thougts on what would work, but I would like to see some good discussion happening on this subject in a constructive manner. On another note as well, I really am reluctant to begin to post actual numbers and such until after the release of the expansion for several reasons. Foremost of which is that change will be a constant in the game for a while and at this point, where most everything is speculation anyways, why not discuss the merits of the different builds based upon observance and use until we get the expansion and can get to level 80. Then we can begin to discuss the hard numbers and the affect of gear, enchants and other enhancements on those numbers.
This to me would be a better use of my time and effort with regards to theorycrafting and I feel it would be more productive than what I have been seeing on EJ. Since I'm not level 70 as of yet, the spec that I am building towards when I hit level 80 is: 56/15/0 and I cannot decide upon going for 51/10/0 or 56/5/0 at level 70. Neither of these builds is using the talents for group buffs yet since I am more focused on leveling. Once I hit 80, I'll probably respec to include the group buff talents. And this is one area I would like to see discussed more fully, do we receive more DPS benefit from these talents or talents like Serpents Swiftness?
My 2 cents,
Happy hunting all
Zuluki
I've been a huge fan of their site for quite some time. I came across their site as I was leveling my Alliance Shaman right after the release of BC and I've been an avid fan since. Thanks to their work my Shaman, at level 70 and way undergeared compared to a lot of other Shaman on my server and I can still do very impressive DPS. I followed several ideas and suggestions that I found from EJ regarding what stats to focus on and how to build upon those numbers. Prior to the release of the Beta, much of the hunter information was also very nicely laid out and the theorycarfting was laid out in technical and laymans terms for everyone to benefit from. This was the reason why I return to EJ all the time when I am researching new information or trying to learn a new class.
Well at least this was true until just recently. Since the release of Beta LK, the EJ site has been filled with so many people trying to figure out the math that they are not even attempting to realize there are other people who are regular users of the site. And when one of these more casual, per se, users makes a post asking a question the response is disheartening. For a group of people to not only epitomize the EJ moniker, they have taken it to a new level that leaves me wondering if the people here have totally lost touch with reality. I have seen several posts where people have asked for a summarization, much like what has been done in the past where the information is compiled into a logical and understandable manner, and these very same people have been put down, chastized and even in some cases banned.
Now what kind of sense does this make? Why would a small number of people distance themselves from the regular gaming community by handling perfectly sensible and logical questions in this manner? I totally get wanting people to become involved in the theory and math behind the game, but taking the mental masturbation to this level is beyond extreme. Given what I have read lately (and no I am not going to wade through 120+ pages of this stuff to find supposively answered questions) I have become quite disgusted with this particular community. Why? Because any group of people that isolate themselves in a way that does not allow outside contact or influence is a group of individuals cannot understand the truth.
The truth? This is first and foremost a game. Which means this at most it is a hobby and more likely, it is just passing recreation for most players. I like many other can do the math and learn all the dirty little secrets if I choose to spend my time that way, but RL really doesn't allow me that luxury any more, thankfully. So in turn I like to visit sites where people can constructively discuss the mechanics and math behind the game to get more insight and knowledge so that I can play more smartly. What EJ fails to realize is that not everyone spends all of their time reading the forums at EJ. In fact this is likely an impossibility for most people. So, having a consice summarization at the beginning of each category or thread would be very beneficial to everyone else. Why the regulars on EJ refuse to understand this is beyond me unless they are just being lazy.
A friend of mine recently made a post asking a simple question in attempt to get clarification on the usage of a certain spell for another class. While he did eventually get an answer, it took all day of being put down, berated and threatened before someone finally offered an answer. This is sad, really sad. I have come to have a lot of respect for the posters on EJ for the time they took to test many different things. During the course of BC, they did show an 'Elitist' attitude, you could still generally ask questions and receive answers or at least receive a link to the answer. This is far different from being flamed and harassed for having questions and posting those questions. I don't know what has changed, but something definitely has, and when the posters at EJ flame people for not wanting to read over 100 pages of their mental masturbation I cannot help but believe that the change is for the worse.
Putting the rant aside I wish someone would write some sort of summary so that the rest of the gaming community can look at what is being proposed as the best possible build talent wise and such so that we can begin to test for ourselves what works and doesn't. I have my thougts on what would work, but I would like to see some good discussion happening on this subject in a constructive manner. On another note as well, I really am reluctant to begin to post actual numbers and such until after the release of the expansion for several reasons. Foremost of which is that change will be a constant in the game for a while and at this point, where most everything is speculation anyways, why not discuss the merits of the different builds based upon observance and use until we get the expansion and can get to level 80. Then we can begin to discuss the hard numbers and the affect of gear, enchants and other enhancements on those numbers.
This to me would be a better use of my time and effort with regards to theorycrafting and I feel it would be more productive than what I have been seeing on EJ. Since I'm not level 70 as of yet, the spec that I am building towards when I hit level 80 is: 56/15/0 and I cannot decide upon going for 51/10/0 or 56/5/0 at level 70. Neither of these builds is using the talents for group buffs yet since I am more focused on leveling. Once I hit 80, I'll probably respec to include the group buff talents. And this is one area I would like to see discussed more fully, do we receive more DPS benefit from these talents or talents like Serpents Swiftness?
My 2 cents,
Happy hunting all
Zuluki
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