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Dear Lodur, a Valentine’s Day Post.

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Welcome to the first edition of Dear Lodur, a column where people can ask me questions anonymously and get advice.   It seemed fitting that this inaugural post of Dear Lodur is centered around Love is in the Air, the wonderful (or heartbreaking) festival in Azeroth. With so many people swept off their feet of left sobbing in the streets, who would be a better Draenei to ask for help than Lodur?

Dear Lodur,

I’m a prot paladin and I think that my girlfriend is cheating on me. Lately she’s been healing an offtank (a feral druid!) on Patchwerk more than me and I’m the MT! She’s not responsive to my tells and she just doesn’t seem interested in healing me anymore. Should I be worried? What should I do?

Thanks,

Worried in the Construct Wing

Dear Worried in the Wing,

The relationship between a healer and their tank is a very delicate one, but one that has been around for as long as we can remember. It is one of those natural couplings. Because this is so natural to us, we tend to see our healers with other tanks as a threat. Are you sure her healing lead just didn’t assign her to the offtank? Are you trying to send her tells while she’s healing? I would say that if you are truly concerned you should catch her after a raid, sit her down and talk to her calmly and rationally. Maybe even bring her a dozen Roses . I’m certain you’ll find she is, at heart, a one tank woman and you have nothing to worry about.

~Lodur



Dear Lodur,

My guy has recently started up Alchemy, and now every time he has extra Pygmy Oil around he downs it and turns himself into a Gnome! Lately I see him with a lot of Gnomes in the Eventide bank as well. I asked him to stop but I still find the empty vials laying around the sewers after his arena matches. I’m concerned this is going to turn into an unhealthy obsession and addiction. What can I do?

Thanks,

Distressed in Dalaran

Dear Distressed,

Get help for your loved one right away! Gnome morphing can become a serious addiction very quickly. Get your mutual friends together as well for it may be time for an intervention. Tell him how it is affecting you and how concerned you are for him. And if all else fails, wait till he Gnomifies himself, then hire a couple Tauren to drag him to Darnassus to get the Priestesses of Elune involved. I hear they did wonders for King Wrynn’s Pickled Zevhra hoof problem. Good luck and make sure you guard your ankles!

~Lodur


Dear Lodur,

I’ve been dating a elemental shaman for awhile now. We’ve raided a little bit together and everything seemed fine. Then he asked me to do some battlegrounds with him and who was I to say no? We were waiting at the gate in Arathi Basin when he shifted into Ghost Wolf (something he hadn’t done while we’ve been dating) and since then I can’t stop sneezing! He’s asked me to join his arena team, but I think I’m allergic to dogs. Help!

Thanks,

Allergic in Arathi


Dear Allergic,

Being in an arena team with someone is a large commitment, especially when balancing a potential health issue like allergies. There are a variety of solutions, though it is almost impossible to determine which will be best. First thing you need to do is figure out if you are allergic or not. Get him to transform and see if the sneezing fits continue. If they do then it’s time to disclose your allergy and talk about solutions together. As a shaman, I can say that you might want to suggest your significant other take a bath in Ghost Wolf form, as many shaman often forget that even the spiritual elements of what we do need to be cleaned once in a while. You’re reaction might just be to slightly dirty wolf hair. If that fails you may be able to work something out where there won’t be a need for him to shape shift, perhaps buy him a mount. I hear Kodo are hypo allergenic. The most important thing is that you talk about it and come up with solutions together. You need to agree in advance that you won’t fight about this or build up resentments, and that you will both give it your best shot.

~Lodur


Dear Lodur,

I’m a Nightelf priest and my best friend forever is a dwarf hunter. She tames all these different animals, sends them off to fight and some of them even die! If they don’t die, she’ll just abandon them when she has no use for them. She does the same thing to all those poor cats and small pets she picks up everywhere, just abandoning them whenever she gets bored. How can I show her what she’s doing is cruel and unusual punishment to these poor creatures?

Signed,

Ally of the Animals

Dear Ally,

Your situation is not the first I’ve heard of this. Unfortunately hunters have been brought up this way, and as a result this learned behavior is so ingrained in them it is often times nigh impossible to break. I do however have a suggestion that just might do the trick. What you need to do is find yourself a sympathetic mage and then ask a little favor from Breanni in Dalaran. Convince your friend you’re going to Breanni’s to buy some pet supplies with your mage friend. When you’re there have the mage Polymorph Cat the hunter! Get Breanni to lock the door and unleash Stinker . After being chased around for a while we’ll see if your hunter has a new respect for her poor pets. If that doesn’t work I hear Arthas has a great Re-Education program…

~Lodur


That’s it for this installment of Dear Lodur, feel free to submit your questions if you have any at all. Till next time remember,anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart!

I would like to give special thanks to Sientina from Mug’thol for her help in this post.

Say Hello to Lodur

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For the past month, I’ve been on the look out for Shaman and Paladin contributors. I’m happy to say that I’ve found a Shaman  I’d like to take this time to introduce Lodur!

Lodur is a Restoration Shaman who is currently an officer in the guild Unpossible on Zul’jin as well as their current Healer Lead. He is helping to push his guild through the current end game and is helping to prepare them for Ulduar and beyond. The Shamanistic one has been a gamer for over 15 years and has experience ranging from pen and paper role playing games all the way through the games of today. In World of Warcraft he has been around since the beta first hit, and has experienced the game from level 1 through end game many times over on different toons, and from different perspectives. He is an active member of the of the healing community at PlusHeal, and thoroughly enjoys the craft of healing.

This Shaman blogger from Way of the Totem who answered a call to contribute at World of Matticus hopes to highlight the shaman class while providing pertinent information for up and coming shamans. He also intends to use his experiences in game to help healers and raiders alike, while still having fun along the way.

Upcoming Topics

  • Why play a shaman?
  • Friend and Foe – (how to deal real life friends who are raiders)
  • Mythology of the shaman – From real life to warcraft lore, from Odin to Thrall
  • Guild morale in times of rapid changes, patches, nerfs and buffs. How to keep them going.

Previous Posts by Lodur

Meanwhile, the hunt continues for a Paladin…

Resto Shaman: Best in Slot

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Lodur here again, this time I’d like to talk a bit about the Restoration Shaman’s Best in Slot items. Syd’s post from the other day got me thinking that it would be good to toss this up for everyone to peruse. For those of you who don’t visit Plusheal often or at all there was a great thread and discussion over there in the shaman section based on the Best in Slot premise. I’d like to thank BeefyBuffalo for starting a great thread there, as well as all the theory crafters who contribute there regularly. This loot selection will most certainly change once Ulduar comes out but this is my best shot at putting it together for the available content. This list also in many places gives alternatives for preference gearing (crit or haste).

Head:

[Valorous Earthshatter Headpiece] (Kel’thuzad-25)

This offers a great set of of stats for us high INT and a good amount of MP5 and Spell Power. It also features Haste over crit as well as having two sockets for gemming.

[Helm of Pilgrimage] (Heigan -25)

This helm has slightly more MP5 then the Earthshatter as well as slightly higher Spell Power, but at the cost of both sockets. In place of haste it features a good chunk of Crit (almost 2%)

Comparable to the two is [Helm of Unleased Energy] (Gothik-25)

Neck:

[Life-Binder’s Locket](Malygos key quest) or  [Chains of Adoration] (several boss in Naxx-25)

The Life Binder’s is a better overall piece but you’ll probably see chains before the locket.

Shoulders:

[Valorous Earthshatter Spaulders](Loatheb-25 or 60x Emblems of Valor) or [Council Chamber Epaulets] (Sartharion-25)

Again it’s a crit vs haste itemization here. I put Valorous higher on the list for two reasons. You can get it for badges which makes it easy to obtain and it puts you closer to the full set bonuses.

Back:

[Pennant Cloak](Sartharion-25), or [Cloak of the Dying](Kel’thudzad-10)

For this I personally prefer the Pennant cloak. Good stats and it has both crit and haste. I know it doesn’t have MP5 but it does have a socket which is very nice.

Chest:

[Tunic of the Artifact Guardian](Malygos-25) or [Valorous Earthshatter Tunic](Four Horsemen-25)

Again the Earthshatter tunic is nice if you’re still working towards your 2 piece or 4 piece bonuses but my honest suggestion would be go after the other slots (legs, gloves, shoulders and helm) and try to grab yourself the Artifact Guardian chest. It’s an awesome chest piece with a goodly amount of crit and a nice chunk of spell power. You lose a socket compared to Valorous but what you gain from this chest piece is just too good to pass up in my opinion.

Wrist:

[Bindings of the Decrepit](Heigan-25) or [Cuffs of the Shadow Ascendant](60 x Emblem of Valor) Identical

Pretty straightforward here, same item, two different ways to get it. Simply best bracers you can get.

Hands:

[Winter Spectacle Gloves](Malygos-25) or [Bountiful Gauntlets](Sartharion-25) or [Valorous Earthshatter Handguards] (Sartharion-25)

These are all good options each has great stats and looks pretty slick too. My personal suggestion again though is if you don’t have your set bonuses or are working towards the 4 piece, go for the Valorous

Waist:

[Sash of the Parlor](cloth from Anub’rekhan-25) or [Girdle of the Gambit](Patchwork-25)

While the cloth belt is viable, I personally prefer the Girdle of the Gambit. Toss a belt buckle on it and march that thing around!

Legs:

[Valorous Earthshatter Legguards] (Thaddius-25) or [Legguards of the Undisdurbed] (Noth-25)

Again both are good, but I personally prefer the Valorous leggings.

Feet:

[Sabatons of Firmament](Sartharion) or [Atonement Greaves](Faerlina -25)

Here I prefer the Atonement Greaves. Slightly better stats and a good dose of haste with a bit more MP5. Again though this selection boils down to preference of Crit or Haste.

Finger:

[Signet of Manifested Pain](Kel’thuzad-25) or [Seized Beauty](Faerlina-25) or [Ring of Decaying Beauty] (Sapphiron-25) or [Wyrmrest Band] (Sartharion-25)

This again is largely a matter of choice, these are just the best options available. Personally I prefer a combination of Decaying Beauty and Wyrmrest Band.

Main Hand:

[Torch of Holy Fire] (Kel’thudzad-25) or [Hammer of the Astral Plane](Kel’thudzad-10) or [Wraith Strike](Maexxna-25)

Yeap that’s right, a spell power fist weapon! It’s really a great 1 hander well worth picking up if you see it drop. Baring the fist weapon dropping, holding out for Kel’s Torch isn’t a bad idea. It gives us a ton of stats we love and well… it looks pretty cool too!.

Off-hand:

[Voice of Reason](Kel’thudzad-25) or [Shield of Assimilation] (Anub’rikhan-25)

My preference here is for the Shield of Assimilation. To me the MP5 on it makes it a bit more enticing for a Resto Sham.

Relic:

[Totem of Forest Growth](15 Emblem of Heroism) or [Totem of the Bay] (30 Venture Coins- Grizzly Hills)

Not a lot of choices at 80, but I think Forest Growth should be the first badge item you buy. It’s a cheap and effective item that will carry you well throughout current content.

Trinkets:

[Illustration of the Dragon Soul] (Sartharion-25) or [Je’Tze’s Bell] (BoE World Drop) or [Soul of the Dead] (Sapphiron-25) or [Mercurial Alchemist Stone] (Crafted) or [Living Ice Crystals] (Malygos-25)

These represent the crème de le crème of trinkets for us in my opinion. Personally I favor The Bell combined with Crystals. The MP5 Combined with another instant heal makes it a beefed up [Vial of the Sunwell] !

Set Bonuses:

Your Tier 7 bonuses for both 2 piece and 4 piece are extremely nice. 2 Piece nets you Water Shield Boost: your Water Shield is 10% stronger. This means that your passive MP5 from water shield, as well as your mana returned per charge consumed is increased. Lets face it, more mana is never a bad thing right? 4 piece allows for Spirit Link Chain Heal which means the healing done by your Chain Heal and Healing Wave is increased by 5%. That’s most definitely a good thing. I mean, when was more healing ever bad? More mana + more healing output = great set bonus.


Final Thoughts:

Keep in mind that your T7 gear is the equivalent of T4 back in Burning Crusade, so if you don’t get everything on your list don’t panic. There will be upgrades coming in the next content patch besides tier loot, of that I am certain. Also remember these represent my opinions, feel free to create your own wish lists or checklist of items you are looking for.

If you have something on your wish list that you want to share, please feel free!

Till next time, Happy Healing.

~Lodur

Image courtesy of dallasvintageshop.com

The Matticus Command Center

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After Kestrel posted his deskspace when I asked him to, I felt it was only fair for me to do the same.

My left monitor is a 24” Samsung T240 and my right’s a 22” BenQ FP222W H. My macbook takes up the right side. Conversations on Twitter have revealed to me that there are players out there sporting dual 30” screen setups.

That is some real real estate.

A closer look at the picture shows that I have two keyboards: A Mac keyboard on the table (which wires to my Macbook) and one in the tray right below that’s plugged into my PC.

My Steelpad is holding my black Razer and my Mac “Egg” mouse. I configured my right monitor to also plug into my Macbook so that I could mirror the display there.

Anyways, with a setup like this, it allows me to raid on my left screen and look up valuable information on the right (such as hockey scores).

I may have to take a page from the Kestrellian one and pick me up a new backlit keyboard. The characters on mine have all but rubbed off. Can’t see when it’s late at night and sometimes I end up hitting the wrong key.

There’s an ongoing thread on Plusheal where I asked players to share their setup (attachments are enabled). I would love to take a look at yours!

World of Matticus: 2008 Retrospective and Highlights

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Another year has gone by! Soon we shall say goodbye to 2008 and hello to 2009!

2008 was a big year for World of Matticus. This year we saw a new and fresh look for the blog. 2 talented bloggers also joined the crew! In today’s post, we’re going to look at highlight events that have taken place on World of Matticus over the past year.

A big thank you to all the supporters, friends, readers, lurkers, Twitterati, forum goers, moderators, guild members, and so forth! This blog would not be what it is today without you! A lot of insight and inspiration is gleaned from the public.

Last week, I noted that I was selected by One Among Many to take part in her meme where she asks the following question:

Go back to your first few posts. Who was the first person to ever comment on your blog?

Among active bloggers, it would have to be Kestrel. It was a comment to the classic level 70 Priest gear post. It has the most views on this blog of all time.

OMGooses! Exactly what I’ve been looking for, all in one place.

Now all I need to do is run the instances to get some of this stuff to drop! (Have my Primal Mooncloth Belt, though!)

First ever WoW related comment would have to be from Pasco:

I do not like the fact everybody will get Fear Ward, would be nicer to remove this spell from the whole game (no I am not a warlock) for balancing issues.

Allow me to start another meme of my own and let’s see if this takes off.

To the bloggerati: I think your readers would love a look back at your favourite posts and activities of 2008. Would you not agree?

Here’s a look back at some of my favourite posts and highlight events over the past year!

And, it shall be written in the third person.

January

This was the start of a new year. Matt started an interview series on the blog interviewing other bloggers. The first blogger on the pedestal? Phaelia of Resto4Life. Not only that, but the time was right for Phae to launch Blog Azeroth and it seemed like a number of blogs sprung up overnight! The community continues to serve veteran and new bloggers alike to this day. Time constraints on his part has led to the never ending series to be placed on hiatus. But it’ll come back soon enough.

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One of the most popular posts during this month involved a spotlight being shone on a guild leader’s support staff. He showcased 10+3 personalities that every guild leader needs to have around. A lot of readers got a kick out it and even suggested several that he had missed! A resolution was made where he vowed that he would never pug a 25 man again. A year later, Matt’s still pugging 25s because he would never allow himself to bring his own undergeared character to guild runs. Many readers found the post on pvp battleground preform leaders revealed to be insightful and somewhat accurate in how they view their own ideal battleground leaders.

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February

Matt reached out to as many bloggers as possible via email in the hopes of enlisting their own contribution on the first of many collaborative blog posts. The end result was 7+2 healing haikus! It’s still fun to read now as it was a pleasure then. 

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Carnage, Matt’s guild at the time, saw a few members leave. Those events nudged him to write a post on leaving the guild the right way. Another Cosmo inspired headline ended up with this tongue-in-cheek eye opener of a post that plays might not have been aware of. Healers spill: White lies we tell tanks all the time contains even more excuses from healers and non-healers alike who offered their own wild stories that they’ve heard (and used)! Of course, that community-centric post further inspires another community involving post. Raiding horror stories and the opportunity it brings helped non-raiders realize that for all of its rewards, raiding can still be a big pain in the butt!

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March

The subconcious trend towards guild topic continues as Matt highlighted 20 characteristics of a mature guild member. It even gets picked up by Massively at one point. The blogger also offered a glimpse into my blog reading habits that aren’t necessarily WoW related.

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This was the month where he started his 5 part series that examined the 5 barriers of a raid healer. For those that were thinking about it, he offered 8 rules to forming your pickup raid. For another humourous story, take a look at the Matticus Hypothesis. It’s funny now just looking back on it. But man, was he pissed then.

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April

Matticus discovers that there are many tools for guild leaders but there isn’t a place that has all of them in one easy to reach place. 44 resources for the new guild leader is born! 5 Raid saving lessons from Dr House is penned after watching nothing but House reruns for a month.

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Another step toward world domination is taken when Matticus signs on with the WoW Insider team. Healing Priests everywhere are delighted that a Priest presence has returned. Your responses to Matt’s first ever Cosmo Challenge and the objective of helping bloggers have fun with their writing is complete. How to improve players without coming across as a jerk rounds out the month as Matticus looks inward to resolve his own inner demons.

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May

Positive feedback from an avid reader leads to the start of a friendly relationship. Matticus starts corresponding more which leads to Wynthea being brought on board. She makes up the 1 person department at the blog known as “Quality Assurance”. 20 things I know at level 70 that I didn’t know at level 1. 9 Traditional WoW Blog posts. Raiders become more introspective as they  compare their love of their guild versus love for themselves. Quick, critical and improv thinking on the fly is a valuable skill that merits its own post.

Wynthea and Matticus draw the battlelines and debate whether players should care about healing meters or whether they shouldn’t care (Discipline Priests know what Matt’s preaching).

June

Matticus is invited to speak on the Twisted Nether blogcast. The world finally hears the voice behind the keyboard. Outsourcing your raid instance is a common tactic progressed guilds use to get what they need fast. Another inspiration strikes courtesy of the Monique from Girls Don’t Game which helps spark confessions of a current ‘core raider.

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13 things every WoW player should know how to do is a quick lesson primer for many beginning and intro-level gamers. The game is beaten when Matticus takes down Illidan.

July

The ambitious healing blogger continues to scheme. Matticus isn’t yet satisfied. He wanted to develop the community more and offer additional ways to make the blog useful. After much discussion and collaboration with other top bloggers in the community, the decision is made. The project is green lighted. Plusheal, the all healer and newbie friendly community is established. It continues to be a resource for all healers both veteran and junior alike. Over 1000 members share ideas and tips with each other.

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A post is written on AFKing with etiquette: 4 things to remember for those of us with seemingly oversized bladders. Wyn presents her perspective on why the attitude of it doesn’t matter as long as the boss dies is wrong and harmful to raiding guilds. Confessions of a Raid healer is shamelessly written followed by Murphy’s 13 laws of raiding. An important question is answered: What should I look for in joining a guild?

August

A blog expansion begins as Matticus decides to host a contest to search for another blogger to add to the team. Readers voiced their opinions and picked their sides when guest blogger Aylii wrote about the potential doomsday scenario that Wrath raiding brings. Were the fears justified or was it really nothing to worry about? August is also full of guest bloggers who are anxious at a shot of being the 3rd blogger.

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7 points for a stress free raid helps to calm down irritated and temper flaring raiders. Matticus gets selected to participate in the Wrath beta test and over the next few weeks provides much wanted information for readers who wanted more information. A first look at the WoW achievement system is published .

September

After several technical difficulties, the blog receives an emergency visual overhaul. Reception is positive and information becomes even more streamlined. Font sizes for blog posts increase to the delight of eyesore WoW players everywhere.

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An easy process in how to be a World of Warcraft God in 5 steps is laid out for those with deity-like aspirations. As one of the few bloggers and healers with access to a WoW beta account, Matt takes a realistic look at level 80 raid healing. The third blogger is chosen to help round out the World of Matticus editorial team. Sydera, SYTYCB winner, continues to lend her wisdom in building a guild. Saresa attempts to seduce Matticus with reasons why Warlocks make the best lovers after he aptly states Warlocks aren’t his type. He counters with 12 Reasons why priests don’t make the best lovers.

October

Syd voices her love and hate for the newly added achievement system. More guild problems happen and I have to help resolve it.

In anticipation of Naxxramas, Matticus begins blogging about healing and boss strategies. NaNoWriMo is almost here and 7 ideas to jump start your WoW related novel are born. Healing became more fun with the addition of Surge of Light and Holy Concentration proccing abilities. Matt surmises Priests may not be sure which spell to use under what situation. Result? Order of Operations for Surge of Light, Clearcasting, and Improved Holy Concentration.

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Also, this guy takes the internet and the world by storm.

November

The blogopshere took a minor hit in productivity this month due to some minor expansion being released. Matticus took a rare several days off during this period of time. Several days later, he’s back with a ding being the first in Conquest to do so. A list of tips is written for those who want to fast track themselves to 80.

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In this same month, Matticus departs for free agency and works with fellow blogger Sydera to form Conquest. Bars are set and expectations remain high. No one knows how this project will turn out. The Twitterati, ever so supportive, offer a list of advice to GM-to-be Matticus in his transition from officer to executive. The Matticus doctrine is written out which continues to be the centerpiece of the guild. A guide for fresh 80 Holy Priests is written up on pre-raid gear selections.

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December

The Wrath expansion is well under way and Matticus offers up some advice for guilds that have recently formed: 11 reasons guild masters fail and deciding between normal and heroic raids. Several bloggers and Twitterati ask the Conquest loot system prompting a blog post about loot council. 

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Guild and raid efficiency continues to be a main concern that’s addressed in 7 ways to cut the crap out of guild bureaucracy. A reputation guide is written for Priests who are making their way into Northrend. It’s even applicable for casters. More guest posts are added and the process is streamlined with these posting guidelines for guest submissions.

2009: World of Matticus

The blog continues to grow and evolve in an accelerated pace. But we wouldn’t be here without you readers. We want to hear it from you: How can World of Matticus change for the upcoming year? What other topics would you like to read about? Your opinion can change the blog and make it that much more relevant to yourself, your guild, and your friends.

Feel free to leave a comment below or use the contact form.

Creativity and delivery is the heart and soul of Matticus. We want you to keep coming back. Our standards continue to go up every month. We’ll keep coming up with new blog posts and ideas to keep World of Matticus fresh for everyone.

We’ll be listening.