Wrath Content Patch Spells Doom for Raiding

armageddon

This is a guest post by fellow guild and Enhancement Shaman all star Aylii who has become worried by the recent announcement of the pre-Wrath content patch and what it could mean to current end game raiding.

A few hours ago, Eyonix posted that the pre-Wrath content patch will be released in the coming weeks, which means that Wrath is just around the corner.

Like in the pre-Burning Crusade content patch, we will get to experience many of the new changes that will be coming to wrath a bit early, without needing the new expansion (Inscription to 375 anyone?). However, there is one flaw in the release that has me worried, and that is the new class spells and talents.

So far in Wrath, we as bloggers have read and kept track of the many changes to our respecting classes in the coming days. From the addition of many AOE healing spells, the change in mana regeneration and it’s respective talents, the warrior dreaming of duel wielding his two-handers, we have watched it all. There is one darkness that looms over all of these changes, and it mostly revolves around something many of us do casually or hardcore:

We love to raid.

Many class mechanics in Wrath were drastically changed to handle the encounters for the future. Crushing blows were removed. Intense need for mana regeneration destroyed. Changes in how we attack and defend. All of this tuned for Malygos and Arthas.

Yet it is released now, when we are still killing bosses who will preform crushing blows, still begging for blessing of salvation because we know we will pull, still chugging our mana potions. The sad thing is, there is most likely nothing we will do to stop it. For, after all, the pre-BC bosses were never changed, so why should the post-BC bosses be changed for wrath?

Crushing Blows

When I read about these changes, the first thing that popped into my mind was, “Gridlock is never going to get his Warglaive now.” The reasoning, Illidan will become undoable with the changes to talents. In the new content patch, Shield Block will be changed to a 40 second cooldown with Improved Shieldblock. Your Warrior will be crushed if he saves his shield blocks for shear. Sure, you can use a paladin to tank Illidan, but then the flame tanks will be crushed. I’d hate to imagine Sunwell guilds trying Brutallus now.

Threat

Every boss in BC is tuned to have threat control. In the content patch, we will be losing the main ways we reduce threat, Salvation and Tranquil Air. The talents will be still there, but until tanks (mostly warriors and druids) get some new gear from Northrend, they will not be able to keep up threat, unless they tank in Arena Gear. Goodbye Reliquary of Souls.

Itemization

So far I know of three classes (specs) who are getting major itemization changes: shaman, druid, and warrior. The smart enhancement shaman currently wears leather gear, which will leave them weaker after the patch due to the new stat bonuses they get (1 ap per str, agi, int). Similarly, protection warriors, who focus on block value and stamina, will be unable to keep threat because none of their gear has strength. Blizzard has stated that they will make the transistion easier for classes such as these, but gear only accounts for one of the problems.

These are the highlights of Eyonix’s post, but it is just that, highlights. There are other things in the content patch that we might see that can kill raiding, such as:

Potions

Potions. Potions. Potions.

We love them, we need them, we crave them. Soon we will be without them. Currently, in Wrath, if you drink a potion, you get potion sickness, which makes you unable to take another potion. Current bosses are tuned to make us chug mana pots, and even with three classes now supplying mana, I fear the changes will not be enough until we hit Wrath itemized gear.

Downranking

If the downranking nerf makes it into the content patch, kiss your healers goodbye. As I write this now, there is currently no alternative to healing people up besides using the max rank heal, which means more mana, which means out of mana healers who have to sit on their butts and watch their aggro loving dps and tanks die. I sincerely hope that Blizzard does not include this in the content patch, ot better yet, unnerf the nerf!
Whatever Blizzard does, I hope they do something about this. Myself, and many other raiders, still wish to raid before Wrath.

Source: Eyonix Post

Now it’s your turn. Do you think raiding will become even more difficult? Would this alarming change add even more pressure to your Guild to start knocking out bosses and seeing more of end game?

The Five Forms of Failure

Through the game of World of Warcraft, you will encounter frequent references involving the word fail. The usage has evolved to the point now where there are multiple types of fail which each have different meanings. As a gamer, it is now more important than ever to be able to distinguish between the various failings that people commit so that the you can make fun of them in an appropriate way.

You Fail

This type of fail is commonly directed to individuals. They commit an act that has made others around them wince. Although it is by no means the end of the world, at most, the effects will be a minor inconvenience to them and to others around them.

Examples: Hearthing back to Shattrath because they forgot gear or consumables.

Usage: WOW, you FAIL!

The Horrible Fail

An action that is a horrible fail is generally not considered far reaching or of any consequence. The fact that “you horribly fail” is attributed to a person’s skill at doing something (or more commonly, not doing something). For whatever reason, despite numerous attempts at coaching and teaching, the person is not able to step up to the level that is expected of them for the entire group to proceed.

Examples: Inability to click cubes, inability to run away from players when you are the “bomb”.

Usage: That pug group last night had some serious horrible fail going on.

The Massive Fail

Typically, the massive fail is directed at organizations instead of players. Perhaps the guild has worked on a boss for a massively long time. The massive fail is a representation of the leadership’s inability to accomplish anything meaningful. One way to tell if a Guild is massive fail is to observe their guild ad in the trade channel.

Starting Karazhan? Cool.
Have a Guild website? Perfect.
Ventrilo server? Nice.

But then they add something at the end along the likes of “we haz tabard!”

Honestly, is there nothing better to add to your ad then saying you have a tabard? That’s like my future fortune 500 company saying we’re experimenting exponential growth, 250% sales increase over the past 2 years, and that we have a logo!

But I digress.

Example: A revolving door guild that continuously attracts and loses players.

Usage: It’s a wonder how they got down Gruul with such massive fail going around.

The Failboat

Unlike the other fails, the failboat is an expression of a type of failure that has yet to occur. It’s described as a premonition or a feeling of foreshadowing. You don’t quite know what is going to happen, but you can’t shake the dread from your system.

Example: Having “that guy” in your raid, or noticing that you have a blue geared player in your Hyjal raid.

Usage: All aboard the failboat!

The Epic Fail

Lastly, but definitely in no way the least is the epic fail. Unfortunately, current society has thrown around the epic fail phrase for so long that they have forgotten the true nature and meaning of the epic fail! The epic fail is a form of failure where redemption is nigh impossible to achieve. An epic fail is a failure that only the most esteemed of failees can earn. The epic failure is of such failness that all matter moves away from them so as to not be associated.

And despite popular belief, not even the shields on the flagship of Admiral Ackbar can withstand the failpower of such magnitude.

Examples: A Warlock on a progression raid getting locked outside the doors of Illidrai council only to witness the 24 players within downing the boss while he gets a front row seat to the door of fail.

Usage: You’ll recognize it when you see it.