Cataclysm

[Fordel]

Dammit! 

[Ingmar]

Not really up on the DK tank Rotations for Cata, but don't DK tanks require a target that hits back to proc a lot of their "anti-rune-starvation" abilities?

Yes, Rune Strike requires you either parry or dodge an attack.  It's one of those things I *always* hit when it's up as it generates pretty decent threat and occupies time waiting for runes to come back.

Rune Strike is the only reactive ability I can think of off-hand, and that just uses rune power.  (Amazing how fast one forgets.)  My anti-starvation was making sure I had several of the X Rune becomes Death Rune upon refresh abilities.  Once I was through my first rotation, I either had enough rune power or runes off cool down that I could do something.

I do believe I expressed concern about the new rune mechanics though.  For some builds it might not be a problem, but the way it was described it would have completely messed up my Blood Tank.  I wouldn't be surprised if that is causing problems, too.

Rune Strike under the new system does sort of count as anti-starvation, because it is a GCD where you're pressing RS instead of a rune-using ability, giving them longer to come back or whatever.

[K9]

Motherfucking scorpion mount!


DO WANT

Seriously, this is the sort of stuff that makes me want to switch factions. The extent to which this is better than some wank lion is hard to express.

[Ingmar]

wat

The lion blows that thing away, you are craaaaazy.

[Lakov_Sanite]

 I'm horde, love playing it and hate alliance and I still think the lion is better. I mean I like giant scorpions and all but seriously it just doesn't compete.

[Rendakor]

Lions are cool, but I already have a tiger. I have nothing remotely resembling a scorpion, so I say "Horde, Fuck yea!"

[Sjofn]

You have nothing resembling a scorpion because riding something resembling a scorpion is fucking stupid.


EDIT: I suppose there is a single exception to that rule: When you are a baby scorpion.

[WindupAtheist]

Just don't lean back in the seat and you'll be fine.

[Threash]

wat

The lion blows that thing away, you are craaaaazy.

Seriously, that thing doesn't even have a saddle so it's just basically jumping on top of the things you've been killing since level 20.

[K9]

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE

It's a motherfucking scorpion! 

[Chimpy]

It is also pretty stupid looking as far as "things someone would possibly ride around on".

[Rasix]

I don't think they're done with the scorpion.  As is, I'd still take it over the lion.  If the lion didn't have a dumb mask, it might be a closer call.

Just don't lean back in the seat and you'll be fine.

Nothing some bubble wrap and tape can't take care of.

[Merusk]

Not really up on the DK tank Rotations for Cata, but don't DK tanks require a target that hits back to proc a lot of their "anti-rune-starvation" abilities?

Yes, Rune Strike requires you either parry or dodge an attack.  It's one of those things I *always* hit when it's up as it generates pretty decent threat and occupies time waiting for runes to come back.

Rune Strike is the only reactive ability I can think of off-hand, and that just uses rune power.  (Amazing how fast one forgets.)  My anti-starvation was making sure I had several of the X Rune becomes Death Rune upon refresh abilities.  Once I was through my first rotation, I either had enough rune power or runes off cool down that I could do something.

I do believe I expressed concern about the new rune mechanics though.  For some builds it might not be a problem, but the way it was described it would have completely messed up my Blood Tank.  I wouldn't be surprised if that is causing problems, too.

Rune Strike under the new system does sort of count as anti-starvation, because it is a GCD where you're pressing RS instead of a rune-using ability, giving them longer to come back or whatever.

Yes, Rune Strike is the only reactive tanking ability and requieres a dodge or parry to activate so as a tank it's nearlyalways up (and costs 20runic power).  However, it's a single-target ability and they previously stated they expect pestilence>blood boil to be the way blood tanks hold aggro on more than one target.  The current rune mechanics, however, disagree with what they said.

Since runes refresh one-then another you're constantly cycling only 3 runes after the initial combat.  They expect DK tanks to be spamming Death Strike often, for self-healing.. so that's two runes being used all the time as soon as they refresh.  That leaves One blood rune to cast: Bone shield, Pestilence, Blood Plague, Strangulate and Rune Tap (Granted, you should be using a BT>RT Macro for the last.)

That's a problem.

Runic Empowerment is supposed to "fix" this, but it's a 45% chance to refresh a random rune back to it's original state.  So that's only a 15% chance, per rune strike (Which is also a random based on d/p) of having a rune you need activate. Things start to look grim.

[Simond]

I don't think they're done with the scorpion.  As is, I'd still take it over the lion.  If the lion didn't have a dumb mask, it might be a closer call.

Just don't lean back in the seat and you'll be fine.

Nothing some bubble wrap and tape can't take care of.

Real Horde endure the pain.
Hell, one of the newbie recipes in Durotar is "gather scorpid tails, bake, try not to bite down on the poison sac"

[Selby]

That's a problem.

We'll see when it goes live.  They have monkeyed with so many classes over the years we always have to re-learn them and end up excelling at one thing or another.

[SurfD]

I don't think they're done with the scorpion.  As is, I'd still take it over the lion.  If the lion didn't have a dumb mask, it might be a closer call.

Just don't lean back in the seat and you'll be fine.

Nothing some bubble wrap and tape can't take care of.

Real Horde endure the pain.
Hell, one of the newbie recipes in Durotar is "gather scorpid tails, bake, try not to bite down on the poison sac"

That's not a new recepie, Scorpid Surprise has been in the game since vanilla if i remember correctly.

My only question about the horde mount is : where is the seat / armor / guild tabard thingie?

[Rendakor]

newbie != new

I assume the scorpion mount isn't finished yet, much like they posted the lion mount without all its armor and such first.

[Sjofn]

It is also pretty stupid looking as far as "things someone would possibly ride around on".

That's what I'm sayin'!

[DraconianOne]

Can't stand the scorpion mount.  I'd rather swap factions to Ally for the lion than ride that thing and that ain't never gonna happen in this lifetime.

The Sandstone Drake alchemy "mount", on the other hand, would make me retrain in Alchemy. Turn into a dragon and be able to carry someone else? Yes please!  Maybe this will mean that Druids will become mountable too? 

[Malakili]

Can't stand the scorpion mount.  I'd rather swap factions to Ally for the lion than ride that thing and that ain't never gonna happen in this lifetime.

The Sandstone Drake alchemy "mount", on the other hand, would make me retrain in Alchemy. Turn into a dragon and be able to carry someone else? Yes please!  Maybe this will mean that Druids will become mountable too? 

They already are on certain RP servers.

[Der Helm]

They already are on certain RP servers.

Beat me to it. 

[Simond]

Speaking of, there's quite a few people on the various fansites complaining about the new-look female worgen. Seems that Blizzard's idea of worgen being barely-constrained snarling animals a hairs-breadth away from snapping and ripping out someone's jugular with their teeth doesn't fit with their RP plans.

[Typhon]

You're all crazy, nothing says "BadAssMoFO!" more than riding up on a GIANT scorpion.

Fricken Sigfried and Roy have ridden lions.  Have they ridden giant scorpions?  NO, no they haven't.

Too bad I play alliance.

[Shrike]

Speaking of, there's quite a few people on the various fansites complaining about the new-look female worgen. Seems that Blizzard's idea of worgen being barely-constrained snarling animals a hairs-breadth away from snapping and ripping out someone's jugular with their teeth doesn't fit with their RP plans.

Screw them. It fits in with mine just fine. Such as they are. Which ain't much. Nevertheless, it fits my mental image to a fare-thee-well.

[SurfD]

Can't stand the scorpion mount.  I'd rather swap factions to Ally for the lion than ride that thing and that ain't never gonna happen in this lifetime.

The Sandstone Drake alchemy "mount", on the other hand, would make me retrain in Alchemy. Turn into a dragon and be able to carry someone else? Yes please!  Maybe this will mean that Druids will become mountable too?  

I am almost positive someone posted a datamined link of a "passenger mount" raven form type ability, which indicates that said form may indeed be a possibility for druids.

Edit: Nope, my mistake.  Not a Raven form, but http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/57859/essence-of-the-underworld-nyi/ (Transform yourself into a Twilight Pheonix, allowing you to carry a passenger), so probably not a passenger druid form, but we can always hope.

[DraconianOne]

You're all crazy, nothing says "BadAssMoFO!" more than riding up on a GIANT scorpion.

Go watch the new Clash of the Titans and then come back and say that without wincing.

[Rasix]

You're all crazy, nothing says "BadAssMoFO!" more than riding up on a GIANT scorpion.

Go watch the new Clash of the Titans and then come back and say that without wincing.

That movie never happened.  Harry Hamlin or GTFO.

[Sjofn]

Speaking of, there's quite a few people on the various fansites complaining about the new-look female worgen. Seems that Blizzard's idea of worgen being barely-constrained snarling animals a hairs-breadth away from snapping and ripping out someone's jugular with their teeth doesn't fit with their RP plans.

The thing with the new lady worgen's head is her eyes are a little too ... TOO. I mean, maybe she's supposed to be a wide-eyed crazypants, but instead it just looks like she just had too much coffee.

[WindupAtheist]

Spoilers for the big pre-Cataclysm event.


Compared to the pre-WOTLK stuff this sounds boring as shit. Loot is a bunch of gear you'll be throwing away for quest greens a week later anyway. No sign so far of any tabards/mounts/anything you might still want to own by December. The zombie invasion was the best thing they ever did, this is more like "Well I don't need any new ilvl 251 PVE gear a week before Cataclysm and I'll probably be in Dalaran anyway, guess I'll forget this exists."

[DraconianOne]

Sounds more like the skelly-dragon invasion part of the pre-WoTLK event when Thrall and Garrosh were waving handbags at each other.

[Ingmar]

Pre-WotLK event had throwaway gear too.

[K9]

Looks like the event gear is itemised for Cataclysm and not the current game too.

[SurfD]

Looks like the event gear is itemised for Cataclysm and not the current game too.

Would make sense, since that will probably go live along with the pre-cata balance pass patch where they re do all the talent trees and stuff

[K9]

Yeah, I guess so, although I saw one of the pieces had expertise and i thought that was one of the stats that was being dropped from the game. I may be wrong though.

[WindupAtheist]

Pre-WotLK event had throwaway gear too.

Yeah but they also turned on the old-style Scourge invasion event too, and I got a tabard and novelty trinket out of the deal that I still have. Plus I got to fight zombies and turn into a zombie and so on. This shit is about as exciting as when they used to spawn monsters in town in UO for a month.

Also, lore nerd alert, but what the hell is up with the Scourge in Cataclysm? Sylvanas is recruiting Valkyr, Araj the Summoner is leading a Scourge remnant force in the plaguelands, what the fuck happened to Bolvar and his magic hat keeping them in line? Can't they go one update cycle without contradicting themselves? I'm all for lore retcons where they benefit gameplay, but it should really take more than a couple months for you to need one. This is embarassingly bad writing, even for WoW.