Patch 3.3

[K9]

That matches our experience. Also good point on shielding marked players. The mechanic is actually more interesting than the fight itself, since his buff will stack faster the more people are marked, leading to people being marked more often and so on. I think our marks were at about 50%, 30% and 18% hp or thereabouts.

# Ionar, in the Halls of Lightning, will now only disperse once during the course of the fight.
# Prophet Tharon’Ja of Drak'Tharon will now only steal your flesh one time during the encounter.

Ionar was a tad tiresome with his disperse, but these hardly seemed like urgent changes that would warrant hotfixing.

[Ingmar]

They're just quality of life changes. Both of those encounters were really irritating to do with the dps levels people are at now. 1-2 GCDs and the special gimmick mechanic fires off again.

[Rasix]

Same thing with Svala in UP.  I could almost get her to sacrifice the second she hit the ground as the only ranged DPS. 

I'm finding my DPS meters to be almost useless except for bosses.  Casting times don't work well with how hard melee hits nowadays.

[Soulflame]

I'm hoping something similiar is done for the Herald in OK.  It can be sort of amusing to fight the mirror images back to back... but not really.

Svala isn't quite as irritating, as ranged can dps her while she's in midair.  There's also the skippable boss in OK, but I'm not sure they'd change that one.

[Ingmar]

Anub'arak does the same thing with his burrows, but I don't see them changing that either as there's actually something interesting to do during that.

[Soulflame]

It's true.  Anub, Svala, and Jaewhatever (boss who flies up in the air and summons an add that buffs her if you don't kill her) all have things to do while they are burrowed or flying.  Ionar was really irritating because it's simply a RUN AWAY mechanic.

I didn't really mind Theron'ja, but I'll take the change regardless.

Now if only they put in a change that allows you to push faster in HVH.

[K9]

Tharon'ja was always fun to chain taunts and make the tanks freak out 

[Merusk]

Saurfang...  

Now you see why my raid went with "let the marked targets die" the first week.  This week our Disc Priest was back from his month-long trip to Asia.  We get him for 3 weeks and then he's gone again.   The fight was much easier with the bubbles going out... and once I decided to run out when the blood beasts spawn.  Wandering Plague is a bitch and I always get aggro on one or two, along with the pally tank's HOR doing the same.

[Soulflame]

I'm considering going with "have a disc priest and let the first marked one die" next week, to see how it works.  Our kill yesterday was touch-and-go even with bubbles everywhere.  I asked one of the holy priests to come with a disc secondary spec next week, so hopefully even if our disc is still at work, we can down Saurfang anyway.

[K9]

If you have any paladins, HoP and DI will clear the mark (I think)

[Jeff Kelly]

I should read patch notes if I don't want to look stupid next time.

This week I had the first post patch day I could play (project due dates the holidays and you: it's ridiculous how a holiday that's celebrated each year hits a lot of folks completely off guard).

Hell have they changed a lot of stuff.

I also wondered why vampiric touch wasn't displayed on the mobs although I kept casting it like mad... nice change btw in making it last for 30 minutes.

[SurfD]

If you have any paladins, HoP and DI will clear the mark (I think)

Boiling blood (the temporary dot) yes, Mark of the Fallen Champion is permanent untill dead from what i understand.  Nothing removes it.

[K9]

I also wondered why vampiric touch wasn't displayed on the mobs although I kept casting it like mad... nice change btw in making it last for 30 minutes.

Vampiric Embrace?

That was a long overdue change.

[Mattemeo]

I also wondered why vampiric touch wasn't displayed on the mobs although I kept casting it like mad... nice change btw in making it last for 30 minutes.

Vampiric Embrace?

That was a long overdue change.

Took me a while to get used to it being a buff now, but omg. I actually do healing when using Mind Sear, which is utterly fantastic and may even be a serious boost to raiding HoT - going to be lots of overheal during Ony whelps, for example.

[Lakov_Sanite]

I also wondered why vampiric touch wasn't displayed on the mobs although I kept casting it like mad... nice change btw in making it last for 30 minutes.

Vampiric Embrace?

That was a long overdue change.

Took me a while to get used to it being a buff now, but omg. I actually do healing when using Mind Sear, which is utterly fantastic and may even be a serious boost to raiding HoT - going to be lots of overheal during Ony whelps, for example.

It doesn't work with mind sear.

[Gobbeldygook]

If you have any paladins, HoP and DI will clear the mark (I think)

Boiling blood (the temporary dot) yes, Mark of the Fallen Champion is permanent untill dead from what i understand.  Nothing removes it.

You are wrong in an extremely important manner: Mark of the Fallen Champion lasts through death.  If you rez someone with the mark, they will rez, die, and give him another 1.5 million HP.

[Ingmar]

I want to say I read that hand of protection will remove the mark, too. Maybe that's been hotfixed by now though.

[Soulflame]

Absolutely nothing removes Mark of the Fallen Champion, aside from the boss dying, or the encounter resetting.

[K9]

If hand of protection blocks the damage though that would be quite the help though, if used on a caster.

DI should remove it, since DI removes everything afaik.

[Ingmar]

Oh maybe that's what I actually was reading about, thinking about it - it was someone saying "first fight where DI is good since Razorgore!" or something.

[Soulflame]

Huh.  If DI works, that'd probably be worth it, assuming you have a warlock.

[K9]

Yeah, it's not a foolproof method. It would probably be easier to just deal with the damage or let the marked player die.

[March]

It's true.  Anub, Svala, and Jaewhatever (boss who flies up in the air and summons an add that buffs her if you don't kill her) all have things to do while they are burrowed or flying.  Ionar was really irritating because it's simply a RUN AWAY mechanic.

I didn't really mind Theron'ja, but I'll take the change regardless.

Now if only they put in a change that allows you to push faster in HVH.

I wish they would change CoS to work like ToC... if you want the 5 minute melodramatic preamble, then you can have it... otherwise, straight to the encounter.

Fuck, that's one mouthy instance.

[Polysorbate80]

I finally did the three ICC 5-mans last night, as DPS with my PvP gear and protribution spec, so that I could see how they went.  I believe I could tank them on heroic, but it would make for a grumpy healer, so I'll wait til I pick up a little badge gear.

The only issues?

1) People going "WTF" over the concept of DPS in protection spec.  

2)  We had to run the gauntlet in halls of reflection twice, after missing killing the last mob by about three seconds.  Turned out the shaman had been working his way through an ounce of weed.  We got him to focus at least a *little* attention during the second run and made it through.

*Edit* oh, and 3) Culling of Stratholme was fun once, but never make me do it again as a random non-heroic, kthanx.

[Merusk]

Tangent:  One of the most skilled players I've ever played with during Vanilla/ BC was always high when he was at his best.  Guy was a fantastic tank and could switch easily into being a great DPS war and was equally skilled healing and DPSing on his shaman.   One night he was a little off his game, and I asked what was up in a tell.  The reply: "Dude, rent was due so I couldn't buy a bag this week.  I'm sober and can't focus."

[Polysorbate80]

Yeah, I know people sort of like that; my brother-in-law gets stoned and becomes a house-cleaning machine, and another guy I knew would get high and just start building stuff.  Not that I advocate mixing drug use and power tools, but this guy had the knack for it.   Not sure whatever became of him, hope he's still got all his fingers and toes attached.

[AutomaticZen]

I finally did the three ICC 5-mans last night, as DPS with my PvP gear and protribution spec, so that I could see how they went.  I believe I could tank them on heroic, but it would make for a grumpy healer, so I'll wait til I pick up a little badge gear.

The only issues?

1) People going "WTF" over the concept of DPS in protection spec.  

Because you have dual-spec.  DPS in...*shock* a DPS spec.

[Tannhauser]

3.3 is the greatest patch evar!  No green!  I re-subbed and have been hitting the /lfd system.  I've done about 8 instances and only one broke down (someone kicked our healer).  Sure you get some avatards, but I've met some great players too.  Instances have always been my favorite part of WoW (not raids, 'nother tale) and now to get a group any time of day or night?  Awesome!

I don't know how hard this was to do technically, but every MMO should have this feature.  I thought I was done with WoW until Cataclysm but they pulled me back in again.

[Polysorbate80]

I finally did the three ICC 5-mans last night, as DPS with my PvP gear and protribution spec, so that I could see how they went.  I believe I could tank them on heroic, but it would make for a grumpy healer, so I'll wait til I pick up a little badge gear.

The only issues?

1) People going "WTF" over the concept of DPS in protection spec.  

Because you have dual-spec.  DPS in...*shock* a DPS spec.

Retribution is still a boring shitty spec, IMO.  I'll stick with two prot specs (one for tanking, one for DPS)

[Rasix]

Do you have a combat daggers rogue also?   

[Paelos]

Retribution is still a boring shitty spec, IMO.  I'll stick with two prot specs (one for tanking, one for DPS)

Make one for tanking and one for healing. You obviously missed the boat on DPS, so at least make yourself a dual threat.

[Fordel]

I want to know what makes Prot-DPS not boring, but Ret-DPS boring. Since they both consist of the nearly identical DPS play-styles.


Judge
Single Target Strike
Multi Target Strike
Ranged Cooldown Attack
Consecrate

[Paelos]

I want to know what makes Prot-DPS not boring, but Ret-DPS boring. Since they both consist of the nearly identical DPS play-styles.


Judge
Single Target Strike
Multi Target Strike
Ranged Cooldown Attack
Consecrate

In a combo spec, you get to be a beautiful and unique snowflake that hates math!

[Fordel]

You can't actually go deep enough into one tree to gain a bonus strike though, so the actual playstyle would not change.

You could be Ret-Spec and use a 1h/shield combo for an extra attack, but then you would be the boring Ret-Spec!


 

[AutomaticZen]

You can't actually go deep enough into one tree to gain a bonus strike though, so the actual playstyle would not change.

 

This is what I was wondering.  You can't go far enough into Prot to Hammer and still get deep enough in Ret to get Crusader Strike or Divine Storm.  And Vice versa.

At best, keep your Prot spec and put on DPS gear.  I can't fathom whatever hybrid spec you have is worth it.