Initial Thoughts on Pandaria

[luckton]

Heh, DLC actually covered the Shado-Pan sillyness recently.

[Miasma]

Remember that they plan on doubling rep gains from revered to exalted come 5.1, unless you really want a particular mount I wouldn't bother grinding out exalted until then.  I don't mind the tiller dailies so I still do those, should get my last four plots in a few days.

[Paelos]

Remember that they plan on doubling rep gains from revered to exalted come 5.1, unless you really want a particular mount I wouldn't bother grinding out exalted until then.  I don't mind the tiller dailies so I still do those, should get my last four plots in a few days.

Exactly, that's why I stopped Lotus. Here's the ones I don't mind doing right now:

Tillers, Anglers, Serpent, the Arch daily, and I fish up one of the special rare fish.

[luckton]

My main drive for GL and the others is the achievements.  They all have 'chieves that vary on available completion because of the dailies changing. 

Also, 489 epic quest rewards for Klaxxi and GL at Exalted too.  Kinda makes them hard to pass up, IMO.  Means you could save your Valor for other stuffs.

[cmlancas]

Also, 489 epic quest rewards for Klaxxi and GL at Exalted too.  Kinda makes them hard to pass up, IMO.  Means you could save your Valor for other stuffs.

Specific reason I'm completing these daily, even if sometimes I don't want to.  Gear score makes a huge difference when you're carrying people in raids.

[Merusk]

Yeah, Tillers and Anglers are all pretty fun and I'll do them even after hitting exalted/ all "Best Friends."

The only Tiller quest I skip is the "plant this seed!" daily.  I'm trying to harvest witchberries,and  jade pumpkins, bitch, I don't need no damn turnips!  (And I need no more motes of harmony.  I have 15 of the damn Harmonies as an engineer. Nobody needs that many Pandarian Dragonlings.)

My Valor Points are getting saved until I can get "real" gear off of VP vendors anyway. I'm an LFR guy right now so my gearscore means jack.

[luckton]

Still, you need the gear to at least get into LFR, and 470 is a somewhat steep min. needed to get so you can play in the newer raids next week.  I have several 470+ pieces right now and I still average below 470 due to itemization and stuff.  Valor helps, but right now it's an upgrade every other week because of pricing.  The good news is in 5.1 we get to upgrade Valor gear with small amounts of Valor, so the curve won't seem so bad.

[Merusk]

Meh, 470 isn't that steep.  I haven't replaced a trinket, chest, shoulder or wrist and i'm at 464 equipped.  If I actually get back to running Heroics and Scenarios (which the dailies keep you from...) I should hit it.

I haven't reforged in a while, so I shouldn't share but here:
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/character/alleria/Ayarae/simple

[Rendakor]

The "plant this seed" quest doesn't require you to harvest it; plant it, turn your quest in, then dig it up with a shovel.

[Paelos]

The "plant this seed" quest doesn't require you to harvest it; plant it, turn your quest in, then dig it up with a shovel.

Yep, I do that. Free coins.

[Rokal]

The problem with August and the Shadow-Pan is that'll take twice as long to hit Exalted.  You only get one group of quests for each faction at all levels of rep.

I think the August Celestial and Shadopan quests give 250 per. With the guild rep bonus (+10%) and the Hallow's End wickerman buff (+10% rep, +10% exp) that's 300 per quest which means they progress at almost the same rate as GL but with 1/3 the quests. I am okay with this.

[Pennilenko]

I just said no to the daily bullshit and have been building my gear sets via heroics, and pick up raid world bosses and raid finder. No bullshit rep daily grinds necessary.

[Zetor]

Same. My shaman is very close to 470 now, all I need is some lucky drops from LFR (yeah I know, x100)... haven't done any dailies.

A bit of an aside, but I tried out battle pets today. OH MY GOD IT'S FULL OF STARS -- but seriously, it's pretty interesting and fun (I've never played any Pokemon, so the concept is mostly new to me). Don't really want to do pvp matches with the "let's put a level 1 next to two level 25 pets and roflstomp noobs" shenanigans I've read about, though.

[Paelos]

Are any of you doing LFR as non-dps? What are your findings of the difficulty and people's reaction to the environment.

[Merusk]

I may be DPS but I watch some of the tank mechanics out of old habit.  Seems fairly straightforward on the first 3 bosses, but the last 3 require a lot more coordination from the raid.  Particularly the 3rd of the 2nd half of Moshugun since the DPS need to keep the Courage and Strength off the tanks.   If you don't have someone willing to step-up and explain this to the newbs, things can get ugly.   Even then, the Healers seem to like to stand there when the Rages focus them and are then turned in to paste.

Elgnon was the hardest for everyone to learn so far, though.   So much movement, quick-repetition of tasks and add-swapping seems to send some in to shut-down mode. Things I learned:

*  In LFR you can keep the guardian add up near the boss for DPS, so I recommend you do so.  When we did that on Friday evening the boss went down without a hitch related to adds. When we tried to keep them away, no difference except that people did not switch to the adds.
*  Make sure SOMEONE yells out to kill the sparks.. then AGAIN.. then AGAIN.  You'll probably get the towers on the 3rd try as everyone seems to burn CDs on the first two.
*  No matter how much you spam "GET OFF THE FLOOR" idiots are going to fall.  Expect one wipe due to this right now and take it in stride.  Say "Ok, now you see what that's all about so get off the floor."  If it happens a 2nd time start vote-kicking people. 
*  This boss more than the others brings out the trolling assholes crying about other people failing while they suck, don't fall to that level and votekick them instead.
* 

[Miasma]

I'm honestly not very familiar with the mechanics but as a healer we seem to be able to heal through most people not following the mechanics that don't one shot, like Elgnon's floor.  Last time on Feng I'm pretty sure the tanks didn't even use their damn items, I know the protective bubble never went up.  Had some fucking moron DK who thought he was a third tank in blood spec taking aggro from the two actual designated tanks the whole time too.

Edit: Meant feng not guardian.

[Zetor]

I haven't tried as a tank, but tank queues are said to be REALLY long - and tanks are still the single biggest factor in many of the LFR bosses (if you have a tank who doesn't know what to do, you'll either wipe or make the healers work REALLY hard)

As a healer, things are straightforward for the first 3 bosses (first one is just mindless aoe healing for the most part, second one has predictable burst phases when everyone's clumping up (though it can get clusterfucky in a jiffy if people aren't moving out when they get debuffed / the offtank isn't taking the second crystal), third one has "heal the debuffed people" and "enter the portal if you're oom". The second three bosses are a lot nastier, as there are plenty of non-oneshot avoidable damage sources that people suck at avoiding, which drains mana like crazy. Specifically:
- getting hit by flanking orders / volley (spirit kings)
- not killing the adds and/or dragging them into the raid (spirit kings)
- taking hits from the 'rage' adds attacking you instead of kiting them (will of the emperor)
- standing in the various AOEs done by the two bosses, both as dps and especially as tank (will of the emperor)
- standing in AOEs created by the 'strength' adds (will of the emperor)

When I did WOTE on my shaman, the healers were running completely dry multiple times during the encounter - of course some of the healers just mindlessly spammed aoe heals with high overhealing / low hps that probably didn't help.

[Miasma]

Yeah I'm not sure what it was but in the latter stages of Will of the Emperor there is titan gas combined with some raid wide damage that combined with a soft enrage that almost wiped us because most healers ran out of mana.  I got a hymn off at the end but one more burst would have wiped us.

Still, I've only wiped two out of nine times doing panda lfr and very few people knew the fights so they're only going to get easier for a couple months.

[luckton]

LFR Mogu'shan Vaults is easy.

- 1st boss: Pile up lions and AoE.  LFR damage on petrify is kinda harsh, but not insta-kill.
- 2nd boss: Pile up on the dude and AoE, maybe the tanks will use the absorb/reflect shields.
- 3rd boss: Pile up on the dude and AoE, maybe DPS will use the portals to fight the bads on the other side.  Tanks are forced to swap automatically through the fight due to the dude's execute mechanic.
- 4th boss: Pile up on the dude and AoE, move to avoid guard lines and don't overdo the AoE when everyone is a target (also refrain from DoTs/debuffs as well)
- 5th boss: Pile up on the dude and AoE, move to avoid falling, kill columns, back to the dude.
- 6th boss: Kill Courages, kill Strengths, kill Rages (in that priority order), THEN you may have my permission to die attack one of the two dudes, whichever is closer after you've handled the adds.  The gas is just a 10-20 second damage amp, not actually doing damage, but makes the blade combo sweeps hit hard.  They can be avoided if you know which way the blade will swing, which raid addons like DBM can do.

[Sjofn]

Leveling up a monk is boring as fuck. Way too much space between new things, and every single Alliance leveling zone pisses me off story-wise. 

[SurfD]

- 6th boss: Kill Courages, kill Strengths, kill Rages (in that priority order), THEN you may have my permission to die attack one of the two dudes, whichever is closer after you've handled the adds.  The gas is just a 10-20 second damage amp, not actually doing damage, but makes the blade combo sweeps hit hard.  They can be avoided if you know which way the blade will swing, which raid addons like DBM can do.

I would love to know how DBM would tell what direction the Devistating combo hits are coming from.  Unless the boss whispers you something when you are tanking, as far as i can tell from a DPS standpoint, the only indication you get is a visual clue from the Boss Model windup animation, which I didnt think DBM had any way to read.

Also, I think the Gas is also the enrage timer, since on one of the first LFR attempts i was in, there was a point where the Gass came out and then never went away, resulting in the whole raid eventually dying to AoE damage from it.

[Fabricated]

Leveling up a monk is boring as fuck. Way too much space between new things, and every single Alliance leveling zone pisses me off story-wise. 

I have literally the opposite problem where even the new Horde leveling experience is fucking awful. Goddamn Kalimdor is the shittiest continent, and I wish it would have sank into the ocean.

[Merusk]

- 6th boss: Kill Courages, kill Strengths, kill Rages (in that priority order), THEN you may have my permission to die attack one of the two dudes, whichever is closer after you've handled the adds.  The gas is just a 10-20 second damage amp, not actually doing damage, but makes the blade combo sweeps hit hard.  They can be avoided if you know which way the blade will swing, which raid addons like DBM can do.

I would love to know how DBM would tell what direction the Devistating combo hits are coming from.  Unless the boss whispers you something when you are tanking, as far as i can tell from a DPS standpoint, the only indication you get is a visual clue from the Boss Model windup animation, which I didnt think DBM had any way to read.

Also, I think the Gas is also the enrage timer, since on one of the first LFR attempts i was in, there was a point where the Gass came out and then never went away, resulting in the whole raid eventually dying to AoE damage from it.

Yeah gas is part of the enrage mechanic and appears after approx 12 mins without going away.   If you're hitting that then your melee and your tanks aren't avoiding the Devastating Combo mechanic and getting the Uber-damage buff it gives.  (One-use 1-million-damage button each time you avoid it.)

DBM may be able to predict where devastating arc is going because there are pretty lights that flash to one side or another. That has to trigger a graphic effect of one type or another and DBM might be searching for that to give the warning.

[Sjofn]

Leveling up a monk is boring as fuck. Way too much space between new things, and every single Alliance leveling zone pisses me off story-wise. 

I have literally the opposite problem where even the new Horde leveling experience is fucking awful. Goddamn Kalimdor is the shittiest continent, and I wish it would have sank into the ocean.

Kalimdor is, indeed, the shittiest continent (my monk is a NE, actually, so she started there too ... I ditched for Eastern Kingdoms at about level 10). But at least with the Horde Kalimdor shit, it isn't an endless parade of HA HA, FUCK YOU, YOU LOSE the entire goddamn time.

[luckton]

I'm telling you the truth; DBM was telling me which way the swipes were coming, and I was able to avoid all of them once I got the jist of it down.

[luckton]

Exciting week for me.

- Knocked out Exalted Klaxxi, Anglers, and Golden Lotus, along with BFFs with the Tiller posse.




- Fuck getting BFFs with Nat.  If those fish dropped on a more frequent basis than just 1%, I'd be fine with doing them daily for a month.  Since their not, fuck him, fuck his fish, and thanks for the raft.

- Knocked out all of the achieves related to the Golden Lotus dailies (except the kill elites one), all but Chi-ji's 'chieve for the ACs, all but the Dark Skies 'chieve for Klaxxi, and all but the 'Know Your Role' and 'Getting Around...' 'chieves with the Shado-Pan.

- Not having to use my farm to grow food for the Tillers means my plan of Harmony mote farming is coming closer to reality.  Just a couple more days to get the Brew feast mats needed and I'll have all of the Ways mastered.

- 4 non-difficult quests for Shado-Pan and August Celestials and that's it till done?  NO PROBLEM 

[Merusk]

Good lord, do you even have a job?

I did Tillers quests (except fatty goatsteak fuck that line), Klaxi quests and 2/3 of shado pan quests last night along with Headless Horseman and it was 9:35 when my raid queue popped.  Did Eregon and WOTE and went to bed at 11, with AC, GL and the rest of SP untouched.

[cmlancas]

Good lord, do you even have a job?

I did Tillers quests (except fatty goatsteak fuck that line), Klaxi quests and 2/3 of shado pan quests last night along with Headless Horseman and it was 9:35 when my raid queue popped.  Did Eregon and WOTE and went to bed at 11, with AC, GL and the rest of SP untouched.

I've found grabbing a couple buddies to do GL and Klaxxi shortens the time it takes to run through dailies considerably.

I find I can knock out three factions' dailies in about 90 minutes.

[Fabricated]

The leveling experience is pretty fun so far. Did the Stormstout brewery and it was pretty fun and WotLK-y in that the mobs weren't terribly involved and the boss gimmicks were fairly forgiving. Hopefully that lasts.

I'm vaguely dreading tanking LFR when I get to it since I'll be pretty late to the party.

[cmlancas]

I'm vaguely dreading tanking LFR when I get to it since I'll be pretty late to the party.

This should actually work out to your advantage...most folks won't fall down the hole during Elegon and other assorted early-on LFR mistakes.

[Sjofn]

Except the new tank, the loser! 

[Fabricated]

Hopefully the progressive nerfs will have started going in by then. I'm pretty much pure casual now and so is my guild, which I figured would be raiding normals by now. Nope; they just groupqueue for LFR and that's good enough because fuck organizing this crap anymore after 7+ years.

[Paelos]

Hopefully the progressive nerfs will have started going in by then. I'm pretty much pure casual now and so is my guild, which I figured would be raiding normals by now. Nope; they just groupqueue for LFR and that's good enough because fuck organizing this crap anymore after 7+ years.

We've pretty much headed that direction and I've switched guilds since my old one moved to RIFT for some ridiculous reason. Also, nobody wants to roll a healer this expansion.

[Merusk]

Even my Guild - the last 25-man guild on Alleria - does the group LFR thing one day a week.  It's just too easy to pick-up upgrades to heroic gear and learn the basics of the fight that way.

[Fabricated]

Hopefully the progressive nerfs will have started going in by then. I'm pretty much pure casual now and so is my guild, which I figured would be raiding normals by now. Nope; they just groupqueue for LFR and that's good enough because fuck organizing this crap anymore after 7+ years.

We've pretty much headed that direction and I've switched guilds since my old one moved to RIFT for some ridiculous reason. Also, nobody wants to roll a healer this expansion.

Speaking of that; did Blizzard pull a Cata again and make healing suck shit?