For a BG twink...

[angry.bob]

So, in anticipation of the new PvP I leveled up a Warrior to 49. Right now I'm using two Flurry axes and arms specced with the left over points in fury. Any one have any input on better AH weapon/weapons to use for Pvp, as well as specs? I can't imagine that a setup that's great for grinding low yellow and green mobs during rest XP time is going to work well for PvP.

[Righ]

I wouldn't bother. Next week you can just earn points and buy the high warlord weapons, so grind to 60. But for PvP right now, Hammer of the Northern Wind + Shadowblade. Krol blade main hand within a two levels. Biggest gain would be by speccing fury+arms rather than arms+fury. Don't need MS if you're going DW PvP.

[Zetor]

I'm not really an expert on this stuff, but the 40-49 twink warrs in my battlegroup (the successful / famous ones anyway) are all MS specced with verry slow weapons. http://www.thottbot.com/?i=3828 is a favorite and arguably the best weapon for the bracket.

The build they use is MS [with sword spec and improved hamstring, iirc], focusing on stamina and crit first, then strength/ap.


-- Z.

[Righ]

You can't AH that weapon. Reading between the lines, I thought that yer actual PvE to get gear was out of the question. But that is rather good twink gear.

[ClydeJr]

Like they said, if you plan on being a arms warrior, 2H weapons are the best for the big crits in PvP. If you want to DW, then you should probably switch to fury so you can be a plate rogue.

Not sure if you are planning on staying at 49 and running BGs. If you are planning on leveling and you want to switch to 2H weapons, Lord Alexander's Battle Axe is a nice one to have.

[angry.bob]

I was planning on staying at 49 for a while, I will not fight against anyone in even a single piece of tier 0.5 stuff, let alone the stuff people have been catassing for after they hit 60. I have a Kang's Decapitator that I used to use, but frankly it was slow and boring, and the two Flurry axes seemed to do more damage faster, just not in nearly as big a chunk. I'm MS/Axe specced with Dex being my first priority in + gear, with STR and STA being equal after that. I was just curious of people thought the giant burst damage from the Kang would be better, or the insanely fast two flurry axes.

[Arrrgh]

I'd put a crusader on the kangs and go for the big hits then.

[Zetor]

Yeah... I only really have experience with my warrior at 60, but generally you want crazy burst damage capability. Two Flurry Axes might generate more damage over time, but against a competent mage/hunter/rogue/druid you'll only have time for one-two solid hits, you'd better make them count. (mages can nova, blink and frostbolt/frostbite kite you, hunters can slow you in a million different ways and frost trap you, rogues can stunlock, druids will only shift out to vulnerable human form to heal or root, plus they'll travel form away if the fight starts to go badly)

Burst is also good in organized pvp. As much damage as DWing does, it's a lot more predictable and can be healed through [especially if you're fury and don't have MS]. With equivalent gear, MS does two-three huge hits in the span of 3 seconds (mortal strike, whirlwind, heroic strike) and very likely, at least one of them will crit. The problem with dual-wielding with an MS spec is that it's just plain not as effective as fury except for the MS debuff - since both of your main 'burst' attacks work on weapon damage, they'll hit for very light damage, even if the "white damage" hits are higher. It might also leave you rage starved [I assume you don't have Unbridled Wrath] if you get a string of misses, and you probably will without too much +hit% gear.

Kang is good especially when crusadered, I see plenty of twinks using that.


-- Z.

[pxib]

From a business point of view, Blizzard should embrace the hell out of battleground twinks. Here's a bunch of people who aren't terribly interested in expensive new content and are willing to pay the monthly fee to play in the same corner of the game over and over again. They're far from a majority, and they spend too much time online to be ideal subscribers, but they're interested in part of the game that requires very limited R&D investment.

Give the favorite weapons and armor of each bracket cool models and textures (recycle ones from later in the game, even). Make a x0 to x8 battleground for each bracket that gives experience for playing (so the twinks shy away) and then make a solely x9 battleground which -doesn't- (so the folks who are just trying to level in PvP shy away)... and publish rankings for each x9 every week. Maybe even give players titles. Set up unique rewards available to each bracket, rather than leveled-up versions of the same thing. Flashy trinkets! Funny colored pets! Collect 'em all! Anything that might inspire more players to take up twinking rather than hitting the level cap and getting bored with the zero-XP PvE.

Not enough skills and spells at 10-19? Try 20-29! Sick of that? 30-39 might be for you! Check out the mount-tastic world of 40-49! Or 50-59... endgame skills and endgame battlegrounds without grinding epics for six months!

Mudflation schmudflation. Exploit what you've already built, and squeeze every last cent out of the players who love it.

[Shavnir]

The thing is I'm fairly positive almost every single BG twink has a main that probably does a lot of the endgame equipment.  I've been playing on my level 29 rogue and funding him through AH trickery, but despite a friend (thanks Chenghiz  ) letting me AH a blue that went for about 50g I didn't have any other resources.  Friends running you through instances helps a ton but in general twinks aren't mains.  Your ideas have merit though, the twink brackets are an interesting thing.  Perhaps having level x9 practice arenas that give honor would be another option.

[pxib]

I agree that twinking is mostly a game for people who already have a main, and to an extent that's my point. Even if proper twinking -requires- level 60's (or 70's. Yikes.) to run you through instances... that's a good thing. Those people, bored with the endgame grind (and other ways to disguise the lack of constant content updates) get somewhere else to focus their attention and CONTINUE PAYING THE MONTHLY FEE. Levels 19, 29, 39, and 49, have substantially different PvP dynamics. Probably more different from eachother than the 60-70 gap will turn out to become. Until level 40 or so classes are still gaining many entirely new skills and talents. The balance of power between the classes shifts constnatly and noticably up until that point. The new 41-point talents will help push that progression to 50.

Blizzard could capitalize on this. Focus on characters who avoid the level cap, even if their players haven't, and you'll give those players something concrete and rewarding to do other than fret that they've run out of non-grind content. Make the twinking options attractive enough and you'll pull in players who wouldn't normally consider it... and, like I said, the more of those players around the better for Blizzard's long-term bottom line.

[Chenghiz]

I agree, it's a cool idea, and it makes fun PVP more accessable for those who don't have the time to catass to 60.

[Yoshimaru]

I agree, it's a cool idea, and it makes fun PVP more accessable for those who don't have the time to catass to 60.

Your talking about twinking right? The people who drop 500-700 gold on level 19-29 characters so that they can obliterate regular players in the bracket... right?

[Shavnir]

I agree, it's a cool idea, and it makes fun PVP more accessable for those who don't have the time to catass to 60.

A level 19 will never be able to afford a crusader enchant if its that person's first character.

Heck I can barely find ways to make money on my rogue without leveling him but its slow going.  Certainly not going to get me crusader anytime soon, heck I'll be lucky to get a necklace :p

[Zetor]

I agree, it's a cool idea, and it makes fun PVP more accessable for those who don't have the time to catass to 60.

Replace "catass to" with "catass at" and I'd agree.. while you certainly need a 60 (or at least a 45+) character in order to get the most out of your low-level twink, it's not nearly as demanding as raiding at a level 60 level (which IS required to be competitive, just like twinking at lower brackets).


-- Z.

[Simond]

Maybe Blizz should just set up L20/30/40/50/60 arena ladders, to go along with the L70 one.

Twinks end up having to fight twinks, and normal players get to fight normal players.

[Chenghiz]

The way I see twinking, sure you have to be well-geared and tricked out to compete, but you don't have to be in an uberguild, you don't have to spend more time than you want on it, and you don't have to spend hours raiding to get really good gear.

[Arrrgh]

And you don't have to worry about mudflation.

[Ratama]

And you don't have to worry about mudflation.

Err...

In BC, there will be new low-level jewelry, as well as new uber enchants.

*Less* mudflation, sure, but it will still be an issue; your typical BG twink will probably replace about 1/3 of their gear and all of their enchants by the time BC stuff is fully accessable.

[Arrrgh]

The new enchants have level restrictions. There was a ring or two that looked decent, but nothing earth shattering.

[Ratama]

The new enchants have level restrictions.

lvl 35... I suppose the 19 and 29 BGs are safe, I suppose, and they *are* the most popular...