So I was going to write a post for an actual WoW rookie that is in my guild. I'm constantly surprised by the questions he asks, and they aren't just /facepalm questions either, but questions like "What are tabards?" and a complete lack of understanding as to what a raid is. I mean, how do you respond when someone sees a 10 Tabards achievement pop up, and they don't know what a tabard is? Or how to check ranks in a guild? But this post is not for him, it is instead for me - and everyone who's ever had a night of raiding that didn't turn out like you'd planned.
Analyzing a death
Now part of this carries over from my time as a raid leader/MT/healer, but this is what I do. When I start tanking floor I immediately pull up Recount to see my death log. I want to know why I died, and if I could have prevented it. This goes double right now, because I'm still a trial raider, and I hate dying to environmental that I can avoid. Plus I know my DPS still isn't as high as it should be, so I'm really critical of my own play.
Now wipes happen, and bad raid nights happen. We used to be pretty cyclical in TI, in that one week we'd go 12/12 in 18 minutes, and the next week we'd struggle to get 3/12 (ok, not that extreme, but you get the point). This is compounded when you're rotating raiders, and having tanks/healers fill the different roles. While that's good (in that you're not dependant on that one tank who always goes up on Beth), it can also lead to extra wipes because they're doing something different.
Of course since I'm not healing at the moment, and I'm not raid leading, my primary focus is me. Tank fell over and went boom? I look at what I was doing, and if that in any way impacted the death. If the answer is no, I go back to analyzing what I was doing right (and wrong) up to that point. Now if I'm the first one to hit the deck, it's another story - and then it's really time to pour over those logs.
Looking at my deaths
So last night I think I had two (maybe 3?) deaths where I was the first to hit the deck. One, on Alysrazor (I'm sorry Kurn - she's forever Alice-razor in my mind), I died on our first pull. First transition to P2, and poof - dead warlock. Looking at the logs, I died to Searing Winds - in the exact mirror position of where I normally am (I usually get assigned to the right side, not the left). The only thing I could see is that my skeleton was actually off the ground by about 10' - so I have to think that the game assumed I was up in the air, even though I only had one feather (as a note, I don't normally get one - maybe this was it?). So I chalk that death up to something I can't control. I wasn't too close to the middle, I wasn't high up on the side - I just died.
WoW - 1, Apok - 0
Now my next death was on Rhy. I died to Volcano Eruptions - something I can't control. Even looking at the WoL, while I took some stomp damage (that's on me), I was also getting smacked by some adds (DPSing too early). Because the death was due to high volcano stacks though, I'm chalking this up to something outside my control.
WoW - 2, Apok - 0
Now this death was embarrasing. I had my camera slaved over to the side, becuase I KNEW a lava line was coming. While looking for it though, Rhy crossed over me, and the lava was under his foot. I died, but what I should have done was move. This was my fault, as I should have been moving when I saw him coming to block my vision. I was so focused on killing the adds though, I didn't move, trusting that I'd see it when it spawned.
WoW - 2, Apok - 1
Looking deeper
Over the course of a night, that's not too bad (other deaths were just wipes - this is only deaths where I died first). It wasn't flawless play, but it wasn't bad. The problem is, our entire raid was having the same kind of night. When that happens, it's a long freaking night. I fully expect that tonight we'll knock things over and get time on Rag, but it's still frustrating.
At the end of a night, look at the death log in WoW to see what happened. Check and see if players are using self CDs, Healthstones, pots, etc - anything to delay their deaths. It's also a good way to see if someone stood in the giant big, or if they died to some other mechanic.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll have something for our WoW rookie. I feel kind of bad for him - I know it's got to be confusing to watch gchat and not know what's going on.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
To host ads or not
First - I will say that I will not be putting ads up on my blog. I'll cover my reasons behind this in depth, but the long and the short of it is that I think in 99.9% of the cases, they're just dumb. Obviously, I don't have any math to back up this revolutionary thought, but I'll give a go at why they make no sense.
I don't visit your site in the first place
I do the vast majority of my blog reading though a feeder. The only time I visit a site directly is when I feel the need to comment on a particular topic, and that's not too often. Usually by the time I get to a site my comment has been voiced 85 other times, and it just gets lost in the noise. Unless I feel like I'm actively discussing something, I don't comment. I accept that this is how I work, and so while I love comments, I don't freak out when I don't get any. A comment of "totally agree" just doesn't do much. A comment that continues discussion is pretty nice.
More to the point though, is that I don't even know what my site looks like half the time. I do a lot of my posts via email, and I kind of forgot that my site was even as dark as it was. I actually get surprised by the design of some sites, just because hey - I've read their posts for years, and never visited the site once.
What really detracts from a site though is ads. They're in your face, flashing, trying to seduce you into clicking on them. Does anyone still click on these? I can't remember the last time I saw an add on a website and thought "oh man, that is EXACTLY what I've been looking for". I don't even click an ad to get to Amazon. If I want to find a site I'll either Google it myself, or put in the URL I know.
How much money are you really making?
Unless you're getting thousands of hits a day, and by thousands I mean 10s or 100s of thousands, your annual revenue from click through ads is going to be somewhere around $4 a month - maybe enough to get yourself a double-double and a doughnut at Timmy's. Most of us probably lose more than that in our couch cushions - I know my wife pulls more than that in change out of my backpack every week.
So again, unless you're racking in the hits, your odds of making any kind of cash through something like Adsense are really, really, low. Plus, unless you're negotiating for your own ads with companies you support, I don't think there is really any control over what ads show up.
Is it worth the cost?
In the end you have to ask if the revenue you're generating from random ads is worth the cost to your soul. If you can slap on an Engin banner and get free hosting - maybe that's worth it. Right now though, my blogspot account is free, my Vent/Mumble server costs something like 3 bucks a month, and I think the guildlaunch no ads site is what - $10 a year? I'll throw that money out of my own pocket to know that I don't have junk on my site that I don't want.
I don't visit your site in the first place
I do the vast majority of my blog reading though a feeder. The only time I visit a site directly is when I feel the need to comment on a particular topic, and that's not too often. Usually by the time I get to a site my comment has been voiced 85 other times, and it just gets lost in the noise. Unless I feel like I'm actively discussing something, I don't comment. I accept that this is how I work, and so while I love comments, I don't freak out when I don't get any. A comment of "totally agree" just doesn't do much. A comment that continues discussion is pretty nice.
More to the point though, is that I don't even know what my site looks like half the time. I do a lot of my posts via email, and I kind of forgot that my site was even as dark as it was. I actually get surprised by the design of some sites, just because hey - I've read their posts for years, and never visited the site once.
What really detracts from a site though is ads. They're in your face, flashing, trying to seduce you into clicking on them. Does anyone still click on these? I can't remember the last time I saw an add on a website and thought "oh man, that is EXACTLY what I've been looking for". I don't even click an ad to get to Amazon. If I want to find a site I'll either Google it myself, or put in the URL I know.
How much money are you really making?
Unless you're getting thousands of hits a day, and by thousands I mean 10s or 100s of thousands, your annual revenue from click through ads is going to be somewhere around $4 a month - maybe enough to get yourself a double-double and a doughnut at Timmy's. Most of us probably lose more than that in our couch cushions - I know my wife pulls more than that in change out of my backpack every week.
So again, unless you're racking in the hits, your odds of making any kind of cash through something like Adsense are really, really, low. Plus, unless you're negotiating for your own ads with companies you support, I don't think there is really any control over what ads show up.
Is it worth the cost?
In the end you have to ask if the revenue you're generating from random ads is worth the cost to your soul. If you can slap on an Engin banner and get free hosting - maybe that's worth it. Right now though, my blogspot account is free, my Vent/Mumble server costs something like 3 bucks a month, and I think the guildlaunch no ads site is what - $10 a year? I'll throw that money out of my own pocket to know that I don't have junk on my site that I don't want.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Crazy mouse/camera problem
I have an issue going on right now that I'm hoping can be solved pretty easily. Every once in a while, usually I think when I'm transitioning targets or moving my mouse around pretty crazy, my camera shoots straight up - so I'm looking at the sky.
WTF?
Fortunately it hasn't happened while I"m trying to dodge a wrench or something, but it is disorienting and confusing as hell. It's easy enough to recover from, just - makes me curse a bit.
If anyone knows a camera setting I can make in the interface to prevent this, that'd be great.
WTF?
Fortunately it hasn't happened while I"m trying to dodge a wrench or something, but it is disorienting and confusing as hell. It's easy enough to recover from, just - makes me curse a bit.
If anyone knows a camera setting I can make in the interface to prevent this, that'd be great.
Three heals or two?
Ahh - the question that has plagued raid leaders for years, or at least since 10m were introduced in BC. Raid composition and roster juggling is one of the major headaches for any raid leader or GM. Maintaining a bench is hard enough, but making sure your bench isn't just filler is even tougher. Don't rotate often enough, and your bench players won't have the gear or experience to get you though those new nights. Rotate too much, and nobody gets enough. It's a fine line to walk.
Tanks, healers, and special cases
Regardless of what you might want, there are certain players who are always needed - at least one tank, two healers, and any special cases (legendary fragment recipients come to mind) that must be in a raid. Now, a good raid leader will make sure that every tank/healer combo is a) valid and b) has time on boss. It doesn't do you any good when your 3rd tank has to become the MT for a fight, and they've never seen it before. The same goes for anyone in a 'clutch' role. If only two people know how to do Magmaw's chains, and one is missing, you're probably going to wipe the first time someone new steps in.
In a standard setup though, you're probably going to need at least two tanks and two healers. Adjustments after that are generally case by case.
How many healers is enough?
Most guides I read call for a two tank, three healer, combo for every fight. This setup is pretty safe, since it gives you extra healing for those AoE moments, and gives the healers a chance to compensate for poor play on the part of the DPS and tanks. Now by poor play, I mean the combination of several different things. Tanks that don't use CDs, players that take avoidable damage (flame waves on Ragnaros are NOT delicious, nor are they fun to ride), and other healers who have poor spell/mana control. The other thing a third healer gives you is flexibility of playstyle.
Flexibility of playstyle isn't compensation for poor play, but instead is a different mindest to work off of. With a two healer setup, each healer has to be completely fluid in their play. You can't go with static assignments on the majority of fights (Chimaeron is an exception to this), and you have to be able to cover a lot of players in a hurry. This type of healing really requires your raid to avoid as much damage as possible, and to use self healing where applicable. This type of healing is (in my opinion) a lot more fun (read - stressful) since you can often find yourself on an island without backup.
Why three healing is better than two
Three healing fights instead of two healing gives you one major advantage - healers can focus on specific assignments. Raid healers can ignore the tank, Paladins can do what we do best - keep the tank(s) alive, and DPS can use fewer CDs on self healing (sloppy play will still get you dead). This isn't my preferred style, but there's nothing wrong with doing it. It also allows you to have a healer absent, and still work through two healing an encounter - solo healing is going to be pretty tough in most of these encounters.
Why two healing is better than three
Things die faster. Bottom line. Let's say your DPS is all sitting within 3k of each other - so you have a range from 17k to 20k on any given boss fight (yes I know numbers fluctuate all the time, blah blah blah). Now, if a boss has say 67M HP, and your raid is doing 100K DPS - it's going to take you 11.1 minutes to defeat that boss. If instead, you bring 120K DPS, you're now looking at 9.3 minutes. That's pretty significant. Bosses dying faster means you're though transitions quicker, healers need less mana, tanks have less "scary" time in a certain phase - everything is just faster.
The bottom line
The real bottom line though is that you have to do what's right for your group/guild, and for the specific boss. For example we 2 healed H-Atramedes, but had to use 3 for H-Chimaeron. Even though I totally believe we 'could' have done H-Chim with two, there were just too many insta-gib moments to make it worth it. Even with three healers we'd still lose a tank to a missed block, a slow 10k top off, etc. H-Atramedes and H-Maloriak on the other hand just required that the raid avoid all the incidental damage possible.
Your raid makeup also plays a big part in this. Getting a lot of incidental healing from a healing stream totem and vampiric embrace? Are your raiders using GCDs to heal themselves with things like recuperate, word of glory, or drain life? Are your tanks avoidance or stamina tanks? Are your healers even comfortable two healing? Does your Warlock life tap right after you've topped off a raid and told the mage to go ahead and trigger Ragnaros's trap, sending someones blood pressure straight to the top?
All of these things, and more, play into what kind of healing strategy you bring to the table. The only wrong way is the one that doesn't get bosses killed. As long as the bosses are dying, use five healers and three tanks (in 10m) if you need to. You may not get the fastest kill in the world, but if you're having fun doing it, who gives a shit.
Tanks, healers, and special cases
Regardless of what you might want, there are certain players who are always needed - at least one tank, two healers, and any special cases (legendary fragment recipients come to mind) that must be in a raid. Now, a good raid leader will make sure that every tank/healer combo is a) valid and b) has time on boss. It doesn't do you any good when your 3rd tank has to become the MT for a fight, and they've never seen it before. The same goes for anyone in a 'clutch' role. If only two people know how to do Magmaw's chains, and one is missing, you're probably going to wipe the first time someone new steps in.
In a standard setup though, you're probably going to need at least two tanks and two healers. Adjustments after that are generally case by case.
How many healers is enough?
Most guides I read call for a two tank, three healer, combo for every fight. This setup is pretty safe, since it gives you extra healing for those AoE moments, and gives the healers a chance to compensate for poor play on the part of the DPS and tanks. Now by poor play, I mean the combination of several different things. Tanks that don't use CDs, players that take avoidable damage (flame waves on Ragnaros are NOT delicious, nor are they fun to ride), and other healers who have poor spell/mana control. The other thing a third healer gives you is flexibility of playstyle.
Flexibility of playstyle isn't compensation for poor play, but instead is a different mindest to work off of. With a two healer setup, each healer has to be completely fluid in their play. You can't go with static assignments on the majority of fights (Chimaeron is an exception to this), and you have to be able to cover a lot of players in a hurry. This type of healing really requires your raid to avoid as much damage as possible, and to use self healing where applicable. This type of healing is (in my opinion) a lot more fun (read - stressful) since you can often find yourself on an island without backup.
Why three healing is better than two
Three healing fights instead of two healing gives you one major advantage - healers can focus on specific assignments. Raid healers can ignore the tank, Paladins can do what we do best - keep the tank(s) alive, and DPS can use fewer CDs on self healing (sloppy play will still get you dead). This isn't my preferred style, but there's nothing wrong with doing it. It also allows you to have a healer absent, and still work through two healing an encounter - solo healing is going to be pretty tough in most of these encounters.
Why two healing is better than three
Things die faster. Bottom line. Let's say your DPS is all sitting within 3k of each other - so you have a range from 17k to 20k on any given boss fight (yes I know numbers fluctuate all the time, blah blah blah). Now, if a boss has say 67M HP, and your raid is doing 100K DPS - it's going to take you 11.1 minutes to defeat that boss. If instead, you bring 120K DPS, you're now looking at 9.3 minutes. That's pretty significant. Bosses dying faster means you're though transitions quicker, healers need less mana, tanks have less "scary" time in a certain phase - everything is just faster.
The bottom line
The real bottom line though is that you have to do what's right for your group/guild, and for the specific boss. For example we 2 healed H-Atramedes, but had to use 3 for H-Chimaeron. Even though I totally believe we 'could' have done H-Chim with two, there were just too many insta-gib moments to make it worth it. Even with three healers we'd still lose a tank to a missed block, a slow 10k top off, etc. H-Atramedes and H-Maloriak on the other hand just required that the raid avoid all the incidental damage possible.
Your raid makeup also plays a big part in this. Getting a lot of incidental healing from a healing stream totem and vampiric embrace? Are your raiders using GCDs to heal themselves with things like recuperate, word of glory, or drain life? Are your tanks avoidance or stamina tanks? Are your healers even comfortable two healing? Does your Warlock life tap right after you've topped off a raid and told the mage to go ahead and trigger Ragnaros's trap, sending someones blood pressure straight to the top?
All of these things, and more, play into what kind of healing strategy you bring to the table. The only wrong way is the one that doesn't get bosses killed. As long as the bosses are dying, use five healers and three tanks (in 10m) if you need to. You may not get the fastest kill in the world, but if you're having fun doing it, who gives a shit.
Monday, August 1, 2011
How much is that Thunderfury in the window?
Or put another way - it's time for another Internet rage!
There are some topics, and I'm pretty sure this will be one of them, that whip the blogsphere into an absolute feeding frenzy. The hell with Shark Week, this is where the real blood is.
The newest chum in the water
Sometime in the last few days Blizzard announced that Diablo 3 will have a cash AH, meaning that crazy sword that dropped can now be sold for cold hard cash instead of being pawned off on a vendor or sold on an AH for mere electronic gold. Of course there will be an AH for that as well, and if you don't have enough gold to buy it, you can always get more from the cash AH.
That's right - there is going to be an exchange for real currency here. I can sell you my Giant Codpiece of the Whale for your cold hard US Dollars (seriously, can we get the Activision/Blizzard guys in Washington to settle this debt thing?). Now there are a few caveats to this service.
There are some topics, and I'm pretty sure this will be one of them, that whip the blogsphere into an absolute feeding frenzy. The hell with Shark Week, this is where the real blood is.
The newest chum in the water
Sometime in the last few days Blizzard announced that Diablo 3 will have a cash AH, meaning that crazy sword that dropped can now be sold for cold hard cash instead of being pawned off on a vendor or sold on an AH for mere electronic gold. Of course there will be an AH for that as well, and if you don't have enough gold to buy it, you can always get more from the cash AH.
That's right - there is going to be an exchange for real currency here. I can sell you my Giant Codpiece of the Whale for your cold hard US Dollars (seriously, can we get the Activision/Blizzard guys in Washington to settle this debt thing?). Now there are a few caveats to this service.
- THIS IS NOT FOR WOW - I felt it needed to be bolded and capitalized for emphasis. I swear I've read more comment/posts about how it will affect WoW, and at least for today - it won't. I'm not saying it won't show up, or that it's even a bad idea - just that right now this has zero impact on WoW.
- Blizzard is going to hit you three times - Right now, when you sell something you have three fees between you and your money. First, you have to pay a cash deposit to list the item. Auction expires, you lose that money. Second, you lose a cut of the auction to Blizzard when the item sells (I don't know if you get your deposit back or not). Finally, if you want to cash out your Blizzard.net account (where the money sits), you pay a third fee for that.
- There is no spoon - I don't really have a third point here, other than since I think D3 isn't an MMO, won't have balanced PvP (i.e. less balanced than WoW is), and there's no real race for world Hardcore First (maybe there will be?) - selling the items doesn't really impact anything.
Going forward
Personally, I think this is a genius move by Blizzard, and I'm surprised it took so long to become reality. I'm not sure I'd like to see this in WoW, because while I'm perfectly ok with dropping 2500g to powerlevel tailoring on my Warlock, I'm not sure how I'd feel about spending say - $25 (probably way more than that) to accomplish the same thing. I mean, what is a stack of Embersilk really worth? 50g? Sure, why not. Fifty cents? I don't know. Of course with microtransactions it's easy to get nickle and dimed into spending a small fortune. Oh, look - just $1.00 for a whole stack of crystals! I'll just get three of those, and $2.00 worth of herbs, and....shit, the mortgage is due.
I'm going to hold off my final opinion on this type of AH until D3 actually launches and I see it in action. Right now I'd be hesitant to see it in WoW, but I'd bet money that if it works well in D3 we'll see it (or something like it) in Titan. We have to accept that companies are going to make money any way they can, and also that players will use any method possible to gain power and items. As long as someone is selling, the parent company might as well attempt to regulate it - and make money on it.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Holy Paladin Talents - where does that last point go?
Ever since the change was made in Cataclysm to force you to have 31 points in a given tree before moving on, the talent builds have gotten very lackluster and a lot of the 'options' that we pretended we had in Wrath and BC moved away. In reality this just helped out the guy who would have built a 16/10/5 Holy build and tried to play it off. Instead each tree seems to have 2 or 3 talents that are 'optional' for that build, but seem more inclined for solo play or PvP (which let's admit it, is generally solo play with a bunch of other individuals).
So where does this leave the up and coming player? What talents are 'required' and which are optional? Is there any real flexibility in a raid environment?
The answer, as usual, is "it depends".
Talents I consider 'optional'
If you read EJ, at least their warlock guides, you'll see that the talent builds have a lot of 'optional' marks, though there's really only 2 or 3 points to play with. The same goes for the paladin, and I'm guessing every other class out there. So, here's my list of 'optional' talents for the Holy Paladin. Remember, even with the 'flex' points that you have, you still need 31 to move on.
So where does this leave the up and coming player? What talents are 'required' and which are optional? Is there any real flexibility in a raid environment?
The answer, as usual, is "it depends".
Talents I consider 'optional'
If you read EJ, at least their warlock guides, you'll see that the talent builds have a lot of 'optional' marks, though there's really only 2 or 3 points to play with. The same goes for the paladin, and I'm guessing every other class out there. So, here's my list of 'optional' talents for the Holy Paladin. Remember, even with the 'flex' points that you have, you still need 31 to move on.
- Protector of the Innocent (T1) - Technically one point here can be pulled to fill in a gap somewhere else. Personally I really like the extra self healing, as every GCD not spent on me is one I can spend elsewhere.
- Arbiter of the Light (T1) - This is a ret or prot talent plain and simple. This doesn't even belong in a PvP/Arena build. Stay away.
- Last Word (T2) - Generally only one point gets put here. With the crit we pack on our gear already, a 60% bonus crit on a target that is sub 35% health is a situational talent at best. While the 200% crit bonus makes it a little more attractive, it's kind of overkill. Losing a point here is certainly viable.
- Because of talent point availability, you'll need to max out one of these two talents to move on to Tier 3, either that or take a ret/PvP talent, which doesn't make a lot of sense.
- Blazing Light (T2) - I put this in italics, because it's really a shockadin/PvP talent. Great for soloing or for something like Chimearon burn phase. I'd question this talent in a group outside of PvP/Arena.
- Denounce (T3) - I put this in italics, because it's really a shockadin/PvP talent. It can prevent your target from getting a critical strike, but since all tanks are crit immune anyway, it's pretty pointless for PvE - to the point where I'd really question a group healing build that had one (outside of PvP/Arena).
- Enlightened Judgements (T4) - A lot of paladins take 1 point here to get hit capped. The 2nd point really only provides a little more range (5yds), and a touch more self healing (1400-2800). Personally I say skip the 2nd point here.
- Sacred Cleansing (T4) - This is the first real talent that you can skip in a large raid, as long as you have enough other cleansers in your raid. If you're doing 5 mans, any kind of Pugging, or just don't want to lose a powerful utility spell - put the one point here. If you're really starving for poitns you can take one somewhere else. Now if you're doing 25m HM content only (or trust your other healers to get all the cleanses) then by all means, skip it.
- Aura Mastery (T5) - I put this in bold because it is a rediculously powerful raid CD, and if you skip this point so you can have harder hitting exorcisms or something I will track you down and beat you to death with your own mouse. There is so much fire damage in T12 that this should be used almost on CD. Don't leave home without it.
- Tower of Radience (T6) - There is a lot of debate around this talent, especially in the 10m circles. If you're running a high Mastery build and just slamming huge Holy Lights (with fewer Divine Lights) into your BoL target, this isn't worth maxing out. It's great for generating HP if you're doing a fast DL build with lower Mastery and you spend more time casting on your BoL target (I know I do).
- Blessed Life (T6) - Taking 1/2 points here is all you need, even in a full PvP/Arena build. You're either getting hit so often that it won't matter (with the 8sec ICD), or you're not getting hit very often at all, in which case your raid probably isn't, so you don't need the free HP. Most fights you can pick up 4 or os extra HP every minute or so. A lot of AoE affects don't trigger this though, so YMMV. You can drop a 2nd point here if you skip LoD.
- Light of Dawn (T7) - our 31 point talent, this baby is either zomgwtfop, or extremely lackluster, depending on your raid. If you're not getting six people (glyphed), your HP is probably better spent on hitting a single target with WoG, especially now that it's been buffed. If you're finding yourself in a lot of stacked spots, it may still be worth it. If you're not hitting 5 or 6 people though, drop this and use WoG. My only caveat against dropping it is that we only have HR at that point for any kind of AoE heal.
After you put 31 points in your Holy Tree, you can start to branch out more. Using a lot of WoG? Pick up Eternal Glory for some free HP. I can't confirm this, but I believe the ICD on this has been removed, so you can get back to back procs. Also, if you're not using WoG, drop EG entirely, and dip down to Pursuit of Justice in the Ret tree. It's more speed than you get from an enchant, and it lets you play with other enchants. If you have some overzealous DPS, you can also cut down your Crown of Shame CD by picking up Gaurdian's Favor instead, but remember - this completely removes any free HP you'll get from Eternal Glory.
It's more than it looks, but that's what there is
So in the end, there are a few more options than an initial pass might reveal, but the base 31/5/5 build is still really solid. If you have the raid comp to let you play with some extra talent points here or there, I say go for it. In the end, I don't think any one 'valid' comp will make or break your raid, unless there's some kind of gimmic you need the HoP CD reduced for. Be prepared to defend your choices if you stray outside the norm, but know that we're still the kings of single target healing.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
OT - A salute to the greatest Canadian ever
No Ed - I'm not talking about Celine Dion here. I'm not even talking about Gordy Howe. I might be talking about Deamill, but he's still no doctor.
No, I'm talking about a man who changed the face of Canada forever.
Tim Horton.
Now, I don't know shit about the man himself, other than he played hockey and died in 1974. I don't even know how much he had to do with the franchise as a whole. What I do know is that Timmy's is everything Dunkin' Donuts wants to be when it grows up.
My first taste of the double-double
Now I don't normally drink fancy lattes or mochas, I tend to keep my coffee simple. I usually drink French Press or drip coffee, but will get an Americano if the place doesn't have basic coffee. I also have been known to order two or four shots of espresso and just drink them like - well, espresso. The key point here is that 95% of the time, I drink plain old black coffee. Like Dennis Leary said, coffee needs a cup - that's it.
Now when I first started working in Canada I was living in a Marriott hotel, and the only to-go coffee I could get was a Starbucks. Now while I appreciate what they've done as a chain, I really don't enjoy Starbucks. Every day though I'd get my Pike Roast coffee, walk the 3 or so blocks to Gulf Canada Square, and start my day. Of course, there was one sight I always saw, and that's the line going around the corner at the Tim Horton's. I couldn't figure it out.
So one day, after I'd complained (not for the first time) about some other coffee shop called "The Second Cup" and thier distinct lack of regular coffee, my team dragged me to Tim Horton's. I of course ordered a black coffee (mocking those that ordered it with cream and sugar), and then I almost died. It was delicious, and oh so amazingly strong.
So then it started, this love affair with Timmy. First, it was delicious, and second, it was super cheap. One twenty-five for a large coffee? Yes please. I expanded into the double-double on a bet, and I was hooked for life. Real cream. Real sugar. As a going away gift my team bought me a 64oz mug (it was larger than my laptop), to help feed my addiction.
A recent reunion
So now I've been without the love of Timmy for about four years. Then, just a few weeks ago, my in-laws returned from a foray into the Canadian wilderness and returned with a tin of Timmy's just for me. My wife doesn't understand it, but she's certainly ready to drink the coffee. I have to ration it out though. This is my last can of Timmy's until September, when some friends of mine are going to Canada for an endurance race. I'm trying to bribe one of them to smuggle a case across the border for me.
So to all the Canadians that I play with, I envy your access to this delicious nectar. Forget oil and gold, Timmy's is your greatest natural resource.
Tomorrow - Naga bindings!
No, I'm talking about a man who changed the face of Canada forever.
Tim Horton.
Now, I don't know shit about the man himself, other than he played hockey and died in 1974. I don't even know how much he had to do with the franchise as a whole. What I do know is that Timmy's is everything Dunkin' Donuts wants to be when it grows up.
My first taste of the double-double
Now I don't normally drink fancy lattes or mochas, I tend to keep my coffee simple. I usually drink French Press or drip coffee, but will get an Americano if the place doesn't have basic coffee. I also have been known to order two or four shots of espresso and just drink them like - well, espresso. The key point here is that 95% of the time, I drink plain old black coffee. Like Dennis Leary said, coffee needs a cup - that's it.
Now when I first started working in Canada I was living in a Marriott hotel, and the only to-go coffee I could get was a Starbucks. Now while I appreciate what they've done as a chain, I really don't enjoy Starbucks. Every day though I'd get my Pike Roast coffee, walk the 3 or so blocks to Gulf Canada Square, and start my day. Of course, there was one sight I always saw, and that's the line going around the corner at the Tim Horton's. I couldn't figure it out.
So one day, after I'd complained (not for the first time) about some other coffee shop called "The Second Cup" and thier distinct lack of regular coffee, my team dragged me to Tim Horton's. I of course ordered a black coffee (mocking those that ordered it with cream and sugar), and then I almost died. It was delicious, and oh so amazingly strong.
So then it started, this love affair with Timmy. First, it was delicious, and second, it was super cheap. One twenty-five for a large coffee? Yes please. I expanded into the double-double on a bet, and I was hooked for life. Real cream. Real sugar. As a going away gift my team bought me a 64oz mug (it was larger than my laptop), to help feed my addiction.
A recent reunion
So now I've been without the love of Timmy for about four years. Then, just a few weeks ago, my in-laws returned from a foray into the Canadian wilderness and returned with a tin of Timmy's just for me. My wife doesn't understand it, but she's certainly ready to drink the coffee. I have to ration it out though. This is my last can of Timmy's until September, when some friends of mine are going to Canada for an endurance race. I'm trying to bribe one of them to smuggle a case across the border for me.
So to all the Canadians that I play with, I envy your access to this delicious nectar. Forget oil and gold, Timmy's is your greatest natural resource.
Tomorrow - Naga bindings!
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